Dance Advantage » Beyond the Bubble http://danceadvantage.net Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 How Do We Love Thee? Let Us Count The Giveaways! http://danceadvantage.net/2012/02/07/love-readers-giveaway/ http://danceadvantage.net/2012/02/07/love-readers-giveaway/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:30:21 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=14346 Every once in a while I like to express appreciation for our readers with an entire week of giveaways.

It’s been almost a year since our last one and, because next week is Valentine’s Day, it seemed an especially appropriate time for showing and sharing the love.

When will the LOVE Our Readers Giveaway begin?

Good question! The first giveaway will appear at 8am EST on Sunday, February 12, 2012.

A new giveaway will go up every day for 7 days.

When will it end?

The last giveaway goes up on Saturday, February 18.

But each giveaway is open for approximately 4 1/2 days, closing at 12am, Midnight EST at the close of Day 4. (That means the final giveaway will close at Midnight on the 22nd)

IMAGE Feb 12-18: LOVE Our Readers Giveaway 2012 IMAGE

What could I win?(...)

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2012/02/07/love-readers-giveaway/feed/ 0 Careers To Consider: Dance/Movement Therapy http://danceadvantage.net/2012/02/04/dance-therapy/ http://danceadvantage.net/2012/02/04/dance-therapy/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:25:52 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=14249

Some of us are called to be performers, some to be teachers, but if you think the options for a career in dance end there, you are mistaken!

Over time, Dance Advantage plans to cover these alternative callings in depth, with guest posts and interviews by those with first-hand experience. For today, the Career To Consider is Dance/Movement Therapy, which we are presenting with the help of Susan Rizzo Vincent.

IMAGE The Andréa Rizzo Foundation logo IMAGESusan established the Andréa Rizzo Foundation in memory of her daughter, who, after surviving childhood cancer, was tragically killed at the age of 24 by a drunk driver. Andréa’s dream was to become a dance therapist and give children with cancer and disabilities the gift of dance. Susan founded Drea’s Dream, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to provide dance therapy to children with cancer and special education needs.

Susan has been kind enough to prepare some frequently asked questions and will introduce you to two dance/movement therapists working in the field.

IMAGE Susan Rizzo Vincent IMAGEAs President of The Andréa Rizzo Foundation, we fund Dréa’s Dream pediatric dance/movement therapy program for children with cancer and special needs in schools and hospitals nationwide.  I have personally had the honor to observe the transformation and healing that takes place within these children – psychologically, emotionally and physically.

What is dance/movement therapy?

Based on the assumption that the body and mind are interrelated, the American Dance Therapy Association defines dance/movement therapy as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual.”

They further explain that dance/movement therapy(...)

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2012/02/04/dance-therapy/feed/ 4 More Than A Prop: Object As Performer http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/23/object-as-performer/ http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/23/object-as-performer/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:00:15 +0000 Guest Contributors http://danceadvantage.net/?p=14192 Objects have played an integral role in all types of performance, from an actor with a prop to a conductor with a baton.

Each situation would be drastically modified without the presence of such an object.

IMAGE Abigail Levine, Slow Falls IMAGE

Abigail Levine, "Slow Falls"

Often, though, it’s easy to disregard the inanimate object and focus on the human performer. It’s only natural to notice a person performing.

But what about the object? Even though it doesn’t have a personality, does it still have the ability to perform or at least assist a performance?

When I work in the studio as a choreographer, sometimes I utilize objects as part of my creative process. I gravitate toward chairs because they are easily accessible and usually located in any rehearsal space.

Sometimes I work with a theme, such as in this project Nine Ways to Use the Body as a Bridge and other times just let the object dictate how I will shape my body, such as in this short study “Duet with Chair #2.”(...)

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/23/object-as-performer/feed/ 3 We Put Lauren’s Nose To The Grindstone [Giveaway] http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/17/lauren-grind/ http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/17/lauren-grind/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:40:21 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=14038 Our columnist, Lauren Warnecke has been writing at Dance Advantage for almost 2 years on the Cecchetti Method, muscles, bones, injury, ballet terminology, and more.

So you know a lot about her… but you don’t know ALL about her!
IMAGE Lauren (center) and Grind housewives, Katie Matteson (left) and Jenna Dillon (right).. IMAGE

©Kelly Rose Photography

If you visited the site and checked out our sidebar last month you may have noticed we flashed a Kickstarter campaign initiated by Lauren to support her other dance habit.

But after all she’s done for you and I, Lauren deserves a little more, so I pulled her aside and asked a few questions about this side we don’t see.

And, you know Lauren’s a giver so, she’s got something for readers to WIN later. Read on…

Dance Advantage: Frankly, most of our readers have only seen your nerdy side, Lauren. A conscientious dance teacher, meticulous academic… they may not know you have a rebellious streak, making work as an independent dance artist in Chicago. What gives?

Lauren Warnecke: I started becoming interested in choreography during undergraduate school, and created about three pieces there that I would actually be willing to vouch for.  I went to a school that is notorious for producing avant garde and innovative dancemakers, so while I’m a thoroughly trained bunhead, I also have sensitivities toward strange modern dance.

