A website for dancers, dance teachers and others interested in dance
LinkedIn Groups can be a good resource for dance professionals. There are a variety of different groups for dancers out there–including the one I run with Henrik from Tights and Tiaras and David, from Ballet For Men, Dance Writers.
Do yourself a favor and take a peek when you have a few minutes to dedicate to networking.
Contributor Stacey Pepper Schwartz is back today to share some insights about what makes a good dance performance–
What makes a great performance? Is it performing the dance steps perfectly? Is it dancing without mistakes? Dancing in perfect unison or keeping a specific formation? What about expression? What about movement quality?
When I teach dance, my students mainly focus on performing the steps accurately. It is hard to teach them that performing to the best of their ability goes far beyond the execution of steps. I actually think it has little to do with precision and more to do with being in the moment. If you focus only on counts, steps and spacing then it’s like painting by number. You haven’t put anything of yourself into the performance. There is no heart.
Teaching how to perform is just as important as teaching how to do a pirouette. The trick is unlocking the brain. When a person is afraid of making a mistake on a test he will usually tense up and not do as well as if he was relaxed. The same goes for dance but even more so. Dancers can tend to judge themselves on how well they perform a single step instead of looking at the dance in its entirety.
Answer these questions or have your students answer them:
I always tell the dancers I work with that a great performance is not one in which you don’t make a mistake but a performance where if/when you make a mistake you are able to stay in the moment and perform the spirit of the dance. We are not robots or perfect human beings. Humans are vulnerable. That is what is so magical about dance. The art is created by imperfect beings that lets the audience tap into all sides of themselves.
So, how do you teach this or practice this?
In class when you make a mistake don’t stop. Don’t criticize or judge. Keep dancing. Flub, trip, fall and get up and keep going. Keep the quality of movement, idea or concept of the dance. And if a teacher tells you that you must be perfect know that perfection can only be obtained when you make mistakes. A perfect dance has mistakes and it also has heart, life, vibrancy and a human performer.
BIO: Stacey received her BFA in dance performance at Montclair State University and her MA in dance education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught as an artist in residency and guest artist in public and private schools for over twelve years.
Stacey is the Founder and Director of Leaping Legs Creative Movement Programs. The focus of Leaping Legs Creative Movement Programs is to help people regardless of age, experience or ability, become educated about their movement potential, develop kinesthetic awareness, and become more physically fit and healthy together as a family, and community.
Leaping Legs promotes its goal through the original Up Down & All Around DVD. The DVD received Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products Award and 10 Best Active Products Award. The DVD has also been featured in many magazines including Dance Retailer News, The National Dance Teachers Association dance journal dancematters, and Dance Teacher.
Before embarking on dance education, Stacey was a professional dancer and choreographer in New York City.
Today for our “10 Questions With” feature, we have a dancer from the Joffrey–Joanna Wozniak…
1. How did you become involved with dance?
Becoming involved with dance can happen in a number of ways, but the way it started for me as a little girl, was probably in my kitchen and around the house. Once I had gone to a few dance lessons at the ripe age of childhood, it became my walk. I danced around the house instead of walking. I also loved music, and that I could express what I heard and felt from it through my dancing.
2. What are you currently doing in the field?
I am currently a dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. We just returned home from a two week tour in California as well as a stop in Colorado.
3. Would you share a special moment from your career with readers?
I think one of the most special moments was when I had the opportunity to perform “the Chosen One” in Nijinsky’s “Sacre du Printemps”. This is for a number of reasons, when I first started dancing with the company, this was the first ballet outside of the Nutcracker that I performed. I was in awe of ballet, and in love with it, as well as the company and the experience of it. Being the smallest part was exciting. Nearly ten years later, I was able to perform the incredible part, in essence nearly coming full circle to something that meant so much in my life. Beyond that, I was fortunate enough to receive recognition in the part from Hedy Weis, in Pointe Magazine as one of the standout performances of the year. This was and still is such an honor in the difficult world of dance, especially to be amongst artists from around the world in multiple top companies. [Read more…]
Just a quick note to point out that Dance Anywhere is taking place on March 18th, 2011. This event is a simultaneous worldwide public art performance and YOU are invited to participate…
You don’t have to be a professional dancer–or even involved in dance in any formal way. The only requirement is that you want to be in on it. Artist Beth Fein first created dance anywhere® in 2005 …what if there was a public celebration of dance anywhere and everywhere simultaneously? Why wait for a performance opportunity to come your way?
Curious? Want to get involved? Take a look at how you can participate–and enjoy the day with dance! Pass the word…
Today we have something special for 4dancers readers–an interview with Balanchine ballerina Patricia Neary. This comes to us courtesy of Dance Channel TV – a wonderful resource for those who love dance.
Dance Channel TV interviewed her with the help of Lewis Segal. Ms. Neary is the dancer for whom Balanchine created “Rubies”. In part one of a two part series, Pat recalls her experience working with Mr. B in the 1960s:
Dance Channel TV is an online network devoted entirely to dance. We produce original video programming, covering numerous styles of dance through news casts, human interest stories, unique series and entertainment features. Our mission is to establish a worldwide TV station that will inspire, educate, engage and connect viewers through the universal language of dance. We are here to build a community for dancers, companies and supporters of dance and, by doing so, give back to the world of dance and ensure that the art of dance continues to thrive now and for generations to come.