Posts Tagged ‘choreography’

Florida Southern College’s Wynee Warden Dance Studio; artist’s rendering courtesy of Florida Southern College

Florida Southern College in Lakeland students will be able to study dance and learn choreography as part of a new musical theater major in a brand new dance building now under construction.

The Ledger reported that groundbreaking ceremonies were held this week for the Wynee Warden Dance Studio, named for Winifred “Wynee” Warden of Orlando, a major benefactor of the private college. The construction of the building is part of the school’s Fine Arts Department expansion, and will be completed in spring of 2014.

Anne Kerr, president of the school, said she was inspired to start a dance program after talking with students. “Every year I host a series of dinner conversations with groups of students,” she said. “For years, students have requested more dance classes, especially ballet and, believe it or not, ballroom dancing.

“While we will emphasize a classical ballet program, we will also offer noncredit classes in ballroom dancing. I am excited to add this important dimension to our performing arts curriculum. It also helps us with our new musical theater major [launching this fall], which of course, requires dance. There will also be dance classes tailored to fit the various dance requirements of our productions.”

The new, 4,700-square-foot studio building will be constructed at the southwest corner of Johnson Avenue and Park Street. The college will tear down an older home previously used for office space to make way for the building.

To see the full story, visit http://www.theledger.com/article/20130506/NEWS/305065040/1134?Title=Florida-Southern-College-to-Build-New-Dance-Studio.

Museum’s Public Art Project is to the Pointe

“It was a good fit.” And with that pun, Sarah Hall Weaver described the impetus behind a public art and fund-raising project by the National Museum of Dance—24 five-foot-tall pointe shoes, decorated by area artists and sponsored by local businesses, scattered about the tourism town of Saratoga Springs, New York.

Photo courtesy of National Museum of Dance

Weaver, NMD assistant director, told Dance Studio Life that the idea of oversized shoes dovetailed nicely with a current exhibit, “En Pointe,” which explores the history and mystery of pointe shoes, as well as with the museum’s longstanding desire to stimulate the local arts community.

The participating artists—painters, sculptors, and artists working in mosaic, collage, metals, and other 3D media—were encouraged to infuse the work they did on the shoes with their own artistic vision. Many thought they had to base their work on a dance-related theme like ballerinas or tutus. “We explained that when you see a work of dance, it’s not always about dance—that’s just the medium. That is hard for people who are not so dance savvy to understand. You could hear the sighs of relief” from the artists, she said.

After an official unveiling May 31 at the museum, the shoes will be scattered around town, where Weaver hopes they will intrigue passersby for years to come. “It’s cheeky, and a little fun, and a way of warming up new audiences to dance.”

 Writers Take the Prize at Joffrey Ballet School

It usually takes raw talent, impeccable technique, and visible promise to make it into one of the top summer ballet intensives. At the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, it might, instead, take a neat turn of phrase, a catchy anecdote, or a moving story.

Photo by Jody Q. Kasch

This winter, Christopher D’Addario, Joffrey Ballet School’s executive director, waded through 1,000 personal essays submitted by students eager to win a full two-week tuition/housing scholarship to one of the school’s intensives in New York, L.A., Miami, and elsewhere.

The huge response was unexpected, he said—the first year of the contest, only 100 essays arrived; the second year, 500. D’Addario, who was up until 1am for longer than a month trying to read all of the essays, told Dance Studio Life he wasn’t looking for “grammatically correct writing,” but “great personal stories” from young dancers who are passionate about dance.

Awarding scholarships based on essays instead of auditions works because Joffrey recently restructured its intensive program to include a beginner level, he said. About 30 lucky essayists will win scholarships for summer 2013—prizes given in addition to $1 million in talent-based scholarships. “I’m very happy that we can touch so many dancers’ lives,” said D’Addario.

Dance Studio Industry Revenue Tops $2 Billion

Times might seem tight at individual studios, but the dance studio industry as a whole is expected to generate $2.1 billion in revenue in 2013, reports industry research firm IBISWorld.

In a report issued in January, IBISWorld said the dance studio industry has experienced annual revenue growth of 1.2 percent over the past five years, despite challenges caused by the recession, with growth of 2.4 percent predicted for 2013. The growth is due in part to the impact of dance-inspired TV shows, with the lion’s share going to ballroom-based studios and events, which have experienced a 35 percent attendance spike over the past decade.

“Rising consumer interest” will also fuel growth in the number of dance studios, which is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 1.2 percent to a total of 8,264 studios in 2013, with annual revenue continuing to rise as well.

The World Weighs in on Web Ballet

Call it choreography by crowdsourcing. California’s Diablo Ballet—a ballet pioneer of live performance tweeting and Pinterest—is continuing its march through new media by soliciting ideas for the movement, mood, and music for its latest ballet via Twitter.

Photo by Ashraf

This winter, fans not only voted for which musical selection (choices by Vivaldi, Sibelius, and Bach) would be used, but chimed in with suggestions for emotions, theme, storylines, and even steps. Diablo dancer Robert Dekkers then took seven of those suggestions and, in a little over two weeks’ time, choreographed a ballet that premiered March 1 and 2 at Shadelands Arts Center, Walnut Creek.

