Dance & ballet news

• February 2016 | Table of Contents

  01-02-2016 22:50
  If you're a dance teacher, you're a choreographer - and we've got stories that will spark your creativity: dances for a tiny stage, new versions of a postmodern classic, an original ballet, RDA's National Choreography Intensive, and other fresh ideas and innovative approaches to dancemaking.Plus, how to identify training plateaus and help students through them, our annual guide to summertime teacher training workshops and intensives, and more! Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | Performance Corner

  01-02-2016 22:49
  Our sneak peek at dance shows we’d love to see Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | Teaching What Can’t Be Taught

  01-02-2016 22:44
  Can you teach a dancer—or anyone else—how to choreograph?For more than five decades, the National Choreography Intensive (NCI) has stood by the idea that the tools and craft of choreography not only can be taught but should be taught, especially to aspiring dancemakers. Every July, the NCI, run by Regional Dance America, convenes to nurture and guide both fledgling and seasoned choreographers, as well as participating dancers, through the process of learning how to construct a dance.
  
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• February 2016 | Bulletin Board: Pin, Post, Share

  01-02-2016 22:41
  Click! What’s new online at the Rhee Gold CompanyDance in Time: FebruaryQuotable: Dancers on Dance Continue reading
  
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• 87 Dancers Traveled to IABD's Audition for Female Ballet Dancers of Color - http://www.dancemagazine.com/ (blog)

  01-02-2016 22:03 via
  87 Dancers Traveled to IABD's Audition for Female Ballet Dancers of Color
  http://www.dancemagazine.com/ (blog)
  There's been a lot of talk about the lack of diversity in classical ballet, mostly credited to the rise of Misty Copeland at American Ballet Theatre. But in reality, talking about it is just the beginning, and can only bring so much change to the field ...
  

• February 2016 | Moving Images

  01-02-2016 21:15
  Videos of note (new and not)1. William Forsythe: From a Classical Position/Just Dancing Around?2. Trash Dance3. Ballet 4224. Last Dance Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | EditorSpeak

  01-02-2016 21:11
  "Training Thinking Dancers": Rehearsals had begun for my new musical theater competition number, but nothing was working. These girls had been with me for years—they trusted my “nobody’s gonna get this” themes, solved the puzzle of my patterns, could ace any acting improv. They were ready for a real challenge—or so I thought.
  "When Helping Hurts": Above, Karen says, “I became the parent who does the homework.” This mentality—the determination to no
  
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• February 2016 | On My Mind

  01-02-2016 21:05
  There are many ways to evaluate a dance school. We might first think of the merit of the faculty or training. Or we might consider the awards won; the number of students who move on to the professional world; the quality of the customer service, organization, and professionalism; or other factors.To me, though, quality is reflected most in the atmosphere and spirit of the community created within the school, especially among the intensive dancers. Instinctively, at a performance or in the classr
  
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• Local Black Owned Ballet Studio Gets Students En Pointe - San Diego Voice and Viewpoint

  01-02-2016 20:58 via
  San Diego Voice and Viewpoint
  Local Black Owned Ballet Studio Gets Students En Pointe
  San Diego Voice and Viewpoint
  You can tell by the way a person walks if they're a dancer or not. Dancers exude a certain elegance in their movements. A confidence only hours of training and a free spirit can produce is evident in each step. Sylvia Boaz walks like a dancer. As co ...
  

• Justin Peck and the National's Bryce Dessner create a Most Incredible ballet - The Guardian

  01-02-2016 20:53 via
  The Guardian
  Justin Peck and the National's Bryce Dessner create a Most Incredible ballet
  The Guardian
  Justin Peck after directing rehearsal at the Lincoln Center in New York. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images. Marina Harss in New York. @MarinaHarss. Monday 1 February 2016 14.52 EST Last modified on Monday 1 February 2016 15.19 EST.
  

• Justin Peck and the National's Bryce Dessner create a Most Incredible ballet

  01-02-2016 20:52
  
  The 28-year-old dancer and choreographer’s latest work, inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, marks an exciting return to narrative dance“Whosoever could do the most incredible thing was to have the king’s daughter and half of his Kingdom.” So begins The Most Incredible Thing, the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale that inspired Justin Peck’s most recent project, a new work for New York City Ballet. It’s a classic fairytale scenario: a kingdom and a
  
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• Ballet 5:8 returns for second year and two performances at Michigan Theater - WSYM-TV

  01-02-2016 19:09 via
  WSYM-TV
  Ballet 5:8 returns for second year and two performances at Michigan Theater
  WSYM-TV
  Ballet 5:8, a Chicago-area performing company in its fourth performing season, will return to the Michigan Theater of Jackson for the second consecutive year with a two-performance program of classical and contemporary works designed to engage a ...
  

