Summing Up The Summit

Three days goes by really fast.

Spend three days at a conference for dance teachers (like I did in early August at the Dance Teacher Summit in NYC) and you just might feel as though a tornado spat you out on the doorstep upon your return home. In fact, I can sympathize with poor Dorothy. Having been whisked off to a colorful place filled with compelling characters, I woke up a little woozy, too… and you were there, and you were there, and you… And also like Dorothy, I found myself back at home with very little physical evidence that I had actually been there! I am afraid I am as neglectful at photography as Miss Gale is at landing houses. C’est la vie!

So, instead of actual snapshots I’m sharing some of the thoughts and impressions I picked up along the yellow brick road (I promise that’s the last Wizard of Oz reference). I hope you’ll use, think about, or act upon these little nuggets from the Dance Teacher Summit. I had a great time collecting them for you.

Please note that unless quotations are used, I am paraphrasing as nearly as I can the awesome info shared by these esteemed guest artists.

Break the mold

When competing students, consider the body of work which you are presenting. Prepare the students well and diversify. Not everyone will fit that “contemporary, acoustic” mold. You have students in the back row on those numbers waiting to soar with their strengths in other realms. Mandy Moore had a ton of great things like this to say in her open conversation with attendees about competition mistakes.

Preparing for partnering

When you are getting ready for partnering (or helping to prepare students for partnering) both the guys and girls need to have a strong core. Pilates is great for that. In addition, according to Keith Roberts (Come Fly With Me, ABT, Twyla Tharp Dance), what guys need more than a ton of push-ups, is to build leg strength. Girls need to get strong too and a great exercise for women, according to Laurie Kanyok (Come Fly With Me, Movin Out, Fosse): practice smoothly lifting yourself up and out of a swimming pool with your arms. Summer’s not yet over so give that one a try!

Top secret

There is a recipe for good pirouettes and an essential ingredient is an effective downward plié and push into the floor. Think of an old-fashioned top and where its power to spin comes from. The button spirals down into the mechanism, and when it rises it spins beautifully with ease on that little point. Thanks to Finis Jhung for that theft-worthy image!

Teacher rewards

The love and fire and soul you give away today as a teacher will return to you. Your students will give back to you and lift you up and heal your spirit, perhaps when you need it most. Frank Hatchett is an inspirational example and after a fun, classic, jazz class, his beautiful message sent us out the door.

Let it flow

Kathy Blake offered many quotable thoughts in her session on Studio Ethics. You don’t have to own a studio to be inspired by this: Being a positive problem solver, one with high levels of integrity and maturity, is not inherent or natural to most people. It is a choice you make every day to “be bigger than the problem you are solving.” As a leader you must help people adhere to your policies and procedures because what you put up with, you give permission to. Know that it is okay and the natural course of things to let people (including students) flow into your life, but also out of your life and studio.

Purposeful props

Just about anything is a prop when you are working with little ones and you should keep that in mind when you visit dollar stores and shops. In addition to sparking imaginations, they are great for helping young dancers work together and learn to do basic partner work and formations. Have children share and pass a prop to learn how to take turns and promenade (walk) around a partner. Or, use floor mats or other markers to aim and stop at a point in the space when crossing the floor. I loved the Ribbon Rings used by Beverly Spell in her Props & Across The Floor Session. Purchase these and other great materials at Leap ‘N Learn. And check out Maria Hanley’s homemade ribbon rings (with directions) at Maria’s Movers.

Counting and rhythm

To help your students develop understanding of rhythm and timing, address their developmental needs. When working with 3 to 5 year-olds, use pictures. Relate the step or movement to something that they can visually picture in their mind. Kids this age can’t associate number counts to beats of the music, associate numbers with the amount of times you do a step instead.  For ages 5 to 7, use pictures in conjunction with sounds relative to their movement (like zip, boom, tat).  Kids can come up with fun sounds too.  Start to associate numbers with the beat of the music and introduce some musical theory. For ages 8 and up, along with pictures and sounds, use counts.  By now students should be able to associate number counts with an 8-count of music and they are capable of learning where to start count 1 in a phrase of music. Tricia Gomez of HYPE Studios and Dance -- In a Box, packed a ton of great teaching tips into her Hip-Hop for All Ages seminar.

