5 Must-Dos Before You Apply For A Creative Graduate Program

Years ago the words “Graduate School” and “Dancer” were rarely uttered in the same breath. Nowadays it is becoming more common to associate higher education and advanced degrees with the life cycle of a dancer. Dancers are rarely able to support themselves on pure talent alone– most have to make a living through alternative means. While performance gigs and steady jobs can be taken away in the blink of an eye, an education lasts a lifetime. That is why I decided to take the plunge and continue my dance training while going back to school for my Master’s degree in Arts Administration.  Here are some helpful hints for dancers interested in applying for a creative Master’s degree program:

1. Think creatively about your Graduate course of study
2. Research various Graduate Programs
3. Gain valuable experience
4. Prepare your resume
5. Fine-tune your interviewing skills

Think creatively about your Graduate course of study:

The beauty of Graduate School is that the programs tend to be much more individualized and focused. In many undergraduate programs, the creativity majors tend to be traditional Studio Art, Dance, Theater, etc. There are many graduate programs that take traditional art areas and tailor them to specific career goals and interests. For instance, there are programs in Dance Education, Dance Performance, Acting, Directing, Television Studio Management, Music Production and Arts Administration. Think creatively when deciding what to get your Master’s degree in. There are endless creative possibilities waiting for you!

Research various Graduate Programs:

Like with any new product, graduate programs deserve careful research and consideration. Think of it as a new car. You would not purchase one without first comparing models, makes, years, and of course prices. Once you have decided on your area of focus, research a wide array of schools that offer your desired program. Some schools have an online and on-campus division, so take the time to research what program best suits your needs. If you are working 9 to 5 and have a family, perhaps an online program would best suit your lifestyle. If you are fresh off of the campus life and can’t wait to return, perhaps an on-campus program is just what you need. Research your graduate program like you would a house or a car because in reality, the program will be a second home to you for the next two years or more.

Gain valuable experience:

Experience is a big part of the graduate school experience. It is most likely what led you to a specific program or area of focus. Your experience shapes who you are as an individual student and will help grant you acceptance into top-notch programs. If you even have the slightest idea that you may one day go back to school for you Masters, start gaining valuable and related experience. While work and internships can help in this area, think outside of the box! If you are an undergraduate student, join a club. Take on an executive board position or start an organization for your campus. This shows initiative while building interpersonal skills, managerial experience and a true entrepreneur spirit. If you are currently out of school, perhaps taking a steady roster of dance classes, joining a local choir or teaching dance to young children is a great way to stay current and learn while working. In essence, the more experience you have, the more desirable you will be to graduate school admissions officers. You will also have a greater understanding of why you selected a particular program and how it can help shape your future career goals. Experience is priceless because it can help put your future into perspective and add a bit more clarity to your life.

Prepare your resume:

Now that you have gained some experience, documenting it all is the next step. This can at first be difficult and time consuming, but the payoff is well worth it! All of the experience in the world will not necessarily translate to a graduate admissions officer if it is not well documented. Hence, the resume comes into play! You can categorize it by order of relevance or using a chronological method. There is much room for creativity in format, layout, font, color and the overall presentation of your resume. Think of it as your life experience on paper. You want to cherish it and show yourself in the best light possible. So take the time to carefully write, edit and format your resume. In some creative programs such as Arts Administration, the resume is a major component of the competitive admissions process.

Fine-tune your interviewing skills:

Interviews are a huge part of admission into any school or work environment. With all of the credentials, experience and education in the world, a terrible interview could still cost you big time! So how do you ace the essential interview? Well, start by practicing interviewing yourself. I know it sounds a bit odd, but really go back to your childhood days of having an imaginary friend. Now let that friend be the mirror and let yourself do all of the talking. Practicing in the mirror gives you a small glimpse of how you are being perceived by your future employer or graduate school program director. The mirror does not lie. It will tell you if you look too nervous, are slurring your speech, pausing too long between sentences or excelling in each area. Once you become comfortable in the mirror, perhaps asking a friend for advice would take your interviewing skills to the next level. Have your friend pretend to be the interviewer and you remain the interviewee. Answer sample interview questions (that are readily available online) and find out how you did. You can also practice with family, employers and former teachers. Chances are that every opinion is valid and you can learn a thing or two about how to enhance your interviewing skills. By the time the real admissions interview rolls around, you will be confident, prepared and ready for any question that arises.

Final Thoughts:

Jobs are not forever, dance is not forever, but an education is. Continue dancing, performing and teaching. It is our passion and calling. However, do not sell yourself short! Challenge yourself to research a few creative graduate school programs and see what is out there. There is no harm or obligation in looking. You may surprise yourself and end up finding a perfect fit to compliment your work, family and dance schedule. Remember that an education lasts forever and more creative programs are being created for the creative mind to excel in. You have the power to shape your own educational destiny.

Dance Advantage would like to congratulate Roger on his acceptance to graduate school. Join us in wishing him well as he pursues his degree in Arts Administration!