• February 2016 | 2 Tips for Hip-Hop Teachers | Two Choreography Strategies

  01-02-2016 19:05
  Tip 1Individuality is essential in hip-hop. While students need to know how to pick up and execute other people’s choreography, they also need strategies for generating their own movement. Try these exercises to get students’ brains working and creativity flowing. Allot plenty of time, and end with performances and a critique session. As they work, students may find it helpful to jot down steps in a notebook.Tip 2Choreograph by “cutting and pasting”: students generate sho
  
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• February 2016 | Summertime Teacher Training

  01-02-2016 18:54
  Your guide to workshops and intensives across the U.S. and beyond Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | College Close-Ups | Goucher College

  01-02-2016 18:50
  Goucher College seeks to offer the best of two worlds: intensive dance training for serious dancers and a superior liberal arts education. Goucher dancers live, study, and grow in a lively dance and academic atmosphere, and they design their own courses of study to support their passions in the dance field and develop their potential. Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | Teacher in the Spotlight | Pamela Caira

  01-02-2016 18:45
  NOMINATED BY: Demetra Chastang, office manager/instructor: “I have worked for Pamela for three years. She has not only been an incredible boss but an amazing mentor, teaching me and guiding me through the art of dance. Throughout the 20 years she’s owned her studio, hundreds of dancers have benefited from her passion and life lessons, and she has shown her dance family how to give back through dance.” Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | Mail

  01-02-2016 18:44
  Words from our readers Continue reading
  
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• 'Fearful Symmetries' a Bit Off Kilter at S.F. Ballet - San Francisco Classical Voice

  01-02-2016 18:44 via
  San Francisco Classical Voice
  'Fearful Symmetries' a Bit Off Kilter at S.F. Ballet
  San Francisco Classical Voice
  San Francisco Ballet in Scarlett's "Fearful Symmetries" (Photo by Erik Tomasson) Liam Scarlett, whose “Hummingbird” premiered so successfully two years ago at the San Francisco Ballet, left sunlit skies, feathery fluttering, and tempting nectar far ...
  

• February 2016 | Ask Rhee Gold

  01-02-2016 18:42
  Advice for dance teachers Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | 2 Music Tips for Teachers | Bournonville’s Napoli

  01-02-2016 18:33
  Tip 1August Bournonville created the three-act ballet Napoli in 1842, inspired by a trip to Italy with his close friend Hans Christian Andersen (whose diaries contributed to the libretto). In Naples, Bournonville stayed in the Santa Lucia port and swam in the gulf (the settings for Act 1), visited Capri’s Blue Grotto (Act 2), and visited the Monte Vergine shrine and danced the tarantella with peasants (Act 3). Bournonville assigned sections of the ballet’s score to four composers&mda
  
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• February 2016 | Higher-Ed Voice | Shifting Gears

  01-02-2016 18:26
  Many of my dance major students at the University at Buffalo [NY] experience a plateau at some point during their four years in school. Usually students hit these plateaus in their junior year. When they do, excitement wanes, growth and improvement become less visible, and frustration sets in. Here’s what you can do to help. Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | 2 Tips for Tap Teachers | Paddle and Roll

  01-02-2016 18:24
  Tip 1The paddle and roll (or paradiddle) is a popular small-footwork movement that combines four basic ideas: heel dig, spank, step, and heel drop. First done in vaudeville and at the Hoofers Club by tap luminaries such as John Bubbles (the father of rhythm tap), Honi Coles, and Steve Condos, the paddle and roll is now a staple of most tap artists’ repertoire, with young artists competing to have the fastest, most articulate footwork at cutting contests around the world.Tip 2Try these tips
  
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• February 2016 | Thinking Out Loud | Acing Auditions

  01-02-2016 18:17
  Auditioning is a tough skill to master. There are so many unknown factors to deal with, plus nerves and anxiety to overcome. But the reality of show business is that in order to get cast, dancers need to present themselves as confident, prepared performers in auditions. It doesn’t matter how great they are onstage if they don’t prove it when it’s time to get the job. Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | FYI

  01-02-2016 18:17
  What’s up in the dance communityA Snapshot of Connecticut Dance HistoryArt in View at Google Cultural InstituteArtistic InfluencesMore Than a Showgirl: Fluff LeCoque Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | 2 Tips for Ballet Teachers | Starting Barefoot, and Stretching With Ronds de Jambe

  01-02-2016 18:15
  Tip 1 From time to time, it helps to have students take off their flat shoes to start class. Try this after long breaks, or when students are doing lots of pointe work, or when you notice they’re not using foot muscles to the fullest.Tip 2By the time you give a rond de jambe combination, students should be well on their way to reaching their full warmed-up potential, and class should be at the 20- to 30-minute mark—the perfect time for a long stretch. Continue reading
  
