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Lessons Beyond The Barre

October 13, 2015 by 4dancers

Cara Marie Gary
Cara Marie Gary and Vlada Kysselova embrace after a performance. (Photo courtesy of Cara Marie Gary)

by Cara Marie Gary

In prepping for the theater today, I was reminded of a beloved teacher and started thinking of the insight she’s given me over the years. My earliest memory of her advice was when I was fourteen years old, competing in the VI Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition. It was the first time I had left the United States and traveled without my parents. I was immersed into a new culture and language while being severely jet-lagged from a lengthy flight to Kiev, Ukraine. But most importantly, this was the first time I learned an important lesson from someone I cherish dearly in the dance world. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Career Tagged With: 4dancers, ballet coach, ballet competition, ballet technique, cara marie gary, dancers, joffrey, joffrey ballet, leotard, Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition, sleeping beauty, stage makeup, tights, Vlada Kysselova

HELP! How Do I Get Back Into Dance Classes?

December 27, 2014 by Katie Sopoci Drake

Photo courtesy of KCBalletMedia at
Photo courtesy of KCBalletMedia at https://www.flickr.com/photos/67555847@N06/

by Katie C. Sopoci Drake

Hey there. It has been a while, hasn’t it? Teaching, the day-job, kids, or just plain old life got in the way. Although you may have been showing others how to dance, practicing yoga, and even performing here and there, it’s not the same as taking class, so now you’re nervous as heck. Now, you don’t have any grand illusions of running off to audition for a national tour (been there, done that), but you wouldn’t mind brushing up on your technique, and making sure you can jump into the odd performance without tearing anything.

But here come the doubts. I don’t know where to go. All of my dance clothes are long gone. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up. I don’t even know what level I am anymore. I really don’t want to be in an “adult” class with 12-year-olds.

Before I give you the pep talk, first things first… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Adult Ballet Tagged With: 4dancers, adult ballet, Ballet, ballet class, chicago, dance, dance class, dance studio, dance teachers, katie sopoci drake, modern dance, teaching dance

Help! My Choreography Doesn’t Fit The Dancers!

June 5, 2014 by Katie Sopoci Drake

Photo by Katie Sopoci Drake
Photo by Katie Sopoci Drake

by Katie Sopoci Drake

Oh!  What to do when you’ve been hired to set a piece on a company, school, department, etc. and when you show up, BAM!  It hits you like a ton of bricks.  You realize, “These dancers are going to F. A. I. L. if I proceed as planned with my choreography.” Whatever the reason (too little technique, the wrong technique, stubborn, etc.) you cannot allow this to happen because it is your job as choreographer to…

  1. Make your dancers look good.  Which will, in turn…
  2. Make your choreography look good. Which will ensure that you…
  3. Make your self look good by making the whole process a success. Because you want to be called again to set more work.  Perhaps this time for a piece that is more appropriate for the dancers.

It’s a sticky situation that is mostly avoided by directors doing their homework about a choreographer and choreographers doing their homework about companies/schools/etc.  But let’s be real; sometimes directors just need someone to fill the spot and sometimes you just need to get a choreography gig.  I know all of this too well because, baby, sometimes Momma just needs a new pair of shoes… or to pay the utility bill.   How do we turn this around?  Here are a couple of lessons I’ve learned from all sorts of gooey, hot, messes:

It’s time to Pivot when: the dancers are trained in a completely different technique from yours and there is no time to teach them enough of the one you’re using in your piece.  Yes, “Pivot” is horrible business jargon, but it’s also a fabulous dance move that we all can relate to.  To pivot is to efficiently turn in a new direction, which is what you’re going to have to do, and quick, if you’re going to finish the dance in the limited number of rehearsals given.  Think, “Is there a way to use their technique to accomplish my dance?”, “Is there another piece in my repertory that might suit them better?”, or, “Is there a more suitable piece in my repertory that I can pull material from to patch rough spots in this one?”.  You’ll have to have a conversation with the director about what you’re seeing in the studio and how to proceed.

Going back to the origin of the movement is essential if you decide to forge ahead with the current piece.  You’re going to need to adapt it to the dancers in front of you and reacquainting yourself with the roots of your dance is going to help you do it.  If your piece has long lines, but the dancers do not, think about why you put those long lines there in the first place.  Was it an architectural choice?  Was it an emotional choice? Was it about the strengths of the original dancers?  Work from the origins of the movement to find an adaptation that will be successful on the dancers you have in front of you.

When I recently reset a piece on a new dancer, I went back to the root of why the phrase/gesture/movement showed up in the first place.  One of the repeating motifs was a twisted and tilted arabesque that elongated to create tension, but I knew that wouldn’t work for this soloist.  I told the dancer that I needed something that stretched from two ends until it about snapped.  Then I sat back and watched her work it out on her body until the new movement jumped out at me within a minute.  I said, “that’s it!” and we were free to move on to the next puzzle. No muss, no fuss.  Dancers are quick thinkers when you give them freedom to work it out on their own bodies. The part looks completely different now, but as long as the dancer is accomplishing the goal of the movement, that is a sign of success in my book.

Get Help! If the current piece is unsalvageable, you have the time to build something new, but are hitting a wall with the dancers, then in the words of Doris Humphrey, “Listen to qualified advice; don’t be arrogant.”  Pull in the director and peers to look at the stages of the dance.  Work that hasn’t had time to be performance-tested needs another eye and the dancers are often more willing to try something new if they know the director is involved in the process.