Give studio parents some face time

Your studio Facebook page (that’s the one with the big ‘Like’ button) provides a great platform for your school to become “the thread woven throughout your community.” Use it to share links and news from the broader arts and dance world and to connect with businesses, organizations, and events in your local community. Better still, says Suzanne Blake Gerety in her session on Social Media, spread goodwill (and probably get a little returned to you) by making it a point to connect with the local businesses and pages for dance parents at your studio.

Return to one’s roots

Dance is for everyone. We are deeply connected to movement as a means of expressing the human experience. Reconnecting to that basic need to dance is just joyous. It isn’t necessarily a lesson I had forgotten but I know few teachers who communicate our shared history in dance as well or as enthusiastically as Thom Cobb. It’s been years since I took his “Vintage Jazz” at Slippery Rock University as a student and dance major, and I was glad to be reminded how much I like “killin’ time” with TC. Waaw!

Avoid the scribble and scramble

Carry business cards. Okay, that one is just my own advice for any teacher that finds themselves at a conference or out in public for that matter. Hey, it doesn’t happen often; take advantage when it does! It was so fun seeing excited teachers meet and share resources and advice with someone new at the Summit. Inevitably I watched many do the scribble and scramble as they tried to quickly exchange information before the next session, while others easily exchanged cards.

Be generous with who you are

At the Dance Teacher Summit I had the great fortune to meet a few of you, along with a number of brand new names and faces. In addition, I met in person some friends I first encountered via Twitter and only previously interacted with online.

With many of these friends I have shared tweets, emails, and phone calls over the last year or more. Among the group are Suzanne Blake Gerety of DanceStudioOwner.com, Maria Hanley of Maria’s Movers (see Maria’s Summit wrap-up here), Leslea Clark of Uptown Dance (see Leslea’s Summit reflections here), Chad Michael Lawson of Real Deal Dance Marketing, José Ramirez of Backdrops Beautiful (see Jose’s post on our little Tweetup here), and Marc Kirschner of TenduTV.

Following the summit Suzanne wrote something about her experience that I’d like to share with you.

“When you’re being generous with who you are, what you stand for, what you’re passionate about, and truly being social…the ripple effect of a tweet can’t be measured.”

Whether it is online or at a conference like the Dance Teacher Summit, I’ve found it immeasurably important for teachers, dancers, and artists to find opportunities to encounter new ideas and validate ‘old’ ones by spending time with others in their field. The Dance Teacher Summit was a success because so many wonderful professionals, both well-known and not, shared their generosity and passion for dance with peers and colleagues. I encourage you to be generous with who you are as often as you can manage it. It is really the only way to make great connections online and off.

I hope to see you next year at Dance Teacher Summit 2011!

Unite … Share … Inspire

Some clips from the DTS 2010 Gala, courtesy Leslea of Uptown Dance NJ

Special thanks to all the Dance Teacher Summit organizers and staff for a great time!

9 Tips for Improving Pirouettes

This post first appeared in April 2008. I have added additional thoughts and links.

1. Engage your core muscles to maintain good alignment during the turn.
2. Every turn is a balance, so practice balancing the position in which you want to turn (retiré, a la seconde, etc.)
3. Spot and keep your eyes off the floor (or that’s where you’ll end up).
4. Use only enough push to get around – sometimes a dance student’s biggest downfall in pirouettes is pushing so hard that they throw the turn off.
5. “Connect” your arms to your back – you should feel and imagine width across the back and shoulder blades and the arms should maintain their position (don’t “wind-up” for a turn)
6. Take off from a properly placed and expansive plié for power in the turn.
7. Strengthen your ankles supporting the relevé – if you are wobbly, sickled, or pronated, this will ruin your turn.
8. Mentally, make a choice to come down from the turn, don’t “let” gravity make the choice for you.
9. Visualize yourself doing a beautiful, clean pirouette – it really does help!

