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Here We Grow

August 19, 2013 by 4dancers

Hubbard Street 2 Dancers Katie Kozul, left, and Lissa Smith in Flipped Script by Alicia Delgadillo. Photo by Quinn B Wharton
Hubbard Street 2 Dancers Katie Kozul, left, and Lissa Smith in Flipped Script by Alicia Delgadillo. Photo by Quinn B Wharton

by Lissa Smith

The end of Hubbard Street 2’s 2012–13 season was jam-packed. We had two full weeks of danc(e)volve: New Works Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art with my family visiting Chicago for the shows, then rehearsals and preparation for our Inside/Out Choreographic Workshop. I had a teaching schedule to prepare for the Hubbard Street Summer Intensive in Iowa City and summer plans to coordinate for my time off-contract. When the last danc(e)volve performance came to an end in mid-June, I said goodbye to my family, hopped in a cab, and headed back to my apartment to pack my bag for a flight to Iowa at 6:15 the next morning.

At the airport, I sat at the gate with a coffee in one hand and my iPad in the other. So many thoughts were racing through my mind, at such an early hour! Going away to a dance intensive is something I have done every summer since I was 12 years old, so the excitement and apprehension were familiar to me — only this time, I was nervously anticipating being on the faculty roster and calling roll. Every trip I took for summer study was a life-changing experience and so I wanted my students to leave Iowa at the end of the Intensive with new insights, magical memories and renewed passion for dance.

In my mind, I “ran through” choreography that I planned to teach. I was confident that the students would enjoy learning Hubbard Street repertory. I would work with them on Jacqueline Burnett’s and David Schultz’s solos from Recall by Robyn Mineko Williams; time permitting, I also hoped to teach a brief section from Strides by Norbert De La Cruz III, one of last year’s winners of our National Choreographic Competition.

I figured having the students learn selections from Recall and Strides would be great because of the works’ opposing qualities. Recall’s score is electronic, having almost a “club” kind of feel, while Strides is set to more dramatic orchestral music. Likewise, their movement proposes different ideas and has different “rules.” In Recall, there is room for individual interpretation and play, musically and physically; Strides has set musical counts for its choreography and requires its entire cast to dance as one, often in unison.

After arriving and checking into the hotel, I packed my dance bag and walked over to a studio at the University of Iowa, which hosted the program, for my first rehearsal with Summer Intensive students. I stopped in the doorway and thought, Here we grow! Little did I know how true these three words would ring through the following weeks.

Hubbard Street 2013 Summer Intensive students and faculty at the University of Iowa. Photo by Benjamin Wardell
Hubbard Street 2013 Summer Intensive students and faculty at the University of Iowa. Photo by Benjamin Wardell

This year’s Hubbard Street Summer Intensive was divided into two sets of 14- to 17- year-old dancers, assigned to groups named Blue and Green. I took attendance and think I managed to mispronounce only about a quarter of their names — not too bad for day one.

We got right to work and all of the dancers were focused, hardworking, driven and open. Since auditions are required to attend our summer program, I was not at all surprised by the level of talent of the students, and I was so pleased with all that we accomplished in a single day. The hopes and goals the dancers brought with them seemed the same as the ones I had for myself: to have fun, be open, absorb, give and learn as much as I could — to grow in every way possible. Teaching passionate students is both a privilege and a pleasure! I felt so lucky to be able to guide the students during their first week in Iowa City, and looked forward to returning for their final week and showings at the end of the program, although I couldn’t have guessed just how fulfilling this would be on a personal level. Week one was over in seemingly no time at all. Once again I was packing a bag.

I traveled to Chicago to rehearse for Inside/Out and thought about my students often while back in Hubbard Street’s studios. The two performances of the choreographic workshop went great. Having the opportunity to work so closely with fellow company members on their own experiments in dance is a joy and refreshing. Once the performances concluded, I filled my suitcase again and headed back to Iowa City.

My task was to rehearse and “clean” the Recall choreography I’d taught for the showings as well work on the students’ modern technique demonstration. I was unprepared for the amount of growth that had occurred while I was away, and the level of intensity with which the students inhabited their material. The pride I felt for them was incredible — Maybe like what a parent feels for her child, I thought. They took ownership of all I had taught them, each dancer far surpassing all of my expectations, putting personal stamps on their progress for their friends and family members to see. I hope these dancers carry this culmination of joy and growth through their coming year of training, to next summer’s studies and beyond.