Co-founder and artistic director Lauren Jonas said while the idea might not work for other dance companies, it fit with Diablo’s preference for presenting in intimate venues and encouraging interaction between performers and the public. “I feel there are so many choices nowadays of what people do with their time and how they spend their money,” she told Dance Studio Life. “How do we continue to reach that audience and get them interested and involved? We have to remain open and embrace all sorts of outlets.”

Dekkers, who has choreographed both for Diablo and his own company, Post:Ballet, told DSL the “web ballet” process was a test of his choreographic ingenuity. “I have to go past being in control of all the ideas and concepts, take these seven suggestions, and develop a piece that is interesting and is a cohesive work. I wanted the best of both worlds—to use technology to get people involved, and still maintain a high standard of creativity and presentation.”

Jimmy Locust brings L.A.-style energy to a class in Giordano jazz technique. Photo by Mindy Vaccino

Jimmy Locust’s kid-oriented mission matches his high-energy career

By Ryan P. Casey

A normal week might find Jimmy Locust teaching 20 classes at his studio in Stamford, Connecticut. Or he might be on a plane to Los Angeles or Hawaii to choreograph a music video. Or a camera crew might be following him as he prepares for an upcoming performance with his acclaimed youth performance team, Hip Hop’s Finest. Life keeps the diminutive Locust, who is four feet nine inches tall, on the move.

Locust shares his experiences being bullied for his height on the reality show Locust Under 5′. Photo courtesy Jimmy Locust

A veteran teacher and performer, Locust is also a studio owner, celebrity choreographer, and budding reality-TV star. Outside of his professional work, he uses his talents to help others by running several community and anti-bullying programs for children and teens.

Locust, 51, owns and directs Locust Performing Arts Center, founded in Stamford in 2010. After operating for several years out of a hotel ballroom, the studio moved to its own building in September 2012, where it serves more than 400 students of all ages each week, in disciplines ranging from tap and hip-hop to modern dance and musical theater, including several pre-professional youth performance companies.

A dual career

When Locust, a native of Dayton, Ohio, moved to Connecticut in 2005, he had what few other dance studio owners can boast of: a Hollywood resume that includes appearances with music icons such as Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Quincy Jones. Locust continues to split his time between Stamford and Los Angeles, running his studio classes and companies and community-education programs while working as an in-demand choreographer.

“It’s really a blessing to have a career where I can wear different hats,” he says. “It keeps me on my toes. I can bring the energy from L.A. back to my students, and I can bring the energy from my classroom to the directors and producers I’m working with.”

But he doesn’t keep these two worlds separate—in fact, he brings his Hollywood career into the classroom every chance he gets.

[Gus Giordano] told me, ‘I don’t see your height; I see your dancing. I know you’re small, but I’m looking at how big a dancer you are.’  —Jimmy Locust

“If I’m teaching a certain move or lesson that relates to one of my experiences, I take a moment to share it,” Locust says. “My students love to hear those stories and learn what it was like to work with a celebrity. They instantly want to be better. It gets them to work hard.”

Jimmy Locust, a studio owner, choreographer, and budding realtiy-TV star, splits his time between Stamford, Connecticut, and L.A. Photo by Jim Kahnweiler

Monica Richardson, the studio’s assistant director, says that because of Locust’s professional experience, “he understands how to push his students to work at that level. He’ll say, ‘What if you had an audition in New York tomorrow? Would you dance like that?’ ”

To emphasize the importance of self-discipline, for example, Locust tells his students about dancing with Michael Jackson at the 1995 Video Music Awards. When Jackson was in the studio for rehearsals, Locust and his fellow dancers were told to not even look at him, but to be on top of their game and focus on what they were practicing. Self-control and discipline enabled Locust to ignore the legendary performer’s imposing presence.

“They can apply these lessons right away, every time they’re in class with me,” says Locust. “They understand that I’m coming from a professional standpoint and preparing them for the industry.”

And he has plenty of professional experience to draw on in the classroom. In 2011, he collaborated with the Stamford Symphony, choreographing the opening number for its annual fund-raiser, and is currently working with Stamford’s regional theater company, Curtain Call, on a production of Legally Blonde, which opens this summer. At the same time, he has been choreographing for the CW reality show The Next, featuring Joe Jonas and Gloria Estefan. Additionally, he is the creative director for recording artist Arika Kane’s upcoming music videos and tour.

Overcoming odds

When Locust was young, a career in the industry seemed unlikely. Jaundice stunted his growth from birth, and as a child he endured constant ridicule about his short stature. He loved dance, but he felt self-conscious about the way people looked and pointed at him.

But then, for five years, and while still a teenager, Locust danced as a principal member of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. The director, jazz master Gus Giordano, gave Locust the confidence boost he needed when he auditioned for the company during a summer workshop.

“He told me, ‘I don’t see your height; I see your dancing. I know you’re small, but I’m looking at how big a dancer you are.’ For once, somebody put my talent first, instead of my size. From that point on, nobody could bring me down. So when I walked in front of people like Paula Abdul to audition, Gus had already instilled in me self-esteem.”

The similarly short-statured Abdul was encouraging, assuring Locust that the right job would eventually come along—and it did. In 1988 she cast him in the music videos for her hit singles “Knocked Out” and “Forever Your Girl.”

