Organic Relief: Relax Pack Review & Giveaway

Many dancers utilize hot and cold therapy packs to relieve sore muscles and injury pain, not to mention dancers and teachers who suffer from chronic conditions. So, encouraged by my initial investigation, I approached Tiffany about a possible review of her product on Dance Advantage. She generously offered several products for review and, in addition, has agreed to give away some Relax Packs to readers.

9 Tips for Improving Pirouettes

5. “Connect” your arms to your back – you should feel and imagine width across the back and shoulder blades and the arms should maintain their position (don’t “wind-up” for a turn)
6. Take off from a properly placed and expansive plié for power in the turn.
7. Strengthen your ankles supporting the relevé – if you are wobbly, sickled, or pronated, this will ruin your turn.
8. Mentally, make a choice to come down from the turn, don’t “let” gravity make the choice for you.

Sunday Snapshot: Klara’s Rehearsal

This photo is from rehearsal for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre’s Contemporary Nutcracker as performed by Conservatory of Dance Studio Company. The girl in the photo is “Klara” and she is about to pick up the sword, illuminated, and kill the Mouse Queen in revenge of her dead Nutcracker.”

Month by Month: March

March is also Women’s History Month so this is a great opportunity to educate your students with a little history lesson. Introduce through books, film, photos, or words, dance visionaries and groundbreakers like Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Martha Graham, Maria Tallchief, Anna Pavlova, Janet Collins, Eleanor Powell… and so so so many others!

Sunday Snapshot: Trapezium

I was so wowed by this image when I saw it appear in the Sunday Snapshot pool. The distal reach of the dancer’s arms create a striking diagonal and, of course, the musculature of a dancer’s back is always an absorbing feature. I was very taken by the angular shape of the body and play of shadow and light, and I thought you would be too. About the Photographer: Dave Wood is a part-time photographer from Denver, Colorado. His primary focus is on black and white images of the nude human form.

All In The Family: Battement

Battements, as they are practiced at the barre and in centre, are the foundation of many other movements in ballet (jumps and travelling steps such as assemblé, tour jeté, grand jeté, and so many more) and in other dance forms. It is necessary to have a solid grasp on the simplest forms in order to perform the others correctly.

Sunday Snapshot: Outside the City

This image arrests a moment in performance that seems to have great significance, a blessing or ritual perhaps. It is one among many striking images which have been submitted via the Dance Advantage Flickr Pool. However, this particular photo by Brian Mengini stands out not only because it is expertly captured but because it features a dance company rather than a soloist.

There’s An App For That: In Fact There Are 10

Apple’s customer reviews are helpful for deciding where to spend your money but, as most dance-related apps have a smaller audience, there are many that haven’t received visible feedback. So, I went in search of dance apps that I could share with you! Some I had already, others were generously offered by the makers for review on this site.

Profile of an American Icon: A Few Words With Paul Taylor

I feel very honored that Mr. Taylor took the time to answer a few questions about his life and work in an email interview. Paul Taylor is one of the most prominent and influential choreographers of our time. Yet, in the late 1940’s he was studying painting and swimming on scholarship at Syracuse University when amidst a series of seemingly unrelated dance experiences he was struck by a revelation or, as he describes it in his autobiography Private Domain a “flash of recognition… an unignorable hunch” that he was to become a dancer.

Sunday Snapshot: Shape and Shadow

Simone Boos is currently a second year college student who started Simone Boos Photography in January of 2009 at the age of 18. A native of Indianapolis, Simone works all around the Hoosier state as well as in mid-Michigan where she attends school. Simone became interested in photography as a high school student and has, since that time, pursued it at every opportunity. The dancer is Sara Little of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre (Indianapolis, Indiana). The photo was from the dance company’s season shoot for 2009-2010 specifically for a production called The Casket Girls

First of All — A Chat with Prix de Lausanne Winner Emanuel Amuchastegui

At the Prix de Lausanne, he performed a classical variation from August Bournonville’s La Sylphide and a contemporary solo, Caliban, from Cathy Marston’s The Tempest. In addition to winning PDL’s top prize, Amuchasetgui also brought home the “Audience Favorite” award. In the wake of his win, Amachastegui was kind enough to answer a few questions about his experience at the prestigious competition, his training, and his life outside of dance.

Helping Dancers Deal With Disappointment

Parent your child through this setback and support them in becoming a more resilient and confident human being. When your child is faced with a letdown, you have a great opportunity to encourage your son or daughter to face and rise above the obstacles that come their way. It may not feel like a gift but it is.

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