Ballet – Page 16

Dance Blog Spotlight: The Choreography Clinic

April 18, 2012 by 4dancers

We’re back with another edition of “Dance Blog Spotlight” – and the blog this month focuses on choreography…

1. Can you tell readers a bit about your background in dance?

I started dancing with a praise dance company, The Hush Company, under the direction of Stacy and LaQuin Meadows. I danced with them for 8 years and knew that dance was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I didn’t start studying ballet and modern until I was 18 years old. I have a BFA in Dance Performance with a K-12 Certification from Towson University in Towson, MD. I now teach full-time at a performing arts high school in downtown LA: Ramon C. Cortines School for the Visual and Performing Arts.

2. When did you begin your blog-and why did you start it?

I began The Choreography Clinic in November 2011. I started it because I don’t have time to get my MFA right now and I missed those in-depth conversations about process that you only seem to find in college dance programs. I am sure you can find them other places as well but I wasn’t finding them where the access was free and open. I have lots of books on choreography but they didn’t give me the kind of interaction and reflection that I was craving. I also wanted an opportunity to talk with other choreographers who were as interested in process as I was and find out how they were navigating their own artistic processes.

This idea came to me over a year ago, but I was really nervous at first that no one would be interested. No one knew who I was. I had not produced any work publicly and sometimes dance can be very clique-ish. I finally got up the nerve to go forward with the project and found myself in conversations where I was hearing that this was something others wanted as well. Geography is a huge problem for people who want that interaction, so online has provided a wonderful way to interact without the drama of having to “get to” somewhere to get it.

3. What does your blog cover? [Read more…]

When Ballet Stars Align

April 11, 2012 by Risa Kaplowitz

Today I’d like to introduce our newest contributor–Risa Gary Kaplowitz. She’ll be doing a monthly column for 4dancers, and today we begin with a bit of her “back story” so you can get to know her a bit…

by Risa Gary Kaplowitz

It’s a wonderful thing to realize how lucky you are. I don’t mean the gratuitous “grateful” we all read on Facebook posts when a “friend” gloats about one thing or another and then says, “So blessed!” Nope. I mean how great it feels to acknowledge the really big decision or moment of good fortune without which your life would be completely different.

I had such a realization a few months ago when I attended the 90^th birthday celebration for Tensia Fonseca, Artistic Director of Maryland Youth Ballet. It was she who started the now nationally recognized school and youth company almost 50 years ago in the barre-lined basement of her cozy suburban home.

I came to what at that time was called, Maryland School of the Ballet when I was three years old. My mom had taken me to my first ballet class at the local recreation center where Mrs. Fonseca’s business partner at the time, Roy Gean, was teaching pre-ballet. After class, he told my mom that I showed promise and asked if she would bring me to their newly built one room studio on St. Elmo Ave. in Bethesda.

The rest of my life can be traced back to the moment my mom said, “Yes.” [Read more…]

Adult Ballet Student: Steve Ha

March 30, 2012 by 4dancers

As we continue with our focus on Adult Ballet this month, please welcome Steve Ha…

1. How did you first get involved with ballet and what attracted you to it as an adult?

I started dancing in my twenties—ancient by dancer standards—as a senior in college, just to pursue new creative outlets. Though various performing arts have played crucial roles throughout my life, dance was the final frontier, and I really just wanted to try it. I started with beginner’s jazz and modern classes and had fun with both, but my teachers often stressed the importance of ballet training so the subsequent quarter I enrolled in ballet. Everything about it made sense because not only did it touch upon my roots as a classically trained musician, it also gave me the opportunity to act and express myself without having to speak (or worse, sing) a single word. Ballet also elicited a strong desire to be disciplined about the practice and an eagerness to learn that I had never experienced as a student before.

2. How many classes are you currently taking per week?

I try to get in the studio two to three times a week. Although, when I was still attending university I took class almost every day and those were some of the happiest times of my life!