“He was different from everyone else and worked it to his advantage,” says Julie McDonald, Locust’s first agent and co-founder of McDonald/Selznick Associates, a talent agency based in Los Angeles and New York. “He put himself out there in a way that made employers change their projects just so they could cast him. He always approached his work the way he approaches life—with full enthusiasm and 100 percent focus.”

To make up for his small size, Locust emphasized his enthusiasm and personality at every audition, showing up early to secure himself a spot in the front row. Even when he was cut, he had often made a memorable impression on the casting crew.

Locust’s work with Abdul gained him access to the industry he had worked so hard to break into. He went on to choreograph for sports and fashion companies (including Reebok and Speedo), act and dance in films such as Coming to America and Teen Witch, and work with recording artists such as Monica and Raven Simone.

Bringing dance to the community

After many years of traveling the world and living in various parts of the country, Locust decided that it was time to give back by creating a performing-arts school. Shortly after moving to Connecticut, he co-founded Stamford Performing Arts Center with friends Carol and Gerrit Paasman, bringing in top New York dance talent to teach more than 400 students each week. After several years in business together, their artistic visions changed, and in 2009 Locust departed to work on opening his own studio.

Locust’s mission is to give students the same personal attention and encouragement he received from Gus Giordano and Paula Abdul.

He also began developing after-school dance programs for underprivileged and low-income students in Stamford, hiring teachers from his studio as instructors. With the aid of the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers, he launched 10-week programs at Stamford Family YMCA and Chester Addison Community Center.

Locust wanted to incorporate his programs into academic settings (primarily schools and community education centers) because “in order to be a great dancer,” he says, “you need to be an educated dancer—not just in history, but in all the subjects you learn in school.” He meets with the directors of interested organizations and determines what kind of programming they are seeking, whether for a short period like six weeks or a full academic year. He then crafts a curriculum that will fit that time frame and incorporate appropriate skill sets and movement techniques.

Through various styles of dance, Locust’s programs attempt to build self-esteem and establish healthy boundaries for students, many of whom come from family situations that don’t offer the attention or guidance they need. The students learn how to carry themselves, collaborate with their peers, and have respect for their instructors, each other, and what they are learning. Locust and his faculty cultivate a positive atmosphere by teaching the students how to work together despite personal struggles and differences, and they aim to increase the students’ confidence by finding something in each of them to compliment every week.

“The students get support and encouragement from their whole class, not just their teacher,” Richardson says. “When Jimmy gives a compliment, everyone applauds that student along with him. That’s how he builds a safe and positive environment.”

“These kids don’t think they’re intelligent, but they are—we’re just homing in on it and cultivating it,” Locust says. “That’s what my goal really is: to change the minds and hearts of these children who feel like they don’t have a chance.”

From each outreach program, he selects one exceptional student to receive a full year’s scholarship to his studio—including tuition, costumes, recital tickets, and photos—so he or she can continue studying dance in the community.

Anti-bullying effort

Through Harmony Nation (formerly titled No Hate But Harmony), an anti-bullying performance troupe he started in 2005, Locust seeks to combat negative behavior he had witnessed in his community. Taking performances into Connecticut schools, local high school students recruited by Locust perform original skits and dance routines that demonstrate bullying and methods for handling it. Locust speaks to the students about his own experiences being bullied for his height, using his career as an example of success despite adversity.

“My effort is to get my message out there before more kids hurt themselves,” Locust says. “We need to pour positivity into our children; not enough people are doing that.”

To share his message and his experiences with a larger audience, Locust developed an online reality show, Locust Under 5′, which debuted last year with two short episodes on YouTube. A third episode was released in January and Locust is negotiating with a production company to bring the show to TV.

Unlike the drama-fueled dance competitions that populate reality TV, Locust’s show has a positive, educational tone; it tested well with focus groups as a program that parents and their children can watch comfortably together.

In the show’s initial episodes, Locust describes how he overcame issues related to his height, booked his first commercial jobs, and came to love teaching and choreographing. He advises one student who is being bullied at school and works with another student who has misophonia, an extreme sensitivity to certain sounds, and for whom dance class is one of the only activities in which she can participate without discomfort.

His mission as mentor

Despite juggling myriad projects and duties, Locust has never lost sight of his focus: to teach and mentor children and teens with the same kind of personal attention and encouragement that he received from people like Giordano and Abdul.

“With every child I meet, whether in my own studio, at a workshop, or on tour, I find something good in them,” Locust says. “And I look them in the eye and tell them that if they stay with their dream, they can achieve it.”

Erika Black in Luigi’s New York, New York; photo by Jan La Salle

A new piece choreographed by jazz legend Luigi and longtime associate Francis J. Roach to a “groovy” recording of “Alright, Okay, You Win” will premiere at The New York Jazz Choreography Project showcase.

The New York Jazz Choreography Project, a celebration of jazz dance featuring originals works by emerging and established choreographers, will be held April 27 at 8pm and April 28 at 3pm at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. A variety of jazz styles—from swing to contemporary—will showcase jazz dance as a rich art form with glorious variety of styles and cultural influences.

