Archive for the ‘2008 | 12 | December’ Category

Columns
Ask Rhee Gold 
2 Tips for Teachers   
A Better You
On My Mind     

Departments
Thinking Out Loud | Swinging
Mail 
Teacher in the Spotlight | Renee Ziegler

Feature Articles
Ballet Scene | Atlanta Ballet Thinks Big by Lea Marshall
Be Smart About Your Art, Part 3 by Marcia Aller
Letting the Joy In by Nancy Wozny
All That’s Jazz by Tom Ralabate
Higher-Ed Voice | Ballet by Degree
A New Year, A New You by Misty Lown
Dancing on Air by Theodore Bale
Common Ground | Defining Jazz Dance by Tom Ralabate
The Correct Way to Correct by Vanina and Dennis Wilson

Dear Rhee,
I have a student who has a mischievous side that seems to come out when she is at my school and, from what I understand, at public school too. She does things like drop mean notes in the other students’ dance bags. Sometimes she calls them fat or ugly and is always just plain mean. She never signs her name to the notes, but we have determined that it is her because of the handwriting.

On the other hand, she is a model student in class and is always respectful of the teachers. I feel like I’m dealing with a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. I’ve never run into anything like this before—it’s a scary situation!

My solution was to have my students leave their dance bags in the school office. Now they are receiving anonymous emails with basically the same messages they got in their dance bags. When the kids write back, they get a message that says, “Undeliverable; no such email address.” I feel like I need to speak to the student and her mom, but this mom volunteers to help with anything we need and is always praising the positive impact our school has on her daughter. I think she would be shocked to hear this about her daughter, and I don’t want to hurt her feelings. Please offer me some ideas on how to handle this. Thanks. —Frustrated Teacher

Dear Frustrated,
You are right that her feelings will be hurt, and she shouldn’t blame you. But don’t be surprised if she does get angry; as often happens when people get upsetting news, they “shoot the messenger.” Once she has time to process what she’s learned, I’ll bet that she will realize that her daughter, not you, is the problem and do what is necessary to get the girl the help she needs.

Remember that this child might have a lot of insecurities that have nothing to do with dance class or your school. This could be her way of telling the world about those insecurities. She is probably hoping to get caught because she needs help and this is the only way she knows how to get it.

Most likely this is a child who needs dance and the confidence that it can build. Do your best to let her know how much you appreciate how well she does in class and that you want the best for her. Believe it or not, I dealt with the “notes in the dance bag thing” myself, and the student who wrote those notes is now a professional dancer and choreographer who really has her “stuff” together. I hope that’s how this turns out for you. —Rhee

Dear Rhee,
I’m curious about your opinion on opening a second school. Our school is completely filled and now we are turning away students. We can either open a second location or expand at the space we have right now, but I’m not sure which direction to go. Any suggestions would be appreciated. —Kaylynn

Hi Kaylynn,
This is a good problem to have! From a business perspective, I recommend expanding at the location that you already have. Although I know many school owners who have more than one location, some tell me that they have a hard time giving both equal attention. You will have more control managing a business that is all under one roof than you would have traveling from one location to the other.

Expense-wise, it would be cheaper to simply expand your current school. With two locations you need two of everything, from telephones to office staff to maintenance to equipment. It’s better to expand with lower overhead than to double your expenses. —Rhee

Dear Rhee,
I started my studio at age 20 (10 years ago), and in that time the studio has expanded and I have gotten married. Over the past five years I have struggled with the studio, business, and family life. Knowing that my lease was up in five years, I have tried everything—delegating, not teaching as much, and being home at night, then still not being happy and going back to teaching full time on top of dealing with the business end. It’s an endless cycle.

Here we are five years later, and in May I have to sign a lease to continue if I want to. Then here comes the economy—enrollment has dropped a tad and my rent is well over $5,000 a month. I know that in order to keep paying my rent I’ll have to keep raising my tuition prices. So I think, “Move, downsize,” but I have done that already. Now I want to spend time on my house. But my family members say, “How can you let down 300 kids?” And my response is, “What about me? Can’t I spend my Saturday with my family like they can?” (And please keep in mind that there are 15 dance studios in my town.)

I can’t stop thinking about what will happen to the 300 kids that I will disappoint. My husband says I need to be happy and live for me. I am just afraid of what will happen afterward! Please tell me that you have some success stories on this issue. —Sheila

Dear Sheila,
It is admirable that you wonder what will happen to your students if you decide to close your school. However, with 15 other schools in the area, I have a feeling that your students will find a place that they can call their “dance home.” And maybe you can find yourself a teaching position at one of those schools that will offer you the personal time that you need.

School ownership can be very rewarding if you can manage a sense of normalcy, but when you feel overwhelmed or don’t have time to be with your family or work on your house, then it just might be too much. And that’s OK. An alternative to closing might be to hire additional staff to take on some of your responsibilities; however, if that would add a financial strain to the pressure you are already feeling, then don’t go in that direction.

I recently met a dance teacher who had owned a school for nine years but eventually found herself in the same place you’ve described. She closed her school, raised her kids, spent time living a “normal life,” and then opened a new school 10 years later. She managed to have it all and has a much larger school the second time around. I guess you could say that she had the best of both worlds, and so can you. Put yourself first—I think that’s a good thing! —Rhee

Dear Rhee,
This is my 30th year of owning a school and I’ve loved every minute of it. Believe it or not, I have had the same office manager for the entire time that I’ve owned the school. She is part of the reason that I enjoy what I do so much—she’s always smiling, supportive, and looking out for my best interests. Last week she told me that she is moving out of the state to live with her daughter and grandchildren at the end of this season. Although I understand her decision, I feel like I will be lost without her. I fear that I will never have a person like her again. Where do I look for someone to replace her? And how will this new person be able to fill her shoes? —Joanne

Hi Joanne,
How lucky you are to have had the same studio manager for 30 years! Be thankful that she has lasted as long as she has—but you must understand that life changes constantly and this is her change (and yours). My suggestion is to look for a former student’s mom who knows the history of your school and is familiar with how your office manager does things. I don’t recommend hiring the parent of a current student, because that can turn into a conflict of interest.

Pull out your old roll books and look back at some of the moms who loved bringing their children to your school and who would feel nostalgic about returning to the source of such fond memories. They make the best office managers for dance schools.

You need to realize that you will not find a replica of your current studio manager, but in time you will discover that your new manager will bring something fresh to the office. It’s a good idea to bring the new person in to work with your current manager for a couple of weeks before the end of the season; that will give her a better understanding of the school and your needs. And be sure to let your longtime employee know how much you appreciate all that she has done for you. I wish you all good things in this transition. —Rhee

By Mignon Furman

Tip 1
To teach développés devant, have the students lie on the floor on their backs with their legs crossed as though the feet are in fifth position and with both feet fully stretched. Instruct them to draw the working foot through cou-de-pied to the passé (retiré) position. Then, leading with the heel, they should extend to an attitude devant, returning the leg to fifth position by reversing the movement. Have them practice développé to second from this position as well; it is easier to feel the correct placement of the hips.

Tip 2
Once the dancers are strong enough to perform a correct développé (maintaining good turnout and able to lift the legs higher than 90 degrees), they should be careful not to “lock” the hip in the passé position. Instead, they should lift the knee smoothly and unfold the lower leg in line with the thigh using the inside thigh muscle. This movement takes control, flexibility, and strength. It is easy to kick the leg high but not so simple to unfold and hold the leg with good elevation and placement.

Mobilizing your brain to fight mental pain

By Suzanne Martin

When was the last time someone looked at you as if you were a bored housewife and said, “Well, at least you can work when you want to because you work for yourself”? When that happens to me, I resist the urge to kill, and in my best imitation of a syrupy Scarlett O’Hara, I smile sweetly and remember my company motto, “Smile and be polite.” Then I gently explain that when you work for yourself, every client is your boss and unfortunately, the hours are 24/7.

 As I write this, it’s Saturday at 7 p.m. After emailing advice and appointment confirmations, spending another half-hour leaving detailed voice messages on fees, directions, what to wear, what to expect (all of which is clearly spelled out on my website), I’m here to tell you that you can do it. After spending more than 25 years as an independent contractor in the field of teaching the art and science of dance, Pilates, and physical therapy, I’ve become an accidental expert.

After I graduated from PT school, gaining a second master’s degree and a doctorate, I hoped that I’d walk away from the dance world and settle into the gentle practice of healing. But soon I realized that dance had a grip on me that wouldn’t let go. In straddling the worlds of physical therapy, university teaching, and private practice, I’ve made an art of multitasking. I’ve also learned how real the stresses of teaching and entrepreneurship are, and now I’m here to pass on the information to you. This article is the first step in our shared journey toward increased wellness.

You, new and improved
What I’m talking about is not business information, although you need that too. I’m talking about something that’s more important—you. Very simply, no you, no business—end of story. Finding strategies to take care of yourself, and implementing them, is the only way you’ll survive.

Your mother wasn’t kidding when she said the dance life would be a hard one. Whether you’re a studio owner, a staff teacher, or a contractor who juggles multiple jobs, you face physical and emotional stresses every day. Step one is acceptance. Have you accepted your challenge, the one you probably didn’t fully understand when you chose a life in dance?

Acceptance is better than Prozac. For whatever reason, you chose this path, so it’s a good assumption that you’re good at it, or at least conscientious enough to learn what it takes to make it happen. So relax in that knowledge. Remember Shakespeare: “To thine own self be true,” even if you have to repeat it every day.

If you’re a school owner, essentially you’re a CEO. Did you know that CEOs typically schedule only about 50 percent of their workweek? The gaps allow time for unexpected daily crises, which inevitably crop up in any workweek. Borrowing that time-management concept, studio owners might be lulled into the idea that generally mornings can be used to organize and delegate. However, a big problem in the dance-school world is that it runs seasonally around peak performance times such as the winter holidays and the end of the academic year. What starts out as a well-oiled machine in September can quickly smell like burned oil come October. Certainly the schedule is relentless—but is it really the schedule that gives you the fingernails-across-the-chalkboard effect?

A new way of thinking
How do you prevent the daily grind from pulling you into the meat grinder? Put simply, by changing your way of thinking. It might not be so simple, but it’s a skill worth learning. The good news is that a behavior change that you can maintain for 21 to 28 days is likely one that will become permanent. Even better is the observation that one young pre-professional dance student made in one of my nutrition classes: He said that it might take 21 to 28 days to form a new habit, but a change of heart can be made in an instant.

Thanks to psychologist Albert Ellis and his theory of cognitive behavioral therapy, we have tools—our own thoughts—that can create that instantaneous change of heart or deflate our irritation levels. The first step is realizing the difference between your conscious and unconscious minds. Think of your conscious mind as a rider on the horse of the unconscious mind. It can recognize and identify feelings, but its primary role is to learn and give directions. Just as a well-trained horse can walk a familiar path without help from the reins, our gut responses are ruts in the ground that the horse has been trained to know and love.

Changing our gut responses from gut-wrenching experiences into productive interactions means identifying four not-so-productive thinking styles: “demandingness,” “I can’t stand it-ness,” “awfulizing,” and condemning/damning.

Demandingness
Getting overly upset indicates that you are demanding something. Basically it involves a belief that you are able—and intend—to run the universe. Running a studio does involve a confident decisiveness, but the fact is that, in all reality, you cannot control all people, places, and things. Demandingness is likely to happen when the outcome of an incident does not meet your expectations. Taking a hint from principal ballet dancers, self-talk promotes higher performance. In this instance, corrective self-talk states that the incident indeed should have happened because it actually did occur. Rate the event with 100 percent being the worst-case scenario. What’s an honest estimate of the damage? If it’s only x percent bad (and in all actuality you can stand x percent of grief), then you have deflated the situation.

“I can’t stand it-ness”
Can you really not stand it? It’s annoying, yes, but put that event scale to work. Simply verbalizing, “I can’t stand it,” imprints the idea that no solution, no relief is possible. Using the 1-to-10 pain scale (with 1 being no pain and 10 being “flopping off the table, give me morphine” pain), be honest now—what is the actual pain level?

“Awfulizing”
By learning to listen for words such as “terrible,” “horrible,” and “awful,” and using your event-rating scale, you can decide what has crossed the line of unacceptability and learn to recite the mantra “Nothing is terrible.” You cannot change a past mishap; perhaps it shouldn’t have happened, but it did. Decrease your stress level with a quick thought replacement of “I’d like it if . . .” or “It would be better if . . .” or “Next time I’ll . . .” Have patience; remember the 21-day habit-maker. It takes practice.