Pirouettes are not an easy movement. Anyone can whip themselves around but it takes practice, strength, and good alignment to perform a quality pirouette. The foundation of a successful pirouette is barre and center fundamentals like plié, relevé, etc. Work on getting a good, clean single pirouette first (with a strong grasp on the elements above), then progress to multiples. Don’t give up! Apply your teacher’s corrections and be patient, allowing your confidence to grow as you see improvement. Soon, you will be able to do multiple pirouettes.

Food For Thought:

Years ago, during a master class with Kenneth Laws on the physics of dance I learned that, when asked how they hold their arms during a pirouette, most dancers will show you a nice, round, proper 1st position. However, after studying footage of excellent turners, he found that they all brought their arms closer to their body than is proper for a 1st position port de bras. When you think of how an ice skater spins, you will probably understand why. It was an example that illustrated that a dancer’s intuitive response to what physics requires is sometimes contradictory to what we are taught or think to be true.

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You may also be interested in…

Defining and Dissecting a Piqué Turn

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What are some other tips that you can offer or have been given to you?

What do you find most difficult about pirouettes?

Guest Post: The Professional Dancer’s Survival Kit

Do you have an interest in taking your dancing to the professional level?

Our guest post today is by Ashani Kiner, an experienced dancer, teacher, and business owner. She is offering sound advice for those who wish to pursue a career in dance.

Here are some inside tips on what you need to survive in your career as a professional dancer:

1. Realistic Expectations

If you think that because you were the strongest dancer at your local dance studio, in your high school, or anything along those lines, that you will automatically be highly sought after as a professional, you will get a pretty harsh reality check when you see some of your competition in the professional dance world. My advice is, know your strengths, and always play them up, along with your uniqueness as a dancer. Additionally, learn your areas of weakness, and work tirelessly on getting stronger in those areas. Understand that there will be auditions and jobs that you simply won’t get based on politics, type-casting, or other non-personal reasons, so you must develop a tough skin in order to survive.

2. Professional Photos/ Resume

This goes without saying. Presentation is everything, so don’t scrimp on your photos. Save up the money you need in order to get professional photos taken. Also, make sure that your resume is in the proper format for performing arts resumes, which is different from the format for a regular job resume.

3. An Education and Other Non-Dance Related Skills

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, and after having that experience, I highly recommend getting a college degree. I also have a B.A. in Hispanic Studies, as I always wanted to have something else to fall back on, in case I ever got injured or something, and could no longer dance. Maybe college isn’t for you, or you can’t afford it. Finish high school, in the least, and involve yourself in professional internships, or other jobs, to develop your skills, and build a professional resume. This will not only help you to have a more successful career as a professional dancer, but it will allow you to have more options when you’re in between dance jobs, or still building your dance resume.

4. An Emergency Fund

Financial pressure is real! Unless you’re living at home with Mom and Dad, or have someone sponsoring your daily living expenses, you’re going to need money to survive. Most importantly, with the many inconsistencies in this business, you will need to have some serious savings to carry you through the slow times and unexpected emergencies. Not to mention, to free you from doing “anything” to make a quick buck, because you’re desperate for money. That’s never a good frame of mind to be in.

5. A Support System

Whether it’s your faith, your friends, or your family, you will definitely need some support outside of yourself from time to time, when you don’t get that job or audition that you really wanted. Or, for those days when you look at your bank account, or how hard you’re working, and wonder if it’s all worth it.

Plus 3 More Survival Tips:

• A Healthy Lifestyle — It is very important to eat healthy and stay in shape. You want to be ready at any time for great, unexpected dance opportunities.
• A Habit of Learning and Growing – From taking dance classes regularly, to learning from online videos/classes, or simply working on your skills/choreography in your home, you must continuously strengthen your skills, feed your creativity, and challenge yourself.
• Tenacity, Persistence, and a Positive Attitude — The only true failure is giving up. Don’t let rejection, other people’s success, or a longer road to your dreams than you expected, get you down. Nothing worth having comes easily. You must fight for your dream, and know that everything happens for a reason. The path that is for you, is specially-made for you only. So, don’t focus on others, on your obstacles, or setbacks, focus solely on being and doing your best in all that you do.

