Archive for the ‘2012 | 01 | January’ Category

Columns 
Ask Rhee Gold
2 Tips for Ballet Teachers
2 Tips for Hip-Hop Teachers
2 Tips for Modern Teachers
2 Tips for Tap Teachers
A Better You | Mood Swings, Menopause, and Men
EditorSpeak
On My Mind

Departments
Mail
Thinking Out Loud | Dancing for Bill (Shakespeare That Is)
Teacher in the Spotlight | Cricket Mannheimer
Bright Biz Ideas | Seal of Approval
Mindful Marketing | High Returns on Referrals
Classroom Connection
Strength in Numbers

Feature Articles
Dancing in Dhaka by Claire Sheridan
Ballet Scene | Strict From the Start by Jennifer Rienert
Ancient Dance in a Modern World by Kalpana Mohan
Live Music: Worth the Price? by Kay Waters
Mexico in Their Blood by Eliza Randolph
Capturing the Elusive: Dance Preservation by Meg Brooker
Poor Kids, Rich Prosepects by Jennifer Kaplan
Bollywood’s Best by Gina McGalliard

Dear Rhee,
A mom at my school is requesting that I write a recommendation for her daughter to attend a private dance program for high school students. Two of my students have already gone to the school and I know the program is excellent, but the commitment to both dance and academics is not for every child. I never hesitated to write recommendations in the past because the students worked hard and were dedicated to dance.

My problem is that the student in question isn’t devoted to dance and has no desire to make it her life. In class she’s often bored and has to be prodded to give it her all. After a couple of heart-to-heart talks with her, I know she is in my school because her mom wants her to be there. Many of her friends dance at my school, and what she really likes is the social aspect. I have seen this type of student many times, and I try not to judge because I know she will find what is right for her and I hope that the lessons she learns through dance will be a positive influence on her future.

That said, I have a good relationship with the director and faculty of the high school dance program and they respect me as a teacher. Writing a recommendation for a student I know is not up to par with the school’s expectations makes me very uncomfortable. I don’t want to jeopardize my reputation or the happiness of the child.

My fear is that the mom will flip if I don’t do this, yet I know that this school is not the right place for her child. Any suggestions? —Natalie

Hi Natalie,
This may be one of those times when you need to face your fear head on. When we choose to become dance teachers, we are signing up to deal with situations like this.

Schedule a meeting with the mom and the child to discuss the recommendation. Begin the conversation with the child and think of the mom as an observer. Look the child in the eye and ask, “How do you feel about attending the dance program?” My guess is that her mom has not posed that question, or if she has the child might not have responded honestly because she doesn’t want to go against her mom. It will be an opportunity to open an honest dialogue about what the child is thinking, which will be good for everyone involved.

Be sure to talk about the commitment involved and explain that the program is for those who want to dance all the time. I’m thinking you’ll have one of two possible results, depending on how truthful the child is: either the mom will understand that her daughter isn’t ready for the commitment, or you might discover that the child does want this opportunity.

If you end the meeting with the mom still pursuing the recommendation, then I might write a lukewarm recommendation and then call the director of the program. Explain your feelings about this child and her suitability for the program. My guess is that he or she will appreciate your honesty and you will make it through this with your reputation intact. I wish you the best. —Rhee

Dear Rhee,
My son grew up dancing and always said he would have his own school someday. Last year he returned home with a degree in dance and said he was ready, so we got a loan and became business partners. One of the first things we did was register for your summer conference so we would be prepared for our opening in September. While we were there he told me that he is gay. I knew it, but we had never discussed it, so I was happy to get it behind us and move on. He has introduced me to his boyfriend, and I am happy for my son.

We opened with 125 students and have new students joining us every week. All was going smoothly until I overheard a couple of dance moms discussing my son’s sexuality. Not only were they judging him, but they had seen him with his boyfriend at a local mall and thought it was awful that he was bringing his “perversion” to our small town. I was too upset to say a word.

I’m afraid for my son and worried about what people will think of him. And I am concerned that the judgment of the people in our small town will reflect badly on our business. I have not told my son what I heard, but I know that he would be upset. Should I ask my son to be more careful when he is out in public with his boyfriend? Should I confront the parents I overheard? Please help. —Mom

Dear Mom,
In the 21st century, I think you need to let the judgment of these two women go by the wayside. They may have preconceived notions about what the lifestyle is all about, but as they spend more time at your school, they will understand that your son’s sexuality has nothing to do with what kind of teacher he is. Nor will their children care one bit. A more tolerant attitude is spreading to every city and small town in America.

Hold your head high and encourage your son to do the same. Not only are you both teaching children how awesome the dance experience can be, but you are opening the minds of your clients to the differences that make our country great. You may overhear more conversations like the one you described, but they’ll probably be driven more by curiosity about gay people than whether to pull their children from your school.

Think about this: if those moms watch Dancing With the Stars, they’ve seen Chaz Bono, a transgender person, and Carson Kressley, who is gay, reveal to millions of viewers who they are. Those women you overheard probably love Modern Family, which features a gay couple raising a child. My prediction is that sexuality is going to become a non-issue as we move into the future, and it will be people like your son who make that happen. That’s what making a difference is all about. Be proud of your son and of your success. It sounds like you both are on your way to a bright future. —Rhee

Dear Rhee,
What would you say to a best friend who believes I spend too much time at the studio? She spends more time at work than I do, but she thinks my time is spent fooling around and her time is spent actually working. We have known each other since childhood and I want to hang on to the relationship, but I feel insulted. I know that my responsibilities to my students and to maintaining my business are more overwhelming than her nine-to-five job, which she gets to forget about when she leaves work.

I’m about ready to either drop her as a friend or blow my stack, but I am trying to keep my emotions out of it. What would you do? —Working Hard

Dear Working Hard,
If it makes you feel better, I too have friends who believe that my job is all play and doesn’t compare to the work they do. It sounds like your friend might be saying such negative things because she’s envious. Maybe she dreamed of doing something else with her life but chose the easy way out and landed in a job that is not rewarding. In her eyes, you have fulfilled your dream. That must be hard to accept for someone who doesn’t understand that owning a business is often a 24-hour-a-day responsibility.

Don’t blow your stack at her, but do consider whether someone who doesn’t support your passion can really be the friend that you need her to be. Let her know that you’re hurt by her lack of support. If this talk doesn’t stop, consider spending less time with her, and pursue other friends who will respect your career choice. Don’t let anyone bring you down, because we both know that teaching dance and owning a school don’t make for an easy lifestyle. You deserve respect for following your dream and making it happen. No real friend is going to take that away from you. Good luck! —Rhee

By Mignon Furman

Tip One
In order for students to develop good balance, instructors must teach correct posture and placement right from the beginning of training. It takes many years of training to develop the strength in the legs and the back needed to balance on demi or full pointe. Start early.

Tip Two
To test for the correct balance on one foot, have students hold onto the barre, standing in fifth position, and tendu to second. Next, tell them to raise the foot about six inches off the floor and take their hand off the barre. Dancers whose weight is over the supporting leg will be able to maintain the pose. Repeat this test in demi-plié on the supporting leg. It becomes very obvious if the weight has been displaced.

By Geo Hubela

Tip One
Know the craft. Like ballet, tap, and jazz, hip-hop has a foundation. Popping, locking, tutting, waving, isolations, and break dance are all elements and styles within hip-hop. Do your homework and drill the basics. I incorporate popping, waving, and isolations into every class, just as a ballet teacher does pliés. Know the terminology. Do you know these moves—Fresno, the old man, twist-o-flex, walk-out? The Internet is at your disposal to help you learn the craft—just make sure you go to credible sources.

Tip Two
Stay up to date with music. When you keep it fresh, your students will be more engaged. We always need to stretch and do the basics, which gets repetitious, so an easy way to spice things up is by using a variety of tracks each week. And not just Top 40—think old-school, electronica, dub-step, and house. Listen to what fits your style and introduce your students to new sounds. Your classes will be energized! 

By Bill Evans

Tip One
Our modern-dance ancestors started with breath. For Martha Graham, it was called “contraction and release”; for Doris Humphrey, “fall and recovery”; for Rudolf Laban, “growing and shrinking.” As you enter the studio, notice your own breath to help you become centered. Draw your students’ attention to their breath to help them become present in body, mind, and spirit. Remind them that movement rides on breath and that breathing is not just about the lungs. It takes place on a cellular level as oxygen travels through the cardiovascular system. Liquid breath throughout the body brings resilience and adaptability.

Tip Two
To reinforce the fact that each group of students is a learning community, I often invite dancers to take a little walk at the beginning of class during which they make eye contact with every classmate. I look each student in the eye and speak her/his name at least once in every class. It is easy to notice the high-achieving students and those who might be struggling, but all students want (and deserve) to know that they are seen, acknowledged, and important to you.

By Stacy Eastman

Tip One
Tap dancing is fun for young dancers because of the upbeat music and the sounds they make with their cool new shoes. Especially in the early years, the first lessons are important because you are building a sense of rhythm along with technique. Beginner work should start at the barre with sounds and easy movement, starting with swings (slow shuffles), tapping toes and heels, marching, snapping, and clapping—basic motor skills to keep them with the music and provide fun without frustration. Counting out loud and using a series of 8-count steps are always helpful, and repetition is good for muscle memory. Use short combinations such as heel step, heel step, heel march march or 4 shuffle steps and 4 heel steps. 

Tip Two
Working on the balls of the feet is key for clear sounds, and teaching children to separate their sounds at an early age is important for developing technique. Making sure they are using the ankle is vital for clean, clear tap work. Body alignment is important too: keep knees bent and feet parallel and close together, with weight evenly distributed over the feet and toes.

Dealing with hormones—in the classroom and in life

By Suzanne Martin, PT, DPT

Hormones. You can’t live without them, but sometimes it’s hard to live with them, and that includes when you’re on your feet all day, teaching and dealing with teens who are as temperamental as you feel. How to cope? Being aware of what’s happening and being kind to yourself are good places to start.

Women may suffer from PMS (premenstrual syndrome), an often trying time of bloating, moodiness, and irritability that typically occurs about a week before the menstrual cycle. Not only is it is a tough time for you to be in a leotard, it may lower your patience threshold quite a bit. Mapping out your monthly emotional cycle is well worth the effort. By keeping tabs on when you need to be vigilant about politeness and decorum, you might avoid snapping at a client or coworker—or worse, a student. Simplicity can work here. Just mark on your calendar the days when you feel up, down, sad, impatient, or bloated. Then consciously work to sync a lighter demeanor or whatever is individual to you, such as smiling more, on those days. Keep logging data; it may take several months to see the pattern.

The premenstrual time is often when women crave sweets and fat. By using your monthly pattern cues, you can make a pact to designate one day of giving in to the cravings instead of trying to use willpower, and then possibly failing the whole week with uncontrolled eating. Stress-reduction techniques such as working out (hard enough to sweat) by walking, running, and jogging can also help if you start before, or right at the beginning, of your bloated period. You can reduce bloating by lowering your intake of salty foods, and even by reducing food intake for the day. And take heart. Bloating is usually not as obvious to others as it is to you. If you feel like you need a boost, wear more makeup or use jewelry or scarves to draw attention to your face and upper body.

Being nice to yourself can also go a long way. Along with bloating and general discomfort, many women experience migraines and cramps once their period hits. Use mood-lifting music, take a few minutes to yourself, or sit down more and let others demonstrate. Maybe even take a day off. When you’re feeling irritable or in pain, it’s time to tune in to what you need, both physically and emotionally.

But what if you’re past that point, and instead, you’re fanning yourself in a studio that seems to get hotter and hotter? Do you feel an intense desire to shed more layers although you’re already in a leotard and tights? Find yourself long on irritation and short on patience? Lucky you. Menopause is waiting in the wings, watching. The stages of life are inevitable, but there are pros along with the cons for the change of life.

First, the good news. Periods have lost their power over you. While perimenopause may last for a good 10 years when you go in and out of having a period, it will eventually end. Once you reach full menopause, your period and its difficulties are gone. But you’re exchanging one set of symptoms for another. You may lose the discomforts that accompanied your monthly cycle, only to learn firsthand about the discomforts of hot flashes.

Again, there’s more good news. Hot flashes often don’t continue past the first part of true menopause, and there are ways to mitigate them. Adding just a bit of cardio work, such as 20 minutes of brisk walking or jogging, can help regulate the master gland, the hypothalamus, to regain temperature control. Younger dancers, often being slight in build and body weight, are no strangers to feeling cold a great deal of the time. Now warmth is easier to maintain.

Regular exercise also helps with other menopause symptoms such as irritability and impatience. Repetitive-motion exercise such as cycling, elliptical training, walking, running, jogging, and swimming all give a good dose of serotonin that helps to maintain a positive, stable mood.

It’s important for women to recognize the significance of the less obvious symptoms of menopause: mood swings, irritability, insomnia, depression, feelings of worthlessness, fatigue, and crying spells. Women sometimes worry, “Am I losing my mind?” when these symptoms occur. It’s important to see a doctor to rule out other causes, but if menopause is the culprit, you might want to consider treatment, such as hormone supplements.

Estrogen supplementation does work in early menopause for the regulation of hot flashes and mood swings. If you’re dealing with menopausal discomfort, find a gynecologist who has a lot of patients going through menopause and who has kept up on research in the field. Every woman’s case is different. Some are more willing than others to put up with the hot flashes, irregular sleep, and other baggage of menopause. Some women have family histories of breast cancer or heart disease to take into account.

Bear in mind that if you decide against hormone replacement, you’re not without options. Another excellent way to relieve menopausal symptoms, in addition to exercise, is to watch your diet. Taper off on caffeine, chocolate, red wine, and spicy foods, which can increase the frequency and severity of hot flashes. The Mediterranean diet, which is richer in fruits, vegetables, fish, and olive oil and lower in saturated fats than the typical American diet, is a good way to provide optimal nutrition that will help support your body as it goes through menopause.    

