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Opus 4, No. 3: The Personality Dynamics of the Music for Tchaikovsky’s White Swan Pas de Deux (Part I)

January 26, 2013 by 4dancers

by Allan Greene

PART THE FIRST

This is going to be a personal reading of the White Swan score. How could it be otherwise? I am going to lead the reader through a walking tour of my thoughts as I try to explain the method in the un-methodical: the search for a way to convey through musical sounds the score’s layered and sometimes contradictory messages.

Here’s what we’re dealing with: the historical context of the music, the dramatic role of the music in the context of the larger story, the meaning of the orchestration, the various “personalities” embodied in the score, and of course this correspondent as the particular messenger of this reading.

Undina came first

It makes sense, when you think about it, that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was smitten with opera. Which of Tchaikovsky’s works do you know? The ballets, the first piano concerto, the 1812 Overture, Romeo & Juliet (at least the soaring love theme), probably the Serenade for Strings, possibly one or more of the last three symphonies. What unites all these works? Their vivid melodrama.

What you may not know, and most listeners don’t, is that Tchaikovsky wrote eleven operas, from Voyevoda at the beginning of his career (1869) to Iolanta the year (1892) before his death. He loved stories and was apparently a great storyteller. From his early youth he was always very literary, a voracious reader. He became a hyper-prolific writer of concert reviews and letters.

He developed into an exceptionally emotional adult. Even leaving his emotional life out of it, his mature aesthetic orientation was nervous and super-charged.

After his modest success with his first opera, Voyevoda, he turned to a more mythical but tragic romance based on a popular 1811 literary fairy tale, Undine, written by the German novelist Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. Tchaikovsky’s Undina (1869) never made it onto the stage. Indeed, Tchaikovsky was given to bouts of self-doubt and depression, and, after Undina had been rejected by the Imperial Theater, he took it out on the manuscript, destroying the most of it.

But we are in the fortunate position in 2012 to be able to listen to what escaped the flames. For example, consider this love duet from the final act: [Read more…]

Interview With Tyler Christopher Jay

January 25, 2013 by Ashley David

dancer in forest — Tyler Christopher Jay

I “met” Tyler Christopher Jay on Twitter recently and after a short chat, thought he’d be great to feature on the site. He has a varied background in dance and theatre, and a lot of energy! Here’s more about his life in the arts…

1. How did you get started in dance?

I suppose it was just expected of me to dance. My mother was a dancer and taught dance, and my sister was a dancer so I was constantly at the studio. I think when I was 7 I finally was able to push my mother to let me start taking classes. At that time I started taking ballet, tap, and jazz and have taken many more different styles since then.

2. What made you pursue it as a career?

Well, its not my full career. I also make my career out of acting, and singing. The limelight has always been in me from my first dance class to going to see my first musical. For me, going into the arts was never a question. I always knew that I wanted to be onstage somehow. I also enjoy choreographing though and being behind the scenes. I specialize in musical theater choreography, but don’t mind teaching ballet, contemporary, or partnering.

3. What are you currently doing?

Currently I am dancing with the Metropolitan Ballet for their 2012-2013 season in the Twin Cities; right now we are working on ‘Swan Lake.’ I also choreograph for a local theater company.

4. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of a career in dance—and why? [Read more…]

Dance Wellness: Preparing For The Summer Intensive

January 24, 2013 by 4dancers

Summer intensives can be hard on the body. Intense training coupled with being away from home in an unfamiliar environment is stressful mentally–and physically. Today we have Jan Dunn, MS, our Dance Wellness Editor with some tips for preparing the body for such a demanding experience…. Catherine

by Jan Dunn, MS

Happy New Year ! It’s January, and it may be cold and chilly where you are, with visions of sugarplums still lingering in your head–but it’s not too early to start thinking about preparing yourself for a summer dance intensive you may be thinking of attending.To get in top shape for a safe summer of dancing, here are some things to think about…

Unfortunately, it’s easy for a dancer to get injured when going to a summer intensive, for a number of reasons–the good news is that injuries in this situation are, for the most part, preventable.Some of the reasons you can unintentionally hurt yourself are:

Going from a school-year schedule of taking maybe 4-5 classes a week, to suddenly doing 4-5 a day while at a summer intensive….i.e., you’re doing too much too soon.
Taking classes in a style that you haven’t previously trained in-for example, you take primarily ballet all year, and then suddenly you’re doing jazz and African on a daily basis. You’re now using muscles you haven’t necessarily used in ballet, and it might be easier to get injured, especially if you have muscle imbalances in your legs / torso.
You may be going to a climate you are unaccustomed to, such as hot and humid, whereas your normal dance environment is in a cooler, dryer clime. The body takes a while to adapt to that new environment, and trying to keep up the heavy schedule of an intensive during that initial adjustment period may lead to an injury.

Knowing the possible risk factors in advance may well help you avoid a summer injury.No one wants to go to an exciting summer intensive and then be laid up with an injury right off the bat! Here are some suggestions that might help:

[Read more…]

Dancer Transitions: Kara Wilkes

January 23, 2013 by 4dancers

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.

Creating A Community In The Dance Studio

January 22, 2013 by 4dancers

by Janet Neidhardt

Building a sense of community is one of the first things I do when I get a new class at the beginning of the school year. Throughout my time teaching dance I have discovered that my students feel they can be themselves most freely in class when they have trust in their peers to be accepting of them. I am constantly pushing my students to take risks in class, fall down or be goofy with movement, but they are hesitant when they feel insecure about what others will think of them. [Read more…]

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