Dance & ballet news

• January 2016 | Dancing to Connect

  01-01-2016 23:55
  After toiling in relative obscurity for decades, Jonathan Hollander’s is making headlines with his company, Battery Dance, and his international outreach program, Dancing to Connect. Battery Dance Festival (formerly Downtown Dance Festival), a free, multicultural event held in Lower Manhattan since 1982, caught major attention from the New York Times last summer. And the Wall Street Journal took note when a young law student in Baghdad, Iraq, began taking dance lessons via Skype from one o
  
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• Video: Urban Meyer Pulled Out Some Extremely Popular Dance Moves After Fiesta Bowl - College Spun

  01-01-2016 23:38 via
  College Spun
  Video: Urban Meyer Pulled Out Some Extremely Popular Dance Moves After Fiesta Bowl
  College Spun
  Ohio State took and early lead against Notre Dame and refused to give it on on its way to a 44-28 victory Friday afternoon. Falling short of the College Football Playoff may have left a sour taste in the Buckeyes' mouths, but there was plenty to ...and more »
  

• Snowball dance celebrates 70th anniversary - Beatrice Daily Sun

  01-01-2016 23:35 via
  Beatrice Daily Sun
  Snowball dance celebrates 70th anniversary
  Beatrice Daily Sun
  Beatrice teens pose in December of 1955 for the Snowball dance. Front row from left: Rex Engeberteson, Sue O'Neill. Middle row from left: Kathy Weston, Larry Brainard. Back row from left: Susan Maxwell, Bob Lang, Jerry Lang, Janice Lenhart.
  

• Plies' “Ran Off On Da Plug Twice” Dance Is Flourishing In College Sports - Hip-Hop Wired

  01-01-2016 23:00 via
  Hip-Hop Wired
  Plies' “Ran Off On Da Plug Twice” Dance Is Flourishing In College Sports
  Hip-Hop Wired
  Plies has a hit song called “Ritz Carlton” that thanks to its video and a line that goes “ran off on da plug twice,” it has gone viral. The Florida rapper, and noted Adele fan, is seen running in place while saying the phrase in the tune's video, and ...and more »
  

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• January 2016 | Homegrown Homework

  01-01-2016 22:47
  As dance teachers know, conferences and conventions are excellent opportunities to get fresh ideas, network with colleagues, and rejuvenate their love for teaching. However, since many are annual events, teachers can end up with limited options if the dates conflict with other obligations. Cost is also a factor; registration fees, travel, accommodations, and meals can add up to $1,000 or more. In such situations, there are other options for those who wish to engage in professional development: p
  
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• January 2016 | College Close-Ups | Alabama State University

  01-01-2016 22:06
  Two years ago, Alabama State University (ASU) launched a new artistic endeavor: the Department of Theatre Arts’ BFA/Dance program.Located in Montgomery, the state capital, ASU is one of only two Alabama institutions of higher learning to offer a BFA in dance. Helmed by dancer, educator, and choreographer Michael Medcalf, the program welcomed its first class in 2013. Only a handful of freshmen enrolled, but the numbers have increased steadily—32 majors and minors were enrolled in fall
  
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• January 2016 | Teacher in the Spotlight | Kristin Kudla

  01-01-2016 22:02
  NOMINATED BY: Michelle Loizeaux, former student/team choreographer: “Kristin was my teacher for 10 years and is now my colleague. She helped shape me into the dancer I dreamed I could be, and now, as a teacher myself, I continue to learn from her. Kristin connects emotionally with her students, successfully communicates the technical aspects of her lessons, and develops meaningful and professional friendships with her dancers and their parents.” Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | 2 Tips for Modern & Contemporary Teachers | Contractions and Expressive Feet

  01-01-2016 21:05
  Tip 1The word contract is often used as a blanket term whenever we want the back to curve, but there is more than one way to curve a spine. There are differences, for example, between a Graham contraction, a rounded back, and a Taylor contraction.Tip 2Feet are like hands in their expressive capability, but young dancers often don’t use feet to their full potential. This can be due to thinking about line in an absolute way. These students have in mind an unattainable, ideal image of “
  
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• January 2016 | Collective Wisdom

  01-01-2016 20:37
  Who makes ballet mandatory in order to take jazz? I am trying to implement this in my program this year and I have an older student who hasn’t had ballet in a few years and does not want to take it. Do I grandfather her in and let her just take jazz? Or make it mandatory for everyone?“Reality Check: Must. Do. Ballet”: Q: Who makes ballet mandatory in order to take jazz? I am trying to implement this in my program this year and I have an older student who hasn’t had ballet
  