What other tips would you place on this to-do list?

What are your top concerns regarding the application process for a dance or creative arts master’s program?

Sunday Snapshot: Foot Phrase

Foot Phrase is a section in the ballet A Pulse Stolen by Ted Seymour (see more in an interview and clips from A Pulse Stolen on YouTube), which had its world premiere on May 21, 2010. This section of the ballet is done in total darkness except for three sets of illuminated, moving feet. The two shown are the feet of Ashley J.( in sous-sus) and Brittany H. (in tendu derriere).

About the photographer: Allanah C. is a dance and college student currently living in Indianapolis, IN and spending the summer as an extra dancer for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. She started taking pictures of her friends at her home studio for fun and it has since developed into a hobby of sorts. Of capturing the shot, she says, “I love the challenge photographing dance presents because my subject is almost always in motion, even on my digital camera without a delay the picture can easily become blurred by the motion of the dancer or the lighting.”

“Late Beginner” Blues And How To Get Beyond Them

A parent recently wrote me, explaining that her 14 year-old daughter started ballet at 10 years old. Her concern was that when her daughter goes to auditions, she is behind her peers technically and she wondered if I had any advice. In response, I want to address some of the emotional obstacles that those who come ‘late’ to dance often face. I’ve taught beginners of all ages and I’ve observed that these mental hurdles are often harder to overcome than the physical.

Also, because nearly all dancers, at one time or another, encounter situations where they feel behind or challenged I think it may speak to other young dancers, too.

Steps A Dancer Can Take To Crush Comparisons

Possibly the worst thing dancers can do when there is a strong desire to improve is make negative comparisons of themselves to other dancers.

As Dianne of Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes recently pointed out, sometimes comparisons help us create a realistic picture and provide awareness of where we are and where we still have to go.

See her post on Late Ballet Starters for a few pointers on where to look to form this realistic picture.

However, comparisons must stop there. Once you recognize where you are, let it go, and focus on what you need to get yourself where you’d like to be. It’s easier said than done, I understand.

So, here’s a plan (not THE plan) but a plan that I hope will be a help to you. Use what resonates most for you and leave behind what does not.

Step 1 – Change the Way You Think

Expecting perfection, overnight results, or for everything to come naturally leads to frustration.

Read this: I Can’t

If you begin to feel negative thoughts creeping in or start to feel badly about a correction you just received, tell yourself to STOP (seriously!). Then replace these thoughts “I am learning,” “I am patient,” “I deserve to succeed.” For more on thought-stopping and building success…

Read this: It’s In Your Head: The Power of Thoughts on Performance by Sanna Carapellotti (Dancer; Jan09)

Step 2 – Get Real About Your Strengths and Weaknesses

• Recognize that everyone has both and that weakness only really matters if we allow it to turn us off our goals.

Read this: Mastering Strengths and Overcoming Weaknesses

• Have a conference with your teacher and have an open and honest conversation about the areas in which you need the most work. Explain that you are feeling the need to “catch up” with your peers technically and that you are willing to put in some extra work to improve.

Step 3 & 4 – Set Goals and Make A Plan

The best way I know to get beyond comparing oneself to others is to set personal goals and make a plan to achieve them.

• During that discussion mentioned above, have your teacher help you define some things you may be able to do outside of your regular class; an additional class or private lesson perhaps (if that is in your budget), some “homework” that strengthens, conditions, and supports what you are learning in class.

Read This: Setting Goals

• As the article linked to above demonstrates, be sure that you create a plan that will help you reach your goals and determine a “backup” plan: what you will do or say to yourself when the going gets rough.

How Parents Can Help

Parents, your child must desire the additional work and goal-setting it will take to reach his or her dreams. Make sure your child’s dreams are her own.

Read this: Finding The Balance Between Friend and Fanatic

While you can certainly help guide your child through this process, remember that your primary role is to support your child. Be careful not to become another voice of criticism (it is likely your child has more than enough of their own negative thoughts to tangle with).

Read This: Accentuate The Positive

Praise your child in a way that will further their skill development and feelings of accomplishment.

Read This: Appraising the Value of Praise

Disappointments along the way are inevitable, even if they are only the momentary ones when your child lets negative thinking or comparisons get the better of him/her.

Read this: Dealing With Disappointment

Know Where You Are Going

I’d be remiss to not point out that, if you are auditioning and feeling that you are not up to par with your peers, or are just not where you’d like to be technically, that it may be time to reassess.

Part of knowing where you are in your training includes determining if you are on the correct training path: studying the material and working with the teachers who can get you to where you’d like to be. Form that realistic picture, mentioned at the top of the article.

Professional ballet, in particular, requires intense study of the form. How much time spent in the studio and the quality of instruction matter in this field. The good news is that there are many wonderful careers available to dancers and that there are multiple paths to getting to where you’d like to be. Just know which path you are on!

Read This: Finding The Right Teacher

Are you a late beginner?

What words of encouragement can you give others?

What helped you to get beyond those late-beginner blues?

