I had one of those experiences in my modern class earlier today where the choreography hurts, but it's so awesome and beautiful and expressive that you honestly don't care. I loved it. And then I come home and read this. Oh my heck, HEIDI'S ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I'd like to point out that I'm only mildly SYTYCD obsessed. And that yes, I did just say 'Oh my heck'. Because I totally do not own the Benji and Heidi DVDs nor do I have half of Season 3 on tape.) But apparently no one's supposed to tell her they know... then why is it posted on Myspace is my one question.
Oh, and tomorrow, it's over. The tour that is. Forever, for good, SYTYCD3 will be over once and for all *sad*.
A poem I randomly ran into apparently written by Heather Shore.
If you're not a dancer... You don't know passion You can't know passion A dancer’s passion comes from her eyes Sometimes she dances so hard she cries Not from sadness, but happiness of course Her passion for the art is the powerful source If you're not a dancer... You don't know passion.
If you're not a dancer... You don't know dedication You can't know dedication Bloody feet, sore muscles, and evil directors Turning, leaping, jumping, and blisters Never giving up on your ultimate dream Of performing for an audience and hearing them scream If you're not a dancer... You don't know dedication.
If you're not a dancer... You don't know competition You can't know competition Everyone wanting the same lead role To show off their skills, and open their soul Auditioning in front of multiple judges Holding in your butterflies and all of your grudges If you're not a dancer... You don't know competition.
If you're not a dancer... You don't know longing You can't know longing Longing to be the best you can be To be the one dancer that everyone sees Knowing this dream may never come true You strive to become the ultimate you If you're not a dancer... You don't know longing.
If you're not a dancer... You don't know satisfaction You can't know satisfaction Taking your bows after a great show Seeing someone crying in the front row Getting your leg up past your head Knowing that your heart can truly be read If you're not a dancer... You don't know satisfaction.
If you're not a dancer... You don't know music You can't know music Letting the music take you in The piano, the trumpet, and violin You hear your cue and enter the stage Your soul and the rhythm can then engage If you're not a dancer... You don't know music.
If you're not a dancer... You don't know pain You can't know pain Dancing on pointe shoes that are way too dead Plenty of bobby pins jammed in your head Blisters and shin splints may come everyday So, there’s no room for crying in the ballet If you're not a dancer... You don't know pain.
Dancing to meet your ultimate goal Or just to ease your aching soul I am a dancer. I dance for me Through all of these years it still makes me happy Passion, competition, and dedication Music, pain, longing, and satisfaction
Maybe you've thought about taking ballet but never actually done it? Or maybe, your dance team coach/studio owner is requiring you to take ballet for the first time this year? It's a beautiful art form and can benefit all of your dancing (even hip hop). Here's what to expect:
How to Prepare Here are some questions to think about/consider before your first class:
What is the dress code at the studio that I am going to?
Most dance studios (particularly ballet classes/studios) have a somewhat strict dress code. This could range from a tighter fitting tank tor and jazz pants with your hair back and ballet shoes to X brand X style X color leotard, X color (Yes, there are different colors of ballet pink. There's theatrical pink, ballet pink, European pink, light European pink.. the list goes on.) X brand tights with/without a backseam, X brand X material X color shoes, hair in a bun using X brand of hairpins and a hairnet.
This all depends on the level of professionalism (NOTE: recreational ballet IS OK) at your dance studio and the level class you are taking.
In a beginner class, or a class without a specific dress code, it's best to wear pink tights and a black leotard with pink ballet slippers (for the ladies) or a tight fitting white t-shirt and black jazz pants with black ballet shoes and white socks (for the men). Usually, warmups (sweater shorts, tight fitting shirts/sweaters, legwarmers, etc.) are acceptable but be prepared for the instructor to ask you to take these off at some point in the class. This is so he/she can see your placement, alignment, and see how/what you are doing with various muscles.
What training does my prospective teacher have?
