Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education
The studio I work at has three studios – one large and two small — as well as a small theatre space that seats about 100 people. The two smaller studios and the theatre space have an upright acoustic piano, and the larger studio has a baby grand piano. I actually prefer to play on the upright acoustic pianos as I find their tone more appealing – not to mention the fact that I can get more emotion out of these pianos!
The very first ballet class I played for was a big surprise, because I had no idea what to expect or what would be expected of me by either the teacher or the dancers. I walked into the studio and the first person I saw was the teacher (who seemed to me to be very old), holding a lit cigarette in one hand and a cane in the other!
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A simple series for building arm endurance and strength. Easy to remember, this is a little something you can keep in your “back pocket.” It’s also versatile – make additions, increase repetitions, or add hand weights when it becomes too easy.
[VIDEO] A simple exercise for dance students to do while sitting around. “Toe Sit-ups” encourage awareness and articulation of (or working through) the foot for tendu and pointing. They also strengthen the plantar flexors for pointe work, stability and balance, cushioning landings, and giving power to jumps.
At the Prix de Lausanne, he performed a classical variation from August Bournonville’s La Sylphide and a contemporary solo, Caliban, from Cathy Marston’s The Tempest. In addition to winning PDL’s top prize, Amuchasetgui also brought home the “Audience Favorite” award. In the wake of his win, Amachastegui was kind enough to answer a few questions about his experience at the prestigious competition, his training, and his life outside of dance.
There are a few aspects of televised dance that I find annoying but what I truly love about the success of dance on television is its potential for building awareness of what it is to be a dancer and for expanding the dance audience. I don’t think filmed productions can replace live performance, even the flashy stuff on TV doesn’t come close. It is my hope though that, as its small-screen cousin has done, dance which makes its home in live-performance venues will begin to embrace its inner “hottie” in the coming year.
My First Ballet Collection is a great choice for those wishing to nurture enthusiasm for ballet among children of all ages. Younger children will enjoy being introduced to colorful characters and beautiful dancing. Older children will benefit from the opportunity to sample a mélange of ballet specimens.
TenduTV, a broadband television channel that is delivering live concert dance, documentaries, and dance for camera works to an ever-widening audience.
Dance teachers, look forward to another new online resource coming to a desktop near you this March. Rhee Gold, a dance industry seminar leader, motivational speaker, and publisher of Dance Studio Life Magazine (formerly Goldrush), has announced the creation of DanceLifeTV. This online television network has yet to include content but plans on airing its [...]
