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10 Questions with Billy Mustapha

November 10, 2018 by 4dancers

Billy Mustapha, photo by Ernest Von Rosen

A professional talent on the rise, Billy Mustapha hails from Calgary in Alberta, Canada and trained for a career in commercial dance as part of the Intensive Training Program at Vancouver’s Harbour Dance Centre. A standout for his ability to quickly absorb choreography and for his versatility, Billy was hired on the spot during a master class by choreographer Paul Becker for appearances as a dancer in ABC’s Once Upon A Time TV series. Billy has also appeared in major dance scenes for both film and television, working with well-known choreographers such as Kenny Ortega and Jamal Sims on Disney’s Descendants 3, and the television adaptation of the musical Freaky Friday under the choreographic direction of John Carrafa. Louise Hradsky, who worked with him on all three projects, says that Billy is “more than a terrific dancer. He’s a terrific person, with an infectious passion for making the best art he can.”

Billy will bring this passion for dance to upcoming work with international choreographer Megan Lawson, an artist who has choreographed for some of the biggest names and productions in the U.S. and Canadian entertainment industries.

From where/whom did you receive the most encouragement in dance? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: Billy Mustapha, dance advantage, Disney, Harbour Dance Center, High School Musical, John Carrafa, Kenny Ortega, Megan Lawson, Nick Lanzisera, Sarah Vigna, Tina Landon

4dancers In 2013

January 1, 2013 by 4dancers

Catherine L. Tully, 1987

Happy New Year to all!

As we go into 2013 here on 4dancers, I have some exciting things to share with you…

First of all, we’ll be teaming up with Nichelle from Dance Advantage to bring you some terrific content, based on a shared editorial calendar throughout the year.

Our first quarter will feature subjects near and dear to the dancer’s heart–footwear/foot care, commercial dance and Broadway, dance fashion, competitions and conventions, career and auditions and summer intensives. Look for posts on those topics on both of our sites in the coming months in addition to the usual compilation of interviews, reviews, contributor posts and more.

Also, we’ll be adding some new contributors this year–please join us in welcoming Janet Neidhardt, who will be writing about teaching dance, as well as Scott Speck, a well-known conductor (and currently the conductor for the Joffrey Ballet), who will share some insights on music and dance. We’d also like to announce the addition of our new intern, Rebecca Walker.

You may notice a few changes over the coming months in the way the site is arranged as well. We’re trying to upgrade the user experience and make navigation easier so that you can find what you need–whenever you need it.

We are looking forward to serving you in 2013. Please do let us know if there is anything in particular you’d like to see–and as always–thanks for reading!

Catherine, Editor/Owner

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: dance advantage, footwear, scott speck, summer dance intensives

My Grown-Up Dancer Holiday Wishlist

December 16, 2012 by 4dancers

by Nichelle Strzepek from DanceAdvantage.net

I’m the worst when it comes to gift requests. Just ask my family members. When the holiday gift probe starts going out, I generally shrug. It’s not that I’m too modest to solicit presents. Maybe I just have a poor ‘want it’ reflex. I rarely have something in mind when pressed. My mom says I’ve always been that way.

I do covet a few things though. Often they’re dance-related. So, when Catherine asked me to share my Holiday Wishlist, it wasn’t too hard to come up with 6 things. Should Santa want to leave these under my tree this year, I wouldn’t complain!

joffrey dvd

History Without The Boring

I saw Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance when it came to Houston last Spring and it’s definitely one I want to have in my dance library. This documentary immediately pulls the viewer into the origin story of Joffrey Ballet.

Over 50 years old and frequently on the cutting edge of ballet, the Chicago dance company has continued to rise and move forward despite all kinds of obstacles. The documentary is extremely engaging – a great film to share with students or those new to the dance world, but equally compelling for the dance aficionado.

And, because of my early support and sharing of the film’s release, I appear in the credits! Seriously, why is this not on my shelf already?

ballet necklaceBeauty On A Chain

Last year, Santa brought me Tina Tarnoff’s Great Dancers necklace, featuring Margot, Maya, Isadora, Anna & Martha in silhouette. The images are tiny reproductions of Tarnoff’s papercut series.