Condemning/damning
Next explore your self-esteem. One definition of self-esteem is tunnel vision plus dichotomous (black or white, good or bad, all or none) thinking. Our self-esteem becomes linked with how we think others perceive us (usually negatively). With tunnel vision, obviously, we look at only what is in front of us, who is “in our face.” It’s as if our horse suddenly has blinders. Dealing with many clients in close physical proximity makes this unproductive pattern all too easy to fall into, and it can take perseverance to correct.

Our passion for dance often encourages us to put on the horse’s blinders because we love the field and are enthusiastic about bringing others into the fold. But often this results in putting yourself down when students, parents, sponsors, board members, or promoters make their expectations or disappointments known (or you think that they are). But school directors and owners need “forest” eyes—they have to see more than the trees in front of them because there are many variables to coordinate, and their critics may not be aware of crucial factors that affect decisions.

Again, take a reality check. Be honest. Become a dispassionate judge in the trial of the committee accusing you of injustice. Does the sentence you are serving in your mind fit the severity of the crime of your accusers?

The zero effect
If you allow condemning/damning thinking to go on too long, you risk encountering the dreaded “zero effect.” The horse, your subconscious, is in charge of this line of thinking, which means that you believe you are a zero because someone doesn’t love you enough or treats you disrespectfully. And not only are you a zero now, but you’re doomed for life. Or if you’re not a zero now, you will be soon. And last but not least, you are bad, a zero, period, and deserve what gets dished out to you. Sound rational to you?

Accept the challenge
Identify those unproductive thought patterns, both in yourself and others. With detachment, a change of heart, and a 21-day goal, you can defuse the stressors in your life. You can do it. I have faith in you.

Next month we’ll explore more about how to learn to avoid, reduce, and alleviate stress by replacing negativity with positive tools.

Tips for De-Stressing

When you find your emotions escalating, stop and rate the true “awfulness” of the event. Where does it fall on a scale from 1 (best) to 100 (worst)? Chances are it’s something you can handle if you relabel it as “not so bad.”

Listen for negative words like “horrible,” “awful,” “terrible,” and replace them with thoughts that accept a less-than-perfect scenario. Then resolve to improve it next time. Use empowering thoughts like “Next time I’ll . . .” or “It would be better if . . .”

Have patience. It takes time to break old patterns of thought or behavior. Be kind to yourself while you’re working on developing new habits.

Have confidence. Don’t let those who see only the trees deflect you from your view of the entire forest. Take off the blinders; you know what you are doing.

By the time you read this the November election will be behind us and we will have come to terms with what a new president means for this country. Along with the many truths that have surfaced during the arduous two years of the campaign is the evidence that ethical behavior is far more rare in the world than we’d like it to be.

Taking the high road—avoiding gossip and negativity, focusing on what you do best instead of what you think your competition does poorly, accepting the fact that diversity in an industry is the responsible way to meet a wide range of people’s needs—is a topic we’ve touched on often in the past, both in editorials and in the types of stories we run in Dance Studio Life. As a former dance teacher and school owner, Rhee faced the challenge coping with those who didn’t share his values. And we’re facing it now in the publishing world, as we see mounting evidence that a competitor is attempting to undermine—or at least that’s how it seems—Dance Studio Life and the Rhee Gold Company.

Though this kind of less-than-admirable behavior is disturbing, we have confidence that the passion behind our mission and the dedication of our readers to the values reflected in a quality dance education—and on our pages—give us an advantage. We’re not strategizing
about how to undermine the competition; that’s a waste of our time, which we’d rather spend delivering an excellent product to our readers. Dance Studio Life is headed into its fifth year of publication, and to judge by reader feedback, the magazine provides what you want and need.
That will continue to be our goal, regardless of the obstacles put in our way. Obstacles can lead to good things sometimes—that’s certainly the case with the emergence of jazz dance in this country. Out of the horrendous practice of slavery came a new form of expression in music and dance. Its evolution has been a fascinating unfurling of creativity fueled by human need and emotion, and it continues to this
day. Our focus on jazz dance in this issue will reveal this dance form’s complexity and compelling nature and is sure to inspire some of you to make it a bigger part of your lives.

Not only jazz dance but the dance world as a whole is continually shaped by the diverse personalities that inhabit it, as teachers, choreographers, and performers as well as those who dance, in classrooms and on social dance floors, only for the joy of it. Diversity makes us rich. Take pride in who you are and the good you bring to the art form of dance and to the students and audiences you touch.
Whatever success you are experiencing was born of the unique circumstances of your life. No one can replicate that. That’s what those who focus on their competitors don’t understand. Each dance school, company, artistic director, choreographer, performer, and—yes—dance-related magazine is a gift to those who inhabit our little corner of the world.

In an ethical society, there’s room for everyone. Here at Dance Studio Life, we strive for breadth that will enrich our readers’ lives, as well as those of their students and loved ones. As we head into a future that holds the potential for change under new leadership, we hope you’ll share our desire for inclusiveness. Ethics can shape our lives—if we let it.

By Cheryl Ossola

“I love this dance!” That’s what one of my Balboa partners says nearly every week after class. If you’ve never heard of this dance, you’re not alone; within the larger swing-dance community, Balboa dancers are a relatively small subset. But if you ask us, of all the dances that fall into the category of swing, Balboa is king.

Many people equate swing dance with Savoy-style Lindy hop, with it crouched stance, sock-hop dress style, and flat shoes (great for landing those aerials but not as elegant as high heels). That’s what Lacey Schwimmer did on So You Think You Can Dance a few seasons ago. But there’s another world of swing out there, one that’s smooth, elegant, and infinitely variable, jazz dancing that swings as hard as Louis Prima or Chick Webb. Sure, you can jitterbug to rock ’n’ roll, but to dance Bal (as we call it), you need musicians who really know how to swing.

I’ve heard old-timers say that Balboa doesn’t look like much, but wherever my friends and I go dancing, people come up and say, “What are you doing? That is so cool!” One reason why Balboa stands out is its elegance—no crouching and stomping here, and we women wear heels and, often, vintage dresses—and the other is its speed. When a very fast song comes on, most swing dancers leave the floor—but that’s when we Bal dancers hit our stride. Songs played at 180 to 280 beats per minute (or even 292—think of the fastest version you’ve heard of Count Basie’s “Jumpin’ at the Woodside”) are what we love, though we can adapt to slower tempos.

The Balboa was born on Balboa Island, off the coast of San Diego, CA, in the mid-1920s, becoming popular in the 1930s. It was born of necessity: Dance floors were too mobbed for the space-devouring moves of the Lindy. During the swing revival of the 1990s, dancers who wanted to learn the Balboa sought out the old-timers who had originated it, including Maxie Dorf, Willie Desatoff, Ann Mills, Hal Takier, and Dean Raftery, many of whom danced in movie musicals in the 1930s and ’40s. Through the swing revivalists’ efforts the Balboa, which had been mostly limited to Southern California, started spreading and changing.

In its original form (now called “pure Balboa”) the partners danced in closed position at all times. Its very close, torso-to-torso position allows the lead to be given and received with the whole body. In some of my early classes, we practiced without using our arms, learning to communicate via directional movements that originate in the lead’s center. In Balboa, weight shifts are everything.

Pure Bal’s showiness is all in the feet—fast footwork, with a rhythmic pulse (often subtle) that keeps the partners together musically. In some old footage, it’s smooth enough that if you saw a couple from the waist up you’d think they were skating, or maybe not moving at all.

(Other swing dances, by comparison, are far more linear.) Once you separate, you’re doing Bal-swing, which the inventive Maxie Dorf was doing as early as the 1940s.

The next generation of Bal dancers built on that foundation, including one fabulous champion couple, Steve Garrett and Heidi Salerno, who call their unique style “Jitter-Bal.” But descriptions aren’t enough—go to YouTube and search for “Balboa by Steve and Heidi” or “Joel and Alison at All Balboa Weekend 2005” for a great taste.

If you like speed, swing, and inventiveness, Balboa is for you. I’ve learned so much from great teachers such as Steve and Heidi, Alison and Joel Plys, Zach Richard and Maryse Lebeau, Sylvia Sykes, Jonathan Bixby, Marty Klempner, Brenda Collins, and Jeff Kroll. There are teachers and workshops all over the world, so jump into action! Or go to Bal’s birthplace and attend the Balboa Rendezvous in San Diego (www.2plyswing.com). Why am I telling you this? It’s simple: I love this dance!

Words from our readers

I just had to write and let you know how I laughed at Diane Gudat’s “Fantasy Comebacks” [DSL, September 2008]. Oh my gosh, I have had some of the same questions! That was the best laugh I have had in a long time. Thank you for your magazine; it is very inspiring.
Fran Norris
Miss Fran’s Dance & Tumbling Studio
Ponca City, OK

I was on the treadmill listening to my iPod and reading the September 2008 issue of Dance Studio Life (by the way, love this magazine!) and I came across the article titled “Fantasy Comebacks.” I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. It was a hysterical but a realistic article. Many times I’ve had to be professional instead of saying exactly what I was thinking. I really enjoyed this article and made copies of it for my friends who own studios in other towns. Thank you so much for a great laugh!
Lisa Brown
Sunset Academy of Dance
San Francisco, CA

I was reading the letter from a teacher who had two of her teachers leave and open a studio close by [DSL, “Ask Rhee Gold,” September 2008]. My advice to all dance studio owners is to get a contract (and yes, it would be worth the expense of getting an attorney to do it) stating that the teachers employed cannot teach within a 10- mile radius for a period of two years following the end of the contract without written permission of the studio owner. How awful for someone to do that—but it happens, and studio owners must be very careful.
Louise Taitz
On Your Toes Academy of Dance
Buffalo Grove, IL

I love, love, love your publication! It has helped me more times than I can count—and as I am entering my ninth year of studio ownership, that is saying a lot!
Jill Robinson
Adams Dance Academy
Pittsgrove, NJ

I thoroughly enjoy your magazine and every article is real-world! So helpful to a studio owner. Keep the great issues coming because we look forward to new ideas every month.
Elizabeth Huebner
Classical Dance Center
Newport Beach and Tustin, CA

Co-director, teacher, and choreographer, Ziegler Dance Centre, McAfee, NJ

Nominated by: Peggy Ziegler, her mother: “Renee started assisting at the age of 15 with classes in our family studio. At age 17 she began to teach classes. Renee is now 28 and co-director with me. Renee teaches from her heart. She loves to see the accomplishments of her students. She has now taken over our competition troupe. For the past four years, Renee has been the choreographer for our local community theater. She also has taught hip-hop in our local schools. Every year Renee addresses students on Career Day at our middle school to share the importance of dance in her life.”

AGES TAUGHT:  From 2 to adult.

GENRES TAUGHT; Ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, pointe, acrobatics.

TEACHING DANCE FOR: 11 years.

WHY SHE TEACHES: It’s been in the family for decades. My mother has been dancing all her life and her sister, my aunt, also owned a dance studio. My father dances as well and has always been into theater. I have been dancing all of my life and I absolutely love to perform, but teaching gives me such a rush. To be able to see my students succeed and develop self-esteem and pride in themselves and the art of dance is very fulfilling.

GREATEST INSPIRATION: My mom, because she is always determined and willing to do what it takes to express her love of dance to others.

PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING: You must feel it from within; then great things will happen. If you’re not dancing from and with your heart, then you’re not getting all of what dance could bring you. I tell my students constantly that they must have fun and if they aren’t, we need to stop and figure out why. When students are happy and enjoying themselves they are more apt to learn and express themselves.

WHAT MAKES HER A GOOD TEACHER: My belief in each student. Whether they are strong, driven, serious dancers who want to continue through the different paths of dance or someone who wants to dance “just because,” I give each one of them my attention, passion, and my love for dance. I will guide them every step of the way—even if it takes tens of thousands of tries.

FONDEST TEACHING MEMORY: I had a blind student once who took tap and jazz. Seeing

how excited she would get when the music came on and she would dance with me was amazing. She could really feel the beat and remember her steps.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE FOR STUDENTS AND/OR TEACHERS: We are all in this together. There are many studios and schools out there, so no matter where you go, be true to yourself and your students.

WHAT SHE WOULD DO IF SHE COULDN’T TEACH DANCE:  I would get involved with the production of shows—either performing or working behind the scenes—because I could never stray too far from the world of dance.