What have I missed? What advice would you have given this dance mom?

Guest Post: The What, When, Why, and How of Clogging

Today’s guest post is from Dorothy Stephenson. While still in college she opened a small dance studio specializing in clogging instruction called The Sundance Studio. Today, Sundance not only houses Sundance Studio, but also a productions company, booking agency, and web design firm.

Clogging? What Is Clogging?

Yes, it’s kind of like Tap. No, it’s not like Riverdance. Clogging is every dance – a dance form that includes everything from Irish step dancing to hip hop and everything in between. Cloggers perform choreography to anything from “Uncle Penn” by Ricky Skaggs to Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.” It is a dance form that defines who I was, who I am, and who I always will be.

A Little History

Clogging, known as the “melting pot of dances,” began during the 1700’s in the Appalachian mountains of the eastern United States. Scottish, Irish, English, and Dutch-German settlers found common ground through dance. Over time, their styles wove together and clogging was born. As clogging spread throughout the United States, other influences, such as Native American and African, found their way into this new dance form.

Traditional clogging, also known as “drag-style clogging,” is a percussive dance where a dancer produces rhythmic sounds from steel double taps positioned on the heel and toe of the shoe. The sound then combines with the rhythm of the music which was usually bluegrass. Many times mountain figures, or square dance figures, are combined with freestyle clogging footwork to form hoedowns.

21st Century Clogging

Today’s most recent version of clogging features influences of jazz, ballet, hip hop, and pointe throughout precision routines. Modern “cloggers,” such as myself, do not don the stereotypical crinoline and petticoat that their predecessors once did. Sequins, fringe, and netting are all fair game now. Competitive teams battle it out on the dance floor through the American Clogging Hall of Fame, Clogging Champions of America, and the National Hoedown and Clogging Council competitive circuits.

Clogging is making a name for itself not only on the dance floor, but in the pop culture scene. Soloists and groups have appeared on shows such as America’s Got Talent, America’s Best Dance Crew, So You Think You Can Dance, and most recently SPEED’s Fast Track to Fame. Clogging has appeared not only in the United States but around the world. No, clogging is not just an American dance. It can be found in Europe, Australia, Canada, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and more. In fact, the Soco Gap Cloggers, one of the first competitive clogging teams, performed for the Queen of England in the early 1900’s.

Why Clogging?

Not only is clogging a way to exercise and have fun, but it is also a way of life for many dancers across the country – myself included. Five years ago, I was working a 9-to-5 job as a teller at a local bank while attending college for a degree in business management. I was motionless whether I was at work or in a classroom, and it was killing me. I yearned for the excitement of dancing and entertaining, and I wanted more. So after about nine months of sitting behind the counter watching other people’s bank accounts grow, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for it. I quit my job and opened my own dance studio in an old barn with no indoor plumbing. Being an instructor gives me the opportunity to teach at various dance and clogging workshops and allows me to meet new and amazing people no matter where I travel.

The popularity of this dance form is huge as it lends itself to many different age and personality groups – an attribute that I believe accounts for its tremendous following. There is something for everyone from kids, teens, young adults, all the way to the “golden oldies.’ The diversity of music from bluegrass and country to rock, pop, hip hop, and even heavy metal accounts for many different personality types and makes clogging fun for anyone to enjoy whether they are performing or watching.

Clogging, just like America, continues to grow and evolve more and more every year. In the past twenty years in which I have been blessed to clog, I have seen many dance forms trickle into clogging and have seen clogging appear in many places I never dreamed I’d see it.

“Just as it has always been from the beginning, clogging continues to evolve and to change, symbolizing the nature and spirit of those who first came to the Appalachian Mountains,” says Steve Smith, veteran clogger and national instructor.

More Clogging…

• Should you be interested in learning clogging, Smith offers instructional clogging videos from beginner to advanced levels on his website at www.stevescloggingvideos.com.
• If you are a dance instructor or studio owner and would like to incorporate clogging into your curriculum, visit www.clogdancing.com to find a clogging instructor in your area.
• You can also visit www.doubletoetimes.com for the latest news in the clogging industry.

For twenty years, Dorothy Stephenson has entertained audiences with the dance form that she holds dear to her heart – Clogging. Dorothy owns Sundance Studio and Productions Company. She leads the Little Switzerland Cloggers, and also competes with her competitive troupe, Sundance Express, who qualified for, competed at, and placed at the 2007, 2008, and 2009 American Clogging Hall of Fame (ACHF) World Championships in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. In addition, she has earned numerous awards and titles. Most notably, was her 2008 induction into the ACHF All-American Team, an honor bestowed on only 12 men and women from around the country. Along with her partner, Graham Kershner, Dorothy entertains frequently at prestigious resorts such as The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, and The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

Do you teach or have you tried clogging?

What do you enjoy most about it? Tell us in the comments!

Sunday Snapshot: You Raise Me Up

Dancers right (foreground) to left: Annie Zheng, Shayna Ding, and Cornelia Le.

