4dancers – Page 10

Emma’s “Summer Bowl” Recipe – Peach & Beet Salad

July 12, 2017 by 4dancers

by Emma Love Suddarth

Summer… a break… rest. For almost every professional dancer in the United States, summertime means layoff—a time to trade in the pointe shoes for flip-flops (or sneakers, if you’re smart) and let the body rest, recuperate, and repair. How dancers choose to fill this time varies greatly. For some, it is an opportunity to travel the world—hike the trails, bike the cities, or seek out the foreign places that the scattered weeks here or there throughout the season wouldn’t allow for. For others, it’s a special time to visit family—having missed so many holidays (must The Nutcracker fall on Christmas every year?), the annual summertime family vacation may be the one tradition a dancer is able to attend consistently. Or, maybe it is the rare chance to sit on the couch, lay back with feet up, and set Netflix on play. Regardless of how, it’s an opportunity to indulge where one can and enjoy what one might.

For Price and me, family and food are two things we feel strongly about. Our kitchen is the most frequented space in the house, and the refrigerator is covered entirely by pictures of Suddarths and Loves. Put the two together, and you’ll find us trying to decide what to cook or where to eat when visiting those we love. Last summer, while in Indiana with our Suddarth side, we discovered a fresh spot to test out—a new pizza place, Napolese Pizzeria, marked by local ingredients and seasonal varieties. The menu was distinctive and delectable—one pizza contained squash, feta, brussels sprouts, and a balsamic drizzle, and another with kale, pineapple, roasted peppers, and provolone. As avid cooks ourselves, we often love to recreate our favorite meals that we happen upon when dining out, occasionally adding little tidbits of our own “flavor.” That evening, leaving Napolese both satiated and satisfied, we had a handful of new projects for our kitchen. There was one course in particular that topped the list—a salad that seemed to capture summer in a bowl. Sweet, slightly charred yellow corn. Vibrant, impeccably roasted purple beets. Juicy, perfectly ripened fuzzy peaches. Can’t you just feel the warmth of the summer sunshine already?

This recipe has traveled the country. It’s been family-and-friend-tested, and earned a spot on our regular rotation whenever peach season strikes. And, lucky for us, it seems it’s just about that time.

Prepping the peaches. Photo by Emma Love Suddarth

Beet, Peach, and Corn Salad with a Smoky Tomato Vinaigrette

(serves approximately 2)

Ingredients

Smoky tomato vinaigrette (makes enough for multiple salads):

10 oz cherry/grape tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs water
salt and pepper

5 oz greens (such as butter, boston, or bibb lettuce) or shredded cabbage

2 peaches, sliced

2 beets, sliced

1 ear sweet corn

feta, crumbled

Instructions

To make the vinaigrette:

Preheat a large pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated through, drizzle a little olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add tomatoes. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Leaving the pan covered, remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes.
Into a large food processor, add tomatoes, garlic, Dijon, Worcestershire, olive oil, vinegar, and water. Blend to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be refrigerated. Set out and let it come to room temperature to serve.

For the salad:

Preheat oven to 400° Cut any top off beets and scrub thoroughly. Wrap beets loosely in tin foil and roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork or skewer. Remove from the oven, let cool, and remove skin (should be easily rubbed off using a paper towel).
Preheat grill or grill pan on medium-high heat. Remove corn from husk and place directly onto grill. Rotate ear of corn every 2-3 minutes, until each side is slightly charred and evenly grilled. Remove corn from cob.
To assemble, toss greens/cabbage with smoky tomato vinaigrette until evenly distributed. Then add peaches, beets, corn, and feta. Add additional dressing as needed. Serve.

You can bet we’ll be back to Napolese again this year, doubtless departing with both stomachs and minds filled with scrumptious new ideas…

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Emma Love Suddarth

Contributor Emma Love Suddarth is from Wichita, Kansas. She studied with Sharon Rogers and on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and attended summer courses at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Ballet Academy East, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She was first recipient of the Flemming Halby Exchange with the Royal Danish Ballet School and was also a 2004 and 2005 recipient of a Kansas Cultural Trust Grant. She joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2008 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2009.

While at PNB, she has performed featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Peter Boal, David Dawson, Ulysses Dove, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Mark Morris, Margaret Mullin, Crystal Pite, Alexei Ratmansky, Kent Stowell, Susan Stroman, and Price Suddarth. Some of her favorites include the Siren in Balanchine’s The Prodigal Son, Jiri Kylian’s Petit Mort, David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to My Skin, William Forsythe’s New Suite, and Price Suddarth’s Signature.

