Ballet – Page 15

10 Questions With…Allan Greene

June 5, 2012 by 4dancers

Today on 10 Questions With… we have Allan Greene, a pianist that works in the dance world…

We would also like to welcome Allan to our contributing writer staff here at 4dancers. He’ll be writing a new monthly column appropriately titled, “Music Notes”…

1. How did you get started in music?

I started composing on my own when I was eight years old after I tired of copying songs from our third grade songbooks. The next year I began studying the cello at my elementary school, and the next year I began studying piano with the wife of one of my father’s electronic engineer colleagues. Things moved rapidly from there.

The cantor at my family’s synagogue recommended me to a Viennese choir-master who passed me on to an eccentric Juilliard-trained pianist. The intensity of the Juilliard training was too much for me and conflicted with Boy Scouts and after-school basketball. I moved on to a retired violinist / pianist who devoted his Saturdays to me, and presented me in recital several months before my 16^th birthday.

All the while I was composing on my own. At the age of twelve I was composing suites of atonal works, for various chamber music combinations as well as solo piano. My high school choir performed a setting I created of a poem by James Joyce. Stylistically, I was heading out the trajectory blazed by Charles Ives, inventing what I called “stream-of-consciousness music” analogous to Joyce’s literary technique: I created a musical narrative out of musical objets trouvés, using juxtaposition of styles and recognizable snippets to shape the drama. A generation later, due to the invention of sampling synthesizers, personal computers and audio production software, some of my ideas were independently showing up as common compositional tools in film and television scores.

2. What brought you into the dance world?

Accompanying ballet and modern dance classes was a work-study contract gig available at Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota) in my freshman year. After a term washing dishes at one of the college’s cafeterias, it was a god-send. I found it easy, delightful to watch and participate in, and, importantly, made being a musician both quotidian and artistic. I’ve never liked having the spotlight trained on me, so this allowed me to participate and observe simultaneously. Accompanying dance became a laboratory for me to study the effect on collaborating artists of all kinds of music and all sorts of harmonies, melodies, rhythms and textures. It still is.

3. Where has your career taken you in terms of playing for dancers? [Read more…]

The Value Of Improvised Music In The World Of Ballet

May 28, 2012 by 4dancers

Music and Dance photo — Photo by Alan Crumlish

Today we have a guest post about music from Karen MacIver…

Many years ago my composition-for-film tutor Howard Goodall (the genius behind the themes for BBC British TV hits Blackadder, QI and Mr. Bean) once asked me what exactly makes music so important to the moving image. He was interested that I had come from the world of dance as a musician working in Ballet Companies. This seemingly simple question had a profound effect on me and I spent the rest of my time at film school – and my professional career – defining the answer.

The wonderful psychological impact music makes on us reaches far deeper than mere entertainment. Having returned to the world of Ballet, I now realize the most valuable asset a dance organisation can hope for, is to work with great music and great musicians. For here begins the symbiotic journey for the most elemental part of any dancers’ life – Class.

There is a small but growing army of inspirational musicians who have made it their life’s work embracing the world of music and the moving image. Mastering the art of improvising or recalling music perfectly takes time, passion and most of all comprehension of dancers’ needs during Class. Class is the fundamental ritual that ignites each working day, from beginner to ballet master. And so music nourishes not only the muscular requirements for the sporting qualities of a dancer, but also the emotional depth needed for choreographic demands.

If a musician ‘gets it wrong’ (and I use this term with fear and frustration) they are in peril of causing disruption to Class and at best will be artistically ignored for the oncoming hour. The very conundrum of what is needed to define a “great class” is the starting point of the Masters in Accompaniment for Dance course I am proud to be part of here in the UK.

So where do we find the ley lines connecting music and dance?

Well. There are two definitive structures that lie at the core of all good art and they are both found in the world of architecture. Proportion and tension-release.

Our delight in perfect proportion is embodied visually through classical structures dating back to the time-honored buildings of ancient Greece, balancing the principles of space (silence and stillness) versus material (movement and sound). Coco Chanel herself described her particular art in this simple statement “Fashion is architecture : it is a matter of proportion” and musician Laurie Anderson rather clumsily declared, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture”. But we know what she was getting at!

