interview

Interview: Bobbi Jo Hart, Director of “Rebels on Pointe”

December 16, 2017 by Rachel Hellwig

Director Bobbi Jo Hart. Image courtesy of Icarus Films

How/when did you first become acquainted with the work of the Trocks?

I first discovered the Trocks several years ago when they came to Montreal to perform at Place des Arts. I saw an ad in the newspaper and was immediately intrigued by the photo of these men in ballet drag.

I did a bit of online research and couldn’t believe that I’d never heard of the company, who have been touring the world since 1974!

Then I was even more surprised than no one had ever done a behind-the-scenes documentary about them.

This is your first documentary on a dance subject. How was making this film different (or not) from your past work?

This is indeed my first film in the dance world, and, in fact, my first film with male main characters as well!

This year is my 20th anniversary as a documentary filmmaker, so I have spent some time this year reflecting on my filmmaking choices…asking myself why I am drawn to certain people and environments to follow and film.

It is now clear to me that my passion is observational documentary filmmaking.

I love to immerse myself in worlds and with people that I am often unfamiliar with, to build deep trust so I can follow in an intimate way, and then find the common human threads that connect these unique individuals and realities to a wider audience.

I am also a big fan of the underdogs in life…and love stories of determination and resilience.

My university degree is International Relations, so I also realize that with each film I am looking to bridge bridges of understanding to ultimately celebrate our shared humanity.

So the Trocks appealed to me because it was a world I knew so little about, and I wanted to learn more…and subsequently share what I learned with the public.

I also love uncovering untold stories that I feel the public should know more about, and the Trocks is definitely an example of this.

Dancers (left to right) Robert Carter, Philip Martin-Nielson, Chase Johnsey, Laszlo Major and Chris Ouellette. Image courtesy of Icarus Films

Tell us a little about the documentary’s style/format and how it tells the story of the company…

I am a cinema verite, observational filmmaker. In other words, I like to let life happen and hopefully catch narrative lightning in a bottle, so to speak.

I also had a wonderful editor to work with — Catherine Legault — who was instrumental in helping me structure the film in the editing room. Catherine was a dancer herself in the past, which was very helpful, and her timing and flow really added so much to the film.

I knew I wanted to juxtapose the company’s fascinating history with life on the road today, including some personal stories of a few of the dancers.

I have gravitated, over the years, to filming a lot of footage by myself, without any crew.

Although this is exhausting at times, it does allow for a deeper intimacy with the characters, not to mention quick mobility to follow the natural movements of characters at a moment’s notice.

Of course this can result in some technical challenges that my post production team help me correct as best they can (ie: colour, sound, etc.), but it also offers audiences a connection to the characters that is on a much deeper human level.

How long did it take to create this documentary? Were there any particular challenges with featuring a dance company on camera? Did you have concerns about losing certain elements of live performance?

From the moment I first discovered the Trocks, it took about 4 years to create the final film.

Some of the biggest challenges were trying to literally stay out of the way of the dancers, be it in rehearsal or during a live performance. They are professionals through and through, as are their incredible, skeleton staff who are the wind beneath their wings. I often had two cameras at live performances. I would shoot by myself backstage and a second cameraperson would be set up on a tripod out in the auditorium to film the performance itself.

I admit that there were a few times when the Associate Director and Production Manager Isabelle Martinez had to literally grab me by the collar and yank me in another direction so I wouldn’t get run into by a dancer zooming off stage into the wings, or to prevent me from wandering out on stage accidentally because I was so enraptured by filming what was going on.

But I think, overall, things went very well filming with the Trocks, and I developed such a deep respect for how hard they work on a daily basis to be such incredible dancers.

Where can audiences find “Rebels on Pointe”?

Audiences can check on our film website at www.rebelsonpointe.com to find the latest screening information, and we also post updates on the film Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RebelsonPointe/

Interview: Matthew Powell Of “Find Your Fifth”

August 20, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

Matthew Powell (center) and the cast of "Find Your Fifth". Photograph by Shane Ohmer — Matthew Powell (center) and the cast of “Find Your Fifth”. Photograph by Shane Ohmer

What drew you to the profession of teaching dance?

To be honest, it was at first for very selfish reasons! As a young dancer, I was given some advice from my Artistic Directors to begin teaching as a means of improving upon my own technique. As a dancer, it is sometimes difficult to feel what exactly your body is doing. Teaching provided me with the opportunity to take the role of the onlooker, see corrections that needed to be made on my students, and apply them to myself. I started teaching at a very young age, and I really think it enriched my dancing on the whole.

What does your average work day look like? Give us a little snapshot of your life…

I’m freelancing a good bit these days, so my schedule is a bit all over the map. At the moment, I’m in Carlisle, PA teaching for Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s summer program and having a blast, but there is always a long list of ‘to do’s’ to keep my life running back in New York. Here’s what today looks like:

7:00am – 9:00am – Answer questions for this interview over coffee and a bagel.

