Studios – Page 2

Review: Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 2

August 24, 2011 by 4dancers

I reviewed Volume 1 of Modern Ballet Studio Melodies recently on the site and gave it a big “thumbs up”. This CD, Modern Ballet Studio Melodies 2 is another good choice if you are hoping for ballet class music that is different from the typical fare.

Again breaking out of the traditional box, Christopher Hobson puts out renditions of familiar songs such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'”, “The Swan, from Carnival of the Animals”, “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin”” and even the “Mexican Hat Dance”! Treat yourself to lovely arrangements of these favorites and spice up your ballet class a bit without taking things over the top.

Hobson is obviously a top-tier player, and he also has experience arranging and playing classical piano music for the ballet class. This is an important factor, and the tunes here work well for both barre and centre exercises. The barre has 18 tracks to choose from, including staples such as plie, tendu, round de jambe and grand battement, and the centre offers a lovely adage, as well as pirouettes, jumps and several allegros to choose from.

All in all this is really a successful CD, and it is available in the UK, which, from what I’ve heard has a dearth of good ballet class music out on the market. I really enjoyed both this CD and the previous one. There’s one more coming up–so stay tuned (argh!) to hear what that one has to offer in the coming weeks.

If you like, you can buy Modern Ballet Studio Melodies Volume 2 here.

Review: Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 1

August 10, 2011 by 4dancers

This CD, Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 1, came highly recommended by a fellow dance professional, and it’s easy to see why. The piano music is excellent–and different. You will hear renditions of favorites such as “Summertime”, “Hernando’s Hideaway”, “Some Day My Prince Will Come” and “Somewhere Out There” – but they avoid the “cheesy” factor that is so often a part of this type of translation for ballet class music.

Instead, the tracks are easy and fun–as well as expertly played. Christopher Hobson is at the helm here, and he began training at age 4. He has experience working with dance schools, which is obvious by the arrangements here, which are metered, without being dull. His background includes working for Northern Ballet Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.

The intent of the CD is to add variety to the ballet class repertoire, which it does quite successfully. I am located in the US, but have had many UK dance teachers ask me for recommendations in their area in terms of ballet class music. I would pass this CD along without hesitation as something that would be fun to use for a welcome change of pace. There is both barre and centre music, and the quality of the recording is very good–another rarity in this type of CD–although I will admit it has been improving overall as a genre.

If you are searching for something fun to add to your collection as a dance teacher or dance studio, this is a good pick. Here are the particulars:

If you are interested, you can purchase Christopher Hobson’s Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 1 here.

Introducing Lizzie Leopold on “The Business of Making Dance”

July 27, 2011 by 4dancers

leopold group — Leopold Group by Matthew Gregory Hollis

by Lizzie Leopold

If this were real life I would shake your hand, say “nice to meet you” and maybe we would exchange phone numbers. But here we are in the vast spaces of the internet. So, think of this blog as a virtual hand shake.

I’m Lizzie Leopold, choreographer, writer, scholar and social media enthusiast and these are my thoughts on the “Business of Making Dance.” The intersection of dance and business is busy, fast-paced and highly dangerous, so fasten your seat-belts.

This past week I attended the annual Dance/USA Conference in Chicago, the largest gathering of dance professionals in the country. I attended as student (as a PhD candidate at Northwestern University), as an Artistic Director and choreographer (Leopold Group), as a part of a dance service organization (Audience Architects), a social media manger (SeeChicagoDance) and as an all-around dance nerd. I left inspired, confused, clarified and exhausted. [Read more…]

52 Weeks Of Adult Ballet – A Guest Post

July 22, 2011 by 4dancers

More than 20 years ago, I allowed the first love of my life to slowly slip away. We were then reacquainted 10 years ago for a brief, happy, but not overly fulfilling affair, after which I was convinced that my passion for ballet – my first love – had fizzled out and that I would find joy through other forms of dance.

Unexpectedly, and in a totally unplanned manner, a series of circumstances found me back in an adult ballet class about 4 months ago. I was persuaded to join a class “just for fun”; I thought I’d do one, two classes at most, then probably give up.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. [Read more…]

Review: Carla And Leo’s World Of Dance

July 20, 2011 by 4dancers

Quite frankly, this is an amazing book. Created by a former fashion model and dancer and designed for children ages 8 to 12, “Carla and Leo’s World of Dance” is well written and beautifully illustrated.

The book tells the story of best friends, Leo and Carla, who take classes at a dance studio. They sample everything from swing to foxtrot to tango. Throughout their journey, the reader learns about the history and background of each dance style as their teacher, Miss Paulina teaches them.

The book is visually engaging from the moment you see it. The cover features a darling picture of Carla and Leo dancing together, and he has sparkles on his tie while she has them dotted throughout her skirt–a detail you can’t see from the photo.

Thierry Perez is the illustrator, and he is nothing short of amazing. Every picture is imaginative and skillfully drawn–the book is really a feast for the eyes. It’s the kind of thing that as a child I would have cherished, and looked at again and again.

Author, Agatha Relota has done a wonderful job of capturing her love of dance here–it’s contagious. She strikes a nice balance between educating the reader and sharing the excitement of discovering dance for the first time. I also appreciated the fact that she chose something other than ballet to highlight, as so many dance books limit themselves to that as subject matter. This one exposes kids to a wide range of styles and teaches them what countries they hail from as well. You can tell a great deal of thought went into the format. Also, Relota’s friend, Jessica Alba penned a forward for her–something that was a bit unexpected, yet interesting.

If you are looking for a terrific dance book, “Carla and Leo’s World of Dance” is as good as they come. I wish I had something this cool when I was a 10-year-old girl.

It’s stunning.

You can purchase this book on Amazon.com.

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