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5 Tools That Streamline Your Dance Studio’s Office Management

Suzanne Gerety — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:26:12 +0000

There’s no doubt about it – the front office at a dance studio is a busy place.

On any given day the desk is covered with messages, notebooks, attendance sheets, clip boards, and the occasional missing tap shoe. Whether the day-to-day swirl of demands are managed by you alone or by a variety of staff and faculty, there will always be a mish-mash of projects in motion and to-do lists that need action.

Below is a list of tools that make managing the office easier and how we use them to priceless advantage at our studio, where an office staff of five helps us serve hundreds of families and manages the details of over 100 weekly classes, taught by a faculty of 20 teachers.

These are tools that have made it possible to manage our office remotely, when our staff are on the run to events and traveling with smart phones or either PC and Mac laptops, improve intercommunication, process tuition, gather feedback, and market our dance studio.

If you use some of these tools already I hope to give you new ideas on how to extend their usefulness.

1. Gathering Feedback with Surveys

Constructive feedback can be your studio’s greatest access to growth. Yet seeking it out is one of the things we resist the most. Hearing how things could get better or where your programs could be improved can be hard, especially since you put your heart and soul into your studio. You can easily, and for free, collect information from a weblink, in email, a post on Facebook, or an embedded form on your website using Survey Monkey. The free version allows you to create 10 questions per survey and gather 100 responses per survey.

Twice a year – in October and March – we ask our current students to provide feedback on how things are going. When a student drops from our studio, we also send a quick exit survey. Here are just a few questions we ask:(...)

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Tips for Teaching Toddlers Accompanied By Adults: Part 1

Maria Hanley Blakemore — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:25:04 +0000

The favorite part of my week is teaching creative movement to my littlest students.

I have taught 1 and 2 year olds for five years and have crafted a class that is progressive, creative, and fun for young dancers accompanied by their adults. I have learned many strategies for my toolbox and thought I would share!

Breaking Down the Ages

18 months – 2 years old
2 years – 3 years

I find these age groups are the most productive to combine as their brains and bodies grow.

Attire

I don’t require tights and leotard or shoes at this age. Actually, it’s best if they come to class in bare feet. In their bare feet they can feel the floor.

It’s important for them to just come to class and for me to give them a healthy, happy experience in their comfortable clothes.

Photo by Eric Peacock

Getting Familiar (every week)

I open my door 5-10 minutes before class every week. It’s important for them to get acquainted with the space and you before class begins.

Ever noticed that when kids join class late they don’t perform as well? I have seen it many times and I believe it’s because they didn’t have a chance be in the space before taking direction.

I know sometimes that five minutes is all you have to get a drink of water and prepare for the next class, but you can still take time with your door open.

Keep ‘em Moving!

Once the 1 and 2 year olds hit the room, offer play time. I put out balls, hoops, and shakers for them to play with before class begins.

These props are great for conversation starters too! “Oliver, roll me that ball!” or ” Vivian, can you find the yellow shakers?” Use this opportunity to interact with each student and their grown-up, they will love you for it.

When it’s time to end class I put all of the bags and buckets(...)

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10 Tips To Make It Your Best Ballet Summer Yet

Guest Contributors — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:41:13 +0000

I consider Juliette Clark a Summer Intensive specialist. She’s been through it and knows her stuff, dispensing article after article on her blog, BalletScoop about the entire process. Though it may be cold and wintery where you are right now, it’s a perfect time to be strategizing for your summer ballet intensives, so enjoy her valuable advice!

Photo by Karli Cadel courtesy Jacob's Pillow Dance

Goodbye Nutcracker… Hello, audition season!

Yes, the season of Sugar Plums and Cavaliers are over, just in time for you to start focusing on the summer intensive audition season.

And there are more programs than ever before to choose from. Whether you’re just getting started in thinking about auditions or have been planning since November, I’ve got tips to help you make this your best audition season yet!

1. It’s all for you.

Say the word “audition”, and most performing artists will instantly feel a little pang of stress. And there is no question that you are going to be evaluated and judged during the audition.

Don’t forget this season that the point of all this auditioning is for you to get acclimated to the audition process and, ultimately, enjoy an excellent training program that will improve you as both a technician and an artist.

Next time you find yourself with a number pinned to your leotard while you attempt to nonchalantly measure up your competition or hide behind a classmate, redirect those stressful, negative thoughts and focus on what you can glean about the program from the experience.(...)

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Some Things Are Just Better Together

Nichelle (admin) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:23:09 +0000

Peanut Butter & Jelly…

Sonny & Cher…

Snap, Crackle, & Pop…

Glissade & Assemblé!

Well, some of our articles are better together, too. And we’ve made this list of 13 combinations just for you!