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Ashani Kiner, a New York City native, graduated from Connecticut College with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. She has 20 yrs of experience in the dance industry and has trained, taught, and performed at the world-famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in NYC. She has also taught at Ballet Hispanico, as well as numerous NY Metropolitan area dance studios, public and private schools, and non-profit arts organizations.

She is also the president and CEO of Kiner Enterprises Inc., the first dance teacher staffing agency in the U.S. They provide dance teachers in all genres of dance, with credits ranging from former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company members, Broadway and Broadway tour performers, dancers and choreographers for recording artists such as, Ashanti, Beyonce, Kat DeLuna, Hannah Montana, and Snoop Dogg, as well as the Knicks City Dancers, and dance companies including, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, The San Francisco Ballet, and Complexions.

Follow Kiner Enterprises via Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Back to School 2009 — Student Edition

Hope you had a wonderful summer! Did you do some dancing? Are you excited for the dance season to begin (or has it already)? Here are some past Dance Advantage posts that will help to prepare you for the year ahead.

Getting Your Head in the Game

• Strengths and Weaknesses — We’ve all got ‘em! Read how to make the most of yours!
• I Can’t! — You CAN overcome the I Can’ts. Don’t miss this one!
• 7 Ways Dance is Like Learning the ABC’s — I challenge YOU to come up with the 7th!
• Approaching Your Teacher or Studio Owner — You don’t have to be proposing something BIG to make use of these ways to suggest your ideas to a teacher. Let your voice heard in a way that will make your teacher want to listen!

Choreography

• Strategies for Remembering Choreography
• How To Make Choreography “Your Own”

Performance

• 7 Secrets of Super Performers (Improving Your Performance Skills)
• What Is Artistry and How Do I Develop It?

Pretty Self-Explanatory!

• How to Be a Great Teacher’s Assistant
• How NOT To Ask a Question in Dance Class

More, more, more!

Tune up your Technique

There are articles and how-to’s in our Toolbox about turns, jumps, strengthening exercises, common corrections (like sickling) and more. Looking for something specific? Do a keyword search on the home page!

Brush up on Vocabulary

Confused or need to know more about the terminology used in your classes? Click the image below for related posts or do a search!

College Students

Check out the College Guide Series!

Strategies for Remembering Choreography

Ever have trouble remembering what comes next in a dance?

One of the common struggles students face in class is recalling the sequence of choreography. Particularly, if you are a beginning student, you may not have yet developed the tools needed to quickly retain passages of movement. Everyone is different and you will need to find what works for you. The following are just a few techniques you might try the next time your teacher gives a combination.

Look for the Pattern

Choreography is not typically one, long, string of unrelated movements, though when it is given more quickly than you are used to, it can seem so. Generally you will be shown a sequence more than once. If you’re struggling to keep up with the rush of information coming your way, it may help to focus on the pattern first and worry about the movement second.

The pattern may relate to number of repetitions. For instance, 4 front, 4 side, 2 front, 2 back, 1 front, 1 side, 1 front, 1 back — it may seem an odd pattern, but if you’ve retained at least this, filling in the blanks will be easier.  Patterns may also be directional. Perhaps the choreography travels to the down-stage corner, faces upstage, downstage, then moves stage right.

Focus on One Aspect of the Choreography

Pattern is just one element of choreography. You might also choose to focus on other components, one at a time, to construct the sequence in your body and mind. For example, try focusing your attention on the feet alone if combining the arms, head, and rhythms all at once is proving to be too much information. This doesn’t mean you have to leave the other elements out altogether. Do what you can, but give yourself permission to let one thing go for the sake of absorbing the details of another. You can always layer the movements with more detail as you go.

Attach a Visual Image

Sometimes attaching a mental image to a step or series of steps can help you to put things in order. The movement’s name may offer clues – for instance Pas de Chat is “step of the cat.” This swift jump directly relates to the pounce of a feline. However, sometimes movements don’t have names or at least not ones that correspond to an image. So, it’s okay to attach your own visuals and/or terminology… no matter how strange.

What does each movement or series of steps bring to mind? Maybe your sequence looks like this: chopping vegetables, waves crashing, popcorn, ice skating. As long as the images make sense to you, you will likely be able to keep these images in order, aiding your memory of the choreography itself.

