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Student Spotlight: Gabriella Meiterman-Rodriguez

September 24, 2012 by 4dancers

Today we have a student from the University of Maryland with us for the “student spotlight”…

Gabriella Meiterman-Rodriguez

My involvement in dance began when I was an infant. Most parents enroll their children in gymnastics, soccer, football, etc., but I was enrolled in dance! My mother enrolled me into my first ballet class and I have been dancing ever since. I was told that I picked up the movement and was always focused in class. I would come home and practice my tendus, plies, and arms, so from that point on, dance was my primary hobby. It was not until I was a freshman in high school when I realized dance would be my passion to pursue as a career.

2) What do you find you like best about dance class?

My favorite part of dance class, surprisingly enough, is the warm-up. Although it is difficult to start moving around at 9:30 a.m. in a cold studio, I find this part to be where I am most connected and aware. I have always found it fascinating when the body can transform from a stiff, cold structure into a state where it is warm, limber and ready to move and take on the class. This part of class is where I have the most self-awareness for which body parts need more attention and time for stretching. This awareness practices my self-connectivity and really teaches me to listen to my body’s needs every morning. The warm-up is both my favorite part and the most crucial part of class.

3) What is the hardest part about dance for you?

The hardest part with dance for me is being able to keep my facial expressions active throughout the movement. Sometimes I find myself getting so caught up in the moment of a performance that I lose some of the character. My face during performances is my main focus this year every dance class and it is something I am hoping to make stronger so that I can be a well rounded dancer and performer.

4) What advice would you give to other dancers? [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Student Spotlight Tagged With: dance, dance class, dancers, Gabriella Meiterman-Rodriguez, performance, university of maryland

About The Audience

June 24, 2011 by 4dancers

Photo by Kimberlee Kessler Design

If you have performed a lot in your career you may have noticed something….the energy from the audience is always a little different.

You can perform the exact same dance two nights in a row and have a totally different feeling, depending on the audience. I always found this to be odd, because the people out there are really pretty silent. Even so, there is an energy they exude that is palpable. This is true whether it is a large or small group. As a matter-of-fact, I haven’t really noticed a difference based on size alone.

It would be interesting to learn more about the dynamics of the audience and why the energy is different each time. I figure that it is due to the fact that although it’s a group, it is made up of individuals–each bringing their own experience and perceptions to the performance. Still, it’s fascinating to me that as a performer, you can actually feel that.

Does anyone else have a theory on this? I’d love to hear it!

Filed Under: 4dancers, 4teachers, Editorial Tagged With: dance audience, performance

Special Benefit Performance: Dance Chicago

August 11, 2010 by 4dancers

Dance Chicago is going to kick-off it’s 16th season with a special performance on September 25, 2010, at the Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC). This event will benefit victims of last June’s tornado which devastated Streator and parts of LaSalle County.

All monies from the ticket sales and private contributions will go to a special fund to help rebuild Engle Lane Theater in Streator, Illinois. If you live in the area–come out and support the community that day.

Here are the details:

Illinois Valley Community College

Cultural Center (Building F – Map)

815 N Orlando Smith Avenue

Oglesby, IL 61348

Parking Free in Parking Lot 7. This parking lot is directly east of Building F

September 25, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

General admission tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at http://www.dancechicago.com/tour_performances.html, or after August 23 at Centrue Bank locations in Streator, Ottawa, Peru, and Princeton http://www.centrue.com/. Contributions can be made to The Show Must Go On – Engle Lane Tornado Relief, PO Box 883, Streator, IL 61364. Victims of the tornado can attend at no cost by contacting the City of Streator at 815-672-2517.

http://www.dancechicago.com/tour_performances.html

 

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Filed Under: 4dancers, 4teachers, Editorial, Organizations Tagged With: benefit, dance chicago, performance

Preparing For A Performance

May 19, 2010 by 4dancers

Another guest post from Karen (Piper), sharing some reflections on the transformation that happens as one prepares to perform…

It’s finally here – all the rehearsing for a single event is finally here, and the performance is about to start.  We begin to invite the audience into our world.  What a process of transformation a dancer goes through to get on stage and perform the piece they’ve been working on.  Whether in a troupe or a solo, we all go through a ritual of getting ready for the show.  For me, it’s 2hrs from shower to show time; and that’s ok. 

I start by putting my music on.  This helps me get the music so ingrained into my head that I can tell where we are at any point in the music.  Every dancer will always know her music inside and out.  After my shower, I gather the costume and begin the transformation.  The longest part of getting ready at this point is still the hair; blow dry, style, then restyle. 

Karen Hersh

Once the hair is about 95% complete, the makeup goes on.  This is where I really start to feel the transformation of “Plain Jane Karen” into the dancer “Piper”.  The more the eyes begin to take shape, the more I start to believe the dancer is coming out. 

Once the makeup is complete, the costume goes on.  Now the dancer “Piper” is really coming to the surface.  And then the final piece of the costume for the tribal girl:  the headpiece–and the rest of the jewelry. 

No matter what dance form, I think for the dancer it’s always that final full on dress rehearsal that pushes one to that next level; you start to really feel the performance that is within.  When you are beginning to rehearse, you are yourself, learning your music and your choreography and how you want to convey your dance.  But once the full costume and makeup is on, the dancer becomes more than herself. 

As dancers, we strive to communicate effectively to our audience both emotion and attitude through our dance. Once the costume is on, the makeup is just right, the hair is finished, and our bodies are adorned with the perfect jewelry, we immediately become more proud–we become that dancer and storyteller that lives within our soul.

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Filed Under: Editorial Tagged With: performance

Dance Jobs At Cirque du Soleil

October 14, 2009 by 4dancers

logocirque

Have you always dreamed of being one of the dancers in a Cirque du Soleil performance? Guess what? If you have what it takes, you could be… [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, JOBS, Organizations Tagged With: audition, auditions, Cirque du Soleil, dancers, JOBS, performance

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