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10 Questions With…Francisco Gella

February 6, 2012 by 4dancers

Our “10 Questions With…” feature today is with Francisco Gella–and we’ll be hearing more from his students (and other students) soon when we debut our new feature, “Student Spotlight” down the line….in the meantime, get to know this talented man a bit…

Francisco Gella

1. How did you become involved with dance? 

I was a freshman at the University of Washington and had just recently quit gymnastics.  I decided to take a Dance 101 class just for fun.  What was supposedly just for fun ended up being a life altering experience.  That beginning dance class instilled a love for dancing that I knew as a child but never really pursued. It was the beginning of an amazing journey that continues to this day.

2. What are you currently doing in the field? 

Currently I have been teaching and choreographing all over the North American continent.  I also founded and am the current artistic director of Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance which boasts a hybrid curriculum combining the training aspects of the concert dance world with the commercial dance genre.  Although I do take class on a regular basis, my professional dance career ended in 2007.  It was a choice I made to concentrate more on developing my teaching and choreography skills.

3. What is the best advice you have ever received from a teacher or mentor? 

The best advice, which was consistent with many of my mentors and teachers:  to not be afraid of being yourself, to be who you are, and to be accepting of your own individual merits both as a person and as an artist.  This was important in fully developing the confidence and most important, to truly be comfortable with who you are, without judgement, both in life and on stage.

4. What has been your greatest challenge in dance? 

The greatest challenge is to be and truly accept who you are without falling into the trap of always comparing yourself to other dancers/artists.  Everyone is different and it is the uniqueness that we each hold that I find to be the most difficult to accept without having to conform to what is trendy, what is acceptable, and what everyone else is doing.

5. What has been your biggest strength as a dancer? 

My biggest strength is my total and unconditional love for the art form.  This is what has helped me to keep going in the most difficult of situations and especially during times where an individual has to truly face the truth without judgment.

Francisco Gella

6. Would you share one of your career highlights? 

My most memorable career highlight (I want to make a note that there are several actually), was dancing at the Closing Ceremonies at the 1998 Nagano Olympics in Japan.  It was the most amazing experience seeing the entire world come together, watching different races and cultures put their differences aside to celebrate sportsmanship and what makes humanity so beautiful.  I was so emotionally high for several weeks after and saw the world in a more hopeful and positive way.

7. What do you think are the most important qualities for a dancer to have? 

Although having natural facility can be advantageous, it is important to understand that even without amazing and natural physical gifts, through proper training the body can be changed, developed and adjusted to attain proficient and excellent technique.  In addition, I feel another important quality to have is to not be afraid to look at the ugly within oneself and work to make it beautiful.  Sometimes we tend to want to hide our flaws and avoid having to take responsibility and fix them.  Finally, dancers should never be satisfied.  Technique and artistry should always be improved throughout the life span of a dancer.  Once you think and feel you are ‘there’ so-to-speak, it is all over.  Learning becomes difficult and less satisfying if one thinks they have attained perfection, when in reality there is no such thing.

8. Is there any advice that you can give to young dancers? 

To always work hard, to be truly honest with yourself and be realistic with our personal and professional goals.  Also: never give-up.  Anything is possible if you really want it bad enough and are willing to work hard for it.  Finally – never take anything for granted.  Be thankful for each and every moment that we are fortunate enough to fully express ourselves through movement.  Not everyone is granted this talent.

9. What is it that you love about dance so much? 

The physicality of it and the art of it; referring of course to both dancers and choreography that exhibit memorable, unforgettable, and timeless qualities.  Dance is a method of expression and a visceral art form that can never be matched because the main instrument used is our own human body.  And, in my personal opinion, there is nothing like dancing beautiful choreography to the most amazing piece of music.  The combination is pure bliss.

10. What is next for you? 

There are several projects upcoming for choreography.  I am currently working on a commission for Long Beach Ballet.  Now that Nuevo School of Contemporary Dance has become more established and is flourishing, it is now time to concentrate more on my own personal endeavors such as further pursuing choreographic opportunities and to continue to develop my overall skills as a dance educator.  The long term goal is to establish both a youth dance collaborative and finally to create a successful professional dance company.

BIO: Francisco Gella’s career as a successful choreographer and dance educator proves that his philosophy of combining the commercial and artistic aspects of the dance world is sought out by many prestigious professional organizations.