Declining estrogen production contributes to the loss of bone density in post-menopausal women. Dancers in particular are vulnerable because the risk of osteoporosis is greater for women who weigh less than 135 pounds and who may be low in vitamin D because they spend their days teaching indoors, away from direct sunlight. But the good news for women who teach dance is that spending long hours on your feet in the classroom helps to retain bone health. I encourage you to attempt to keep your legs and feet conditioned to jump, even if it’s minimal, because impact gives the most bone density.

Men are not immune from the ups and downs of emotional life, even though society tells them (unfairly) that they aren’t allowed to show weakness or signs of depression. Testosterone makes men virile, true—but if you’re a guy, remember you’re human too. That wonderful testosterone, helping you to achieve, can also be a downfall. Male teachers, in showing others how things are to be done, may overshoot their abilities, even while marking. Men are well advised to pick and choose what to demonstrate and to be confident in their pedagogic roles.

There are benefits for both men and women once the hormones start to fade. Freedom from birth control allows you to nurture a healthy sex life, which works wonders on serotonin release, giving a cardiovascular lift and a glowing complexion to boot. Menopause may seem like a loss of femininity, but can actually be turned into a feminist experience. This is the time of life when delegation and work satisfaction can finally yield some “me” time for both sexes. Most of the small children running around your feet are your students, not your own.

Remember, too, that you are not alone, even though you may not have a partner at this time. (Divorces and spousal passings are prevalent at this time of life.) Participate in life. No matter what life stage you are in, expand your world by challenging yourself to try one new thing each year. Going to conferences can help you find new friends and foster new avenues of pursuit. Keep making plans for your personal future. Create your bucket list and go after it.

And finally, acknowledge the signs of hormonal highs and lows and face them head on. This is not a rehearsal. This is your life, and life has one command: to live. Your students will love you for it.

I have faith in you.

Art for a New Year
It’s a new year, always a good time to think about where we’ve been and where we’re going. As dancers and dance teachers, you’ve probably got creativity on your mind—and that leads to a question you might not ask yourself very often: why make art? And where does it happen—only on a stage, or in a classroom? Or does art really gain shape and meaning in places that are more metaphysical than physical, in our hearts and minds?

In one of this issue’s stories, “Poor Kids, Rich Prospects” (page 88), teacher Melanie Rios Glaser believes that the children and teens who study dance at The Wooden Floor are doing more than learning and performing dances. According to her, they’re making art. And that fact just might be what makes that program for low-income children the success it is. Art, perhaps more than anything else, has the power to transform.

Contemporary artist Richard Serra, known for his steel sculptures, talks about why he makes art in a video posted on YouTube by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which is hosting a retrospective exhibit of Serra’s drawings through January 16. He’s speaking of fine art, but his words hold true for the performing arts as well.

“I think one of the things art does [is] it asks you to perceive what it is on its own level. And it can come up and grab you at any time. It can be reassuring or it could be exactly the opposite—it could agitate you; it could be something you dismiss; it could be something that engages you; it could be something you recall; it could be something that leads to things that have nothing to do with what you’re looking at. So I think works of art engage, possibly, an internal memory bank that isn’t linear. And it can make you see the outside reality in that way also, like you probably see the world in ways that you would not have seen it if those artists had not exist[ed].”

Yes, art grabs us. It reassures, agitates, engages. It involves memory and perception. And it changes the way people see the world. Remember that as you bring the art of dance to your students and families this year. —Cheryl A. Ossola, Editor in Chief

Two Thumbs Up
The temptation was too much. The awe-inspiring Bolshoi in a spanking-new Sleeping Beauty starring the-most-famous-employee-in-the-world David Hallberg—every sequin, sauté, and squeaky pointe shoe beamed into a cinema near me. I had to be there.

So a friend and I set out to catch the latest Ballet in Cinema offering from Emerging Pictures, a company convinced that dance lovers will brave sticky floors and odd hours to see top companies doing top ballets. We were happy to—and so, I believe, were the seven other people in the theater.

Instead of the usual pre-show fare of previews and commercials we stared at a black screen, listening as the Bolshoi orchestra warmed up. (Definitely an improvement!) When the visual arrived, we were greeted by one of those amazing Europeans who speak 17 languages, chatting about Petipa. Onstage, dancers in layers of costumes and sweats milled about, ripping off quads and relaxing on pointe, waiting for the curtain to rise.

When it did, the audience in the Bolshoi Theater applauded. We in Theater 5 did not, and I must admit I felt vaguely traitorous. Still, it was a very different audience experience to be, at one moment, close enough to see the herald’s eyes narrow at Carabosse’s entrance, then suddenly, sitting somewhere in the third circle, in awe at the corps and their intricate patterns.

When intermission arrived, we were slightly perplexed. The Bolshoi patrons stretched their legs, but since our projectionist had obviously turned on the three-hour broadcast and gone out for a drink, we sat in the dark. For 30 minutes. But then it was Act II and time for David the Great to make his historic entrance.

I have to admit, it wasn’t too different from my usual trip to the ballet—I didn’t get a program and I dozed off during the Act III grand pas de deux. Yet I saw the Bolshoi, larger than life—and live. —Karen White, Associate Editor

In “Ask Rhee Gold” this month (page 116), there’s a letter that’s given me lots to think about. People write to me for advice on an enormous range of issues, and I usually feel that I can offer something useful because I’ve been in the dance field for a long time in a lot of different roles. But some letters, especially the ones that make me really feel someone’s pain, leave me asking myself: What do I say to this person?

The letter is from a woman who’s gone into partnership with her son and opened a dance studio in a small town. The school is doing well and everything seems to be fine until she hears a couple of moms gossiping about her son, who is gay. They’re worried about the “perversion” he’s supposedly bringing to their community.

The woman who wrote to me handled this situation admirably. She didn’t say a word and didn’t even acknowledge that she’d heard their gossip. She could have challenged them, taking them to task for their narrow-mindedness, and the encounter might have ended with her saying a permanent goodbye to two (now former) customers. Telling those women what she thought about them would have felt great—for a little while. 

But then, once she cooled down, she might realize that every one of her customers would be sure to hear about the harsh exchange of words. Many would probably feel the need to take sides, and by raising a fuss in public, the school owner would have made that choice harder for them. She would have put them in a position of having to take sides—and siding with her might mean going against the beliefs of women they see at church or at work or at their kids’ school. A public outburst like that would likely make it harder for her other clients to do what they know, deep down, is right.

Attitudes about sexual orientation across the country are changing. People are becoming more tolerant. When they learn that their gay neighbor worries about the same things they do—the crabgrass, the missed garbage pickup, the foreclosed houses down the street—suddenly gay people don’t seem so foreign and threatening. But when we make choosing tolerance harder to do, for no good reason, nobody benefits.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting that gay people (or their moms) should put up with insults or injustice without complaint. Nobody wins respect by being a doormat. But between the bigots on one side and the nonjudgmental people on the other, there are a lot of others who aren’t sure what to do. They can be won to the side of tolerance. Sometimes all they need is a nudge.

You can provide that nudge, by practicing tolerance, hiring with diversity in mind, and making sure that everyone—everyone—feels welcome in your school and in your classrooms. It’s that “lead by example” thing. And little by little, slowly but surely, it works.

Words from our readers

Thank you for the beautiful article on Young Dancemakers Company [“Show on the Road,” November 2011], so articulately written by Elizabeth Zimmer. It was featured expertly in an especially readable layout, the photos perfectly chosen and placed. I am so grateful to you, Dance Studio Life, and Elizabeth for this opportunity to spread the word so effectively about Young Dancemakers Company.
Alice Teirstein, Founding Director
Young Dancemakers Company
New York, NY

Congratulations to Mrs. Schleifer on a job well done [“Teacher in the Spotlight,” October 2011]. I am one of her former students from Andries Hudde, I.S. 240, in Brooklyn. When I started her class I had never done a live performance and was scared to perform in front of an audience. I was told by Mrs. Schleifer, “If you think it, imagine it, and can achieve it, you can do it. Express yourself!” I had never heard the song “Iko Iko.” Every time I hear that song I think of my days at Hudde and anticipating dance class. Mrs. Schleifer was a big influence in my life as far as music. A big thank-you to Jamee Schleifer for introducing me to expression!
Nadia Powell
Initial L&T Specialist
LeasePlan USA

From Our Facebook Fans:

So inspired to see so much work go into such a worthy cause [“A Shoe Show With Heart,” October 2011]! The ripple effect is always there. We just need more people to throw the first stone! Congratulations on a wonderful show and community service.
Michelle Ballaro
Ballet Arts Center for Dance
Cheektowaga, NY

I enjoyed reading the article [“Dads on Demand,” October 2011]. This story is all about the kind of dancer dad I want to be.
E. Keith Turner

Wonderful article [“The Eye of the Beholder,” October 2011]! My iPod is wonderful for taking a quick video of a step such as a pirouette during class so the student can see what I see. It’s so true that they feel like they are correct, but when they see it they can understand why I gave the notes. And then they are much more driven to correct it!
Christina Munter

By Maureen Janson

When you think of Shakespeare, you probably don’t think about dance. It wasn’t until I began working as a theater choreographer that I discovered that dance was written into many of his plays.

Since then, through more than a decade of summer work at American Players Theatre (APT), I’ve become intimate with Shakespeare’s plays and the dance scenes that deepen them. In Romeo and Juliet, the young lovers meet at a dance. A Midsummer Night’s Dream features a wedding celebration dance that ties together key relationships and brings the comedy to closure. And in Love’s Labour’s Lost, a group of men disguise themselves as Russian dancers in order to win the women’s hearts.

APT boasts a gorgeous 1,148-seat outdoor theater in rural Spring Green, Wisconsin. My first assignment there, in 2000, was to choreograph dance scenes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Accustomed to working with trained dancers, indoors, and creating independent original works, I had to adjust to the collaborative nature of theater. Suddenly I had to understand things from an actor’s approach and consider things that I never had to before, including the need to create rainproof choreography that could be safely performed on a wet surface—and making sure I had plenty of mosquito repellant and sunscreen for rehearsals!

The production planning process at APT begins in the winter, when a design team of director, choreographer, composer, and lighting, set, and costume designers meets. Using the script as a starting point, we discuss the story and create a unified vision. A Shakespeare dance may last only a few minutes, but the choreography must propel the story forward and be well integrated into the production.

Of particular importance to me as a choreographer is understanding what the composer and costume designer plan to do. Full skirts, high heels, large hats, and heavy boots can dictate what dance movement is possible. And since music will be created for these dances, the choreographer and composer establish the tempo, length, and basic outline of the dance.

Movement invention and patterning come next, based on the time period, style, and mood of the scene. I often map out the story or action on paper. Once, for Romeo and Juliet, the director wanted a dance that would establish characters and relationships, so I used color-coded paper to represent each character and moved the papers around until I found ways for the right couples to dance together.

A Shakespeare dance may last only a few minutes, but it must propel the story forward and be well integrated into the production.

With limited rehearsal time, I tend to come equipped with more than one idea so that choices can be made based on what suits the scenes best. The level of virtuosity of a particular piece of choreography depends on the demands of the story and the actors’ ability. So I’ve also learned to choreograph alternate versions of a dance beforehand—easy, challenging, long, short—to be sure that I can use my rehearsal time wisely. In working with so many different people and elements, I find that my vision expands and becomes something new. And I create something I never could have done on my own. 

For APT I have choreographed Baroque, Renaissance, 1920s, Greek, Spanish, and vaudeville dances, as well as hip-hop, waltzes, tangos, and polkas. For my first Midsummer, the director requested a processional-like pavane for the final dance. We began with the authentic steps of a pavane, and as the actors felt more comfortable with the movement, their character embellishments morphed the dance into a style of its own. In the end, the dance had a basic pavane structure but looked completely different.

Through wind, rain, mosquitoes, sun, and midnight tech rehearsals, the actors brought an intense focus to their work as we rehearsed our pavane. Even when joined by an occasional bat swooping across the stage, the actors danced on.

At the Midsummer opening night, to my delight, the call of whippoorwills accompanied the final dance. As the lights faded to black, I looked up at the star-studded sky and realized how powerful dance can be, no matter where it happens.

Teacher and artistic director, Tallahassee Dance Academy, Tallahassee, Florida

NOMINATED BY: Melinda Allen, owner of Tallahassee Dance Academy: “Cricket is dedicated to the arts and does whatever is needed for the students, whether it is finding scholarships, housing them, helping them find jobs, fund-raising, making their costumes, or helping them with their performance. She is not just their teacher; she is their role model. She has taught them dance and how to be a successful, confident person. At TDA she has been my right arm and through the years has become my dearest friend. Cricket’s energy and love for ballet have helped the studio to be the successful business it is today.”

Cricket Mannheimer says that with the right balance of discipline and passion, “you can achieve anything.” (Photo courtesy Tallahassee Dance Academy)

YEARS TEACHING: 26 years

AGES TAUGHT: Fifth-graders–adults

GENRES TAUGHT: Pointe, ballet, and lyrical

WHY SHE CHOSE TEACHING AS A CAREER: I didn’t grow up thinking about teaching dance as a career. Dance to me has been an inclusive art form and a vehicle for making the world a better place. As a performer, I strived to engage my audiences as well as my fellow dancers. As costumer for Florida State University School of Dance, for me, creating costumes was an element of completing the holistic beauty of dance. When I began to teach I realized I could share the knowledge and passion I have for dance.