Getting Knee Deep

Knees, Please: Why a Dancer Should Walk Like a Man

In the Moment: 10 Improvisation Tips

Teacher’s Top 3: Improvisation and Composition Studies

Helping Students Make Their Own Dances

10 Ideas For Moving Beyond the Steps

Fund Your Summer Intensive

The Successful SI: Home Away From Home

Class Placement and Coping with Problems

Your Blueprint for Better Balancing

Look Mom, No Hands!

Costume Advice From a Professional Smarty-pants(...)

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Join Us For Circle Time!

Nichelle (admin) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:40:36 +0000

Circle time is one of my favorite parts of dance class.

As a teacher, it’s a time to connect with each one of my students, looking into the eyes and smiles of each one.

It’s a great time for sharing and getting to know one another, for learning names, introducing concepts, for dancing and discovering together.

In December as I prepared for the Top Dance Blog contest, I found great new blogs I didn’t even know existed. And while our little competition is a fun way to find them, I realized I wanted more time to connect with each one.

So an idea came to me.

I know, look out.(...)

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Congrats to the Top Dance Blogs of 2011!

Nichelle (admin) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:33:29 +0000

Once again, a group of fabulous dance bloggers turned up for our contest.

Once again, readers turned up to vote for their favorites and found new blogs to follow.

Once again, I saw bloggers out supporting each other, illustrating that the dance blogosphere is thriving and teeming with people passionate about dance.

Mission Accomplished!

What a way to start a year. Here are your Top Dance Blogs, everyone:

Top 20

Nearly 3000 votes were counted and our top two blogs walked away with about 26% of the votes… each! Woa!

But one blog pulled ahead by nearly 20 votes:

#1 — Ballet to the People

Enforced Arch

Dance Commentary by Heather Desaulniers

Rogue Ballerina

Tendus Under a Palm Tree

Tutus & Tea

Adult Beginner

My Son Can Dance

Odette’s Ordeal

Ballet Pages

The Body Series

Maria’s Movers

Born Again Dancer

Frame Dance

Ballet Shoes & Bobby Pins (by Sheena Jeffers)

Picture Books & Pirouettes

Dave Tries Ballet

–TIED– Contemporary Dancing (by Melissa)

Noa Blogs Ballet

Leotards and the Buns in Them

Category Winners

Speaking Dance

Ballet To The People by Carla Escoda

62% of votes

Adult Dancer

Adult Beginner

58% of votes

Teen Dancer

Contemporary Dancing by Melissa, Lover of Dance

39% of votes. The three blogs were separated by only 2 votes – a close race!

Teacher Talk

Ballet Pages (by Melanie Doskocil)

48% of votes

Dancer Musings

Tendus Under a Palm Tree (by Rebecca King)

68% of votes

Dance Organization/Artist

Frame Dance Blog

40% of votes. Another close race, separated by mere clicks of a button.

Business Blog

Kiner Enterprises Inc. Blog

And, as always, Ashani Mfuko in a class by herself.

I want to say thanks again to ALL who entered regardless of where they are in their blogging ‘career’.

It takes a certain amount of bravery to step up and be counted, so to speak. Please, if you haven’t already, visit the list of 32 blogs who participated (the significance of the number 32 is not lost on the bunheads out there).

Editor’s Choice

This proved very difficult for me because even I discovered new blogs through the contest this year. Plus some blogs are just very new.

In the end, I went with a blog that I feel has consistently shown a clear focus, delivering material that is valuable to its readers in a fun but thoughtful way. I’ve enjoyed watching this blog develop and wish for its longevity.

Though ALL 32 blogs show great promise, I chose…

The Dance Buzz

Congrats to All!

I’ll be contacting winners with badges to put on their sites and with questions for your feature!

Our Top 20 winner, Ballet to the People will be highlighted individually. Meanwhile our category winners and Editor’s choice will be featured together.

We’d love your feedback on the contest in the comments.

I know that with the holidays, the end of the year is a tough time for the contest. I’ve been thinking about moving it up to early December. Knowing that there’s never a perfect time for everyone, feel free to weigh in on this, or other details of the contest.

Have suggestions? Ways to improve? I’ll take ‘em!

Want to congratulate the winners? Compare to last year? Do it!

Thanks so much for helping to make the 2011 Top Dance Blog contest a success!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2012. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Media, Featured, Fun & Games, News and Events, Online | Who's talking about this article?

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Protecting Your Toesies For Pointe

Lauren Warnecke — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:22:17 +0000

I started pointe at age 9 –

(too young by some teachers’ opinions, but that’s another article), and my teacher was thoroughly set on having all of her students wear pointe shoes without padding. Her philosophy was that if shoe fit correctly then there wasn’t any need for padding.

That’s a nice theory but, unless you have a custom-made shoe, it’s unlikely that you’ll find a shoe out there that will mold exactly to your foot. The other problem with this particular teacher’s point of view is that she required all of her students to wear Capezio brand pointe shoes. There’s nothing wrong with Capezio shoes, it’s just that if you’re going to make dancers dance on pointe without padding and request a “perfect fit”, then you had better give her as many options as possible!

