Dance Advantage » blogging

Will Your Site Be A Top Dance Blog of 2010?

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:01:28 +0000

Update! Winners of this year’s contest have been named. Check ‘em out here.

Over the last year I’ve been contacted by a handful of websites who have created lists of 50 Best Ballet Blogs, Best Blogs for Dancers, etc. Usually… well, always, they come from outside the online dance community and are designed to get links back from the blogs they list. No offense to the list-makers – it’s nice to be included, but it got me thinking that it’s high time readers of dance blogs voted on their own list.

So, I’m grabbing the bull by the horns, as we say (especially here in Texas ) The number of dance-related blogs have certainly grown in 2010. No time like the present!

Here’s the plan:

If you have a blog and roughly more than 60% of your posts revolve around DANCE (any form or genre), you are eligible to participate.
Each blogger or blog owner will enter their own blog into the competition by publishing a blog post that links back to this one.
In your post, you will ask readers to show support of your blog with a comment on YOUR post. You will have until December 22 to round up as much comment support as you can.
Only blog posts with the most comments will qualify for the voting round.
Voting will take place between December 27 and 30.
The votes will be tallied and the results posted during the first week of the new year.

What to do first:

Decide which of the following categories is the best fit for your blog:

Dance News/Criticism
Artistic Process/Investigation
Dance Company/School
Dance Education/Training
Dancer Musings
Dance Student/Beginner

I know that these do not perfectly cover every unique voice in the dance blogosphere. In reality you may be in a category of your own but for this competition, you must choose the ONE category listed that suits you best. You may feel that you fit into multiple categories. You must choose only ONE.

The TEN most supported blogs (according to comments) will qualify for the voting round of each of the above categories.

All blogs entered will be eligible to compete for the Top Dance Blog of 2010 title. Comment support will be compared in all participating blogs and the 20 with the most support will qualify for the voting round. Readers’ votes will decide the winner and ranking.

How to enter your blog

1. Write a post on your blog about the Reader’s Choice Top Dance Blogs of 2010 competition.

DO link back to this post. Here’s the URL: http://danceadvantage.net/2010/12/08/top-dance-blog/

DO add the cute little button over there (right click, save as)

DO encourage your readers to rally their support by commenting on YOUR post about the competition.

DON’T be sneaky about comments. If it is discovered you are padding your comment count by encouraging your readers to make multiple comments, accepting or creating bogus comments, or offering incentives to commenters, you will be disqualified.

DON’T throw your support to any other blog and suggest that readers vote for them as well OR suggest that readers withhold votes for another blog OR even mention another competing blog (positively or negatively) in your post. This one is all about you, baby, or you’ll be disqualified.

2. Come back here and place in the comments below a link to your post about the competition AND the category under which you’d like to be considered.

3. Start promoting your post and drumming up your comment support.

Answers to questions you haven’t asked

Is Dance Advantage throwing its hat in the ring?

No, I’m just the ringmaster for this circus. If Dance Advantage is your favorite dance blog, help out by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter, in forums or statuses and encouraging worthy dance blogs to participate. You’ll also have a chance to show your love to DA later on.

Why should I enter my blog?

I’m delivering an opportunity for you to engage your readers and find out why they love you. This is valuable no matter your readership or chances. Even if you don’t qualify for the top ten or twenty, you’ll enter 2011 with encouragement to keep blogging!

What do I get for being a Top Dance Blog?

Read the above question… you’ll get that. Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you were chosen by actual dance readers as a Top Dance Blog, and you’ll have the opportunity to display and leverage your ranking. Winners will also be announced and linked to from this site. Beyond this, 2010 is a trial year. Help me grow this community event and new developments like prizes for winners may be possible in the future.

What does Dance Advantage get out of it?

Like the list-makers I mentioned at the start, I get linked to by participants, reach new types of readers, and thereby grow my audience.

I get to be a connector. I connect readers with new blogs that suit their interests. Readers like that, so it is a win for me.

I get to give back and step up. New dance blogs pop up every day but enter a more crowded blogosphere than the one I stepped into nearly three years ago. In this environment, it is easier to miss the interdependent nature of blogging but blogs depend on each other to grow and survive. This contest is a chance to build a stronger sense of community. Yes, this is a competition. But a successful, positive, and friendly competition indicates that dance occupies a significant, healthy, and thriving corner of the blogosphere,

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

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Blog Spotlight: Maria Is Moving, Creating, Educating

Nichelle (admin) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:30:03 +0000

I love finding new dance blogs and I love, love, love that I’m encountering teachers who are using the platform to process and share ideas. Blogging, like journaling, is a remarkable tool for dance instructors to document and assess what they learn along the way (oh yes, teachers do a lot of learning too).

I was immediately drawn to the material over at Move. Create. Educate for its emphasis on creative movement for young children and began interacting with Maria, the teacher and blogger behind it all.