This photo was taken during one of the Calgary Youth Performing Arts Association (CYPAA) volunteer visits to a senior centre in Calgary. The group consists of talented individuals working together to promote the performing arts among youth in Calgary. The dance is called “You Raise Me Up” based on the song of the same name and is a personal favorite of the photographer, Daniel Liu.

Daniel explains how he came to capture this striking image and passionately describes how he was raised up, in more than one way, by the experience. “I had only been pursuing photography for a few months when I met the talented individuals from Oriental Music and Dance School. I recall myself shamelessly asking them if I could go observe and take photos at their classes. They said yes. The setting was always a challenge, bad lighting and quick movements make for very difficult focusing but, when you get it right it’s just feels so rewarding, and sure enough it made me a better photographer. The individuals themselves were an inspiration to me, everyone in that class were extraordinary talents, intelligent, high minded, and always with the good of the community in mind. These people have inspired me to challenge myself and to be more than I can be.”

About the Photographer: Daniel f. Liu is a 21 year old photographer currently based in Calgary, Alberta. Liu started photography a year ago when he moved to Calgary. Having received a diploma in Culinary Management, cooking remained Liu’s full time job while photography was a developing passion for when he had the free time. Through a series of chances Liu became acquainted with the talented individuals at Oriental Music and Dance School (OMDS) and became their regular photographer. Soon after, Liu joined The New Mabuhay Calgary, a Filipino newspaper based in Calgary for its grand relaunch. The same photo “You Raise Me Up” has been featured in its May issue. You can view more of Daniel’s work on his Facebook page.

Teacher’s Top Three: Books For Ballet Teachers

I’ve had the pleasure of regularly exchanging Tweets with a number of dance teachers – intelligent, insightful, and enthusiastic instructors out there doing what they do best. Believe it or not, you can get a real sense for a person via 140 character conversations!

Robin Mahboeb is one of these teachers. The word that’s always come to mind regarding Robin (@mahrobi) is classy. She proves it with these choices…

Robin’s Top Three Books For Ballet Teachers

1. The Art of Teaching Ballet – Ten Twentieth-Century Masters

by Gretchen Ward Warren

Robin says, “This is my easy favorite! The author spends time with ten of the most popular professional ballet teachers from around the world, watching classes and doing interviews. There is a chapter devoted to each teacher which starts with a short bio, followed by the authors’ experiences in observing the teachers in the studio and out. At the end of each chapter there is a list of quotes, a list of the order of barre and center combinations and a family tree style chart of pedagogical lineage.”

“I love this book,” continues Robin, “because it doesn’t just give combinations (though there are combinations from each teacher listed at the end of the book). It really brings insight on teaching artistry and simple joy of movement as well as tips on teaching turns and jumps, etc. Additionally, it is a fascinating read; the first time i read it i could hardly put it down.”

The Art of Teaching Ballet is available for purchase through the Dance Advantage aStore

2. Ballet Studio – An Inside View

by Anne Wooliams (coincidentally one of the teachers interviewed in the previous book!)

“This is a book i received as a gift in my late teens and i find it as wonderful now as i did nearly 30 years ago. It is a book that can be appreciated by teachers, students and professional dancers alike,” explains Robin. “There are chapters dedicated to practice clothes and health as well as barre and center work, pointe, mime, musicality, teaching and more. The author writes with warmth and humor, offering advice as well as the occasional ballet combination. The excellent text is accompanied by beautiful, candid, grainy black and white photographs.”

This book is out of print. Check out Goodreads to compare sellers.

3. Classical Ballet Technique

by Gretchen Ward Warren (again!)

“This book i find to be an excellent tool for teaching correct ballet technique as it breaks down all the steps photographically. There is little text but very clear photos of the positions one should go through in executing each step. It also frequently shows the difference between, say, the Russian version of a step vs. Cecchetti, for example. In addition, there are pictures showing incorrect vs. correct placement or execution. I like to keep this book in the classroom and may occasionally show my students what a new step is supposed to look like.”

Classical Ballet Technique is available in the Dance Advantage aStore

More About Robin

Robin grew up in Colorado. Her early training was Cecchetti technique under Larry Boyette. She majored in dance at the Cornish Institute of Arts in Seattle, Washington under Franks Bays and Pat Hon and also trained in New York with Maggie Black. Robin has performed with several small companies but left the dance world temporarily to raise a family. She has 4 children between the ages of 8 and 20 and has been teaching ballet for about 15 years – “off and on a bit between kids!” For the last several years Robin has been teaching in Bergenfield, New Jersey at Nunnbetter Dance Theatre and choreographing for NBDT’s student company.

Do you have some favorite books for ballet teachers you’d like to recommend?

Let us know in the comments!