Mr. Gella has choreographed for Pennsylvania Ballet’s Shut-Up and Dance production, and has set pieces on PHILADANCO’s Danco on Danco Program, Danco/II, Ballet East of Austin, Texas, Tucson Regional Ballet, Reflections Dance Company of Washington, D.C., Ballet Pacifica, California Ballet, Long Beach Ballet, the University of Utah Ballet Ensemble and the University of Washington Dance Program. Other choreographic credits include two highly acclaimed duets performed at the Laguna Dance Festival directed by Jodie Gates. His work for South Bay Ballet entitled “Configured Echoes” garnered the Best Choreography Award for the Pacific Region at the National Regional Dance America Conference. Francisco choreographed a solo entitled “Tango en Pointe” which was performed for the Presidential Scholars Gala held at the Kennedy Center. Mr. Gella has been a finalist multiple times for the MacCallum Theater’s Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival and he has also created several award-winning contemporary solos for the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition. He was recently awarded the Outstanding Choreographer Award at the 2011 Youth America Grand Prix Competition in Los Angeles. Mr. Gella was the assistant choreographer of Patricia Zhou’s solo featured on Dancing with the Stars.

Mr. Gella has been a guest instructor with SUNY Binghamton Summer Dance Institute, Extravadanza in Montreal, Canada, West Coast Dance Academy, Lula Washington Dance Company and School, California Ballet Conservatory, Ballet Pacifica Conservatory, Festival Ballet, Tucson Regional Ballet, Long Beach Ballet Summer Intensive, California Dance Theater Summer Intensive and the Orange County High School for the Arts. In addition, he taught master classes at numerous prestigious colleges and universities while on tour with the Philadelphia Dance Company. Francisco was on faculty for 4 years with Coastal Dance Rage, co-owners Blake McGrath & Shannon Mather’s dance convention which tours all over Canada and the United States.

Mr. Gella has been a company member with the Philadelphia Dance Company aka PHILADANCO, Repertory Dance Theater of Salt Lake City, UT., Spectrum Dance Theater of Seattle, WA., the Chamber Dance Company, Leaving/Ground Dance, California Ballet and Ballet Pacifica. He was part of the National Choreographers Initiative two years in a row, performed at the Closing Ceremonies in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan, a worldwide broadcasted event, as a principal soloist and was featured in a PBS: Dance in America Special in Daniel Ezralow’s holiday satirical work entitled the “X-mas Philes” (Mr. Ezralow is also the choreographer of Cirque du Soleil’s, The Beatle’s LOVE).

Born in Bacolod City, Philippines, Francisco first began dancing in college at the age of 19 and graduated with a B.A. in Dance from the University of Washington in Seattle. Prior to dancing, he was a competitive trained gymnast for 8 years.

Filed Under: 10 Questions With... Tagged With: commercial dance, concert dance, francisco gella, long beach ballet, nuevo school of contemporary dance

10 Questions With…Dalia Rawson

January 23, 2012 by 4dancers

I’m always amazed at the things I learn about dancers when I read these interviews, and today is no exception. Meet Dalia Rawson. Read her story. Be amazed. She’s one impressive lady…

Dalia Rawson in "Graduation Ball", Photo by Marty Sohl

1. How did you become involved with dance?

The first time I ever moved might be considered dancing. I had been either very small or very still while my mother was pregnant with me. She says that late in the pregnancy she had never felt me move or kick. My parents had a season subscription to the Joffrey Ballet in NYC, and while watching the performance in the theater, my mother felt me move, apparently reacting to the music by kicking and rolling, for the first time.  When I was a baby they called me twinkle toes, because I couldn’t keep still if there was any music playing. I was in local dance class by age two, a more serious ballet school at age six or seven, and San Francisco Ballet School at age nine.

2.    What are you currently doing in the field?

Currently I choreograph and set ballets and I teach. I am the Artistic Director of The Rawson Project Contemporary Ballet, a small company I founded in 2010 for which I have created a small repertory of original works. I am also the Ballet Mistress of Ballet San Jose School where I teach all levels of the professional division, and Rehearsal Assistant for Ballet San Jose, for whom I run rehearsals and re-stage works.

3.    Would you share a special moment from your career with readers? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 10 Questions With... Tagged With: balanchine, Ballet, ballet san jose, catharine grow, choreographer, dalia rawson, four temperaments, joffrey ballet, patricia perez, swan lake, the rawson project, todd fox

10 Questions With…Maximo Califano

December 12, 2011 by 4dancers

Today on “10 Questions With…” we have Maximo Califano from Ballet San Jose…

Maximo Califano in Pirates of Penzance, Photo by John Gerbetz

1. How did you become involved with dance?

When I was a kid I was a gymnastic athlete. I was part of a renowned gymnastic team and I used to compete in tournaments. One summer, our instructor was absent for a couple of months and I had to stay home without any physical activity. For that reason, my mother decided to enroll me in the Superior Institute of Arts at the Colon Theater, one the most important educational centers and classical theaters in the world.

At the Institute, I learned classic ballet and many other disciplines related to dance. After several years of intense studies, I graduated as a professional dancer and I was chosen to join the ballet company. During my years at the Colon Theater, I was involved in major and international ballet and opera productions and I had the chance to learn and to share the stage with the most important artists in the world.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

I am currently a principal dancer with Ballet San Jose. After working in many important ballet companies around the globe, I chose to work with Ballet San Jose due to its diverse repertoire, its high artistic level and its international troupe. Our ballet productions are first-class and highly entertaining. Here, in the heart of the Silicon Valley, I feel at home and I am happy entertaining our beloved Bay Area audience.