HER GREATEST INSPIRATIONS: In third grade I fell in love with Rudolf Nureyev. My dance instructor showed our class a film of him, and all I could think about was how could I perform like him. He had the greatest passion onstage of anyone I had ever seen—not to mention his tremendous leaps! Also, Nancy Smith Fichter, the chair of the FSU dance department. Even though I graduated more than 25 years ago, she is still a key factor in my life. And my boss, Melinda Allen, for giving me a wonderful studio to call home. And my constant inspiration is God. Every day I give Him thanks and praise for allowing me to live my passion and for granting me the strength to continue.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: There is nothing stronger than the combination of discipline and passion—with the correct balance, you can achieve anything. As a teacher, every day I strive to gain new knowledge to pass on to my students. I try to keep up with the latest trends in dance, music, technique, muscle conditioning, and nutrition.

WHAT MAKES HER A GOOD TEACHER: Growing up in Tampa, Florida, I had the opportunity to take from many great teachers. My favorite was Frank Rey and his partner, Richard Rader. I model my teaching skills on what I learned from them. They believed that dance’s discipline was not to just be pretty onstage, but to engage the audience and to always have self-esteem on- and offstage.

FONDEST TEACHING MEMORY: There is nothing better than watching my dancers come offstage feeling like they gave the performance of their life.

ADVICE TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: The sky is the limit. Every day, learn something new. Learn to take and give constructive criticism. And always remember, if you love your job, you will never work a day in your life.

IF SHE WASN’T A DANCE TEACHER: I would find a way to make sure the legacy of dance stays alive in all of our hearts. When I’m not teaching, I’m volunteering, working to create new ways to raise money and awareness of dance in our community. I have served on many boards in order to grant opportunities for all to enjoy the rewards of dance.

DO YOU KNOW A DANCE TEACHER WHO DESERVES TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT? Email your nominations to Arisa@rheegold.com or mail them to Arisa White, Dance Studio Life, P.O. Box 2150, Norton, MA 02766. Please include why you think this teacher should be featured, along with his or her contact information.

What Better Business Bureau’s stamp can mean for your studio

By Roxanne Claire

Customer confidence is key to any business owner. But for customers looking to entrust their children to a teacher or school, confidence is crucial. When a mom looks for a dance studio, she might turn to the school she went to as a child or ask for recommendations from friends. However, if she’s new to an area, she just might call the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

The Better Business Bureau, a consumer protection organization, was formed in 1912. Since that time, the general public has come to count on the BBB to determine whether a business is reliable. For customers who are trying to decide whether a company does good work with few complaints, the BBB logo in a window or on a website is akin to a Good Housekeeping “Seal of Approval.”

In this day of Yelp, Yahoo, and Angie’s List, the idea of a BBB rating may seem old-fashioned if not downright anachronistic. Still, many studio owners swear by it. “People have and do search the BBB for businesses,” says Melissa Kelly Clark of Melissa Kelly’s Dance Studio in Braintree, Massachusetts. “When dealing with children, parents are more apt to choose a business that has a good record, showing few or no complaints.”

Anna Marie Leo of Anna Marie Dance Studio in Wilmington, Delaware, agrees. “I highly recommend it,” Leo says. “People new to town very often call the BBB to see what they know about a dance studio. People like to know that you are a member.”

How it works
A business submits an application for accreditation. The BBB verifies the information, which can take two weeks to a month, and assigns a rating.

According to the BBB, the standards by which businesses are judged include the following:

• a positive track record
• honest advertising
• honest representation of products and services
• transparency: who owns the business and full disclosure of any policies that would

influence the decision to buy

• honoring promises
• addressing disputes
• safeguarding privacy
• integrity

Once verified, the business is charged an accreditation fee that covers the accreditation review and ongoing monitoring and supports BBB services to the public. This fee is determined by the number of employees. A business with one to 10 employees, for example, would pay a monthly fee of $48.75. A business that has 30 to 49 employees would pay $69.17 a month. (Exact figures may vary according to the area. The BBB consists of several private business franchises that operate in different regions of the United States and Canada.)

BBB ratings can also be initiated by consumers. According to Monica Russo of the Houston Better Business Bureau, if a consumer calls the BBB, asking about a company or seeking to file a complaint, the BBB will obtain information about the company—typically through Dun & Bradstreet—and assign a rating.

Ratings range from A-plus to F. (A rating of “NR” means that either a company has not been in existence long enough to achieve a rating, or is currently under review.) Ratings are affected by factors such as length of time in business, number of complaints, and whether a business maintains any licensing requirements. Failure to address complaints or reply to BBB requests for information can also affect a company’s BBB rating.

The point system by which ratings are governed can be found on the BBB website: bbb.org/business-reviews/ratings/.

Value of BBB accreditation
To the public, accreditation means that a business has agreed to adhere to the ethical standards set out by the BBB. Accredited businesses are guaranteed a rating on the BBB website. The BBB also includes a link to each company’s website, contact information, and a map to its place of business.

“People have and do search the BBB for businesses. When dealing with children, parents are more apt to choose a business that has a good record, showing few or no complaints.” —Melissa Kelly Clark

Accreditation comes with other services as well. The BBB can act as an intermediary in any dispute, helping to settle issues to the satisfaction of both parties. The process starts with a written complaint, which the BBB forwards to the business for response. If the business demonstrates that their actions were in accordance with a “clear and conspicuous” policy, or if the BBB determines that the complaint is unfounded, the BBB will close out the complaint, listing it as “resolved” in their database.

For more thorny differences, the BBB offers alternate forms of dispute resolution such as mediation or arbitration. These services are free to accredited members. The BBB also provides business education, recommending business practices that help prevent customer dissatisfaction or resolve complaints. This is a significant service, as Clark points out, since often the lack of professional conflict resolution is more damaging to a business than the dispute itself.

The BBB also offers access to affinity discount programs such as website development and credit card processing.

Do you get what you pay for?
Not everyone agrees that the BBB makes a difference in the success of a business. Donna McHenry, office manager of Darcy’s Academy of Dance in Putnam Valley, New York, says, “We’ve never had someone come in and say they came because we were members of the BBB. We have a strong word-of-mouth following. I can’t say that being BBB members has brought us any business.” After 18 years of automatically renewing its membership, the studio will be reviewing that decision, McHenry said.

One advantage of accreditation is that the BBB will tell customers your company’s rating (should it have one) when they ask about you specifically and will include your company on a list of all accredited A-rated companies. If a consumer simply asks for a list of all A-rated companies, however, the BBB only includes accredited A-rated companies. This means consumers can access BBB ratings by company name or can ask for a list of accredited A-rated companies but cannot ask for a list of all A-rated companies.

As long as the widespread perception of the BBB as a neutral arbiter remains, however, the BBB “seal of approval” can still be meaningful.

By Misty Lown

I can’t take any credit for the idea I am about to share with you—I picked it up from a national daycare chain in Minneapolis. What am I talking about? A referral card that actually works! I modeled my dance school’s referral card on the one I saw and it brought me 50 new students within a few weeks.

Since then, the referral card has become one of my favorite marketing tools. It’s inexpensive, simple, and trackable. And it goes primarily to qualified buyers—friends and associates of people already in love with your program. Compared with other marketing methods that can be expensive, hard to track, and broad (such as radio, TV, and newspaper ads), a sharp-looking referral card is a real winner.

A good card is simple in concept and application. It’s basically you informing your clients that you will pay them a certain amount if they bring in new students. It should be easy to read and fill out. Our card asks for the new student’s name, parent/guardian name, phone, email, and the name of the referring family. The card can be filled out in about 30 seconds and is turned in with the new student’s registration form.

As a consumer I don’t use coupons very often because the return is usually too low for the time invested. However, the daycare referral card was offering a full week of daycare free of charge for successful referrals. That’s no small change! I wanted my studio’s referral offer to be attractive enough to spur people to action as well, so I offer a $50 credit to both the referring and new families.

You might say that $100 ($50 to both families) is a lot to pay for a new student, but I disagree. Last year I happily gave $5,000 in referral credits because I was looking at the long-term return on the investment, not the expense. Fifty new students paying an average of $50 per month for a nine-month season equals $22,500 in new revenue. Although we did lose a few of them after the first six weeks, as would be expected, we also picked up a few referrals from those referrals. So even with the dropouts, we ended up with a net of 50 students.

And those 50 new enrollments allowed me to hire another office staff person who will be focusing on enrollment and marketing, which will help us to grow again. If even half of those new students stay for a second season, and if half of those students stay for a third, the new enrollments from $5,000 in referral credits will have generated just shy of $40,000 in revenue over three years. And the goodwill associated with referrals is priceless.

Compared with other marketing methods that can be expensive, hard to track, and broad, a sharp-looking referral card is a real winner.

The card should be professional and polished and reflect your brand. I recommend using a graphic designer and working with a printer who can produce a quality, full-color piece on medium to heavy card stock. After all, this might be the first, and perhaps only, impression that prospective new clients get of your school. I spent $250 on a graphic designer and $750 on printing (1,000 copies), but the quality of the final product justified the expense.

Safeguard yourself from just giving away lessons with referral cards by requiring a minimum purchase or enrollment before applying the credit to a new account. I require two months of paid enrollment before giving any credits. I figure that if a new family has paid for two months of enrollment and purchased all of the gear needed for class, there is a pretty high probability that they will stay for the season. Don’t put yourself in a situation where someone comes in for a free month of lessons and then pulls out when it’s time to start paying tuition.

Keep your eyes open for good marketing ideas. Although I can’t take credit for this idea, I did recognize the value of the referral card I saw and put the idea into immediate action. Now it’s your turn to give it a try.

Do you have a marketing idea you’d like to share? Send it to cheryl@rheegold.com.

Make ’Em Laugh 
During an across-the-floor exercise in a jazz class one day, I realized that all the students (7- to 9-year-olds) were leaping with their upper bodies slanting forward. One of the dancers was angling so far forward that her upper body was actually touching her front leg. I explained the correction, but the dancers repeated the combination with little improvement. Clearly, it was time to get creative.

I stopped the music and said, “Girls, the upper body is supposed to be straight during a leap, not leaning forward like this.” Attempting to look as ridiculous as possible, I hurtled myself through the air in an exaggerated leap, low to the ground, practically lying on my front leg. The girls started to giggle. I had their attention.

To drive my point home and keep them engaged in a fairly boring correction, I had them look in the mirror with their bodies facing the side. I instructed them to lean forward and say, “Wrong.” Then I asked them to stand up straight and say, “Right.” Then we did it again and again, each time increasing the speed. When we started moving as fast as we could, everyone looked so silly that the entire class burst into laughter.

Finally, with a completely serious expression, I said, “Sometimes if you yell loud enough, your body can hear you.” I told the dancers that when they were in the air, they should yell the word “Straight!” loud enough for their backs to hear. I also told them that while they were waiting for their turn they could help the people going across the floor by yelling, “Straight!”

Since I enforce a strict “no talking” policy, the dancers were delighted to be allowed to yell in the middle of class. Before we even started, one girl bent forward, shouted, “Straight!” and then stood up. “It works!” she exclaimed with delight.

I suppressed a smile and responded dramatically, “Oh, it works!” The dancers had a great time yelling “Straight!” as they soared across the floor. But the best part was that every dancer leaped with a perfectly straight back.
—Holly Derville-Teer

Class Cards
It is disheartening when dancers don’t show up for class or when you have to repeat the same corrections over and over again. Your enthusiasm wanes and you become frustrated, and the class morale decreases. Soon no one enjoys the class. But there’s a solution: empower the students.

A teacher friend of mine told me about using class cards to make students more responsible about their choreography and corrections. At the beginning of the month, each student (company kids ages 10 and up) gets a card. On the card is a list of classes and a spot for the teachers to sign off after every lesson.

It’s the dancers’ responsibility to keep track of their cards and get the signatures. At the end of the month they turn in their cards. Their attendance is tallied and the results are posted in the studio. Anyone with 100 percent attendance gets a reward (I give them an exemption from the dress code), which I specify ahead of time.

This won’t work if you don’t make rules and stick to them every time. Consistency is key.

• Don’t accept the cards late for any reason.
• If the dancers are late, they don’t get their card signed.
• If they lose the card they can get a new one, but they don’t get credit for what was on the lost card.

Since starting this at my studio, the kids’ attendance has been great, with many of them attending all of the classes each month. The kids are more accountable for their corrections because they have the mind-set that they are responsible for their own learning. They feel empowered, and that confidence spills into other areas of their dance education.

My teachers and I are less frustrated and feel like the kids are more invested in their dance education. The improved attendance has also helped with our choreography-cleaning process.

Because of the class cards, we are dance teachers again, not babysitters.
—Nina Koch

Do you have a great classroom tip to share with our readers? Send it to the editor at Cheryl@rheegold.com.

Dance teacher organizations—where to team up, share ideas, and be heard

Ohio Dance Masters
Ohio Dance Masters (ODM), Dance Masters of America Chapter 16, is a long-standing dance education organization on the move. ODM’s growth during the 2010–11 season (18 members were added, more than any other DMA chapter) was why it was named DMA Chapter of the Year. The organization, founded in 1936, has more than 150 members hailing from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.

Haley Fish, a student of Diana Evans Pulliam of Lexington, Kentucky, was crowned ODM Miss Dance of America in summer 2011. (Photo courtesy Ohio Dance Masters)

The club believes that its growth stems from dance teachers’ desire to share ideas and information, keep up to date on the latest dance styles and techniques, and investigate business advancement opportunities relating to dance.

Member Dawn Meyer-Slemons, owner of Just Off Broadway in Cincinnati, spoke of how ODM’s conventions help her grow as a dance educator, which, in turn, helps her students “to reach their dance goals and dreams,” she says.

Another member, Kelly Fuller, owner of Miami Valley Dance Center in Fairborn, agrees, adding: “The organization also fosters camaraderie among its members and provides great networking opportunities for fellow teachers.”

