Dance Advantage » discussion http://danceadvantage.net Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education Wed, 23 May 2012 13:34:24 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Delight in Dance With Us! http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/07/delight-in-dance/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/07/delight-in-dance/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:30:44 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=9951 IMAGE Reading a book at the beach IMAGEI delight in reading fiction. It’s my quiet retreat but, a couple of years ago I was stuck in a reading rut. My recent reads at the time were by J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer and to my dismay I realized it had been a while since I had tried a new author, in or outside the YA niche! What did I do to get out of my rut, try new things, and discover new writers?

I joined a book club.

Obviously, dance is something else that I delight in and I’ve been spending some time thinking about how I might bring some dance art discussion to DA’s other educational offerings. Reading dance books and biographies was definitely a first thought but past experiences, like chatting live during a Misnomer Dance Theatre performance in 2008, seeing the encouraging level of participation recently during PNB’s Internet broadcast of Giselle, and the increased availability of downloadable dance performance by “arts ambassadors for the future,” TenduTV, inspire me to consider video as well.

What I like about the email book club I joined is its accessibility. Within the group there are a wide range of ages (though admittedly lopsided in gender) and quite a range of literary interests. Some read and discuss more critically than others. Some clearly enjoy certain genres more than others. But somehow everyone feels free to join in and discover new things in the process.

IMAGE Delight in Dance - Terpsichorus IMAGEIn that spirit, I’d like to introduce to you, Terpsichorus.

Delight in Dance

In Greek mythology Terpsichore is the muse of lyrical poetry and dance but the word more literally means, “delighting in dancing”.  You might also know that a Greek chorus is a group of performers who comment on the action within a play.

Terpsichorus is a dance discussion project. It’s still a work in progress – one that I hope will continue to define itself – but I’m joining up with a couple of pals to work together with me as this little venture comes into its own.

One of those pals is someone you may already know, You Dance Funny writer and Top Dance blogger, Steve Ha. He definitely delights in discussion of dance performance. Another is long-time Dance Advantage friend and follower, Robin Mahboeb. She’s not a blogger but a dance teacher who we know delights in a good dance book.

One step at a time

The only way I know to begin is to just begin it!

Our first selection will be Entity by Wayne McGregor: Random Dance.

When we’ll open discussion.

Download/purchase and watch anytime… starting now. On February 24th(...)

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dancethropology, Film/Video, News and Events | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/07/delight-in-dance/feed/ 4 Role Reversal: So What Does It All Mean? http://danceadvantage.net/2009/03/09/so-what-does-it-all-mean/ http://danceadvantage.net/2009/03/09/so-what-does-it-all-mean/#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:08:32 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=1534 rolereversalI am still in the midst of my performance. Saturday will be the final show. So, in the meantime, I thought I’d open the floor for another Role Reversal discussion topic. The following video has had a few incarnations (this one was newly revised a few months ago) and perhaps you’ve seen it circulated on facebook and elsewhere online. If you haven’t, take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o9nmUB2qls

Obviously, if you’re reading this blog, you use a computer, so maybe I’m reaching out to an already converted audience. However, I know that the technology we use in daily life does not always translate to use in our work or business (or visa versa), and perhaps the rate of change is more rapid than we thought or than we are prepared for. After viewing the video, I’d like to pose the same question the video asks: What does it all mean for dancers, dance teachers, studio owners, movement educators? Does this change the way you look at your job, the way you run or advertise your business, the way you reach out to or interact with students? Are dance educators and studios staying on top of ever-changing technology? Do they need to be? What steps have you taken to change with the times, if any? There is no right or wrong way to answer the question. You don’t even have to stick to the ones I’ve posed. In fact, maybe the video raised some questions of your own you’d like to ask. I’m simply curious to hear your thoughts.

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