After school I became heavily involved with teaching and community theatre, choreographing seven full-length musicals, going to graduate school, and essentially “retiring” from the modern dance community. [Read more of that story in Lauren's article Life Lessons on Injury: Arriving at Plan C]

Two years ago I joined the board of directors for a small modern dance company (Synapse Arts) that was doing work I really liked.  Synapse’s Artistic Director, Rachel Damon, had gone to the same school as me, and offered me a rare opportunity to create some work for the company. This was exactly the spark I needed to come out of creative hibernation!  It opened many doors for me to reenter the community, and even moreso opened my mind to making work that I really care about.  I feel that a lot of the work I make is actually informed by the time I spent away from the dance community… it takes cues from pedestrian life and musical theatre that are an important part of my development as an artist.  

IMAGE Grand dancer, Katie Matteson IMAGE

©Kelly Rose Photography

DA: I know as an artist it’s sometimes hard to talk about your work but put on the nerdy teacher hat for a moment and tell your students: What is Grind all about?

LW: Grind is a dance that is rooted in definitions of artistic success. For me, success is a three-fold conundrum that is sought through money, praise, and self-actualization. All three intertwine to create some perception of success in all of us, that ultimately can never be acheived.

In Grind, this idea manifests through the eyes of four 1950′s american housewives. For me, this is an era in which evidence of the “perfect” family and the “perfect” woman were ever-present in the media and every woman strived for this, even when things were falling apart around them. The piece is deeply satirical and manifests as an absurd comment on the state of success. I first premiered Grind last August in Chicago, and since then it’s undergone a huge evolution into a brand new piece. This new iteration premieres Feb 10-12 in Chicago at the Drucker Center.

DA: Tell us about your collaborators for Grind and a little about the artistic process.

LW: I rely heavily on games, chance devices, and a meticulous process to create a work. This 30-minute piece was largely created from one 16-count phrase manipulated in many, many, many different ways.

Grind is part of a pilot program at Links Hall called the Apprentice Producers Program. Through this program, we are offered two venues at discounted rates over the course of 9 months, as well as a paid production manager. This allows the artist to focus more intensely on her work and not have to worry about things like press releases, schedules, etc.

I’ve been working with the same dancers (Katie Matteson, Vienna Willems and Jenna Dillon) since March 2011, developing the piece. After the initial premiere in August I knew I wanted to keep working with the same dancers, the same idea and the same movement vocabulary, but essentially everything else has changed.  I enlisted sound artist, Russell Weiss to create a sound score that uses era-specific sounds such as kitchen appliances, old commercials, and 1950′s love songs. Lighting is also very important to me, and Francesca Bourgault has beautifully lit both versions of the piece. Without having had the opportunity to perform this piece and hear feedback from that first experience, I don’t think Grind could have evolved to this point, so I think it’s a fantastic luxury to have become involved with this program.

DA: Congratulations on your successful Kickstarter campaign. That’s gotta feel good. Any quick tips for others who want to give Kickstarter a try?

LW: Kickstarter was great, but also really challenging! The potential problem with Kickstarter is that if you don’t reach your goal, you don’t get anything. In some cases, I think this inspires more pledges, but it’s a dangerous game to play.

I chose our goal extremely carefully, and put tons of time and energy into the campaign, as did all of the dancers and collaborators.  I posted updates about once every two weeks and continually pushed on social media and through emails.  I saw people coming out of the woodwork and donating who I either hadn’t talked to in years, or had never donated before. This is great, but you can really only do a campaign like this every few years. When I see people continually “Kickstarting”, you can easily tap out people’s enthusiasm because it’s something you have to push really hard at in order for it to be successful.

Ultimately, raising money to make dances is hard no matter how you slice it!

DA: What’s behind the photos we’re seeing here? You’ve created calendars from the shoot?
IMAGE Grind housewife, Vienna Willems IMAGE

©Kelly Rose Photography

LW: I started talking to photographer Kelly Rose very early in the process. Kelly and I have known one another since 3rd grade, and reconnected over this project. She has shot a lot of pin-ups, and I didn’t exactly know why, but I knew I wanted to work with her on Grind. Our conversation really helped me to find the connection between success, perfection, and the vintage housewives.

Consequently, I also recently bought a fixer-upper with a vintage “party basement”.  The style of my basement perfectly compliments the era that I’m working with in the piece, and dancer Katie Matteson happens to have a closet full of vintage clothes. The photos are loosely based on images that are seen in the piece, and on the interpersonal relationships of the characters we have created.  I really wanted Grind to be more than a dance…. the goal is to create a visual world around these four women and this iconic decade that is more tangible than a 30-minute dance.

The calendars were dreamed up as a marketing alternative to the same old posters and postcards you see, as well as an additional way to bring some income to the project. Plus, Kelly’s photos were so amazing I couldn’t just pick two for the press release and let the others go.

DA: Grind isn’t the only dance on the program in February. What’s the low down on Refill?

Refill is the part-two of the Apprentice Producers Program.  We will premiere the latest (and last) version of Grind, and are splitting the bill with another choreographer, Enid Smith.  The show is Feb 10-12 at the Fasseas Whitebox at The Drucker Center (1535 N. Dayton, Chicago).  You can buy tickets at fanfueled.com or at the door.

Win a Grind calendar!

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite “success” quote.

I’ll select 4 winners randomly from the comments.

Should you be a winner, you’ll have the good fortune to look upon Lauren and her 1950s housewives crew every month of the year when you win a Grind wall calendar featuring fabulous photography by Kelly Rose.

You must be 18 or over and a U.S. resident to win.