And of course the ‘Mozart Effect’ reaches deeper than an educational context which states that our ability to learn and concentrate is refined in the proximity of hearing classical music. No, there are varying ballet structures given daily in class that not only seem to mirror the demands of musical phrasing but actually are the visual representation of great musical themes. The famous Elvira Madigan (Mozart’s piano concerto no.21*) theme embodies all that is perfect in proportionality and therefore complements so many of the dance exercises delivered in everyday Class. Understanding this gives the musician freedom to improvise around the perfect structures already created by the great masters of composition.

Understanding tension and release both physically and musically defines another equally important bridge connecting the two art forms. They are felt universally both in musical chord structures and in anatomical muscle memory. Architecturally it is felt as the invasion of space in the landscape, balanced with the satisfaction of creating man-made structures in apposition to nature.

If the musician thinks like a dancer, they will play music as a dancer – with breath and freedom balanced with strength. Thinking of music ‘anatomically’ – SKIN,MUSCLE,BONE – gives depth and understanding to the response of accompanying the dancer. Let me expand.

A child views her first years of taking Class in terms of skin only . She copies shape only in silhouette form with little comprehension of the underlying meaning of the movement. Similarly, a novice musician will copy the outward shape of movement when first confronted by the demands of ballet class, by making melodic contours that in some way mimic visual shape. Muscular flexibility in dance reflects musical harmony and skeletal shape and form corresponds vitally with musical form and shape.

The learning of an instrument is a slow process, just as the learning of ballet technique. Matching the two takes yet another stretch of time and imagination before they function together as one. And so, the musicians’ journey learning the textural changes and chordal tensions for class accompaniment is a long but ultimately fruitful one.

One more thought. If I think back to all I learned writing for film, there is one odd and unique aspect to film music that differs slightly from dance music. On the surface, both share the need for music’s psychological undercurrent which says so much more than the spoken word. Imagine the famed Underground train scene in Fatal Attraction when Glenn Close tells a handsome Michael Douglas that she truly loves him. Do you recall the music screaming “she’s mad!!!!” Probably not. Why? A good filmscore acts as an unnoticed dramatic colourwash to the action. Rightly so. That’s where its power lies.

However in dance, the presence of music is never ‘inferior’ to the visual impact of dance. It is the support and context in which movement comes alive. In return the music seems to acquire a unique luminosity that, once heard in context of dance, seems to sparkle just that little bit more.

In conclusion. A toast. Long may the marriage of music and dance stay in love!

*have a listen whilst you read the article!

Karen lectures at Scottish Ballet/Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on the Postgraduate Masters Piano in Dance Course.

10 Questions With…Kristie Kahns

May 21, 2012 by Ashley David

Today on 10 Questions With… we have dance photographer Kristie Kahns…

1. What is your dance background?

I grew up in Grand Rapids MI, and began dancing at age 6. I studied ballet, jazz, and tap, and participated in my studio’s competition teams. But I began to love ballet the most, so I also studied at the School of Grand Rapids Ballet for about 5 years, before moving to Chicago.

I moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College, with an intention to major in photography and possibly dance as well. I did take some dance classes at Columbia, but photography consumed my schedule. Living in Chicago, I was exposed to hip hop culture, and became infatuated. I began to take hip hop classes at Lou Conte Dance Studio, and hung around with a lot of b-boys, even apprenticed with Culture Shock Chicago. Learning about the history of breakdancing led me to capoeira, and eventually I became a member of Gingarte Capoeira Chicago, with whom I trained for 7 years. Currently, though, I have devoted myself to my Ashtanga yoga practice, and am training for my teacher certification at Moksha Yoga. So I have a lot of body movement experience and knowledge.

2. How did you get started in dance photography?

During my first couple years at Columbia, I definitely missed dancing everyday and wanted to stay connected to dancers. My first studio lighting class was taught by Bill Frederking (a notable Chicago dance photographer), and I became inspired by his work to photograph dancers in a studio setting. I really couldn’t imagine photographing anything else, so I reached out to dancers that I would meet and began collaborating. My passion for dance and knowledge of technique came through in the photos, so I focused on that throughout my time at Columbia. After I graduated, I began to photograph for some Chicago dance companies that were new on the scene at the time – Instruments of Movement, Luna Negra Dance Theater, and Chicago Tap Theatre. And just kept going with it.

