dance teacher – Page 2

Teaching the Whole Dancer…..

July 23, 2012 by 4dancers

by Lucy Vurusic Riner

I have had the pleasure of being the dance program director at one high school for 15 years. I am an extreme creature of habit and had I not recently decided that I needed more room for my own professional growth, I would have stayed where I was at for another 15 years. But as I leave for “greener pastures,” I keep asking myself the same questions about my life’s work: Have I made any sort of difference? Did anyone learn from what I had to say? Have I developed strong dancers? Do they love themselves and appreciate the arts? Have I touched anyone’s life?

If there is one thing I have learned over the past 15 years it’s that I’m surely not responsible for any one students’ successes in dance. I have met many teachers that like to pride themselves are “making” pre-professional dancers and sending them out into the dance world; taking much of the credit for themselves. I have always felt that my role in my students’ development was a small fraction of what made them successful dancers. They had supportive parents who believed in them (and gave them the money necessary to move forward with their training!), they had other dance teachers and choreographers that contributed to their successes by giving them a multitude of experiences and most importantly, they had their own drive and ambition to see what it is they wanted out of their lives and to go beyond just dreaming about it. [Read more…]

The Impact Of A Dance Teacher

July 16, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

As I reflect back on my time in the dance classroom, my thoughts often turn to those who taught me. I was lucky to have had some pretty incredible instructors–there actually weren’t any that I think of in a negative light. Each and every one of them shaped me as a dancer; gave me a piece of themselves really, when it comes right down to it.

Every teacher emphasizes different things. Some work you when it comes to technique while others hone your lyric ability. If you’re fortunate, you get a range of these teachers and become a well-rounded dancer with mad skills. Today, I just wanted to take a minute to write a little bit about what each of my instructors did to shape me as a dancer…

Mrs. Engstrom – Typically, your first teacher is pretty much the luck of the draw. Most people don’t know much about choosing a ballet teacher when they enroll their child in class, and I got so lucky with Mrs. E. She gave me a great foundation of technique, concentrated on proper placement and age-appropriate movements, and from that, I had a terrific base from which to grow as a dancer. She made sure our feet were ready before putting us in pointe shoes, let our turnout develop slowly, and really enforced basics. Hats off to her for a great start!

Iosif Isrealiov – (think I’ve got the spelling right there) Iosif was my character dance instructor when I studied at Chicago City Ballet in the 80’s. From him I learned stamina. He used to have us do this mazurka step in a circle until we would literally drop from exhaustion, one-by-one. I always strove to be the last one standing; and I often was. He pushed us very hard physically, and I found out I could reach deeper than I believed possible in terms of what my body could do.

Homer Hans Bryant – Homer wasn’t actually my own teacher–he taught another level (and I think it was a boys class?). Even so, his class was often right before mine, and when I’d watch I saw things I’d never seen before in a ballet classroom…he had them doing pushups and other exercises that were not exactly traditional. I found it exciting! From him I learned that sometimes you can step outside of the typical class structure and infuse the training with something practical and interesting. I also discovered that you can learn from observing a class–you don’t always have to take it.

Marjorie Tallchief – Soon I’m going to post something about Marjorie, so I won’t say too much here now and spoil it. But as for what she gave me, it was a more advanced understanding of ballet technique, coupled with the ability to execute combinations at a level that I never dreamed.

Inesse Alexandrovich – Ahhh. Inessa. This woman really developed my upper body–specifically the movement of my arms and my épaulement. Bolshoi trained, she knew how to tweak my movements perfectly to draw out the beauty in my port de bras, and she would help me understand what it meant to lose myself in the music. We had a special relationship. Even though she spoke little English, she knew just how to show me what I needed to do.

Rick Hilsabeck – Rick has always been a favorite teacher of mine. When I was just starting jazz at Lou Conte Dance Studio after many, many years of ballet training, it was Rick who worked with me patiently – trying to get me to let go a bit. It took a long time. He was great every step of the way.