ODM has always shared a strong connection with its parent organization. Members LaRue C. Hope, Angela Freese, Joan Wine, and Butch Theisen have all served as DMA national presidents, and just recently, executive secretary Noreen Rhode was honored as 2011 DMA Member of the Year for her longstanding commitment. (Since joining DMA/ODM in 1954, Rhode says, she has attended nearly all national conventions and served on the national board for several years. She is now a national director and chairperson for the DMA Ballet Intensive and has been executive secretary of the Ohio chapter for more than 25 years.)

ODM not only continues to fulfill its original mission—to further the dance education of all teachers and to promote correct technique in all disciplines of dance—but today it also seeks to set standards for dance teachers and promote the many benefits of a dance education. To join, applicants must be at least 18 years old with at least three years of teaching experience, and must pass certification. To help potential members prepare for their certification exams, ODM offers preparation forums and free attendance at workshops.

Each year ODM offers four conventions that include classes for teachers and students. The November convention features Mr. and Miss Dance title competitions for students ages 16 to 23, with the winter convention featuring Petite and Master Dance, Junior Miss and Junior Mr. Dance, and Teen Miss and Teen Mr. Dance, plus a mini-showcase for students as young as 3. Performing Arts Competitions run in November and March.

Annually, the group hands out scholarships and awards totaling about $50,000. The ODM college scholarship program, which grants awards based on dance performance as well as academic achievement, divides about $1,800 among several students each year. Scholarship auditions are held in the spring.

Students ages 13 to 20 can also become involved in ODM’s junior membership program if they are nominated by their teachers and have a minimum of five years of dance training. ODM has about 50 junior members, all of whom can partake of special classes in topics such as nutrition, choreography, and auditioning. They assist at competitions and organize fund-raising benefits for charitable organizations, receive discounts for workshops, and have fun with social activities such as sleepovers.

Social activities for adults include formal banquets and the President’s Open House, both held at most conventions. For more information, visit dma-chap16.com.

Associated Dance Teachers of New Jersey  800.824.0933; associateddanceteachers.com
Event: Funky February Workshop and Networks Luncheon
When: February 12
Where: Bridgewater Marriott, 700 Commons Way, Bridgewater, NJ
What: Networks Luncheon will address “Social Networking for the Dance Teacher,” featuring Liz Rogers. Workshop classes include theater jazz with Charlotte D’Amboise, hip-hop with Manwe, jumps and turns with Ginger Cox, and contemporary with Calen Kurka.

Congress on Research in Dance   205.823.5517; cordance.org
Event: 2012 Special Topics Conference: “Meanings and Makings of Queer Dance”
When: February 16-18
Where: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
What: A small, focused conference sponsored by CORD.

Dance Council of North Texas  214.219.2290; thedancecouncil.org
Event: Dance Student and Teacher Scholarship Application Deadline
When: February 9
What: Applications are due for annual DCNT scholarship program that awards more than $30,000 to roughly 40 teachers and students to attend summer intensives. Submission details available on DCNT website.

Event: Heart to Heart Cardiology Event
When: February 18, 10am-1pm
Where: Uptown Village at Cedar Hill, Cedar Hill, TX
What: A free day of music, dance instruction, and demonstrations designed to improve participants’ health, particularly heart health. Methodist Dallas and Methodist Charlton medical centers are partners.

Dance Masters of America, Chapter 33   334.209.0733; dma33.org
Event: The Force Convention
When: February 2-5
Where: Montgomery Performing Arts Centre, 201 Tallapoosa Street, Montgomery, AL
What: Classes, plus performing arts, solo title, and scholarship competitions.

Florida Dance Masters  fldancemasters.org
Event: Breakout! Dance Competition and Spring Convention
When: February 24-26
Where: Coral Springs Marriott, 11775 Heron Bay Boulevard, Coral Springs, FL
What: Classes and performing arts competition open to members and non-members, plus students ages 6 through professional.

Ohio Dance Masters, DMA Chapter 16  dma-chap16.com
Event: ODM Winter Scholarship Competitions
When: February 3-5
Where: Cherry Valley Lodge, 2299 Cherry Valley Road, Newark, OH
What: Classes with Michael Thomas, Brandt Martinez, and Richard Ashworth, plus title competition and mini performing-arts showcase. 

Utah Dance Education Organization  udeo.org
Event: Fifth Annual Junior High/Middle School Day of Dance
When: February 8, 9:30am-1:30pm
Where: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City, UT
What: Classes in modern-dance technique, improvisation, and creating a dance composition, ending with a performance for attendees.

Bringing ballet and other Western dance forms to Bangladesh

By Claire Sheridan

In January 2011 I traveled to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to conduct a three-day teacher-training workshop at the invitation of Kamal Lohani, director-general of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts). My job was to introduce Western dance forms to a select group of the country’s best teachers and choreographers. Although highly respected experts in their field (bharata natyam, manipuri, kathak, and Bengali folk dance) they had little or no experience with ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, or hip-hop.

Sheridan teaches a jazz class at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts) in Dhaka. (Photo courtesy Shilpakala Academy)

I’ve done a lot of teaching, lecturing, and choreographing in countries around the world (in addition to establishing both the dance program at Saint Mary’s College of California and LEAP, a national BA degree program for professional dancers), so I felt I could prepare with some confidence. But there was one unknown for me: Bangladesh is considered to be a conservative Muslim country. There are no ballet schools there and one rarely sees women wearing Western-style clothes on the street. I wanted to be culturally respectful, but honest. How then to proceed?

I planned the workshop as follows:

• Day 1: Ballet (history, technique, classics, and new works)
• Day 2: Dance in America (jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, and hip-hop)
• Day 3: Dance Behind the Scenes (general discussion of training and schools, the choreographic process, the life of a professional, the business of dance, etc.)

My hope was to start each day with a lecture/discussion and videos, approaching each form from a historical perspective. Where did tap come from? Why pointe shoes? What were modern dancers rebelling against? I’ve found that new dance forms make sense to others when they see how and why those techniques and aesthetics evolved. DVDs offer powerful illustration and inspiration, so I planned to show bits of everything from Swan Lake to Gregory Hines to West Side Story—while keeping the sensitivities of my audience in mind. A movement class for those dancers who wanted to learn some choreography and technique would follow each lecture.

Primarily, I wanted the workshop to be a conversation. That meant asking the participants questions, offering them choices, exchanging ideas, and honoring the great traditions of the dance forms they practice. I was eager to learn as well as teach.

I asked to visit the Academy the day before the workshop began to get a sense of the space, and I was happy to see a large square studio with wood floors, mirrors, barres (surprise!), a computer setup to play DVDs and CDs, portable chairs, and a nearby toilet (one less thing to worry about). There were some technical problems with the equipment as time went on, but the administrative staff was very professional and kind. Much attention was paid to ceremony, with opening and closing presentations, speeches, flowers, and photographs. On the wall was a big poster misspelling my name as “Clarie Sheridan,” so everyone called me Clarey, but that was perfectly fine; I’ve always wanted a nickname.

The participants ranged in age from about 20 to 50, both sexes, about 17 in all. Since English is not their first language (Bangla is), I tried to speak clearly, be animated, use a white board when necessary, and avoid video that featured lots of talking or interviews. The dancers were also happy that I distributed written summaries of my lectures as well as how-to material with pictures.

Most of the women wore saris the first day for the ballet class, so that’s a new one for me. (We did a lot of tendus and port de bras.) Some later switched to a salwar kameez (baggy pants and long shirts, worn by both men and women). One young woman wore modest Western-style workout clothes. I wore big T-shirts or tunic tops with baggy nylon pants and tights underneath. I had to roll up those pants a lot to demonstrate the workings of a tendu or battement, but at least I had the option of covering up.

No matter who wore what, these dancers were enthusiastic, generous, open minded, and hungry for information. It was an honor to work with them. The workshop atmosphere was joyful and, looking back, I see how the videos brought into that room dancers and choreographers from many countries, creating a kind of international dance community right there in Dhaka. We felt connected to something big. That’s the beauty of teaching dance abroad: it’s an effective way to make cultural connections, share your passion for dance, and learn about the world.

We flopped down on the studio floor, tired, sweaty, and exhilarated. We were from different sides of the planet, but we were all dancers, and at heart all dancers are the same, addicted to an art form that feeds body, mind, and soul.

So how did they move? Imagine if a group of American ballet teachers took their first bharata natyam class (including complex foot movements and choreography for the eyes and hands). It would be new and different. I did notice that the Bangladeshi dancers were excellent turners, with impeccable timing and the ability to memorize movement quickly. They had good turnout and an elegant carriage of the upper torso. The idea of using the entire body to create extended lines was foreign (especially stretched knees) and that Western kind of athletic flexibility was not particularly evident. We did joke that my highly arched feet (great for ballet) were pretty pathetic for bharata natyam, which prefers semi-flat arches in order to make the proper sounds when the feet beat out complex rhythms on the floor. (Speaking of feet, when I first taught a jazz pas de bourrée, they stamped the floor loudly and with great conviction.)

On the first day, after a morning of ballet history, I taught a mini ballet barre and some center combinations with temps lié and passé. They said they had heard about the waltz but had not done it before, so I taught them balancé and some waltz steps, which, they exclaimed, made them feel “so free and light.”

On day two, I decided to teach a jazz class after my “Dance in America” lecture. There’s something universal about how that dance form conveys energy and youth; its aggressive and powerful style was a revelation to the dancers. They had never experienced jazz before and they all remarked how much fun it was. I used music from the Happy Feet soundtrack and we had a blast.

By the third day my voice was in shreds (I had a cold), but they gave me a microphone and endured my croaking. I taught some contemporary choreography to music from an NPR CD, All Songs Considered. The combination told a story and incorporated floorwork; it was lyrical and emotional and the dancers took to it quickly—not a surprise since storytelling is an important element in their own dance traditions.

After each dance class we would discuss how it felt, and hearing their comments and comparisons improved my understanding of the dance techniques and traditions of Bangladesh. But I also learned that the dancers are struggling. They expressed their concern that although neighboring India is generally supportive of the arts, dancers in Bangladesh often have to contend with fundamentalist politics that are decidedly anti-dance. They are also isolated because few dance teachers or companies from other parts of the world come to their country. The Shilpakala Academy’s efforts to make progress in these areas were much appreciated.

One never knows the value of a three-day workshop, but a recurring theme did emerge: the concept of individuality. Yes, we can (and should) practice and honor classical dance techniques, but we can also break the rules as Martha Graham or Isadora Duncan did and invent our own style of movement. Respected dance forms (like tap and hip-hop) can emerge from the streets, and today it’s perfectly fine for choreographers to mix genres to create something new and exciting.

So if I had to identify one particular workshop outcome (besides my own education), it would be that these wonderful teachers and choreographers in Bangladesh are perhaps now more aware of their creative options. And that, I think, is a positive development. This part of the world has an ancient and beautiful tradition of dance, and as long as its artists are nourished and encouraged, I am optimistic about their future.

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Bangladesh became a secular nation state when it seceded from Pakistan after a devastating war in 1971. As the eighth most populous nation in the world (with the fourth-largest Muslim population), the country is forging a path toward democratic development, but it is facing tremendous challenges from poverty, natural disasters, religious extremism, and corruption.

Insisting on ballet fundamentals for preschoolers pays off later

By Jennifer Rienert

I remember, as a young child preparing for my ballet class, how I complained to my mother how much I hated putting on my tights. I’d get aggravated as I yanked them up, yelling as my mom stabbed my head with bobby pins to get my hair into an acceptable bun. But the lessons I learned through the discipline of ballet training in those early years—about my appearance, punctuality, working hard, and respecting my teachers and the art form—are vital lessons that have carried me through until today.

Insisting on discipline for even the youngest students at New Hampshire School of Ballet pays dividends when the training turns more rigorous. (Photo courtesy New Hampshire School of Ballet)

As owner of New Hampshire School of Ballet, as well as a guest teacher and an adjudicator, I’ve learned that not everyone shares the same ideas about ballet class requirements. Every dancer knows that ballet requires the most discipline of all dance genres; but in today’s studio life, how old should our students be when we as teachers and school owners implement our high expectations? And how much is enough?

I realize that pre-ballet classes (ages 2 to 6) generate a great deal of my studio’s income. School owners understand that while we want to maintain the purity of the art form and offer correct instruction, keeping the students interested and having fun play an important part in the early years. But that doesn’t mean discipline needs to go out the window.

At my school, we start students as young as 2 in ballet classes. Even this young, my students are expected to have their proper leotard color on, along with the standard pink tights and pink ballet slippers. It is also mandatory that all girls in ballet, regardless of age, have their hair in a neat bun. We’ve even gone as far as showing parents (especially the dads who are in charge) how to construct a bun with bobby pins and a hair net. I believe that starting the students and parents off immediately with this expectation about dress code sets the standard for years to come.

Although we alter the structure of a ballet class for the youngest dancers, we are determined to give them some clear, basic guidelines that will follow them throughout their dance training. We always start class at the barre. Even our youngest dancers (ages 2 to 3) begin this way, although for better balance they may start by facing it.

Discipline is also expected. Even though we follow barre exercises with stretching and fun learning games to keep the students interested, we maintain the attitude that respect in the classroom is a must. Children will learn to stay quiet and raise their hands if they have a question, just like they do in school. We correct running around and inappropriate behavior just as their preschool or kindergarten teachers would. Although I expect proper etiquette in all classes, jazz, hip-hop, and tap classes allow the kids more freedom to move and jump, which helps relieve children’s energy. Since ballet is so quiet and slower moving, it can be more of a challenge.

Making ballet fun while teaching the tools the students will need for their classes in the future is a difficult job. I believe students of this age need excellent adult instructors who have experience in teaching young children. Responsibilities of this nature should not be left to student teachers or teenagers. Finding the right teacher might take a lot of searching, but I have been fortunate enough to find several elementary school teachers who used to be dancers—a great combination because they already have extensive knowledge on how to interact with and handle preschoolers. They are excellent at creating a balance of discipline while still allowing some fun time.