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• February 2016 | Bright Biz Idea | Dance School Startup

  01-02-2016 18:10
  Looking for financing advice and mentorship, Van de Nes approached Lesley Holmes, a local businesswoman and the mother of two daughters who trained with Van de Nes. Brainstorming sessions ensued. The women bounced around ideas for financing the estimated $150,000 it would take to open the studio, including renovations of a 2,500-square-foot space to include three classrooms, an office, and a lobby. One of the brainstorming sessions led to a breakthrough idea: a Founders’ Club consisting of
  
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• February 2016 | 2 Tips for Modern & Contemporary Teachers | Hinges and Finding Shapes in Space

  01-02-2016 18:10
  Tip 1The hinge is a useful and versatile movement. It can be a transition to the floor, a partnering tool, or a way to build core strength. A common misconception is that the hinge is a backward-falling movement, but once you think back in a hinge, it is all over. Think forward for hinges.Tip 2The task of getting young dancers to experience their full movement potential can be frustrating; they often get stuck merely making shapes. To encourage full, grounded movement, after students have execut
  
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• February 2016 | Prince, Feather, Hummingbird

  01-02-2016 18:05
  It was September 2013 and Kingston School of Dance was about to return home. During the previous four and a half years, the studio had set up shop three times in three different locations while its permanent location, the city-owned J.K. Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, was under renovation.With the return to the Tett impending, KSD artistic director Ebon Gage says he wanted to “do something exciting” for the studio’s 250-plus families, who
  
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• February 2016 | Tales of Two Teachers

  01-02-2016 18:03
  Over the past quarter century, some of ballet’s most distinguished teachers have shaped the students of San Francisco Ballet School, among them Irina Jacobson, Lola de Avila, Jorge Esquivel, Antonio Castilla, Gloria Govrin, Jean-Yves Esquerre, and Edward Ellison. Recently, two other teachers joined that list: Pollyana Ribeiro, who became part of the full-time teaching staff in 2014; and Yannick Boquin, who chooses to guest teach exclusively. In February 2015, I watched both of them teach c
  
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• February 2016 | Ballet Scene | Tales of Two Teachers

  01-02-2016 18:03
  Over the past quarter century, some of ballet’s most distinguished teachers have shaped the students of San Francisco Ballet School, among them Irina Jacobson, Lola de Avila, Jorge Esquivel, Antonio Castilla, Gloria Govrin, Jean-Yves Esquerre, and Edward Ellison. Recently, two other teachers joined that list: Pollyana Ribeiro, who became part of the full-time teaching staff in 2014; and Yannick Boquin, who chooses to guest teach exclusively. In February 2015, I watched both of them teach c
  
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• February 2016 | Small Stage, Big Ideas

  01-02-2016 17:56
  What on earth can you create on a 4-by-4-foot stage? And what would you and your performers learn from it?At a recent Ten Tiny Dances show at Portland, Oregon, warehouse space The Works at The Redd, viewers discovered only a fraction of the many—and surprising—possibilities. Continue reading
  
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• 'Dance Moms' Season 6: Do the Girls Still Need Abby to Win a Competition? - Christian Post

  01-02-2016 06:44 via
  Christian Post
  'Dance Moms' Season 6: Do the Girls Still Need Abby to Win a Competition?
  Christian Post
  "Dance Moms" season 6 so far has highlighted Coach Abby Lee Miller's absence amid her legal woes, and now there are speculations on whether the team needs her to win in a competition or if they can clinch a victory on their own. Abby Lee Miller was ...
  'Dance Moms' Coach Abby Lee Miller Delays Federal Fraud Trial?Design & Trend
  'Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller Delays Federal Fraud Trial
  

• Review: Dance Place's 35th Year Reunion - DC Metro Theater Arts (press release) (blog)

  01-02-2016 06:05 via
  Review: Dance Place's 35th Year Reunion
  DC Metro Theater Arts (press release) (blog)
  When Dance Place marks a milestone, invariably by the evening's end its Founding Artistic Director Carla Perlo has more people on stage than in the audience. This happened Saturday night January 30, 2016 as Dance Place marked 35 years with a ...
  

• Junior League Hosts 7th Annual Western Dance - Concho valley homepage

  01-02-2016 05:59 via
  Concho valley homepage
  Junior League Hosts 7th Annual Western Dance
  Concho valley homepage
  The Junior League of San Angelo hosted their Seventh Annual Western Dance Saturday night at the Historic Fort Concho Stables. Doors to the event opened at six. The Mike McClure band served as entertainment. The dance featured a live and silent auction ...
  

