dancing3

Pas de Trois: How Can Someone Get Into Watching Dance?

September 6, 2010 by 4dancers

For more about Pas de Trois (dancing3.com) and how this post came to be, please check out the site and read about our effort–we’re hoping to get a lot of conversations started over there!

Today it’s my turn to give an opinion about how someone can get into watching dance.

I think it’s important to see a live performance if possible. Something about seeing dance in person is so much more powerful. I’ve gone to shows that have showcased dance styles I don’t even particularly like and enjoyed it because I could feel the energy radiating from the stage. It’s magic.

If that isn’t a possibility (I would say though for most people it is!), then video is the next best thing. It can help to select something you think you might enjoy. For example, if ballet bores you to tears, you probably aren’t going to go crazy with joy watching a video of Swan Lake. TenduTV has a channel on YouTube that offers a variety of videos you can choose from.

Learning a bit about dance can also be helpful. For example, you may enjoy the ballet Giselle more if you have an idea of the storyline before you go. Check out Henrik’s fun take on some of the main ballets on Tights and Tiaras–he tells the stories well! There are also some at BalletMet Columbus that offer great overviews.

Going with someone else can also be a great way to get into the performance. Much like seeing a movie and talking about it afterwards, there is a reward in sharing the experience.

What do you think? Add your answer to our latest question on Pas de Trois–we’d love to hear your voice!

Pas de Trois: What Is The Most Important Quality In A Dance Teacher?

August 30, 2010 by 4dancers

If you didn’t catch our post last week, I’d like to explain again what we are trying to do here–and encourage you to join in!

Pas de Trois at dancing3.com is a collaboration between David Hunter from Ballet for Men, Henrik Lamark from Tights and Tiaras and myself–as well as all of the readers out there. We are coming together to discuss various issues and ideas about dance. We are actively exploring ways to work together so that there can be a better sense of community on the web for those interested in exploring dance in depth with one another.

Each week we’ll pose a question and answer it one by one on our blogs. This week’s question is “What is the most important quality in a dance teacher?”

I have been both a student and a teacher, so I really had to stop and think this through from both perspectives. I find that the answer is similar–I think that the most crucial skill is the ability to communicate.

As a student, I was striving to understand how to improve my technique. As anyone who has taken dance knows–this does not come naturally. The teacher must be able to tell the student exactly what they need to do to adjust what they are doing to make it right. Those teachers that could do that for me made me dance better. And what’s more–I found I really gravitated toward their classes. I didn’t necessarily like them more, but I learned from them.

As a teacher, I know that finding the right way to communicate with a student can take a while! When I make corrections or comments I try to say things in a variety of different ways, because I know that what impacts one person and gives them that “eureka!” moment may not do anything at all for another one. It is also important to use visual repitition so that students who don’t do well with verbal direction can see what you are saying.

There are many important qualities that dance teachers should have. It’s hard too choose just one, but after a bit of thinking, I’d say I’m pretty comfortable with the one that I picked. What do you think? Join us here and share your answer!

New Dance Site: Pas de Trois at dancing3.com

August 20, 2010 by 4dancers

Well, to end the week we’ve got a new announcement here at 4dancers…

There is an exciting new project that I am a part of which will be starting on Monday. Henrik at Tights and Tiaras, David at Ballet for Men and I have been preparing this new site for a little while now…it’s called Pas de Trois (at dancing3.com) and we hope that you will join us as we explore the world of dance together.

Through Pas de Trois, we hope to get a lot of different perspectives on dance. Each week we will be featuring a new topic that will be posted on the site. Every couple days one of us will share our answer on our respective blogs, and we’ll always be encouraging you to take part as well.

It is our hope that Pas de Trois will serve as an online community where both dancers and dance lovers can talk about a variety of subjects related to the art.

We’ll announce our first discussion topic later today on the site. Also, check out our Facebook-page, join the discussion on Twitter, or add our RSS feed to your reader.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts as well!

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