Do you know a dance teacher who deserves to be in the spotlight? Email your nominations to

David@rheegold.com or mail them to David Favrot, Dance Studio Life, 10 South Washington St., Norton, MA 02766. Please include why you think this teacher should be featured, along with his or her contact information.

Blending ballet and hip-hop broadens dancers and audiences

By Lea Marshall

When you walk into a ballet rehearsal you expect to see dancers putting on pointe shoes, chatting, and warming up, maybe to the sound of a pianist playing quietly in the corner. What if instead you found dancers grooving to the sounds of a hip-hop band warming up, and chatting with world-famous singer Antwan Patton (known as Big Boi, formerly of OutKast)? This was the scene at Atlanta Ballet last spring as the company prepared for big, a collaborative project featuring a live performance by Big Boi with his band and a host of other singers from the hip-hop world, in conjunction with choreography by AB’s resident choreographer, Lauri Stallings.

For Atlanta Ballet’s artistic director, John McFall, big was a dream come true. Several years ago, when asked during a press conference what lay ahead for Atlanta Ballet, McFall says, “One of my comments happened to be, ‘I’m vitally interested in a collaboration with the hip-hop industry.’ ” As one reason for his interest McFall cites AB’s dedication to the diverse Atlanta community.

Hip-hop meets ballet in Atlanta Ballet’s joint venture with music artist Big Boi. (Photo by Charlie McCullers)

“We’re very active in going out into the neighborhoods of Atlanta to listen and respond, and we appreciate when people are interested in the arts, because we think it can really do something special for all of us,” he says. “It seemed clear to us that, here we are in the hub of part of the music industry that has an interesting dynamic. And that style of music [hip-hop], in particular, happens to speak to the neighborhoods and members of our community.”

A project combining ballet and hip-hop, then, seemed like a no-brainer. It’s not a new idea—blending ballet with contemporary or pop culture forms—but it’s a hard one to get right. After that press conference, says McFall, “of course I got a pushback immediately—emails and letters and phone calls asking why in the world would a ballet company even consider such an audacious thing.” He responded reassuringly to nervous classicists by emphasizing the value of experimentation and openness. “The arts are meant to inform and be provocative and create curiosity,” he says. Without curiosity, “you just end up living in insulated pockets, with these intangible barriers in our community.”

Thinking big
As a major hip-hop artist from Atlanta, Big Boi seemed like a good prospect for collaboration with AB. One of the company’s trustees introduced McFall to him at a fund-raiser that Big Boi threw for his Big Kidz Foundation, and “we got out of the gate that very night,” says McFall. Patton “made the commitment, and simply said, ‘Well, just don’t put me in tights and it’s a deal.’ So that’s how it started. Antwan Patton is pretty unusual. Not only is he accessible, but he’s adventurous. He’s available to going somewhere he’s never been before.”

With a big name enlisted, AB took big ideas and ran with them. Choreographer Stallings worked on focused, propulsive movement for the dancers, weaving together the classical and the contemporary. Production designer Adam Larsen created a video backdrop for the work using rehearsal footage and images of Atlanta people of all colors, all ages. The company held citywide auditions for a group of children to participate in the show. More than 200 kids auditioned, of whom 50 got to participate in workshops and 30 were in the performances.

The show encompassed dance, music, poetry (written and read by music artist Big Rube), video, flying dancers in harnesses, and gorgeous costumes (by April McCoy). It was staged in the vast, lavish, historic Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta.

Including community children in the process and production made for some inspiring stories. Twelve-year-old Kameron Davis was the lucky kid ultimately chosen to perform the role of Little Big, a young incarnation of Big Boi. Until he was cast in the show (his mother heard about auditions on a local radio station), Davis had never studied ballet before, though he had performance experience through music—he studies several instruments—and theater. He now takes ballet classes, saying after the show he was inspired “to see if I could do it, and to challenge myself. It’s very fun.”

When he started rehearsals, Davis wondered if the AB dancers might be “tough to talk to.” He thought that since they work very hard, they’d never have time to speak to a little kid. “But it’s nothing like that. They’re very nice, and they know how to be very cool, laid back.”

Even though he found the first performance of big “nerve-wracking,” Davis says the whole experience was great. When asked what he learned from it he said, “Just to be myself, and that there’s a whole other world out there, like ballet and hip-hop, and different kinds of dance styles.”

Dancer Nadia Mara, who was one of the flyers, loved the process from start to finish. “We had a great time,” she says. “It was a pleasure to be around Big Boi and those amazing singers all the time, in the studios and rehearsing.” The ballet dancers and the hip-hop musicians, once in the studio together, expressed mutual respect for each other’s talent. “The band supported us so much. And the same thing with them, the dancers would say ‘You are so talented!’ It was fun; we really got to interact with each other.”

As for Stallings’ movement, Mara says, “It’s very precise. She knows exactly what she wants. You have to be very focused in rehearsal. But you know, we like that; we like challenging stuff. She’s a passionate choreographer and she’s inspiring. It was really nice to work with her.”

Unforgettable
By all accounts, the project made a splash. McFall was delighted. The musicians enjoyed themselves. The dancers loved it. Echoing the delight of many of the AB dancers at breaking out of the usual ballet mold, Mara says, “It’s one of those shows I’m never going to forget.”

Even the critics got into the groove. Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times wrote, “big is big, and the hip, cheering, and wildly diverse audience on Thursday night is undoubtedly what the Atlanta Ballet’s director, John McFall, had in mind when he suggested the collaboration to Mr. Patton.”

For McFall, that was the best part of all; big answered his hopes for a show that brought two forms together and new audiences into the theater. “At the end of a performance, every single time we brought the curtain up,” he says, “the audience was literally on their feet for about 12 or 15 minutes. It was the most unusual conclusion to any ballet evening I’ve ever experienced.

“And what was really remarkable,” he continues, “was all the people that came together because of curiosity, interest: ballet-goers, hip-hop folks come for the music, and there we all were. The dynamics were really pretty stand-alone. I’d never seen it before. And what’s really great is that it was all happening in Atlanta.”

Take this fun quiz to see how much you know about dance

By Marcia Aller

As a teacher your role has many facets, but your long-term goal should be to produce well-rounded and educated performers. Including fun facts in your classes will impress your students and keep them interested. Take this quiz yourself, and then share it with your students and staff. If you are enjoying these mini-quizzes, let us know—we’d be happy to test your knowledge even further!

1. Translate “grands ronds de jambe en l’aire.”

A. large circles of the leg in the air

B. large rounded jumping steps

C. large air turns

2. The thickest, strongest tendon in the body can be torn by landing improperly after a jump. What is it called?

A. soleus

B. Achilles

C. quadriceps

3. Complete this series: Shuffle, scuffle, ___________.

A. smoffle

B. sniffle

C. riffle

4. What step might Garfield do?

A. a pouncé (to pounce upon)

B. la clomber (a climbing movement)

C. pas de chat (cat step)

5. If a dance movement has a prolonged quality, it is said to be what?

A. sustained

B. frozen

C. undefined

6. Composers Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss wrote the “Pizzicato Polka” in 1869. Which French composer wrote a “Pizzicato Polka” in 1876?

A. Léo Delibes

B. Frédéric Chopin

C. Louis Moreau Gottschalk

7. What is another name for the soft-shoe?

A. essence

B. glide

C. balance

8. What is an emboîté?

A. a small, controlled movement

B. a jumped turn that travels

C. a type of stretch done at the barre

9. Which ballroom dance follows the pattern of three quick steps (on beats 3 and 4) and two slower steps (on 1 and 2)?

A. mambo

B. cha-cha

C. tango

10. In which country are the “Dance of Happiness,” “Dance of Spring,” and “Flower Dance” performed at festivals?

A. China

B. Japan

C. North and South Korea

There is no ranking system in this quiz, but you do get a gold star for trying it!

Answers: 1–A, 2–B, 3–C, 4–C, 5–A, 6–A, 7–A, 8–B, 9–B, 10–A

How Lynn Simonson found her jazz groove

By Nancy Wozny

Lynn Simonson can identify the exact moment she fell in love with jazz dance: As a teenager, she danced around the room to Miles Davis’ famous album, Kind of Blue. “I think I was wearing my pointe shoes at the time,” says Simonson, the creator of the Simonson Technique and co-founder of Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) in New York City. “The music struck an immediate chord with me.”

Lynn Simonson, shown here teaching in Bruges, Belgium, in 1978, developed a body-conscious jazz technique that has had a huge influence on the teaching field. (Photo courtesy Dance New Amsterdam)

Now 65 and retired from studio ownership, she stays on as an advisor and continues to offer the Simonson Technique Teaching Training Certification Course, now going on its 25th year at DNA. Simonson can boast a slew of impressive professional credits, including co-founding the eclectic troupe Dance Theatre Collection, but it’s her body-focused technique and teacher-training program that she considers her legacy to jazz dance education. Simonson Technique sets the standard for somatic-based dance technique across the modern/jazz board.

The core teaching values of Simonson Technique are straightforward:

• Each dancer is an individual and can learn to work and dance safely within his or her own bodily limitations.
• A dance class is a humane environment where the teacher knows the name and any past injuries of each student. Time is allocated in the first few moments to access any special needs.
• Teachers must have comprehensive anatomical knowledge that can prevent future injuries.
• Precise, well-timed verbal cueing and clear demonstrating accommodate a broad style of learners. Simonson Technique teachers use language very effectively to help dancers understand a combination or exercise.
• Combinations set to jazz music, at tempos appropriate to the level, provide the core of a dance class.

All of these tenets derive directly from Simonson’s experiences as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher of nearly 50 years.

Simonson grew up in Seattle, in a family of professional classical musicians, and she admits, “I was the rebel when I went into jazz.” When she and her mother, Louise Simonson, started taking ballet classes together at the school of former Ballet Russe dancers Marian and Illaria Ladré, she was 8 and her mother, 30.

Eventually her mother opened her own studio and Simonson started her teaching career at age 13, with pre-ballet. She was teaching ballet by age 16 and remembers how intuitive it was for her. “I knew not to push turnout, but I didn’t know how I knew that,” says Simonson. “I had a dream of joining the Ballet Russe but it folded by the time I was ready; I was given such a passion for dance history by my teachers. It’s so important to honor where you came from.”

Her work in Equity summer stock musicals in Seattle in the early 1960s immersed her in yet another language for dance. “Classical ballet is such a tunnel-vision world,” Simonson says. “Doing musical theater opened my life; it’s where I first heard jazz music.”

Simonson moved to New York when she was 18. “I was lucky to arrive in New York with my Equity card and 10 musicals under my belt,” she recalls. “So many people came with no performing experience.” She remembers what fun it was to learn “Steam Heat” from Pajama Game, which she first performed in Equity summer stock in Seattle. “It was so joyful,” she says.

Connecting to the feeling of joy remains a central tenant in her technique. Within a short time Simonson got a job dancing in the ballet corps for Radio City Music Hall. With four shows a day, seven days a week, she learned a lot about the importance of taking care of one’s body, another central theme in her method. Although she was a strong ballet dancer, her hyperextended knees were sometimes an issue for the body-conscious dancer. “Once I looked in the mirror, I noticed how far back my knees curved. I hated being so freaky,” she remembers. “That look in the mirror saved my life.” Becoming aware of one’s own unique anatomy is a must for any dancer, she contends.

In the mid-1960s, she took her first jazz class with Luigi and her mind opened to a new world. “It was such an exciting time to be studying jazz; we had Broadway dancers in class, and live music,” she says. “For me, Luigi was all about the music; he would choreograph by singing the steps and adding another layer over the music.” It’s no surprise that careful attention to both the style and rhythmic structure of music is another central ingredient in the Simonson method.

The eager young dancer was also studying with such jazz dance notables as Betsy Haug, Claude Thompson, Fred Benjamin, and Jaime Rogers. “In Jaime’s class you danced with an earthy quality, while Luigi made a lady out of me,” she says. During this time she was often baffled at why her teachers couldn’t remember her name after she’d been in class for a month. “Once I even wore a T-shirt with my name on it,” she says. That experience stayed with her: No student is invisible in Simonson classes.

Simonson found dancing in bare feet a revelation. “I used to be such a snob and thought I would never be one of those bare-feet people,” she says. “Although in musical theater you danced in heels, I have always preferred the modern side of staying shoeless.” She also became highly aware of the specifics of each jazz dance style. In her technique no single style dominates, which is unusual in the history of style-dependent jazz dance. Since it is less dependent on idiosyncratic movements, dancers can slip easily from one style to another. “Dancers should be prepared to adapt to many styles,” Simonson says.