Sunday Snapshot: Ray Of Light

About the Photographer: René Michaels is a professional photographer in Austin, TX. His interest in dance stems from growing up in the Los Angeles, CA. area in the ’70s & ’80s where, working as a dance club Disc Jockey, he witnessed the birth of Hip-Hop and got his “fifteen minutes of fame” appearing on the nationally syndicated TV series “Soul Train” as a featured dancer for several years. Rene’s has a special talent for dance action photography. His work has been featured in local newspapers, national magazines and websites. His clients include dance studios, professional dance companies, choreographers, high school dance teachers, individual dance talent and event promoters in Texas and throughout the U.S. You can view more of his photos at René Michaels Photo & Design

Want your photo to appear on Dance Advantage? Submit your work to the Sunday Snapshot pool on Flickr. Whether you are a professional or photograph for fun, your shots will be considered.

When Is Too Much Not Enough? — The Truth About Well-Rounded Dancers

The Myth Of More, More, More — No Stone Unturned

There is a lot of pressure on parents to help their child get ahead, as if somewhere down the line a child’s failure to get that job, land that role, or succeed at each endeavor could somehow be traced back to that one stone left unturned in the child’s past. As a result, I see a lot of parents out there trying to turn over every stone along their child’s path. It’s exhausting to watch and even more exhausting to attempt.

In dance, this tendency translates into more money, more time, more classes, more performances, costumes, choreography, private lessons… more, more, more. Even studios feel the need to be everything to everyone, responding to demand and striving to supply. As a result, parents have some big questions on their lips…

How many hours spent at the studio is enough? How many competitions are too many? How much money should it take? How much experience should my dancer have in _____? How much is necessary to ensure that I’ve left no stone unturned?

Because the answers will be different for each family and individual, I’m going to help you answer the above questions for yourself. First, by dispelling some myths about dance training.

Myth:

If my child wants to advance or get ahead he/she needs lots of experiences with different dance styles.

Experience and exposure in a variety of dance styles is important for creating versatile dancers and may even be a necessity for aspiring professionals. Being well-rounded in dance is a good thing. Exposure to different dance forms, starting at a young age, is a great thing. So where’s the myth? It lies in the misplaced emphasis on experience and omission of training. Experience and training are two different things, and I’ll add a third level… exposure. To get ahead, your dancer needs a healthy balance of all three.

Exposure = Watching a variety of dancers, styles, and performances; Making contact with other students and professionals; Reading about dance or dance artists

Experience = Getting a taste of alternative ways of moving and patterning dance; Learning a dance; Participating in a performance; Working with master teachers or choreographers;

Training = Engaging in a course of study that prepares a dancer for the physical, cognitive, and mental requirements of codified dance forms/techniques; specialized practice and instruction over a period of time

When parents see a class that incorporates ballet, tap, and jazz in a single hour class, they may think that this is three times the experience for the price of one. Exposure, yes. Experience, maybe. Training, no.

The child in this situation has less time to develop in any one of these areas and in terms of training, often ends up shortchanged. “Combo” classes, or classes that combine two dance forms are not entirely a bad thing. Young recreational students may benefit from experiencing more than one dance style before deciding where to focus their efforts later. However if, later on, their in-class effort and focus on technique is still only 20 minutes because their hour is continually spent on learning choreography and preparing for performances, the value of their experience is diminished. They are no longer moving beyond the experiencing realm, and no amount of performing, competing, or exposure will make up for this.

Reality:

• One hour of solid, well-thought training in a single dance form is better than ten hours of experience.
• Training, whether focusing on ballet, contemporary, jazz, or tap techniques can always be built upon with the addition of other styles.
• An experience can rock your world but it can’t substitute for consistent effort and instruction.
• Good training roots exposure and experience, and allows versatility to flower.

What It Means To Be Well-Rounded

A well-rounded dancer has a balanced education with equal parts exposure, experience, and training.

4 Signs Your Exposure-Experience-Training Balance Is Off

1. Preparing a single dance routine requires months of preparation. (Well-trained dancers are prepared for what is given to them, dancers who only have experience under their belt have a steeper learning curve because they must digest and acquire skills as they go.)
2. Technique is the add-on in your regimen, while classes like ballet or jazz are spent learning choreography in that style.
3. You have lots of exposure but within only a small range of activities. For example, maybe you devour everything about ballet but skip the article on improvisation, or watch major network dance competitions but pass on PBS, or travel every week to competitions but have never seen a live professional performance.
4. You engage in tunnel-vision training (yes, a dancer’s balance can be overly focused on training, not allowing for diverse experiences or exposure).

Take some time to evaluate your child’s training. The time spent in additional classes should be relative to true desire and interest. It is important to build your repertoire of dance styles but look for a studio that sticks to the mission of providing an uninterrupted core of technique classes, while offering a chance to “taste” a variety of performance styles and choreography during workshops, via visiting teachers, conventions, and going to see dance performances.

When Is Too Much Not Enough?

As I’ve begun writing this series a theme has emerged. The query above may seem like a riddle but actually it’s not meant to confound and can be answered in many different ways. Through this series, I hope to continue to address this as an underlying question to your concerns about striking balance in your dancer’s study without turning over every stone.

