For dancers, dance teachers, and those who love dance. – Page 202 – A website for dancers, dance teachers and others interested in dance

NEDA Toolkit: A Resource For Dance Teachers

September 1, 2010 by 4dancers

The National Eating Disorders Association [NEDA] has launched a new educational toolkit that could be extremely helpful to those who instruct dance. Although it is primarily geared toward athletic departments, athletic programs and gyms, any dance instructor can benefit from having a good knowledge of eating disorders.

This resource has information from nutritionists, coaches and even from Kate Thomas, Director of The School at Steps Dance School.

Information covered includes:

+ The facts about eating disorders

+ Help with identifying those affected by eating disorders

+ A guide to possible treatments

Pas de Trois: What Is The Most Important Quality In A Dance Teacher?

August 30, 2010 by 4dancers

If you didn’t catch our post last week, I’d like to explain again what we are trying to do here–and encourage you to join in!

Pas de Trois at dancing3.com is a collaboration between David Hunter from Ballet for Men, Henrik Lamark from Tights and Tiaras and myself–as well as all of the readers out there. We are coming together to discuss various issues and ideas about dance. We are actively exploring ways to work together so that there can be a better sense of community on the web for those interested in exploring dance in depth with one another.

Each week we’ll pose a question and answer it one by one on our blogs. This week’s question is “What is the most important quality in a dance teacher?”

I have been both a student and a teacher, so I really had to stop and think this through from both perspectives. I find that the answer is similar–I think that the most crucial skill is the ability to communicate.

As a student, I was striving to understand how to improve my technique. As anyone who has taken dance knows–this does not come naturally. The teacher must be able to tell the student exactly what they need to do to adjust what they are doing to make it right. Those teachers that could do that for me made me dance better. And what’s more–I found I really gravitated toward their classes. I didn’t necessarily like them more, but I learned from them.

As a teacher, I know that finding the right way to communicate with a student can take a while! When I make corrections or comments I try to say things in a variety of different ways, because I know that what impacts one person and gives them that “eureka!” moment may not do anything at all for another one. It is also important to use visual repitition so that students who don’t do well with verbal direction can see what you are saying.

There are many important qualities that dance teachers should have. It’s hard too choose just one, but after a bit of thinking, I’d say I’m pretty comfortable with the one that I picked. What do you think? Join us here and share your answer!

10 Questions With…Heidi Dunn

August 30, 2010 by 4dancers

Today on 4dancers we have an interview with Heidi Dunn from Ballet Quad Cities sharing her insights on ballet and the future of dance…

02 15 08 A- 243 — Property of Ballet Quad Cities, Photo by Joe Maciejko

1. How did you become involved with dance?

My mother took me to see a performance when I was five years old and I said to her “I want to be a ballet dancer when I grow up”. I always thought it a bit funny because who really believes it when their five year old makes a statement like that, but my mother did. I could never really thank her enough for believing in me from such a young age.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

I am currently employed by Ballet Quad Cities and have been dancing with the company professionally for seven years. I grew up in this community so it is great to be able to give back through performances and the interactive educational programs we take into the schools. Last year we touched over 10,000 students with our art form.

3. Would you share a special moment or two from your career?

The opportunity to perform in New York city with BQC as part of Ballet Builders 2010 was something I didn’t expect to do in my career and I was definitely nervous. When we finished our piece “Ash to Glass” and the audience started clapping I was overwhelmed with pride for the company and myself. What a great feeling! I also can’t forget all of the great people that I have been fortunate to work with. Deanna Carter, BQC’s resident choreographer, has pushed me to do more than I ever thought possible through her coaching and her belief in me as an artist.

10 17 08 A- 387 6x9 — Property of Ballet Quad Cities, Photo by Joe Maciejko

4. What is the best advice you have ever received regarding dance?

There really isn’t just one. There seems to be this data bank full of all of the ideas my teachers have given to me over the years that have laid dormant until someone else has said the same thing to me years later. The one that I have had on my mind is how to work smarter not harder. I love that piece of advice because so often I would push myself so hard all I would do is end up more frustrated and tired than need be. I would just muscle through things to make things happen. Taking a step back though has helped me to step forward and grow into a more of a thinking dancer.

5. Do you have any advice for those who would like to dance professionally?

Be humble. I think without humility one loses the ability to grow and learn. I am definitely not saying to lack in confidence but check your ego at the door and be open to whomever may come in no matter how crazy you think their theories may be. You will never know until you try. I have seen dancers be so resistant to teachers and choreographers simply because they didn’t “agree” and they end up fading into the background. Just work hard and be ready to learn.