Still, I walked out with my shiny new size 3 Capezios and a year later I had ingrown toenails, the beginning of bunions and bunionettes, and nearly constant abrasions and blisters. There just wasn’t a Capezio shoe that fit my foot with enough efficacy to wear it without padding.

I eventually changed studios and, at age 14, I essentially started over. I was asked to go to a professional pointe shoe fitting by a woman named Sylvia.

Sylvia, a purest in her own right, always started with Grishko and very rarely strayed to other brands, only allowing lamb’s wool as padding. This time, however, I got a bit lucky and wound up with the Grishko Elite, which happens to be the best shoe out there for my foot. I haven’t bought another shoe since.

I’ve recently been working on developing an e-course about pointe preparation and came across Nichelle’s great article on pointe readiness during my research. I found all the comments and differing opinions about shoe types, brands, construction, and padding options really interesting.

Even when I found “my perfect shoe”, I still needed padding.

So, the focus of this post is to break down your options and help you get to the bottom of the pointe shoe padding conundrum.

I’ve tried pretty much everything in my shoes, including:(...)

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© Lauren Warnecke for Dance Advantage, 2012. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Blog, Dance Bag, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing, Featured, Health and Wellness, Practice | Who's talking about this article?

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From Ballet to the Barnyard: Picture Books in 2011

Guest Contributors — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:26:53 +0000

Editor’s Note: In 2010, I discovered Kerry Aradhya’s blog, Picture Books & Pirouettes. Two subjects I adore: dance and children’s literature. Happily, Kerry agreed to publish a review of the dance picture book trends of 2010. Since then, I’ve watched her blog develop and couldn’t be more tickled to present her summary of 2011!

It never ceases to amaze me how many picture books about dance are floating —or maybe I should say twirling—around out there.

When I started my blog, which focuses in large part on these books, people would often ask me if there were really enough dance books available to keep my blog going. And my answer was always yes. There really are!

I love discovering picture books about dance that were published some 10, 20, and even 30 years ago, but handfuls of books are also being published during each new year. When I look through the list of books that were released in the United States in 2011, three unique categories of books stand out to me. Here’s a little more about them…

Series for Little Ballerinas

Angelina Ballerina may still be the most popular picture book character for many young dancers, but several characters emerged this year and in the recent past who could eventually give Angelina a run for her money.

Ella Bella Ballerina and Swan Lake
Author: James Mayhew
Illustrator: James Mayhew
Publisher: Barron’s Educational Series

First published in England, the charming series of Ella Bella Ballerina books introduces young readers to some of the world’s most famous ballets. In Ella Bella Ballerina and Swan Lake, little Ella Bella is transported into the magical world of Swan Lake, where she interacts with the Swan Princess and helps her reunite with the prince. Ella Bella Ballerina also has her own blog, where you can follow all of her adventures!

Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince
Author: Grace Maccarone
Illustrator: Christine Davenier
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

In 2010, the book Miss Lina’s Ballerinas introduced the ballet mistress Miss Lina and the nine young ballerinas under her tutelage. In the sequel, Miss Lina’s Ballerinas and the Prince, a male ballet student joins the mix. Rhyming text and gorgeous French-inspired illustrations make both books ones to treasure.

Tallulah’s Tutu
Author: Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Alexandra Boiger
Publisher: Clarion Books

The only reason Tallulah started taking ballet class was because she wanted to wear a tutu, but over time she realizes there is a lot more to love about ballet. The publisher of Tallulah’s Tutu has also created this great activity kit to go along with the book. And the book’s sequel, Tallulah’s Solo, is scheduled to hit bookshelves in 2012.

Spanish and Latin American Dance(...)

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Nutrition On The Move: A Nerve Calming Salad

Joanie Johnson — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:15:07 +0000

Soothe those pre-performance jitters with this cooling and calming salad. // Photo by Janet Hudson

Its opening night and the butterflies are about to explode out of your stomach!

You know you should eat something but can’t handle anything too heavy. Before you grab a packaged, processed food, remind yourself that your body won’t recognize that as real food and it’s going to consume more energy to break it down and figure out where in the world to store it. This salad is light, fresh and the mint will help settle those pre-show jitters.

Break a leg!(...)

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The Procrastinator’s Dance Gift Guide

Nichelle (admin) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:59:28 +0000

By now your stockings have probably been hung by the chimney with care…

But you’ve still got dancers on your gift list! And Amazon is telling you that ~~paying expedited $hipping fee$~~ a dose of Elf Magic is your only Ho Ho Hope for the timely arrival of those gifts.

Never fear, the digital age is here! These gifts are a procrastinator’s dream:

Choreography for Teachers

DancesToGo.com provides à la carte choreography for a variety of dance levels and genres. They’ve got a great group of guest choreographers with years of experience as teachers (and I’m not just saying that ’cause I’m one of them)!