For me, the Summer Intensive embodies exactly what makes Hubbard Street Dance Chicago so special. Hubbard Street dancers are strong, diverse, unique — and always learning. Every moment in the studio and onstage is supercharged with passion and talent melded together and shining with individuality. We arrive at the studios each day ready to explore and grow. Our Summer Intensive students lived up to those high standards and embraced everything that they were taught; to those who are reading this, I say Thank you, and #dothelissa. I’ll explain: the hashtag came about in my rehearsals and as you can see in this panorama, became something of a sensation. Go ahead and put your foot in your hand, and #dothelissa yourself! I’ll keep an eye out for your photos.

hubbard street dance
Hubbard Street Summer Intensive participants #dothelissa in Iowa City. Photo by Hubbard Street Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton

Beginning August 26, Lissa Smith begins her third season with Hubbard Street 2, joining fellow returning members, promoted HS2 Apprentices Jules Joseph and Katie Kozul, and new dancers Andrea Thompson, Odbayar Batsuuri and Adrienne Lipson. Catch HS2 onstage this year in Chicago, New York City, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia, plus Canada, Germany and additional locations. Visit hubbardstreetdance.com for a complete touring schedule, artist profiles and more.

lissa smith
Lissa Smith

Contributor Lissa Smith, age 21, was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She is currently dancing with Hubbard Street 2 of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She attended The Boston Conservatory where she was both a Dance Conservatory Scholarship recipient and Jan Veen Dance Scholarship recipient.

Lissa has trained at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Juilliard School, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, The Martha Graham School, The Joffrey Ballet School and The Joffrey Midwest Workshop. Lissa has worked with world renowned choreographers such as: Thang Dao, Peter London, Alberto Del Saz, Maurya Kerr, Clébio Oliveira, Penny Saunders, Hofesh Shecter, Didy Veldman, Uri Sands, Gregory Dawson, Stephen Pier, John Magnus, Josée Garant, Viktor Plotnikov, Robyn Mineko Williams, Tony Fabre, and Judith Jamison. She has danced principal roles such as: “Yellow Girl” in “Diversion of Angels”, “Conversation of Lovers” within “Acts of Light” and “Frontier”, the solo choreographed by Martha Graham and staged by Yuriko and Susan Kikuchi along with Yasuko Tokunaga.

Lissa was the soloist lead dancer in both Thang Dao’s contemporary ballet, “Foil” and Greg Dawson’s contemporary ballet, “Eclipsing Venus”. She has also performed Jose Limon’s “Choreographic Offerings” staged by Jennifer Scanlon and Libby Nye. Lissa has performed the “Doll with Broken Head” solo from within “Mechanical Organ” choreographed by Alwin Nikolais, staged by Alberto Del Saz. Lissa received the “Modern Dance Award” and the “Dean’s Dance Award” upon her graduation from New World School of the Arts High School in June 2009 and won the “Arts For Life!” dance scholarship in 2009 presented by Former First Lady Columba Bush.

In 2012, Lissa was awarded the Martha Hill Young Professional Award.

Lissa’s posts on 4dancers are her own opinion and in no way reflect the thoughts or opinions of her employer, Hubbard Street 2.

Filed Under: Editorial, Summer Intensives Tagged With: hubbard street dance, hubbard street dance chicago, lissa smith, museum of contemporary art, summer intensive

Summer Dance Intensives – A Guidebook

February 15, 2013 by 4dancers

There’s a lot to know about summer dance intensives, and both students and parents may have a lot of questions regarding topics such as which one to choose, what to do about housing and which intensives are the best match for their particular situation. And the biggest question of all may be where to find those answers…

Nina Amir is a journalist with a vested interest in the subject–she is also the parent of a dancer, and the author of “My Son Can Dance” – a popular dance blog on the web. She created a handbook that helps answer a lot of the basic questions people may have about summer intensives in the dance world. Today, we talk with her about that resource–and learn more about why she decided to write it…

ballet summer intensivesHow did the idea for this handbook come about?

Every year I receive a ton of questions about summer dance intensives—especially about the American Ballet Theatre intensive in New York. From about November or December, when the boys and their parents start gearing up to audition for the bigger intensives, through until May or June, my readership at My Son Can Dance, skyrockets. Mostly these visitors are reading posts about summer intensives. It became obvious parents needed and wanted help not only deciding on an intensive but choosing the right one for their dancers—not just the dancin’ boys but the girls as well.

I’d written a number of blog posts on the topic of choosing and preparing for an intensive that I felt could be expanded into longer articles, if you will, or chapters. Also, I thought I would be doing the community a service by compiling some of the posts I’d written into one document—an easily read handbook—and adding more information as well.

What is covered in the handbook?

The Handbook includes chapters on:

  • How to Choose a Summer Dance Intensive Program
  • How to Register for a Summer Dance Intensive
  • What to Bring to a Summer Dance Intensive
  • How to Prepare for a Summer Dance Intensive
  • How to Stay Healthy and Strong During a Summer Dance Intensive
  • How Dancers Should Conduct Themselves During a Summer Dance Intensive

Plus, it has one full chapter on “What to Consider When Attending the ABT Summer Dance Intensive in New York City.”