At the next level, ages 6 and 7, my students begin more serious study. Class length ranges from 45 minutes to an hour and the children are beginning to experience a regular class structure of barre, a center stretch, and then combinations in the center and across the floor. Of course we still adhere to the dress code and discipline guidelines, and we try to keep the class upbeat while using repetition to help the students learn.

By the time the students are 8 years old, they are in a one-hour ballet class and they know exactly what is expected of them in terms of appearance and behavior. And they’re comfortable with the structure of barre, an adagio combination, petit allegro, grand allegro. By understanding these expectations at an early age, the students aren’t shocked at the discipline required in ballet as they advance.

Even though we follow barre exercises with stretching and fun learning games to keep the students interested, we maintain the attitude that respect in the classroom is a must.

In fact, many times it’s the teenagers, not the youngest students, who have trouble adjusting to the structure. The teenage years can be trying on parents, of course, but they can challenge dance teachers as well. Once-disciplined children who always came in with the proper attire develop into teens who stroll in late each week with socks on instead of ballet slippers, their hair tossed into a series of knots with an elastic band. When these students were younger their parents were in charge of their appearance, but as they get older and become responsible for themselves, pushing the limits becomes commonplace. Even after years of training, teenagers can get lazy and try to take the easy route instead of following the rules.

Sometimes the problem is that the students take several kinds of classes in a row; for example, jazz and tap classes on the same night as ballet. Having to change from their jazz attire of shorts, black tights, and a ponytail to a more classic look for ballet can be a struggle for them, so I try to schedule their ballet classes first, then the jazz or tap classes. My students get a verbal warning when they are not wearing the proper attire, and I send them out of the room to fix their hair if it is not in a bun. If the problem persists, a phone call to the parent becomes necessary.

Discipline aside, sometimes no matter how hard a student works, her body just will not support what is required in ballet. Going on pointe is one example. It’s dangerous to let children dance on pointe if they sickle their feet or can’t straighten their knees, and some children were born with arches that won’t support their bodies. We try to explain these important factors to both students and parents, but sometimes the impatience or disappointment is too much and students leave or quit. This is unfortunate, but I try to stay true to what is important and healthy for the students, and knowing that I’m acting in their best interest makes these hard decisions a bit easier. In circumstances like these, I urge students to try another form of dance or get more involved in their hip-hop or tap classes, which don’t require such demands on their bodies.

There are many reasons for students to slack off in ballet class; however, teachers and studio owners must continue to set high expectations for students the moment they walk into the room. I believe studio owners must decide whether they want their program to be recreational or serious study. With a recreational track the classes might not need to be so structured or disciplined, so students might stick with them a little longer. But if that’s the case, many students will not take the training as seriously and their technique will eventually suffer.

When we stick to the guidelines we have set, students will eventually adhere. But when we let them slide on the little things, others will notice and follow their bad example. Your students may complain or be slow to follow, but if you explain the reasoning behind the discipline you expect from them, they will learn to accept it.

 Both abstract and expressive, bharata natyam thrives as a living tradition

By Kalpana Mohan

On any given weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area, Indian-American parents are herding their young children (most often their daughters) to bharata natyam lessons. The oldest of several classical Indian dance forms, bharata natyam originated in southern India thousands of years ago as a temple dance.

Bharata natyam is “much more than just dance,” says Rasika Kumar, a second-generation Indian-American dancer. (Photo by Bipin Thakkar)

Vidhya Subramanian, a bharata natyam dance teacher and artistic director of Cupertino-based Lasya Dance Company, runs classes in a remodeled garage with mirrored walls and wooden flooring. Inside this light and airy space, her students stomp and jump to the sharp beat of a stick (mannai) on a wooden block (thattukuzhi).

Like many other bharata natyam teachers (typically called gurus) who immigrated from India, Subramanian works hard at getting her students to approach this ancient art form as honestly as possible. For that, she insists on a few house rules. “I establish ground rules at the outset in terms of clothing, wearing of the pottu [a dot, also called bindi] on the forehead, and showing respect for what is being taught when they attend classes.”

Subramanian’s expectations are not unseemly. To achieve the proficiency to perform as a soloist in this tradition requires at least a decade of practice, persistence, and passion.

Bharata natyam is “much more than just dance,” says Rasika Kumar, a second-generation Indian-American dancer. “You have to learn about the classical music you dance to, understand the meaning of the lyrics, appreciate the many ragas [melodies], grasp the different talas [rhythms], imbibe stories about the Hindu pantheon of gods, and know Indian customs, traditions, and history. So the learning of bharata natyam is a vehicle to learn all these things as well,” she says.

Kumar learned the art in the cradle from her guru and mother, Mythili Kumar, who established Abhinaya Dance Company in San Jose in 1980. Like Rasika Kumar, many Indian-American girls born and raised outside India are fascinated by the 2,000-year-old art form that originated in the stone-carved Hindu temples of South India. Nurtured in the temples and palace courts and handed down as a living tradition, bharata natyam was documented as a performing art in the 19th century by the Tanjore Quartet, a four-brother ensemble whose musical compositions form the bulk of its repertoire even in this century. 

From frieze to stage
Walk down a lane in any city in South India on a given evening and you are bound to hear the beat of the bell-clad feet of girls dressed in cotton kameez (tunic) and salwar (pant) ensembles, sashes tied tightly around the waist. In the dusty alleys of South Indian towns and villages, your senses will be assaulted by the cacophony of daily life—the moo of cows, the bleat of goats, the honk of a roaring auto-rickshaw, the mindless ringing of bicycle bells, and the babel of languages and insults. But one sound will stop, still, and steal your mind: the peal of the temple bell.

In most towns, the oldest temple is typically at least 1,000 years old. Life hobbles around these temples even today. The temple of Chidambaram, built in the fifth century AD, is the temple of the dancing Hindu god Shiva. The 1,000-year-old friezes in the temple’s eastern tower—with their enumeration of the 108 poses of Indian classical dance—inspire and inform the art of bharata natyam even today.

Bharata natyam is the oldest and most stylistically developed of the Indian classical dance forms. In roughly 200 BC (dates vary), Bharata Muni, a musicologist, compiled the principles of bharata natyam in the Nātyasāstra, an ancient work of dramatic theory. The name “bharata natyam” describes the basic concepts: bhava (expression), raga (music), tala (rhythm), and natyam (dance). For centuries, this dance was performed only in temples by devadasis, women whose job was to serve the deity inside the temple and also please rich patrons of the temple, using their artistic talent and sensuality.

In the early part of the 20th century, bharata natyam became purged of most erotic leanings by educated women born into wealth. Barely 50 years have passed since this art form became accepted in the mainstream of Indian life, yet today it is a rite of passage for many young girls raised in the South Indian milieu. For those raised abroad, learning bharata natyam offers a route to learn about their roots.

Learning bharata natyam
Bharata natyam has two kinds of movement—abstract (nritta) and expressive (nritya). Learning bharata natyam begins with several years of mastering a group of basic routines (each routine is called an adavu). Each adavu is a combination of steps or positions with coordinated movements of the feet, legs, hands and arms, along with specific movements also of the torso, head, and eyes.

In teaching the initial stages of her art, Vidhya Subramanian focuses on precision of technique and posture. In bharata natyam, the basic position is the araimandi, the “half-sit” position in which the dancer stands with feet together, knees bent and pointing outward, and tailbone as close to the ground as possible, compressing herself to at least three-fourths of her original height. Difficult, you think? Try dancing in this position for half an hour. The araimandi gives the typical triangular shape and stability to bharata natyam. The best araimandi posture also exploits the beauty of the “fan” in the heavy silk costumes that dancers wear onstage (see sidebar).

Seventeen-year-old Madhulika Krishnan of Sunnyvale, California, who recently finished her solo dance debut (called an arangetram, which means “ascending the stage”) under guru Vidhya Subramanian, remembers her early struggles in quest of a good araimandi. Her teacher’s commands in class—“sit more,” “knees out,” “feet out,” “fingers stiff,” and “hips in”—are burned into her brain.

“Western dancers can greatly benefit from bharata natyam by learning how to stamp to specific rhythms and become more in tune with the earth they dance on.” —Vidhya Subramanian

After teaching the basic abstract segments of dance and theory, Subramanian leads her students into expressional pieces involving mime. “Abhinaya, or expression, in Sanskrit, is the art of carrying forward a thought, expression, or emotion,” Subramanian explains, “and abhinaya is what differentiates Indian classical dance forms from other world dance forms because it involves stylized facial expressions combined with codified hand gestures.”

Dancers in the bharata natyam tradition agree that dancers in Western systems would find master lessons in abhinaya useful. “From what I know of Western dance forms, I believe that the art of expression is taught much later, and at an individual level. It’s not a structured thing from early on,” Kumar says. “In bharata natyam, there is a lot of teaching behind the basic emotions. As a dancer, the more you are aware, the more you end up doing some soul-searching in the process.”

What students of bharata natyam also will tell you is how much stamina (mental and physical) this kind of dancing requires both on- and offstage. It’s compounded, of course, by the fact that the dancer is bedecked in fine silk and heavy jewelry and standing under the heat of the lights. The dance form also includes a lot of jumps, pirouettes, and positions where the knees contact the floor.

An exquisite feature of bharata natyam is the rhythmic movement of the eyes, which complements and highlights the movements of the body in both abstract and expressional dance segments. The creative use of the eye enhances abhinaya and makes the audience connect with the dancer.

Krishnan, a talented stage actress, finds abhinaya more challenging than theater. “Abhinaya is conveying expression through your eyes, your face, and your hands. To communicate with just an expression and no words is way more difficult than one can imagine.”

While teaching the emotional response to a song and its lyrics, Subramanian starts with a simple expressive piece. As students progress, the songs become more complicated both in melody and rhythm and challenge the students with greater expressional demands. She makes her students write down the song lyrics (typically in the South Indian languages of Tamil or Telugu, or in archaic Sanskrit) and their meaning. “This is the first step to understanding how to even begin the process of emoting,” she says. Then she expounds on each line, exploring choreographic variations for the same lyrics. She says this is one way to nudge dancers into introspection and groom them to become good choreographers.

Ancient vs. contemporary
Bharata natyam may be an ancient art form, yet the choreographers who work in this medium are tuning it in surprising ways to talk about the problems, big and small, of modern life. The Internet and social networking tools are propagating bharata natyam’s message faster than any organization or person in creating a following.

“With YouTube and Facebook, I’ve watched the work of artists and schools that I never knew existed,” Kumar says. Some bharata natyam dancers are getting attention in the mainstream because they employ their classical skills creatively to address contemporary problems.

In a program titled “Navarasa: Her Choice,” Subramanian turned the spotlight on the present suffering of women in various parts of the world while addressing similar challenges of women in Indian history and mythology. Likewise, as a fund-raiser for Japanese tsunami victims, Kumar presented dances that showed the resilience of the Japanese in the midst of hardship and chaos. These dancers are also applying innovative concepts from modern dance and theater to serve bharata natyam.

Subramanian says that her training in modern dance and theater gave her a great sense of the use of space and the optimal use of muscles in the body. But she also believes that the low-level movements and polyrhythms in bharata natyam provide groundedness to any dancer. “Western dancers can greatly benefit from bharata natyam by learning how to stamp to specific rhythms and become more in tune with the earth they dance on,” she says.

Every dance form provides the opportunity for exercise, stress relief, joy, and a deep sense of accomplishment. But bharata natyam, according to Subramanian, offers something deeper. It harks back to another era and another sensibility, examining the lives of gods as well as mortals and making sense of their struggles while keeping us in awe of the mysteries of the universe.

It is, ultimately, a form of meditation because of its ties to spirituality. “For the serious student,” she says, “bharata natyam offers spiritual bliss and solace.”

A Spotlight on Performance
Before a dance lesson, practice, or recital, it is traditional for bharata natyam dancers to make obeisance to the gods, the earth, and teacher or “guru.” According to Indian tradition, a guru is as important to a child as her parents—and most children who learn the classical arts are tied to their teacher for life.

A bharata natyam recital always begins with an invocation, an offering of prayers to Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who is the remover of obstacles, and Lord Nataraja, the god of dance.

A traditional solo bharata natyam recital has a specific structure. A progression of technique-laden abstract dance pieces lead up to the main piece, which is always a varnam, an intricate combination of both nritta and nritya. The varnam is followed by pieces that showcase expression and emotion. At the end comes the thillana, a montage of alluring and statuesque poses and exquisite patterns of movement that evoke sculptures in old Hindu temples.

Most recitals are supported by a live orchestra of vocalist, the veena (a plucked string instrument dating back 4,000 years), flute, violin, and mridangam (a two-headed leather drum).

Costumes, called saris, are made of Kanchipuram silk or silk cotton. Although a costume is fashioned from a sari, it is not the typical six-yard garment but several pieces sewn for easy movement. Most costumes involve pleated pieces at the waist that fan out during various poses. The dancers also wear elaborate jewelry (often called “temple” jewelry), including bangles, rings, earrings, nose rings, and special ornaments for the arms and head. The key part of the costume is a string of ankle bells (called salangai in the Tamil language) that highlights the rhythmic footwork of the dancer and is blessed by the dancer’s guru before a performance.

The facial makeup in bharata natyam is unique. The eyebrows are darkened and extended outward. The hands and feet are adorned with red dye to emphasize their movements.

Resources
In the San Francisco Bay Area, South Indian Fine Arts hosts touring bharata natyam danseuses from India: southindiafinearts.org.

To learn more about how bharata natyam entered the mainstream, read about Rukmini Arundale (the most important revivalist of bharata natyam, who elevated it to an art form demanding scholarship and skill) and T. Balasaraswati (a seventh-generation representative of the devadasi community) at rangashree.org/bharatanatyam.html.

