4dancers – Page 37

My Grown-Up Dancer Holiday Wishlist

December 16, 2012 by 4dancers

by Nichelle Strzepek from DanceAdvantage.net

I’m the worst when it comes to gift requests. Just ask my family members. When the holiday gift probe starts going out, I generally shrug. It’s not that I’m too modest to solicit presents. Maybe I just have a poor ‘want it’ reflex. I rarely have something in mind when pressed. My mom says I’ve always been that way.

I do covet a few things though. Often they’re dance-related. So, when Catherine asked me to share my Holiday Wishlist, it wasn’t too hard to come up with 6 things. Should Santa want to leave these under my tree this year, I wouldn’t complain!

History Without The Boring

I saw Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance when it came to Houston last Spring and it’s definitely one I want to have in my dance library. This documentary immediately pulls the viewer into the origin story of Joffrey Ballet.

Over 50 years old and frequently on the cutting edge of ballet, the Chicago dance company has continued to rise and move forward despite all kinds of obstacles. The documentary is extremely engaging – a great film to share with students or those new to the dance world, but equally compelling for the dance aficionado.

And, because of my early support and sharing of the film’s release, I appear in the credits! Seriously, why is this not on my shelf already?

Beauty On A Chain

Last year, Santa brought me Tina Tarnoff’s Great Dancers necklace, featuring Margot, Maya, Isadora, Anna & Martha in silhouette. The images are tiny reproductions of Tarnoff’s papercut series.

This year, I have my eye on her single pendant necklace depicting Sylvie Guillem in a marvelous back attitude. The classical tutu and antique-looking silver pendant base, is a romantic and lovely piece that’s sure to get compliments.

Daily Inspiration

There are always a few dance calendars that become popular around the holidays but Lois Greenfield’s Breaking Bounds wall calendars never disappoint.

The dancers, rather than any particular dance form, are the hallmark of Greenfield’s images, which are always beautiful, powerful, and mesmerizing. Breaking Bounds 2013 is a calendar that would inspire me every day of the month.

Say ‘No’ To Black

I’ll admit my comfy dance wardrobe includes far too little color. Jo+Jax to the rescue!

Their Let’s Move sweatpants remind me of candy or those bright and bold Crayola markers I loved using as a kid. I love the mint color, though they come in a vibrant purple too. I’d feel way more cute dropping my Kindergartener off at school in these, than black, navy, or charcoal yoga pants.

I’d Be Laughing At Clouds

The quintessential American musical classic, Singin’ In The Rain, celebrated its 60^th Anniversary this year in theatres, on television, and now on disc.

The Singin’ In The Rain: 60th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) includes 48 page hard cover production book with never-before-seen memos and photos, theatrical poster reproductions, documentaries and outtakes, and even an umbrella!

There’s also commentary by Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Cyd Charisse, Kathleen Freeman, Stanley Donen, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Baz Luhrmann, and Rudy Behlmer. Oh, if only Gene Kelly were still with us to offer his thoughts!

Snow in Texas

Yeah, pretty much the only snow I’m likely to see in Houston this winter is the kind that falls when I shake a pretty glass ball.

Ballet dancers and snow globes go together like peanut butter and chocolate. I know some serious collectors of these knickknacks. I’m not one of them, mainly because sparkly tutus don’t normally excite me that much.

The Dancer snow globe from CoolSnowGlobes is ballet bric-a-brac I can get behind though. Degas’ little chin-jutting, slightly hunched dancer has always been a favorite. Vermont artists, Liz and David, who develop a limited edition snow globe collection each year, craft this globe. There’s still no snow in sight, but that’s okay, it sparkles!

Crossed Off The List

I’ve already purchased a few of these delightful Nutcracker cards to give to some special dance friends this season, but I can’t resist including a link to their Etsy seller, The Artful Bumblebee. The artist, Deborah, is not a dancer but a fan of the art form. She beautifully captures the whimsy of The Nutcracker with an excellent eye for correct placement. I can’t wait to deliver season’s greetings with these sweet little cards but they can be ordered as posters, too, if you prefer!

Do you have any favorite dance gifts to share? Please leave a comment below!

Want to see what Catherine put on her list? Visit DanceAdvantage.net.

Using Video Dance To Develop Choreographic Skills

December 12, 2012 by 4dancers

by Janet Neidhardt

As a dance educator I am constantly working to find new ways of engaging my students to learn about dance and making dances. Video dance has become more popular with the growth of YouTube and the ever present flash mobs popping up all around the world. It seems everyone has the ability to capture a video on some device and even the technology to edit it has become more mainstream. I have recently heard choreographers say they might start making video dances simply because they think they will get more exposure on YouTube than they will with a performance on a stage.

Last school year I decided to try and teach my high school students how to make a video dance. Together we researched many video dances on YouTube and discussed the site specific use of the environment and the various camera positions and types of framing. With this simple basic information I sent my students off to create their video dances and when they came back I was very impressed with the clear form their videos had taken. I could see how their skills in choreography from class had transferred into the video camera choreography. Their choreographic eye used in the studio was transferred to the camera lens. I was amazed that with such little instruction my students created great works and thought if I was really able to teach them more solid video dance content how much better their projects could be.

