dance blogs

Dance Blog Spotlight: The Ballet Bag

January 8, 2013 by 4dancers

This month’s Dance Blog Spotlight is one not to be missed! Hip, fun and full of great content, The Ballet Bag is one of the top sites out there on the web when it comes to dance. If you don’t already know them, meet Emilia & Linda.

We asked the ladies to answer a few questions about what it’s like to serve the online dance community…and they were kind enough to oblige!

Can you tell readers a bit about each of you and what your backgrounds are in dance?

Our backgrounds in dance are mainly through years and years of watching: I attended my first ballet (Giselle) when I was only 7, but Linda also took ballet classes (RAD) for several years.

When did you begin the blog-and why did you start it?

We started The Ballet Bag in 2009. Both of us had more general personal blogs but soon found that we were spending a lot of time writing about ballet, mostly about the performances we were watching at the Royal Ballet at the time (around 2007). We wanted to spread the word about ballet as a fresh, original art form and show, from an audience perspective, that there were young people who went to the ballet and who were inspired by it. We also felt that the more traditional ballet websites and forums had a more restrictive format. We wanted to show cross references between dance and pop culture, to share our favorite ballet sites and reviews. We also wanted to leverage off the new trend for social media.

What does the blog cover?

We try to focus on well-researched content, but without losing sight of the visual elements (photography, graphics) packaging all this together, and throwing into the mix a diverse range of personal interests. Also, we try to keep a dialogue going with everyone: from dance critics to other bloggers, from dancers to audiences. We have also been featuring a whole range of different contributors: from Kris Kosaka and Germaine Cheng in Asia to Harper Watters, a young dancer with Houston Ballet as well as Alice Pennefather’s amazing ballet photos. It’s great to have all sides of the debate and to give link candy. As the saying goes: give and you shall receive.

What has been the best part about participating in the dance community online?

The online dance community has made it possible for us to connect with the art form in every part of the globe. Twitter has become a space where critics, dance writers, bloggers, dance fans, performers and choreographers come together to share stories and discuss the past, present and future of dance. It has broken down geographical barriers and made it possible for dance audiences to be “virtually there”. It’s great to be connected to all of that!

What other dance blogs do you ladies read?

We have always enjoyed reading about dance and even more so now: we do subscribe to most newspapers feeds and also read zines like Dance Tabs, Dance View Times and too many blogs to list!

ballet bag — Emilia & Linda. Photo: Elena Murchikova / The Ballet Bag ©

Emilia:

Ballet: likes ballets that taste like 85% cocoa: pure, extra bitter, dark or intense. Her favorites are La Sylphide, Manon, Mayerling, Dances at a Gathering, Ondine, Symphonic Variations, plenty by Balanchine, quite a few by Alexei Ratmansky and some of Wayne McGregor’s pieces for the Royal Ballet.

Non ballet: literature, theatre, opera, rock, art, food, travel, fashion

Linda:

Ballet: her favorite ballets feel like good books – one can see them 1,000 times and they always feel fresh. Linda loves Giselle, all full-length MacMillan plus Song of the Earth, Robbins’s Dances at a Gathering, Balanchine’s Serenade and Agon, Ashton’s Scènes de Ballet and Symphonic Variations.

Non ballet: books, music and podcasts, science and maths, travel and photography.

Dance Blog Spotlight: NYC Dance Stuff

June 19, 2012 by 4dancers

This month on Dance Blog Spotlight we are featuring Darrell Wood’s blog, NYC Dance Stuff…

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

I am a retired dancer who loves dance. I have danced with the Jackson Ballet under the leadership of Thalia Mara, with Edith Stephen, Elaine Shipman/Situ, Eleanor Coleman, Keely Garfield and Poppo and the Go-Go Boys to name a few. In the past I have assisted both Igal Perry and Elisa Monte with the productions of their New York City seasons. I am classical trained and studied with Maggie Black and David Howard; I also studied modern dance with Paul Sansardo, Merce Cunningham, Lynn Simonson, Milton Meyers and Ana Marie Forsythe. In 1993 I produced The White Wall Series, the series helped young, new choreographers to present their work. Plus, I have written for HX and Vice magazines. I have a B.A. in History and Secondary Education.