Claire Bataille – Claire was a technique machine, but in a different way than I’d experienced before. She was confident and strong both inside and out, and although I found it intimidating to be in her classroom, it was also an adventure.

Maria Tallchief – What do you say about taking class from this woman? If I was intimidated by Claire, it was tenfold for Ms. Tallchief. She had a presence that can not be described unless you’ve been in a room with her, and learning directly from someone of her stature was extraordinary. You felt as if everything she said was something that could change you forever as a dancer.

Now that I’ve had the chance to talk about a few of my teachers…would you share something about one who shaped you as a dancer?

Finding Balance: Artistic Exhange & Trust

June 25, 2012 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

Lately I’ve become increasingly aware of—and increasingly excited by—how much hard science goes into this esoteric and ephemeral art form. The study of technique is, at its roots, a study of kinesiology: physics applied to the human body. Broadening the scientific scope a bit, the emotional, intellectual, and sensory exchanges that happen in the studio and onstage are roughly analogous to biological mutualism. This installment of “Finding Balance” is a look at the fine balance between needs and gifts of the participants in artistic exchange and the trust that’s required to achieve equilibrium—the balance of science with something greater and less measurable.

In biology, mutualistic relationships are categorized as obligative (the relationship is necessary for the survival of one or both participants) or facultative (useful but nonessential for one or both participants). Additionally, the interaction can be described in terms of what is being exchanged between parties: services, resources, or both.

Often the focus is on the relationship between performers and audience, but there are a lot of other players here. Teachers, directors, choreographers, musicians, production staff, and stage crew all make necessary contributions to the presentation of the artistic product, and each derives benefit from the process and the product. The right balance of mutualistic relationships in nature encourages the success of ecosystems. The right balance in professional dance is necessary for the survival and advancement of our art form.

Dancers require opportunities to hone our craft, opportunities to share our art, and individuals or ideas from which to draw inspiration. Classes and rehearsals offer opportunities to perfect movements, and for those things, dancers need a facilitator—a teacher, director, choreographer, or stager. Sharing our art can’t happen without another party present; that’s where the audience comes in. Dancers draw inspiration from a multitude of sources: the audience, the facilitator, the dance itself, the music, fellow dancers, emotions, and past life experiences. Our relationship to all of these things is largely obligative—we cannot intuit technique or dance exclusively by instinct. We cannot be our sole source of motivation and we definitely can’t watch ourselves from across the footlights.

The primary need (arguably, the exclusive need) of the audience is an exceptional sensory and emotional experience, which is delivered directly by the performers, choreographer, musicians, and designers. Of course, this delivery would be impossible without the work of directors, coaches, and crew as well. The audience’s relationship to the performers and facilitators is ambiguous in terms of being essential or simply beneficial—certainly, society at large benefits from art, but only individual audience members (and sometimes not even they) know whether they need to engage in a relationship with dance. [Read more…]

10 Questions With…Tim O’Shei

August 1, 2011 by 4dancers

Today on “10 Questions With…” we have Tim O’Shei from Live! Starring … You!

Tim OShei-Heather Morris-Ina Summers — Tim OShei, Heather Morris, Ina Summers

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

Sure. I’ve always focused on entertainment, sports, business and children’s writing. The magazines I’ve written for range from Dance Spirit to The Sporting News to Scholastic’s Scope, which is for middle schoolers. As an author, I’ve written more than 60 books for kids on subjects like spies, princesses, and survival.

One of my favorite things about writing books is author visits in schools. When I do those visits, I like to tell kids about my succession of dreams, all of which seemed to fail (but actually didn’t): When I was 4, I wanted to become Superman – but couldn’t fly. At 10 I wanted to become a rock star – but the only instrument I was good at was the tuba. Then, at 14, I wanted to be a baseball player — but couldn’t hit the ball.

By 16, I realized I was pretty good at writing, and that I loved doing it. I pitched a story about a baseball scout (who was also a family friend) to a national magazine called Baseball Digest. The editor called and said, “I like your idea, but I have no idea if you can write. Go ahead and do it, and if we like it, we’ll pay you $150 and publish it. If not, then that’s it.” So I went ahead and did the interviews, wrote the story, and got it published. The editor was pretty happy with it and offered for me to do more writing for the magazine. So, in 11^th grade, I ended up interviewing big-league baseball players in the locker room and on the field.