9:00am – 10:30am – Teach my morning class at CPYB

10:30am – 1:30pm – Head to Staples to print, sign, scan and email a contract for a new ballet I’m creating for Point Park University in Spring of 2016. Then I head to the Post Office to ship two orders of ‘Find Your Fifth.’ We are a small start-up, so orders are processed not through a company, but from my apartment in Queens (or wherever I happen to be). You should see my living room. It’s a ‘Find Your Fifth’ extravaganza in there!

[Read more…]

Interview: New York City Ballet Corps Member Laine Habony

August 13, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

Laine Habony. Photograph by Kenneth Edwards.

by Rachel Hellwig

At what age did you begin ballet? Where did you receive your early training?

I began dance at age 3. Both my older sisters danced and I begged for a year to take class too. I started in a combo ballet/tap pullout class at a Montessori school and my first recital was a tap recital.

The next year, I started ballet and tap classes at a small studio called Denton Ballet Academy. I moved to Ballet Conservatory (BC) when I was 8 to train with Kelly Kilburn Lannin. Ms. Lannin introduced me to classical ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and musical theater. It was a great performance studio that fed into a local company, LakeCities Ballet Theatre (LBT).

I was invited to join LBT at age 11 and performed many ballets there for two years before leaving for NYC. At BC/LBT, I was able to train with Ms. Lannin, Shawn Stevens (NYCB and Twyla Tharp), and Allan Kinzie (Boston Ballet) as well as guest artists including Michael Vernon (Royal Ballet), Josh Bergasse (On The Town, Smash), Marco Perins (La Scala), Julie Kent (ABT).

When did you realize you wanted to be a professional ballet dancer?

I always preferred tap/jazz over ballet until I was 11 years old – then I got my pointe shoes! I auditioned for summer programs that winter and spent my 12th summer at ABT NYC. I knew then I wanted to be a professional ballerina in NYC. When I was 13, I performed Serenade with LBT and knew then it was Balanchine all the way.

I saw on YouTube that you competed in Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) when you were 13. Tell us a little about that experience and what you learned from it.

I did compete in YAGP when I was 13. It was a great year. I did two classical pieces – Satanella and Aurora’s first variation from Sleeping Beauty. I also did a contemporary piece choreographed by Shawn Stevens to Vivaldi called Red Cardinal. I had gorgeous tutus sewn by Elizabeth Schillar, a tutu designer in Texas. She allowed me to help with the creation, picking fabric and even sewing on all the crystals.

I won 1st place in Classical in Dallas and Top 12 in Contemporary and went on to compete in the YAGP NYC Finals. I had great scores and great comments and was offered full scholarships to quite a few places including Canada National and John Cranko, but I had to decline them all because I already knew I was going to the School of American Ballet (New York City Ballet’s official school) on scholarship.

Training for YAGP is an experience a young dancer cannot replace at that age. Private lessons that provided individual performance coaching were so valuable for my technique and confidence. My coaches taught me to work for the sake of experience, not to win a contest. I learned that a dance career is a marathon not a sprint, and not to get caught up on losing or winning any one thing.

[Read more…]

Freetoes Toeless Socks – Interview with Katelyn Lohr

September 29, 2014 by Rachel Hellwig

4dancers wanted to share this interview with Katelyn Lohr, well…because we like her product. And, because we think it’s pretty cool that she founded a business based on an idea she had.

Read more about her story in this interview…

What Inspired Freetoes?

When I was eight, I wanted to wear my flip flops outside when it was cold out. My mom said I had to wear socks and shoes. So, I came to her with scissors and socks. It was my way of following the rules but still getting what I wanted!

How can Freetoes be helpful to dancers?

Dancers have been pulling their leg warmers down around their heels forever. Freetoes are great with leg warmers because they keep the leg warmers from sliding too far down, and they offer a little extra support. I also think they would be great for costumes during performances.

Freetoes give dancers the slip they need to move freely across the floor, but, because the toes are free, they also have that grip that is so important. Freetoes keep feet warm, keep heels from drying out on the wood floors, and can help make tights last a little longer.

Freetoes Pink 1 — Freetoes Ballerina Pink. Photograph by Douglas Homer.

How can Freetoes be a fun part of your wardrobe in general?

Freetoes are so much fun! They come in so many funky colours and designs. They work with such a variety of footwear too. Everything from flip flops, riding boots, crocs, peekaboo toe boots, sandals, and Vibram barefoot sports shoes. They are fun and extremely practical.

How many different patterns/colors of Freetoes do you offer?

We currently have 12 different colours and patterns in stock…we call them flavors! Variety is the spice of Freetoes. Something we learned early on in developing this product was that people wanted to buy more than one pair because we had such a wide variety of colours and designs. We like to carry some staple colors like Solid Black and Pink, but we get wild with patterns like Electric Zebra and Teal Blue Leopard!

Freetoes Stripes 2 — Freetoes Electric Zebra. Photograph by Douglas Homer.

Do you have a favorite pattern/color?

It’s really hard to pick a fav because we are always getting new ones in. Right now, I would say Black and White Stripes, but I do wear the Solid Black and Pink ones most often.

[Read more…]

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