I still felt that I needed to learn more about this growing art form of mediated dance in order to better educate my students in the future. As luck would have it I was able to attend the Bates Dance Festival in July 2012, and there I took Media and Performance with Rachel Boggia, Shawn Hove, and Peter Richards. I gained practical experience in making my own video dance as well as a wealth of knowledge from these educators on how to teach students about making compelling video dances.

This Fall I returned to school with a new group of students and assigned a more specific video dance project. I created a clear worksheet with specific “Framing”, “Camera Positions”, and “Camera Movements” vocabulary which we discussed a length while watching and critiquing various video dances online. Through discussion and analyzing the students were able to identify their aesthetic for video dance choreography with the camera lens. I then asked them to pick a location and create movement based on their location for their film shoot. I told them that the environment is another dancer in the work, movement must be in response to the space the dancing is in, use the space like a prop, go over, under, through, around, and above it. I also asked them to shoot for “continuity”, something I learned from the Bates Festival teachers. Shooting for continuity means that a movement is continued from shot to shot. It is important to shoot the same movement sequence several times from several angles to have a variety of choices. Students were more prepared this time around before they went out the film their dances. Because of this preparedness they went out to shoot their dances with more precision and ideas than the group from last year. They added music and edited their footage on their own then presented well thought out, impressive, video dance studies. They all had a clear beginning, middle, and end, and clear motifs.

Since then I have noticed that these students create more successful choreographic works in the studio. They have a sharper eye for details within movement they are performing and movement they are watching. I think that their experience with viewing movement through the camera lens changed how they see movement in a stage space. I plan to keep evolving this video dance project each year.

Some video dances we looked at in class are listed below-

Aroma 2006 by Doug Rosenberg:

Drive 2008 by Jane Osborne:

Horse:

dancer posing upside down — Janet Neidhardt

Contributor Janet Neidhardt has been a dance educator for 10 years. She has taught modern, ballet, and jazz at various studios and schools on Chicago’s North Shore. She received her MA in Dance with an emphasis in Choreography from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and her BA in Communications with a Dance Minor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Throughout her time in graduate school, Janet performed with Sidelong Dance Company based in Winston-Salem, NC.

Currently, Janet teaches dance at Loyola Academy High School in Wilmette, IL. She is the Director of Loyola Academy Dance Company B and the Brother Small Arts Guild, and choreographs for the Spring Dance Concert and school musical each year. Janet is very active within the Loyola Academy community leading student retreats and summer service trips. She regularly seeks out professional development opportunities to continue her own artistic growth. Recently, Janet performed with Keigwin and Company in the Chicago Dancing Festival 2012 and attended the Bates Dance Festival.

When she isn’t dancing, Janet enjoys teaching Pilates, practicing yoga, and running races around the city of Chicago

Was That Original Ballet Hatched or Snatched?

December 4, 2012 by 4dancers

by Risa Gary Kaplowitz

Snow Queen jete2 — DanceVision’s The Snow Queen. Photo by Melissa

A few weeks ago, I found myself watching a YouTube video of an “original” ballet choreographed this year. It had been posted by a small professional company on the West Coast. I don’t remember how I came upon it because the shock that hit me within the first few minutes obliterated any memory of that minor detail.

The ballet that I had found on YouTube was based on the same classic children’s story as the one on which I had based my original choreography for a DanceVision production that premiered in New Jersey six years ago. The California based company had used a contemporary vocabulary, while I had used a neo-classical one. Also, they had commissioned an original musical score, while I arranged classical pieces to create the music for my ballet.

Still, there were undeniable similarities between my treatment of the story and the version I found on YouTube. For example, I had focused on a minor character in the story, and so did the other company. The flow of my narrative differed from that of the book on which it was based, yet the other company seemingly used the same order of events as I did.

Most troubling was how similar the other company’s production looked to the one I designed for DanceVision. The YouTube video showed a digitally animated backdrop to support the storyline, a tool that was not widely used in ballet productions at the time. I used it in my production, well before the highly original animation tool helped garner acclaim for The Royal Ballet’s version of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. DanceVision’s animator and I painstakingly organized my animated backdrop. I subsequently saw projections very similar to ours in the other company’s production, to which my reaction was one of jaw dropping recognition. One scene in particular appeared to have miraculously flown into their video.

Was it merely coincidence that enabled a company on the opposite coast to produce a ballet twin-like to mine? [Read more…]

Student Spotlight: Ally Brodsky

December 3, 2012 by 4dancers

Today’s “Student Spotlight” features Ally Brodsky from The School at Steps…

Dancer from the school at steps — Ally Brodsky

1. Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?