One way to gift it: You may not know which choreography would be most useful for the gift-recipient. Since Dances To Go uses PayPal’s services, you could send money to your dancer friend or family member (they will need a PayPal account) for use at the site. While you’re at it, send them an iTunes gift so they can grab the music, too!

Help for Studio Owners

DanceStudioOwner.com gives studio owners what they need to be successful – e-books and articles, monthly teleseminars, templates, checklists, customizable forms, and plenty of support in an often isolating job. This is one of my favorite resources because they offer so much value at affordable monthly and yearly membership plans. Gift a membership and make your favorite studio owner very happy.

A Weekly Action Plan for Success

A new year. A new commitment to going the extra mile in your dance classes. We at Dance Advantage deliver the keys to make this year outstanding with an e-mail course that provides terminology, an inspirational quote, something to Dancescribe in a dance journal, and something to do EVERY WEEK in a 40-Week E-course.

Let us sustain and motivate your favorite dancer the whole year through. Yes, you can “gift” this e-course. It’s called 4 for 40 and you can find it right here.

Digital Reading

Whether your gift-recipient is Team Nook or Team Kindle, you can give specific digital publications as gifts at the Nook Store or Kindle Store (just look for the Buy/Give as a Gift links on the book’s purchase page).

Here are some of my favorites and books I’ve read this year:(...)

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dance Bag, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Featured, Film/Video, Online, Product/Website Reviews | Who's talking about this article?

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What To Do When It’s Clear A Career Isn’t In Your Future

Guest Contributors — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:42:39 +0000

A performance career is not for everyone, no matter how long you’ve planned for it.

But after you’ve come to this conclusion, what happens next? Jessica Shoop Williams has been there… and back again and, in today’s guest post, shares her advice with you.

Most great journeys begin with a goal in mind. For many young dancers that goal is the same, simply “I want to be a ballerina.”

photo by bibols19

As they age and dance, exploring the art form, this dream becomes clearer and more specialized, and goals are created to help them attain this vision. Whether it is “I want to be on Broadway”, “I want to dance in music videos”, or “I want to be part of a ballet company”, as they continue their dance training many dancers decide that a dance career is ahead of them.

In preparation for that dance career there are an unlimited number of paths you can take, but almost all of them involve intensive training and great commitments of time, energy, and emotion. As the training stage comes closer to a “real dance career”, the vision of what it actually takes to make it in the dance world becomes clearer.

For many dancers this makes their career choice that much more real and exciting, but for others the clarity can be jarring.

Along with the amazing and personally fulfilling qualities a dance career may offer, there are certain negatives, too. Even if you grew up loving dance and fantasizing about the idea of a career in the field, things can change when you really start to process what this career would mean to you.

Such was my clarity of vision.

Like many serious dancers, by the time I was 11 years old I was dancing 5 nights a week and dutifully attending hours of rehearsals on the weekends. My dance friends and I all had the same goal and that’s why we trained the way we did at the best studio in our area.

I became an accomplished young dancer, scoring well in competition, surviving mock auditions just fine, and (...)

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GIVEAWAY: Holiday Cards for Dancers

Nichelle (admin) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:10:11 +0000

Commercial greeting cards have been sent during the holidays since the mid-19th century.

In 1843, John Calcott Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole to illustrate the first Christmas card. English Parliament had passed the Postage Act in 1840, making it possible to send letters for a penny throughout the UK. In a clever business move, Cole printed two batches of the greeting, selling a total of 2,050 cards that year for a shilling each. The card read “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You” and displayed a happy family enjoying Christmas festivities. Unfortunately critics believed the card, which showed a child enjoying a sip of wine, was “fostering the moral corruption of children.” Nevertheless, the custom of sending cards at the holidays became popular and within 10 years Christmas cards were the rage of England. Of the original Christmas cards printed, only 12 are known to still exist, two of which are in the Hallmark Historical Collection. [source: Emotions Greeting Card's Greeting Card Museum, Wikipedia]

You may already be posting your holiday greetings (or perhaps you’re going paperless).

But, if you’d like to have some super-cute, dance-themed cards to hand out to your teachers or students, or save for next year, we’ve got a great giveaway for you today!

At the request of their members, our friends at DanceStudioOwner.com have created these really sweet holiday cards, inspired by dance during the festive holiday season. Illustrated by Lisa Graves, this one-of-a-kind card collection features three bright, colorful, and sweet designs finished with holiday greetings. The interior is blank with plenty of room to write a personalized note.

Inside each boxed set are 12 notes (4 of each design), plus 12 smooth white envelopes.

Learn more on the Holiday Collection product page at DanceStudioOwner.com.

DanceStudioOwner.com would like to give away one boxed set of the Holiday Collection Note Cards (which retail at $12 each) to FIVE Dance Advantage readers.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite Holiday tradition (dance-related or not).

