4teachers – Page 25

Tips For Using Twitter

June 20, 2011 by 4dancers

Regardless of whether you are new to Twitter or have been tweeting for a long time, there is plenty to know about this social media application. Twitter is a very useful platform, and I started out hating it, but now enjoy it immensely.

Part of the enjoyment is because I understand the basics. Chris Brogan (of social media fame) wrote a great introductory post about Twitter for those who have not yet investigated it in much detail. (If that is you, check it out.) It can help make sense out of all the noise.

Those of you who have been around for a while may want to branch out (bad pun–see picture) and learn some of the fancy ways to use the site. There are deeper ways to use Twitter, according to Brogan, and I like what he has to say about that as well. I consider myself an intermediate user, since I know a good deal about it, but I know that there is always more to read out there.

Social media in general is constantly evolving and changing. Keeping up with it all can be a real challenge–but it can also be worth it. If you utilize sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, try to learn something new about them once in a while to help maximize your presence there. Believe it or not–it can actually make networking online more fun!

How do you use Twitter? Are you an avid tweeter or do you shun the idea of it all? Would love to hear some voices from the dance world on that one!

10 Questions With…Derrick Agnoletti

June 16, 2011 by 4dancers

Today we have another interview with a member of the company at the Joffrey Ballet. Derrick Agnoletti is with us to talk about his career…

Derrick Agnoletti-WP_copy — Derrick Agnoletti

1. How did you become involved with dance?

I was a water polo player and swimmer growing up. I don’t think dancing had ever crossed my mind. At the advice of a coach, I tried a class to improve my coordination. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. I loved the music and the body moving together. I remember specifically seeing the dancers doing ronde jambe at the barre and thinking it was so beautiful and opulent. It was from here (San Jose Cleveland Ballet School) I began my training and further moved on to San Francisco Ballet School and School of American Ballet to name a few.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

I am currently employed at The Joffrey Ballet as a dancer since 2003 (almost 10 years!!!). I also teach at the Joffrey Academy of Dance and choreograph for the Joffrey Academy as well as many outreach programs through out the Chicagoland area. I love choreographing on students who have never danced. Several of those works have opened The Joffrey Ballet gala as well as the Chicago Dancing Festival. Giving these students the chance to share the stage with companies like Joffrey, New York City Ballet, the Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theater.

3. Would you share a special moment from your career with readers?

I have so many favorite moments, and so many stick out so I will chose a few. I remember sitting in a chair after Mark Goldweber walked me from my audition class to Mr. Arpino’s office, and I had to sit there and wait for him to finish reading something, and then finally Mr. A (as we called him) said I looked like a Joffrey Ballet dancer and asked if I was Italian. Then immediately they offered me a job. It was surreal. I also remember very vividly my first principal role as Mercutio in Crankos, Romeo and Juliet. I enjoyed throwing myself into a “Derrick like” Mercutio. I loved fine tuning every moment to have inner dialogue and understanding what my relationship was to the rest of the cast. It was such a great experience. I carry those things with me in everything that I do.

4. What is the best advice you have received from a teacher or mentor? [Read more…]

Interview With Lianna Hosein-Sarro

June 14, 2011 by 4dancers

Today we have 5 questions with Lianna Hosein-Sarro, a high school junior who has the opportunity to participate in the Rockettes Summer Intensive program, as well as being featured on “The Rockette Summer Intensive” series, which continues tonight, June 14 at 7:30 p.m. on MSG Varsity.

Take a closer look at the experience through her eyes:

MSG Varsity's Rockette Summer Intensive (Lianna Hosein-Sarro) — Lianna Hosein-Sarro

1. Can you tell readers a bit about your dance background?

I’ve been dancing for a total 13 years, and have been studying ballet since I was four. I started dancing at Martha Graham this year, and have been active with the School of American Ballet of the New York City Ballet Company for about six years. I’ve also been tap dancing with the Tap City Youth Foundation in the Tap City Youth Ensemble for about four years.

2. What brought you to audition for the Rockette Summer Intensive?

My mother brought me to the Rockettes Summer Intensive. As soon as she told me about the camp, I knew that it was what I wanted to be as a dancer. The precision and perfection of their dancing skills attracted me instantly. I went to the audition not expecting to get in because I was the youngest—and it was my first time trying out. Luckily, I got in!

3. How do you feel about being able to participate in this?

I’m so excited to go back this year. I enjoyed my first time at the Rockettes Summer Intensive, but now that I know how the camp is run, I know what to expect. For me, this camp is like “the best thing since sliced bread.”