The Luigi piece, designed as a duet, will be performed by Broadway entertainer Liz Mckendry and veteran Jazz Choreography Enterprises performer/choreographer Curtis Howard to a recording by Tony Bennett and Diana Krall.

Since 2007, artistic directors Marian Hyun and Merete Muenter have presented more than 50 choreographers and 150 dancers from the U.S., Japan, South Africa, and Germany. Featured choreographers this year include Juliet Dolan, Rachel Leigh Dolan, Kayleigh Doremus, Megan Doyle and Roy Lightner, Candice Michelle Franklin, Tony Fraser and Jaime Shannon, Napoleon W. Gladney, Kim Hale, Marian Hyun, Everett Johnson, Cat Manturuk, Christy Rak-Samson and Courtney Goerge, and Ellenore Scott.

The Sunday show concludes with a talk back with choreographers.

MMAC is located at 248 West 60th Street (between Amsterdam and West End Avenues), New York City. Tickets are $21 for adults, or $18 for children 12 and under, and are available at www.manhattanmovement.com or 212.787.1178.

Caroline Senter, Cherilene Guzman, and Michelle McKay in Enchanted Evening; photo courtesy Kennedy Dance Theatre

Enchanted Evening, Kennedy Dance Theatre’s upcoming concert presented by Ballet Jeté and KDT’s Vaganova Ballet Department, will showcase new original choreography from choreographer and KDT ballet mistress Milena Leben, former prima ballerina with the Croatian National Theatre.

The show will present neo-classical, jazz, and contemporary routines; classical variations from Sleeping Beauty and La Sylphide, among others; plus a special moment when all aspiring ballerinas are invited onstage to meet their favorite ballerina and be crowned a princess. Partial proceeds from the concert will be donated to Texas Children’s Hospital.

Ballet Jeté is made up of students of Kennedy Dance Theatre in Webster, Texas, who aspire to become professional dancers, or to continue on in their study of dance at the university level. Those in the company are not only trained in technique, but also learn about famous choreographers, the history of ballet, and how to set themselves apart as performers.

Company members were featured in KDT’s Nutcracker, competed at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), and will be performing at Dance Houston’s upcoming Youth Festival at the Hobby Center. Members include Caroline Senter, Sarah Neisler, Abbey Menard, Emi Houghton, Michelle McKay, Cherilene Guzman, Erica Carmona, Lizzie Clements, Kaitlyn Akes, Bethany Curtis, Rohini Kambhampati, and Melanie Mills.

Enchanted Evening will be held April 27 at 6pm at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, Bayou Theatre, Houston, Texas. Tickets are $15. For more information, call 281.480.8441, or visit www.kennedydance.com.

By Carol Crawford Smith

For 18 years, my studio’s enrollment has remained steady. I have seen students graduate from high school and move on, only to be replaced by little ones now old enough to join Fundamentals of Dance, a class for the youngest dancers. Some students move away while an equal number of dancers change studios and come my way. Yet attracting male students to the school and sustaining their enrollment was like picking apples off a pear tree—until I added hip-hop to the roster.

With modest marketing efforts, my hip-hop classes have attracted seven boys this year. That’s huge! In a town where soccer, karate, and baseball are king, for boys, dance has simply been something their sisters do while they wait in the lobby playing with trucks, reading a book, or doing homework. Now it’s the sisters who read the books while their brothers pop to beats by Kanye West.

I see them in the studio laughing, smiling, and having fun while they worm across the floor and do semi-circle challenges. One boy, beet red from the workout, takes a water break and quickly returns to his spot for more locking action. Another boy in class is a black belt in karate. I have always known him as a quiet, reserved little brother, but after his hip-hop class he is talkative and outgoing.

Maybe it’s the music that pumps them up and leaves them feeling fierce and confident enough to move and carry themselves in new ways. Moving to music is natural to me, so it comes as no surprise to see that the boys love classes whose music practically commands them to move. Maybe dance competition TV shows or movies that highlight street and social dancing phenoms like tWitch and Darrin Henson convey the message that it’s cool to be male and demonstrate what the body instinctively wants to do when a dope beat is heard. Or maybe it’s the fact that my hip-hop classes are taught by a teacher named Benjamin.

Attracting male students was like picking apples off a pear tree—until I added hip-hop classes.

Ben can dance hip-hop like nobody’s business. He moves with fluidity and grace in one instance, shifting into sharply accented steps when the words and music dictate. He interprets music exquisitely and teaches the students to do the same. Under Ben’s instruction the class learns both hip-hop technique and choreography.

Ben is one of 11 children. Having grown up with six younger siblings, he is familiar with the dynamics of working productively with school-aged children. He is calm yet authoritative and engages with his students on their level, encouraging them to demonstrate their best moves without reservation. Then he’ll take those moves to another level. The students know they presented an inspiring move when Ben shows what he does with that inspiration and directs everyone to model it.

Parents ask where I found him. Like many of my instructors, Ben is a student at Virginia Tech. When he contacted me about teaching the hip-hop style he had performed and choreographed for many years, I invited him to teach two introductory classes to see how he teaches and to gauge the students’ interest. I was immediately delighted, and continue to be so, as are the parents who support the class by enrolling their children.

