twyla tharp – Page 2

10 Questions With…Claire Bataille

December 8, 2010 by 4dancers

Today’s “10 Questions With…” features a woman that I have a great deal of respect for. Claire Bataille was someone that I looked up to in my days at Hubbard Street Dance Company’s school, the Lou Conte Dance Studio. She was a powerful dancer with amazing technique and I loved taking her class. I’m thrilled to have her on the site with us today…

1. How did you become involved with dance?

Claire Bataille with Ron De Jesus — Claire Bataille (with Ron De Jesus)

I started taking ballet lessons when I was 3 years old and never stopped.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

I am director of the Lou Conte Dance Studio and teach ballet and Pilates.

3. Would you share a special moment or two from your career?

HSDC’s first public performance in the tiny theater at the Cultural Center. We felt like we were at the Met.

Our first day in the studio with Twyla Tharp. I was in awe and it was so much fun!

The feeling I had being on stage again after my son was born. Performing was the only time I felt like I had time to myself and my only job was to focus on what I had to do. It was ironic. And at the same time becoming a mom put it all in perspective.

4. What is the best advice you have ever received regarding dance?

Lou Conte taught me how to really work. We had to give 100% every day. His rules were pretty simple: be on time, take the full ballet class everyday, take corrections, pay attention to details, be responsible.

As a choreographer and director he always made you look into the heart of the movement, no matter how simple. When he was disappointed in you he let you know and when he was moved you felt great, like you could do anything. I would not have had a career without Lou in my life. Definitely not like the one I had.

5. Do you have any advice for those who would like to dance professionally?

You have to physically and mentally strong, be prepared to stand tough against rejection, study ballet, jazz, modern, tap and any other discipline that’s interesting, take class every day, audition for everything and maintain a life away from dance. Read the newspaper, go to the movies, keep good friends close.

6. What advice can you offer for dance teachers?

Besides teaching a clean, strong technique combined with musicality and fluid movement quality, good teachers are much like good parents. You have to be willing to tell young dancers the truth and be ready to listen with compassion and heart.

7. What is it that you love so much about dance?

I love the dancer mentality. There is a dedication and emotional connection to the business that makes dancers good people no matter where their careers and life take them. A good dancer is a well balanced person.

8. What was it like to dance with Hubbard Street Dance Company?

Being in the company for the first 15 years, during the time of complete realization of what this company would become, was thrilling. Difficult and challenging at times but so good both in the rep that we did, the way a company could tour in those years and absolutely in the community we formed. That is what I miss the most. The dressing rooms, the hotel bar after a show, the open minded, love you no matter what, kind of people dancers are. I have good memories of what I did on stage but the best ones are backstage.

9. You have also choreographed. Can you talk a bit about that process?

I choreographed a few pieces, had some good ideas but it’s not where my strength is. I much prefer being a guide.

10. What is next for you?

I’m 58. At this point I just hope to be able to continue to help young dancers navigate their way into and through this difficult and glorious business.

BIO: CLAIRE BATAILLE was a leading dancer with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) from 1977-1992 performing works created by Lou Conte, Twyla Tharp, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Daniel Ezralow, John McFall and Margo Sappington. She received the Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Dancer in 1992. Between the years of 1977 and 2001 Claire also served the company as assistant artistic director, ballet mistress and rehearsal director. As a resident choreographer she created 5 works for HSDC between 1978 and 1985. Claire toured internationally with HSDC and has performed and taught throughout the US, Canada, South America and Europe.

As a choreographer, Claire has created works for HSDC, Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, Akasha Dance Company in Chicago, Dancers in Company in Iowa, Point Park Dance Ensemble in Pittsburgh and the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble. In 1993 Claire conceived, choreographed and directed “Lifetimes” for the WTTW (Chicago’s Public Television) production of “Love in 4 Acts” featuring 4 Chicago choreographers. She has restaged Lou Conte’s works for many companies including HSDC, Dublin City Ballet, Spectrum Dance Theater, Point Park, Western Michigan University, Civic Ballet of Chicago and the University of Georgia.

Claire began teaching at the Lou Conte Dance Studio in 1975 and has been teaching dance in Chicago ever since. She has been on the faculty of The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Gus Giordano Dance Center, Columbia College, Melissa Thodos and Dancers, Cirqua/Rivera Dance Theatre, The Ruth Page Foundation and HSDC. Currently she is on the faculty of the Lou Conte Dance Studio and River North Chicago Dance Co. and is a guest teacher for several Chicago companies. In 2003 she earned her certification in the Pilates Method in New York with Romana’s Pilates. In Sept. 2005, she was appointed associate director of the Lou Conte Dance Studio at the Hubbard St. Dance Center. In Sept. 2008 she was promoted to director.