Write it Down

Sometimes the act of writing, or seeing words or sketches on a page can solidify a chain of movement, particularly if there will be some time before your next class or rehearsal. You might try writing down the choreography (in whatever way suits you) as soon as possible after your class. This is not a technique that works for everyone and I have seen students get too attached to their new “cheat sheet. ” The key is remembering that this device is capturing memories you have not creating memories where there are none. The choreography is already stored in your body, putting it on the page is just mental repetition.

Repetition

Speaking of repetition, there are lots of ways you might apply this prominent memory device. Though practicing “full-out” is most helpful, “marking” the movement can also be beneficial. Try marking as much as you can as the teacher demonstrates the combination or, whenever there are spare and appropriate moments during the class – while the first group performs, while the teacher is working independently with someone else, etc.

When there is a moment in the sequence that you trip or get stuck on each time it is performed. Try performing the movement prior, the problem spot, and the moment following, three or more times in a row. Then perform the whole thing again. You may find that this helps to correct the gap in memory you’ve been experiencing.

Also, never underestimate both mental (i.e. visualizing the choreography) and physical practice. This kind of repetition not only solidifies your memories but will bring to light the segments of the combination that seemed clear in class but are trouble spots in your memory.

Sing the Rhythm

Sometimes thinking of dance as a rhythm or melody can assist your recollection of the choreography. Your movement may alreay by set to music, however, the dance itself has a rhythm or phrasing. Try to focus on this and even “sing” it to yourself as you move or recall the movement. Many teachers do this when teaching the movement. It’s very common in tap (Shelly Oliver does it about 20 seconds into the video below) but it is certainly possible in other styles.

No matter what strategies you use to remember choreography…

Don’t Rely Too Much on Others

Many students will depend heavily on the teacher or other students when performing movement. I like to call this “brain-sucking” because when you do this you are leeching the movement sequence from someone else without actually retaining much of it in your own brain. The danger of this is that when that person is no longer performing the choreography or makes a mistake, you will be unable to perform accurately. When attempting the choreography after it has been given, try to keep your focus off of those around you – looking ahead or changing your focus as required in the choreography. A little brain-sucking is normal, however, I find that most students don’t need to do it as much as they think, which brings me to…

Trust Your Motor Memory

Your brain and body have an amazing capacity to “remember” movement patterns, pathways, and relationships. The mechanics and neuroscience of this is not completely understood. Like all skills,  however, motor memory (sometimes referred to as muscle memory), seems to be learned and improved through practice and experience. As you are learning, it pays to trust these neuromuscular systems to do their work. Do not let lack of confidence or “overthinking” undermine the relatively natural process that your mind and body go through as you learn and practice choreography. Replace negative thoughts with positive and affirming ones.

Do you use other memory devices for recalling choreography?

What strategies can you share?

Backstage Bliss: 11 Guidelines for Students in a Dance Recital

Whether it is your first recital or your fourteenth, it never hurts to be reminded about proper backstage etiquette and behavior. Your studio owners and teachers may have specific regulations and procedures for you to follow. Adhering to these rules helps the performance to run smoothly for you and the others around you. Recitals can be hectic and stressful for those trying to make the day/evening go off without a hitch. I know your teachers will appreciate not having to remind you or your friends of these basics on recital day.

1. Don’t mess with other people’s props or costumes

This is a top directive of any backstage situation. Playing with or moving someone else’s props or costume pieces always results in one of the following: A) items will not be in the correct place when they are needed, stalling the show or leaving someone without, B) items get broken, torn, damaged, stalling the show or leaving someone without, C) someone being rather upset with you. If the prop or costume is not yours, don’t touch it! Even if you think it’s in the wrong place and are trying to help, you should just tell the person to whom it belongs or an appropriate adult.

2. Stay in your designated area

I know it can be annoying to be restricted as to where, when, or how you can go somewhere, especially when you are quite familiar with the building or backstage area. It can also be tempting to want to move from your green room (or waiting area) if your friends are required to be in another location. However, it is important to stay where you are supposed to be throughout the recital process. Why? Teachers and recital helpers have a lot of kids to keep track of during a performance. When their requests are ignored, you stand the chance of missing your entrances or causing someone else to miss theirs. Even worse, is that no one knows where to look for you should something unfortunate occur.

