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Inside My Dance Bag: Anwen David of Ballet Memphis

February 23, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

Anwen David. Photograph by JORAM MONDIE.
Anwen David. Photograph by JORAM MONDIE.

How many years have you been doing ballet?

I have been doing ballet for 17 years. I took my first class when I was 5 years old.

What are some roles you’ve danced with Ballet Memphis?

This is my third season with Ballet Memphis. My favorite character role has been Clara in The Nutcracker. I have also enjoyed roles in Swan Lake, Peter Pan, Steven McMahon’s Confluence, Matthew Neenan’s The Darting Eyes, Gabrielle Lamb’s I am a woman: Moult, Mark Godden’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and others.

What’s your favorite thing about ballet?

I love the process of becoming a character and sharing a piece of my soul with the audience through that character.

What’s in your dance bag?

Freed Wing Block pointe shoes, I am currently transitioning from a 3½ XX to a 4 XX to try to get a better fit. I like Maker A best. I keep several pairs of pointe shoes in my bag so I can rotate them and wear different pairs for different rehearsals. I also have a pair of flat shoes (Sansha size 5), toe pads, toe spacers, two kinds of toe tape, a sewing kit with needles, thread, scissors, toe nail clippers, Thera-band, trash bag shorts, two wrap skirts, a tin of hairpins, two balls for massaging, and a water bottle. I often bring my phone and sometimes headphones as well. Finally, I try to keep some nuts or fruit with me for energy during long rehearsals.

Dance Bag Anwen David 1

 

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Clothing & Shoes Tagged With: Anwen David, ballet bag, Ballet Memphis, dance bag, Freed Wing Block, Freed Wing Block Pointe Shoes, Gabrielle Lamb, Inside My Dance Bag, Mark Godden, matthew neenan, Steven McMahon

Finding Balance: Dancing Through Summer

August 15, 2012 by 4dancers

The town of Minturn, CO taken on a hike in the mountains

by Emily Kate Long

Fun & Classes 128 Partnering class at SSDI (photo credit Susan Blackburn)

As I wrap up my summer travels, I’ve been working to identify a theme for the experiences I’ve had over the past two months. It’s been a summer of learning what to do and what not to do: in the studio as a teacher and student, onstage and in the audience, and in how I interact with other people and with myself. How do I take everything in during class while holding on to what I know works? What about carving out time for physical and mental rest and recuperation? How can I be an open yet critical audience member, and how can I more easily drop personal hang-ups and anxiety to fully experience each moment of performing?

To begin with, a great aid in approaching my physical needs honestly was Dr Linda Hamilton’s most recent book, The Dancer’s Way (St Martin’s Griffin, 2008). Hard science wrapped in compassion and empathy, The Dancer’s Way was a timely reminder that I’m not the machine I’d like to believe. My body—and everyone else’s—needs what it needs, period: fuel and rest. That means sufficient calories, macronutrients, and fluids every day. It means 8-10 hours of sleep each night. It means time each week for restorative activity. It means giving muscles a chance to forget about dancing for a little while and repair themselves every few months, and then giving them enough time to return to a full rehearsal schedule. Put simply, we are people first—physical beings with physical needs that must be acknowledged and met before we can demand anything more of our bodies or minds. The Dancer’s Way is the collection of information I would have loved to have when I was a student, and I plan on sharing a lot of this information with my students.

My strategy this summer was to avoid the trouble of getting back in shape by not planning any rest. Bad move. I would have avoided serious physical and emotional burnout, along with a lot of guilt and self-judgment, if I had just built rest into my schedule to begin with! It’s still a process, but realizing my body can’t take care of itself enabled me to relish being completely immersed in dance all summer.

Being present at two summer intensives (Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive and Vail Valley Dance Intensive) as both a student and a teacher allowed me to analyze every aspect of class. It was wonderful to take multiple classes per day and test endless hypotheses on myself and on others. On an interpersonal level, I got to observe and engage in many different communication styles, classroom organization strategies, and the particular learning processes of different age groups. Being in classes of mixed ability shone light on the importance of teachers’ knowing all the building blocks and progression of technique in order to accommodate students of different levels. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Finding Balance, Summer Intensives Tagged With: amar ramasar, ashley boulder, balanchine, balletx, christopher Wheeldon, dr. linda hamilton, emily kate long, firebird, martha graham, matthew neenan, new york city ballet, nycb, peter martins, saratoga summer dance intensive, stravinksy, summer intensive, technique, the dancer's way, vail valley dance intensive

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