Lastly, Work with what you’re given.  Trust in your own ability to create a compelling structure, and only build phrases with material that looks strong on the dancers.  Whether you’re someone who has the dancers create the phrases, or if you create each phrase and feed it to the dancers, trust your instincts.  You will see what is working and what is not.  Be honest with yourself and cut out what is not being accomplished to your highest standards and, above all, “kill your darlings”.  Just because you loved it in your previous pieces doesn’t mean it works this time. In the end, this usually means that you are working with less material, but there are plenty of masterworks in every genre that are startling arrangements of simple movements.  Repetition will be your friend here.

Now, get out there and make those dancers look fabulous!

Photo by Katie Sopoci Drake
Photo by Katie Sopoci Drake

Contributor Katie C. Sopoci Drake, MFA, GL-CMA, is a Washington D.C. based professional dancer, choreographer and teacher specializing in Laban-based contemporary dance. Holding an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Graduate Certification in Laban Movement Analysis from Columbia College – Chicago, and a BA in Theatre/Dance with a minor in Vocal Performance from Luther College, Sopoci Drake continues to take classes in as many techniques and practices as she can handle to inform her work and life as a curious mover.

Katie Sopoci Drake Photo by Scott Pakudaitis
Katie Sopoci Drake
Photo by Scott Pakudaitis

Katie has been on faculty at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Nova Southeastern University, Miami Dade College-Wolfson, Miami Dade College-Kendall, Carthage College, and Lawrence University.  She currently guest teaches and gives masterclasses around the D.C. area and wherever her travels take her.

As a performer, Sopoci is described as a “sinuous, animal presence of great power; watching her dance is a visceral experience.” (Third Coast Digest).  Company credits include Mordine and Company Dance Theater of Chicago, Momentum Dance Company of Miami, Wild Space Dance Company of Milwaukee, and Rosy Simas Danse of Minneapolis.  Katie has also made appearances an an independent artist with many companies including Brazz Dance, Your Mother Dances, The Florentine Opera, and The Minnesota Opera.

Katie’s choreography, described as “a beautiful marriage between choreography, music and poetry” (On Milwaukee), arises from her fascination with the idiosyncrasies of daily life, and the flights of fancy that arise from ordinary inspirations.  Her work has been performed by numerous companies, colleges and studios across the country and her latest collaboration, Telephone Dance Project, will take her to states up and down the East Coast while investigating long-distance creation and connecting far-flung dance communities.

 

Filed Under: Career, Making Dances Tagged With: 4dancers, Ballet, choreographer, choreography, dance, dance teachers, director, how to turn choreography around, modern dance

10 “Must Do’s” For Dancers In A New City

February 7, 2014 by Katie Sopoci Drake

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by Katie C. Sopoci Drake

I’ve moved around a lot and boy has it taken a toll.  It takes skill to land in a new city and hit the ground running, and considering I’ve lived in 6 states in 13 years, I’ve certainly had my fair share of stumbles. As my mother says, “You shouldn’t move to a new city unless you have a job waiting for you”, but we all know that life takes you where it wants, when it wants.  I’ve moved because I had a job, because my husband had a job, because I’d hope I’d get a job, and because I just needed a change in a big way.

Whatever your reason for finding yourself in a new city, know that it’s hard and that you’ll be practically starting over in a career that is based on your known reputation. Now it’s time to pull up your big-girl/boy tights, put on your game-face, and be really, really patient all over again.  Since it’s still considered gauche to have your resume printed on your leotard, here are some things I’ve learned along the way that will help you to hop into your new city’s dance scene as fast as possible: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Career, Uncategorized Tagged With: 4dancers, Ballet, choreographers, dance, dance companies, dancer bio, Dancers in a new city, Free Websites, how to get noticed, mailing lists, modern dance, moving, moving as a dancer, New City, newbies, Telephone Dance Project

Starting A Dance Blog

June 6, 2011 by 4dancers

Starting a dance blog can be a very satisfying thing. If you love dance, researching and writing about the subject may be something you would enjoy. Getting a blog up and running is pretty simple, and it doesn’t have to cost you anything either. If you want to just try it out and see how it goes, here are some tips for getting started:

Think up a name for your blog

Set up a free account at WordPress.com

Brainstorm some topics you’d like to write about

Choose from the list for your category headings

Go behind the scenes and play around a bit

Write an “about” page that tells readers a bit about who you are

Write and publish your first post

It may sound simple—and it really is if you just want an outlet to express your thoughts and ideas on dance. Getting a more formal blog up and running can be more challenging, but starting out this way lets you play around with ideas and get your legs under you. If you find that you would like to do something a bit more serious, you can always upgrade your account with WordPress and get more features.

I started 4dancers on a whim—following the steps I just described above. I had no special knowledge of blogging, and I didn’t have a grand plan for what I was going to do with the site. I just jumped in.

If you are going to try your hand at a dance blog, I recommend looking at some other sites to see what they are doing that you like—and what they are doing that you don’t care for. It can help you pick some subjects and find a general direction. Here are some that you can peek at for ideas–or check out my blogroll:

Tights and Tiaras

Dance Advantage

The Ballet Bag

Trailerpilot

Dave Tries Ballet

If you do decide to blog, be sure and drop me a note—or leave a comment here so I can check out your site!

http://tinyurl.com/3qzfp4j

Filed Under: 4dancers, Online Dance Resources Tagged With: 4dancers, dance advantage, dance blog, dave tries ballet, starting a dance blog, the ballet bag, tights and tiaras, trailerpilot

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