I first became involved in dance at age three when my parents enrolled me in beginner ballet at a local studio in Naples, Florida. A few years later, I began to formally study the RAD ballet technique and to take the required yearly exams. I also participated in Jazz classes and joined the studio’s competition team. At age eleven, I moved to New York City with my family, where I joined the Pre-Professional Program at The School at Steps. Since then, I have added Theater dance to the list of disciplines in which I participate, and I have continued to dance over eighteen hours per week.

2. What do you find you like best about dance class?

My favorite part of class is rehearsing for the winter and spring performances. Although I love working to improve my technique, I find that practicing — both variations and other choreographic works — helps me develop a fuller sense of artistry. These rehearsals pay off once I am on stage because I feel extremely prepared and find that I can truly enjoy my time performing.

3. What is the hardest part about dance for you?

I find showing emotion to be surprisingly difficult. While on my competition team, I was taught that each dance style required a different set of facial expressions: big, cheesy smiles for jazz; forlorn puppy-dog eyes and distressed, open mouths for lyrical jazz; and sassy smirks for hip-hop and jazz funk. However, as I have matured in my dancing, I have learned that these prescribed expressions are no longer appropriate or acceptable. Now, I must take the time to really plan my character and dancing intent before a show in order to break the barrier between my everyday self and performer.

4. What advice would you give to other dancers?

If a dancer doesn’t fully trust the movement she is creating, the audience will not be convinced. Therefore, it is incredibly important that you – the dancer – always be confident. If you make a mistake, make it with conviction. You don’t ever want to leave the stage after a show and regret that you didn’t try to make your performance special, simply because you were worrying about falling during a difficult sequence or landing a jump on the wrong count.

5. How has dance changed your life?

Dance has kept me grounded. No matter what is going on at school, with friends, or in other aspects of my life, I can always rely on it to make me feel better or to relieve my stress. It has also kept me focused and given me the physical and emotional strength required to accomplish my goals both in and out of the studio. Perhaps most importantly, dance’s constant presence in my life has improved my self-confidence, and the people I have met through dance have opened my eyes to new and unique perspectives that I otherwise may not have experienced. I am so glad that I realized dance was my passion at such a young age, and I cannot imagine living without it.

Watch Ally:

The School at Steps is a training ground for students, ages 2-18, who are interested in exploring various dance styles, as well as for those students already focused on a particular discipline. The school offers an Academic Year and Summer Program, with classes in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, theater dance, hip hop, and pilates. Students at the school are also given performance opportunities, and workshops on dance and career-related topics. Beginning with the Young Dancers Program and continuing through the most advanced pre-professional classes, The School at Steps provides children with an opportunity to explore the world of dance, to learn and experiment with technique, and to enrich their appreciation for the various forms of the art.

Dance Wellness: Phases Of Healing

November 29, 2012 by 4dancers

We are pleased to have Marika Baxter, PT, as our guest contributor this month. Marika has extensive experience working with dancers, and her article on the “Phases of Healing” is great information to share regarding what happens in your body when you have an injury, and how to integrate that with returning to happy, healthy dancing.

After Marika’s article, you’ll find a few additional words from me, on something we’ve mentioned before in our Wellness column, but which bear mentioning again — keeping the rest of your body in shape while you’re recovering from an injury.

The Holidays are here, so enjoy — happy “Nutcracker”, if that’s a part of your dance life, and “talk” to you again soon!

Jan

Jan Dunn, MS

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Phases of Healing

by Marika Baxter, PT, MSPT, OCS

If you’ve ever had an injury that’s sidelined you from dancing, the most pressing question you may have is “How long will it take to recover and when will I be dancing again?” Though every injury and dancer is different, the way our body heals does follow the same pattern. Understanding the phases of healing and how they relate to getting back in the studio can help you in the journey back to health. The important thing to remember is that healing is a process, not an event!

Phase I – The Inflammatory Phase

The first phase of healing is called the inflammatory phase. You’re in the studio rehearsing for a performance and as you step into a turn your concentration lapses and your ankle rolls. You feel pain on the outside of your ankle and when you try to continue dancing your ankle feels weak and is too painful to put weight on. Luckily you put ice on it right away but by the end of the night your ankle is swollen and bruised.

Whether the injury is major, like this story of an ankle sprain, or just a small cut or bruise, the first thing the body will experience is inflammation. You can think of the inflammatory phase as the clean up phase. In the first 24-48 hours, the body will send cells to the area to help remove injured tissue. The body will also begin laying down new cells to form a blood clot, almost like an internal scab. This helps keep the injury protected as it begins to heal.

During the inflammatory phase, there are a number of things you may be feeling. It’s common to have pain, swelling and possibly warmth and redness in the area. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may have difficulty dancing, walking or moving the body part. In this first phase of healing, you may need to modify what you’re doing in class or rehearsals to allow for healing to begin. In some cases you may need to take a break from dancing so the body can start the healing process.

In these first few days after an injury, the best thing to do is PRICED: Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate, Diagnose. You can see the previous dance wellness article on 4dancers.org entitled “Keeping Dancers Dancing: “Help I Have An Injury – What Do I Do?” for more information on PRICED.

Phase II – The Repair Phase [Read more…]

Phases of Healing

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