Biography 1: Madame Ballet Teacher trained at Studio X for most of her life. She studied dance in college and has had X years teaching experience. She is grateful to be teaching at her childhood dance school, Studio X.
Biography 2: Madame Ballet Instructor trained at X School of Classical Ballet. She has performed with X, Y, and Z ballet companies for over X years. She is excited to now be teaching at Studio X.
Biography 3: Madame Ballet Trainer has been on faculty at Studio X for X number of years. She received her training from XXX and has studied pedagogy with ballet instructor, XXX.
From reading these biographies, many new students would be more inclined to try taking a class from Madame Ballet Instructor in Biography 2. But, an extensive performing career does not necessarily mean that that person would make the best ballet teacher. This does not apply to ALL ex-professionals. Ideally, Madame Ballet Trainer or Madame Ballet Teacher would be the better choice for a beginning class. This is because A.) Madame Ballet Teacher knows the studio and its dancers and training method well, and B.) Madame Ballet Trainer also appears to have been on faculty at Studio X for a length of time AND has studied pedagogy, aka: How To Teach Ballet.
Is there a placement class/a class for people of my age and level?
If you are 3-7 years old, you will have a very small amount of catching up to do to be at the same level as other students your age (I don't suppose many 3-7 year olds are going to read this, though...). There will most probably be a class for a student this age that is the correct level no matter how advanced they are.
If you are between the ages of 10 and 13-14, it will be a little more difficult. Usually, this is the age that experienced ballet dancers will start to take a pointe class 1-3 times a week. This means that the teacher has approved the student for training in a special type of shoes that allows the dancer to rise to stand on the very tips of her toes. Dancing on pointe requires at least 3 years of ballet multiple times a week, with very few exceptions. Most studios offer a class for dancers in this age group (sometimes combined with an adult/older teen class) for students who have not trained long enough to progress to pointe work or are beginner students.
It is hardest for students ages 15-Adult to catch up with other dancers the same age's level of technique, strength, and experience. A lot of dancers this age have been trained i ballet since they were young children. But, most good dance studios offer a teen/adult beginner or basic technique class for students in this category and more advanced students that want to take an extra ballet class to focus on brushing up on basic technique.
A placement class is a beginning-intermediate level ballet class to asses the level of new or beginning students before deciding what level class to place the student in.
If you feel like you are not working hard in a class, or that the class is more advanced than you are, inquire with the studio or teacher about changing level. It is important that you work hard, as it is that you work slowly and carefully on technique and strength, but a too-hard class can inhibit your improvement and ultimately cause injury. Likewise, a class that is not at least somewhat challenging does not provide room for improvement.
A note: When choosing a dance studio, if you have never taken a ballet class before (or only have once at a very young age) and the teacher tries to tell you that you are ready for pointe work, RUN. Fast.
At the Class
The class will probably start with exercises at the barre, a railing running along the wall on at least one side of the room. You will start standing at the barre holding on to it with one or both hands. The instructor will demonstrate and explain an exercise. If you have any questions about what you are about to do, now is the time to ask. Then you will do the exercises to music from an accompanist or a CD/tape/record player.
These include plie,
tendue,
rond de jambe,
and battement
among many other things.
You will learn the basic ballet positions and turnout of the legs. It is important that you don't "force" turnout, or rotate the leg from the ankles/knees instead of the hip. Very few people achieve 180° turnout naturally without years of work and training.
(DISCLAIMER: by including these videos and photos, I am not trying to teach you how to dance ballet. This is extremely dangerous and almost impossible over the Internet.)
It is likely that your teacher will correct your body placement and alignment by manually adjusting you. This is something you will have to become accustomed to over time.
After various exercises to warm up and strengthen the feet, legs, arms, back, and abdomen at the barre, the class will progress to the center floor. You will repeat the exercises you did at the barre, usually in different combinations with different port de bras (arm movement). These exercises include some of the basics mentioned above along with allegro (jumps) and adage (see below).