What are other signs that a dance education is not well-rounded?

Can you think of other myths or questions you might have as a parent?

Pas de Deux: Two Career Dancers On Pregnancy

Can a professional dancer maintain her career and be a mom, too?

For a long time women in dance were discouraged from becoming mothers and having a child would have ended a performing career. As gender inequality issues rose to the surface of public consciousness in the 1960′s, ballerinas like Allegra Kent began to challenge the notion that a professional performance career and motherhood were mutually exclusive pursuits. However, it is within only the last 10 to 15 years that support from dance companies and organizations has made it possible for more mothers to continue and pursue their careers in dance.

Balancing any career with motherhood has its challenges but mother/dancers certainly face some unique concerns and questions. To produce a picture of what it is like for mothers who are also professional dancers, I spoke with two dancing moms, one a ballet dancer, one a contemporary dance artist and choreographer. In this first installment, we discuss pregnancy and what it is like to dance and perform while expecting.

Mother/Dancer

Born in Dallas, Texas, Sara Webb trained at the Academy of Nevada Dance Theatre and the Harid Conservatory. She joined Houston Ballet in 1997 and was made a principal in 2003. She has performed leading roles in the company’s classical and repertory works, including her favorites, the title roles in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella and Glen Tetley’s Voluntaries. In 2007, following a c-section for the birth of her son Joshua, Sara was able to return to class after 4 weeks and was back to work full-time after 7 weeks. She is now 16 weeks (4 months) pregnant with her second child and will perform this Mother’s Day weekend in a three free performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre. For Sara, motherhood was always part of the plan. “Ever since I was a little girl I had two dreams. One was to become a ballerina and the other was to be a mom.”

Toni Leago Valle received a B.A. in Theatre, specializing in dance, from University of Houston in 2000 and at 30 embarked on a professional dance career. As can be typical for a contemporary dance artist, her occupational resumé is diverse. She performs with many of Houston’s top contemporary dance companies and teaches at University of Houston (UH). As an independent choreographer, Toni has staged three evening-length works and, entering into a new phase, her dance company, 6 Degrees, will debut on May 13 on a split bill concert alongside Amy Ell’s company Vault. Toni is also Project Coordinator for Dance Source Houston, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting dance and, in addition, handles administrative, production and promotional services for several local art organizations.  In 2005, just two weeks before she delivered her son, Dante, Toni premiered a solo, inspired by Japanese Butoh dance, titled I Am Mother. She too was back to rehearsal after 7 weeks. “I was amazed how fast my body remembered how to go upside down.  It was like welcoming an old friend.”

All In The Timing? Deciding To Start A Family

“You’ll be able to dance a lot longer than you’ll be able to have babies,” Toni was once told by choreographer, Karen Stokes. Though she has now found this to be true, (“I’m 41, still going strong.”), Toni had a late start in her professional career and thought she had to get in as much dance as possible before having a child. “I didn’t believe I would be able to dance after having a baby; that having both a child and an active dance career would be too demanding.”

Sara and Toni acknowledge that many professional dancers choose to retire from performance before having children. “It takes an amazing amount of energy to maintain a home and family when children are small. It’s a 24 -hour job.” Reflecting on what she has witnessed in contemporary dance, Toni says, “I think most mothers choose their families with the idea that they will return to performing as their child gets older. Then they find it hard to make their way back.” In ballet, a return after long absence is even less likely. Says Sara, “You have to want both. Not everyone wants to have kids while they are dancing.”

Sara feels supported in her decision to become a parent and attributes much of this to the Artistic Director of Houston Ballet, Stanton Welch. “Stanton comes from a family of dancers. He watched his own mother have children and then return to the stage. He understands, supports, and encourages dancers to have families and return to dancing. ”

Staying Healthy

The guidelines for maintaining a healthy pregnancy are generally the same whether a mother is dancing or not — plenty of rest, awareness in terms of over-doing it, pack healthy snacks and drink lots of water. Sara also suggests that a dancer must “be smart in how you rehearse and communicate with those that you are working with.” Toni adds that continuing to dance during pregnancy was important for her mental health as well. “Without dance, I might have killed my husband, then gone on a shooting spree,” she jokes.

When asked if performing while pregnant requires any special precautions, Sara cites only the safety measures one would normally uphold in dance. In fact, for her it’s about making sure her partner is comfortable with “partnering a pregnant lady.”

Both during and after pregnancy, mothers deal with monumental changes in the body. Sara returned to dance even after her c-section.”I wasn’t expecting one and I had to work really hard to find and strengthen my core muscles again.” In a blog post for En Pointe with Houston Ballet, Sara writes, “I started walking around my neighborhood, Joshua in tow, every day.  After two weeks, and having a little more bounce in my stride, I went to the gym.  I tried to do some crunches and pilates moves – unbeknownst to my doctor who would have killed me—without much success. Yes, I was crazy! But by week four I was feeling stronger (thanks to Amy Ell at Houston Gyrotonics for helping me find my core again).”