The new edition, which I released the last week of January, includes a bit more information than before. I’ve updated it to include the experiences Julian and I had during our additional summers in New York while he was at ABT and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and what we learned when he attended the School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet summer intensives. It also includes a brief discussion of how some of these programs can lead to year-round residential programs.

Can you give readers a few tips for summer intensives that you talk about in the handbook? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Summer Intensives Tagged With: american ballet theatre intensive, balanchine, my son can dance, nina amir, san francisco ballet summer intensive, school of american ballet, summer dance intensive, summer dance intensives, summer intensive

Dance Wellness: Preparing For The Summer Intensive

January 24, 2013 by 4dancers

Summer intensives can be hard on the body. Intense training coupled with being away from home in an unfamiliar environment is stressful mentally–and physically. Today we have Jan Dunn, MS, our Dance Wellness Editor with some tips for preparing the body for such a demanding experience….    Catherine

dancer on stage

by Jan Dunn, MS

Happy New Year !  It’s January, and it may be cold and chilly where you are, with visions of sugarplums still lingering in your head–but it’s not too early to start thinking about preparing yourself for a summer dance intensive you may be thinking of attending.To get in top shape for a safe summer of dancing, here are some things to think about…

Unfortunately, it’s easy for a dancer to get injured when going to a summer intensive, for a number of reasons–the good news is that injuries in this situation are, for the most part, preventable.Some of the reasons you can unintentionally hurt yourself are:

  • Going from a school-year schedule of taking maybe 4-5 classes a week, to suddenly doing 4-5 a day while at a summer intensive….i.e., you’re doing too much too soon.
  • Taking classes in a style that you haven’t previously trained in-for example, you take primarily ballet all year, and then suddenly you’re doing jazz and African on a daily basis. You’re now using muscles you haven’t necessarily used in ballet, and it might be easier to get injured, especially if you have muscle imbalances in your legs / torso.
  • You may be going to a climate you are unaccustomed to, such as hot and humid, whereas your normal dance environment is in a cooler, dryer clime. The body takes a while to adapt to that new environment, and trying to keep up the heavy schedule of an intensive during that initial adjustment period may lead to an injury.

Knowing the possible risk factors in advance may well help you avoid a summer injury.No one wants to go to an exciting summer intensive and then be laid up with an injury right off the bat! Here are some suggestions that might help:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: conditioning, Dance Wellness, Summer Intensives Tagged With: aerobic conditioning, body conditioning, dance, dance classes, summer intensive

5 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of A Summer Intensive

January 17, 2013 by 4dancers

ballet students at barre
Students at Ballet San Jose’s School, Photo by Scott Belding

The Summer Intensive. Both exciting and a little frightening, this type of training can really be beneficial to you as a dancer. It can also be a little bit intimidating, offering a new environment, new teachers and students you may not know. For some dance students, it may also be their first time away from home.

Dalia Rawson, Principal at San Jose Ballet School has “been there, done that”. Not only has she attended summer intensives herself, but now she also hosts them at the school. Dalia was kind enough to take the time to offer 4dancers readers 5 great tips for getting the most out of a summer intensive.

Here they are:

Dalia Rawson
Dalia Rawson, Principal, Ballet San Jose School

1. Do your research.

Be sure to pick a Summer Intensive that offers what you need to get the most out of your summer of training. If you are an advanced dancer, and are looking to find an Intensive that will help you take steps towards a future as a professional dancer, you will likely want to attend a Summer Intensive at a School associated with a professional company. Some Intensives, including Ballet San Jose’s Summer Intensive, offer the chance to work with the associated company’s Artistic Leadership, providing excellent exposure to the people who will ultimately be choosing Trainees, Apprentices, and future dancers in their company.

2. Embrace classes in dance styles outside your comfort zone.

The more uncomfortable you feel in a class, the more important taking that class likely is for you. It can be hard for a bunhead who has never taken a jazz class before to be able to let go and move their pelvis, or for someone who has never tried to improvise to find the freedom to create their own movement vocabulary. But if it feels foreign and uncomfortable, take a deep breath, have a sense of humor about yourself, and give it a try!

The ability to adapt and have an open mind is critical to dancers working with new choreographers, and even if you never professionally end up having to do a musical theatre number, the ability to get over feeling uncomfortable and give it your all is a valuable skill to develop.

3. Give some thought to the challenges of living on your own that you may face for the first time if you are living in a dormitory. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Summer Intensives Tagged With: advice, ballet san jose, ballet summer intensive, dalia rawson, dance summer intensive, summer intensive

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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