Simonson returned to Seattle after a year in New York, at 19, excited about sharing all that she had learned in New York, and enthusiastically jumped into teaching jazz. (Ann Reinking, one of her students, learned her first shoulder roll from Simonson.) The young teacher found herself deeply engaged in her classes. “I was always questioning the best way to teach something. I had that kind of mind.”

Shortly after returning to New York the following fall Simonson dislocated her knee. She was lucky to get treated by Dr. Richard Bachrach, The Joffrey Ballet’s staff physician at the time and one of only a few dance specialists in New York. “What an amazing experience to find the right doctor. After that, I wanted to know all about the body. I was intrigued when my injured knee actually got stronger after doing the rehab exercises. That injury provided an incredible lesson for me,” says Simonson, who then began learning anatomy on her own. “There are no accidents.”

During the 1960s, Simonson supported herself through jobs at Radio City Music Hall, Latin Fire Follies, go-go dancing in New Jersey clubs, touring shows of Brigadoon and West Side Story, and a string of other jobs, including television specials and an off-Broadway show.

In 1967 Simonson moved to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to teach and perform for a former New York classmate, Helen LeClercq (whom some people called the “mother of jazz dance in Amsterdam”). It was there that the roots of Simonson Technique emerged, in its creator’s teaching of recreational dance to adult beginners. She had to figure out a way for mature dancers to move safely. “That’s when my mind really began to work. I started working in parallel, and waiting longer to get to grand pliés. Things starting falling into place,” she says. “If you can teach beginners, you can teach anyone.”

During the next year she organized her own summer course for recreational adult students, and her European teaching career took off. Between 1969 and 1976 she taught jazz for the Internationale Sommerakademie des Tanzes (International Summer Academy of Dances) in Cologne, Germany, and studied with such renowned masters as Donald McKayle, Glen Tetley, Antony Tudor, and Hans van Manen. “I took as many classes as I could,” she remembers. “I taught alongside those notables and took their classes during the course. We taught together for years.”

Early on, Simonson noticed that she had a keen eye for her fellow students’ idiosyncrasies. “I would notice if one shoulder was higher than the other and how that affected their traps,” she says. “I had X-ray vision.” Learning how to access a student’s alignment accurately and quickly is part of the training process for teachers.

By 1977 the components of her technique had fallen into place and she was ready to take the next step: training teachers in her method. With the help and support of Jacqueline Lemieux, a respected teacher in Canada, Simonson presented her first teacher-training class in Sherbrooke, Quebec. “I had carte blanche to develop a two-week program with four to five hours a day—two hours of technique class and the rest teaching principles,” says Simonson. “I think Jacqueline was the first person in Quebec to organize an open course for those who wanted to teach jazz.”

‘I used to be such a snob and thought I would never be one of those bare-feet people. Although in musical theater you danced in heels, I have always preferred the modern side of staying shoeless.’  —Lynn Simonson

Each June and October, Simonson heads to New York City to conduct her 36-hour teacher training workshops. Each group is limited to six students, so each gets ample time to practice teaching. In picking the students, Simonson looks for prospects who are at least intermediate-level dancers and who are truly interested in developing as teachers; she’s less concerned that they want to teach the Simonson Technique. “I want teachers to leave as clear communicators,” she says. “My training is also applicable to teaching yoga, Pilates, and modern dance.”

Applicants must attend 12 anatomy awareness classes before receiving their certification and must be familiar with the Simonson Technique. (Classes are available at DNA.) She teaches a separate training session just for international students. Because language is so specific in a Simonson class, she prefers to run separate groups.

Teachers learn the basic format of her two-hour class, which includes progressions, practice teaching, issues with the use of music, choreographing combinations, and anatomy for dance teachers. She focuses on central concepts such as turnout; foot, knee, and hip placement; and ways to recognize over-taxed muscles and ligaments. Simonson realizes that anatomy is a lifelong pursuit; her training is designed to get teachers on a learning path. Participants take turns giving lessons and getting feedback from Simonson and other teachers. “It’s a very intense process,” she says.

A Simonson class consists of a fixed sequence of exercises that are designed to progressively warm up the body. The first 10 minutes are used for stretching, culminating in a circulation stretch that concentrates on large muscle groups. Next come muscle toning and strengthening exercises: pliés, tendus, développés, and—in more advanced levels—an adagio. Floor work for deeper stretching and abdominal work precedes isolations, movements across the floor, and grands battements. Placement and alignment take a high priority. The actual exercises can vary and Simonson encourages her teachers to be creative and find their own voice.

Creating a welcoming learning environment is a high priority. Besides learning each student’s name and any history of injuries, a Simonson teacher is also expected to maintain a tempo appropriate to the class and to position the students with sufficient surrounding space so that each can be seen; there’s no hiding in a Simonson class. The orientation often varies as well (the “front” could be the back of the room), and the teacher walks through the room instead of planting herself in front of the group. Corrections are positively framed and appropriate to a student’s level.

Simonson stresses using verbal cueing to guide the students through each exercise, which is usually performed three or four times. “A teacher’s voice is so important,” she says. “We all learn differently; some visually, while others learn through listening.” Redundancy, allowing for multiple channels of learning, is embedded into the method. With each repetition the amount of cueing decreases, so that by the fourth round, the students are dancing fully without verbal direction.

A half-hour is dedicated to the combination, which is set to blues, gospel, Afro-Cuban, and other jazz music. Teaching level-appropriate combinations is key to the training process. Finding appropriate music in a tempo to match the level is also discussed. During the training process teachers bring in music samples to try out. Teachers also learn drumming, a skill Simonson finds essential in developing rhythmic sense.

Although the structure of a Simonson class remains the same, teachers learn how to vary the level of difficulty accordingly. “Each teacher approaches my work in a different way,” she says. “The structure allows for teachers to develop clear and distinct voices with a set format.”

Andrea Downie, 36, from Vancouver, Canada, first encountered Simonson’s teaching 18 years ago at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Downie teaches at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby and is pursuing a master’s degree in dance at York University in Toronto. “I found her work inspiring and life-changing,” Downie says. When she met Simonson, she had been told to consider another career because of knee injuries. “Lynn offered me hope,” says Downie, who is still dancing and teaching. “She taught me how to work safely with my own knees,” and how to avoid pain and prevent further damage. Impressed with Simonson’s methods, Downie went on to take the teacher training, which she recommends for teachers of all dance genres. “That’s the beauty of this technique. It really addresses that each student is an individual,” she says. “There’s no fitting a dancer into a mold.”

Teacher, dancer, and choreographer Diane McCarthy has been teaching Simonson Technique for 20 years at DNA, in addition to classes at the Mark Morris Dance School in Brooklyn and Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. McCarthy believes that the technique has helped to preserve her body. “The warm-up is a slow, integrated approach to getting the body ready to dance,” she says, “by isolating internal and external body parts, stabilizing joints and strengthening muscles, methodically covering classical exercises needed for articulation of legs and feet, and slowly adding torso movement with spinal flexion and extension.” McCarthy, 47, also appreciates the constant give and take between teacher and students that is the hallmark of a Simonson class.

Today, Simonson is back in the Seattle area, enjoying the freedom of being a guest teacher. She has no plans to make a video—“I can’t see who’s watching it,” she quips—or write a book. “I’m excited by watching how people learn.” She continues to refine her technique with each group of new teachers she encounters. “Dance is for everyone; it’s inclusive, not exclusive,” she says. “Our job is to let the joy in.

Jazz dancing past and present

By Tom Ralabate

Born in America at the beginning of the 20th century, jazz dance melds the spirit of improvisation with the discipline of applied technique in a style that constantly redefines and reinvents itself. Jazz dance is seen on stages and in movies, on streets and in clubs; it is taught in dance studios and researched at universities. Its history engages both the past and present in a uniquely American way.

The influence of Luigi’s style can be seen in nearly every jazz class today. (Photo courtesy Luigi)

The history of jazz dance is an expansive subject, and following a time line encompassing four fluid periods makes it easier to grasp. Though this article highlights only key figures and events within each period, jazz dance’s rich history includes many more notable figures and details.

Pre-history and roots (before 1900)
In the early 1500s, as slavery forced Africans out of their homes, and their sophisticated culture of music and dance, to settle in the West Indies and the Americas, the resulting blend of African and European traditions gave birth to American jazz dance. Though dancing and drums were banned, African slaves found outlets to express their feelings through music and dance in daily life. The stamping and shuffling of bare feet, the clapping and patting of hands against the body, the improvisational celebration of movement and vocalization, the banjo, fiddle, and musical pipes—all were ways to maintain their identity.

The chanting, drumming, and dancing of the slaves mixed in the plantation setting with their white owners’ traditional, European-inspired dances to form what historian Marshall Stearns calls “vernacular” dance. These shared dances and culture led to stereotyping of African dancing by white performers, who blackened their faces and imitated their steps in an exaggerated manner.

In 1789, John Durang emerged as one of America’s first noted professional white dancer/actors, the predecessor of white dancers in blackface who popularized minstrel shows some 30 years later. At the same time, slaves began to satirize the dances of their white masters with dances such as the cakewalk, a high-strutting competition dance in which they mimicked Southern aristocratic manners.

Later, in New Orleans in the early 1800s, African dance thrived without outside influences; the French and Spanish Catholics who occupied this area allowed slaves to drum and perform their traditional dances during their leisure time.

Before the Civil War, white dancers monopolized the professional entertainment scene. It was the talents of William Henry Lane, a freeborn slave known as “Master Juba” and considered at that time the best dancer in the world, that catapulted black American vernacular dance to popularity by combining Irish jig–type movements and African polyrhythms.

From 1845 to 1900, minstrel shows were the most popular form of American entertainment. They popularized tap forms of the buck and wing, jig, clog, and soft shoe, along with vernacular jazz dances such as the cakewalk, but they also portrayed blacks in stereotypical and denigrating ways. Around 1900 variety entertainment became big business through the vaudeville circuit, and minstrel shows and such offshoots as medicine shows, gillies, carnivals, tent shows, and circuses became fixtures across America.

Early vernacular dance (1900–1940)
The next major change in American jazz dance came when “America went dance mad,” as noted by musicologist Sigmund Spaeth. With the popularity of ragtime music (from the 1890s until about 1920), hundreds of new dances flooded American ballrooms. Animal dances such as the grizzly bear, monkey glide, kangaroo dip, and turkey trot, at first popularized by Vernon and Irene Castle (who later rejected them as inelegant) were all the rage.

Early musicals brought social dances into the realm of entertainment. In 1913 Darktown Follies opened in Harlem, intertwining the plot with flashy dance steps. And in 1921, Shuffle Along exploded onto Broadway with the Charleston, a tap-and-jazz blend of movement, and a 16-girl chorus line. Anchored at the end of the line was the instantly popular Josephine Baker.

In the late 1920s, swing music allowed social dancers to experiment with movement, both in partner and solo forms. By 1936 the Lindy hop (later called the jitterbug), had become a recognized part of the American dance scene. The creative expressiveness of the Lindy allowed partner challenges and personal styles (like that of George Snowden) to come to the forefront and gave theatrical choreographers a wealth of new dance material. Its movement style and specific patterns gave teachers much to build on in early jazz classes. And the Savoy Ballroom–based White’s Lindy Hoppers changed the face of American movies with their acrobatic dancing.

Just as jazz music and jazz dance were evolving along parallel lines, so was the Broadway musical, in which movement and story eventually became integrated. Modern dancer/choreographers Helen Tamiris and Hanya Holm, who crossed over into musical theater, influenced jazz dance with their demands for better-trained dancers. George Balanchine, the co-founder and director of New York City Ballet, integrated jazz movement with ballet in his work on Broadway musicals, including On Your Toes (1936), of which the “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” portion is now a discrete ballet in NYCB’s repertory. In 1943, ballet choreographer Agnes de Mille added an extended ballet in Oklahoma!, creating the musical dance-drama form. Balanchine’s and de Mille’s blending of ballet with jazz movement paved the way for choreographers such as Katherine Dunham, Jerome Robbins, and Jack Cole, whose personal signatures influenced the next period of jazz dance’s evolution.

Fusion styles (1940–1970)
Katherine Dunham, schooled in anthropology, blended ethnic dance forms from Africa and the West Indies with theatrical dance. Jerome Robbins combined his ballet background with theatrical and social forms to create West Side Story (1957), popularizing this blended jazz dance style in theatrical entertainment. In 1954 Bob Fosse choreographed his first musical, The Pajama Game, following it with three decades of Broadway and motion picture successes. His distinct style, characterized by use of the pelvis, rounded shoulders, and arm and hand isolations, is considered a classic theatrical jazz form. Choreographers Daniel Nagrin and Alvin Ailey fused jazz dance elements with modern dance, giving a new dimension to modern jazz works.