To see bharata natyam performances in India today, see the following links and search for these dancers on YouTube:
Alarmel Valli: alarmelvalli.org
Priyadarsini Govind: priyadarsinigovind.net/
Urmila Sathyanarayana: urmila.in/

For these schools, the answer is an enthusiastic yes!

By Kay Waters 

When Brenda Didier moved her studio, Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, to its new location in Vernon Hills, Illinois, she made sure the new setting could accommodate all the necessary elements: barres, mirrors, dance floors—and space for accompanists to play for the school’s classes.

West African dancers and class instrumentalists participate in an exchange of energy and rhythm at The Joan Weill Center for Dance in New York City. (Photo by Kyle Froman)

“We have three studios and we have three pianos, plus drums and congas and a lot of percussion instruments,” Didier says about the scene at her 450-student school, located 29 miles north of Chicago. “I can’t imagine teaching without live music. It makes the class experience more special.”

The impact on students and their understanding of the relationship between dance and music is invaluable, says Nicholas Mishoe, co-director of Academy of Dance Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey, who uses accompanists for the studio’s ballet classes. He has considered having live music for other classes, but at the moment, he says, he can’t afford to do so.

Live music, Mishoe says, “trains the students to listen. The pianist might play a different piece of music for the same exercise, so it automatically trains the students to be attentive to the music and to be musical dancers. Sure, you can crank up the volume on a CD or your iPod. But when you actually have a musician in the room playing for the exercises, it creates this whole energy that isn’t just about volume. And that’s kind of awesome.” 

Mishoe and Didier are an increasing rarity these days—private studio owners who have opted for live musical accompaniment despite the higher cost compared to using recorded music. While financial considerations often make live musical accompaniment at private studios prohibitive, accompanists are considered standard at most schools affiliated with professional dance companies and in most college dance programs.

Teachers who use live accompaniment at their studios say local connections and word of mouth are the best methods they’ve used for finding their accompanists.

Didier found the three musicians she uses through colleagues in Chicago’s theater community and at Columbia College in Chicago. Mishoe says that two of the three pianists who play for classes at the Academy were already at the school when he took over ownership; the third was found through a local music conservatory.

The cost, they agree, is a necessary expense. Didier pays her musicians $30 an hour; Mishoe says he spends about $30,000 a year between salaries and maintaining the pianos.

Wherever it is utilized, the embrace of live music reflects an age-old tradition that cuts across generations, dance styles, and educational settings. 

“The live music in African dance is like breathing. The music is giving the dance its breath. The music is as important as someone dancing,” says Maguette Camara, who teaches West African dance for The Ailey School and companies in New York City. “You need the music to feel what you’re doing, and the music needs that dancer to give back whatever he is giving. It’s a giving back and forth between whoever is playing and whoever is dancing.” 

In tap, the difference between using live and recorded music can mean crucial differences in the dancers’ ability to communicate nuances and varied interpretations, says Brenda Bufalino. “The difference between teaching to live music and teaching to a recording can be dramatic. If you’re working to recorded music you don’t have to listen to it; that’s what I see from students. To them, [the recorded music] just becomes background for the class.”

Bufalino, who teaches and performs around the world and founded the American Tap Dance Orchestra, adds, “I know instructors can’t afford live music all the time, but I always try. Students need to actually relate to how the artist is playing. If the music is live you’re relating through the person, through the playing, to the music. With live music, dancing becomes a much more intimate and detailed experience in terms of your relationship to the movement.” 
 
 

“Sure, you can crank up the volume on a CD or your iPod. But when you actually have a musician in the room playing for the exercises, it creates this whole energy that isn’t just about volume.” —Nicholas Mishoe

And, adds teacher Gerri Houlihan, live music can elevate the class experience from mundane to something special. “A good accompanist can make class magical,” says Houlihan, who teaches contemporary classes at Florida State University in Tallahassee and also teaches during the summer at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina. “I think there’s a kind of organic sensibility and a connection between the rhythmic phrasing and the kinetic sense of moving through space. When it really works, when you have a wonderful musician, it can make an ordinary class just fly.”

Houlihan doesn’t work with just any accompanist. She works on a daily basis with Douglas Corbin, one of the most acclaimed and recorded piano accompanists for dance, particularly ballet. Corbin, who teaches music at Florida State University along with his duties as an accompanist, says the experience of playing for dance classes can be as fulfilling for the musician as it is for the teacher and dancers. How the musicians view their role in the class plays a part in that perception, he says.

“I see my role as supporting the movement somehow or enabling the dancers to execute the movement,” says Corbin. “Sometimes, in the body, the impulse comes before the shape they’re going to make. So sometimes you want to cue them for that impulse so the dancers can get on top of the beat and be more successful in achieving the shape.”

That theme of helping dancers be successful was echoed by other accompanists like Daniel Berkman, a percussionist who plays for classes at ODC School in San Francisco. “My goal is to make class an extraordinary experience for them. I try to tailor what I play to what I feel the teacher wants to convey on the count and in their body language,” Berkman says. “I’m like an interpreter. I kind of interpret the teacher’s body and sensibility and personality and try to infuse [the class] with a musical experience that is uniquely mine.”

Suzanne Knosp, a seasoned accompanist and music professor who leads a graduate-level program for dance accompanists at the University of Arizona in Tucson, says accompanists are crucial: they help dancers develop an appreciation for and ability to dance to a variety of music. “If the dancers are having a hard day, I as the accompanist can make choices that make them fall in love with dance again. Or there are times when I can challenge them with a rhythm that might challenge how they’re perceiving the music in their own bodies,” says Knosp, who is president of the International Guild of Musicians in Dance.

“A good musician helps make the class. A tendu is a tendu is a tendu. But you can do it so many different ways and it’s important that a dancer knows that,” Knosp continues. “I feel like my job is to help a dancer discover not only the music and musicality, but the joy in the movement.” 

Given the popularity of his CDs of dance class music, Corbin is well aware that many teachers have shifted to using recorded music for dance class, often out of economic necessity. But, he said, the CDs can’t begin to compare to the experience of having a live accompanist. Teachers at all levels of the spectrum agree.

“Relating to the music is a big part of dance. And if the music is live in the room, you’re relating through the person playing the music,” Bufalino says. “The music changes all the time; even if it’s the same song, it changes moods.

“Your relationship to the movement, whether it’s modern or classical or tap, is much more intimate and always collaborative,” Bufalino continues. “At its best, what happens in the studio is a collaboration between the dancers and the musician where you spur each other on. It can be absolutely magical.” 
 
 

Tips for Working With an Accompanist
There’s more to finding success with an accompanist then just placing a musician in your studio. Here are some tips from accompanists about what works and what doesn’t. 

Suzanne Knosp, University of Arizona, Tucson: “For me, the finest teachers are those who are able to demonstrate in tempo, who are very clear with their phrasing, who provide a rhythmic energy to their demonstrations, and who are very clear about the meter. Teachers who are able to demonstrate the exercise with those components are the ones I am most inspired by.” 

Douglas Corbin, Florida State University, Tallahassee: “The freer and more open the communication between teacher and musician can be, the better. You start there and everything else will fall into place. Anything that might irritate the other ideally can be taken care of if you can talk about it. For the musician, I would say to listen closely to the teacher. Hopefully the musician will be sensitive to movement and movement possibilities because if not they’re not going anywhere. 
 

“In ballet, the phrasing is a stumbler for everyone because no one writes music that is phrased totally in eight-bar phrases. That’s something you have to get used to.

“The other things are more subtle, like when and where to let the dancers do more and you do less. Of course this is with a more advanced dancer, but I did learn after many years that there are times when you can lay back and let the dancers take the impetus. Merce [Cunningham] taught me that.” 
 
 

Daniel Berkman, ODC School, San Francisco: “The hardest thing for me is tempo. I admit I do have a tendency to rush. Musicians have to remember that the tempo you’re setting has to live in the dancers’ bodies comfortably. So if it’s the slightest too fast it could make whatever they’re trying to do that much more difficult. If it’s too slow that can make it difficult, too. 
 
 

 “I really appreciate it when I work with people who allow themselves to be moved by the music. There are certain teachers who are more prone to appreciating what’s happening with the music and letting it inform the class. It’s not just me putting down a tempo. I like it when there’s more of a symbiotic thing, an interplay happening.”

Sangre Azteca keeps traditional Mexican dance alive

By Eliza Randolph

Where does culture reside? In the mind, in the heart, and definitely in the body—the scratch of a wool sweater or the prickle of a straw hat, the smell of your mother’s bread baking, the steps to a traditional dance. Culture lives inside us, even if unrecognized or forgotten, so that if we seek to connect with it, it can flood with dizzying richness back into our lives. That’s why Juan Rodriguez has dedicated himself to promoting Mexican culture—and of course dance—in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Students in Grupo Folklorico Sangre Azteca perform El Jarabe Tapatio (the Mexican Hat Dance), which originated in the Mexican state of Jalisco. (Photo courtesy Sheldon Museum of Art)

As the American son of immigrant parents, Rodriguez has wrestled with culture his entire life. Born in Texas and raised in Lincoln, Rodriguez was the only Hispanic in his elementary school. Though his parents spoke Spanish and (particularly his mother) tried to maintain links to their native Mexican heritage, Rodriguez sought to assimilate into the American culture surrounding him. He succeeded so well, he says, that for a time “I forgot my culture.”

As an adult, however, still living in Lincoln and working as a manager at University of Nebraska Press, Rodriguez grew slowly aware of the plight of other Hispanics in the community. (In 2010, Lincoln was only 6.3 percent Hispanic.) Occasional mention of Hispanic students dropping out of school or struggling to learn English sparked his interest in Hispanics in Lincoln, and in his lost culture. So, over the last 20 years Rodriguez has worked hard to remember, to re-learn—and to learn for the first time—as many aspects of his culture as he can. And he is sharing this experience with other Hispanics, youths and families who may feel similarly cut off from their origins.

“I had a lot of friends of different nationalities, and hardly any of them spoke their home language or knew about their culture,” says Rodriguez. “So that made me even more committed to the project of inviting the community at large to participate in the study of Mexican culture.”

In 1997 Rodriguez founded Proyecto Cultural, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Hispanic culture. A prominent feature of the organization is Grupo Folklorico Sangre Azteca (which Rodriguez calls simply “Sangre Azteca,” meaning “Aztec blood”), a dance troupe that learns and performs traditional Jalisco-style dances of Mexico, often to accompaniment by a mariachi band.

“I’m having a blast. It makes you so proud to see a young child that is afraid or intimidated or shy, and then a year later [that feeling] goes away. They’re confident, they’re more assertive, and they’re enjoying what they’re doing.” —Juan Rodriguez

Mariachi music and dancing—the best-known of Mexican folkloric traditions—originated in the large Mexican state of Jalisco. The dance known as El Jarabe Tapatío (the Mexican Hat Dance) exemplifies a flirtatious, romantic sensibility associated with Jalisco-style dancing, and is performed in traditional costumes—a charro, or “cowboy” ensemble, with sombreros for men and colorful shawls and long, ruffled skirts for women. Sangre Azteca performs similar Jalisco dances such as La Negra, also highly flirtatious, as well as dances from at least nine other Mexican states. From Vera Cruz comes La Bruja (“The Witch”) for example, a slow, eerie dance in which dancers carry lighted candles that they place on their heads.

Before he started Proyecto Cultural, Rodriguez had no experience with traditional Mexican dance, or any other kind. “That’s the point, right there,” he says. “I am 63, and I’m still learning some of the dances of Mexico.” Thus he does not take or teach classes himself but brings in master teachers, or maestros, to lead the classes for a group of 35 students, ages 3 through adult. Classes are divided into four different levels. People can join anytime; there is no annual registration period. The fee is $10 per month. Rodriguez says most of his students do not have dance experience outside of his organization, since they generally can’t afford it.

Classes are taught in Spanish and English. Once or twice a year the group may have master teachers from Mexico, who speak only Spanish. In those classes, says Rodriguez, “we ask our students—some of them do not speak any Spanish—to really focus on the footwork, the steps, the hands, the facial expressions. If they can’t speak the language, then they can focus on other things, so they can learn it.”

The group rehearses twice a week, on Mondays and Saturdays. According to Rodriguez, in a typical rehearsal “everybody’s involved. The parents show up; they start getting their students ready. The maestro shows up; she starts getting the lesson plan going. The week before, she writes up a lesson plan and puts it on the board so the parents know what’s coming up. The children, they take care of their blisters, and they practice. They try on costumes, and they have 1,001 questions that we just answered 10 minutes ago. That’s a typical practice.”

Students learn about costumes as well as traditional dances and music, and they perform in the traditional costumes appropriate to the dances, accompanied most often by Mariachi Zapata, a music ensemble based in Omaha. “We do performances around the state,” says Rodriguez. “We do out-of-state performances. We do festivals, we do high schools, we do rest homes. We do weddings, quinceañeras (coming-of-age parties for 15-year-old girls). So our kids are exposed, and accepted on the stage. And that gives them a good feeling; they feel positive.” Most performances are free, other than fund-raisers staged by Proyecto Cultural once or twice a year.

Giving youth a positive outlet for their energies—keeping them off the streets—is a major focus of Proyecto Cultural. Rodriguez requires his students to maintain a B average, at minimum, in school. The organization offers free tutoring for students in need, and English classes for parents. There is a soccer team, too, and Rodriguez hopes to add computer classes and other resources as he continues to build his organization.

Early in 2011, Proyecto Cultural moved into a building donated to the group by Robert Lybarger, a friend of Rodriguez who ran an auction business, and who loved watching performances by Sangre Azteca. A former auction house storage facility, the building is a blessing and a challenge. “We’re struggling a little bit with maintaining it,” says Rodriguez, but “I’m not complaining. We’ll be fine.” The group has plenty of space in which to rehearse, and work is underway on equipping a studio with a sound system, mirrors, and a dance floor.