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will close at MIDNIGHT (Eastern) on Saturday, December 10, 2011.

Winners will be drawn randomly from the comments.

Once contacted via the email used to comment, winners have only 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. PLEASE READ our giveaway policy before entering.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dancethropology, Featured, Giveaways, Product/Website Reviews | Who's talking about this article?

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Do You Blog About Dance? Be One of the Top 20 of 2011

Nichelle (admin) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:20:46 +0000

It’s Time!

At the close of 2010, because everyone BUT the dance community seemed to be making a Best Dance Blog list, Dance Advantage decided to try something new:

Our own award contest, where real dance blog readers pick their favorites.

The Top Dance Blog contest was a great success so we’re bringing it back this year and we want YOU to participate!

Here’s how:

If you have a blog and roughly more than 70% of your posts revolve around DANCE (any form or genre), you are eligible to participate.

First, decide which of the following categories is the best fit for your blog:

Dancer Musings (Career/College/Professional) – Pros or pros-to-be discuss the dance lifestyle

Teen Dancer – 18 years and under

Adult Dancer – 19 years and up

Teacher Talk (Education/Training/Instruction) – Dance class topics for or by teachers

Speaking Dance (Dance Writing/Criticism/Audience Education) – Covering the dance world for audiences

Dance Organization/Artist – Companies or choreographers talk performance, process, production

Business Blog – Content for the community by dance-related businesses

Collaborative – Magazine style blogs that are multi-author and have a diverse focus

I know that you have a unique voice in the dance blogosphere, but I hope you’ll find your best match among these categories. You must choose only ONE category.

The first 5 categories will be single-focus blogs (written to discuss one topic) and in general, will be personal blogs. If you publish primarily audience-focused articles/reviews, your best category is Speaking Dance, no matter how many authors contribute.

The final categories listed are more likely to have multiple writers. The best fit for most dance school or studio blogs will probably be the Business Blog category, though some academies may also consider the Organization/Artist classification if the blog focuses primarily on a student performance company. The Collaborative Blog category would suit any blog that has more than one author AND does not fit neatly into any single category.

Next, each blogger or blog owner must enter their own blog into the competition by publishing a blog post about the contest.

In YOUR post, ask readers to show support of YOUR blog with a comment on YOUR post.

That’s important, so I’ll repeat it…

In YOUR post, ask readers to show support of YOUR blog with a comment on YOUR post.

You have until Tuesday, December 20 to round up as much comment support as you can.

Finally, let me know you’ve thrown your hat in the ring.

Comment on this blog post (the one you’re reading now) and tell me…

Which category you are entering under.

The permalink to your blog post about the contest.

How to get to the next round:

Though any blog can enter, only blog posts with the most comments will be finalists in the voting round.

Comment support will be compared in all participating blogs. The TWENTY with the most support will qualify to compete for the Top Dance Blog of 2011 title.

The blogs in each category that receive the most comments will also be eligible to compete for the top spot in their classification. So, even if you do not make the Top 20, there is a chance you could still win your category.

Again, you need reader engagement to be a finalist. As soon as you publish your post start promoting it and encouraging comments!

How to win:

On December 27th I will open the polls for our Top 20 and for each category. I will also post a ‘Thank You’ list of all participating blogs (with links).

Voting for the top slots will take place December 27 – 30.

During this period, if you are a finalist, you’ll want to send as many people as possible to vote in our polls and secure your ranking.

Readers’ votes will be tallied and the results posted during the first weeks of the new year.

Some DOs, DON’Ts, and a PLEASE

In the post on YOUR blog about the Top Dance Blogs of 2011 competition:

DO add our contest logo. (Click on any logo image for the URL, or Right-click/Save-as)

DO make it clear to readers that they should show their support by commenting on YOUR post about the competition (not mine).

DO encourage your commenters to share why they read your blog, what makes it special, or which are their favorite posts.

DON’T be sneaky about comments. I expect that all participants will behave honorably, monitoring and deleting any duplicate comments from readers. Offering incentives to commenters and/or padding your comment count in any way will disqualify your blog.

DON’T mention competing blogs (positively or negatively). Keep your post about you.

PLEASE link back to this post. Here’s the URL: http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/29/top-blog-2011/. Dance Advantage thanks you!

FAQ

Will Dance Advantage compete too?

Nope, we’re just hosting this shindig. If Dance Advantage is your favorite dance blog, SHARE news of the contest on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc AND encourage your favorite dance blogs to participate.

As a blogger, can I comment in support of my favorite blogs if I have entered my own blog?

Yes! Please do.

As a reader, can I comment in support of more than one dance blog?

You sure can – ALL of your favorites.

As a reader, will I be able to VOTE for more than one blog finalist?

One vote per category, and only one blog out of the Top 20.

As a blogger, if I don’t make it to the finalist round, can I encourage my readers to vote for blogs that have?

Absolutely! I’m sure they’d appreciate it.