However, it was Jack Cole who left an indelible mark. Known as the “father of theatrical jazz dance,” he borrowed from modern dance (Humphrey-Weidman), ballet (Cecchetti), bharata natyam (a style of Indian dance), African and Caribbean dances and rhythms, and other world forms to create a new jazz hybrid. His style utilized African movements, such as deep pliés with explosive hip movements; East Indian isolations; the rhythm and syncopation of swing; athletic and acrobatic movements; and intricate floor work. The influence of his style, though redefined, is visible in current jazz choreography.

Cole, who never received star recognition, did not establish a codified technique, but the dance classes he gave to fellow film professionals such as Gwen Verdon, Carol Haney, and Rod Alexander helped to perpetuate his style.

In the mid-1950s, Matt Mattox, a protégé of Cole, began to teach jazz classes in New York, using the structure of a ballet class as a model. He codified movements that he learned from Cole, and his work evolved to emphasize an understanding of isolating the body with a keen sense of coordination. He used the word “freestyle” to describe his jazz style because it allows one to make both creative movement and stylistic choices.

Also emerging at this time was dancer Eugene Facciuto, known as Luigi (a nickname given to him by Gene Kelly). After a serious car accident left him paralyzed on his right side, Luigi designed a series of exercises and port de bras to rehabilitate his body. Incorporating the foundations of ballet with lyricism, his style reflects the harmonious aesthetics of movement and music. Today, Luigi’s oppositional rib stretch can be seen in a redefined manner in most center floor jazz warm-ups.

Two other prime movers in the development of jazz dance in the 1950s and 1960s were Ruth Walton and Gus Giordano. Both were influenced by modern dance techniques, Walton by Martha Graham and Giordano by Hanya Holm and Alwin Nikolais. Walton and Giordano made significant contributions to the evolution of jazz-class structure and in standardizing terminology for jazz dance education. Giordano, the founder of Jazz Dance World Congress and one of the 20th century’s strongest advocates for jazz dance, worked tirelessly to elevate the perception of jazz dance from entertainment to a respected art form.

With the advent of rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s and the English invasion and Motown sound of the 1960s, new social dances such as the twist, pony, and monkey emerged on TV. On Broadway, jazz dance took a step forward through the talents of Ron Field as seen in his smash hit Cabaret. The 1970s ushered in the disco era, and as line dances became the vogue, dance schools incorporated these fad movements into jazz classes.

In 1975 Lee Theodore formed American Dance Machine, a dance company devoted to preserving Broadway choreography (and thus vernacular jazz movement). Also at this time, resident Las Vegas choreographer Ron Lewis created a high-energy look for club acts that mixed African and street movements with isolations. Popularizing his technique were two extraordinary jazz teacher/stylists, Ann Marie Garvin on the West Coast and Betsy Haug on the East Coast.

New hybrids (1980–present)
Along with the technological advances of the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, the world witnessed the movement phenomena of hip-hop, music dance videos, and reality TV dance shows. In the 1980s, the early hip-hop choreography of Michael Peters (“Beat It”) highlighted the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Hip-hop escaped its 1970s ghetto roots and hit mainstream America as a dance trend in the early ’80s.

“Hip-hop” is an umbrella term for a wide range of movement and music styles that originated in urban centers on both coasts. Key figures include Afrika Bambaataa, the “godfather of hip-hop”; Don Campbell, who invented locking; Sam Solomon, who invented the boogaloo; Timothy (Popin’ Pete) Solomon, who invented popping (which led to robotics, strobing, dime-stopping, waving, liquid, and tutting); and Rennie Harris, who took hip-hop onto the concert stage.

Today’s dance studios often offer classes that blend hip-hop with ballet, tap, jazz, ballroom, contemporary dance, and gymnastics. The TV show So You Think You Can Dance, along with YouTube, has showcased these “new style” hybrid dances, making this style of dance accessible to all.

Among the choreographers who have influenced Broadway theatrical jazz dance are Susan Stroman, Rob Marshall, Graciela Danielle, Bill T. Jones, Garth Fagan, Jerry Mitchell, and Wayne Cilento.

Jazz Dance Time Line

This partial list of innovators in jazz dance reflects the four fluid periods of jazz dance history in commercial theater, film, television, dance videos, concert dance, and dance education. Although some artists’ contributions and influence expand over several decades, they are listed in the decade during which their contributions emerged.

1700s

John Durang (1768–1822): the first professional American dancer, made famous by his hornpipe dance. In 1789 he appeared in blackface, popularizing the minstrel shows.

1800s

William Henry Lane, aka “Master Juba” (1825–1852): one of the first black performers to tour with white minstrels and play to white audiences.

Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy” Rice (1808–1860): a blackface performer, credited with a step called “jumping Jim Crow,” similar to trucking of the late 1930s. Called the “father of American minstrelsy.”

1900s–1920s

Whitman Sisters: considered the royalty of black vaudeville entertainment from 1900 to 1943. Introduced the cakewalk in 1908.

Joe Frisco (1889–1958): a vaudeville star of the 1920s and 1930s; billed himself as the first jazz dancer. His trademark step was Off to Buffalo. He wore a derby hat and danced with a cigar in his mouth.

Vernon (1887–1918) and Irene Castle (1893–1969): popularized ballroom dances, including ragtime dances such as the turkey trot and grizzly bear.

1930s

George “Shorty” Snowden (~1904–1982): popularized the Lindy hop and breakaway moves (e.g., Shorty George, camel walks, Suzie Q, boogie-woogie) at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom.

Fred Astaire (1899–1987): Academy Award–winning icon of movie musicals whose signature style (which he called “outlaw style”) of musical theater dance blended ballet, tap, and ballroom. His career in vaudeville, stage, and film lasted 76 years. Credits include Top Hat, Shall We Dance, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.

1940s

Jerome Robbins (1918–1998): Academy Award–winning film director and choreographer; co-artistic director of New York City Ballet. He had an expansive career in classical ballet, contemporary and musical theater dance. Credits include The King and I, West Side Story, Gypsy, Fiddler on the Roof.

Katherine Dunham (1909–2006): American dancer and choreographer who blended African tribal movements with modern dance. Credits include Carnival of Rhythm, Stormy Weather. Former student: Talley Beatty.

Jack Cole (1911–1974): the “father of jazz dance.” His style blended ballet, modern dance, and world dance forms. Credits include the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Broadway’s Man of La Mancha.

The Nicholas Brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000): Dance team of stage, screen, and TV. Their act combined early vernacular jazz movements, tap, and athletic innovations.

1950s

Matt Mattox (1921–): disciple of Jack Cole. His technique emphasizes the coordination of multiple body parts with polyrhythmic music. Former students include Bob Boross, Nat Horne, Charles Kelley, Graciela Daniele, Frank Pietri, Margo Sappington, Alan Johnson.

Michael Kidd (1915–2007): award-winning film and stage choreographer noted for his high-energy, athletic choreography. Credits include Guys and Dolls, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Gene Kelly (1912–1996): award-winning dance film icon. His career extended over six decades. Credits include An American in Paris, Singin’ in the Rain, On the Town.

1960s

Gus Giordano (1923–2008): jazz dance innovator and founder of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and Jazz Dance World Congress, dedicated to establishing jazz dance as an art form. Developed a codified technique and style. Former students include Marcus Alford, Lea Darwin, Nan Giordano, Pattie Obey, Sam Watson, Michael Williams, and Susan Quinn Williams.

Daniel Nagrin (1917–): modern dancer and choreographer who incorporated jazz into his modern works. Credits include Jazz, Three Ways.

Peter Gennaro (1919–2000): Tony Award-winning choreographer who shaped the style of jazz dance on TV variety shows through the 1960s. Credits include Your Hit Parade, The Judy Garland Show, The Ed Sullivan Show.

Alvin Ailey (1931–1989): modern dancer, choreographer, and director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Credits include Revelations.

Donald McKayle (1930–): modern dancer, choreographer, and master teacher. He broke racial barriers and made contributions to film, TV, and commercial theater. Credits include Golden Boy, Raisin, Sophisticated Ladies.

1970s

Bob Fosse (1927–1987): award-winning choreographer and director who created a personal style for dance on Broadway and in film that is studied by theater-dance professionals worldwide. Credits include Pippin, Chicago, and Dancin’.

Chuck Kelley: an internationally acclaimed “teacher’s teacher” who has produced syllabuses and instructional CDs in jazz, tap, and acrobatics/tumbling. His former students work in every sector of the entertainment industry.

Phil Black: modern jazz-based teacher and choreographer who designed a class structure for Broadway dancers, teachers, and students of jazz. Former students include Greg Burge, Irene Cara, Charlotte d’Amboise, Eddie Mekka.

Ed Mock (1938–1986): jazz dancer and choreographer; founded Ed Mock Dance Studio, West Coast Dance Company, and Ed Mock Dancers. He fused modern, jazz, acting, and mime into an improvisational and kinetic style. Former students include contemporary jazz teacher Cecilia Marta.

Beverly Fletcher (1929–): master teacher and founder of AM-Dance in Concert, dedicated to preserving American dance idioms. Her tap dictionary, Tapworks, standardized tap and jazz terminology. Former students include Michael Bennett, David DeMarie, Sam Fiorella.

Michael Bennett (1943–1987): Tony Award–winning musical theater director, choreographer, writer, and dancer. Credits include Follies, A Chorus Line, Dreamgirls.

Ron Lewis: choreographer who shaped the dance entertainment style in Las Vegas during the 1970s and 1980s by working with headliners like Liza Minnelli. Credits include the Tony Awards, The Act.

Lee Theodore (1933–1987): Broadway performer, choreographer, and master teacher; founded American Dance Machine, devoted to preserving Broadway choreography.

1980s

Joe Tremaine: performer, master teacher of West Coast style of jazz, and dance convention director. Former students include Paula Abdul, Marcea Lane, Barry Lather, Marguerite Derricks.

JoJo Smith (1938–): dancer, choreographer and teacher whose unique African-Caribbean style became popularized at JoJo’s Dance Factory in NYC in the 1970s and 1980s. Father of tap sensation Jason Samuels Smith, and a key influence on his former student, Debbie Allen, choreographer of TV’s Fame.

Lou Conte: founder of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He partnered with internationally acclaimed choreographers to create a force in contemporary dance.

Frank Hatchett: master teacher and choreographer, created the VOP jazz style. Former students include Savion Glover, Madonna, Brooke Shields.

Twyla Tharp (1941–): award-winning dancer and choreographer recognized for her reinvention of the modern dance style in concert and commercial settings. Credits include Movin’ Out, Deuce Coupe.

Lynn Simonson (1943–): master teacher and founder of the Simonson Technique, inspired by jazz music and based on principles of anatomy and kinesiology (see “Letting the Joy In,” page 76).

1990–present

Brian Friedman (1977–): choreographer for such recording stars as Mýa and Britney Spears. Video credits include “My Love Is Like . . .Wo.”

Mia Michaels: award-winning contemporary dance choreographer for concert and commercial venues. Credits include Celine Dion’s A New Day, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Joffrey Ballet.

Rennie Harris (1963–): director, choreographer, and master of hip-hop in concert dance. Artistic director of Rennie Harris Puremovement.

Danny Buraczeski: founded JAZZDANCE, a force in contemporary concert dance for 25 years, blending early vernacular forms with contemporary styles.

Susan Stroman (1954–): Tony Award–winning director and choreographer. Credits include Crazy for You, Contact, The Producers.

Randy Duncan: Chicago-based contemporary dance choreographer and master teacher. Credits include Joffrey Ballet and River North Chicago Dance Company.

Garth Fagan (1940–): Tony Award–winning modern dancer and choreographer; blends modern, ballet, and African-Caribbean traditions in concert and commercial works. Artistic director of Garth Fagan Dance. Credits include The Lion King.

Billy Siegenfeld: Emmy Award–winning choreographer and director of Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. One of the greatest innovators of jazz technique in the 20th century.

A bachelor’s in ballet prepares Indiana U. students for dance and more

By Nancy Wozny

For a small group of students—43 this year—at Indiana University, “Ballet,” is the answer to the familiar question, “What’s your major?” With less than a handful of programs in the United States offering a ballet major, college is hardly a typical track for ballet dancers, who most often join companies during their late teen years. The straight-to-a-company approach, however, is not a fit for every dancer; college may be the perfect path for the academically minded and gifted dancer.