3. Bring something to do

Recital performances almost always involve a lot of waiting either during dress rehearsal or on show days or both. Even if you think you’ll be busy, it’s always a good idea to bring something quiet to do backstage as you wait (in your designated area). Some possibilities include a book, a simple card game, pens and paper, coloring books and crayons, puzzle books, even a hand-held video game if the sound can be turned off. It is alright to play games with friends as long as you can keep the noise levels down. Just make sure you are ready and in your next costume before engaging in an activity, and that you can drop what you’re doing immediately when asked to go.

4. Always stay one step ahead

Be on top of things and be responsible for yourself. Don’t rely on others to know what’s next, know where you are supposed to be, or what you have to do – not if you don’t have to or are old enough to do it yourself, anyway. This involves laying out your costumes ahead of time and knowing what order they go on, keeping track of where your dances are in the performance (and what’s before them), knowing what hair or makeup changes are made and when, being sure about which side of the stage you enter from, double checking that you have all you need before you leave the house.

5. Keep socializing to a minimum

There’s a lot of energy in the atmosphere at a performance. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement with your friends backstage, allowing noise levels to escalate and/or creating a distracting environment for yourself or others. To have the best show possible it is important that everyone stay calm and focused. After a successful show is the appropriate time to party. During the show choose calm activities (see #3) to occupy yourself and your friends and reserve your energy for your performance onstage.

6. Stay quiet in the wings

The immediate backstage area is not the place to go over choreography, have a conversation, or ask a question. Sound from backstage can carry surprisingly well to the “house,” or audience. If you are prepared, calm, and focused there should be no reason for talking in the wings. If a peer asks you a question, nod (if the answer is yes or no), and/or calmly remind them to be quiet with the universal symbol at left. Making noise in order to quiet others is not only unhelpful, it doesn’t make much sense! Which leads me to…

7. Be responsible for you and you alone

Unless you are specifically put in charge of a person or group, allow a teacher or someone in authority to take care of any disorderly students. If you know that someone missed being given an important direction, for example, when it is time to line up, calmly let them know and then move along yourself. Don’t waste time helping those who are not helping themselves because your only job is to be responsible for you. When you occupy yourself with what others are or are not doing, you risk missing your own cues, entrances, costume changes, etc.

8. Stay warm, stay safe

It is important to stay safe and free of injury backstage. If you know you have some downtime between numbers, wear a warm-up and/or legwarmers over your next costume (just remember to take them off!), staying active and mobile with full-body movements like noiseless jumping jacks or body swings, and doing some stretching to keep your body warm and limber while you wait. Other safety measures include not wearing soft shoes or bare feet in areas that have not been swept clear (especially in the immediate backstage area where often there can be shards of wood or glass, or things lying about from other performances). Your teachers will let you know if an area is safe to be barefoot but wear shoes/flip-flops if you are going to be moving about backstage in zones that may not have been cleared.

9. Be conscious of bleeding light

This is one that even those helping at a recital sometimes forget. If you’ve ever stood in a dark room when someone opens the door to a room that is lit, you understand that light has a way of “bleeding” into the darkness. This is why it is kept dark in the backstage area with only blue or other filtered lights illuminating the area. Being conscious of this means waiting until someone from the inside (who knows when it is “safe”) opens a door to the backstage area, or listening for the appropriate time yourself. Typically when you know that the dancers onstage are performing and being lit, it is safe to enter but do so quickly, quietly, and close the door behind you. Any light from backstage can affect the lighting design onstage.

10. Be conscious of sight lines

This is another one of which novices to the stage may not be aware. Sight lines are imaginary lines that distinguish what is visible to the audience and what is not. A good rule of thumb is that if you can see an audience member, they can see you. However, you must be aware of your whole body, not just your eyes. When waiting in the wings, it is a good idea to stand close to the curtain (without moving it) and back from the very edge. Some studio owners will place a line of tape for students to stand within or behind when waiting backstage. Though it can be tempting to try to see everything happening onstage, stay out of the audience’s line of sight. If your cue for entering cannot be seen from where you are waiting, dress rehearsal is the time to figure out a new cue!