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• January 2016 | 2 Tips for Ballet Teachers | Cabriole Fouetté and One-Legged Finishes

  01-01-2016 20:37
  Tip 1 There are two ways to do a grand cabriole fouetté sauté landing in arabesque, and the beginning of the jump is identical for both: a 90-degree battement devant upon takeoff. The dancer can either cabriole the leg devant, then fouetté and land in arabesque; or (the more advanced version) fouetté, then cabriole in arabesque before landing.Tip 2 It’s critical for advanced students to be able to finish pirouettes en dehors in positions other than fourth-positi
  
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• January 2016 | Ask Rhee Gold

  01-01-2016 20:34
  Advice for dance teachers Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | 2 Music Tips for Teachers | La Sylphide and Reels

  01-01-2016 20:33
  Tip 1The first Romantic ballet, La Sylphide, a two-act ballet set in Scotland, depicts a love triangle between James, a farmer; Effie, his fiancée; and a sylph, or forest spirit. Torn between real and fantasy loves, James chooses fantasy, with tragic results. The ballet premiered in 1832 in Paris to acclaim, with Filippo Taglioni’s choreography showcasing his daughter Marie as the sylph. Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer’s score, with its lilting 6/8 rhythms and buoyant 2/4 varia
  
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• January 2016 | Build a Brochure

  01-01-2016 19:56
  The trifold brochure is the little black dress of printed pieces: a marketing staple that can be both elegant and useful. More spacious than a postcard or business card, less wordy than a booklet or website, a brochure can unfold alluringly, offering a tasty arrangement of essential information and photos. Then it folds up neatly to be stuffed into a handbag, a reminder, later, of how fun it would be to sign up little Carlos for boys’ ballet. Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | 2 Tips for Hip-Hop Teachers | Arm Wave and Slowing Down

  01-01-2016 19:43
  Tip 1The wave starts from the fingertips of one hand and travels across arms and shoulders to end in the fingertips of the other. Have students start in a T position—arms out and level with the floor. Tell them to keep a mental image of this position; it will help them hold a clear shape that shows off the wave’s progress.Tip 2Students need to learn when and how to create accents—to “stop on a dime” or “hit” a move’s maximum energy—to perform
  
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• January 2016 | Moving Images

  01-01-2016 19:42
  Videos of note (new and not)1. Kagemi—Beyond the Metaphors of Mirrors2. Ballet Boys3. Bomba: Dancing the Drum4. Flamenco, Flamenco Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | Page Turners

  01-01-2016 19:37
  Books of note (new and not)1. The Art of Persian Dance2. Hijikata Tatsumi and Butoh: Dancing in a Pool of Gray Grits3. Dancers as Diplomats: American Choreography in Cultural Exchange4. Bharatanatyam: A Reader Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | Compassion, Cooperation, Creativity

  01-01-2016 19:30
  In New York City’s Chinatown, they’re studying hip-hop; in Brooklyn, they did Bollywood; in Harlem, they’re learning Latin ballroom from a former ballet dancer who grew up in Taiwan; and in the Bronx, they’re belly dancing. In a city known for its diversity, it’s often difficult to bring different cultures together. But Dance to Unite, Inc., with its corps of dance volunteers, is teaching unity and celebrating difference through dance. Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | FYI

  01-01-2016 18:37
  What’s up in the dance communityCelebrating Sono OsatoOpening the Stage to All AgesU.S.-Based RAD Teacher Training for ProsThe Wooden Floor Shares Its Success Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | Picture Perfect

  01-01-2016 18:31
  With spring fast approaching, dancers everywhere are kicking their audition plans into high gear and getting resumes, photos, and videos ready for the nerve-wracking application process. Whether it’s for a summer intensive, a college program, or a professional company, putting together the photos and videos that will become a dancer’s calling card can be daunting. A few experts offer tips on how to show off any applicant to best advantage. Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | EditorSpeak

  01-01-2016 18:25
  "Season of Change":Happy New Year! The flip of the calendar from December to January is one of my favorite times of the year, because it brings a sense of renewal and rejuvenation, the potential for growth, and the anticipation of the unknown. We at Dance Studio Life hope 2016 holds much goodness for you, both personally and professionally. With so much cruelty and so little compassion in the headlines in recent months, it’s our wish that everyone enters this new year with a goal of human
  
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• January 2016 | On My Mind

  01-01-2016 18:24
  It’s a new year, and I’ll bet you have some sort of self-improvement goals for 2016. If one of them is to become a better teacher, try this: imagine that each time you enter your school you are walking in the stage door, prepared to give the best performance possible. Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | Eastern Influences