3. Would you share a special moment from your career with readers?

In 2008, the Company performed an 8-city tour of China. It was called the “Goodwill Tour from Silicon Valley”, and it represented the first international tour of the Company since its move from Cleveland in 2001. For 5-weeks, I performed all the principal roles in mayor ballets and in important Chinese theaters. I was amazed by their rich culture, beautiful cities, modern theaters and hospitality.

4. What is the best advice you have ever received from a teacher or mentor regarding dance? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 10 Questions With...

10 Questions With…Alexsandra Meijer

November 28, 2011 by 4dancers

Today I’m excited to announce 4dancers new partnership with Ballet San Jose. Much like our relationship with the Joffrey, in the coming months you will see interviews with various dancers from this amazing California ballet company, and today is our first…please welcome Alexsandra Meijer…

Alexsandra Meijer

1. How did you become involved with dance?

I suppose you could say my mother has always loved dancing. Even in her sixties she loves to salsa. So when my parents made us kids participate in all sorts of after school activities of course dancing was among them. My father thought that ballet was an excellent form of discipline, and he hoped that we would learn to move with grace outside the studio. It wasn’t until I discovered ballet’s athleticism, musicality and story telling that I started to understand its beauty.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?
I am dancing as a Principal with Ballet San Jose.

3. Would you share a special moment from your career with readers?

Without a doubt the greatest moments in my career are linked to roles like Swanilda and Odette/Odile, however one of my most cherished moments on stage didn’t involve being the lead in the ballet let alone my face even being seen. It was a little known ballet by the late SFB director Lew Christensen, named Il Destratto. Towards the middle of the ballet the lights suddenly go out and the stage is left completely dark. As Haydn’s music continues, slowly a pair of arms consisting of only an upper torso eerily emerges floating in midair. Some of the audience gasps while others giggle at this unexpected twist. Then shockingly a pair of legs bourrée from the wings on the other side of stage completely void of an upper body. As we perform a sort of “Dueling Banjos” pas de deux assisted magically by our men dressed all in black, as not to be seen, the audience starts to chuckle. Now, I have performed in many comedies in my time on the stage, and as always when the audience starts to crack up I know my timing is right and it brings a lightness to my heart. However what I could never have imagined was the intensity and roar of pure, whole-hearted, gut wrenching, explosive laughter that swept the audience. As I sailed offstage upside down in the splits, I couldn’t contain this infectious laughter. I was truly grinning ear to ear and it was at this moment that I felt that I had caught a glimmer of what comedians like Dave Chappell and Dane Cook must truly experience.

4. What is the best advice you have ever received from a teacher or mentor regarding dance? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 10 Questions With... Tagged With: Alexsandra Meijer, ballerina, ballet san jose, Dennis Nahat, giselle, swan lake, the nutcracker

One Dancer’s Journey…

November 14, 2011 by 4dancers

Today I’d like to welcome Todd Fox as our latest contributor to 4dancers. Todd originally was going to complete the interview I sent for “10 Questions With…” the feature I typically use to highlight dancers and dance-related professionals on this site.

Time passed and he found himself answering the questions in depth, and after we talked a bit, we decided we would break them down into monthly posts, so that readers could get a closer look at his journey through the dance world. Today is his first post…answering question 1…stay tuned next month for more!      -Catherine

Todd Fox

1. How did you become involved in dance?

I was born in Miami Florida and from a very early age my mom exposed me to dance.  She taught ballet for a magnet arts school in Miami called PAVAC, Performing and Visual Arts Center, and used to drag me around to all the classes she taught.

As I got old enough she made me learn ballet by taking one of her classes each week with her other students. At that age I wasn’t at all interested in studying ballet, I thought it was boring and I hated wearing tights. All I ever wanted to do was go ride my bike with friends or play video games but my mother was insistent, VERY insistent. She eventually presented me with an effective ultimatum, take one ballet class per week or I wouldn’t receive my weekly allowance.  So, I studied ballet like this on and off for most of my young life, I went through the motions but never really took a serious interest, it was all just to appease my mom and of course get my allowance.

When I was 13 my family moved to New Jersey and in Somerset County where I attended public school there was a Vocational and Technical School (vo-tech) which had a performing arts program offering dance. There were lots of girls in the Vo-Tech dance program from mine and several neighboring schools with no guys at all. At that age the thought of spending my day dancing around with lots of girls and being the only guy had amazing appeal and much to my mom’s complete jaw dropping shock and surprise I begged for her to let me enroll. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 10 Questions With..., One Dancer's Journey Tagged With: Ballet, karen russo, male ballet technique, miami, modern dance, new jersey ballet, performing and visual arts center, princeton ballet, rudolph nureyev, sab, school of american ballet, todd fox

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