4teachers – Page 17

To Choreograph or Not to Choreograph….That is Always My Question…..

November 4, 2011 by 4dancers

by Lucy Vurusic Riner

Being a high school dance teacher I typically choreograph anywhere between three to five full length dances each year for my student companies. Back in the day, when I was super young and wet behind the ears I made dances about just about anything. I might really enjoy a song and that would be my jumping off point. Or I might have just gotten out of a bad relationship or had a family quarrel and that would be enough to conjure up a combination or two. I was never at a loss for some idea and I was never afraid to try just about anything. I followed the basic rule that most high school dances (and I guess commercial dances as well) were typically three to five minutes in length and they may or may not have some sort of story line or underlying theme but they were always entertaining. And let’s be honest, choreographing on high school students can be somewhat forgiving because they can appreciate where all the above ideas might come from. Although they may have a limited movement vocabulary at such a young age they have plenty to dance about in their lives. My early dances were fun but simple. I know they were entertaining but they definitely weren’t masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination. And so why did I choreograph? Was it for me? The audience? Did I have a message or just some great moves I wanted people to see? [Read more…]

Review: Ballet Etudes By Robert Long

October 19, 2011 by 4dancers

This was my first exposure to a Robert Long CD and I really enjoyed it. Many fellow teachers have expressed the fact that they enjoy his music for ballet class, and I have to agree–it’s very good!

I always “test” CDs out on my adult ballet class. They are an eclectic group of students, and I received some nice comments on the music. The tracks were arranged well, and best of all, labeled well. As an instructor, I found the way he used the liner notes to be very helpful. They were broken down into categories that made sense for the way I teach: at the barre, centre practice, pirouettes, adage, petit allegro, batterie and grand allegro. It made it very easy to arrange my class, and it was a detail that was much appreciated.

The music itself is passionate and pretty, and there are plenty of tracks to choose from since the CD offers many selections. Since I have a fairly large class, some of the tracks in the centre were a bit short for my purposes, but I doubt that would be true for all teachers. There are 48 original selections in all for barre and centre practice. I listened to everything here and found each track to be well-suited to ballet class exercises.

It is obvious that Mr. Long has been involved with the dance community for a long time–his intuitive sense of planning the CD and its selections showcases this fact quite well. I’m looking forward to hearing more from him and using his music for class well into the future.

It’s worth noting that Mr. Long offers music on iTunes and Amazon as well, for those who prefer that format.

Visit Robert Long’s site for more information about him and his music.

Read more about this artist in the 4dancers “10 Questions With…” interview.

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

Review: Learn To Speak Dance

October 14, 2011 by 4dancers

I just finished reading Learn to Speak Dance and I was pleasantly surprised at how well this book was put together, as well as how interesting it was. It is very current in that it speaks to kids as they are today–with contemporary language and a warm, engaging tone. Geared for children between the ages of 9-13, this 96 page dance book covers a lot of ground.

The author, Ann-Marie Williams speaks with serious authority. She is the director of the Movement Lab, a dance school for kids, and she is also a certified RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) instructor–and she has also written for The Dance Current. Williams has a knack for simplifying the information she shares about dance while still being interesting–a tough combination that she pulls off with considerable skill.

Some of the topics covered in this book include: what dance is, how to make dances, performing, promoting a show, making costumes and dance videos and information about several styles of dance, including ballet, contemporary dance and flamenco. Peppered throughout are a bunch of quotes from professionals in a variety of fields, which is a cool way to add interest to the book for kids of this age. It’s educational–but it’s fun too.

The language is right–hip and cool without trying too hard, and I think it addresses a lot of the questions that children this age may have about dance–especially if they don’t have a lot of prior experience or aren’t sure how to get started. The book helps to make dance accessible rather than mysterious, which I loved. It really was written in an encouraging tone.

The illustrations by Jeff Kulak were a nice touch as well. Visuals definitely help bring concepts to life, and the imagery worked very well here.

All in all I think this is a great book with mass appeal for the age group it was intended to serve. There’s a lot of information packed into the pages, and I think it is quite readable. A great resource for the dance community–and for parents.

Learn more about the book or purchase it for your child.

If you’ve read it–I’d love to hear what you think!

Review: Music For Movement And Imaginations by Richard Maddock

October 5, 2011 by 4dancers

This CD was such a lovely surprise!

Richard Maddock has created an original album of dance music for children ages 3 and up, and it would be a great addition to any ballet teacher’s collection. Right away from the first track I knew this was going to be a collection of music that I loved. It’s just so pretty!

Music for Movement and Imaginations lives up to its name. The tracks here range from dreamy to daring, and there are 43 of them to choose from, giving dance teachers plenty of raw material to work with when it comes to dance making. Maddock has labeled these well too–including some hints for usage in the titles, such as “run and freeze”, “skips”, “gallops” and “run like the wind”. Ballet terminology is present here too, and some tracks are labeled with “port de bras” or “jumps and allegro” accordingly. Very helpful.

I was actually taken aback at how beautiful this CD is. Maddock has a talent that shines through, and it is kind of nice to have a collection of dance music for children that doesn’t include all the “typical” fare. Rather than go the traditional route with kids dance music, Maddock has chosen to push the envelope and create tracks specifically with them in mind. I love it!

That said, I do think that this CD could be used for other ballet classes as well, and quite frankly, the music is so pretty that I have put it on in the background when I want something on that is soothing. While not every track is quiet or low-key, the overall album is very nice to listen to.

To learn more about Richard Maddock, or to purchase one of his CDs, please visit his website.

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