The best job of all is being mom to her 2 sons, Isaac and Jack.

10 Questions With…Rebecca King

October 5, 2010 by 4dancers

Today we have Rebecca King on “10 Questions With…”

Rebecca is a dancer and a dance blogger. See her writing at Tendus Under a Palm Tree.

1. How did you become involved with dance?

From the time I could walk, as my mother will tell the story, I was constantly dancing around the house. One day while enjoying some ice cream near the local community center, a group of little girls in tutus and tights came walking past me. I was mesmerized. My mother asked where they took ballet class and as soon as I turned three, I was enrolled. Around Christmas time, I would watch Baryshnikov’s Nutcracker on video and dance around the living room to the music. (I bet my parents were sick of Nutcracker music at that point, little did they know, there would be years and years of Nutcrackers to come.)

Warming up before a show at the Vail International Dance Festival 2009

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

Currently I am a Corps De Ballet dancer with Miami City Ballet. Two weeks ago, Miami City Ballet wrapped up filming for our first PBS special: “Great Performances: Dance in America.” We spent two weeks filming three ballets: Balanchine’s Western Symphony and Square Dance, and Twyla Tharp’s Golden Section. I will appear in Western Symphony’s Fourth Movement.

3. Would you share a special moment or two from your career?

Last season I got the opportunity to dance “Rum and Coke” in Paul Taylor’s “Company B.” Company B is a World War II ballet set to the music of the Andrew Sisters. In Rum and Coke, there is one girl who dances a solo, with 7 boys rolling around on the floor admiring her. I had the best time: I had great boys to play off of, and I got lost in the fun music and cute choreography.

4. What is the best advice you have ever received regarding dance?

I actually just got the best advice ever this past summer from my former teacher at Miami City Ballet School, Geta Constantinescu. She was telling me that it is so easy to focus on drama; to let our egos get the best of us and worry about who got what part, who got promoted, or who is doing well. But dancers need to remember what brings us to the studio every day. It is the love of dance. I think this is great advice for professional dancers and students alike. It goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you are in your career, there is always so much to learn.

5. Do you have any advice for those who would like to dance professionally?

I think the most important advice I can give young dancers is that hard work pays off. I know that may sound cliche, and we have all heard that before, but really, work ethic is what sets dancers apart. A dancer may have a perfect ballet body and be a nice dancer, but without the drive and determination, will not make it in the professional ballet world. So work hard, improve as much as possible, and hold on to the joy that dance brings you.

6. What has been your biggest challenge in dance?

While at the Rock School in Philadelphia for my senior year of high school, I was diagnosed with an os trigonum in my right foot. An os trigonum is an extra bone in the back of the foot that is very common in dancers. I was told that I would have to have surgery. I was going to be out for about four months and would not be able to attend Miami City Ballet School’s summer program nor would I be able to audition for companies as I had planned. Despite all the worries, in the end I really got lucky. I had a wonderful surgeon in San Francisco who is the orthopedic for SFB, had wonderful physical therapy, and was able to start back to ballet slowly at my home studio.

King 2 — Paul Taylor's "Company B" "Rum and Coke", Photo by fellow MCB dancer Leigh-Ann Esty

About two months after my surgery, I wrote to Linda Villella, the Director of Miami City Ballet School, asking her if I could attend the school for the year, based solely on my audition for the summer program months before. She accepted me into the Advanced level and allowed me to continue my rehab with the Physical Therapists hired by the company. Six months after my surgery, I was onstage with Miami City Ballet dancing in the Nutcracker.

7. What is it that you love so much about ballet?

I love performing. When I am on stage, I feel like nothing can touch me. All the worries of the day melt away for those moments, where the lights are shining brightly and I am performing into a dark space in front of me. I know that there are people out there in the audience, but I can’t see them, I can only feel their presence and their delight by the sound of applause. It is an intimate moment that dancers share with the audience; where the dancers are completely lost in the steps, the music, the joy, and the audience is completely lost in what they are watching.

