Editorial – Page 44

Five Tips For A Successful Ballet Makeup Application

September 16, 2011 by 4dancers

Today we have professional makeup artist, Jill Glaser with us, sharing five great tips for stage makeup that ballet dancers can make use of….and a quick shout out to pro dancers out there–if you have any additional tips that you have found useful, please leave a comment and share your knowledge with others out there! – Catherine

Theatrical makeup techniques are used when doing a makeup application for the ballet dancer. In both the theater and the dance performance, the makeup applied must not only help create a “character”, but also be visible from the stage

The dancer must understand the principles of highlight and contour, or shadow, in order to add drama to the face. Highlight, sometimes in the form of shimmer, may be applied to the brow bone and cheeks. Highlight may be added to the lips by the addition of gloss. Darker, matte shades may be added to create shape, such as definition of the jawline and cheekbone.

If the theater is large, then the makeup application should be more dramatic; there will be less blending of light and shadow. If the theater is small, the makeup application should be less subtle, but still more dramatic than street makeup. [Read more…]

Musings – Skin & Bones

September 2, 2011 by Kimberly Peterson

by Kimberly Peterson

Now that SYTYCD has run it’s course, I’m starting a new column devoted to isolating specific issues and qualities of dance that speak to me in an effort to start dialogue. I am going to be utilizing embedded videos to help illustrate exactly what I’m seeing and to help further discussion. What I’d like to encourage all readers to do is to leave a comment, add to the dialogue of others and continue the discussion beyond what I lay out.

I’m calling this new column “Musings” because it’s not only a play on the word – meaning to contemplate, think about – but also because it references, tangentially, the Muses – the mythological beings said to be the source of all knowledge and to inspire all of the art created by artists. It fits with my intentions to contemplate the field of dance through examples of work and to discuss not only larger issues in play, but also the origins of work, the process of creating work and aesthetic values.

As a transition from our SYTYCD journey into this new column, entitled Musings, I begin our journey with a powerful performance by America’s Newest Favorite Dancer, Melanie Moore.

This work by Dee Caspary was phenomenal for a host of reasons and I want to unpack some of that for you. But first I feel like you should watch the piece for yourselves and then I’ll delve into some food for thought…

Initially what really spoke to me and attracted me to the work was the seamless partnering of bodies. There was no “set up”, just rolling movement into and out of the floor, towards and away from each other, that perfectly echoed the struggle between their relationship as well as their struggle between light and dark (emphasized by the stage lighting and the use of the light bulb). [Read more…]

Finis: Triangles & Light

August 31, 2011 by 4dancers

KiddPivot Christopher Duggan — Photo by Christopher Duggan

by Christopher Duggan

This monthly contribution will highlight an image I’ve made or perhaps an image I love by another photographer. I’ll discuss how I made the image, what the purpose of it was, why I love it or maybe some mistakes I made trying to make it. I’m always open to questions, comments and ideas.

Let’s begin with an image I simply love. It’s Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot from the company’s performance of Dark Matters this summer at Jacob’s Pillow. I’m drawn to the dramatic light and the triangles. The shadow, the symmetry, the muscles in his legs. It’s a beautiful moment. He looks so still. [Read more…]

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…]

Disclosure – Affiliate & Ad Info

Copyright Notice