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Finding Balance: Dance–Comparison And Analysis

January 29, 2013 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

dancer doing arabesque
Emily Kate Long, Photo by Avory Pierce

January brings the end of a four-week layoff and the start of new rehearsals and a new school semester. In other words, chaos to boredom and back again! It was a busy fall, and will be a busy spring, so I really welcomed the opportunity to take a few steps back from the studio to re-focus, reflect, and plan over my time off. Refreshed and inspired, I feel excited to tackle any challenges ahead.

Holiday travel and a Nutcracker guesting meant a considerable amount of time in the car. My ever-reliable Toyota (his name is Franklin Thomas Camry) and I covered nearly two thousand miles in two weeks. Admittedly, driving is one of my least favorite activities, but it gave me the chance to sit back and listen, really listen, to a lot of great classical music, as well as some really interesting podcasts I hadn’t previously been able to find time for. One of my favorites is called the “Piano Puzzler,” produced by American Public Media (Get it here: http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/podcast/piano_puzzler/). In it, a well-known tune is disguised within a piece of classical music (for example, the “Toreador Song” from Carmen hidden inside one of Eric Satie’s Gymnopedies), and a caller has to guess both the tune and composer. It’s a cool way for me to learn, bit by bit, what some hallmarks of various composers’ styles are, and a little music history, too. Some compositions end up funny, some poignant, and some end up as both once composer and tune have been identified.

I’ve also been reading a book of choreographic analysis, Frederick Ashton’s Ballets: Style, Performance, and Choreography (http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-Ashtons-Ballets-Performance-Choreography/dp/1852731591). As the “Piano Puzzler” is a lighthearted exploration of musical composition, this book is a serious look at dance composition and an investigation of what can be considered stylistic hallmarks. Ashton frequently quoted well-known works (including, sometimes, his own) for serious and humorous effect. Both podcast and book suggest to me that a big part of the creative process involves the use of irony and unexpected comparisons.

In the spirit of comparison, I got to watch and study several new dance DVDs (look for reviews of them soon here on 4dancers). Generally when, I have time to watch each video only once, gather just a little background information, and a week or more passes before I watch the next one. Time off meant I could let my brain gobble up each of these gems as many times as I wanted, research them, and think about them in relationship and contrast to one another. What fun!

I took the theme of comparison and analysis into the studio with me, too. Making my own schedule has meant I can spend as much time as I need planning classes for the second semester and, most importantly, actually being able to do them before I give them. That’s given me a chance to examine the layers of complexity (in some ways, layers of irony) I can eventually add as my students advance, the many ways this new material relates to what the class already knows, and the various ways to communicate those relationships.

I’ll close this post with New Year’s wishes to you, readers. May 2013 bring you new discoveries and inspiration!

Assistant Editor Emily Kate Long began her dance education in South Bend, Indiana, with Kimmary Williams and Jacob Rice, and graduated in 2007 from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s Schenley Program. She has spent summers studying at Ballet Chicago, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Miami City Ballet, and Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive/Vail Valley Dance Intensive, where she served as Program Assistant. Ms Long attended Milwaukee Ballet School’s Summer Intensive on scholarship before being invited to join Milwaukee Ballet II in 2007.

Ms Long has been a member of Ballet Quad Cities since 2009. She has danced featured roles in Deanna Carter’s Ash to Glass and Dracula, participated in the company’s 2010 tour to New York City, and most recently performed principal roles in Courtney Lyon’s Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. She is also on the faculty of Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance, where she teaches ballet, pointe, and repertoire classes.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ballet, nutcracker ballet

Dancer Transitions: Kara Wilkes

January 23, 2013 by 4dancers

Kara Wilkes
Kara Wilkes

We are so pleased to announce that 4dancers has partnered up with what we consider to be a wonderful group, Career Transition For Dancers. Over the coming months you will begin seeing stories such as the one below–from dancers who are working with this organization to explore options that they may never have otherwise considered. When you finish reading, be sure to visit CTFD’s site to hear “the rest of the story”. 

Today we are hearing from Kara Wilkes, who has danced with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and is starting another journey… 

I feel fortunate to say that my professional dance career is over twelve years old now. For the past year and a half I’ve danced for Alonzo King LINES Ballet based out of San Francisco. However, it was during the very start of my career that Mr. King and I first crossed paths.