6. What has been your biggest challenge in dance?

I think my own self image has hindered me more than anything. Not letting you get the better of you is a daily struggle. When judging yourself so harshly on a daily basis it is hard to keep things in perspective. Injuries seem to be unavoidable but I have found that dealing with the physical side of dance is easier to manage than the mental challenges that come with the job.

7. What is it that you love so much about ballet?

Pointe shoes. But, in all seriousness, if it weren’t for them I would have been a modern or contemporary dancer. I think there is a sort of romanticism about pointe shoes that a young girl has when she sees someone floating across the stage en pointe. I don’t think I ever got over that fantasy. I also love the way ballet in general can fuse such great athleticism and pure artistry. The challenge of how to make those things work together is what really drives me to keep doing what I am doing.

121108 B-_0586 — Property of Ballet Quad Cities, Photo by Joe Maciejko

8. Do you have a special routine that you go through before a performance, or is each one different?

My routines always seem to change but there are a few things that I never do! First I have to stand at the same place at the barre once we get into the theater. Secondly I have to put on and take off my pointe shoes because they never seem to feel quite right the first time around. I also can’t have my hair feel loose. If it does it’s time to start over and there has to be tons of hairspray. I am not really a superstitious person I just need to feel ready. One has enough things to think about when performing without thinking about hair or shoe malfunctions.

9. Where you do think dance is headed?

Dance could go in so many directions. With dancers doing more and more physically each year choreography has the challenge to keep up while maintaining the balance of virtuosity and artistry. I also sincerely hope that ballet companies keep the classics like Giselle and Swan Lake even though it is difficult for many companies to stage such productions today.

10. What is next for you?

I am really looking forward to the upcoming season. Our first performance will be “I Vampire”. It will be based on a book written by a local author, Michael Romkey. I have just finished reading it and can’t wait to see how his book comes to life through dance.

Bio: Heidi Dunn began her ballet training at City Center School of the Arts, now Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance. She also trained with Ballet Conservatory of St. Louis with Nathalie Levine. In 1999, she was invited to become an apprentice with Cassandra Manning Ballet Theater under the direction of Johanne Jakhelln. Since becoming a full company member in 2003 she has worked with Dominic Walsh in “Die Hochzeit” and was featured as Clara in his 2008 version of the “Nutcracker”. She has worked with Deanna Carter in “Dracula” as Lucy, “Ash to Glass”, and as Carmen in “Carmen”. While working with the company she has also had the pleasure of working with Domingo Rubio, Cleo Mack, Simone Ferro, and L.D. Kidd. This will be Ms. Dunn’s 8th season with Ballet Quad Cities.

Dance In The US…Kansas City Ballet School

August 27, 2010 by 4dancers

Today our series on “Dance In The US” takes a look at Kansas…

Name: Kansas City Ballet School

Location: This school has two locations

1. The Downtown Campus, 1616 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108

2. The Johnson County Campus, 5359 W. 94th Terr., Prairie Village, KS 66207

Photo courtesy of Kansas City Ballet School

About: Students who attend the Kansas City Ballet School not only get top-notch training from experienced faculty–but they also receive some nice additional perks as well. Classes are taught with live piano accompaniment–something that I know from experience can give a dancer the opportunity to develop their musicality in depth.

In addition, the school provides a stepping stone for those who want to go on to a professional dance career–the Kansas City Youth Ballet. The dancers who perform with this company are between the ages of 13 and 18, and they study with the faculty of Kansas City Ballet, as well as the director of the Youth Ballet, Alecia Good.

5 Questions With…Susan Jaffe

August 26, 2010 by 4dancers

In Part II of our series, we are following up on the interview with Risa Kaplowitz and talking today with Susan Jaffe, who was recently named Ballet Mistress for American Ballet Theatre…

I also have to point out this wonderful interview Susan did with Charlie Rose in 2002. Don’t miss it.

1. What is your teaching philosophy and who has it been influenced by?

This is a question one can write entire book on, but below is snap shot of my philosophy. Also, I have had many great teachers in my life including books, artists from other professions, and life’s circumstances (good and bad), but here is a list of people from my professional ballet life that have mostly influenced my teaching: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Irina Kolpakova, Elena Tchernichova, Christina Bernal, Nancy Bielski and Julio Horvath-who created Gyrotonics.

Princeton Dance & Theater Studio — Susan Jaffe

I am very much focused, when teaching a ballet class, on correct placement, correct use of turn out, breadth, coordination of the arms and head and legs, using the oppositional forces within a step, i.e. every force has an equal and opposite force going in the opposite direction within the body. For example, to releve´ the dancer must push down into the floor through the legs to rise up to pointe. Secondly, it is important that the dancer takes all of these skills and transforms them into a movement quality with the understanding of the use of dynamic, musicality, amplitude, and of course, the heart, which is the source that allows a dancer freedom and genuine expression.