Usually, the center floor portion of the class will begin with adage or adagio (both mean the same thing, literally: slow; in this case: larger, slower movements using the upper body and arms more as well as the feet. This usually involves slower sustained leg lifts in a more advanced class).
Then the class will practice balances on one and two feet without the support of the barre, and possibly various turns. In a beginner class, these usually include:
chaines [sheh-NAY] turns, and
(I couldn't find a video of JUST someone demonstrating this turn so please ignore the instructional aspect of the above)
pique turns.
There are many more advanced turns in ballet such as pirouettes, tours, and fouettes that are not generally taught in beginner classes.
The class will then progress to petite and grand allegro. Allegro, literally meaning quick, refers to a jump. Petite and grand refer to the height and size of the jump.
Example, this is a petit jete
(the second jump in the sequence)
and this is a grand jete.
See the difference?
The class will learn basic allegro at first, usually including changemant [shahnzh-MAHN], echappe [ay-sha-PAY], and glissade [glee-SAD]. Eventually, the class will move on to more advanced jumps as the students advance in technique and strength.
At the end of the class, there will be a reverence, usually a small curtsy or bow, to show that you are grateful for the teacher and/or accompanist and shows respect towards respect them.
3 Ways to Make Sure Your Ballet Teacher Will Like You:
1.) Put effort in to EVERY LITTLE THING you are asked to do. This will make ballet more fun and will help you improve more quickly
2.) Use all corrections your teacher gives (you specifically, or the entire class) even if you think you are already doing what the correction entails. This shows the teacher you are paying attention, and, once again helps you improve more quickly.
3.) Thank your teacher before you leave, even if the class already has as a whole. Like the reverence, this shows your respect for your teacher and the time and effort they put in to teaching you ballet. Very, very teachers teach dance solely to make money. Whether they are the nicest or the meanest teacher, they love dance (hopefully) and teach for this very reason.
End of your first class. That wasn't too horrible, now was it?
When I turn 75, I want to do this. At first, when I saw this headline, I thought it might have been a joke. It wasn't.
On Monday, Michael Grbich celebrated his 75th birthday by tapping across the Golden Gate Bridge. Besides tap dancing, Grbich also is a mixed media artist, lifts weights, and sometimes walks the tightrope.
According to the above article, he only recently learned to tap dance. Maybe this will help clarify things for all the people online asking "Am I too old to learn to dance?". I wish the senior citizens I know would spend their time tap dancing across bridges instead of playing cards and golfing. Life would just be more fun that way.
I don't think I realize how gross and dead my ballet shoes are until I get new ones.
These are actually pink instead of that gray-ish color that comes from rosin and dance floors. The elastic is not frayed (yet) and the inside of the shoe isn't bloodstained. They are extremely soft and they cushiony under the metatarsal but don't have that annoying lumpy feeling on the bottom of my foot.
And then, in a few days, I will wear them to class and they will slowly but surely become grey just like they always do...
Having attended SLTF for the past few years, I've ran into some pretty amazing hoofers. But, today, I was pleasantly surprised to see someone I kinda sort of semi-know on the cover of my favorite magazine.
Dance Spirit's December issue was a tap focus, which featured some pretty cool articles. After reading the magazine today, I look at their website only to find this blog post about Tradition In Tap, a workshop with Avi Miller, Ofer Ben, and Melba Huber featuring different older tap legends and their styles, that I've been wanting to attend. And what do I find but more people that I kind of know.
See, that's the thing, I don't actually know any of these people... exactly. I might see some of them at most once a year and most often never speak to any of them other than maybe once in a class or performance, but just happen to be in some of the same workshop classes with them. So, it's not like we're best friends or anything; I just know of them well enough to get excited at the new DS.
I'm sounding kind of psycho now so I'm just going to stop talking.
Ok, so I'm sure anyone who has read any of my tons of posts regarding SYTYCD knows that Lacey isn't exactly my favorite person that has ever been on the show. But I had never even imagined that the show would cause people to be so hateful towards people who they seemed to be some sort of odd form of friends with....
