4dancers – Page 70

Dance Chicago’s 17th Season

October 15, 2011 by 4dancers

Those who live in the Chicago area will want to be sure and check out Dance Chicago as it kicks off its 17^th Annual Festival. Featuring an all-new collection of dance styles from hip-hop, ballet and tap, to Latin, jazz and contemporary–over 30 dance groups throughout the Chicagoland area will perform for the audiences’ votes and a panel of judges.

The work of over 200 Chicago choreographers will be showcased at the Festival, which continues from November 2^nd to November 20^th at Stage 773. Ron de Jesus, internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer and founder of Ron de Jesus Dance, will present elements of ‘B-Suite’ on First Night, November 2. A lead dancer with Hubbard Street Dance for years, de Jesus will also present ‘Wham of Sam’ as part of the Choreographers’ Showcase on November 20. Other companies on First Night include, Giordano II, NoMi LaMad, Jus’ LisTeN, Full Effect Dance Theatre, Mexican Dance Ensemble and others, all featuring the work of 12 Chicago choreographers.

For more information–including how to obtain tickets and a schedule of all the various dance groups that will be performing at the festival, visit Dance Chicago.

Discounts at www.facebook.com/dancechicagofestival

The “One Dance, One Chance” Competition

September 29, 2011 by 4dancers

Do you have a dance group that has terrific choreography and a lot of spunk? If so, you might want to consider entering the following dance contest…

Ovation, a television network that is devoted to arts culture, has launched the One Dance, One Chance competition–where one lucky class will win a $10,000 grant or scholarship as well as exposure on national TV. This contest is open to all groups in the U.S., with members age 13+.

Here is an overview of some of the details:

Dance groups need to have at least three members and the teacher/professor/coach or instructor should submit a 1-3 minute video of a recent performance to ovationtv.com/dancecontest. (Limit one entry per group.)

All dance forms are acceptable.

Entries will be judged on creativity/originality, form, technical dance skills and group choreography.

The Finalists, Viewer’s Choice Winner and Grand Prize winner will be announced January 2012.

All of the requirements are spelled out clearly on Ovation’s site, so for more details, check their page. The deadline for entry is December 1st, 2011.

Joffrey Ballet Chicago: Choreographers Of Color Award

September 24, 2011 by 4dancers

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, recently announced a national call for artists to submit applications for the Joffrey’s Second Annual Choreographers of Color Award.

This Award is to recognize promising young choreographers of color whose diverse perspective will ignite creativity in the form of original works of dance. The deadline to apply is October 1, 2011 and the winners will be sent notification by November 1, 2011.

The selected choreographers (3) will be given at least 30 rehearsal hours to set their pieces on the Joffrey Academy Trainees. They will each also receive a $2,500 stipend and an opportunity to work directly with Artistic Director, Ashley C. Wheater, and Academy Artistic Directors, Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik. The new works will be performed at various venues throughout the year.

To apply, interested choreographers must submit the following by mail: a DVD with a five-minute or less excerpt of their choreography with a brief written description; a letter of intent describing their interest in the competition and the kind of work they will create; a headshot and curriculum vitae with three references; and, a general application, which can be found online at joffrey.org/choreographersofcolor. Materials can be mailed to: The Joffrey Ballet, Attn: Choreographers of Color Competition Selection Committee, 10 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL, 60601.

Good luck, and be sure and let us know if you will be entering the competition!

10 Questions With…Sophie Flack

September 19, 2011 by 4dancers

This week on “10 Questions With…” we’re featuring Sophie Flack, author of “Bunheads”… a book about the ballet world. I’m reading it right now, and it’s fabulous!

1. How did you get involved in dance?

When I was seven, the Boston Ballet studios were under renovation and they temporarily relocated to my school gymnasium. I’d see these lithe ballerinas lingering in the hallways as they stretched and spoke to one another between rehearsals. I begged my mother to take ballet classes, but I was too shy to walk into theclass that first day. I wanted my mother to go with me. It took me six months to find the courage to walk in alone.

2. What is your dance background?

I began my training at the Boston Ballet School learning the Vaganova technique. When I was eleven I was introduced to the Balanchine technique by Patricia McBride at the Chautauqua summer intensive. After watching a video of McBride dancing Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, I decided that I wanted to dance with the New York City Ballet, because I wanted to move like she did.

When I returned home, I transferred to Ballet Workshop of New England in order to study Balanchine technique. I spent my summers training with Suzanne Farrell, Gloria Govrin, Violette Verdy and Patricia McBride.

My mother would drive me to New York City in order to take private lessons with Nancy Bielski and Wilhelm Burmann, some of the best coaches in the country. I took open classes at Steps on Broadway alongside New York City Ballet dancers, and regular Pilates privates with Laurie Hurt.

At fifteen, I was accepted into the School of American Ballet on full scholarship and moved to New York City alone. At age seventeen, I joined the New York City Ballet as an apprentice and became a member of the corps de ballet the following year.

After dancing with the New York City Ballet for nine years, I retired from professional dance in 2009.

3. What is your book about, and who is it written for? [Read more…]

Five Tips For A Successful Ballet Makeup Application

September 16, 2011 by 4dancers

Today we have professional makeup artist, Jill Glaser with us, sharing five great tips for stage makeup that ballet dancers can make use of….and a quick shout out to pro dancers out there–if you have any additional tips that you have found useful, please leave a comment and share your knowledge with others out there! – Catherine

Theatrical makeup techniques are used when doing a makeup application for the ballet dancer. In both the theater and the dance performance, the makeup applied must not only help create a “character”, but also be visible from the stage

The dancer must understand the principles of highlight and contour, or shadow, in order to add drama to the face. Highlight, sometimes in the form of shimmer, may be applied to the brow bone and cheeks. Highlight may be added to the lips by the addition of gloss. Darker, matte shades may be added to create shape, such as definition of the jawline and cheekbone.

If the theater is large, then the makeup application should be more dramatic; there will be less blending of light and shadow. If the theater is small, the makeup application should be less subtle, but still more dramatic than street makeup. [Read more…]

Disclosure – Affiliate & Ad Info

Copyright Notice