The organization has an active board and maintains a high visibility in the community through Sangre Azteca. It has received funding from state and local arts councils, in addition to private grants and community support. Rodriguez is currently applying for funding to install solar panels on the building.

Despite the challenges, Rodriguez remains committed to and delighted with his group’s work. “I’m having a blast,” he says. “I retired in 2003, and this has been, oh man. I’m having a blast. It makes you so proud to see a young child that is afraid or intimidated or shy, and then a year later [that feeling] goes away. They’re confident, they’re more assertive, and they’re enjoying what they’re doing.

“My main goal is education,” he continues. “That’s where it started, so that we maintain our culture, alive, and so that youth don’t forget who they are. That’s very important. I don’t care who you are, German, French, whatever—don’t forget who you are.”

To see the future, first look to the past

By Meg Brooker 

These days, there are more ways to see and experience dance than ever before—online, in the movies, on television—even on your smartphone. But where do you go if you want to learn about dance from the past? And with so much innovation, what reason is there to look backward? 

Jessica Lindberg Coxe in Fire Dance, a piece by Loie Fuller that Lindberg Coxe reconstructed in 2003. (Photo by Amitava Sankar)

Kate Thomas, director of The School at Steps (at Steps on Broadway), believes that all dance students should know their history. Dancers must develop artistically as well as technically, she believes, and artistic maturation does not happen in a vacuum. It happens through inspiration, and exposure to great dance artists from the past is one way to spark and nurture students’ creativity. But very few studios offer more than technique.

Thomas notes that many of the students coming to New York City for summer programs at The School at Steps don’t know their primary dance teacher’s artistic heritage. “Students don’t go one generation beyond themselves to find out the history of their training,” she says. Often, even serious ballet students can’t say if they are being trained in the Russian or the Italian tradition or name their teachers’ former teachers or companies. “It’s odd,” Thomas says, “that in the age of information, students seem to know so little about where the art form they study comes from.”

In response, The School at Steps is incorporating a mandatory dance-education curriculum into its year-round pre-professional and summer training programs. But what if your school or studio doesn’t have the time or resources for such a step? What tools are available to dance students and teachers seeking to educate themselves about dance history?

Dance documentation: the problem
Dance is ephemeral, and its impermanence is part of its magic. Of all the arts, dance’s history has been hardest to capture.

Because dance is nonverbal, it is difficult to write down. Nevertheless, people have experimented with a wide range of methods to create a written record of dances, including diagrams, detailed descriptions, and symbolic systems of notation.

While several systems of dance notation are in use (Labanotation and Benesh Movement Notation are the most widespread), none of them record communicative patterns of gesture in quite the same way that writing records spoken language. Only with the development of film and video has there been a means to create an archival record of dance performance. Yet some historians and choreographers find this method incomplete and limiting.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, former New York City Ballet ballerina Suzanne Farrell believes that in order to restage historic repertory, it is best to teach the dances from embodied memory. In May 2011, Farrell presented at a Kennedy Center symposium organized by Ohio State University, the University of Maryland, the New York Public Library, and the Kennedy Center. Its purpose was to share findings from a year of collaborative research into dance preservation methodologies.

“It might be good to notate something, but I haven’t found a good system,” said Farrell, who is dedicated to preserving George Balanchine’s repertory through The Suzanne Farrell Ballet’s Balanchine Preservation Initiative and in cooperation with The Balanchine Trust.

The most significant method of dance preservation is the transmission of knowledge from teacher to student. In her book Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet, Jennifer Homans says, “Ballet . . . is an art of memory, not history.” As artists, dancers exercise and train their memories as well as their bodies. After all, technique class requires not only the physical execution of steps but also the ability to quickly learn and repeat combinations and patterns of movement.

Professional dancers apply this skill to learning whole repertories of dances. But human memory is not perfect, and dancers and choreographers do forget. What happens, then, if a dance legacy dies out? How has historic dance been preserved? What tools do choreographers use to reconstruct dances from the past?

Dance documentation: a time line
Dance has evolved into different cultural expressions throughout the world: as religious and social rituals, a pastime, an entertainment, and an art form. Artifacts and relics record the significance of dance as an expression of human experience. Dance is the subject of some of the earliest examples of painting and sculpture, dating back more than 10,000 years, in caves, on rocks, and incorporated into burial sites.

The earliest books about dance practices are from 15th-century Italy. By the Baroque period (roughly 1600–1750), manuals included diagrams and drawings with the written descriptions, providing a more complete record of the dance. 

By the mid-19th century, photography provided the first “real” glimpse of actual dancers and productions. But early cameras could capture only static poses; visual artists were better able to convey the perception of motion. Painters and sculptors like Edgar Degas, who documented the Paris Opera Ballet in the latter half of the 19th century, created invaluable pictorial representations of the dance world.

Technological advances in photography and the beginnings of moving pictures marked the turn of the 20th century, and dance was a favored subject of both media. In 1916, Arnold Genthe published The Book of the Dance, a photographic record of early modern-dance innovators. Early cinema provided the first means of recording sequences of human movement. Initial film experiments by Thomas Edison included both Loie Fuller-inspired choreographies and representations of Native American dances. 

In 1999, Allegra Fuller Snyder and Catherine Johnson wrote Securing Our Dance Heritage: Issues in the Documentation and Preservation of Dance. Acknowledging the impact of 20th-century innovations in recording dance, especially the advancement of film and video, Snyder noted, “. . . there is now the opportunity to engage in significant documentation, to take on the challenge of preservation, and to focus on the ways in which the tools for documentation are used.” She gives a great overview of the visual, written, and electronic sources used to document the history of dance.

Today, computer and digital technologies are providing even more complex ways of recording dance movement. Ohio State University’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) allows dancers and choreographers to experiment with motion-capture technology. William Forsythe used ACCAD to create the choreography application Synchronous Objects, the precursor to his current Motion Bank project, which aims to create digital online dance scores. Merce Cunningham also pioneered the use of digital technology as a choreographic tool through his use of Life Forms software and promotion of DanceForms as a teaching resource and choreographic aid.

Cunningham’s most interesting contribution to the dance-preservation conversation is his Dance Capsule concept, part of the Cunningham Legacy Plan established with the choreographer’s death in 2009. More than 80 “capsules” now digitally preserve Cunningham’s works. Maintained by the Merce Cunningham Trust, they include performance videos, sound recordings, technical production notes, costume designs, and interviews—all the materials necessary to re-create his works.

But what about the legacies of dancers and choreographers who have not planned for the preservation of their works? Where can we find information about these artists’ lives and creative histories?

Dance preservation resources
Numerous resources document dance history through archival performance videos, photographs, newspaper reviews, instructional manuals, biographies, journals, costumes and shoes, and other memorabilia. With the advent of computers, efforts have been made to create electronic catalogs that cross-reference materials from various collections.

The Dance Heritage Coalition has been instrumental in making historical dance materials accessible. Founded in 1992, the DHC is comprised of organizations with significant collections of dance materials: Harvard Theatre Collection, Library of Congress, Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library, The Ohio State University, San Francisco’s Museum of Performance and Design, American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Dance Notation Bureau, and the UCLA Library. These organizations’ broad expertise enables the DHC to address the issue of dance preservation from four key areas: access, documentation, preservation, and education. 

“I enjoy it when today’s audiences and performers get to see something they expect to be ‘old’ or ‘dated’ and are surprised at the power, strength, and creativity in the work. A reconstruction, even in process, is a small window to the past.” —Jessica Lindberg

The DHC (danceheritage.org) has created unique “finding aids” as a means of cataloging materials of interest to dance researchers, and it even uses the metaphor of choreography in its online tutorial for the aids (danceheritage.org/xtf/search). This approach to dance research enables users to access not just books and articles, but also films, videos, photographs, letters, oral histories, and other primary sources that may offer more direct knowledge about the lives and artistic processes of dance artists.

Such sources offer dancers a sense of identity within the history of dance as a profession. Dance oral historian Caroline Sutton Clark, whose collected interviews with former members of Erick Hawkins Dance Company are housed in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, says that oral history is a “natural part of the rehearsal process and the legacy of performance.”

According to Sutton Clark, when dancers coach a new generation of performers in historic roles, “they are not just teaching steps, but they are teaching the context in which the steps were created.” Dancers share stories about how their teachers coached them, and they pass on the meaning of the gestures and the imagery that inspired the intention behind the gestures. Preserving the dancers’ experience of creation and performance humanizes those artists and inspires future generations of dance professionals. 

Of course, film and video records of historic performances are unparalleled resources for aspiring dancers, and one of the most inspiring collections is at Jacob’s Pillow. In addition to the on-site library, there’s now an interactive online video archive, a tremendous resource. Organized by artist, genre, and era, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive (danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org) is a user-friendly, comprehensive collection of dance footage from the 1930s to the present, all recorded at the Pillow. Two fun elements of the site are the “Dive In” and “Guess” options. Click “Dive In” and the site randomly picks a video excerpt and historical synopsis from its extensive database. Select “Guess” and another random selection is made, this time with a multiple-choice option prompting the viewer to guess the featured artist. When the correct choice is made, another prompt encourages the viewer to click for more information, linking to the artist’s bio and production details. 

YouTube also offers a plethora of historic dance videos, but sometimes there is no substitute for live performance. Many professional companies include dance preservation and reconstruction as part of their active mission. So where do you go if you are interested in seeing reconstructions of historic works? 

Performing reconstructed dances
The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpieces award supports the reconstruction, touring, and undergraduate educational accessibility of important historical dance works. 

In 2010, Lori Belilove & The Isadora Duncan Dance Company received an NEA American Masterpieces grant to support the reconstruction and touring of historic Duncan works, including Rakoczy March (1902), Slow March (1915), Marche Slave (1917), and The Crossing (1923). “To keep a work fresh and alive, the reconstructor must know the essence of the dance and understand the meaning and undercurrent narrative of the piece,” says Belilove, a third-generation Duncan dancer. She believes that attention to detail and technical specificity are key components to bringing historic dance pieces to life.

In reconstructing tap works, Tapestry Dance Company member Brenna Kuhn advocates an “outside/in” approach, delving into the cultural context that informs the movement before she begins work in the studio. Kuhn believes students should study the artists who came before them. “In learning historic pieces,” she says, “students gain a sense of pride and authenticity in what they are doing. They gain a connection to their history and an understanding that it truly is now their history.” 

Catherine Turocy, artistic director of New York Baroque Dance Company, is drawn to historic works because she wants “to unlock their secrets and let everyone enjoy the rare beauty and passion which exists in these dances.” Turocy notes that sources such as published notations and descriptions of dances, diaries, and letters give clues that contextualize the dance, but that “there is no reconstruction without the dancer and the audience.”

The impact of historic works can be unexpected, according to Dance Notation Bureau member Jessica Lindberg, a reconstructor of Loie Fuller dances. “I enjoy it when today’s audiences and performers get to see something they expect to be ‘old’ or ‘dated’ and are surprised at the power, strength, and creativity in the work,” Lindberg says. “A reconstruction, even in process, is a small window to the past.”

Future of dance preservation
Dance scholars and reconstructors agree that the best preservation practices include information from a variety of sources—notated dance scores, performance videos, music recordings, rehearsal and production notes, interviews, journals, and personal correspondence. Yet, for dance, the body is always key. Body-to-body transmission of historic dance repertory is the most direct way to ensure that the living legacy of dance continues to thrive as an artistically nuanced mode of human expression.

Teachers, tell your students which dancers and styles inspire and influence you. Seek knowledge and inspiration from the past and use it to make informed, dynamic, and creative choices in the present. Find out where your training comes from, so you can decide which direction you want to go. 

Dance is a springboard out of poverty at The Wooden Floor

By Jennifer Kaplan

Many Wooden Floor pieces were created on the students by top-notch choreographers like Donald McKayle and John Heginbotham (Photo courtesy The Wooden Floor)

Melanie Rios Glaser is nothing if not bold. Bold enough, in fact, to say, “Dance can help end poverty in this country.” She points to the successes she’s seen and instigated at The Wooden Floor, an organization where dance remains at the foundation—the floor, so to speak. But it has become far more than a place to learn pliés, tendus, and jetés. The Wooden Floor is an essential community resource and support system for hundreds of low-income residents of Santa Ana, California.

“I don’t think of dance as inherently good or bad,” Rios Glaser explains, “but there’s an approach to how we use dance at The Wooden Floor that makes it particularly valuable in translating into other areas of life. I think it’s dance, but I also think it’s our approach to dance and how we apply dance to learning.”

The organization has come a long way from its founding 29 years ago as Saint Joseph Ballet. Sister Beth Burns, a Catholic nun and former member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Orange, was a trained dancer. She was supposed to teach English for her order but instead rallied to open a ballet school. While her order didn’t balk, it took some convincing before the Mother Superior OK’d the plan. Even then the classes weren’t offered in a Catholic church, but in the basement of a local Episcopal one.

The program Sister Beth instituted featured low-cost or no-cost ballet classes for the city’s poorest children, many immigrants or children of immigrants from South America, Southeast Asia, and other regions. She believed that dance would help struggling youths gain self-confidence, self-discipline, and a sense of accomplishment.

By 1999 the dance school had opened a 21,000-square-foot educational center with a state-of-the-art theater, a stunning glass wall, and spacious studios with soaring ceilings. The $6.8 million in construction costs was raised largely from private individuals and corporations. (The Wooden Floor’s annual budget of $2.3 million is covered largely by foundation, corporate, and individual contributions. City and state aid amounts to 2 percent of the budget.) Joining the beautifully appointed dance studios are a fully equipped library, meeting rooms, an academic tutoring center, private counseling rooms, a computer center, and a comfortable lobby where students, their families, and visitors feel welcome to relax.