Ballet is the sole focus at Indiana University’s dance program, which is part of the prestigious Jacobs School of Music. Instigated by the opera department as a way to bring dance into the music department, the program was originally directed by Marina Svetlova of the Original Ballet Russe some 40 years ago. The idea is to train students to the highest professional standards and prepare them for jobs in ballet companies.

The IU performance of Twyla Tharp’s Sweet Fields marked the first time the ballet had been danced to live music. (Photo courtesy Indiana University Department of Ballet)

“Ballet is such a specific and demanding art form,” says Michael Vernon, chair of the Department of Ballet. “On occasion we have other styles and techniques taught by guest artists, but they’re not regular offerings. As dancers reach a certain age certainly we hone our technique, but we also need to develop our artistry. It’s not just the steps, but the way the choreography is taught.”

Vernon, now in his third year, came to IU from Eglevsky Ballet, where he served as ballet master and resident choreographer. He was attracted to the program’s structure, put in place by the previous chair, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. “It’s really run like a ballet company, and I have a role equivalent to the artistic director,” says Vernon. “Just like in a company, there’s a hierarchy. The upperclassmen are more likely to receive larger roles. We like to give them the first try at principal roles because they are about to leave us. Of course, there’s always an exception when we get an amazing freshman.”

Ballet majors spend six hours in dance classes and rehearsals each day. Mornings are for technique class, followed by pointe, men’s class, pas de deux, and variations, plus occasional or elective classes in choreography, jazz, or modern dance, while afternoons are reserved for rehearsals for upcoming performances.

In addition to their dance studies, the students at IU carry a full academic load. Non-dance classes are squeezed in before 11:30 morning class and after rehearsals are finished in the late afternoon. Not remotely a schedule for the casual student, it tends to attract individuals who are equally serious about dance as they are about their academic courses. Students who choose to double major “are a committed bunch,” says Vernon.

In addition to the usual core classes, ballet majors are required to study an instrument for two years. Most choose piano. “It’s fabulous for their musicality,” reports Vernon. With five orchestras, several chamber groups, and many vocal ensembles, dancing to live music is a regular occurrence for ballet students. “As IU is one of the top music schools in the country, students leave having danced to top musicians in their field. It’s so valuable for them, and increasingly rare in the dance world,” Vernon says. “We are lucky to have such resources at our fingertips. We spoil them in a way, because they might rarely experience such ideal conditions.”

Vernon, a choreographer in his own right, is also known for bringing in top guest artists, including principal dancers from major ballet companies, such as Damian Woetzel (who recently retired from New York City Ballet) and José Manuel Carreño and Julie Kent (both of American Ballet Theatre). Each year, dancers have the opportunity to learn George Balanchine’s works from members of the Balanchine Trust. Vernon has carried on the Balanchine tradition put in place by Bonnefoux and former NYCB principal dancer Violette Verdy, who is on faculty. “Balanchine was not only a great choreographer but a great teacher,” Vernon says. “His steps are a great learning tool. And then there’s his musicality, which is so important.”

For faculty member Guoping Wang, the concentration on Balanchine is an important element of the program, along with the impressive roster of guest artists. “Most of our students develop a passion for Balanchine,” says Wang. “Each year, IU Ballet Theater has three major performances; works from Balanchine are often a key component. These are extraordinary opportunities for young dancers.”

Performance experience ranks as a high priority for Vernon. “We want our graduates to finish with a good deal of stage experience,” he says. “At least half of the course is performance based. Dancers improve through technique class and also by learning ballets that will help them develop—the only kind of ballets I tend to choose for the department. So by the time they join a company they have a confidence and a way of presenting themselves that only comes with experience.”

Vernon scheduled a jam-packed fall for his students, and his deep connections in the ballet world make for a stellar list of visiting artists. Sandra Jennings, a former soloist with NYCB, set Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. Daniel Ulbricht, a principal at NYCB, danced a solo choreographed by Vernon as part of a new ballet, Endless Night. “It’s really important for the dancers to be exposed to that caliber of artist,” says Vernon. “And Danny is very open and chatty with them.” And Stacey Caddell, a former NYCB soloist, staged Twyla Tharp’s poignant Sweet Fields. “This is the first time this ballet will be danced to live accompaniment,” said Vernon last fall.

Connecting to the Bloomington community remains high on the mission for Jacobs School of Music. The ballet program does just that through its annual Nutcracker, which serves as the city’s holiday extravaganza. Vernon has choreographed a traditional production; since The Nutcracker is a staple of most dance companies, it makes perfect sense to get a head start on learning it while in college.

Bloomington residents, along with the IU community, enjoy other student performances as well. “The university is a very inclusive environment,” says Vernon. Next spring Matthew Neenan, artistic director of BalletX and choreographer in residence at Pennsylvania Ballet, will set a new ballet on the IU students. And for assistance in getting Swan Lake in tip-top form, Vernon looks to world-famous former ballerina Cynthia Gregory. Everyone dances in the full-length production, including local children who are enrolled in the department’s Pre-College Program, which offers classical ballet training to the non-academic community.

To tackle more contemporary work, Vernon started a new series, “On the Edge,” which will premiere in January 2009; performances will take place in a small theater in downtown Bloomington. “The series showcases younger and up-and-coming choreographers, some right from the program,” explains Vernon. “It’s very important [for the students] to be familiar with edgy work.” Graduates must have completed two pieces of choreography as well, an experience that Vernon considers an added plus for any dancer.

The ballet program’s facilities include three studios nestled at the back of the Musical Arts Center, an impressive, fully equipped theater. The stage is about the same size as that of the New York State Opera House, and the theater is run like an opera house, with full-scale productions and crews and its own costume and scenery shops.

Students dance in several operas that are part of the Jacobs School of Music season each year. “I rekindled dancing in operas after I got here; it was so important to my own development,” says Vernon, who taught ballet for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet company. “It was something that had been going on a while back, but I rebuilt the bridge with the opera program and it provides wonderful experience for the dancers.” This season the ballet majors will enliven performances of The Merry Wives of Windsor by Otto Nicolai, Cendrillon by Jules Massenet, and The Most Happy Fella by Frank Loesser.

Applying to IU is a two-step process. Prospective students apply to the university and to Jacobs School of Music, then must audition. (Auditions are held six times a year to coincide with major ballet performances.) The program attracts a wide variety of students, from those who want to dance and go to college to those who have already danced in professional companies and want to continue their training while going to school. Sometimes parents play a role in a student’s choice to pursue a college degree, while others are not ready for a ballet company at age 18 and need some seasoning; college is a good place to do just that. “Some are really good dancers and very academically minded. Perhaps they realize that without a good education their career is going to be limited,” says Vernon. “Others are just a bit undecided, like normal teens.”

Pennsylvania Ballet dancer Lauren Fadeley, 23, was one of those on-the-fence dancers who needed time and a place to figure out her next move (see “Voices of Experience,” DSL, August 2008). After a year as an apprentice and another in the corps of NYCB, Fadeley found herself burned out and injured. “I was unsure of what I wanted to do, so the IU program seemed like a wise move,” says Fadeley, who considered a career in physical therapy. “It was the perfect place for me. I loved being in a real college environment. In my junior year I fell back in love with dance and decided to go for a career again.”

For Grace Reeves, 19 and a sophomore, the choice was simple. “I am very serious about ballet, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a company and didn’t want to miss out on the college experience. Doing both made sense,” she says. “I couldn’t pass up great training with a company-like environment while being in the center of academia at the same time. It’s a dream come true.” Reeves appreciates dancing great ballets in a beautiful theater with an excellent student orchestra.

With a roster of terrific teachers and guest artists, a prestigious music school, the chance to hang out with arts-minded students, and exposure to Balanchine’s ballets and other masterworks, IU proved the right environment for Reeves. “I love having something else to concentrate on. I needed to challenge myself in other ways besides dance,” says Reeves, who enjoys history and philosophy classes. “As for piano lessons, they are really hard.” She’s banking on the fact that artistic directors will appreciate her artistic maturity and not think her too old. “I do feel like I won’t get burned out as quickly as some, possibly, because I will enter the field when the time is right and have the confidence of a college degree.”

As dancers approach their senior year, Vernon keeps an eye on their career trajectory and helps them find a good company match. In the past two years, since Vernon’s arrival, graduates have been hired by Pennsylvania, Sarasota, Tulsa, Louisville, and Nashville Ballets; the school’s website lists dozens of other companies where former students now dance. Most students do want to dance professionally, says the department head. “We have regular reviews where I make sure all is on track. I have an open-door policy; dancers can come in and talk anytime.” Career planning is built into the program. Exams are held in front of a jury just like at Paris Opera Ballet.

Vernon concedes that many dancers still choose a more direct path into a company. Since a life in ballet can be short and uncertain, obtaining a college degree is one path, aimed at a certain kind of dancer. Like any other ballet climate, it’s not a perfect life—dancers still get injured and miss out on roles they hoped for. Vernon says, “Just like in a real company, there are the same heartbreaks and triumphs.”

Start 2009 with goals you can keep

By Misty Lown

New Year’s is my favorite time of year—it’s full of possibility and promises. But February can be a downer, because that’s when I have to admit that my resolutions didn’t stick. This year, I suggest we ditch the standard list of resolutions in favor of things we can actually wrap our minds (and actions) around. I’m talking about picturing yourself as you hope other people would see you—compassionate, confident, balanced, organized, prioritized, and interesting—and then drawing a road map to get there. Here are seven resolutions you can actually keep.

1. Remember what it’s like to learn something new.
I recently confessed to my mom that when I was a kid I routinely skipped my weekly piano lesson and spent the lesson money she had given me at the hot dog stand instead. Not surprisingly, I never learned any songs, so my mom stopped signing me up for lessons. I felt I should make this up to her somehow, so I bought a used piano and started trading dance lessons for piano lessons with a local teacher.

I cannot tell you how hard it has been for me to be a total beginner at something again. Taking piano lessons is like learning to read a foreign language and then having to repeat it with my fingers. However, the experience has made me much more compassionate and patient with students who are taking dance for the first time—especially tap students, because I know how humiliating it can be to make the wrong sounds in front of the teacher!

This year, resolve to try something new if for no other reason than to appreciate what it feels like to be a total beginner. I’m not talking about trying a new type of dance; I’m talking about something totally out of your box. Community education or YMCA classes are great places to do this without a long-term commitment. It won’t take long for you to appreciate the term “learning curve.”

2. If you can’t say something nice, do it anyway.
In my classes I can always spot the bell curve of ability—a few kids are struggling, most are making steady progress, and a few are naturals. The same can be said for student behavior—a few kids push my buttons, most are respectful, and a few really aim to please. Regardless of where students fall in the spectrum of skills or behavior, you can find something positive in each one. And it can pay off in ways you don’t expect.

For example, one day I complimented a student on her pretty hair as I fixed her messy bun. I was trying to find something positive to say, because normally I get annoyed if a student doesn’t have her hair up in a neat bun. The next week the same student showed up with a beautiful bun—slicked back, with a side part and a headband!

The same principle can be applied to compliments on progress in skills or behavior, no matter how small. It’s easy to notice the star students, but it probably makes more of an impact when you notice someone else. Challenge yourself to say something positive to every student in every class. Make a habit to say something nice to their parents as well and watch their support and appreciation grow.

3. Resolve not to compare yourself to others.
When I was a student I heard this sage advice: “There will always be someone bigger, smaller, taller, leaner, stronger, faster, or (fill in the blank) than you. Just be yourself.” These days my students have an edge on me in most, if not all, of those areas, but I have reconciled myself to the fact that I don’t have to be the star of the classroom anymore. I still teach leaps and turns, but I don’t mind if the advanced students can do them better than I can.

Although I don’t compare myself to my students, I do still fall into the trap of comparing myself to other teachers. This year I am going to modify the advice I received as a student so that it works for me as a teacher. It will go something like this: “There will always be someone who is more fun, has better choreography, is better liked by students, looks better in a leotard, has the latest iPod, finds cooler music, or (add your insecurity of the day here) than you. Just be yourself!” Resolve to be happy with the special qualities that you bring to the classroom.

4. Leave the studio when you leave the studio.
One day I was standing outside our house, processing through a studio situation with my husband. Our kids were running through the yard and having a great time, but I was brooding. My husband said casually, “Your real problem is that you didn’t leave the studio at the studio.” Guilty as charged! I’ve made a lot of progress in this area, but I want to make more. I know that I’m more effective when I get to the studio if I haven’t already been there all day in my head.