If I was a finalist/winner last year, can I participate and/or win this year?

Yes, yes, and yes. This is only our 2nd contest so, as yet, we have no limit on the number of terms a blog might win in succession.

I have a small blog with only a few readers. Why should I enter?

This is an excellent opportunity for you to engage the readers you DO have and find out why they keep coming back. Even if there are only 5 people who read and comment and no matter your chances for qualifying in the Top 20, this is valuable. You’ll enter 2012 with encouragement to keep blogging! Not to mention, some quality links from our blog to yours.

AND, if that weren’t enough, this year we’re also selecting one blog for an Editor’s Choice award. This blog will be treated much like a category award winner and will go to a blog Nichelle feels is noteworthy or up and coming, regardless of comment count or readership.

What do I get if I’m a Top Dance Blog winner?

See above. (We want every blog to be noted and have an opportunity to engage their readers. It’s why we’ve created a contest with two rounds.)

You’ll receive a badge for your website to display and leverage your ranking.

Category winners will be featured together in an upcoming article on Dance Advantage and the overall Top 20 winner will receive their own dedicated feature.

You’ll have the satisfaction of being chosen by actual dance readers as a Top Dance Blog.

What does Dance Advantage get out of it?

I get linked to by participants, reach new types of readers, and thereby grow my audience. Plus, I get to be a connector – introducing readers to new blogs that suit their interests.

I also get to help fellow blogs, which by their nature, depend on each other to grow and survive. Though this is a competition, I believe it is a positive and friendly way to build a stronger sense of community and show that dance blogs occupy a significant, healthy, and thriving corner of the online dance community.

What didn’t I answer? Feel free to comment below or contact me with your question.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Community, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Featured, Fun & Games, News and Events, Online | Who's talking about this article?

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Nutrition On The Move: Breakfast Of Champions…Or Dancers!

Joanie Johnson — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:00:55 +0000

A bowl of sugary, processed cereal is not going to energize you for the day. Start your morning off right with a whole grain like kasha.

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s not all that effective though when we are scarfing down a bowl of sugary or processed cereal before we run out the door. Mix up your morning routine with a whole grain. The complex carbohydrates will slowly feed your body energy and keep you fuller for longer.(...)

Continue reading "Nutrition On The Move: Breakfast Of Champions…Or Dancers!"

One comment - ADD YOURS!

© Joanie Johnson for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dancing, Featured, Health and Wellness | Who's talking about this article?

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The Nutcracker: Unwrapped

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:25:59 +0000

Hand-torn snow. 7,000 lbs of it.

Houston Ballet’s current version of The Nutcracker, choreographed by Ben Stevenson, premiered in 1987. And ever since, what falls from above in the Land of Snow is what designer, Desmond Heeley always wanted: Crepe paper, because of the way it looks, reflects the light and most importantly, because of the way it falls. Hand-torn because its densely textured surface makes it impossible to cut layers of paper without sticking and clumping.

For the first few years, volunteers from the Houston Ballet Guild and the HB staff donated several days in the weeks before The Nutcracker opened to sit and tear paper into snowflakes, but over the years a new method was developed using spools and special blades. Now a crew of four can tear several layers at once more efficiently over a period of 2 weeks.

About 200 pounds of snow fall during each snow scene, after which (during intermission) the snow is swept up and placed in special boxes to be cleaned. The used snow is carefully sifted and cleaned to be used again in another show. About 30 minutes before curtain on each performance day, the snow bags are refilled with either new or newly cleaned snow that will majestically fall to the stage, to the delight of the Houston Ballet audience.

The Nutcracker Sugar Plum Fairy tutus and Soldier costumes in wardrobe storage.

Repair. Rebuild. Remake. Repaint.

Snow isn’t the only thing that’s reused and recycled in The Nutcracker, which is produced season after season for more performances than other ballet in the Houston Ballet repertoire.

According to HB’s Production Director, Tom Boyd, who has been part of its production team from the start, there have been the expected subtle changes in choreography over the years. But everything else has remained very close to what was originally conceived by Stevenson and Heeley. Even costume fabrics and trims, which literally endure the wear and tear of hundreds of performances, are replaced only with the best possible match to the original design.

Dressing the Cast

When asked which Nutcracker costume is her personal favorite, it seems an easy answer for Houston Ballet’s Wardrobe Manager, Laura Lynch. “The Snow Queen,” she pronounces. “Love that tiara.”

One-hundred and thirty costumes appear in a single Nutcracker performance. But if you break it down to the individual clothing pieces, like collars, petticoats, and more, that the wardrobe department maintains, there are over 650 items, not including tights, facial hair or wigs.

Because The Nutcracker is performed every year, the show’s costumes hang in the back wardrobe room at Wortham Theater Center all year long so that Wardrobe may continually restore and rebuild as necessary in the costume shop at Houston Ballet’s new Center for Dance (the largest professional dance company facility of its kind constructed in the United States).