A Unique Pas de Deux

I have offered my own pregnancy tips and touched on how it felt for me to dance and teach while pregnant in an earlier article, Baby On Board. However, every pregnancy is different, as Sara corroborates, “I am sicker, more tired, and carrying this baby a lot lower. While I am calmer this second time around, there are always those concerns that never go away with pregnancy.”

Every mother is different also and dancing while pregnant is a singular experience.”I found pregnancy itself to be a bit alien and not at all normal. However, performing live while pregnant has been a memorable experience,” Toni explains. Naturally, she channeled her experiences into her work as a choreographer. “Knowing nothing on real mothering, I researched Mother and Fertility Goddesses from various cultures. I wanted to give an essence of mothers- not the kind, loving, care-giver we normally associate with mothers, but the strength behind the mother- the person who would kill you if you threaten her child, the mother who will starve so that her baby will live. This was the mother image I understood and related to.”

Sara embraces dancing while pregnant in a contrasting, but equally poetic and meaningful way. “When you dance it is always just you, one person, alone in your art. Sure, there are partners and other dancers that could be with you, but you are still one dancer. Dancing pregnant I am two. I always feel that little spirit with me, whether kicking, pushing, or just being. It is a unique experience that is hard to put into words. I also find that little one gives you extra strength, pushing you forward when the fatigue wants to pull you back. You become a team. I look forward to telling each of my kids someday what it was like to dance with them, a unique pas de deux that not all dancers get to experience.”

Part Two of mothers in dance (on managing a career and family) tomorrow on Dance Advantage!

On May 7, 8, and 9, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Sara Webb will perform with Houston Ballet at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. The free performances will feature three diverse works by three of today’s most sought-after choreographers. Call 281.FREE.FUN (281-373-3386) for further ticket information or visit www.milleroutdoortheatre.com.

On May 13-15 and 20-22 at 8:00 p.m. Toni Leago Valle will premiere her company 6º in a joint performance with Amy Ell’s Vault at DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway, Houston, TX, 77002. For more information, visit www.amyell.com or www.6degreesdance.org.

Why Dance Matters to YOU

Throughout the Why Dance Matters event, fabulous submissions were received from people who wanted to share why dance matters to them. Below, I believe I’ve gathered most of the posts. However, if yours is not listed please feel free to add a link in the comments. As for the hundreds of tweets posted via the #whydancematters hashtag on Twitter, I can only say I am in absolute AWE of what can be said in 140 characters! Bravo.

If you’d like to continue the conversation, share and discuss Why Dance Matters on Facebook via its NEW page!

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Why Dance Matters to YOU

Meg Mahoney, a full-time dance specialist in a public elementary school has been prolifically blogging concise thoughts in a series about Why Dance Matters. Below are the links but I suspect she has more to say on the topic so stay tuned to her blog.

• Why Dance Matters: it transforms
• Why Dance Matters — it’s contagious — in a good way
• Why Dance Matters: it nurtures our better selves
• Why Dance Matters: it’s for yourself alone
• Why Dance Matters: it’s fun!
• Why Dance Matters: it’s a break for the body & mind
• Why Dance Matters: it’s playful
• Why Dance Matters: more voices from the dance classroom

Maria Hanley, in addition to her interview with 4 and 5 year olds, interviewed her parents and a students’ mommy to find out Why Dance Matters to them!

• Interview with Mom and Dad
• Thoughts from a Student’s Mommy

The artists of Indigenous Pitch Dance Collective, through the art of dance, assist and nurture children affected by natural and/or socioeconomic disasters, fulfilling this mission with performances, residencies and workshops throughout the United States and abroad. Here are their reasons…

• Indigenous Pitch » 3 Reasons #WhyDanceMatters
• Indigenous Pitch » Dance and Health, 3 More Reasons #WhyDanceMatters

More participants provide their reasons in written form…

• Reflections in Verse and Prose: The Healing Art of Dance Therapy
• Moving together « We Dance With Dolphins
• Letters (and a Poem) from Leaping Legs
• Shelley’s Bellydance Adventures
• Why Dance Matters to Leslea Clark
• Why Does Dance Matter? « Random Connections

And video…

See Why Dance Matters to Leslea’s students too: Uptown Dance: Why Dance Matters

Reaching onward and outward…

• The Menomonee Club Shows Why Dance Matters (Chicago, IL, U.S.)
• Twitter Recap at Awareness Musings (Seattle, WA, U.S.)
• The Ballet Bag (U.K.)
• Elbaz Dance (Israel)
• Asha World Dancers (Nevada, U.S.)
• @NuevoDance “We all need a way -- our own way -- to change the world for the better.”
• @pinkypatchy04 Dance can transform a mediocre day into a joyous one. Dance inspires us to transcend the ordinary & become greater
• @nanckj watching my students grow, being a mentor & friend. A positive spot in their day! Making sure they have self confidence
• @youdancefunny: Dance taught me to be happy with who I saw in the mirror and because of that I finally became human.
• @kinetic_element when I am happy, when I am sad, when I am angry -- dance is always there for me
• @seenfromafar because it lets me express my most profound hopes, enamored daydreams, deep insecurities, and cherished memories
• More #whydancematters

Thanks for taking the time to participate and affirm why dance matters.