11. Don’t argue

Last but not least, it is important to be courteous and respectful toward others, especially during a performance. This includes the teachers, parents, and others who are helping backstage at a recital. By showtime you should know (by face, name, or by an identifying badge or button) teh people who have been designated as helpers and what role they play in helping the performance to run smoothly. If you are instructed to do something or go somewhere, asked to quiet down, or are otherwise asked to respond to a request – just do it! Don’t question, don’t argue, don’t grumble.

If you happen to be absolutely positive that you are being misdirected, ask nicely to check the facts – “I am sure that I am to be in Room C, not Room A right now. Can we double check, just to be sure, please?” People’s patience can run thin during a high-stress situation like a performance. If your respectful response is not appreciated, don’t react. Simply do your best to comply with the direction given.

For those of you who still have recitals ahead, I hope that this list will come in handy. Remember that everyone backstage at a performance wants the same thing – a great show that runs smoothly and is fun for the audience and participants. Though the show’s organization may not be something you can control, you still have the power to make sure you are fulfilling your role to the best of your ability. Following these eleven rules of thumb will help to ensure that. Have a great performance!

What are some other things students should do or remember when they are backstage?

What are some things your studio does to keep things running smoothly at a performance?

Defining and Dissecting a Piqué Turn

What is a Piqué Turn?

Generally when a dancer is asked to perform a piqué turn in class, he/she understands that it is likely they are being asked to perform a traveling turn that begins with a step onto a straight leg, as demonstrated at the start of this combination (note: this video is an ad for an online teacher’s resource, however, I’m using the following video because the step is clearly performed, not for any advertising purposes):

What may not be clear to some students, however, is that the piqué turn has several variations. The young lady in the video begins her combination with two piqué tour en dedans (inside/toward the supporting leg). In fact piqué tour* (turn) can be executed en dehors (outside/away from the supporting leg), attitude,  arabesque, or sur le cou-de-pied. It is also important to mention that piqué can be performed without any turn at all. When the term piqué is combined with a pose such as arabesque or even an action like développé, the implication is that one should execute this pose or action by first stepping onto a demi or full pointe with a straight leg. Piqué en arabesque is demonstrated by Susan Jaffe at the ABT Online Dictionary – click here to see the video.

*Also termed pirouette piquée. (Link is to video at ABT’s dictionary. I like that you can manipulate the slider at will, allowing you to see these videos in somewhat slow motion – try it!)

A Note on Terminology

Piquer is a french verb meaning “to sting, bite; to give a shot.” Piqué literally means “pricked.” Obviously this implies a quick and precise action and, although this element of a piqué is sometimes neglected, the step onto a straight leg should in fact be just that – quick and precise.

Piqué is also a term applied in ballet to an action of the leg usually found in exercises at the barre. It refers to a quick and precise rebounding of the toe from the floor, typically following a battement dégagé/tendu jeté, or a grand battement. In the following video dancers from Columbus City Ballet School execute such a combination.

Performing Piqué tour en dedans

As the en dedans version of piqué turns is the most common, I’d like to dissect the parts of this movement as well as offer some things to keep in mind during its execution.

Preparation

• There are several methods of preparing for a piqué turn. Some begin with a demi-rond de jambe, others with a dégagé to side or to the front. Your teacher will probably let you know which version he/she prefers, if not ask!
• No matter what you are required to do with the working leg in preparation for the turn, the shift of weight to a straight leg is powered by a plié in the supporting leg. This plié should be well placed with the knee over the second/third toe and all five toes should have contact with the floor, providing a strong base from which to push off. It helps me to think of the elastic connection between my sits bone and heel during the plié, imagine it being pulled taut or spring-loaded like a sling shot ready to be released.
• There is a subtle swivel of the pelvis on the hip that occurs during a piqué turn. As the working leg’s toes meet the ground, the facing of the hips is toward the direction of travel. Most students naturally make this adjustment without thinking about it but, for those that don’t, discussion of this detail may be helpful. Note: instructors are not wrong to have students practice piqué (without a turn) to the side (it is useful to practice piqué in all directions), however the piqué in a piqué turn en dedans actually steps forward, not side.
• The reach of the working leg’s toe is also important in piqué. You must find the balance between reaching too far and not enough. This may be different for everyone. Too far and you will not make it to vertical before the turn must occur (in pointe shoes this can be dangerous), to near and the working leg will bend or the hip will lift. Keep the hips level!