Contest will end Saturday, January 21st at NOON EST.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2012. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Giveaways, Interviews, Photography | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/17/lauren-grind/feed/ 6 Join Us For Circle Time! http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/10/circle-time-jan/ http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/10/circle-time-jan/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:40:36 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13901 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.

[image] Children sit in a circle at Hope Center's dance studio [image]

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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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/10/circle-time-jan/feed/ 3 Congrats to the Top Dance Blogs of 2011! http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/06/congrats-top-blogs/ http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/06/congrats-top-blogs/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:33:29 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13863 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:

IMAGE Top Dance Blogs 2011 IMAGETop 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

  1. Enforced Arch
  2. Dance Commentary by Heather Desaulniers
  3. Rogue Ballerina
  4. Tendus Under a Palm Tree
  5. Tutus & Tea
  6. Adult Beginner
  7. My Son Can Dance
  8. Odette’s Ordeal
  9. Ballet Pages
  10. The Body Series
  11. Maria’s Movers
  12. Born Again Dancer
  13. Frame Dance
  14. Ballet Shoes & Bobby Pins (by Sheena Jeffers)
  15. Picture Books & Pirouettes
  16. Dave Tries Ballet
  17. –TIED– Contemporary Dancing (by Melissa)
  18. Noa Blogs Ballet
  19. Leotards and the Buns in Them

Category Winners

Speaking Dance
http://ballettothepeople.com/

Ballet To The People by Carla Escoda

62% of votes

Adult Dancer
http://adultbeginner.wordpress.com/

Adult Beginner

58% of votes

Teen Dancer
http://blog.contemporarydancing.co.uk

Contemporary Dancing by Melissa, Lover of Dance

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

Teacher Talk
http://balletpages.blogspot.com

Ballet Pages (by Melanie Doskocil)

48% of votes

Dancer Musings
http://tendusunderapalmtree.com

Tendus Under a Palm Tree (by Rebecca King)

68% of votes

Dance Organization/Artist
http://blog.framedance.org

Frame Dance Blog

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

Business Blog
http://kinerenterprisesincblog.com/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…

http://thedancebuzz.blogspot.com

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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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2012/01/06/congrats-top-blogs/feed/ 8 VOTE for the Top Dance Blogs of 2011! http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:00:08 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13775 32 blogs entered this year’s Top Dance Blog competition:

Barre Boys is having technical difficulty. Here is their FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barre-Boys/103289929728630

Barre Boys

http://emilleejoyce.wordpress.com

The Belated Ballerina

http://www.releveyourlife.blogspot.com/

Relevé Your Life

http://balletomane3.blogspot.com

Ballet Fan/Fitness Warrior

http://foureyedballerina.blogspot.com

The Four-Eyed Ballerina

http://houstonballet.wordpress.com

En Pointe with Houston Ballet

http://www.52weeksofballet.com

52 Weeks of Ballet

http://kinerenterprisesincblog.com/blog

Kiner Enterprises Inc. Blog

http://mikebarnesanth.wordpress.com

Mike Barnes, Anthropologist (Ballet)

http://thedancebuzz.blogspot.com

The Dance Buzz

http://classicalballetteacher.wordpress.com

BalletScoop by the ClassicalBalletTeacher

http://dancersglobal.com

Dancers Global

http://leotardsandthebunsinthem.wordpress.com

Leotards and the Buns in Them

http://www.heatherdance.com

Dance Commentary by Heather Desaulniers

http://www.bornagaindancer.com

Born Again Dancer

http://blog.thebodyseries.com

The Body Series Blog

http://blog.contemporarydancing.co.uk

Contemporary Dancing by Melissa, Lover of Dance

http://mysoncandance.net

My Son Can dance

http://kerryaradhya.blogspot.com

Picture Books and Pirouettes

http://tendusunderapalmtree.com

Tendus Under a Palm Tree

http://www.davetriesballet.com

Dave Tries Ballet

http://blog.framedance.org

Frame Dance Blog

http://balletpages.blogspot.com

Ballet Pages

http://mariasmovers.com

Maria's Movers

http://tutusandtea.wordpress.com

Tutus and Tea

http://www.sheenajeffers.com

Ballet Shoes and Bobby Pins (by Sheena Jeffers)

http://odettesordeal.com

Odette's Ordeal

http://noablogsballet.wordpress.com/

Noa Blogs Ballet

http://adultbeginner.wordpress.com/

Adult Beginner

http://www.enforcedarch.com

Enforced Arch

http://ballettothepeople.com/

Ballet To The People

http://rogueballerina.com

Rogue Ballerina

Some are returning from last year. Some very new (but very good) blogs are in the mix. All are worth a look!(...)

Continue reading "VOTE for the Top Dance Blogs of 2011!"

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

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/feed/ 14 For Making Dancers Beneficial To The Public http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/13/dance-vs-powerpoint/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/13/dance-vs-powerpoint/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:40:30 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13665 John Bohannon presents A Modest Proposal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlDWRZ7IYqw

I’ll let this presentation speak mostly for itself. I’ve been a fan of the “Dance Your Ph.D.” contest and concept since discovering it a few years ago (it received a mention in 2010). But I want to thank a reader and soon-to-be guest contributor, Jessica of One For All Dance Academy for pointing me to Bohannon’s recent TEDxTalk.

Watch the insightful and entertaining presentation first.

You may notice its relationship to the Jonathan Swift essay you discussed in school somewhere along the way.

Then(...)