8. Do you have a special routine that you go through before a performance, or is each one different?

Each one is different; as each ballet requires different preparation depending on the type of ballet and the choreography. For example, warming up for a contemporary ballet is much different than warming up for classical ballet. I usually begin getting ready about an hour and a half or two hours before a show starts. I always do my hair first; I like to have my hair slicked back and completely out of my face before starting my makeup. I then put on my costume, cluttered by warm ups, and head to the stage with my iPod and bag of shoes. If I am dancing in a ballet that is really difficult and will cause my calves to cramp, I will eat half a banana on the way, to get some extra potassium. After doing a barre in my socks, I will put on my shoes, to test them and warm up my ankles.

About 10 minutes before the show I have my costume done up in the back and start reviewing the choreography and rehearsing those pesky steps from the ballet that are a challenge for me. After wishing the cast good luck, or “Merde”, with a kiss on the cheek, warm-ups are stripped off as everyone takes their places. This is my favorite moment; the anticipation of the curtain rising.

9. You write a dance blog…can you tell readers a bit about how you got started and what it’s about?

I am lucky enough to have a job that allows me to do what I love everyday. My job is so exciting and unique, that I choose to find an outlet that would allow me to share my thoughts and experiences with the public. Not only do I want to reach out to people who already know and love ballet, but also to find and educate people who are unfamiliar with the ballet world.

For those who are ballet lovers, I want to bring them news about Miami City Ballet and share my experiences around this exciting city. For people who don’t know quite as much about ballet, I hope that I can show the glamorous and trendy side of this art form. I think that many people misperceive ballet as boring and outdated. I hope to prove them wrong.

10. What is next for you?

Currently we are kicking into full gear to prepare for the opening weekend of Miami City Ballet’s 25th anniversary season. Opening night is October 15 at Miami’s Arst Center for the Performing Arts. We will be performing Robbin’s “Fanfare”, Balanchine’s “Bugaku”, and Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations”. Also on tap this season is Balanchine’s “Scotch Symphony”, “La Sonnambula”, and “Western Symphony.” I am also looking forward to the company’s premier of Twyla Tharp’s “Baker’s Dozen” and Paul Taylor’s “Promethean Fire”. Last but not least, our fourth program is John Cranko full length “Romeo and Juliet” which we have already staged. The company has a lot of exciting things happening this season, and I can’t wait to get into the theater!

BIO: I was born and raised in Northern California. I received my ballet training from former San Francisco Ballet School Director Richard Cammack and former ABT and SFB dancer Zola Dishong at Contra Costa Ballet Centre (http://www.contracostaballet.org/) in Walnut Creek, CA. My senior year in high school I moved to Philadelphia to train at the Rock School. After graduating in 2006, I moved to Miami to train at Miami City Ballet. After a few months in the school I was asked to learn Snow and Flowers with the company for their upcoming Nutcracker shows. After performing those parts as a student, I was also on stage dancing Willies in Giselle and in Balanchine’s Symphony in 3 later that season. I was then offered a Company Apprentice contract for the 2007-2008 season. In 2008 I was promoted to Corps De Ballet.

10 Questions With…Danny Ryan

April 20, 2010 by 4dancers

Today for our 10 Questions With… feature we have Danny Ryan…

1. How did you get involved with ballet and what are you doing now?

From the time I started school I was exposed to the arts. The elementary, middle and high schools I attended were all public arts schools, which covered all arts areas as well as dance. However, I never liked dance, and I had a terrible fear of performing on stage. Once I arrived in middle school you were allowed (in your second year) to choose two arts areas to focus on. I started playing music in elementary school so band was a natural choice, but dance I only choose because my best friends father was the teacher. That class consisted more of your creative movement, and introduction to very basic dance composition rather then any “real” technical training. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school after almost dropping the dance program completely and having suffered a soccer injury, that a man named Rafael Delgado, a Master Ballet Teacher, took me under his wing and taught me as much as he could in four years.

Now, after performing for the Louisville Ballet, and the Kansas City Ballet I am dancing for Ben Stevenson O.B.E. at the Texas Ballet Theatre in Dallas Fort Worth.

Danny Ryan

2. Do you have any advice for men who want to do this professionally?

First and foremost work your butt off!!!! Closely followed by dance like a man, be strong on stage but also be beautiful. Performance quality, acting, line, and the ability to convey emotion on stage will always trump tricks. Work on those things, get a very strong and clean technique. You can always work on the tricks later.