This year, I have my eye on her single pendant necklace depicting Sylvie Guillem in a marvelous back attitude. The classical tutu and antique-looking silver pendant base, is a romantic and lovely piece that’s sure to get compliments.

Daily Inspiration

There are always a few dance calendars that become popular around the holidays but Lois Greenfield’s Breaking Bounds wall calendars never disappoint.

The dancers, rather than any particular dance form, are the hallmark of Greenfield’s images, which are always beautiful, powerful, and mesmerizing. Breaking Bounds 2013 is a calendar that would inspire me every day of the month.

lois greenfield calendarlois greenfield photography

 

 

Say ‘No’ To Black

I’ll admit my comfy dance wardrobe includes far too little color. Jo+Jax to the rescue!

Their Let’s Move sweatpants remind me of candy or those bright and bold Crayola markers I loved using as a kid. I love the mint color, though they come in a vibrant purple too. I’d feel way more cute dropping my Kindergartener off at school in these, than black, navy, or charcoal yoga pants.

 

I’d Be Laughing At Clouds

The quintessential American musical classic, Singin’ In The Rain, celebrated its 60th Anniversary this year in theatres, on television, and now on disc.

singing in the rain collectors dvdThe Singin’ In The Rain: 60th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) includes 48 page hard cover production book with never-before-seen memos and photos, theatrical poster reproductions, documentaries and outtakes, and even an umbrella!

There’s also commentary by Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Cyd Charisse, Kathleen Freeman, Stanley Donen, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Baz Luhrmann, and Rudy Behlmer. Oh, if only Gene Kelly were still with us to offer his thoughts!

Snow in Texas

dancer snowglobeYeah, pretty much the only snow I’m likely to see in Houston this winter is the kind that falls when I shake a pretty glass ball.

Ballet dancers and snow globes go together like peanut butter and chocolate. I know some serious collectors of these knickknacks. I’m not one of them, mainly because sparkly tutus don’t normally excite me that much.

The Dancer snow globe from CoolSnowGlobes is ballet bric-a-brac I can get behind though. Degas’ little chin-jutting, slightly hunched dancer has always been a favorite. Vermont artists, Liz and David, who develop a limited edition snow globe collection each year, craft this globe. There’s still no snow in sight, but that’s okay, it sparkles!

Crossed Off The List

I’ve already purchased a few of these delightful Nutcracker cards to give to some special dance friends this season, but I can’t resist including a link to their Etsy seller, The Artful Bumblebee. The artist, Deborah, is not a dancer but a fan of the art form. She beautifully captures the whimsy of The Nutcracker with an excellent eye for correct placement. I can’t wait to deliver season’s greetings with these sweet little cards but they can be ordered as posters, too, if you prefer!

nutcracker cards

Do you have any favorite dance gifts to share? Please leave a comment below!

Want to see what Catherine put on her list? Visit DanceAdvantage.net.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Gifts Tagged With: ballet gifts, dance advantage, dance gifts, dancer snow globe, joffrey ballet, lois greenfield, singin in the rain, slyvie guillem, the nutcracker

Dance Blog Spotlight: 2PointeSocial

November 15, 2012 by Ashley David

Today I’m excited to introduce Amanda McAlpine, author of ballet and social media blog, 2PointeSocial..

pointe shoes

Amanda McAlpine

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

I am originally from New Hampshire, and received the majority of my training from my mentor and artistic director, Doreen Cafarella at Northern Ballet Theatre Dance Centre (formerly Granite State Ballet School). I really credit Ms. Cafarella for pushing me to the next level and encouraging me to participate in Youth America Grand Prix and the ABT summer intensive. While I was training with the school, I also had the honor of dancing Apprentice roles with the professional company in the early 2000s. Upon graduation from high school, I continued to dance at Emerson College in Boston. I came from a ballet-focused background, so I was able to gain more experience in other styles of dance including modern and musical theater (and I even got to sing!) One of the most fun performances in college was performing the Lonely Town pas de deux in the spring musical, “On the Town.”