I have struck gold! My studio is rich now with the bright, sparkling smiles and gleaming eyes of boys who love to dance. Hip-hop draws in the sons of pleased parents and brothers of young ballerinas—boys who want to bust a move.

Dance is moving in so many new and exciting directions. It took a while, but I am reaping the rewards, both practical and spiritual, of moving with the flow of sought-after dance forms. I’m enjoying a priceless journey because I dug deeper to find more dance joy.

Advice for dance teachers

Hi Rhee,

Do you have any advice about working with competition kids and determining who is in the front row, back row, etc.? These are 7- and 8-year-old kids in their second year of competing. It is only a group of 10, so the majority of times they’re in either the first or second row. I try to rotate them as much as I can, but there are always the stronger ones I need at that age. It bothers me because I always try to make sure they all feel important and a part of the routine. How should I base which dancers are in the front row—do I assess them or give preference to the kids who have been with the studio longer than the others?

I want to have a talk with the parents, and I get tired of explaining the same thing over and over about all kids excelling at different times. Help! —Gina

Hello Gina,

I never predetermine who will be in the front row, nor do I use two lines very much. It’s better to make all the dancers look good by creating many formations and patterns, as well as being so imaginative with the choreography that no one can determine who the strongest or weakest dancers are. Also, it’s best to avoid creating pieces that are loaded with tricks that some of the dancers may not be able to do properly.

By telling parents that children excel at different times in their training and development, you are confirming that you do in fact place the stronger dancers in the front. And that means you are subliminally telling the parents of the second-row kids that their children are not good enough to be in the front.

Also, the judges can tell when a teacher has created a piece that features the best dancers and tries to hide the weaker ones in the back, which in the long run never helps the dancers (or the choreographer) receive a higher score. Actually, once the judges figure it out, they score the piece lower because they know you are hiding something.

Instead of creating another competition piece that uses the standard tricks of the trade, consider your choreography a work of art. Make it so creative and moving to the audience (and the judges) that they never think about how strong the dancers are—that becomes secondary to the fact that in viewing your work they felt or saw something that impressed them. When you put thought into making every dancer look good, you give your students the confidence that they are all good enough. That confidence gives the kids the freedom to love being onstage. Audiences and judges can see that joy and respond to it.

The competition experience shouldn’t be about putting the best dancers in front; it should be about helping all students gain self-confidence, which in turn inspires them to be the best they can be. And that happens when their teacher believes in them. When you do that, the parents will stop asking questions and you will have classrooms filled with happy children. Good luck! —Rhee

Dear Rhee,

I am a studio owner, and I recently had the awesome opportunity to host a master class. I want to pay this talented professional, but I am unsure of the proper etiquette regarding payment. Are there guidelines? Does it vary from instructor to instructor? Thanks for your time! —Tom

Hi Tom,

There are lots of variables, but the majority of master teachers are paid by the hour. The rates vary based on experience; for example, $200 to $500 per hour for someone who is performing on Broadway or in a major company, and $1,000 to $1,500 per hour for some of the hot dancers or choreographers from national TV. Some teachers might require a deposit up front to reserve the dates for you, while others might ask for a contract that states that they will be compensated in case of cancellation. It is the norm to cover round-trip transportation and hotel accommodations as well.

Consider inviting dancers and teachers from neighboring schools to help defray your costs and to build camaraderie within your dance community. I wish you all the best. —Rhee

Hi Rhee,

I am a single mother of 2, recently separated. My dream has always been to open a dance school of my own. I have studied dance for many years throughout my life (not consistently) and I am going into my third year of Teachers Training School with DMA. I also am working toward CDTA accreditation for ballroom and I’m continuing my ballet studies.

I don’t have a lot of money to open a studio, but I have thought many times about turning one room in my house into a studio and starting out small with private lessons. What would your advice be on how to get started? —Ashley

Hello Ashley,

You deserve a pat on the back for seeking out the best training to prepare to be a well-rounded dance educator. Certainly you could launch a school in your home. That is what my mom did to start her business, which after several years grew to the point when she could afford to purchase her own building.

If you choose that route, be sure that your town will allow you to run a business from your home. Also, think ahead about the available parking for your students and their parents. If you’re teaching only private lessons, parking won’t affect your neighbors, but if you decide to expand to group lessons, it could have an impact.

An alternative to operating a school at your home is renting space in a church hall or community center, which usually offers more affordable rents than commercial spaces. The catch is that you probably wouldn’t have permanent mirrors and barres because you’d be in a multi-use space.

Here’s another idea: years ago I taught classes at a low-income housing project. I did not pay rent for the space, but I did offer a discount to the children who lived there. I was allowed to enroll students from the surrounding communities, which was gravy in an already successful rent-free situation. This location was a win–win for me and the children who might never have had the chance to dance if it hadn’t been brought to them.

