4teachers – Page 15

Mads Eriksen On Teaching Adult Ballet

March 24, 2012 by 4dancers

Today we have a few thoughts on teaching adult ballet from Mads Eriksen – the Ballet Master at Ballet San Jose’s school…

Mads Eriksen teaching an adult ballet class at Ballet San Jose School, Photo by Breanna Palermo

What do you enjoy most about teaching adult ballet classes?

I think that one of the best things about teaching adult students is sharing my love of dance with somebody that has not necessarily been dancing since they were little kids. It’s very rewarding to be able to introduce dance into somebody’s life.

What is the best piece of advice you could give an adult ballet student?

When you decide to take up ballet as an adult, whether you have danced a lot or never before, the most important thing is to come to class ready to have fun and express your self through movement. Ballet class can have a very serious aura when people are working hard, so it is important to remember that everybody is there to share the love of dance. Remember a smile goes a long way!

HeadshotMads — Mads Eriksen, Photo by Scott Belding

Can you pass along your best tip for teaching this type of class?

I find that my most successful classes happen when I don’t spend to much time going into detail about every little thing, and focus a little more on letting people really move. The more actual dancing there is in a class for adults the better.

BIO: Mads Eriksen trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School, and upon graduation entered the ranks of the Royal Danish Ballet where he performed.

He spent several seasons dancing with Ballet San Jose, and is now a Ballet Master with Ballet San Jose School teaching all levels.

Joffrey: Choreographers of Color Awards 2012

March 4, 2012 by 4dancers

The winners of the Choreographers of Color Awards 2012 will be showcasing their world premiere works on the Joffrey Academy Trainees. This inspiring performance will feature a variety of contemporary works by the three winning choreographers: Bennyroyce Royon, Carlos dos Santos, Jr., and Ray Mercer. Academy Artistic Director Alexei Kremnev will also be premiering his piece Le Roi s’Amuse: Dances in Ancient Style.

Sunday, March 11, 2012
4:00 pm

Harris Theater | 205 East Randolph Dr., Chicago

For tickets or more information contact 312.334.7777 or www.harristheaterchicago.org

Setting Dance Goals For 2012

December 29, 2011 by 4dancers

Every year I set a few professional goals for myself. I’ve reached almost all of them. I think the key is to spend a little time thinking about what you really want to do before creating any resolutions. That way you are clear on what it is that you want.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I want this blog to evolve in the coming year. Up until this point I have just let it grow slowly, without spending a lot of time on the “plan” for where it is going next. But, with 4dancers turning 2, I thought it might be time to define a few long-term goals for 2012. One of them was to develop an editorial calendar, which I am still in the process of finishing, and the other was to begin the process of focusing the content so that it is a solid resource for dancers and dance professionals. That goal will evolve over time.

Setting a couple dance goals for yourself can be very helpful. Just the act of writing out what it is that you want to do helps solidify it in your mind. You don’t have to do anything fancy…just jot them down.

Of course, after you set the goal you’ll want to create a plan for achieving it. Try to be as specific as you can in terms of the steps you need to take to get there. Map out ways to measure your progress along the way so you don’t get discouraged. And be ready to adjust the plan on the fly if need by. After all, life has a way of shifting things…

Do you have any dance goals for 2012? I’d love to hear them!

Review: Artistry In Motion by Lisa Harris

December 14, 2011 by 4dancers

It really is a joy to be able to listen to ballet class music that is arranged by someone who has been doing it for such a long time. It’s something I think of every time I hear one of this lady’s CDs.

Lisa Harris is known for her musical work in the ballet classroom, both as a pianist and as an artist who releases CDs for ballet class (as well as digital music). “Artistry in Motion” is an excellent example of why she is so well-regarded in the field.

Selections here include favorites such as an adagio from Swan Lake, slow tendu music from Bach and a minuet from Mozart. Harris has a knack for selecting composers that mesh well with a particular exercise, and her command of the piano insures that they are played flawlessly. This makes for a CD that is wonderful for both the teacher and the students in the classroom.

This album has 26 (repeated) tracks for the barre and 16 for the centre. Other composers that are included in the mix here include: Schubert, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Handel, Verdi and Adam.

Interested in this album, or in seeing more of what Lisa Harris has to offer for the ballet classroom? Visit her site. For those who are making the switch to digital music–she has options for you as well.

Dance In The UK: NYCB’s Nutcracker Production

December 10, 2011 by 4dancers

by Jessica Wilson

There’s an extremely Christmassy privilege heading to the UK on 22^nd December, in the form of New York City Ballet’s brand new production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, with tickets priced at just ten pounds. This multi-million dollar production includes a forty foot Christmas tree which weighs a staggering one tonne, seventy ballet dancers, fifty children from the School of American Ballet – the official school of NYCB – and a sixty-two piece orchestra. It is ultimately described by the New York Post as “the Christmas show of all Christmas shows”.

NYCB has an unparalleled active repertory of more than 150 works, many of which are considered modern masterpieces. The Company was established in 1948 by choreographer Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, joined by Jerome Robbins in 1949 as associate artistic director. Now under the artistic direction of Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, the company performs an impressive annual 21-week season in New York, the longest home season of any dance company in the world.

The production’s defining feature is its vast scale, described as a ‘virtually live performance’ to be screened in cinemas all over the UK. This will ultimately provide mass audiences with the chance to view such an iconic and prestigious work by Balanchine, who is generally argued to be the father of modern ballet. This great accessibility is proved unhindered by the extremely limited run, due to the fact it is the ‘golden ticket’ of ballets for all dance lovers, available nationally. [Read more…]

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