4dancers – Page 71

10 Questions With…Jacob Lyon

August 29, 2011 by 4dancers

Today’s “10 Questions With…” features Jacob Lyon from Ballet Quad Cities….

1. How did you become involved in dance?

I had done a few years of show choir in high school with no formal training. Then, when I was 18, a friend of mine asked if I would join her in taking the ballet class at the community college we were attending. I didn’t have any reservations or anything better to do, so I did.

When I went to buy my first pair of shoes, and the store was attached to a studio. While I was trying on shoes, the owner of the studio walked in and stopped dead in her tracks and said, “oh, a boy!” She told me that if I took the ballet partnering class and one other ballet class a week, I could take as much as I wanted of everything for free. The partnering with the ladies was my favorite class, and I started taking as many ballet classes as I had time for. The rest is history.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

Currently, I dance for Ballet Quad Cities. We do a lot of contemporary work along with some character and modern dance. I love being in a small company because I dance till I drop. Even in shows when I don’t feel like I’m dancing much, I remember that in larger companies, people sometimes only get to do ONE thing in a show. We all get to dance a lot, and I get the opportunity to dance a lot of great parts that I would never have gotten in a larger company. The friendships I have made with the other dancers are also increasingly more important the older I get.

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

The Business Of Dance: Balance & Opposition In All Things

August 26, 2011 by 4dancers

by Lizzie Leopold

montage — Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis, Choreography by Lizzie Leopold - une elephante, Tickets to premiere of this work at Brown Paper Tickets ( http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/181387)

Balance seems like a potent metaphor for running a dance company. High on releve, eyes fixed on one still point, center held tight, arms strong, shoulders relaxed and just a little bit of luck…

Whether you are a one-man-show, wearing all the hats yourself, or an organization with a hundred employees, the balance of the artistic and administrative branches is a significant challenge. The priority to make new, exciting dances and the priority to run a solvent, growing business continually compete for top billing.

One of my favorite explanations of this divide comes from twentieth century German-born philosopher Theodor Adorno. He calls it culture vs. administration. Culture, the artistic branch, is the reflection of pure humanity without any regard for its functional relationships within society. It is defined by a spontaneity and is not concerned with expansion or preservation. One the other end, Adorno’s administration is the task done “looking down from on high,” that assembles, distributes, evaluates and organizes. Administration has the unavoidable tendency towards expansion, both quantitatively and qualitatively. These categories slip seamlessly and eerily onto the mold of the not-for-profit dance company.

The two branches are both completely opposed and yet completely dependent on one another. The challenge from the outset is a precarious balancing of artistic vision and commerce, a dance between art and money carefully choreographed by the artist and facilitated by the board of directors and administrative team. [Read more…]

Video Dance Contest: Coke Zero – Make It Possible!

August 23, 2011 by 4dancers

I’m excited to share this opportunity with 4dancers readers–

Jon Chu, director of Step Up 2, Step Up 3D, and creator of the LXD, has joined forces with Coke Zero to create a new dance from zero.

Jon and Coke Zero believe that one person’s actions can make anything possible and are reaching out to everyone passionate about dance to help them create the next hype global dance. This is a big opportunity to not only make an impact on dance culture, but also potentially be a part of the next global Coke Zero project.

Want to give it a try? Go to http://www.cokezero.com/makeitpossible, download one of the fresh tracks on the site, record your dance move and upload it. You can then share the video with your friends. The more standout and creative the video, the better.

Be sure to watch the video below for details–

Make It Possible.

And good luck!

Disclosure

For Young Dancers: The Duckle Dance Giveaway & Sweepstakes

August 21, 2011 by 4dancers

First of all, enter the 4dancers giveaway to win the prize package pictured here by leaving me a comment with your child’s shoe size and whether they are a boy or a girl. I’ll do a random drawing on the 1st of September and the winner’s information will be sent to the promotion company so you can get your prize! But there is more…

Parents can enter a video of their child’s performance in the Duckle Dance Sweepstakes Presented by Capezio and Wisharoo Park for a chance to win the special prizes and/or dance scholarships provided by Capezioand Wisharoo Park. To enter parents simply upload the video to their facebook or YouTube account, and then visit www.wisharoopark.com/duckledance where they submit the facebook or YouTube video link as part of the easy entry process.

Step one is for parents and kids to sit down together to watch the Duckle Dance video in order to see what the the Duckle Dance is all about. Once you are both familiar with the dance, invite your child to follow the steps or create and perform their very own version of all or any part of, the Duckle Dance — either to the ballet or tap music provided at the entry site. Parents join in the fun by capturing the child’s performance on video.

The Duckle Dance is a little bit of ballet, a little bit of tap, and a whole lot of whatever you want it to be…and be sure to keep in mind that although our promotional Duckle Dance video teaches specific dance steps, the Duckle Dance Sweepstakes Presented by Capezio and Wisharoo Park is all about fun, so dance submissions are completely open to individual interpretation. In the Duckle Dance no step is wrong, no leap falls short, no tap is off…you get the idea…

The Duckle Dance Sweepstakes Presented by Capezio and Wisharoo Park is open now through September 1^st, 2011 for video submissions. It presents countless opportunities for preschool dancers’ Duckle Dance videos to spiral out over the Internet as the next viral video stars. In keeping with Wisharoo Park’s mission, the promotion is intended to encourage children to ‘get moving’ and help them build confidence and self-esteem, encourage innovation, and above all have fun!

Enter the 4dancers giveaway by leaving a comment, and the sweepstakes by doing your very own video! Let us now how it goes!

Additional Info:

Wisharoo Park is dedicated to promoting positive self-image and self-esteem in preschool age children. It was originally introduced by airing as a children’s TV series on PBS stations across the country and is now rolling out as a dynamic multimedia program which includes the interactive website WisharooPark.com, DVDs and more! .

Unique among preschool programs, Wisharoo Park is designed to help children age 3 – 6 recognize and appreciate their individuality. With its groundbreaking technology-based curriculum, Wisharoo Park helps children discover and understand their personal strengths and put them on the road to developing greater self-esteem. The Wisharoopark.com enchanting online community stars a whimsical cast of loveable animated, puppet and human characters who are featured in games, videos, music and more! Each week exciting new activities and content are added that are sure to keep parents and their kids coming back again and again.

Wisharoo Park is proud to partner with Capezio. Dedicated to the art of dance since 1887, Capezio revolutionized the dance world with dancewear and footwear products for every dancer from beginner to professional. Capezio operates retail stores carrying the full lines of all Capezio/Ballet Maker Inc. brands in New York City and several major cities nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.capeziodance.com/.

No Audience Left Behind

August 17, 2011 by 4dancers

Recently 4dancers Contributor Lizzie Leopold said something that made me think….she talked about including program notes for the audience in effort to help them understand more about what was going on through the dance performance.

Brilliant. I wish more people would do this.

Back when I was growing up, ballet had this air of mystery surrounding it. It was almost as if the audience shouldn’t be allowed up close and personal. As if the magic would somehow be lost. I’m not the first person to point this out–but it was definitely a different atmosphere, and a very closed one. Still, it was set against a backdrop of story ballets, making it comfortable for the audience in terms of watching the dance performances and understanding the story.

These days, with Modern dance and other Contemporary dance performances, it is easy to leave the audience in the dark–but is it necessary–or even wise to do so? [Read more…]

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