  01-01-2016 18:03
  Dance is big in Japan. Ballet was introduced in Japan in the 1910s by Russian émigrés, and in the 1920s and ’30s Japanese dancers brought German expressionist modern dance back from Europe. After World War II, American modern dance influences took hold in Japan; more recently hip-hop has folded itself comfortably into Japanese culture. Continue reading
  
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• January 2016 | 2 Tips for Tap Teachers | Heel and Toe Drops

  01-01-2016 17:41
  Tip 1Heel drops are among the first skills a tap dancer learns, and they add a unique percussive sound. Initially, students can build strength by dropping the heel without a weight shift. For beginners, drop the heel in quarter-note or half-note time with a strong toe dig pressed into the floor. For more challenge, combine quarter and eighth notes, keeping the toe dig pressed and using one heel.Tip 2Toe drops produce a very different sound from heel drops and add variety and challenge. Practice
  
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• Watch Nick Saban sort of try to dance for a few seconds - Sports Illustrated

  01-01-2016 17:20 via
  Sports Illustrated
  Watch Nick Saban sort of try to dance for a few seconds
  Sports Illustrated
  Did you wake up on New Year's Day wondering how you could make the most of 2016? Well, we have a suggestion for the best use of the next 366 days: Spend all of them watching Nick Saban briefly surrender to the rhythm and dance. The famously stoic ...and more »
  

• Pearls of the Pavilion 'Share' Luncheon with Orlando Ballet - Heritage Florida Jewish News

  01-01-2016 17:00
  Heritage Florida Jewish News
  Pearls of the Pavilion 'Share' Luncheon with Orlando Ballet
  Heritage Florida Jewish News
  Jewish Pavilion Board member Geanne Share with her husband Adrian with photos for the Jewish Pavilion in the background. The Jewish Pavilion's *Pearls of the Pavilion luncheon will take on a whole new spin when it is held at the Orlando Ballet on ...
  

• 2016 arts fast forward: Dance - The San Diego Union-Tribune

  01-01-2016 15:01 via
  The San Diego Union-Tribune
  2016 arts fast forward: Dance
  The San Diego Union-Tribune
  When dance-makers look to the future, they know that the logistics for orchestrating movement will require more than the creative vision to inspire and entertain. They must negotiate partnerships, find the right performance space and manage a budget ...
  

• Win a Joffrey Ballet School Summer Scholarship - http://www.dancemagazine.com/ (blog)

  01-01-2016 11:17
  http://www.dancemagazine.com/ (blog)
  Win a Joffrey Ballet School Summer Scholarship
  http://www.dancemagazine.com/ (blog)
  Happy New Year, dancers! Now that it's January, the summer intensive audition season has officially begun. JoffreyBalletSchool Once again this year, Joffrey Ballet School will be giving away full-tuition scholarships through the Dance Magazine Video of ...
  

• Beat the blues with enchanting Russian ballet at Bristol Hippodrome - Bristol Post

  01-01-2016 11:05
  Beat the blues with enchanting Russian ballet at Bristol Hippodrome
  Bristol Post
  The Russian State Ballet of Siberia returns to Bristol to lift us out of our January blues and transport us into winter wonderlands with three exquisite productions; The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and the UK premiere of a brand new production, The Snow Maiden.
  

• Ballet to Boxing: Work out like a celebrity in 2016 - IBNLive

  01-01-2016 09:31
  IBNLive
  Ballet to Boxing: Work out like a celebrity in 2016
  IBNLive
  As we welcome the New Year and plan our resolutions, getting fit is sure to be one of them. To give you some ideas to get you started, as well as a little extra motivation, here we have rounded up the celebrity-loved workouts that are sure to get you ...and more »
  

• Secret to Life? Dance, and Don't Procrastinate! - Voice of America (blog)

  01-01-2016 06:02 via
  Voice of America (blog)
  Secret to Life? Dance, and Don't Procrastinate!
  Voice of America (blog)
  01/01/2016. 97 Year-Old Yoga Teacher's Outlook on Life. xmlurl:/GetFlashXml.aspx?param=3086260|user|Audio 4.21a. initPlayer finish setVideoboxSizeAndPosition:TypeError: Error #1009: Cannot access a property or method of a null object reference.
  

• Australian Ballet's Sleeping Beauty - Blue Mountains Gazette

  01-01-2016 04:40
  Blue Mountains Gazette
  Australian Ballet's Sleeping Beauty
  Blue Mountains Gazette
  Penrith-born dancer David James will return to his hometown this month when he stars in a touring children's production for The Australian Ballet. Touring production: The Sleeping Beauty has been developed especially for children. Penrith-born dancer ...
  

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