For dancers, dance teachers, and those who love dance. – Page 249 – A website for dancers, dance teachers and others interested in dance

Lois Greenfield

October 21, 2009 by 4dancers

lois_greenfieldt If you haven’t seen the photography of Lois Greenfield, then take five minutes today to drink it in. And if you haven’t seen her work recently, refresh yourself.

Greenfield has been around for a long time in the dance world–and with good reason. Her crisp photos show dancers moving. They show the interesting shapes that the body can make. They are beautiful.

It is very hard to do this type of work well. Dance, by its very nature is hard to capture when you are trying to do it in one frame. Greenfield does it masterfully.

Check out her screensavers while you are on the site. There are several available.

This post is a bit different. I watched Michael Jackson dance again today and was struck (as always) by how easy he looked as he moved. The body did what came naturally and it flowed. Every time I see it I am in awe. I went out in search of some of the things that have been written about his dancing and would like to share these links with you here. No matter what you think of the man, Michael Jackson, the dancer, was without peer in his genre. There are precious few people I have seen move like that in my lifetime. Maria Tallchief. Fred Astaire. Suzanne Farrell. A handful at best.

Enjoy this reading. Each of these pieces has something to say or show about the artistry of dance:

The New Yorker – A thought-provoking piece about Jackson’s dance moves.

NY Daily News – An interesting reflection on how Jackson’s dancing impacted today’s dance world.

Dance.com – This shows several clips of Jackson dancing, along with a brief commentary on his life.

All About Pointe Shoes

October 20, 2009 by 4dancers

GM_logo

shoes If you are looking to learn more about pointe shoes, take a look at Gaynor Minden. This site talks about everything from the anatomy of a pointe shoe to the history of pointe. They also have a comprehensive fitting guide–and I do mean comprehensive.

Take a look and enjoy. The site is very well done overall and their products are all very lovely.

Teaching Tip: Mirror, Mirror

October 19, 2009 by 4dancers

teach Here’s a teaching tip for when you are demonstrating a step in class…

Instead of facing the mirror and doing it for your students, turn around and face them, reversing the steps so that they can copy you. This takes a bit of practice to get down pat, but it enables you to make eye contact, as well as helps to prepare you for any time when you may have to teach without the aid of a mirror… [Read more…]

Disclosure – Affiliate & Ad Info

Copyright Notice