I discovered that Maria is an independent dance educator around New York City who holds a Master’s degree in dance education from NYU. I discovered that Maria is currently building her own business called Maria’s Movers where she offers creative ballet and creative movement to children around NYC. I discovered she is a teaching artist in public elementary schools for New York City Ballet, a creative movement and tap teacher for Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn and a movement specialist for 2-3 year olds at York Avenue Preschool on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. And then, THEN, I discovered she and I both received our undergraduate degrees in dance from Slippery Rock University! Needless to say we’ve had a lot to talk about.

I thought you might like to get to know Maria a little better too so, I caught up with her to ask a few questions about her blog and her life as a teacher.

DA: What inspired you to start your blog?

Maria: I was inspired to start Move. Create. Educate. because I was looking for a place to share my ideas about dance education. I had so many ideas, frustrations, and questions that I needed to write them down. I was feeling alone in this profession, but I knew that wasn’t true. So I set out to just write, write, write — not really knowing if anyone would read it. I think of the blog as my journal. I try to write everyday, as I think of it as an extension of my job as a teacher. Now that I have been blogging for a while, I think it is so important to share and connect with dance educators everywhere. I hope the blog will build a community of teachers and become a place to talk about challenges and accomplishments of dance educators. It was just the outlet I was looking for!

DA: What is the biggest challenge you face as a teacher?

Maria: My biggest challenge right now is being able to get all of behind the scenes work done. If you are a teacher of any kind you know that just because you leave work, it doesn’t mean your work is done. Planning, playlists, e-mails, and evaluations, it all has to be done in between or after the day of teaching is over. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. The challenge is making time and space for all of this work. I use my New York apartment as my office/planning place. If you know New York apartments, you know that space is limited! Oh and did I mention I carry my dance room on my shoulder? A challenge in itself!

DA: What do you love most about what you do?

Maria: This is such a tough question! I love it all! I love when the kids see me and their faces light up with a huge smile and offer me a huge hug. I love when the parents tell me that all they talk about at home is ballet and that they sing the point and flex song to fall asleep at night! I love parents days and performances because the kids feel so accomplished. I love to see my students of all ages engage in the creative process. I love to hear them laugh. I think what I love the most though is just knowing that everyday I get to teach dance and make a living. It was always my goal, and I finally have reached it!

DA: Name three items that in your work with little ones you just couldn’t live without.

Maria: 1) Hand drum: I bought a hand drum when I first graduated from NYU and was first hired to work with preschool age kids. I wasn’t sure what I would use it for, but I knew I could figure something out and it would come in handy. It is now a regular part of every class. The sound of the drum signals for them to stop, look, and listen. We practice jumping on the beat, and they love to play it too. If I have a new class, I begin with letting them play the drum. Works like a charm! This also works with older kids, and I have used it in all types of classes — ballet, tap, and creative movement.

2) Star spots: My life saver, but so heavy to carry around in my bag! These star spots keep everyone organized and in a happy place. We sit on them to start, but then I incorporate them into the class. They put them on their heads, we balance them on body parts, I put them in charge of their star. They keep it the whole time, so they know exactly where they need to be. I think of the stars as my special “assistant.”

3) Stickers: My students love stickers (better than stamps, the ink gets all over) after class. I started this a few years back when they come to me at 2 years old for behavior modification. As they grow, they never forget about them. They always want the “pink” stickers. I try to buy stickers that are all the same size and color, so no one gets upset! If I forget the stickers, I am in trouble!

If you teach dance, and particularly if you work with young children, you’ll want to keep and eye on Move. Create. Educate. too!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dance Media, Dancethropology, For Classroom, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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Answering 10 Questions at 4Dancers

Nichelle (admin) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:51:28 +0000

I hope everyone is enjoying 2010 so far! Though I am quite busy behind the scenes at Dance Advantage, I am technically still on my self-imposed blogcation. I’m breaking my vow of silence for the week, however, to share a recent post over at 4dancers.org – an interview with yours truly.

Catherine’s line of questioning reveals my motivation for blogging, gets into the nitty gritty of my work-at-home routine, and uncovers a few surprises. Most importantly, you will learn how to pronounce my crazy last name!!

So, head over there by clicking on the 4dancers button below….. while I head back into my hole for a few more days!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Asides, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Interviews | Who's talking about this article?

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Blog Spotlight: 1, 2, 3 Reasons to Check Out 4Dancers

Nichelle (admin) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:00:12 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I’m always on the lookout for new sites and blogs for dancers, teachers, and enthusiasts. New ones pop up all the time so I watch them for a little while to get a feel for the information they provide and how it is presented. I try to share the most interesting ones with you.

4Dancers Blog has been around for a few months and I like what I’m seeing. Here’s why I think you will too.

1. Diverse

Posts at 4Dancers run the gamut. From dancewear, accessories, and gifts to tips on using social media to featuring studios and audition opportunities. There is a little bit of everything at this blog.

2. Concise

Speaking of little bits, that’s exactly the format this blog has adopted. The short bursts of content are bigger than a tweet but superfluous they are not.

3. Connections

Like the shared links you get on Facebook or via email from your friends, the posts at 4Dancers typically lead you onward to gather more information or check out the latest find. You are bound to find something new if you follow along.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dance Media, Dancethropology | Who's talking about this article?

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