The Turn

• Arrive on the demi/full pointe in “one piece.” Engage the abdominals (as always) and be sure that the shoulders and the hips stay in alignment throughout the shift to the working leg. It is a common mistake for students to “leave behind” either the pelvis or the shoulders. Imagine a blanket stretched behind you, providing a push that supports your whole body as you lift to a shape perfectly balanced and stacked over the toes of your leg.
• A related mistake I often see students make in all traveling turns, is the leaving behind of one shoulder (usually the one opposite the working leg) as they rise to demi/full pointe. This creates a spiral in the body which slows down the turn and often knocks the student off balance.  To combat this direct your mind’s eye to the diagonal connection between the hip and shoulder and think of maintaining this relationship as you turn.
• Turnout of the lifted leg and the axis leg is essential during a piqué turn. Imagine the stripes of a candy cane wrapping upward around your axis leg which is long and straight. As you turn, don’t allow the knee to pull inward, leading the turn around. Instead, imagine the front of the hip has a beam of light that leads the way as the knee trails behind.
• The hips should be level during the turn as well. Often the cause of a lifted hip in retiré is strength related, although sometimes flexibility is a factor. Practice slowly lifting the leg in retiré while facing the barre. Stop lifting when you feel the pelvis shift (your toe may not be all the way to the knee). Talk with your teacher about ways you can increase the height of your retiré without hiking the hip. I’ve found that students sometimes inhibit their retiré by gripping too much. Try allowing someone else to take the weight of your leg by holding it under the thigh just above the knee – feel how the hip can easily drop into place as though there is a weight on a string attached to your sits bone. Try to apply this same feeling of release as you then retiré on your own.
• Be aware that a piqué turn does not include a full 360º rotation. In fact, it is more accurately somewhere between a 1/2 and 3/4 turn from the point that the working leg makes contact with the floor and then is replaced by the other leg during the coupé. This keeps the turn traveling along its intended path. A full turn will send you off course.

The Upper Body

• The arms should never be behind the body during any part of this turn. I have witnessed students opening the initiating arm too much and also forgetting to take the closing arm with them as they shift weight to the working leg. These mistakes create that spiraling action mentioned earlier and is a very inefficient way of turning that will likely knock you off balance. In piqué turn the “follow” arm is very important and should close vigorously, not lag behind.
• Spotting is essential directing the turn along its path. Spotting is probably a post all on its own but think of the neck as being long, soft, and supple as you spot. Something to remember when traveling piqué turns along a circular or curved path is that you will direct your attention to a new spot with each weight shift.
• Your shoulders should stay relaxed and the back should feel wide. Students have a tendency to lift their bodies into piqué with the shoulders instead of creating force from the plié and utilizing the core. Imagine hanging like a tree ornament from a point at the top of your head, beneath this point your neck is long and your shoulders hang low and wide.  I often see shoulder blades pinching together as dancers rotate in their turn. Rather than thinking of creating a hoop that hangs from the front of your body, imagine a full circle created by your arms and back.

The Descent

• As you shift weight back to the supporting leg from retiré, remember that the leg should stay lightly attached to the working leg. Think of drawing a line down the leg with the soon-to-be supporting foot. (Note that the toe should have been attached during the turn as well!)
• Coupé means “cut.” This action of switching back to the supporting leg is another sharp and precise movement that shoots the working leg back to its preperatory position so that it is free to move on to the next turn or other subsequent movement. It replaces the working leg’s foot in space. A common mistake is to make contact with floor somewhere behind the working leg, which is likely to take the rest of the body backward. An aesthetically pleasing piqué turn is “tight,” without a lot of space between the contact points or placement of the feet as they travel across the floor.

Teachers, is there anything else that should be mentioned in regard to the performance of piqué turns en dedans?

Students, any questions or concerns? Post them in the comments!