With some creative thinking you will be able to follow your dream in a way that will allow you to ease your way into the major expenses associated with owning a school. Never stop dreaming! —Rhee

Hello Rhee,

What is the best way to handle a class of 5- to 7-year-olds when the parents are observing and the kids are out of control? Some parents do not approve of my teachers saying, “If you continue, you will be sitting with your parents,” or “Please act in a respectful manner,” or “If you continue to act in this manner, you will need to go to the baby class.” What is so wrong with these statements? What would be a better way? —Brenda

Hello Brenda,

This is a case where the delivery really matters. Put yourself in the place of the parent (or the child) who hears the teacher say something like, “Behave or you will go into the baby class.” Are they hearing a mature adult speak, someone who is considering the implication of her words on the self-esteem or well-being of the student? No. The message is demeaning, even threatening, rather than a constructive comment delivered in a way that encourages the child to engage.

I believe in discipline in the classroom, but it can be achieved by gaining the respect of the students and their observing parents. First, teachers must keep in mind that they are mature mentors who choose their words wisely. With a disruptive child, the teacher might smile and take her hand, leading her to the front of the class while saying, “Boy, you have a lot of energy today, Susie! Come to the front of the class with me so you can share it with everyone else.” My guess is that those words and actions would be met with a smile instead of with concern from the parents.

Also, telling unruly students that they should behave or they’ll be sent out of class to their parents is risky because that might be exactly what the children were hoping for. Instead, have the disruptive child sit down at the front of the classroom for a few minutes.

Although there are exceptions, often when a group of 5- to 7-year-old students is out of control the reason has as much to do with the teacher as it does with the children. Why are they feeling comfortable enough to misbehave? In this or previous classes, have they been led to believe that such behavior is OK? Is the pace of the class giving them enough time to get out of control, and if so, why?

I suggest that you do an evaluation with your faculty to identify better language and actions to use when dealing with behavior issues. Most important, discuss how the teachers can improve the structure or pace of their classes to maintain control. Good luck! —Rhee

By Mignon Furman

Tip 1
My training as a very young child included a step that is seldom done now. A favorite of mine, it was “the horsey step” (pas de cheval, or “step of the horse”). The foot is pointed devant and the arm is extended in front, in line with the foot, palm down, and eyes looking at the hand. The foot is then brought toward the supporting leg in a circular movement to approximately ankle height and returns to the pointed position, and at the same time the wrist and head lift.

Tip 2
Pas de cheval is now used mainly as a foot exercise. The same circular movement is taken from the fifth to pointe tendu devant or à la seconde. The foot makes a “licking” action as it leaves the floor. This movement is often seen in Bournonville choreography.

With sadness in our hearts, we at DSL announce the death of Mignon Furman on December 4, 2012. An obituary is forthcoming.

Jonathan Charles Smith; photo courtesy Sam Houston State University

Jonathan Charles Smith, an assistant professor of dance in the Sam Houston State University Department of Theatre & Musical Theatre, will be remembered today (February 20) during a memorial beginning at 11am in the University Theatre Center’s Erica Starr Theatre.

According to the SHSU website, Smith, who taught at SHSU for nearly 20 years and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from SHSU’s dance program, died February 14 following a brief illness. Services were held February 18 in Wharton. SHSU’s memorial will include speakers, a video montage of Smith’s choreography, and musical performances. “It will be quite a show, because he deserves it,” Dionne Sparkman Noble, assistant professor of dance, said.

Smith performed in tours of A Chorus Line, The Pirates of Penzance, Jesus Christ Superstar, Showboat, and Mame, and performed regionally with Theatre Under the Stars and the Alley Theatre in Houston, The Muny in St. Louis, The 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, and the Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey.

At SHSU, Smith served as choreographer for musical productions and taught ballet, tap, jazz, and Musical Theatre Workshop for freshmen and sophomores. In 2004, he directed Smokey Joe’s Café, which was chosen for the 2005 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Regional Festival.

Trisha Brown in Set and Reset, 1996; photo by Chris Callis

Trisha Brown, a dance experimentalist of the 1960s and ’70s who went on to help define contemporary dance performance, has decided to withdraw from leading the company she founded because of health problems but has given her blessing to its continued existence, reported The New York Times.

Brown, 76, had a series of mini-strokes in the past several years, although she was choreographing as recently as the fall of 2011 and was active at the company until last summer, said Barbara Dufty, executive director of the Trisha Brown Dance Theater. But she has had increased difficulty communicating recently and is relinquishing the title of artistic director of the company that bears her name. Brown said in December that two works she choreographed, which were performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last week, would be her last.

She named longtime collaborators Diane Madden and Carolyn Lucas as associate artistic directors. Both have danced for Brown since the 1980s and moved into other roles. Lucas became Brown’s choreographic assistant, and Madden became rehearsal director.

The company will immediately begin a three-year international farewell tour to present Brown’s more traditional stage works, as well as plan to produce site-specific dances. It will also establish an archive and create a web site of Brown materials including notebooks, audio recordings, film footage, writings, and videotapes of almost every company rehearsal.

Brown company officials will also continue to license her dances and will maintain an office and staff. “We have a lot of riches to offer,” Dufty said. “The only thing that’s missing is Trisha’s physical presence. Her work lives on.”

To read more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/arts/dance/trisha-brown-is-leaving-dance-company-bearing-her-name.html?_r=0.

Young Dancemakers Company; photo courtesy YDC

Young Dancemakers Company, a free summer dance ensemble of New York City teens dedicated to creating their own original choreography and performing it in free touring concerts citywide, will be holding auditions for the 2013 company on March 10 at 11am at DANY Studios, 305 West 38th Street, New York.