Resolve to truly leave the studio at the end of the night. Turn off your cell phone, don’t check your email right before you go to bed, and don’t finish your competition registration forms in bed. Set a healthy boundary between your home and family life and your studio work—and then discipline yourself to be fully where you are at the time. The people in the various aspects of your life will appreciate your full attention. Besides, there is no overtime pay for carrying stress after hours.

5. Get organized.
You’ve probably heard the saying “It takes money to make money.” I think there should be a new one: “It takes time to make time.” Getting organized is one of those areas where you have to put in some time before gaining any. First things first: Identify the time wasters. I have lost a lot of precious hours trying to remember choreography, hunting for music, burning new copies of CDs, looking for my warm-up jacket, and handling mail or messages multiple times.

Any time you can spend getting organized before classes is time (and frustration) you will save later. Write down your choreography notes as you choreograph. Write them in English, not code, so they can also be used as sub notes if you need someone to teach your class or run your rehearsal unexpectedly. Make two copies of all of your class, recital, and competition music. Leave one copy at the front desk for the days when you forget yours or need that sub at the last minute. Keep a couple of leotards and warm-ups at the studio so that you are prepared to teach if you forget yours or have to fill in for someone. Set aside a specific time of day for answering mail and messages. Handle each piece of mail or each message only once. Deal with it or delegate it, but don’t put it in a pile on your desk.

6. Practice saying no.
I am a “people pleaser,” as most teachers and studio owners are, which can lead me to put too much on my plate. Over time, and out of the need for self-preservation, I have had to practice saying no. This is not a habit that can be acquired without practice! However, with time, I have been able to make some healthy changes to my schedule, such as not giving private lessons, cutting down on the number of weekend performances, eliminating one performing group, and refusing to choreograph every community event.

If you are in the habit of overloading yourself, practice saying no. In fact, learn to say it in several languages, because people might not understand you the first time if they are used to you saying yes to everything! Start small and build up your courage. I started by saying no to private lessons. Not only was it a huge relief not to be tied up at the studio every Saturday afternoon, but other teachers appreciated the extra hours.

7. Find a hobby that has nothing to do with dance.
When I was out to dinner with some friends, I noticed that they all had things to talk about other than their jobs, like hobbies, interests, and travel adventures. I suddenly realized that dance had been my hobby before it became my career—and it is still my hobby. Even when I’m not with dancers, I’m watching dance, reading about dance, or traveling to do something with dance. The life of a dance teacher can be one-dimensional to say the least.

Make 2009 the year that you develop an outside interest. Resolve to try something new. I have tried rock climbing, jewelry making, cooking, sewing (curtains, not costumes), and woodworking. I can’t claim to have developed any actual skills, but I’ve made a kind of hobby out of trying out hobbies, and stories of my misadventures are definitely something to share at the dinner table.

Keep at it.
Compassionate, confident, balanced, organized, prioritized, interesting—that’s a list of adjectives anybody would be proud to claim. But if you want to get there you need one more: perseverance. Making progress is a process of taking small steps, getting up when you fall down, and trying again. Don’t beat yourself up if the going is slow, or even backwards at times. Build yourself up by noticing positive changes over time. Here’s to a “Happy New You!”

Sprung floors and why your school should have them

By Theodore Bale

The Willowbrook Ballroom in Willow Springs, IL, opened its doors in 1921, but to this day its original 6,000-square-foot “floating” maple dance floor still supports hundreds of eager dancers. Over the decades, musicians from Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra to the Village People graced the Willowbrook’s stage as patrons danced the night away. First known as Oh Henry Park (after the candy bar), the ballroom is testimony to the lure of a comfortable surface upon which to waltz and swing. Those who have danced on a properly sprung floor know that it not only helps prevent many serious injuries but can significantly prolong a dancer’s career as well.

Basket-weave floors provide evenly distributed cushioning that helps prevent dancer injuries. (photo courtesy American Harlequin)

In the 1980s, when I was taking ballet class almost daily, attending Nutcracker rehearsals in the evening and then moonlighting at night as a barefoot modern dancer, I learned one of the most immediate consequences of dancing on a concrete floor covered with a thin layer of linoleum: shin splints. In the clinical setting this condition is described as inflammation of the connective tissue around the tibia. In simpler terms, it means that the muscles of the lower leg have come away slightly from the shin bone after repeated jumping or running on too hard a surface. Shin splints are painful, to say the least, and can make rehearsals and performances (or even just climbing the stairs) unbearable. Today, even the studio where I practice yoga has a sprung floor, in this case covered with plushy cork, a popular “green” material. It’s heaven just to walk across the surface.

What exactly is a sprung floor? The term is related, indirectly, to the sprung floor’s distant cousin, the spring floor, still used in gymnastics, cheerleading, and martial arts. The spring floor uses metal coil springs, often finished with plywood and/or foam blocks, with a vinyl or carpet surface on top to prevent slipping. Spring floors are generally not suitable for dancers. A common complaint is that the springs eventually become noisy, like an old bedspring, as the coils wear over the years.

The problem with a spring floor, says Siegfried Gerstung, founder and owner of Gerstung International Sport Education, Inc., in Baltimore, is that dancers require not only resilience but shock absorbency as well.  “They are two opposite phenomena,” said Gerstung. “One sends you up like a trampoline, gives you spring, and the other absorbs it, goes down and comes back up very slowly. A coil has only so many revolutions. If you hit it hard enough and the space between the wires is taken up, it bottoms out. We seem to have conquered that problem with our unique suspended floor, and that’s why a lot of our floors are called floating floors.” Gerstung designed his first sprung floor in 1942 and follows the latest research in dance and sports injury; he cited the work done by Dr. Lorna L. Francis at San Diego State University.

It appears, however, that the sprung floor might have preceded the spring floor. Claire Londress, marketing manager for American Harlequin, says that many years ago, George Balanchine came up with the idea of what is now called a “basket-weave” floor. This type of floor has two layers of 2 x 4 planks set every three feet from both sides. The cross points of the top layer are staggered 1 1/2 feet from those of the bottom layer so that each junction has air space below it. The two layers of planks are then covered with plywood and topped with either hardwood or plywood and vinyl. If this anecdote about Balanchine is true, he might have seen the basket-weave floor before he arrived in America. “I am from Germany,” said Gerstung, “and 60 years ago I learned from my father that there was such a thing as a basket-weave floor. The fancy ballet schools in Europe had these floors, but they were very expensive.”

Today the basket-weave floor is a wise investment for any dance studio owner, and various designs, such as the clip-and-lock system, allow the floors to be moved from one studio to another. The industry has changed over the years as more and more studio owners lease or rent their space instead of buying. “For obvious reasons, a sprung floor should be a number-one priority for a new studio,” says Londress, “but cost is definitely a factor. If [studio owners] don’t have enough money to come up with a professional-type sprung floor from a company that knows how to do it properly, at times they go with a homemade raised floor made with plywood over 1 x 4 boards. There are going to be lots of hard spots under the plywood, however, if the floor isn’t basket-weave. One layer of planks is better than just concrete and linoleum, but it isn’t perfect. If they can’t put in anything like that, they should at the least install a slip-resistant vinyl floor,” she adds.

Those who have danced on a properly sprung floor know that it not only helps prevent many serious injuries but can significantly prolong a dancer’s career as well.

Teachers of tap, flamenco, or Irish dancing, beware. Using only a padded slip-resistant floor will eliminate the important percussive aspects of those forms. The foam backing deadens the sound. Hardwood surfaces are not ideal for ballet and pointe, but hip-hop dancers, who wear sneakers or soft shoes, often prefer the stability of a hardwood floor.

How much does a sprung floor cost? Londress said that American Harlequin doesn’t advertise its floors at a per-square-foot cost because it prefers to do what she calls “ ‘consultative selling.’ If you were going to open a 20 x 40–foot studio in a strip mall, right there two of our floors would be eliminated, because they are permanent,” says Londress. “The only way to remove them is to destroy them. If you’re going to be in a rental or short-term lease situation, you need something like our sprung panels. They are 4 x 8 or 4 x 4 feet, and they interlock. We also have clip systems for places like houses of worship, where you can’t screw anything into the floor. It’s one unit, self-standing. You can pick those up and take them with you to another studio and add on to them.”

To give you an idea of American Harlequin’s prices for this article, however, Londress provided a quote using their Liberty sprung panels and Cascade performance surface. Each large panel (4 x 8 feet) is $250 and each small panel (4 x 4 feet) is $130. For an area that’s 20 x 40 feet, a studio owner would need 20 large panels and 10 small panels. Including the cost of enough Harlequin Cascade roll-out vinyl floor to cover the area, the cost without shipping is about $9,300. Londress adds that the Liberty panels are easily installed, needing only basic carpentry knowledge, and that most customers install the panels themselves.

Gerstung provides quotes by the square foot at his website, and says his product has two basic categories. First is what he calls the “air base.” As he explains, “If 50 people jump up and down on our air base simultaneously, it’s sort of like a basketball with a tiny hole in it—the air escapes only very slowly. Foam blocks support the floor, but the air that’s under the foam supports the people. You are literally jumping on air.” The second category is what goes on top of the air base: carpet, wood, or vinyl.

Some of Gerstung’s new products include inexpensive vinyl planks that are glued down like wood. Bamboo, a popular “green” choice, can be ordered in various grades of strength. He cautions studio owners to determine carefully all of the uses for the floor, however. Once he installed a surface where basketball would be played on occasion. The floor was so shock absorbent that the ball couldn’t bounce on it. “I realized it wasn’t the right design for those customers,” he says, “but I was also proud because it proved just how shock absorbent our flooring could be! We gave the customers another floor with heavier planking.”

Randy Swartz, president of Stagestep, Inc., says his company is offering more and more flooring to customers who lease facilities. “Back in the day, you had to just leave your $20,000 investment when you moved to a new studio,” he says. “Now we make floors that can be removed and recycled for use in another facility.” He describes Stagestep’s philosophy as threefold: safety first and foremost, performance, and value, which he defines as cost vs. use.

Swartz is particularly proud of a floor he installed at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia, also one of his international company’s bases. “We had to create a floating wood subfloor in a black-box theater,” he explained. “It had to isolate the sound to that room, allow the audience and performers to be arranged anywhere in the space, and it had to have weight-bearing capabilities but also be sprung.” The result is grand, if you’ve had the opportunity to experience it: multi-leveled and made of multi-tiered foam. It seems destined to last as long as the grand floor installed nearly a century ago at the Willowbrook Ballroom. 

Exploring the tapestry of a uniquely American dance form

By Tom Ralabate

Jazz dance. It’s unique to America and expresses universal human experiences, combining the very old with the very new. Its multifaceted nature makes defining it difficult, frustrating, and controversial. Artists, educators, and aficionados of jazz have both complementary and contrasting ideas about this rich subject.

Classic jazz technique took a new turn with the work of Billy Siegenfeld and his Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, shown here in the “Spring” section If Winter. (Photo by William Frederking)

Jack Cole, considered by many to be the father of theatrical jazz dance, defined it as “urban folk dance.” Matt Mattox, a protégé of Cole, preferred to use the term “freestyle.” The late jazz icon and pioneer Gus Giordano labeled jazz dancing “the

most popular of American folk dances.” In the 1920s and 1930s, the term “jazz dance” was used to describe the rhythmic social dances of the time, such as the Charleston, Lindy hop, and turkey trot.

Until the 1950s, jazz dance was linked to tap dance. Even as far back as the mid-19th century, the terms “show dance” and “jazz dance” were connected. Show dance combined the early influence of clustered tap sounds and larger-than-life movements of the legs, arms, and torso. Its choreography, from minstrel shows to vaudeville, displayed a high level of showmanship.

Definitions
The phrase “jazz dance” has various meanings with splinter definitions given by professionals who include dance educators and choreographers in all sectors of education, both purists (those who dance to strictly jazz music) and non-purists (who do not dance to classic jazz music yet experience jazz dance as an artistic form). Today, jazz dance is everywhere, from commercial to concert stage settings, to video and television, and on the Internet, particularly on YouTube.

Dance majors at University at Buffalo are asked to provide a working definition of jazz dance as an assignment. Senior Lauren Green stated: “Jazz dance is and always has been a partnering of music and body that reflects a compilation of universal cultures and styles in an effort to strengthen the body, mind, and soul as an individual within a communal energy.”

According to recent graduate Stephanie Anderson, “jazz is a form of dance whose movements come from the vernacular of the current time along with those from previous time periods. There is a strong connection to music along with the ideals of the time period [in] which it exists.”