Continue reading "For Making Dancers Beneficial To The Public"

One comment - ADD YOURS!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Choreographing, Community, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Film/Video, Fun & Games | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/13/dance-vs-powerpoint/feed/ 1 History Moves: Using the Creative Process to Explore Dance History http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/08/history-moves/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/08/history-moves/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:24:48 +0000 Heather Vaughan-Southard http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13630 The history of dance is far from dull and including dance history in your classes doesn’t have to be either.

When we think of learning about history, most people see lectures, thick books, and discussions about plenty of dead people. There are ways to incorporate information about the traditions of dance and the people who shaped them while relating it to the material that students may find more exciting.

Last month I provided a list of ten ways to move beyond steps, making dances that venture outside the norm of assembling favorite movement to popular songs. This enriched way of working leads to many possibilities for students to become aware of their dance heritage and the methods dance icons have used for creating dance.

IMAGE Blindfolded dancers in a group IMAGE

Photo by George Joch / Courtesy Argonne National Laboratory.

To recap:

Concert Dance, to me, is determined by process – the ways movement is inspired, how it is developed, edited, and finally presented. The style of dance is irrelevant in many respects; it is all about the intent and the journey, which lead to the product.

Let’s draw on those same ten ideas to outline two ways to practically include dance history lessons while going about the usual business of making dances:

A: For a single artist’s view, I have chosen modern dance heavy-weight Merce Cunningham whose development of his own technique, innovative ways for crafting dances, and pushing the boundaries in dance technology provide ample opportunity to explore many aspects of dance.

B: If you are more interested in covering a variety of artists, here is a sampler of artists that have made interesting decisions during the work they’ve created.

1. Choosing Content.

Find content with enough depth that it can be explored from multiple angles, voices, and perspectives.

Merce Cunningham: Creating dances “about” the movement potential of the human body, the potential of movement within an established movement vocabulary

George Balanchine, founder of New York City Ballet: Balanchine’s choreography is known for its visual relationship to the musical score. Balanchine’s early work included direct narratives (Prodigal Son, The Nutcracker), his later work revolved around identifiable themes without demonstrating a clear plot (Agon, Serenade). In this sense, Balanchine offers three different ways in which content can be explored.

2. Choosing Genre.

Which style of dance best suits the idea or concept you are presenting?

Merce Cunningham: Modern Dance choreographer whose movement relates well to other types of dancers. This example allows for the discussion of how technical concepts are experienced differently or similarly based on styles of dance. Example: Cunningham’s use of spine, port de bras, and weight shift can be compared similarly to classical ballet and yet very differently to other types of modern dance such as release technique.

Twyla Tharp, versatile choreographer with major works in post-modern (Eight Jelly Rolls, The Fugue), contemporary ballet (When Push Comes to Shove, Sinatra Suite), and musical theatre “jazz” (Hair, Movin’ Out).
If any choreographer epitomizes versatility, it is Twyla Tharp. Working from a strong personal point of view, Tharp relies heavily on technique and the fundamentals of movement and thus can easily relate to many kinds of dancers and audiences.

3. Choosing Movement.

Is the idea behind the piece best represented by technical movement, gestural movement, or a combination?

Merce Cunningham: Again, creating within an established movement vocabulary, Cunningham explored possibilities physically first but later in his career used a computer program, Dance Forms, to inspire new movement threads before teaching them to his dancers.

Bill T. Jones: a self-proclaimed liberal artist. This is a choreographer who masterfully ebbs and flows between codified and gestural movement based on what the piece needs. Please note, when looking for video samples be sure to preview before watching with students. His work takes on many topics and some are more suitable for high-school aged dancers and older.

In jazz, Bob Fosse offers a rich example of stylized movement vocabulary that allows each piece to look different while still reflective of the Fosse trademark swag.

4. Choosing structure.

Dances don’t have to be choreographed from beginning to end. Try creating large movement phrases that can be ordered in different ways, layered in contrasting movement, or fragmented.

Merce Cunningham: The pioneer of chance operation as a choreographic device, Cunningham created methods such as rolling dice to determine the order of movement, order of works within a concert, and other production elements.

Explore the range Romantic, Classical, and Neo-Classical ballet to discuss structuring story and structuring movement. Martha Graham offers great examples of how to structure these principles as well as movement for solos or large groups.

5. Choosing sound.

Does the piece need music or could it be danced to text, silence, or unconventional sound?

Merce Cunningham: search out his collaborations with John Cage or the use of dueling stories in How to Pass, Kick, Fall, and Run.

Pearl Primus, a modern dance choreographer and anthropologist: Primus created Strange Fruit, set to the poem of the same title by Lewis Allen. This is also a nice example of how dance can be used to discuss other subjects such as the African-American experience within American culture.

6. and 7. Choosing alternate methods for coaching ideas and movement within rehearsal.

Find the unison in intent rather than (just) the unison of performance.

Watch choreographers rehearse their dancers in A Lifetime of Dance about Merce Cunningham and Dancemaker, about Paul Taylor.

Check out Daniel Nagrin‘s book, The Six Questions: Acting Technique for Dance Performance.

7. Choosing production elements.

What kind of showing is best? How important are costumes? Lights?

Merce Cunningham and collaborators believed dance, music, and set design should co-exist in space and time rather than depend upon one another.