Company members—NYC public high school students selected annually by audition—include both accomplished dance students as well as bold newcomers with limited experience. Members receive training in contemporary dance technique and improvisation, learn about the relationship between music and dance, and choreograph and perform original work. The program is free.

The company performs for audiences of up to 1,500 young people and adults each season in concerts touring Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, and also participates in trips to New York dance concerts (free tickets), behind-the-scenes visits with professional choreographers and their companies, workshops with guest artists, and seminars on college and career opportunities.

This year’s season of rehearsals and performances will run from June 27 to August 4, Mondays to Fridays, 10am to 5pm, plus several Saturdays; with a Gala Finale Concert at Ailey Citigroup Theater on August 3. Training and rehearsals begin June 27 at New York Live Arts in Manhattan and continue from July 8 at the Fieldston School in Riverdale.

For registration information and more details on auditions, visit http://community.ecfs.org/youngdancemakers/.

Diablo Ballet; photo courtesy Diablo Ballet

Diablo Ballet is reaching out through the internet to cull choreography ideas from dance lovers around the world for The Web Ballet, to be performed March 1 and 2 at the Shadelands Arts Center Auditorium in Walnut Creek, California, as part of the ballet’s Inside the Dancer’s Studio series.

The Web Ballet will be based on choreography suggestions submitted by individuals to Diablo Ballet’s Twitter page @DiabloBallet (Twitter hash tag #DiabloWebBallet) now through February 14. Some possible ideas for suggestion involve the emotion of the dancers (happy, sad, and such); the mood of the entire work (intense, lighthearted); and specific dance moves (turning, jumping, steps).

Diablo Ballet is known for its use of social media as a means of making dance accessible. Last March, the company became the first professional West Coast dance company to invite people to Twitter live during a performance.

The work will be choreographed by Robert Dekkers, Diablo Ballet dancer and artistic director of San Francisco’s Post:Ballet. After February 14, Dekkers and Lauren Jonas, Diablo Ballet’s artistic director, will select seven choreographic suggestions. Dekkers will then have two weeks to mold all of the winning ideas into a new dance work.

Participants will also be able to help select the music of the piece by voting on the three selections found on Diablo Ballet’s YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/diabloballet.

Persons providing the winning suggestions will receive tickets to the performance and a photo of the created work autographed by Dekkers. More information on how to participate may be found at http://www.diabloballet.org/performance.html.

Choreographer Will Tuckett; photo courtesy Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Sarasota Ballet Invites the Public ‘Inside the Studio’ Through New Series

The Sarasota Ballet’s “Inside the Studio” series, four informal talks about the organization and its repertoire, will begin January 24 with a sneak preview of Will Tuckett’s choreography for a company world premiere that will debut on February 1.

The Sarasota [FL] Herald-Tribune said the series will be held at Studio 1, the main rehearsal space used by the company’s dancers, in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

At the first installment of the series, Tuckett, who has collaborated with the ballet several times in the past few years, will be on hand to answer questions. Other installments include:

• February 21: associate artistic director Margaret Barbieri, wife of artistic director Iain Webb and a former principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, will discuss her career, her work as a répétiteur, and the new pre-professional training program at the Sarasota Ballet that bears her name, the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory of Dance.

• April 4: Webb will lead a discussion on Sir Frederick Ashton’s acclaimed story-length, comic ballet, La Fille mal gardée, which the company will present for the first time in April, accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra.

• TBA: a conversation led by Jean Weidner Goldstein, founder of the Sarasota Ballet, about its school program for at-risk children, Dance–Next Generation.

Tickets for individual events are $35; the entire series is $100. For reservations, call the box office at 941.359.0099, x101 or go to www.sarasotaballet.org. To see the original story, visit

http://arts.heraldtribune.com/2013-01-04/uncategorized/ballet-goes-from-backstage-to-inside/.

By Geo Hubela

Tip 1
Sometimes counts alone are not enough when it comes to finding musicality in a routine. Hip-hop routines are usually beat-heavy and accented, less fluid than lyrical or contemporary. To help students hear the beats and accents I am hitting in my choreography, I teach them the beats and then have them clap them. This exercise is useful in getting dancers to hit the choreography on time. Learn the rhythms and then dance to them.

Tip 2
Having students partner up and dance while facing each other after learning a routine is very useful. Many dancers become too dependent on a mirror. Facing each other presents a challenge—to go in the direction they were taught and not follow the dancer they’re looking at. My hip-hop choreography tends to have poses and lots of arm movement, and this exercise forces students to focus on the choreography and not the image in front of them. And the kids have a blast working together.

Talia Favia; photo courtesy Celebrity Dance

Auditions will be held this Saturday for a new dance work by Talia Favia, a choreographer who has assisted Mia Michaels on So You Think You Can Dance and who is the first winner of Celebrity Dance’s CREATE Competition.

Favia, who was selected the winner of CREATE at a live event held November 3 at the Tempe Center for the Arts, received $5,000, Capezio products valued at $1,000, and the opportunity to present a live performance of original choreography March 8 at Tempe Center for the Arts in Arizona.