Andrew Delo, an MFA graduate student, defined jazz dance as “an American tradition of movement and community wherein the steps, built by an amalgamation of cultures in the American melting-pot society, are handed down through generations and eventually codified into written styles and steps.”

What these three definitions reveal most is that there are many definitions of jazz dance, perhaps as many as there are individuals who attempt to describe it.

Word roots
Jazz dance’s roots lie in African traditional dance, so the word “jazz” is probably African in origin. Assorted spellings such as jas, jass, jaz, and jasz have appeared in American literature, often with sexual connotations. Other traceable evolutionary sources include the Creole and the Irish. Through the roots of the word we can see that it stems from a fusion of African and European traditions that made its way to mainland America via the slave trade. Thus a blended form of dance and music was born, burgeoning initially in the sweltering environment of New Orleans.

Characteristics
In jazz historian Marshall Stearns’ book Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance, he points out that the erect, formal posture of European court traditions contributes greatly to the “elegance” of jazz movement, whereas the “rhythmic propulsion” characteristic connects to African contributions of the heartbeat of the drum and the form’s improvisational quality. Stearns points out six characteristics of African dance that are visible in American jazz dance and that help the dance educator to define the movement as jazz.

1. It is often flat-footed and favors gliding, dragging, or shuffling steps.
2. It is frequently performed from a crouched position with the knees flexed and the body bent at the waist.
3. It generally imitates animals in realistic detail.
4. It places great importance on improvisation, allowing freedom for individual expression.
5. It is centrifugal, exploding outward from the hips.
6. Most significantly, it is performed to a propulsive rhythm, which gives it a swinging quality.

It is the swinging quality that is a key element in defining jazz dance, because it directly relates to African rhythms and makes a distinction between European musical forms. To simplify this, think of European music as march-like, accenting the primary (first and third) beats of a measure of music or placing an equal accent on all beats. African rhythms place an emphasis on the secondary (second and fourth) beats. In a clapping exercise to 4/4 music, clapping on the primary down beats of 1 and 3 gives one a very squared feeling. However, clapping on 2 and 4 produces a sense of rebound or call and response. (The claps on 2 and 4 become a response to the primary call of the downbeats of 1 and 3.) This distinction and play between the primary and secondary beats creates a propulsive energy and momentum, a swing beat. If you extend this idea to a moving dancer who employs isolated body parts in opposing, contrasting, or separate rhythms, what you have is a polyrhythmic experience—a marriage of movement and music.

 Jazz dance tapestry
Jazz dance can be thought of as a beautiful tapestry consisting of many threads that represent diverse dance forms, styles, and movements. These threads are interwoven with the passion of jazz dance artists who contribute personal signatures that nourish the style’s complexity. The following are “threads”—forms and styles that unite past traditions with the evolving vernacular dance of today.

• African-based or traditional African folk dance: Dances by peoples of African lineage that, due to the diaspora, evolved into African American vernacular dance. They include the six characteristics noted above.
• Afro-Cuban, Latin, Caribbean: A blend of traditional African body movements with the elegance and formality of European court and peasant dances. This polyrhythmic form, which evolved in the Caribbean, incorporates movement from Calypso folk dance and Latin social dances including mambo, salsa, merengue, cha cha, rumba, and samba (and Brazilian forms).
• Classic jazz: A blend of traditional dance elements that “swing.” A key element is dancing over and between the downbeats of the music. This style incorporates grounded elements of various dance disciplines, joint release, and a sensitivity in performance to the nuances of jazz music. This approach is reflected in the work of Billy Siegenfeld, artistic director of Jump Rhythm Jazz Project. Early innovators of classic jazz style and technique include Jack Cole, Matt Mattox, Gus Giordano, and Luigi.
• Tap: Provides a rhythmic framework for the feet and other body parts.
• Ballet: Provides a disciplined, structured technique in counterbalance to the freedom of African movement.
• Modern: Breaks away from codified methods, allowing for infinite movement and choreographic possibilities.
• Acrobatics, gymnastics, and martial arts: Give strength and power to both airborne and floor movements.
• Blues: A sensual style influenced by early blues music. Strong emphasis is placed on isolations of the pelvis, torso, and other body parts.
• Lyrical: A fluid style that blends movements from European classical ballet, American modern dance, jazz, and other world forms. The performer, through choreographic expression, interprets the lyrics and/or quality of the music. This integrated form allows for freedom of self-expression and has become popular in dance competitions.
• Contemporary fusion: Incorporates elements of modern dance, ballet, jazz, gymnastics, and other world forms with a wide variety of music or in silence. The movement often reflects the point of view of the contemporary dancer/choreographer.
• Show dance, theater dance, musical theater dance, commercial dance: A stylized form of dance that uses music, movement, comedy, and a narrative to support its form. Early jazz performers in vernacular comedy, song, and dance influenced this style.
• Social dance: Rhythmic dances connected to the dynamics of various cultures, with European, African, Asian, and North and South American influences. Heavy influence is apparent from early vernacular dances such as the cakewalk, Castle walk, animal dances, Charleston, and black bottom, evolving to ballroom dance forms such as the fox-trot, waltz, tango, quickstep, and country western forms.
• East Indian: Presented through the inventive work of Jack Cole and his disciples. Angular and sequential isolations of the hands, fingers, arms, neck, and head are layered on torso movements.
• Hip-hop: An umbrella term for many styles of dance, it includes street moves such as popping, locking, and breaking (“old school”) and a melting pot of movements that can come from anywhere or any time (“new school”); the two together are commonly called “new style.” Backed by popular music (rap, funk, rhythm and blues, and techno), it has many characteristics of African traditional dance and early vernacular jazz dance.

This union of threads from the past with threads of the present creates an ongoing pulse and bright future for the jazz dance tapestry. Jazz is a versatile and creative form, gathering from and synthesizing a broad spectrum of sources, which makes it an attractive course of study at universities. And many dance organizations have certification programs in jazz dance.

Early prime movers in teaching jazz, notably Matt Mattox, Luigi, and Gus Giordano, have provided a codified method and approach that define jazz. Artists such as Jack Cole, Katherine Dunham, Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Phil Black, Ron Lewis, Donald McKayle, JoJo Smith, Peter Gennaro, and others have paved the way for the contemporary expressions of Mia Michaels, Brian Friedman, Billy Siegenfeld, Joe Tremaine, Rennie Harris, Ronald Brown, Frank Hatchett, Savion Glover, and an array of modern and hip-hop artists, enabling the creation of a “new style” of jazz dance.

Today the fusion of techniques, styles, and forms continues to lead to new hybrids and thwarts our attempts to define jazz. No doubt we will still be debating the definitions of jazz dance in the year 2020.

How to help students improve without leaving (or getting) scars

By Vanina and Dennis Wilson

“At least you didn’t find anything wrong with my ears!” If you hear a reaction like this to criticism, you may have just lost a customer. You want to bring out the best in your students by offering enough criticism so that they improve—but not criticize so much, or so harshly, that they lose self-confidence, withdraw, or defect to other schools. Striking that balance is one of the hardest tasks that you face as a dance school director or instructor.

Specific corrections like “You must straighten your knees in tendu” let students know precisely what they are doing wrong and how they can improve. (Photo courtesy New England Ballet Conservatory)

The specific corrections that you give in class—the ones that are intrinsic to your role as a teacher—aren’t likely to be your biggest challenge. Serious students come to expect them, and they’re less apt to be taken as a personal affront. (On the other hand, a once-a-week student who’s there mostly for fun and socializing may resent even minor class corrections.)

Such criticism must be sufficiently explicit so that the students understand their weaknesses. General criticism (“You need to improve your pirouettes,” or “You should show more artistry in your dancing”) tells students little about the nature of their deficiencies. Specific corrections (“You  must straighten your knees in battements,” or “You need to keep your hips straight”), by contrast, let students know precisely what they are doing wrong and how they can improve. Specific criticism also generates less resentment, since you direct it at something that the student does, not at the student herself.

How much is too much?
Your school’s reputation regarding training quality can affect the amount and nature of the criticism that you offer students. The better the reputation, the more corrections you can offer without provoking resentment; after all, if the students didn’t want corrections, they wouldn’t be at your school. Teachers at a new school that wishes to acquire a reputation for high-quality instruction must anticipate that some students will withdraw because of what they perceive as overly rigorous classes. Consequently, schools that need a certain number of students to stay afloat financially may have to adjust the level of criticism to maintain enrollment. Also, many students have physical limitations that impede their progress in training. Asking them to do the impossible guarantees frustration in motivated students and resentment in unmotivated ones.

Risks of general evaluations
Your real test, however, comes when you’re offering a student a more general evaluation. Maybe the student or the parents asked for such an appraisal; maybe your school requires one; maybe you want to volunteer one to a promising recreational student—or, less pleasantly, to an uncommitted student who isn’t keeping up with her class.

In an era when some schools discourage criticism to avoid damaging students’ self-esteem, you may find students and parents shocked to hear something other than praise from a teacher. They may interpret criticism as an assertion of superiority by the teacher, which can trigger considerable resentment. To minimize this reaction, you should point out that most top athletes have coaches to tell them what they do wrong or what they could do better. No one thinks that the coaches are the better athletes (although some coaches may have been former champions). Your mission is like that of an athletic coach: observing, pointing out deficiencies, and suggesting corrections and improvements.

General criticism in dance contains a degree of subjectivity, and people legitimately differ over what they find aesthetically appealing. But the more specific you make your criticism, the less subjective it appears. If you record classes and performances, you may be able to use those recordings to illustrate the problems that you have identified. Students who see themselves on the screen are often genuinely surprised by their flaws and may be more responsive to criticism.

How to criticize
If possible, start the criticism with something positive (regular attendance or wearing the school uniform, if nothing else). This can help you avoid provoking resentment that will lead the student to tune out the rest of your comments. When you mix praise and criticism, however, students may hear what they want to hear and disregard the rest. Phrasing criticism as a need for improvement could reinforce selective retention, since students might interpret your comments to mean that their performance is at least adequate (which may not be the case), and that they need only improve it.

One way to reduce selective retention is to hand out written “report cards,” with boxes checked ranging from “Highly Successful” through “Needs Improvement” or “Unsatisfactory.” If possible, give the student a plan that identifies the areas in which she needs to improve. Recommend that she take more classes each week, which will result in greater progress for all but the most untalented or unmotivated students. At some point, especially if you sense that the student isn’t hearing the criticism or won’t act on it, you may have to be more blunt (for example, “If you don’t start raising your supporting foot to the proper relevé, your balance will be so unsteady that you will probably never be able to perform even one clean pirouette”) and risk any resentment that follows.

Class corrections obviously must be delivered in the presence of other students. To minimize student resentment, limit corrections to technique and maintaining order, which is often a challenge in classes with youngsters. Avoid phrasing corrections in language that may be interpreted as humiliating (such as comparing a student who cannot hold even a single position to a sponge). More general criticism of a student’s conduct should be given outside the classroom.

Criticism other than class corrections should almost never be delivered in the presence of anyone other than the students’ parents or guardians and the pertinent school faculty. Nor should criticism of one student ever be shared with or disclosed to other students or their parents. The criticized dancer will likely be resentful enough without the extra embarrassment of other students knowing about it. By contrast, deserved praise should be delivered in public, since the student receives not only the approval of the instructor but also the admiration (and possibly, jealousy) of her classmates, who may aspire to win similar praise.

Reactions to criticism
Despite your best efforts to be specific and constructive, some students and their parents will resent any criticism. Prepare for reactions such as weeping or anger, even when you think that you have toned down your remarks. Expect parents to side with their children against you; the days in which parents could be counted on to reflexively reinforce authority are long gone. Do not be surprised if parents try to turn the tables and claim that their child’s lack of progress is due to your own or your instructors’ teaching deficiencies. Expect also to be confronted with excuses that are irrelevant to dance (for example, the competing demands of homework, illnesses, family, school and church activities, and even pets).

By criticizing specifically, constructively, and honestly and showing understanding of students’ and parents’ feelings, you will be more likely to deliver criticism that will lead to student development. Still, you must be prepared to face an emotional reaction. Remain calm—often it is best to let the student and parents vent their frustration while you listen. If they become too emotional, suggest that you resume the meeting at a later time. For some students, unfortunately, there may never be a later time; they will give up dance entirely or go to another school that is more inclined to tell them what they want to hear. But you will have done what you can to make that student the best dancer that he or she could be.