Explore choreographers such as Anna Halperin, Doug Varone, and Liz Lerman and their use of site-specific dance. Google site specific dance for a long list of artists (and video samples of their work) creating this way both in the past and in the present.  Although site-specific dance does not necessarily mean outside, here is article that offers valuable information on non-traditional performance spaces.

8. and 9. Choosing your value system and Choosing your method for reflection.

What determines good v. bad? How do you measure the success of the process as well as the success of the work?

Consider re-evaluating how you talk about choreography. Some interesting reads on this are by Larry Lavender (Dancers Talking Dance) and Liz Lerman (Critical Response Process: A Useful Method for Getting Feedback On Anything You Make from Dance to Dessert).

The artists listed here are a mere sampling of a larger pool of artists that relate easily to any and all of these segments of the creative process. Many of the artists listed are established modern dance choreographers, however, there are a great many choreographers from ballet and jazz worlds also working within the concert dance philosophy and developing interesting creative processes, too.

In developing lesson plans, realize how important it is for students to SEE dance and include opportunities to do this.

The newly available Jacob’s Pillow Interactive, dance company websites, clips from Youtube, PBS broadcasts available for purchase, or materials available through your library should make much easier than even a few years ago.

Here are some additional ideas for teaching the History and Evolution of Dance, and for leading students through the process of making their own dances.

How do you explore dance history in your classes?
What recommendations for source material would you add to those above?

© Heather Vaughan-Southard for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Choreographing, Dance Media, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Film/Video, For Classroom, History of Dance, K-12, Modern/Contemporary, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/08/history-moves/feed/ 1 Tap Classics: Paddle and Roll Heroes, Lon Chaney & Bunny Briggs http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/06/paddle-and-roll/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/06/paddle-and-roll/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:42:08 +0000 Tristan Bruns http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13504 Lon Chaney and Dr. Bunny Briggs did not invent the paddle and roll, but instead developed the step to its maximum potential.

IMAGE The Paradiddle rhythm in drumming IMAGEThere are four elements to the paddle and roll: a dig, a back brush of the ball of the foot, stepping on the ball of the foot, and a heel.  The “paddle” constitutes the dig and the brush, while the roll is the action of dropping the toe and heel in a smooth and controlled motion.

Other names for the paddle and roll include the drumming term paradiddles and the gangster-inspired Tommy Gun.

Some say that the paddle and roll originated in the Midwest as an answer to the East coast style of dancing, and dancer/choreographer Buddy Bradley owes the step to the Flamenco style of dancing.  Regardless of its origin, the paddle and roll has become one of the most popular tap steps and is often the first step that comes to mind when students are asked at random to show off some steps.

To say that any tap dancer is king of the paddle and roll may land you in hot water. 

There have been plenty of contenders for that title.  The first man to proclaim himself master of the paddle and roll was Walter Green, a tap dancer who had arrived in New York from Chicago in 1937.  Green put out a challenge to all dancers that no one would be able to best his superior foot technique, the paddle and roll.  Local tough guys Ralph Brown, Freddie James, Albert Gibson, and Chuck Green set him straight.

No other dancer is identified more with the paddle and roll than another tap icon, Lon Chaney. 

A short, stout man, Lon Chaney danced into the floor, and his rippling paddle and roll variations created quick, staccato tapping combined with bold phrases of rhythm.  At the end of tap dance performances, it is not uncommon for the tap dancers to form the so-called “Chaney track” or the “Hoofer’s Line”; at the climax of the show, the dancers form a line and rattle off a long stream of paddle and rolls. Each performer takes a small solo accompanied by the steady call and response chanting of “Ho-yeah, Ho-yeah, Ho-yeah, Ho-yeeaaahhh!”  Needless to say, most tap dancers hold Lon Chaney in the highest regard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXTInxL1qG0

(Hoofer’s Line beginning at 1:12. Lon Chaney – farthest Stage Left)

IMAGE Bunny Briggs IMAGE

Bunny Briggs is the antithesis of Lon Chaney; Briggs is slender, doe-eyed, and dances his signature paddle and roll style by lightly smattering a string of bop-inspired, staccato rhythms. Peppered with comedic body gestures, these lampoon popular dance vernacular of the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.

Bunny Briggs’ style of dancing, in contrast to Lon Chaney’s chunky rhythmic phrasing, sounds more akin to a Dizzy Gillespie melody sped up double time, which is no accident.  Commenting on his time working as a singer and dancer in Earl Hines’ band, “Both Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker were in that band, and it helped me work out my own style of paddle and roll,” says Briggs.

Bunny Briggs worked with the cream of the jazz world, with musicians like Charles “Luckey” Roberts and Erskine Hawkins.  But to me and many others, it was his work with Duke Ellington, and in particular the piece David Danced before the Lord with All His Might as part of a series of sacred music concerts that Ellington toured across the country, that was a stand out example of Bunny Briggs’ style and ear for musicality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVZ9WnUyf9k

(Bunny Briggs: The most Super-Leviathonic Rhythmaturgical Syncopated Tapstamaticianisimist)

© Tristan Bruns for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, History of Dance, Tap | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/06/paddle-and-roll/feed/ 0 Confessions of a 30-year old Grade III Grad: Why Cecchetti? http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/03/why-cecchetti/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/03/why-cecchetti/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:22:33 +0000 Lauren Warnecke http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13494 As I pulled my pink tights and black chiffon skirt out of the back of my sock drawer, I wondered: Why, exactly, am I still doing this?