3. What have you found to be the most amazing thing about ballet?

Here is a recent example of just one of the things that makes this art form so amazing. At TBT we are in between performances of The Sleeping Beauty. In a recent show I went from 18th century court man, to an evil monster, to a prince from the south, to a peasant, and then Puss n’ Boots. That’s five completely different worlds, people and emotions in three hours. Not many people will ever know what it might be like to portray a cat, or a prince etc. and that’s what is so amazing about ballet.

4. Can you share an experience in dance that was particularly amazing for you?

As an apprentice for the Louisville Ballet, during my very first season in a professional company I was given the oppourtunity to perform Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs. It was the second rep show of the season, and my first major role. It was a Saturday night and the show was sold out, Wendy Whelan and Albert Evans were performing with the us as guests. My partner and I were the first pas in the ballet and I will never forget how I felt once we made it through and the crowd broke out clapping. I thought that feeling couldn’t be topped and walking off the stage I was so high on dance. The first person to grab my arm and say “great job!” was Wendy. I will never forget that.

5. Is there anything you don’t like about what you are doing?

I definitely don’t like when you go to the doctor to have them x-ray your foot to see if you’ve broken any bones, and as he’s looking says “well there is this” but continues on as if it doesn’t matter. So then after he’s done you ask him what was that he saw but passed over, and his response is “well since you’re a dancer its normal, its not a big deal just some wear and tear that is common among those that dance, but if you weren’t a dancer it would be a concern.” Yeah, its gonna hurt really bad later on!

6. Do you have any favorite dancers?

Nureyev is my number one, and when Yuri Possokhov was still dancing for San Francisco he was my hands down favorite of that time. Currently I really like John Michael Schert of Trey McIntyre Project. He has incredible lines, amazing articulation, control and musicality. I will forever love Wendy Whelan, the master of Mr. B’s leotard ballets. My two favorites however are Lucas Priolo and Carolyn Judson. Lucas is the most handsome prince and partner, the emotion and power behind every performance is amazing and his Romeo will make the hardest of people cry. Carolyn unleashes a magic on stage that Houdini himself would marvel at, pure classical lines and performance quality.

7. What do you think that the most important thing is in terms of practicing ballet?

The most important thing is finding a teacher that believes in you, pushes you and gives you sound guidance. Once you find that person the next thing is to work with them as often as you can. If they do a summer program be sure to go, no matter your age. Find a way to make it happen and submerge yourself, turn off the cell phone for four weeks and work!

8. Do you think you have developed skills in dance that have transfered to the rest of your life? If so, what are they?

Absolutely, in dance if you want to be good or become better you have to work hard, and that applies to anything else you pursue outside of dance. Also teamwork, problem solving, working under extreme pressure and with extremely sensitive and sometimes very difficult people. All these skills will also benefit you outside of dance.

9. What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you about dance?

First and foremost dance is a business.

10. What is next for you in your career?

Next on my plate is being at TBT and learning as much as I can from Ben and the artistic staff here. I have found the place that works best for me. This summer I will be enjoying home in Milwaukee to see my mom get married and then spending four or five weeks with my teacher John Magnus. Also I’d like to continue developing my choreographic skills and start teaching more. I’m trying to gather as much knowledge and information as I can, so down the road after my performing career I can stay in this field as teacher, ballet master, or director. This is what I love and care about and I want to pass it on.

Danny Ryan began his professional training with Rafael Delgado in his hometown of Milwaukee. He then went on to further his studies with the Joffrey Ballet School before joining the Louisville Ballet in 2006. After spending two seasons with the Louisville Ballet, Mr. Ryan joined the Kansas City Ballet. Mr. Ryan’s repertoire includes works by Twyla Tharp, Trey McIntyre, Alun Jones, and Agnes De Mille as well as world premières by Graham Lustig, Adam Houghland, and Lauri Stallings. Mr. Ryan has appeared as a guest artist in England, Canada and throughout the United States and during the offseason trains extensively with teacher and mentor John Magnus. Currently Mr. Ryan is performing with the Texas Ballet Theater under the directorship of Ben Stevenson O.B.E.

10 Questions With…David Hunter

January 11, 2010 by 4dancers

This week’s 10 Questions With… features David Hunter, Owner and Editor of Ballet for Men. Take a closer look at a great resource for guys in ballet…and what went on behind the scenes before it came to the web…

My name is David Hunter, I’m 28 years old and a graduate student, working on a Masters in Teaching. I plan to teach high school social studies or english, and dance. I’ve always loved dance, but it wasn’t until I was 25 that I took an actual dance class. For some reason I never realized how much I actually loved to dance.