YOU made Why Dance Matters special!

At The Heart Of The Matter: Our 300th Post!

Many thanks again to René Michaels for the use of his fabulous photo. Click to see more of his work.

A number of weeks ago, I decided I wanted to do something special to celebrate National Dance Week on the blog. Realizing that April was a huge month for arts awareness, I decided to utilize social media to focus on dance (all kinds of dance) in a way that would form a bridge of conversation connecting these campaigns and the artists, dancers, and communities that support them. I’d like to say I spent a ton of time planning, organizing, and more but well, to be honest, I just jumped in to see where this big/little idea would carry me.

What I’d hoped was that Why Dance Matters would be fun and exciting for the community that has grown up around Dance Advantage, and that these folks would help to spread enthusiasm among dancers on Facebook. What was unexpected, as things unfolded, was the way the idea spread elsewhere to places like Twitter (thanks to Marc Kirschner of TenduTV who first suggested the #whydancematters hashtag) and was picked up by bloggers and organizations with whom I have had little to no association.

And so carry me, it did! The contributions to this conversation, this affirmation, this confirmation that dance does indeed matter to so many, for so many powerful and meaningful reasons… how validating for this dancer, for this teacher, and for this writer/appreciator of words!

As I looked ahead at the calendar, I spotted something else unexpected… I wish I could claim I masterminded this, but in truth it is a happy accident that this final day of Why Dance Matters is perfectly aligned to accommodate the 300th article posted to this site.

Without further ado…

The Heart Of The Matter

I have already contributed some of my thoughts on why dance matters in a universal sense. Here is my personal reflection:

There are intellectual reasons dance matters to me as an individual. That there are millions of ways to explore, capture, uncover, understand, implement, manipulate, and communicate through and within dance keeps me forever intrigued by possibility. This goes for training, teaching, creating, and performing movement. There are the physical benefits to dance. A body made to move feels and functions better in motion. There is emotional connectedness. When I dance I am linked to a community, to humanity, to a past, to a present, to a future. I am connected to myself, embracing choices big and small that sometimes surprise even me… I could go on about the number of ways dance fascinates.

I don’t have clear memories of a time in my life when dance was not a presence. And yet, there have been many occasions when I might have walked away from it altogether, taking some other path. So here I am digging deep into first encounters to find the reasons why I never can or could.

Though my brother and I had much love, much support, much for which I am grateful, my elementary school years were a tumultuous time in our household. The details are not necessary – a scenario that plays out in thousands of homes when parents do the best they can but little ears still hear, little eyes still see, and little hearts soak up the uncertainty around them. That my mom had danced as a girl, that a new studio opened in town: these circumstances led me to dance. Somewhat shy, I took to nonverbal expression. I was studious, aiming to please. In dance I found something I was good at. Something that made me feel special. In dance I found teachers who believed in me even when I did not. I felt in control of what happened in the studio and, in addition to instruction, I was given the tools to create and make my own choices about movement. In essence, dance punched holes in the veil of powerlessness that threatened my light and joy. I’m positive others have experienced this sense of powerlessness in childhood or at any age and so I am getting personal for a moment in this public space to say, Dance empowered me and it still does. And that’s why dance matters to me.

While we had an amazing turnout on Facebook, the site’s most recent changes interfered with my ability to communicate directly with those who opted to participate in our event. While disappointing, I am wowed that so many chose to join up! Now you can continue the conversation, share and discuss Why Dance Matters on Facebook via its NEW page!

Click here

Sunday Snapshot: A Field Of Blue

Today’s photo was taken at a Multicultual Celebration in Jerome, Idaho. The youth dancers, about 1400 of them, come from several different counties. The girls on the stage auditioned and were selected to be part of a specialty team which consisted of 20 young women. The photo has an interesting perspective with so many dancers creating a sea of arms at the foot of the stage. Something about the streamers and v-shaped wingspan reminds me of paper cranes!

About the photographer: Jolene Toland’s efforts to preserve memories through photography has expanded into a full fledge hobby. In fact, on any given day she, her friends, and/or family head off on photo safaris. Jolene has won several first, second, and third place awards at both local and state levels. The subject of most of her dance photography has been her own daughter but dance has always been a passion of Jolene’s. She says, “I love dancing and have had the privilege of watching my own daughter grow and learn through dance. It is her emotional outlet and way of expressing the poetry that is in her to the world.” It is her daughter’s own unique journey in dance, as well as a desire to provide hard-working young dancers with scholarship opportunities that has led Jolene in efforts to plan and design the Showcase Yourself Scholarship Dance Competition. “It is my way of giving back to the dance community.” For more information and news visit showcaseyourself.blogspot.com

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