3. What do you think is the biggest challenge in dance photography?

This is a good question. Dance photography is a bit of a paradox: dance is the movement of bodies through space, and photography is a fraction of a moment, producing a frozen and forever still image. The challenge for the photographer then is to make a still image that appears to move, or seem as though it is about to move. That challenge can actually become a means of making a stylistic choice. How do I want to depict the movement or the dancer? Do I want to show the blur of motion or crisply freeze the movement? How can I show the impetus of the movement? I’ve experimented with many different ways of shooting, but I particularly like the work I’ve done which combines strobe lighting and long shutter speeds, which portrays a crisp moment of a movement with the blur of motion in or out of the movement too. But the style that was made so popular by Lois Greenfield, freezing moving bodies in mid-air or in the midst of a dramatic movement, is fun to play with too. Ultimately, the photographer needs to have a great sense of timing and intuition into the movement, because timing is everything when you’re shooting bodies in motion.

4. What has been the most exciting moment for you in your dance photography career thus far?

A few highlights come to mind. My first cover for Dance Magazine was a big deal for me – I photographed Meredith Dincolo and Kellie Epperheimer of HSDC for DM’s Body Issue, July 2008. Since I grew up admiring the photos in Dance Magazine, it was amazing to photograph the cover and feature article. Another great experience was photographing for Cirque du Soleil’s Banana Shpeel show, which did its preview run here at the Chicago Theater in late 2009. The show had a lot of dancing and acrobatic acts, and the lighting and costumes made for a lot of great performance shots. Those performers were incredible!

5. Can you describe what you do to get ready to shoot a dance performance?

If possible, I like to watch the choreography first so I can see the movement and staging of the dancers. Sometimes I can do this at a tech rehearsal, other times in the studio. This helps me know if there may be a better side of the stage to be on when shooting. It does help to see the dance and the lighting first, and I discuss details with the director about choreography and positioning myself in the theater. But I’ve done plenty of performance shooting without ever seeing the dance beforehand.

6. Where do you set up to photograph live dance?

It depends on the situation. Sometimes, I’m able to photograph a full dress rehearsal, which is obviously preferable – no audience to disturb and I can move around in the house and get close to the stage to get the best angle. If shooting during an actual performance, it’s tricky. I need to be close to the stage but usually off to the side, away from the audience as much as possible so I won’t disturb their experience. Every theater is different, so I just have to find the best spot where I won’t be a distraction from the performance.

7. Is there a particular dancer or company that you would love to photograph? If so, who, and why?

So many! I would love to photograph Misty Copeland and Drew Jacoby, both very hot in the dance world right now. Both of them are gorgeous and have incredible technique and very athletic bodies. I actually did get a chance to shoot Drew Jacoby when she performed with Complexions at the Chicago Dancing Festival many years ago – she is simply stunning! I’d also love to photograph Maria Kowroski one day. She is a principal with NYCB, and she is from Grand Rapids as well. I saw her perform with Grand Rapids Ballet for many years before she moved to NYC, and she was quite an inspiration to myself and many young dancers at the School of Grand Rapids Ballet. Neguin, a b-boy from Brazil and winner of the Red Bull BC One in 2010, is also on the top of my list of favorite dancers. His style and talent make him so much more than a b-boy, he’s truly amazing to watch.

As far as a company, I would love to photograph Nederlands Dans Theater, because they are simply the most amazing dance company I’ve ever seen. I’d also love to work with Antics Performance, a fantastic hip hop company based in Los Angeles.

8. What camera/lenses do you shoot with for this type of photography?

My digital camera is a Canon 5D Mark II, and I have a variety of lenses I use depending on the situation. For performances, I use a long lens – I have an 80-200mm f2.8 which I like for performances. For personal projects, I still love to shoot medium format film with my Hasselblad. I don’t get to use it very often anymore, but there’s nothing like that camera! The optics are fantastic and I love the square format.

9. What was the most challenging assignment you ever had?

A recent instance that comes to mind is when I photographed the Yoga Journal Conference last summer. I documented some of the classes and activities at the conference, which were held in very poorly lit and pretty unattractive hotel ballrooms and conference rooms. It was a challenge to make good images in an environment like that.

Basically, any scenario on location or on stage where there is poor lighting is a challenge.

10. What is next for you?

I’m focusing on building my portfolio of yoga photography right now. Currently, I am working on a book project with one of my yoga teachers, the beautiful and amazing Alexia Bauer. We’re collaborating to make a photography book of the Primary Series postures of Ashtanga yoga. I’m really excited about it. I’m going to make a Kickstarter fund to promote and sell advance copies of it. I’m also planning some shoots with dancers for personal projects that I’ll work on over the summer. Other than that, I’d really like to do some traveling soon, it’s been awhile since I spent time outside of Chicago!