As a male, it was hard for me to get started. I couldn’t find many good resources for what I needed to know as a beginner. I wasn’t aware of all the opportunities that men had in ballet. I started late, but I currently dance for a pre-professional company who provides me with a scholarship for all of my classes. I take ballet classes 6 or 7 days a week and get to perform for thousands of people in 2 feature length ballets per year and various other festivals and performances.

1. What made you create this dance blog?

I started taking ballet when I was 25, and I didn’t really know anyone else who was into ballet. So finding out what I needed to know to get started was really hard. Most of the information I could find was geared toward women. I was always surprised that there was never more information for males who are interested in dance. Ballet has been great for me, and I want that type of experience to be available to everyone interested. I want my blog to help provide information to make it easier for guys to get into dance.

2. What are the top three pieces of advice you have for other dance bloggers?

1) Provide what you want. I ask for a lot of advice and suggestions, and I definitely try to provide what I think readers will want, but that advice isn’t always there. Most of the time I think about what I wish was there. I ask, “what information or resources should be available?” If I am interested in it, chances are someone else is probably interested too.

2) Do more than you think you have time to do. I always feel like I don’t have time to do anymore. But then I force myself to take on something else, and I end up finding time to do it. Having a blog requires you to keep working on making it better and coming up with new and interesting things. This takes up more and more time, but it also pays off more and more.

3) It is all a process. Rarely does anything pay off right away. It is important to recognize goals in the long term and think about the small steps that lead up to those goals. You won’t find more readers overnight, but you can do a little bit everyday to help build a following over a few months or even years.

3. What is your organizational routine when it comes to blogging (for example, do you research one day and write the next….do you post every day…etc.)?

I usually spend a while coming up with an idea for a post before I even do any work with it. I have a list of topics I want to cover. I choose one of those topics either based on what I think is important information for beginners that isn’t out there or if there is something that has been on my mind for a while. I spend more time researching and organizing the topic than I spend actually writing the post. I feel like this is really helpful for me, and hopefully the readers. There are a lot of ideas and information to fit into any one post, so it is helpful to get all those ideas and facts outlined first.

I try to write whenever I can find time. During the school year I’m a full time graduate student, dance and rehearse full time, and work, so I don’t get to update as much as I want. That is something I would like to change. I want to find a way that I can provide something to the readers several times a week, if not every day.

4. What would you say are your blog’s strengths?

BalletForMen.com provides a lot of information that is hard to find in one place, if at all. It is hard to find information for male ballet dancers, so I provide that. Also, I understand what it is like to get started later, so I understand what questions beginners might have. It is also quite personal. The blog provides a personal look at ballet and the guys who do it. This is especially true in the podcasts, but also with some of the dancer interviews we’ve got coming up.

5. Do you have anything new coming up on the horizon?

New podcasts are coming out every week. These are a lot of fun to record, and to listen to. There will be a lot of different perspectives covered on the Ballet For Men podcast. The first run of Ballet For Men t-shirts are getting printed this month. I’m releasing a free e-book for new dancers. I’ve also been talking to different people about contributing to the website. There are a ton of other things I’m working on, but these are what people will see pretty soon.

6. If you had to describe your blog in just five words, what would they be?

Showing guys ballet is awesome.

7. Can you recommend another dance blog?

I really enjoy TheWinger.com. I like being able to read posts by dancers that I also actually see in performances.

8. Who are your all-time favorite dancers?

I’m a fan of Gene Kelly and Mikhail Baryshnikov. I think they both have done amazing things for guys in dance. Angel Corella is also one of my favorites. One of my favorite female dancers is Louise Nadeau. She just retired from Pacific Northwest Ballet at 45 years old. She is a beautiful dancer and a beautiful person. Plus she makes me think that I can dance for many more years.

9. What is your favorite piece of music?

This is tough to choose a favorite, but I think one of my favorites would be the Dancepieces by Philip Glass from In The Upper Room. I saw PNB do Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room when I first started dancing, and it was the first piece that REALLY struck something inside of me. That dance didn’t just touch my heart, it danced with it. Whenever I hear those songs I remember why I love to dance.

10. Tell us something about yourself that may come as a surprise…

I danced in Christina Aguilera’s Dirrty music video. At the time I was living in L.A. and it was before I started taking ballet. I used to like to break dance, so I auditioned for the video. Somehow I got a part, but luckily, I’m a skinny guy behind a lot of bigger dudes, so you can’t find me in the video. But I do have the pay-stub to prove it!

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