Sugar Plum's costume tagged by Wardrobe and ready to go. Photo: Casey Ayala/Art Institute of Houston North

The Wardrobe department uses a dancer’s most current measurements to rebuild costumes and depends upon the fitting process to determine if Nutcracker costumes must be rebuilt or altered. Costumes are generally not re-fit on dancers who have performed the role previously, so it may surprise those visiting Wardrobe during Nutcracker preparation that seemingly there’s not much going on with the show. However, the department is always working on other productions as well. This season, you’d see costumes for the one-night-only Jubilee of Dance, photo shoots, Cinderella (opening in February), and academy performances.

How does Wardrobe keep track of all the measurements, alterations, and other costume details?

“LOTS OF ORGANIZATION,” exclaims Lynch. “We use an extensive inventory system to keep track of which costumes belong together. We also have a numbering system in all costumes to assist in charting who wears which costume.”

If you’re producing your own Nutcracker this year, Ms. Lynch has some tips: “Stay on top of keeping things clean. Spot cleaning and hand washing are very important and if left to wait will certainly damage the costumes.” She recommends you have a system in place and “stay the course.”

Making Theatrical Magic

In the second act of HB’s The Nutcracker, flying chef-angels zip across stage. Tom Boyd recalls the origins of this unique feature: “The idea came from the fact that Act 2 is the Land of the Sweets and the designer, Desmond Heeley, was quite interested in answering the question, that a child might ask, ‘Where do all the sweets come from?’ So, Desmond decided there should be bakers and cooks and some of them would be flying. And, if you look at the chandeliers you will see flying cooks on either side. Ben liked the idea so much, he decided to expand the concept with dancers flying to open the Act.”

According to Tom, the dancers rehearse the basic positions and timing in the studio as part of the regular rehearsals for many weeks prior to moving into the Wortham. When the flying rig apparatus has been installed in the theater, the dancers are called to be fit in their harnesses and work with a flight coach until they feel comfortable being in the harness and off the ground. Then, they rehearse the flying sequence to piano music with all the flyers, the flight coach, the stagehands (each flyer requires 3 each), stage managers, and artistic staff needed during the actual show. Throughout the entire run of The Nutcracker, the flying sequence is also rehearsed onstage during Intermission for the comfort and safety of the dancers and crew alike.

The Nutcracker set design by Desmond Heeley.

Though flying takes a great deal of coordination, it is the extremely complicated transition from the Battle Scene to the Snow Scene that Boyd describes as the most technically challenging. “The house scenery has to move off and fly out, with the enormous tree, and in its place is revealed the Land of Snow. This transition involves the entire stage crew, with 7 people pulling lines on the fly-rail, and 11 people moving scenery off-stage. Both stage managers are involved in calling cues, timing the moves to the music and the entire company of dancers are either running offstage, running onstage, or quick-changing costumes to be onstage.” All in a matter of seconds.

What are the essentials for staying organized and keeping The Nutcracker running smoothly?

“It helps to have very good archived records of how the show hangs, what is involved from scene to scene, how many people are required to do what,” says Boyd, “but, the most important element of all is to have highly skilled, dedicated, experienced people putting it all together. And, we are fortunate to have an outstanding production staff, stage crew, and wardrobe staff who all know that we have a duty to present this amazing company of brilliant dancers with the highest production value possible, whether it’s The Nutcracker or any other performance.”

So you want to be a…

During the 1980′s Boyd made the leap from dancing to managing productions and scenic design. If you’re planning to make a similar leap, Boyd says to pay attention to all that is going on around you. “Our audience sees only the tip of the iceberg when attending a performance, but as members of an arts organization we have the opportunity to understand and be involved with the entire infrastructure,” he explains.

“Find out what the other departments do, how they contribute to the final product. Any single performance and audience experience is the result of hundreds of people doing so many different things. Not only could you encounter interesting career options, you have an opportunity to capitalize on the experience you already have.”

Similarly, Laura Lynch, says the path to becoming Wardrobe Manager for a large ballet company requires experience. Lots of it, working in all aspects of Wardrobe. “I have a theater degree and have been working professionally in costuming for 27 years,” divulges Lynch. “I’ve done everything from stitching, patterning, cutting, dying, crafting, painting, shop supervising, freelance design, traveling with Broadway productions to community theater. To rise to the top hard work, good work ethic and a passion for what you do are necessary.”

In addition to supervising in HB’s wardrobe and costume shop, she has also designed costumes. If you’re a dancer with a passion for ballet fashion, Lynch says, “Research! Everything, from fashion to theater.” She explains that exploring museums and art history are two great ways to research and learn, and that paintings offer an enormous wealth of fashions throughout history. “Get involved and keep learning new skills,” Lynch encourages.

Of course, what Nutcracker feature would be complete without a few stories from those who’ve seen it all?