She is a contributor to Pacific Northwest Ballet’s blog. She is married to fellow PNB dancer Price Suddarth.

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The Dance COLEctive Switches Gears

May 22, 2017 by 4dancers

Finding just the right model for a dance company is important, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every company out there. Margi Cole has been at the helm of The Dance COLEctive, a Chicago-based dance company, for two decades–and recently decided to change the model she had been using to something that will allow her to expand her work, while shifting the format around a bit.

We sent Margi some questions about this change so readers can take a look at what she’s doing, and why. She has some interesting thoughts to share…

Would you summarize the recent announcement about your company, The Dance COLEctive for our readers?

Basically, The Dance COLEctive (TDC) is transitioning to a new model. After 20 years, we will no longer maintain and work with a company of dancers on a continuous basis but will “pick up” dancers as needed for specific projects. While this is not a new idea, it is a new way to work for me and for TDC.

To be clear, the organization is not folding and I am not quitting. TDC’s new model will enable me to expand my work in several different ways:

Developing a solo-focused initiative: creating, commissioning and highlighting solo work
Creating new works to perform under the TDC banner, with other companies or in collaboration with other artists
Increasing national and international teaching and creative residencies

I guess the biggest question that comes to mind is, why is the shift happening now? After all this time, all these years, what was it that was going on under the surface that moved you in this direction at this particular time?

I am responding to changes in the field, the shifting economic and political climate and my own interests and needs as a mid-career artist and adapting to create sustainability for my organization. I want to shift my accountability from that of an organizational structure to the creative process, which was my basis for starting the company. Without an ongoing group of dancers, I’ll more time and space to be more fluid with the projects I am working toward completing.

Is this a “fluid” shift in focus? Meaning, will you decide as you go along how much time and focus each area will receive? Or do you have an idea of how you might like to structure your efforts moving forward?

My new focus means that I am looking in places for opportunities and resources. Right now, I am working toward immersing myself in the creative process, so I’m focusing my efforts on researching funding and residency opportunities and strategizing artistic collaborations and projects. My primary focus at the moment is the Solo Swap Project, which will provide me with more flexibility if something comes up and allow me more time for research and development.

Margi Dancing — **Margi dancing. Photo by William Frederking**

You have always valued mentoring. How do you see your role as a mentor evolving in this new format?

Yes, mentorship has turned into a central focus for me, and it continues to be important and valuable to my plans. First, I have formalized something that I have always done: How to make it work or at least give it a try. I have always talked with people informally about the field and sometimes offered advice, feedback and resources. Not only does formalizing these conversations add value to what I am doing, it is generating revenue for TDC. I also discovered that I need administrative support. I have engaged a former company member to help me with some tasks as a way for me to provide guidance through arts administration. I am seeking opportunities to mentor choreographers in the studio. Thodos Dance Chicago invited me back to participate as a mentor in its New Dances Project as a resource giving feedback during their rehearsal process. I expect that opportunities will continue to present themselves and evolve. Mentorship remains a key element of the organization and a core value for me as an artist.

Can you talk a bit about the idea behind the Solo Swap Project, and how that idea came to pass?

I have always been committed to my solo work. It has been a way for me to put my money where my mouth is in terms of my expectations of others and my own work as a director. I want to continue this work and make it more of a central focus. The Solo Swap provides a framework for collaborative development and aims to develop scaleable work while expanding, exploring and deepening the participants’ work as artists. In short, this idea embodies all the elements that seem practical in our shifting economic climate and gives the participants the opportunity to customize work while simultaneously challenging themselves. As it turns out, this will enable me to do all of the things I am interested in: be collaborative, portable, mobile, a dancer and a choreographer.

For you personally, what do you see as your biggest hope moving forward in this new format, and in these new endeavors?

To find a renewed sense of creativity and spirit, to work toward creating a more sustainable business model, to be a role model in terms of change and to support my ongoing curiosity about the field of dance inside and outside of the studio. I hope this will enable me to teach more, perform more, make more dances and be a more viable contributing artist to my own community and beyond.

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Dance Voyages

May 15, 2017 by 4dancers

Alessa dancing Esmerelda — **Esmeralda and Kilroy’s Pas. Photo by Charlie McCullers**

by Alessa Ashley Rogers

Looking forward, looking back.

On October 7, 2014, 27 dancers waited expectantly in Atlanta Ballet’s sun-dappled studio 1. What we knew: Our resident choreographer, Helen Pickett. And the play, Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real which we had been expected to read.