3. What do you see as your biggest challenge as an adult ballet student? [Read more…]

Adult Ballet Student: Tanya Stanyon

March 28, 2012 by 4dancers

Today we have an adult ballet student from the UK…Tanya Stanyon…

1. How did you first get involved with ballet and what attracted you to it as an adult?

I first started ballet at the age of 3; these classes quickly led on to Jazz, Tap and National dance. It was my Mum who sent me to class like most girls.

I have not really had a break from ballet since that age. At 16 I went to ballet school and I just carried on. I think as an adult there is more focus on fitness but for me, ballet is just part of life and routine.

2. How many classes are you currently taking per week?

I am currently taking one class per week, as well as monthly company classes with Chelmsford Ballet Company, although I hope to be able to take more at some point.

3. What do you see as your biggest challenge as an adult ballet student?

For me, the hardest thing I have found is trying to get back to the level I was before I had my son a year ago. I think I am very critical of myself and strive to be as good as I can.

4. What brings you the greatest joy as an adult ballet student?

Just to dance brings me the greatest joy, it’s like a little sanctuary away from normal everyday life.

5. Do you have any advice for other adult ballet students?

My advice to other adult ballet students would be to enjoy each class and to work full out where ever possible as this is such a fantastic way to keep in shape. Just live it and love it.

BIO: Tanya started dancing at the age of 3 years old and went on to study Tap, Jazz and National Dance. She became a Cecchetti Scholar at the age of 14 which enabled her to attend classes in London. During this time Tanya also became a member of the Chelmsford Ballet Company, performing in many shows as a junior member. Tanya also performed with National Youth Ballet, playing the role of Tom the Lad in Maid of the Marsh. At 16, Tanya was accepted at West Street School, Covent Garden where she went on to study for 3 years. Since then, Tanya has performed with Chelmsford Ballet Company in many of the lead roles in productions such as La Fille Mal Gardée, Coppélia, Paquita, and Les Sylphides amongst others. Tanya hung up her ballet shoes after performing the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty in 2009. Following the birth of her son Euan, Tanya has begun ballet classes again in 2012.

Adult Ballet Student: Jean Kyle

March 23, 2012 by 4dancers

summerschool — Fr L to R: me, Hayley, Tibor, Lynda, Natalie

1. How did you first get involved with ballet and what attracted you to it as an adult?

I started ballet classes as a 9 year old (considered a late starter for a child, I guess!) because I was always dancing around the house whenever music was playing, and it took a few years for mum to convince my conservative dad to allow me to take up ballet. For many years, ballet was my greatest passion but I slowly lost my passion for it when I moved overseas for studies in my late teens, not finding the same type of support I had from the teachers I grew up with.

After I completed my RAD Intermediate level I hung up my ballet shoes, thinking that maybe ballet was too technical and that there was nothing more I would gain from it. I looked to other forms of dance such as Lyrical and Contemporary to continue fueling my passion for dance. While I enjoyed them, I noticed that many teachers seem to view adult dancers as seeking recreation only, rather than continuous improvement.

One year ago, when I turned 40, I was persuaded to join a ballet class ‘just for fun’. I thought I’d give it a go for a week or two – I didn’t expect to be hooked again before the first class was over. In a large part, it was because the teacher, Tibor, who taught that class paid a lot of attention to technique, pushed us to our individual limits, worked us very hard but also took time to acknowledge it when we did something well. In that short time, I was reminded of how addictive the quest for perfection and the thrill of achievement can be.

2. How many classes are you currently taking per week?

Although I started out with 1, then 2 classes a week, I have been taking 5 classes a week for more than 10 months now. I decided that to regain my strength and technique, I’d need at least 3 classes a week. The thing about ballet is that it’s so addictive – unlike the gym, I never have to talk myself into going to ballet classes. In fact, I count down the days and hours to each class. We work very hard from the moment we start our first exercise to the moment we do our reverence, but it’s never a chore.

3. What do you see as your biggest challenge as an adult ballet student? [Read more…]

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