Through that, I realized that that writing was a great way to touch all of my dreams – and in a sense, make them come true. Over the next bunch of years, I interviewed hundreds of athletes as a sports writer and hundreds of performers – including rock stars – as an entertainment writer. Once I got to play a game of “professional” baseball, which was actually a movie shoot. (I was writing a story about this baseball movie and they asked me to be an extra, playing left field for a team called the Omaha Royals.) I even interviewed two actors who played Superman – Christopher Reeve and Dean Cain – which I suppose is the closest I could possibly come to that dream!

2. You have written for dance publications during your career. Which ones have you done articles for and how did you get involved with the dance world?

I’ve written a bunch of stories in the last four to five years for Dance Spirit and Dance Teacher. Both are great magazines. I got started when I met a woman named Katia Bachko, who at the time was a Dance Teacher editor, at a writing conference in New York City. I was working on the original Live! Starring … You! book at the time, and wanted to incorporate dance into it. I figured the best way was to write about it.

When I met Katia, she looked at me and said, a bit hesitantly, “Do you dance?” I’m 6-foot-1 and more than 200 pounds — and I wish I could dance.

“No,” I told her. “But my wife was a dancer. And I’m a teacher.” (Which is true — I’ve taught elementary, middle, high school and college.) Then I added, “So I figure I could write for Dance Teacher!” That worked. I started writing for DT, and DS soon followed.

A funny side note: I actually made my dance debut recently in a dads’ routine for my daughter’s studio. I was dressed as a tulip – with green petals and pink tutu and ribbon socks – and we did a two-minute ballet to Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through The Tulips.” That really made me appreciate dancers’ skills!

3. What do you enjoy about writing articles that have to do with dance?

Dancers impress the heck out of me. They’re so incredibly skilled and passionate. Dance is a perfect mix of athleticism, story telling and visual art.

Beyond that, I’m also fascinated by the mentality that dancers in the commercial world must adopt in order to survive. When you’re a backup dancer for big pop star – Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Usher, Britney, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, whomever – you’re right on stage, playing a key role in a huge show, and on the receiving end of massive cheers. But they’re almost never meant for you. And once you’re offstage, the makeup is off and the street clothes on, you’re a regular person. Depending how you look at it, that’s either seriously cool or (if you want to be the star) will leave you desperately wanting more.

4. Can you talk a bit about what your latest project, Live! Starring … You!, is about? [Read more…]

It Gets Better Project – A Powerful Resource For Dance Teachers

July 3, 2011 by 4dancers

“It gets better.” These words are a necessity for every child and/or teenager feeling bullied, isolated, depressed or who is thinking about ending his or her life. These words were the inspiration for the It Gets Better Project started by Dan Savage, a political gay activist, and his husband Terry Miller. The objective of the project is to help save lives by reaching out to LGBT teens who can’t see a future for themselves; let alone a future full of amazing possibilities.

Through the It Gets Better Project adults in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi and trans) community have been sharing their life experiences (through You Tube) with teens struggling with their own sexuality and all of the intolerance and ignorance that unfortunately can come along with it. (As if growing up wasn’t hard enough.) The words that are repeated and reinforced in all of the videos are that no matter what hardships you are facing today – life will get better. No matter how bad your situation is today- it is temporary.

There is so much love and life to live. This message of love and hope has reached hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and straight people all over the world.

Information From www.itgetsbetter.org :

Dan heard about the suicides of Justin Aaberg and Billy Lucas and had a reaction so many LGBT adults had. “I wish I could’ve talked to that kid for five minutes before he killed himself,” Dan recently said. “I’d tell him that however bad it was in high school or middle school…it gets better.” The It Gets Better Project was born. [Read more…]

There is so much love and life to live. This message of love and hope has reached hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and straight people all over the world.

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