At the beginning a dancer needs to understand how to stand up correctly. This includes not only the proper placement of the torso, arms, feet, head and legs, the correct use of turn out, and the correct coordination, but also where to direct ones energy and focus while executing a step. This is a very sophisticated understanding of the body and requires much will and focus to acquire. Then as the dancer progresses, those same ideas apply when s/he is moving through space, which requires added strength, skill and application of those same principals.

I try to teach all of this within the appropriate stages and levels of maturity of a young dancer’s training. Each level can be taken to higher levels of understanding and sophistication that equals their abilities. I also try to be as honest, but as positive and reassuring as I can. It is important for a dancer to know what they need to work on, but it is equally important how a dancer approaches their work and how they feel about themselves while they work. If they are implementing their corrections with the joy and curiosity of learning, then they will improve much faster than if they go into habits of self-flagellation. My quest is to empower the dancer with their-own confidence, curiosity, self- exploration and passion to learn and improve.

2. What is your best advice for a dancer who wants to become a professional?

To become educated about your art whether it is in or out of class. It is important to know dance history, see the greats (past and present) in the profession in videos or movies, go to museums, listen to great music, and read literature. It is also important to get to know yourself on a deep level and understand what is beautiful and horrible about humanity. Never stop trying to learn as much as you can about you, and it. Then you will have the possibility to become a professional that can transform pure movement into genuine inspiration. You should not aim to be a technical machine; a true dancer is guided by their heart and soul to speak a language that is deep, informed, and inspired. That is where the real art of ballet lies. Aim for that.

Susan Jaffe rehearsing "Lilac Garden", Photo: Paul B. Goode

3. How has your dance career informed and impacted your teaching?

Everything that I have done in my life has impacted my teaching. It takes many, many years to understand this art form and what makes it come alive. But, while I was dancing I reinvented my approach to technique several times throughout my career. That has informed me a great deal about how long it takes to change a habit or to implement a new idea. It takes tremendous patience and perseverance and I am able to support a dancer through a change because I lived it myself.

4. What was it like to leave the stage and start teaching in the classroom?

When I left the stage, I was ready to go, so teaching was a nice way to give back to the art form that I have loved all my life. That is the way dance continues on, and it seemed like the most natural thing to do for me.

5. What will you miss about teaching at Princeton Dance & Theater Studio and what are you looking forward to in your new role as ballet mistress at ABT?

The thing I will miss most from my school is my students and the lovely families that came together as a result of opening the school.

What I am looking forward to in working at ABT is being able to share what I have learned on a more sophisticated level (now we are getting into roles and dramaturgy. Yeah!) to the dancers that are going out there and performing those roles. I already started working with them last spring and it has been a real joy. I look forward to more of it.

BIO: Declared by the New York Times as “America’s Quintessential American Ballerina” Susan Jaffe danced as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre for 20 years. Prominent in the international dance scene as well, her European engagements included performances with The Royal Ballet, The Kirov Ballet, The Stuttgart Ballet, The Munich State Opera Ballet, La Scala Ballet in Milan, The Vienna State Opera Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, and The English National Ballet.

Ms. Jaffe’s versatility as a dancer allowed her to tackle a large range of choreographic works. This not only included her acclaimed interpretations of the classics like Swan Lake but also the dramatic works of John Cranko, Anthony Tudor, Agnes DeMille and Kenneth MacMillian. She also worked with and danced the works of many prominent choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Lar Lubovitch, Nacho Duato and Roland, Petit, David Parsons, Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham, Ronald Hynd, Frederick Ashton, Ulysses Dove and Lynn Taylor Corbett.

In 2003, one year after her retirement from the stage, Ms. Jaffe co-founded the Princeton Dance & Theatre Studio in Princeton, New Jersey where she enjoys passing on the wealth of her knowledge to her dance students. Along with teaching for American Ballet Theatre and giving corporate lectures for Duke Corporate Education, Ms. Jaffe has expanded into choreography. Her choreographic achievements to date include “The Nutcracker” “Pop Sonata” “Velez Pas de Deux” “Sleeping Beauty Act lll” “Raymonda Divertessments” “Novem Pas de Deux” “Ballet Studies”, “Tarantella”, “Royenne”, “UnCaged” and the “Cancan.” She also wrote a children’s book, “Becoming a Ballerina” for children ages 7-13.

Ms. Jaffe has recently been named Ballet Mistress at American Ballet Theatre; a position she will fulfill in October of 2010.

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