To get what I'm talking about, read Blogging SYTYCD's post here and Miss Schwimmer's post here.
Kinda scary. And there has been some speculation as to which SYTYCD contestant this is but I'm not gonna even get into that.
Oh, and here's a new one. This time, from Laurie Kauffman. Because, she is always THE most reliable source for SYTYCD news *coughsNOTcoughs*.
UPDATE AGAIN: The original blog post by Lacey Schwimmer has now been removed. This is not at all surprising.
This is what happens when I get bored. I can't come up with anything to write and end up posting countless videos. But you should seriously watch this one.
It would be really cool IF it weren't yet another dance competition trying to make 9 year olds look sexy.
BUT: It's pretty amazing that things like this,
this,
and this
can all come from the same place. I especially like the last one. It almost is mocking some of the things that, well, other dances by the same people do and convey. But, just a little.
Someone (someone at least claiming to be Ivan Koumaev) finally uploaded DWDE's "With Or Without You" to YouTube. It's the exact opposite of everything I hate about most competition dances. Beautiful.
MCB rocks. Literally. Friday night, I saw their new show entitled "ROCK: Rock 'n Roll Music through the ages, Contemporary Ballet style".
The show was fun, energetic, and humorous. The dancing and choreography was good. It wasn't amazing, breathtakingly awesome, and totally abstract like their past performances though. I think this might be because the choreographers were somewhat artistically limited with their choreography. It wasn't as crazy, or something, as I had hoped as it would be or as it had been in other shows.
The show was divided into 3 parts: 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. Each section started with a photo/music montage of images from that era projected onto a screen at the front of the stage. Then the dancing began.
All but 3 of the company members are different from last year. In my opinion, Laura Jones was by far the best one out there. I still miss my two favorites from the last year that have moved on to bigger and better things. The newbies don't have the same quality to their movement as the ex- Cedar Lake II members do. It's kind of indescribable if you haven't seen them dance. Last year, there was a magic onstage that you couldn't tear your eyes away from. It just wasn't there this time.
Each section featured music and extremely stylized (and totally awesome) costumes to go with the corresponding era. The 80's finale was my personal favorite. The petite allegro to Queen's 'We Will Rock You' was the stand out to me along with the various dances with a shopping cart "generously donated by" a local grocery store which leads me to wonder if "generously donated by" is super secret code for "stolen from the parking lot of". Not saying the company or its members are thieves, though.
As I said above, I think the specificity of the themes truly limited the choreographers' artistic freedom. IT wasn't my crazy, abstract, yet entirely organic contemporary ballet company that I'd seen in the past. It was pointe work and modern/ballet vocabulary mixed with swing, disco, and classic 80's jazz.
Because the company only has 6 members, all of the dances were ensemble pieces with little mini-solos and duets thrown in while the rest of the company was changing costumes. Pretty cool how such a small company can survive off of donations and a smaller group of supportive fans.
It was a fun performance, and I have DEFINITELY NOT given up on MCB, I was just a little disappointed. I'm sounding bitter and negative; it was definitely a good show. Just not amazing. :(
Another topic that I've devoted entirely too much of my time too... the SYTYCD tour. But this is too funny not to share. Thanks to BSYTYCD for finding this.
As far as I can tell here is the who's who with the costumes: Kameron= Fairy Princess Neil= Superman/Clark Kent Sabra= Duck Sara= Geisha Jaimie= Tacky Mermaid Pasha= Black winged figure with a bunny mask... (Is this possibly some sort of pop culture reference that no one understands?) Dominic= Baby/person in a diaper Hok= Mummy Danny= Elvis Shauna= Baseball player Lauren= Hulk Anya= Bumblebee Jesus= Zombie
The other ones, I'm not sure of. If anyone figures anyone else's costumes out, let me know. And I'll refrain from my "Lacey was a stripper for Halloween" comments. Mostly because I couldn't find her in this dance. For all I know she was wearing a garbage bag.