I couldn’t help but ask Boyd about something a little mouse told me: That HB used to stage an elaborate “Nutty” Nutcracker for audiences at the close of the run.

“The Nutty Nutcracker was a tradition for a number of years,” explains Boyd. “It was a way to close out a very long season of The Nutcracker performances, and to let the dancers and audience have some fun within a very traditional framework.”

“I think my fondest memory was when Drosselmeyer brought out his trunk of dancing dolls to entertain the children, and pulled out Lauren Anderson dressed as Tina Turner doing her signature song, ‘Proud Mary’,” he recalls. “That one was so popular, she made several cameo appearances in subsequent shows, even when it made no sense, just for the fun of it.”

Last year on Dance Advantage, corps member Madison Morris, shared her favorite wardrobe malfunctions involving rats. Lynch recalls a year when one of the rats’ ears came unglued and was barely hanging on to the head. “Lots of flopping about… luckily the rat was done for that show and we were able to re-glue for the next show.”

Boyd says so many things happen behind the scenes, most if not all unseen by the audience, that it’s hard to pick one thing that he can look back on and laugh at. “The ones I remember weren’t funny when they happened, and unfortunately, they really aren’t funny in retrospect. Oh, I guess they are just a little bit. But, each little hiccup in the otherwise smooth running of a show, is a reminder that there is an enormous level of detail that needs to be constantly monitored in a show like this and one can never, ever take it for granted or think you can phone it in.”

He does relay one instance of flying gone wrong: “The flying cooks are supposed to meet at center and hold hands until they are flown off to their respective sides of the stage,” he says. ” Well in this performance, the stagehand in charge of traveling the flyers to their marks went so far past his mark that instead of stopping at center stage, the dancer from stage left went past the one from stage right, and they spun around each other getting their flying cables hopelessly entangled. So, they were just stuck together center-stage, 15 feet above the floor, staring at each other.”

Oh no, what then?

“When the stage manager realized they were not going to untangle themselves, he instructed both sets of crew operating the flying rig to travel the flyers off stage right until they were in the wings.” To a round of cheers from the audience, of course.

Featuring breathtaking scenery and costumes by Tony Award-winning designer Desmond Heeley, Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker is ideal for introducing children to the power and beauty of classical dance, and a delightful way for the entire family to ring in the holiday season. Thirty-three performances run November 25 – December 27, 2011 in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. For tickets call 1-800-828-ARTS, or visit www.houstonballet.org.

More of The Nutcracker Behind-the Scenes:

Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker By the Numbers

CultureMap goes Art & About and wants to know…

Team Sugar or Team Snow?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ermOlzjFAZE

Nancy Wozny, aka Culture Sis, aka dancehunter, and Joel Luks, aka Culture Bro, go behind the scenes at the Houston Ballet to learn why Ben Stevenson’s version has been a hit for 24 years.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Costumes Etc., Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Featured, Interviews, News and Events, Performing | Who's talking about this article?

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Dance Advantage » Featured

5 Tools That Streamline Your Dance Studio’s Office Management

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1. Gathering Feedback with Surveys

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The favorite part of my week is teaching creative movement to my littlest students.

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1. It’s all for you.

Some Things Are Just Better Together

Well, some of our articles are better together, too. And we’ve made this list of 13 combinations just for you!

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Mission Accomplished!

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#1 — Ballet to the People

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Adult Dancer

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Congrats to All!

We’d love your feedback on the contest in the comments.

Thanks so much for helping to make the 2011 Top Dance Blog contest a success!

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Such was my clarity of vision.

GIVEAWAY: Holiday Cards for Dancers

Commercial greeting cards have been sent during the holidays since the mid-19th century.

You may already be posting your holiday greetings (or perhaps you’re going paperless).

DanceStudioOwner.com would like to give away one boxed set of the Holiday Collection Note Cards (which retail at $12 each) to FIVE Dance Advantage readers.

How to Enter:

Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite Holiday tradition (dance-related or not).

Do You Blog About Dance? Be One of the Top 20 of 2011

It’s Time!

Here’s how:

First, decide which of the following categories is the best fit for your blog:

Next, each blogger or blog owner must enter their own blog into the competition by publishing a blog post about the contest.

Finally, let me know you’ve thrown your hat in the ring.

How to get to the next round:

How to win:

Some DOs, DON’Ts, and a PLEASE

FAQ

What didn’t I answer? Feel free to comment below or contact me with your question.

Nutrition On The Move: Breakfast Of Champions…Or Dancers!

The Nutcracker: Unwrapped

Hand-torn snow. 7,000 lbs of it.

Repair. Rebuild. Remake. Repaint.

Dressing the Cast

Making Theatrical Magic

So you want to be a…

Of course, what Nutcracker feature would be complete without a few stories from those who’ve seen it all?

More of The Nutcracker Behind-the Scenes:

Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker By the Numbers

CultureMap goes Art & About and wants to know…

Team Sugar or Team Snow?