What we didn’t know was how Helen would transform an obscure, largely unsuccessful play into a full-length world premiere ballet with original costumes, sets and score which would be critically acclaimed for its “sheer magic.”

Flash forward 30-some months later and Camino Real is being re-staged at Atlanta Ballet for the second time. Many things are different in our world of the studio and in the larger world. A new president has taken office. At Atlanta Ballet, change is heavy on our minds as thirteen dancers prepare to depart the company at the end of this season. [Read more…]

Book Review: How They Became Famous Dancers – A Dancing History

April 26, 2017 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

This lovely book was sent to us by Anne Dunkin (the author) for review, and it’s easy to recommend. Dunkin has assembled a very interesting resource that would serve as a great tool for those teaching middle school, or even to have on hand at a dance studio library. It’s also a good read, just to add to your own personal knowledge of dance. It tells the stories of 12 dancers (6 male and 6 female) from various parts of the world, focusing on their childhoods and rise to prominence as a dancer.

Many different places are represented, including Mexico, Japan, India, Africa, and the United States. Every chapter begins with the dancer’s background, and outlines their journey to becoming a dancer. The information is coupled with black and white photographs, as well as a “Create A Dance” section at the end of the chapter, which is designed to give children a feel for the type of movement that particular dancer was known for. The dancers that are included in this book span a variety of different genres, ranging from ballet to Bharata Natyam, to Modern dance. There is even a little map in the beginning that shows where each dancer was from for reference.

This unique and interesting approach makes the book an especially good resource for teachers, since material of this nature is often difficult to find. The chapters lend themselves to either being used in their entirety, or as rich material to add to a lecture. The dancers that are covered here include:

Louis XIV
John Durang
Marie Taglioni
William Henry “Juba” Lane
Anna Pavlova
Rudolph Laban
Doris Humphrey
Michio Ito
Mrinalini Sarabhai
Pearl Primus
Amalia Hernandez
Arthur Mitchell

I’ve been in the field for over 40 years, and I learned quite a bit from reading this book myself. Don’t hesitate to add it to your library!

Purchase from Amazon

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Day-To-Day Life As A Professional Ballerina

April 9, 2017 by 4dancers

Sharon Wehner as the black swan in Swan Lake. Photo by David Andrews.

by Sharon Wehner

As a professional ballet dancer, I often get questions from non-dancers about what a work day/week/month looks like. This is usually followed by a look of surprise when I say that I dance 6-9 hours a day, 5-6 days per week, an average of 45 weeks a year. b35 of those weeks are as a member of the Colorado Ballet. The others involve guesting and contract work. The 8 weeks of “off-time” are scattered throughout the year, and spent taking class and cross-training.

So what does a typical day look like? That all depends on the week. During my season with Colorado Ballet, there are two basic time periods: Rehearsal and Performance. Rehearsal weeks consist of a 4-6 week period of learning and rehearsing repertory. Performance weeks involve both rehearsals and performances, including stage, tech, and dress rehearsals in the theatre, as well as “maintenance” rehearsals at the studio.

Rehearsal Period

During a rehearsal week, we begin every day with an hour and 15 minute Company Class. As a dancer who also teaches, I’m always amazed at how much the ballet mistress/master can squeeze into 75 minutes with 50 dancers in the room! Barre is usually only about 30 minutes, but we still get in every necessary component: plies, several tendus and dégagé combinations, ronde de jambe, fondue, frappe, adagio, and grande battement. Center combinations vary depending on the teachers, but we alway do a center tendu, adagio, pirouettes, small jumps, assemble, petit allegro, sisones, grande allegro, and sometimes a coda combination. One teacher manages to squeeze in additional center fondues, grande battement, and an assemble jump combination.

As one can see, company class has to run like a super efficient well-oiled machine. There is little time for corrections or individual attention. But even some of that does happen. Professionals are expected to pick up combinations quickly, transition from one group to the next seamlessly, and apply corrections without interrupting the flow of class. There is also an etiquette amongst professionals which enables the class to churn along. Every company has their own unique unspoken rules about barre space, mirror space, groupings, and “territory”. I always smile when I see the new “kids” trying to navigate these rules when they first enter the company. Luckily, most dancers are fairly intuitive, and masters at reading body language. Ideally, the less-than-aware dancers are taken aside and given a little guidance. But, I have also witnessed a senior principle chew out a young oblivious pup, and it can be quite the spectacle.