Bio: Kristie Kahns is an accomplished photographer based in Chicago, specializing in capturing dance and creating dance-inspired portraits. Growing up in Grand Rapids, MI, Kristie was an avid young dancer, participating in many competitive dance companies and studying at the School of Grand Rapids Ballet. But a photography course in high school sparked her interest, and in 1998, she moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College, where she received a Bachelors degree in Photography. Remaining close to her original passion, collaborating with dancers seemed inevitable; thus, she has spent the past several years becoming a part of the Chicago dance community through her camera. She has worked as a freelance photographer for Cirque du Soleil, Diavolo Dance Theater, Dance/USA, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Chicago Tap Theatre, River North Chicago Dance Company, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, and many other dance organizations in Chicago. Her work has been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Pointe Magazine, Time Out Chicago, and has been used for various marketing materials for dance performances and performing arts organizations nationwide.

She was a recipient of a Community Arts Assistance Program Grant through the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in 2007 and 2009, and received an Illinois Arts Council Professional Development Grant in 2010.

She enjoys continuing to explore the many manifestations of the dance medium in our world, from capoeira in Brazil, to the traditional dances at Native American powwows in New Mexico, to b-boy battles in Chicago. Through her camera, she pushes for new ways to express her admiration for movement artists of all kinds, and continues to allow her passion for photography and movement to evolve.

All photos courtesy of Kristie Kahns

Three Days At ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School

May 16, 2012 by 4dancers

Please join me in welcoming our newest contributor Dalia Rawson, who will be writing about ABT’s National Training Curriculum for 4dancers…

by Dalia Rawson

I was finally there, at 890 Broadway in New York City. This building, which houses the Laurence A. Wien Center for Dance and Theatre, is the legendary home of the American Ballet Theatre and ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. The building boasts floor after floor of dance studios, and it has been the site of rehearsals, classes, and auditions for countless dance companies, dance schools, and Broadway shows.

The building’s rich history is apparent the minute you step out one of its two operator-controlled elevators, into a maze of hallways and staircases leading to countless dressing rooms and dance studios. Innumerable legendary dance teachers have taught in these studios, and I was about to meet one of the most notable. American Ballet Theatre’s Franco De Vita, the co-creator of ABT’s National Training Curriculum and Principal of ABT’s JKO School had invited me to observe three days of classes. Ballet San Jose School is moving towards implementation of ABT’s National Training Curriculum, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled by this opportunity. Raymond Lukens, who co-created the Curriculum with Mr. De Vita, was out of town, so I would be learning about the Curriculum through watching classes taught by Mr. De Vita, as well as classes taught by other faculty members of the JKO School.

I had arrived early, not sure how long it would take to walk from the Chelsea apartment where I was staying to the studios, and found myself with a moment to catch my breath and reflect before classes were to begin. As I waited with the ABT receptionist, sitting under the framed Resolutions passed by the US Senate and House of Representatives recognizing ABT’s service as America’s National Ballet Company, I felt a growing excitement regarding what was to come. Having spent the previous night on a red-eye flight from San Jose to New York after Ballet SJ School’s Summer Intensive Auditions, I was slightly disoriented, adding to the almost surreal surge of anticipation I was feeling about seeing some of our nation’s most talented dance students up close in class. As it turns out, I wasn’t disappointed.

American Ballet Theatre Lobby, with the Senate Resolutions, Photo by Dalia Rawson & courtesy of ABT

[Read more…]

One Dancer’s Journey: Performing Arts As A Profession

April 23, 2012 by 4dancers

Todd Fox returns with the next installment of “One Dancer’s Journey” — if you haven’t had the chance to read the other posts by Mr. Fox, you can find them here.

by Todd Fox

5. What have you had to struggle against in dance?

I didn’t experience an overwhelming amount of ridicule in public school as a boy studying ballet but I did hear my share of jokes and was teased often. At first the teasing didn’t really bother me because I was obsessed with learning ballet and I didn’t really care what people thought—but you can only ignore things for so long.

It all came to a head pretty quick one day in 9th grade when a student was teasing me and called me a name so I punched him square in the face causing a bad nose bleed. I was promptly suspended from school and my parents completely freaked, it was definitely NOT the proper or mature way to handle the situation but I was 15 at the time, it happened, and I was never teased again.

Teasing and name calling aside, I think the number one thing I have had to struggle against as a professional ballet dancer here in the United States is the perception of my life’s work as some sort of contribution to a non-essential charity, as if it has no value in the “real world”. [Read more…]

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