The first post I wrote as a columnist at Dance Advantage was a reflective look at my Grade I Cecchetti teacher’s exam.

Nearly two years later, last month marked my completion of Grade III.

Disclosure: Normally an informative writer, citing evidence and pulling from research to form my opinions, this month, I’m writing from a purely biased, editorial place.

My colleagues going through the program with me are actively teaching ballet, and learning the Cecchetti Method translates directly to professional advancement for them since they teach at a studio active in the Council.  For me, it’s been more about getting a weekly ballet class, keeping my “ballet brain” alive even though I’m not actively teaching ballet… and geeking out over fancy bun covers like this one.

Why Cecchetti?

Aside from the fact that I don’t have a legitimate professional reason to be pursuing the Cecchetti teacher’s certificates, there’s the whole humiliation of the exam process to contend with as well.

Standing in front of the Council’s elite in pink tights being berated about the quality of my developpés and position of my arms in 2nd position, explaining minutia like “so does the leg pass to the side of the knee when closing from a releve devant or does it pass to the back without stopping at the knee and go directly down to 5th?”**

…not my first idea of how to spend a Sunday afternoon.

So, why do I do it?(...)

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© Lauren Warnecke for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Community, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/03/why-cecchetti/feed/ 1 What The Ailey School’s Melanie Person Knew When She Was Twelve http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/01/melanie-person/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/01/melanie-person/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:28:02 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13586 IMAGE Ebony Jr. March 1977 cover IMAGEIn 1977, Ebony Jr. featured a photograph of a young girl at the ballet barre.

The caption reads, “Dancing means everything to twelve-year-old Melanie Person, who wants to become a prima ballerina.”

By this time, Melanie Person had already been training for about 6 years, starting first in Jackson, Mississippi and later in Columbia, South Carolina. But in the winter of 1976 she auditioned for the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) Summer Intensive. She was offered a full scholarship, went on to an apprenticeship and, after graduating from Professional Children’s School, became a full member of the company. For twelve years Ms. Person was a ballerina with DTH. She later earned her B.A. from SUNY Empire State College.

Then in 1999, Denise Jefferson invited her to join the PPAS ballet faculty at The Ailey School, appointing her a year later as Co-Director of the Junior Division beside Tracy Inman. Fast forward 11 years, and Ms. Person is again serving with Inman, but this time as Co-Director of The Ailey School, a position she’s held since Ms. Jefferson’s passing in 2010.

Ms. Person is Chair of the ballet department as well as Co-Chair of The Ailey/Fordham B.F.A program, and has served as a judge for Seoul International Dance competition and Japan’s Grand Prix.

Of course, I had quite a few questions for this teacher and administrator but first, I couldn’t resist a quick look back at the young dancer in that photograph.

Dance Advantage:  What’s one thing you know now about a dance career that may have surprised this young lady?(...)

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Career, College, Community, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing, Interviews, Training | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/01/melanie-person/feed/ 0 Do You Blog About Dance? Be One of the Top 20 of 2011 http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/29/top-blog-2011/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/29/top-blog-2011/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:20:46 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13591 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:

IMAGE Top Dance Blogs 2011 Logo IMAGEOur 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…

  1. Which category you are entering under.
  2. 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.

IMAGE Top Dance Blog Contest logo IMAGESome 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?

  1. 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.)
  2. You’ll receive a badge for your website to display and leverage your ranking.
  3. 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.
  4.  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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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/29/top-blog-2011/feed/ 38 The Nutcracker: Unwrapped http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/23/nutcracker-production/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/23/nutcracker-production/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:25:59 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13555 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.

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

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).

IMAGE The Sugar Plum Fairy's Costume tagged by Wardrobe IMAGE

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.

IMAGE Sketch of The Nutcracker set design by Desmond Heeley. IMAGE

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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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/23/nutcracker-production/feed/ 1 Who Inspires You? http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/21/inspirational-blogger/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/11/21/inspirational-blogger/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:33:44 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=13510 By rough count, I have over 300 dance-related blogs contributing to My Own Dance “Magazine”, otherwise known as my Google Reader.

These display varying levels of activity, of course, but what matters is that people of all ages, abilities, experiences, and walks of life are excited enough about dance to want to write about it.

Inspirational Blogger Award

Recently a young blogger named Melissa created her first blog award, naming 11 of her favorite blogs/bloggers and encouraging them to pass it on. Not all are dance-related but you can see her Top 11 at contemporarydancing.co.uk.

Among these recipients was Jean, of 52 Weeks of Ballet, a relatively new blog which chronicles Jean’s journey as an adult ballet dancer in Sydney, Australia. She’s about 32 weeks in but I encourage you to catch up at www.52weeksofballet.com.

Jean was kind enough to include me in her Top 5 favorite dance blogs and I’m in good company. Check out the others here.

With A Twist and Shout Out

Now, you may know Dance Advantage hosts its own little award showdown, wherein we name Top Dance Blogs based upon your votes. News of our 2011 awards is coming soon so get ready!

Since Melissa’s Inspirational Blogger awards can go out to any type of blog, I’ll be naming my Top 10 inspirational NON-Dance blogs later. I hope you’ll find at least one new blog on the list that will inspire you too.

But first, because I can’t seem to do anything strictly by the book, I wanted to use this opportunity to feature Jean and Melissa, and their respective blogs with an interview. And, because Melissa’s blog award rules originally calls for recipients to give some tidbits about themselves, I’ve added a little twist and asked these two ladies to interview me with 3 questions each of their choosing. So let’s get on with it, shall we?