In 2005, Rio Glaser became the organization’s second artistic director and under her leadership Saint Joseph Ballet rebranded itself as The Wooden Floor in 2009. Although the name changed, the founding principles remained. “While faith might have influenced [Sister Beth’s] approach,” Rios Glaser says, “it was never really a faith-based organization. Religion wasn’t something forced. The values on which the organization was founded could be considered religious, but they’re also universal.”

Each fall Rios Glaser holds auditions for a new class of dancers. “The word has spread throughout the community that coming through these doors might just change everything,” Rios Glaser says. About 300 hopeful children and their parents begin lining up around the block as early as 3am for the 70 spots. “We’re looking for extremely low income and that the kids seem to enjoy dance as a medium for growth. That’s about it,” she says.

Once the students are in, though, The Wooden Floor makes a 10-year commitment to its 375 students, ranging in age from 8 to 18. In exchange for attending classes, participating, and good behavior, the students and their families receive a range of services that include academic tutoring, college prep beginning in seventh grade, family counseling, a full-time on-site social worker available for crises, and opportunities to work with the nation’s best contemporary choreographers and perform both at the on-site black box theater and in renowned venues like REDCAT.

If it hadn’t been explained to him, Seattle-based choreographer Mark Haim says, he would never have known that the students at The Wooden Floor all come from extremely low-income backgrounds. (In Orange County, that means a family of five living on less than $32,000 a year.) A majority of the students are Hispanic immigrants or children of Hispanic immigrants, so often English is not their mother tongue.

Rios Glaser, a proud native of Guatemala, points out that since 2005, 100 percent of alumni have enrolled in college, which is three times the average for graduating high school seniors nationwide from that socioeconomic level. Aside from the excellent state and private colleges and universities in Southern California, The Wooden Floor graduates attend schools like Wellesley, New York University, and Boston College and, due to the intensive college prep program, they have few qualms about applying to Stanford, Harvard, and MIT.

Fernando Sosa, 19, first learned about The Wooden Floor when it was still Saint Joseph Ballet. His third-grade teacher told his mother about the program. “At first I didn’t want to go,” says the UCLA freshman, “because of the stereotype that ballet was for girls. But my mom convinced me that it would help me do better in school.” At 10, he auditioned and was accepted. Last June he graduated from Santa Ana’s Middle College High School and received enough credits at the local community college to enter his freshman year with sophomore standing.

“Dance helped me to express myself and helps me with my self-esteem,” says Sosa, who describes himself as “really shy.” By high school he was spending time at The Wooden Floor nearly every day; he relied on the tutors for help with algebra, the counselors for support, and the annual backpack giveaways for basic school supplies. “It’s just my mom, my sister, and me,” he says. “We live off one paycheck, so The Wooden Floor really helped us out.”

Each student has a mentor—either a staff member, faculty member, or counselor—to offer whatever support is necessary to get kids into the studio to dance.

That dance is what makes a difference has become a no-brainer for Rios Glaser. The kids are not simply learning and performing dances, she’ll tell you, they’re making art. The students’ first year is a combination of Anne Green Gilbert’s brain-compatible dance education and improvisation; they might also learn a dance or two from other parts of the world. The year is a preparation for lessons to follow as well as a chance to discover the joy of dance. Ballet continues and modern and improvisation, among other dance styles, are introduced as the students mature. Improvisation and creative problem solving are always emphasized.

The program has seven university-trained dance teachers. Hours of instruction vary depending on students’ age and level of involvement. Younger children attend once or twice a week at the outset, while the most involved older students show up every weekday—and on Saturdays for rehearsals.

Aside from Juilliard-trained Rios Glaser and Haim, the choreographers commissioned by The Wooden Floor to create new works on the students have included Seán Curran, John Heginbotham, Donald McKayle, Susan Rethorst, Sally Silvers, and Scott Wells. Dance companies in residence teaching master classes and repertory have included José Limón Dance Company, Eliot Feld’s Ballet Tech, and Elizabeth Streb’s STREB. Plans are percolating for a major postmodern choreographer to set a site-specific work on the kids in 2012.

The first time Haim was commissioned to create a piece on the student dancers back in 2002 he was intrigued—but wary enough to bring along an assistant, having never worked with teens before. “I wasn’t sure how it would go,” he says. “I just went in with the intention of doing what I normally do. I get a certain allotment of hours to make a piece, so I just treated it like a normal commission.”

What surprised him at first was that he didn’t need to adjust his methods to work with the teens. It took a day or two longer with the kids, he says, to see what he was envisioning, but otherwise, he treated them like professionals. “And I could,” Haim says, a tinge of amazement in his voice. He has made and restaged three original works on The Wooden Floor dancers over the past nine years.

That the students were ready to work, focused, and able to contribute to the choreographic process is due to the intensive behind-the-scenes support. Each student has a mentor—either a staff member, faculty member, or counselor—to offer whatever support is necessary to get kids into the studio to dance. That could mean finding temporary housing for a suddenly homeless family, helping a kid who lost his bus pass get a ride home, or finding lunch and a snack for a hungry dancer at the end of the month when food stamps run out.

“With all the problems these kids have, I never, ever had a kid act out,” Haim says. “And, if I didn’t want to, I never had to know what was going on in their lives outside the studio.” That is important. “For those kids, it’s a safe place. They come there and forget about what’s going on at home, all the problems. The very best thing I could do for them was to say, ‘OK, we’re here in the studio; we’re going to make art, have fun, play, and enjoy what we’re doing.’”

“We have a theory of change,” Rios Glaser says. “And one of the things we have found that needs to be true is that [we encourage] young people to form long-term, healthy relationships with mentors. So they’re making sure kids arrive on time, that they have everything they need, and try to spot any possible problems or crises ahead of time.”

Rios Glaser’s other fundamental belief in her continuum that dance changes lives and eliminates poverty is that even children, or especially children, can be creative artists. “In the same way children are asked to become proficient in math over the years, whether they’re good at it or not,” she says, “here they’re asked to become proficient in dance over 10 years, whether they’re good at it or not.” In the end, if they stick with the program, they become proficient dancers and creative artists.

That means mastering improvisation is as important as mastering ballet or modern technique. “Improvisation is very important to us starting in the first year,” Rios Glaser says, “because we want to make sure that the students understand that all movement is valid.” That includes their own. By not forcing them into a specific style or technique early in their training, they become more open and able to explore with the professional choreographers. “Improvisation stays with them throughout the organization as a philosophy, because they’re going to work with choreographers who are going to be adventuresome and will draw from their own movement language and from movement language that the kids invent themselves.”

In addition to encouraging physically healthy children, creating a sense of well-being and purpose, building community, and supporting self-awareness, Rios Glaser is most interested in process-oriented choreography that includes the children from the early stages of creation through performance. “We commission people whose work is very much based on inquiry, finding multiple answers to the same question, thinking creatively, gaining self-awareness, seeing the world in a broader light,” she says.

These critical-thinking skills are as desirable in 21st-century business schools and science, math, and technology fields as they are in the dance studio. “That,” Rios Glaser says with a note of finality, “is the argument about why dance is such a winner, especially in leveling the playing field for low-income youth. But I can’t emphasize enough that it’s our approach and it’s also our 10-year immersion” that make the difference.

Sosa agrees. “The Wooden Floor really helped me grow into the person I am today. I wouldn’t be here [in college] without their help.”

How India’s song-and-dance movie industry has hooked American college kids

By Gina McGalliard

If you’ve seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire, you’ve seen Bollywood, a popular form of song-and-dance that originated in India—but hasn’t stayed there. In the United States, Bollywood dance has a devoted and enthusiastic following, and the best of the best can be seen at the Bollywood America Filmi-Fusion Dance Championships. 

Unlike many Western dance forms, Bollywood attracts a high number of male dancers. (Photo by Jenish Patel)

Bollywood America is for dancers at the top of their game: teams are invited only if they have placed first in a previous national collegiate competition. Ten groups of dancers took the stage during the second annual championships on April 23, 2011, competing for the title of best collegiate Bollywood team nationwide.

The competition, held at San Diego’s Copley Symphony Hall, was part of a three-day festival that also included a dance workshop, fashion show, and comedy show, all celebrating the South Asian culture that has become increasingly popular since the 2008 release of Slumdog Millionaire. 

What is Bollywood dance?
“Bollywood is the dance style that’s out of the Indian film industry,” says former collegiate competitor and Bollywood America judge Shivani Thakkar, whose credits include Step Up 3D and multiple Bollywood films in India. “Most Indian dance films follow the style of American musical theater—they have five or six song-and-dance numbers in each movie. The songs become really popular, and lots of times in India the music videos of the songs are released even before the film is released, to attract audiences. The dance style is based on Indian folk dance, Indian classical dance, and a strong influence of Western dance, both North and South American.” 

The word “Bollywood” is a composite of “Hollywood” and “Bombay,” (now called Mumbai), the center of the Indian film industry. The form is a hybrid too, of indigenous dances of India, such as raas and bhangra (a Punjabi folk dance), and classical Indian dance. Bollywood is probably not a dance form for purists: it frequently borrows from Western genres such as salsa, jazz, samba, and tango. Characteristics of Bollywood dance include quick, percussive moves and footwork, turned-out and bent legs with flexed feet, and bouncing in time to recorded up-tempo music. 

Although Bollywood is not codified the way Indian classical dances are, what the dance forms have in common is narrative. “Its root is definitely storytelling, but the good thing about Bollywood is that it’s not a genre,” says Rishi Jaiswal, one of Bollywood America’s judges. “So you can take from hip-hop, jazz, salsa, Indian classical—the mistake people tend to make is they think it’s Indian classical where it needs to be defined.” 

“[Bollywood is] like a musical, an old-fashioned musical,” says competition judge Niraj Mehta, a former collegiate Bollywood dancer. Now a radiation and oncology resident, he still dances Bollywood professionally. “It’s nothing unfamiliar to the American culture.” 

A spectator at Bollywood America would also likely notice a stark difference from most Western dance forms: the high number of male dancers. Unlike in the West, in India boys are not discouraged from dancing. “It’s very common for boys and men to be in the Bollywood scene,” says teacher Varun Gurunath. “There are a lot of all-male teams. You see more all-male teams than all-girl teams.”

Onto the world stage
The immense popularity of Slumdog Millionaire did for Bollywood dance what Riverdance did for Irish step dancing, bringing a previously little-known dance form to mass audiences. It has also made several appearances on the hit Fox TV show So You Think You Can Dance. 

“Bollywood is starting to enter the mainstream in such a public fashion, [and] a lot of mainstream people know what the term refers to, know what the dance style is about,” says Thakkar. “They have a visual concept and picture and relate it to Indian culture and Indian rhythms and beat. I know when I started dancing professionally in 2005 or 2006, a lot of times people would confuse belly dancing with Bollywood. I don’t find that anymore. I find that people have a very distinct idea of what Bollywood is, and because of that [they] are ready to embrace it.”

Bollywood is probably not a dance form for purists: it frequently borrows from Western genres such as salsa, jazz, samba, and tango.

As a result, many non-Indians have become interested in Bollywood. Although most competitors at this year’s Bollywood America were Indian, many other nationalities were represented as well. 

That means Bollywood has the potential to spread. “I think right now its movement has only begun,” says sponsorship chair Mitesh Solanki. “It’s not as widespread as it can be yet.” 

Bollywood America
Although the United States is home to many Bollywood competitions, Bollywood America was designed to have the best of the best battle it out. “There was never a competition that was created for all the first-place winners of these different competitions to come together and showcase and [for there] to be one final winner,” says Solanki. “So we wanted to allow for that one last competition, to show who truly is the best.” 

Participants hailed from all over the United States, including the University of California–Berkeley, Boston University, UCLA, Penn State, Georgia Tech, and the University of California–San Diego. Performances, which typically lasted slightly longer than 10 minutes, began with an introductory video to give the context of the team’s plotline, and dialogue and pantomime often interrupted the dancing and music. As in musical theater, dancers were cast in leading and chorus roles, and performances often had multiple costume and set changes and lighting cues. Teams typically had 15 to 20 members. 

At the end of the evening the title of 1st Overall—which included trophies as well as a bowl full of mangos—was awarded to team UC Berkeley Azaad. Their dance’s story followed a Bollywood background dancer named Nikhil, who has fallen for the famous and egotistical movie star Naina. 

Prior to the competition, Bollywood America produced a dance workshop at San Diego’s Studio FX. One of the workshop’s teachers and choreographers was Gurunath, who started out as a hip-hop dancer and popper. When he met Nakul Dev Mahajan, the Bollywood choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew, he was asked to audition for Mahajan’s company. 

“After auditioning I got infused into Bollywood, and he’s been training me ever since,” says Gurunath. “I learned all the ins and outs of becoming a Bollywood dancer, an instructor, [and] now I’m an assistant choreographer. He told me to use my style of hip-hop and blend it into the style he was teaching.” Gurunath has made appearances on NBC’s The Office and the 2010 show Superstars of Dance. 

“The workshop [was] for the community,” says Gurunath, who taught a hip-hop-infused Bollywood dance for the event; two other choreographers taught a traditional style and a contemporary-infused style. “Bollywood America is all about community outreach.” 

Forty people showed up, ranging in age from 9 to mid-40s. “I was very impressed with most of the kids because they were able to pick up the choreography well,” says Gurunath. “It was a great experience. They had fun, and that’s all it was meant for. It was meant to be fun, meant to educate, and meant to make people want to dance more. So essentially the workshop was a great success.”

If the popularity of Bollywood dance continues to grow, this could be only the beginning for Bollywood America. “Keep a lookout for it next year,” says Gurunath, adding that the organization hopes to expand its workshops at this year’s competition, which will be held in Philadelphia on April 21. “Tell people to look out for Bollywood America 2012—it’s going to be even bigger and better.”