After gaining a couple of years of professional marketing experience, I moved out to Chicago to explore the dance scene here. There’s a ton of performances to see all the time and it’s a wonderfully supportive dance community. I also began working at The Joffrey Ballet last September shortly after I moved here, so I still take classes at the Joffrey Academy from time to time and try to keep dance in my life as much as possible…which is part of the reason I began my blog. 🙂

2.      When did you begin your blog—and why did you start it?  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dance Blog Spotlight Tagged With: 2pointesocial.com, abt, amanda mcalpine, artintercepts, dance advantage, dance pulp, dancers, joffrey academy, joffrey ballet, minor in dance, Social Media, tendus under a palm tree, youth america grand prix

A Chance To Dance = A Chance To Win

September 6, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

You may have noticed by now that Nichelle from Dance Advantage and I are helping to promote Ovation TV’s show, A Chance To Dance. What you may not know is that we are also giving away free swag and holding a contest for dance bloggers. Interested? Here’s the rundown on how to get involved:

1. Trivia Swag Giveaway – win some swag by answering the weekly trivia question on Twitter (search #actdtrivia and check the date).

Look for our trivia question starting today by searching #actdtrivia on Twitter! We’ll be doing a different giveaway each week based on the upcoming episode, so this week it will be for Friday’s episode at 10 pm ET.

2. Dance Blogger Contest – Yes–we’ve extended this fun contest to give more people the chance to answer! Enter to win a $25 gift card. Watch the upcoming episode and write a blog post about it. (Details here.) We’ll choose a random winner from the entries and promote your answer on our social media accounts–think publicity!

If you haven’t yet seen the show, I’ve included a bit of video below for you, along with a blurb about the overall idea. In terms of tuning in for the next episode, there are 3 ways to watch:

1.  Got Ovation?  Watch it on TV.

Find Ovation In Your Area.

2)  Also available On Demand as part of your paid TV subscription.

Here are the listings.

3)  Watch on Facebook.  Rent it Now!

About A Chance To Dance:

A Chance To Dance is an original Ovation TV series by the creators of SYTYCD. It follows Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt, two of the UK’s most prominent contemporary dancers and choreographers, in their quest to create a new dance company for Nigel Lythgoe in just 28 days.

They have auditioned dancers from dance schools in Washington D.C.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Austin, TX. The competition and the pressure have become intense as the final group heads to the dance mecca of Jacob’s Pillow, MA, where they must eliminate half the dancers and form a company for the grand finale: an original performance in New York. A Chance To Dance airs Fridays at 10PM ET/7PM PT on Ovation.

Here’s a quick peek at the last episode to catch you up, and a preview of the next:

Preview:

Even though I have a strong ballet background, Shepherd is my favorite character on this show. He was chosen because he had some stylin’ hip hop moves and because he showed commitment by getting time off from work to get to the audition. I just think he seems like a cool guy that is really passionate about dance. After all, in the last episode, he took a ballet class and simply struggled with it the entire time. I can’t imagine what that must have felt like–but it couldn’t have been good…he’s got guts!

This show is really one of the better ones out there in terms of dance–and I’m not just saying that because I’m helping to promote it. I really think it is well-crafted, and it raises some interesting points about having ballet as a foundation for dance in general. I’d like to toss that question out to readers…

Do you think it is necessary (or at least, preferable) to have a ballet background if you want to be a dancer?

I really do. But I’m also going to pull hard for Shepherd in this next episode! After all, everybody deserves a break in life…right?

A chance…to dance.

Disclosure-4dancers receives compensation from Ovation TV for promotion of A Chance to Dance.

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: a chance to dance, Ballet, ballet training, billy trevitt, choreographer, contemporary dancers, dance advantage, jacob's pillow, michael nunn, nigel lythgoe, ovation tv, sytycd

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