Class is followed by a fifteen minute break. Three hours of rehearsal follow this, then a one hour lunch break, and another three hours of rehearsals. Depending on the person and the productions being rehearsed, a dancer may only have one hour of rehearsal, but could just as easily have six hours. Generally, we rehearse more than one ballet at a time. We may be preparing the most immediate production (Swan Lake, for example), as well as learning repertory for later in the season, and working on the creation of new choreography for another season, all at the same time. As we get closer to production week, rehearsals are increasingly distilled down to focus only on the most immediate production.

Performance Period

Tech week involves a mix of technical, orchestra, and dress rehearsals twice a day in the theatre leading up to Opening Night. Our company usually performs a student matinee the morning before opening night. In the past few years, this performance has been live-cast locally and internationally to schools in ten different countries. Thus, even though it is technically considered a dress rehearsal, the student matinee is actually treated like a live show. Dancers and orchestra are expected to carry on in the face of mistakes and mis-cues.

The following weeks consist of a mix of rehearsals at the studio during the day and performances in the evening. During a performance day, our rehearsal time is limited to three hours, with a minimum of two hour break before being called to the theatre. We always have formal class before rehearsal, and then are responsible for warming ourselves back up at the theatre before the show.

After a run of performances, we return to a rehearsal period schedule, and the cycle starts all over again. Sometimes there will be a week or two layoff in between. This is usually a welcome recovery time for both the body and the mind (not so much the bank account, but that’s another story).

Off Season

Once the season winds down, usually in April for my company, we enter into a four month lay-off period. This time is utilized differently amongst various dancers. Many, like myself, pick-up contract “gigs” either performing or teaching, which often requires being free to travel. For example, I have been to Japan about 10 times, working with choreographers and performing as a guest artist. I have also worked with various pick-up companies. This involves a pretty serious commitment of daily rehearsals and performances, much like the work I do during the season with Colorado Ballet. I have also utilized the time to take college courses. Other dancers prefer to pick up non-dancing work, such as waiting tables or nanny-ing. It’s always a tricky thing—balancing rest and work and play during a lay-off. By the end of the rigorous season, the body and spirit are usually craving time on the beach eating copious amounts of ice cream. Sometimes this is possible, but not usually my style. The closest thing was last spring, when, after a very difficult year personally and professionally, I did a yoga teacher-training in Costa Rica. Even though the schedule was packed—a 200 hour training in 21 days—being immersed in nature and learning a new skill steeped in wisdom teachings, was extremely nourishing for me.

In terms of staying in shape and cross-training, this also looks differently for every dancer. Some dancers thrive on doing “normal-people” stuff—hiking, swimming, going to the gym. I admit, I love a great non-dance cardio workout with a set of headphones and a good pod cast. At the same time, I strongly believe that there is nothing like doing ballet class if you really want to be in dancer-shape. Yet, age and experience has also taught me that most bodies need some form of constructive rest, in which more body-friendly exercise is necessary. Yoga, pilates, and Gyrotonics are my go-to sources of conditioning in this arena. And then, every once in a while, I let myself totally veg out on the beach with a good book and an iced latte.

So, that’s it in a nutshell—the various faces of being a professional ballerina in a mid-sized company with a 35-week season. At least, in my world…

What’s coming up for Colorado Ballet? Keep track of their performance schedule here.

Contributing writer Sharon Wehner is originally from San Jose, California. She trained with Jody White and David Roxander, San Jose Dance Theatre, San Francisco Ballet and San Jose/Cleveland Ballet. Ms. Wehner joined Colorado Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to Principal in 1999, and in the last 20 years, has performed many lead roles with the Company. These include Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Medora in Le Corsaire, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppelia, Mina in Dracula, Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, the Cowgirl in Rodeo, the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Cinderella in Cinderella, Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Titania and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Second Violin in Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, the Principal couple in Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes, Rubies, and Theme and Variations, Antony Tudor’s Leaves are Fading, and Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room. She has been honored to have solos and pas de deuxs created on her by choreographers Val Caniparoli, Edwaard Liang, Mathew Neenan, Christopher Wheeldon, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Dwight Rhoden, Jessica Lang, Brian Reeder and Toru Shimazaki.

In addition to Colorado Ballet, Ms. Wehner has also performed with The Washington Ballet, Oakland Ballet and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. She has also been a guest artist at the Vail International Dance Festival, in Japan in the Aoyama Ballet Festival, and the National Ballet of Japan’s Golden Ballet Co-star. Sharon enjoys teaching dance to all ages and abilities, particularly Dance for Parkinson’s Disease.

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Beet, Peach, and Corn Salad with a Smoky Tomato Vinaigrette

Instructions

Rehearsal Period

Performance Period

Off Season

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