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

I started my blog October 7^th, 2011. I started my blog because I love writing about dance. I wanted a site that would not only critic performances in NYC but also to create a site that could help educate about dance past, present and future.

3 – What does your blog cover?

My blog is geared toward performance, dance videos, dance news and any aspect of dance history I can get my hands on. I’m fascinated by dance history.

4- What has been the best part about participating in the dance community online?

It’s about reconnecting with a community I love and cherish. I had been away from dance for well over 15 years and did not realize how much I missed dance as a whole. The first time I was in a studio again, I had been invited to view a rehearsal, was almost a religious experience.

Also it was very moving for me. Eleven years ago I was diagnosed with Spinal Cerebellum Degeneration. It is and has been in remission for years, for five years I was homebound, the first year and a half I was bedridden with the other three and half years I was wheelchair bound. So with acquiring first a Scooter and now a motorized wheelchair I once again have my independence and I am off to the races. I use the chair for long distances and short distances I walk with a crutch.

To view the majesty of the human form in movement is a great treasure to me. I know the work, sweat and study it takes to truly become a dancer. Plus, I am so in awe of today’s generation of dancer, their technique and capabilities far surpass those of my generation.

5 – What other dance blogs do you read?

Oberon’s Grove, I check daily. It’s what I want my blog to be when it grows up, I think it’s awesome. http://oberon481.typepad.com/oberons_grove/

Deborah Jowitt’s Dance Beat. Just because it’s Deborah Jowitt, someone who’s writing I have read for years and greatly respect. http://www.artsjournal.com/dancebeat/

Walter Rutledge, of Walter’s World from the Harlem World magazine, I think he is a great writer and enjoy his insight. http://harlemworldmag.com/2012/05/31/walters-world-rioult-premieres-the-violet-hour/

Tobi Tobias Seeing Things, also another writer who I greatly respect and have read for years. http://www.artsjournal.com/tobias/

Critical Dance Forum. It’s a great board with great discussions on dance around the world. http://www.ballet-dance.com/

BIO: Darrell Wood has a B.A. in Secondary Education and History. He would like to share the following:

I am hoping for a job teaching Social Studies so please send me positive energies. I became disabled in 2000 and had to re-invent myself. I am in the process of gathering research for a paper about the communications between Martha Graham and Agnes de Mille.

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…]

Dance Blog Spotlight: Rogue Ballerina

February 10, 2012 by 4dancers

Today I’d like to welcome fellow Chicago blogger Vicki Crain to the Dance Blog Spotlight–

VC_CS_2 — Vicki Crain of Rogue Ballerina

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

I started taking dance lessons when I was little – jazz, tap, tumbling – adding in ballet around 6^th grade. After taking a few years off for extra curricular activities with school (choir, band, cheerleading), I came back to dance. I was a founding member of the Decatur Ballet Company (tiny) and joined the Springfield Ballet Company, where I danced on and off for 15 years.

I also performed with the Twin Cities Ballet in Bloomington, IL. I taught jazz, tap and pointe classes and managed the affiliated school in Springfield, while finishing my degree in English. Once in Chicago, I danced for a season with Zephyr Dance and for a number of years with a production company, while also serving as President’s Assistant/Dance Captain/Casting Director/Girl Friday. It was a blast!

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

Dance Blog Spotlight: Dave Tries Ballet

January 13, 2012 by 4dancers

Today on 4dancers we are pleased to feature “Dave Tries Ballet” as our Dance Blog Spotlight for January…it’s a fun read–be sure and check it out!

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

Umm… I don’t have any background! When I first started taking ballet last year I had no experience in any kind of dance – I’m a maths/computer science PhD student so this was way out of my comfort zone! Now though, I guess I can put down over 150 ballet classes, some partnering, a little bit of jazz, a couple of classes in contemporary and even a performance on stage! Plus, I’m hoping to add some tap to that list very soon!

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

I first started DaveTriesBallet about 18 months ago. Initially it was just a twitter account – I was pretty nervous about starting ballet and I saw it as a way to get advice and inspiration. Following a few emails to David at BalletForMen.com he suggested I start a blog. He thought it might be interesting to see the journey from the eyes of an adult beginner. I haven’t looked back since… [Read more…]

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