First a little background:
IMAGE Melissa in a split IMAGE

Melissa splits her time between dance, blogging, and friends.

Melissa is a teenager who loves dance so much she signs off on all her posts as ‘Lover of Dance’. She’s been dancing for roughly 10 years and has been exploring different schools and genres. When she’s not dancing or blogging, she’s socializing with friends, going shopping, or to the cinema. “Friends and family are really important and I love that they are so supportive of me.”

As you might expect, Jean has a contrasting answer when asked what she does outside the studio and the blogosphere. “Previously I would have said – working too hard!” She runs a Procurement Consultancy with her husband but ballet actually seems to improve her work/life balance. “I have found myself more focused at work so I can get out of the office in time for my evening dance classes. I used to play squash, tennis and do lots of bush and harbourside walks around Sydney, but unsurprisingly I’m finding a lot less time for these lately!”

You can bet that like most adult dancers, Jean has a story regarding her path to ballet. She started ballet as a 9 year old and continued until her late teens. She describes it as her greatest passion. “Growing up in a country without full-time ballet schools, it remained an after-school activity for me,” she explains. “Unfortunately, ballet eventually faded into the background as academic opportunities presented themselves and the general distractions of life as a university student took over. For many years, I did very little dancing, always remembering how much I loved it, but I believe I also sub-consciously suppressed my passion for it because I felt I had somehow left things unfinished.”

She threw herself back into ballet 10 years ago, obtaining her RAD Intermediate certification but afterward felt that maybe ballet was too technical and that there was nothing more she would gain. She expected to find joy through other forms of dance. So, for the past few years Jean has been attending Lyrical and Contemporary open classes on a weekly basis. She has enjoyed them, but notices that many teachers view adult dancers as seeking recreation only, rather than continuous improvement.

IMAGE Jean of 52 Weeks of Ballet blog IMAGE

Jean got hooked on ballet all over again at age 40.

Earlier this year, she was persuaded to join a ballet class ‘just for fun’.  “I thought I’d give it a go for a week or two,” Jean says. “I didn’t expect to be hooked again before the first class was over.”

She credits her teacher, Tibor, for this. “He paid a lot of attention to technique, pushed us to our individual limits, worked us very hard but also took time to acknowledge it when we did something well. In that short time, I was reminded of how addictive the quest for perfection and the thrill of achievement can be.”

Within her first few weeks, Jean decided that if she was going to improve, she’d need to do more than one class per week. Before long she’d worked up to five classes each week, mostly with Tibor. “Unlike other forms of exercise like going to the gym or doing yoga,” she remarks, “I look forward to every class and the sessions never seem long enough. Besides getting very fit and toned, dancing ballet nourishes my soul. My passion for ballet has certainly been re-ignited!”

From dancing to blogging

Jean’s return to ballet coincided with her 40th birthday. Though she wanted to share her experience with others traveling a similar path or thinking about beginning ballet, documenting the 52 weeks began as an exercise for herself. “The challenge is to rebuild my strength and technique in 52 weeks so that I’ll be able to stand beside all the other dancers in class and have the ability and vocabulary to dance well with them. I felt that blogging about my first year back in the ballet studio, as a 40-year old, would help keep me honest to my goal, motivate me to be timely with my journal entries,” she explains.

Melissa, on the other hand, set out to express her passion for dance to a much larger audience. She wanted to interact with people with similar interests and as a result has found a community of dance bloggers. “I am so grateful that I am now connecting with people and people are enjoying my blog,” she says.

Jean too has found a large, vibrant, and diverse community of dance bloggers from all around the world. “It has been very heart-warming to find that in general, the participants are very inclusive, dynamic, helpful and passionate individuals and, so far, all my online interactions have only been very positive experiences.”

In fact, Jean never anticipated the feedback she’s received or the bonds she’s formed with other dancers. She recently received a thank you: “…once again as this week i am hitting a high of 5 classes! And I am sure I would not have attempted that without knowing someone has gone before me…,” commented her reader.  “I am sure you can imagine how much it just blew me away,” exclaims Jean.

Melissa’s blog, Contemporary Dancing, is her first and only blog. “I started with a very basic knowledge of blogging and technical stuff, and looking back now I am a bit embarrassed of what I started off with in early 2011. Nevertheless, on August the 8th, I restarted my blog and am proud with my current progress.”

When asked what she felt her best post was so far, she thought a bit and then chose her 10 tip guide to achieving the splits. “Everybody contributed and participated and it was incredibly fun to write. The response was amazing and I hope to go on to do more posts like this in the future. Not only was it useful for me but also for my darling readers!”

Sharing what you know can definitely be useful for your blog audience but blogging can also affect your dancing. “I find that I have become more analytical as a dancer because of my blogging,” says Jean. “Just trying to find something to write about every week makes me look at everything more critically and be more conscious of things around me – whether it’s about a particular step, my feelings, the dynamics in the class, or how our teachers impact my motivation and confidence.”

 Dancing through life

Jean points out that there’s a cycle that dancers who are just starting out, or returning after a long hiatus, go through. “First we’re just glad to be dancing, then before long, the better we get, the higher the expectations of ourselves and soon, we are wanting too much, too soon. We look at dancers around us who are so much better, and we start feeling disheartened and feel like we’ll never get there.”