4. How have you been able to stay calm and focus on doing your best?

Most of the time, my nerves don’t get to me. It’s easy for me to stay calm because that’s my personality, but sometimes I get really shy and don’t let myself go full out. However, at Rockette Camp, I feel like a different person. I’m more energetic and less nervous because I know that this could be my future.

5. What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself through this process?

I’ve learned to not be afraid of what other people think of me. I’m really self conscious, but when I dance, a new power comes over me and I feel important and like a star. Rockette camp opened me up and improved my life as a dancer, a pro singer, and an actress. The Rockettes Summer Intensive is a dream come true.

Watch the second episode of “The Rockette Summer Intensive” three-part series which airs this evening, June 14 at 7:30 p.m. on MSG Varsity, channel 14 on Cablevision’s iO TV.

The Sweet Spot

June 11, 2011 by Kimberly Peterson

Today I’d like to introduce 4dancers newest contributor, who will be writing about “So You Think You Can Dance”, among other things. Read more about Kimberly Peterson’s background in her bio at the end of this post, and be sure and chime in if you have something to add to what she has said here. I’m thrilled to have her aboard…

You’ll find her writing to be more than a mere “re-hash” of the show, but rather a closer look at some of the deeper issues that are raised by it. Read on… – Catherine

Many dancers have been told of the illusive “sweet spot”, wherein very nearly all aspects of technique, movement elements and principles are present in a singular body.

This perfectly technical and yet expressive dancer is also inherently malleable, utilized simultaneously as both tool and material, from which a choreographer can construct their vision. It’s the purpose of the show, So You Think You Can Dance, to find a dancer who has found this illusive “sweet spot”.

While specializing in one particular genre, each dancer is tested and pushed to the limit in any number of genres from the highly classical and technical, to the guttural nature of street dance and every point in between. As the season gets underway, the audition process reveals much about the connections between genres, technique, performance and this “sweet spot”.

Watching the audition process and looking back over the previous seasons, there seems to be a clear pattern between the style of dance a dancer specializes in and the probability of getting straight through to Vegas vs. the choreography round. While open and aware of the trends and upcoming genres, it appears that certain styles do seem to lend themselves better than others to success in both the audition round as well as future success on the show. [Read more…]

Dance Book: Codename: Dancer

June 8, 2011 by 4dancers

Thanks so much for having me here today! I’m very excited to speak with dancers about my new YA book, Codename: Dancer.

I’ve been dancing pretty much my entire life. My mom enrolled me in a ballet/tap combo class at age 3 because she noticed I would jump around and spin whenever the Coke commercial came on. From that point on, I was hooked!

As a preteen and teen, I was in my dance studio’s company, and was dancing around 30 hours per week. Then in college, in addition to double majoring in Political Science and French, I studied flamenco, ballet, and ballroom. My junior year I auditioned for the ballroom dance team, and spent the next two years competing against other schools up and down the East Coast. It was a lot of fun!

I decided to write Codename: Dancer because it was the type of book I would have loved growing up. There were tons of fiction books about dancers for little girls, but not much for teens. There still isn’t, really, except for books about the ballets and choreographers. In other words, non-fiction.

So I decided to do something about that. I’ve always loved mystery novels, so why not write a mystery series about a group of dance students at a performing arts boarding school? And thus, Codename: Dancer was born.

Of course, I’ve never solved a mystery, nor did I go to a boarding school, so I still had a lot to learn. But I’d started reading Nancy Drew books in elementary school, and always used to win at Clue, so how hard could it be?

It actually ended up being a lot more difficult than I expected, but readers tell me they don’t figure out whodunit until right at the end, so hopefully I met my mark!

I hope you’ll enjoy my book. Here’s a little bit about it:

“Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak is thrilled when hit TV show Teen Celebrity Dance Off comes to the campus of her performing arts boarding school. She trades the barre for the ballroom and gets set to cha-cha-cha to stardom with Hollywood wonderboy Nick Galliano.

At first their partnership is awkward, because Dani is in awe of her longtime teen idol crush. But soon their chemistry is heating up the dance floor and the attraction moves into real life.

Her excitement is short-lived, because someone wants her off the show. Bombs, poisoning, arson… Will Dani’s 15 minutes of fame be over before she reaches age 15? Dani and her friends are suddenly at the center of some serious sabotage. And if she doesn’t find out who is behind it, her next pirouette could be her last.

It’s like Nancy Drew in toe shoes in this light-hearted tween mystery, a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Award for Best Young Adult Romance.”

You can learn more at www.amandabrice.net.

Would you like to win a copy of the e-book? If so, just leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite dance book or dance movie is. I can’t wait to hear from you!

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