My first job, Milwaukee Ballet Company, hired me right out of high school; Mr. King was brought in to set one of his ballets: “Map”. He invited me to attend his professional workshop in San Francisco where I was offered a position with his company. At the time, I was still uncertain about which style of dance I wanted to do. My training had been mostly classical and Lines’ movement is very contemporary. Instead of taking Mr. King’s offer, I chose to continue exploring.

For the next ten years, I danced with mixed repertoire companies. This took me to Madrid, Spain with Ballet Victor Ullate, and to North Carolina Dance Theatre in Charlotte. Throughout these jobs, I was able to experience a variety of styles, work with different choreographers, and achieve more versatility. Eventually, I joined LINES Ballet. The timing was finally right in my career; I felt ready to explore Mr. King’s style and philosophies. I suppose you could say I’ve come full circle.

While dancing with NCDT in Charlotte, I attended a Career Transition For Dancers’ Workshop and learned of their wonderful resources. A few years later, I began speaking with one of their career counselors, Maryellen Langhout, in the Chicago office. Her advice was invaluable. Ms. Langhout helped ease my anxieties about life after dance and made suggestions pertaining to my personal interests.

Then, in Fall of 2012, I returned to school in hopes of earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Attending college has been a long-time goal of mine. Financial support from the Caroline H. Newhouse Fund helped me jump-start things; I currently attend St. Mary’s College of California’s L.E.A.P. program while dancing with LINES full-time. I look forward to keeping in touch with Ms. Langhout in the future, for she opened up my eyes to exciting new career possibilities and which paths will get me there.

Read more about Kara’s journey at Career Transition For Dancers

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: alonzo kin lines ballet, ballet victor ullate, career transition for dancers, milwaukee ballet company, north carolina dance threatre

In A Class Of Her Own: Tutu Maker, Toya Dubin

January 11, 2013 by 4dancers

photo of ballet dancer in tutu
Toya Dubin, wearing the “Jewel Box Tutu”

Today we have something really different to share with readers…

Meet Toya Dubin, dancer…and tutu-maker. This teenager is in a class of her own, and knows more about tutus than most!

What is your dance background?

I began dancing at the age of three in my hometown, Miami, Florida at a studio called In Motion.  The appeal of graceful movement was irresistible, the idea that I could make myself a fairy or princess even more exciting.  I took a modern class there with a disciple of Isadora Duncan, and remember never wanting class to be over.  Since then, my love for ballet has outstripped that for any other form of dance.  However, I have studied jazz as well as Zena Rommett Floor barre technique.  I really enjoy ballet classes with Elena Kunikova, Lisa Lockwood, and  Fabrice Herrault at Steps on Broadway.   Over the years I have studied Balanchine, Vaganova, Russian, and Checetti styles of ballet, along with some Fosse, and Limón modern dance.

What are you currently doing in dance?

At the moment, I dance with the Orange County Ballet Theatre, under the artistic direction of Alicia Lovely and Carol Purcell, and have performed in their production of The Nutcracker since the age of eight.  I also dance with the American Youth Ballet, under the tutelage of Albert Davydov, and  performed  in their Nutcracker this year.  In addition, I study at Ballet Arts Studio, in Beacon, with Alessandra James.

How did your love of costumes come about?

I cannot distinguish a moment in my life in which costumes or being fabulous didn’t hold endless fascination for me.  From the moment I learned to undress and redress myself, a minimum of fifteen clothing changes occurred per day.  On a hike up Mount Marcy at nine years old I covered my eyelids in glitter and outfitted a friend and myself in fake pearls because, as I told everyone who laughed at us, “A girl must always be fabulous.  No matter where.”

This idea has taken root in my mind.  Fabulousness to me, is the expression of a person’s innermost aesthetic.  In my own life that may involve oodles of rhinestones, but for the characters I bring to life that may not be their breed of fabulousness.  The challenge of discovering what brings a different character to life is the ultimate challenge in my opinion, and from ballet I have learned that the most satisfying feeling is to stretch a little further than I thought I could.  Succeeding in realizing a character’s personality and expressing that through their clothes is like that perfect triple pirouette you whip off in class one day.

What is it that you hope to do in this arena?  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Ballet, ballet costumes, costume design, toya dubin, tulle, tutu, tutu making, tutus

Dance Blog Spotlight: The Ballet Bag

January 8, 2013 by 4dancers

This month’s Dance Blog Spotlight is one not to be missed! Hip, fun and full of great content, The Ballet Bag is one of the top sites out there on the web when it comes to dance. If you don’t already know them, meet Emilia & Linda.