“Patience. Just be patient.” Jean says she went through that whole cycle in her first month, but her teacher Tibor’s words were very comforting and very powerful. He made me realize that if there can be significant improvement in just a month, imagine what can happen in a year and in 5 years, but I needed to be patient and to embrace the process.”

IMAGE Jean stretches at the barre. IMAGE

Jean tries to stretch daily

Like patience, practice also pays off. Melissa was more or less an inexperienced dancer when she was granted her first solo performance in ballet, an experience she calls magical. “When you get a main solo part for the first time, you try your best and find yourself practicing all the time – well, I know I did!” For Melissa the reward was the audience members’ applause. She also won a trophy for achieving so much that year.

But what if you’re not performing? Jean says she tries to take each class, one at a time, knowing that everything she does in class is a building block. “I try to stretch and do strength-building exercises once a day at home, without any immediate expectations. But every once in a while, something suddenly comes together unexpectedly – whether an improved balance, or a stronger jump or a higher extension – and it’s these moments that reinforce the need to just be patient and keep working at those building blocks.”

Like most teenagers, when asked about her future, Melissa has many plans. She wants to study dance in college, join a company and perform, go on to teaching, and open a school. “A new contemporary themed dancing school is my ultimate dream and I am hoping for the day where I can be a full time teacher who is teaching others her all time love.”

For Jean, it’s been only 9 months since she returned to class, but she feels she’ll soon be a better dancer than during her teenage years. “Probably due to the greater focus, determination and maturity I now have as an adult student, but mostly because of the amazing guidance I am getting. I feel that I have been gifted the opportunity to finish what I left unfinished, and if the body permits, there could be even more than 20 years of dancing left in me.”

On what the future holds for an adult student, Jean reflects, “I did wonder for a short while if I’d “missed the boat” and whether there was no longer something meaningful to pursue, but I have quickly learned that the pursuit of perfecting the art and enjoying it in itself is meaning enough. That the dreams may have faded but the passion is still fiercely alive.”

Jean and Melissa Interview Nichelle

IMAGE Nichelle dressed up for her very first dance recital IMAGE

That's me in my first recital costume.

Melissa: What did you want to be when you were younger?

Nichelle: Dance is the only thing I ever considered, that I recall. For a while, I thought I might double-major in education so that I’d have something to “fall back on.” But during a high school internship at an elementary (primary) school, I realized I was entertaining this out of fear, not because of a strong desire to teach in the educational system. So, my degree is in dance… period.

Jean: You seem to have found have a great balance in life, fueling your various passions through the different roles in your life – as mother, teacher, dancer, writer. Was there a piece of advice or a principle that you live by, that has helped you achieve this well?

Nichelle: I’m chuckling at the word balance because if you shadowed me for a day, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t use that word. Like most moms, most people for that matter, the day to day can be pretty precarious. But you’re right, I’m able to follow my interests, instincts, and passions, and for that I feel extremely fortunate. If there’s a principle behind it, I guess it might be “to thine own self, be true.” If there’s a rule to guide it, it’s the golden one. And if there are people who’ve made it possible, it’s those who never told me I couldn’t.

Melissa: Do you dance at this current time?

Nichelle: Yes and no. I’m by no means at peak performance level, ultimately since having my son 4 years ago, but I also just had my daughter 3 months ago. These days I’m doing a ton of writing and before kids I was doing mostly teaching. But, I have had the opportunity to participate creatively in some recent dance performance projects, primarily dance film,. Again, I’m very lucky to be able to keep a toe in several dance pools at once.

Jean: Has blogging delivered you an experience or outcome that you didn’t expect at all?

Nichelle: That I”m still blogging is itself unexpected! I had know idea when I began where it would go. I’m still going because, like dance, there’s always something new to discover.

Melissa: What do you love most about DA?

Nichelle: I could probably answer this in a dozen different ways, and I probably have in other features. I mentioned the online dance community in a recent interview at 4dancers.org, for example. (You can check that out for a bit of my own background and blogging story).

Today, what I love most about DA is that I’ve loved it, and watered it, and made it grow. Not without help from others and some lucky conditions. But, it gives me satisfaction to see it thrive and know that others appreciate it too.

Jean: What advice would you give adult dancers who feel regret that they will never become the dancers that they might have been, or disheartened that they haven’t a concrete goal to work towards?

Nichelle: I could say a lot but I’ll try to keep it very concise (and perhaps expound at a later date). The word dancer, is not limited to an occupation. Would you have pursued a dance career and loved it as much as you love it now? To quote a wise owl, “The world may never know.” And so, I think you said it really well, Jean: The pursuit of perfecting the art and enjoying it in itself is meaning enough. In fact, that belief is what makes a dancer in my opinion. Also, I’ll add that if, to you (as in anyone), becoming a dancer means only one thing, you’re not driven, you have tunnel vision. And you’re likely to always be disappointed.

Wow, thanks ladies. Great questions!

Don’t forget to visit Melissa at contemporarydancing.co.uk and Jean at www.52weeksofballet.com!

I love to encourage the practice of blogging about dance. I want to help people do it well and I want to highlight people who do. And I hope very much that Dance Advantage inspires good dance blogging – my columnists and I try very hard to lead by example.

But now, I want to know,

Who Inspires You?

A certain performer?

A family member?

A celebrity?

A blogger?

Tell us in the comments!

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

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