• Asian American Student Union hosts dance, voting event - The Independent Florida Alligator

  01-02-2016 05:34 via
  The Independent Florida Alligator
  Asian American Student Union hosts dance, voting event
  The Independent Florida Alligator
  Students learn to dance a Bhangra routine outside the Reitz Union on Saturday morning. The Asian American Student Union hosted the Pop It to the Polls event to encourage students to register while learning how to dance. prev. next. Students learned to ...and more »
  

• A knighting and dance to "finnish" off Heikinpäivä 2016 - UpperMichigansSource.com

  01-02-2016 04:33 via
  UpperMichigansSource.com
  A knighting and dance to "finnish" off Heikinpäivä 2016
  UpperMichigansSource.com
  SOUTH RANGE — Heikinpäivä has come and gone bringing the celebration of Finnish heritage for hundreds to enjoy. Not only was it jam packed with many people's favorite events, but also some special awards. "It feels as if something worthwhile is ...
  

• The 'Grease Live!' Hand Jive Dance Moves Perfectly Honored The Movie's Unforgettable Scene - Bustle

  01-02-2016 04:28 via
  Bustle
  The 'Grease Live!' Hand Jive Dance Moves Perfectly Honored The Movie's Unforgettable Scene
  Bustle
  With new songs and updated dialogue, you may have been upset with some of the changes that Grease Live! made to the iconic musical. But when it came to the school dance, there was nothing to complain about (besides some sound cutting out) since ...
  Your high school dance was probably not on the level of 'Grease: Live'Mashableall 659 news articles »
  

• Several Knoxville dance teams win big at UDA Championships - WVLT

  01-02-2016 03:48 via
  WVLT
  Several Knoxville dance teams win big at UDA Championships
  WVLT
  ORLANDO, Florida. (WVLT)- Two Knoxville middle schools and several high schools placed in the National Dance Team Championship in Florida. West Valley Middle School came in first in the Junior High Jazz Division followed by Farragut Middle coming in ...and more »
  

• First time attending a formal dance - KFBB NewsChannel 5

  01-02-2016 02:35 via
  KFBB NewsChannel 5
  First time attending a formal dance
  KFBB NewsChannel 5
  About 200 people from all over our area got to attend a Disney "Frozen" themed formal dance. The Great Falls group Quality Life Concepts (QLC) put together the event. The group has been assisting disabled children and adults in nine counties ...and more »
  

• Travis Kelce and Odell Beckham Jr. have perfected the synchronized celebration dance - SB Nation

  01-02-2016 01:56 via
  SB Nation
  Travis Kelce and Odell Beckham Jr. have perfected the synchronized celebration dance
  SB Nation
  Can we replace the entire Pro Bowl with an end zone dance competition? * * *. More from SBNation.com. Calvin Johnson reportedly plans to retire · Police called after 'disturbance' between Johnny Manziel and girlfriend · Eddie George lost himself after ...
  

• Travis Kelce and Odell Beckham Jr. dance (Video) - FanSided

  01-02-2016 01:53 via
  FanSided
  Travis Kelce and Odell Beckham Jr. dance (Video)
  FanSided
  The 2016 National Football League Pro Bowl is going to mostly be awful. The players don't try that hard, the schemes are forced to be very vanilla because of the rules and the fans generally are disinterested. That said, we have a pretty sweet ...and more »
  

• Dance company back at Temecula home - The San Diego Union-Tribune

  01-02-2016 01:01 via
  Dance company back at Temecula home
  The San Diego Union-Tribune
  It may not be Los Angeles or New York, but the city of Temecula offers its own unique cultural opportunities that rival even the largest metropolis. While theater groups, art galleries and concerts abound, the locally-based Avocado Dance Theatre ...
  

• Stony Brook celebrates Lunar New Year with song, dance - Newsday

  01-02-2016 00:40 via
  Newsday
  Stony Brook celebrates Lunar New Year with song, dance
  Newsday
  Dancers, drummers and martial artists celebrated the Year of the Monkey in Stony Brook on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, for the upcoming Lunar New Year. The Ward Melville Heritage Organization has held its Chinese New Year Celebration for 15 years. (Credit: ...and more »
  

• Dance Marathon keeps us moving to same beat - RU Daily Targum

  01-02-2016 00:30 via
  Dance Marathon keeps us moving to same beat
  RU Daily Targum
  In the early 1970s, the fraternity brothers of Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) began sponsoring Rutgers University Dance Marathon. In bringing the competition to campus, they drew on a tradition that extended as far back as Medieval England. During the 1920s ...
  

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