We asked the ladies to answer a few questions about what it’s like to serve the online dance community…and they were kind enough to oblige!

Can you tell readers a bit about each of you and what your backgrounds are in dance?

Our backgrounds in dance are mainly through years and years of watching: I attended my first ballet (Giselle) when I was only 7, but Linda also took ballet classes (RAD) for several years.

When did you begin the blog-and why did you start it?

We started The Ballet Bag in 2009. Both of us had more general personal blogs but soon found that we were spending a lot of time writing about ballet, mostly about the performances we were watching at the Royal Ballet at the time (around 2007). We wanted to spread the word about ballet as a fresh, original art form and show, from an audience perspective, that there were young people who went to the ballet and who were inspired by it. We also felt that the more traditional ballet websites and forums had a more restrictive format. We wanted to show cross references between dance and pop culture, to share our favorite ballet sites and reviews. We also wanted to leverage off the new trend for social media.

What does the blog cover?

We try to focus on well-researched content, but without losing sight of the visual elements (photography, graphics) packaging all this together, and throwing into the mix a diverse range of personal interests. Also, we try to keep a dialogue going with everyone: from dance critics to other bloggers, from dancers to audiences. We have also been featuring a whole range of different contributors: from Kris Kosaka and Germaine Cheng in Asia to Harper Watters, a young dancer with Houston Ballet as well as Alice Pennefather’s amazing ballet photos. It’s great to have all sides of the debate and to give link candy. As the saying goes: give and you shall receive.

What has been the best part about participating in the dance community online?

The online dance community has made it possible for us to connect with the art form in every part of the globe. Twitter has become a space where critics, dance writers, bloggers, dance fans, performers and choreographers come together to share stories and discuss the past, present and future of dance. It has broken down geographical barriers and made it possible for dance audiences to be “virtually there”. It’s great to be connected to all of that!

What other dance blogs do you ladies read?

We have always enjoyed reading about dance and even more so now: we do subscribe to most newspapers feeds and also read zines like Dance Tabs, Dance View Times and too many blogs to list!

ballet bag
Emilia & Linda. Photo: Elena Murchikova / The Ballet Bag ©

Emilia:

Ballet: likes ballets that taste like 85% cocoa: pure, extra bitter, dark or intense. Her favorites are La Sylphide, Manon, Mayerling, Dances at a Gathering, Ondine, Symphonic Variations, plenty by Balanchine, quite a few by Alexei Ratmansky and some of Wayne McGregor’s pieces for the Royal Ballet.

Non ballet: literature, theatre, opera, rock, art, food, travel, fashion

Linda:

Ballet: her favorite ballets feel like good books – one can see them 1,000 times and they always feel fresh. Linda loves Giselle, all full-length MacMillan plus Song of the Earth, Robbins’s Dances at a Gathering, Balanchine’s Serenade and Agon, Ashton’s Scènes de Ballet and Symphonic Variations.

Non ballet: books, music and podcasts, science and maths, travel and photography.

Filed Under: Dance Blog Spotlight, Uncategorized Tagged With: ballet blog, ballet websites, dance blogs, the ballet bag, writing about ballet

4dancers In 2013

January 1, 2013 by 4dancers

Catherine L. Tully, 1987

Happy New Year to all!

As we go into 2013 here on 4dancers, I have some exciting things to share with you…

First of all, we’ll be teaming up with Nichelle from Dance Advantage to bring you some terrific content, based on a shared editorial calendar throughout the year.

Our first quarter will feature subjects near and dear to the dancer’s heart–footwear/foot care, commercial dance and Broadway, dance fashion, competitions and conventions, career and auditions and summer intensives. Look for posts on those topics on both of our sites in the coming months in addition to the usual compilation of interviews, reviews, contributor posts and more.

Also, we’ll be adding some new contributors this year–please join us in welcoming Janet Neidhardt, who will be writing about teaching dance, as well as Scott Speck, a well-known conductor (and currently the conductor for the Joffrey Ballet), who will share some insights on music and dance. We’d also like to announce the addition of our new intern, Rebecca Walker.

You may notice a few changes over the coming months in the way the site is arranged as well. We’re trying to upgrade the user experience and make navigation easier so that you can find what you need–whenever you need it.

We are looking forward to serving you in 2013. Please do let us know if there is anything in particular you’d like to see–and as always–thanks for reading!

Catherine, Editor/Owner

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: dance advantage, footwear, scott speck, summer dance intensives

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