One hundred and fifteen choreographers submitted their work to the competition, and eight semi-finalists were chosen to present their work at the November 3 show.

Favia has taught in Poland at the FNF Dance Intensive and teaches and choreographs in the United States and abroad. As the 2009/2010 Elite Advanced Pro Protégé with The Pulse on Tour, she trained with Brian Freidman, Wade Robson, Mia Michaels, Dave Scott, Chris Judd, and Laurie Ann Gibson.

Auditions will be held December 8 from 1 to 4pm at Baker School of Music, 1090 South Gilbert Road, Suite 101, Gilbert, Arizona, and are open to mature male and female dancers (knowledge of diverse dance forms welcome). Dancers should bring a headshot, resume, and short bio, and need to be available January through March.

To view an interview with Favia and her winning piece Heavy, visit http://youtu.be/3QznBlODZDA. For information, contact lisa@livdance.com, call 480.812.0040, or visit www.dancecelebrity.com.

Project Motivate; photo courtesy Rhee Gold

You probably know that Rhee Gold’s Project Motivate seminars help studio owners generate more income, learn new strategies for 21st century marketing, become better organized, and learn new teaching and choreography concepts. But what you might not know is that you can bring Gold and his Project Motivate magic to your next dance teacher organization event.

Gold has presented business and motivational seminars for dozens of organizations, including the Associated Dance Teachers of New Jersey, Cecchetti Council of America, Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, Dance Teachers Club of Connecticut, Southern Council of Dance Masters, and many more.

Gold’s experience as the son of a school owner, student, teacher, choreographer, master teacher, industry leader, author, publisher, and the dance field’s first motivational speaker will leave your members with a renewed sense of passion and confidence.

To learn how to make it happen, contact rhee@rheegold.com or call 888.i.dance.9 or 508.285.6650.

Emily Leyland; photo courtesy Danspirations for Emily

Members of Dance Masters of Pennsylvania Inc., Chapter 10, were moved to action after hearing a status update during a grand body meeting about a former competitive dancer’s expensive fight against leukemia, and organized a fund-raising dance workshop called Danspirations for Emily.

The event, set for December 9 from 10am to 4pm at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh-Monroeville Convention Center, 101 Mall Boulevard, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, will benefit Emily Leyland, 28, a former competitive dancer and dance teacher who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (commonly referred to as AML) in January 2011, after a routine check-up and blood work.

Heather Goelz-Carpenter of Carpelz Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, who is organizing the event along with teachers from Dotty McGill School of Dance in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and Kat and Company Dance Studio in Morgantown, West Virginia, said that Leyland underwent many rounds of chemotherapy treatment and one failed stem cell transplant before receiving her second stem cell transplant in August 2012. She is currently a patient at UPMC Shadyside Hospital, Goelz-Carpenter said.

The day will include classes in ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop; a studio combo showcase; a choreography class for ages 16 and older; and a studio teachers/owners motivational luncheon. Faculty includes Sammy Haas, Wendy Virtue, Emily Caudill (of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company II), and Heather Goelz-Carpenter.

Scholarships to Dance Masters’ of America’s National Convention, New York City Dance Alliance, Shock the Intensive, The Countdown, West Coast Dance Explosion, Jump, Nuvo, and Tony Bradford’s NYC two-week summer intensive, will be awarded through a silent auction. Every studio in attendance will receive a $200 entry fee certificate to The Power of Dance competition, and competition entry certificates to Power of Dance, NYCDA, American Dance Awards, Extreme Talent Showcase, Headliners, Rising Star Talent Showcase, and Star Systems will also be awarded.

All proceeds from master class fees, raffles baskets, and silent auctions for scholarships to major dance convention/competitions will go to help Leyland’s cause. Registration deadline is December 3

For more information on the event, visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Danspirations-for-Emily/231560583641122?fref=ts.

Photo by Milton Adams

Teaching students to dance with the mind as well as the body

By Don Halquist

There was a time when the goal of modern dance technique training was to make all dancers look as much alike as possible. That day has passed. Today most choreographers expect dancers to bring themselves to the movement they are given, and in many cases, to participate in the creation of the movement itself.

Today’s dancers need to learn sequence, rhythm, style, and the choreographer’s intent while also revealing their own personal uniqueness in the way they clarify, define, and amplify various aspects of the choreography’s style and movement. Successful dance artists today have dynamic presence as well as highly developed skills and well-trained bodies.

Encouraging students to show intent behind the movement phrases will enable them to move with a wholeness of mind and body.

Dancers who have a vibrant, lively sense of the movement they experience, and can express their own emotional relationship to the dances they perform, are in high demand. Technique classes, therefore, must incorporate opportunities for personal meaning-making, validation of personal uniqueness, and communication of sensory experiences.

Intent

According to early-20th–century Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, “thought creates action.” That is, we move to fulfill an inner intent. Teaching students body forms (shapes), counts, directions, and focus is important. But encouraging students to determine and show intent behind the movement phrases we are teaching them will enable them to move with a wholeness of mind and body.

The viewer sees what is most important to the performer. If a dancer is thinking about counts or physical skills, this is what will be expressed. If she goes beyond counts and skills and focuses on qualitative, spatial, or emotional aspects of the movement, then this is what will be expressed. In this way, the dance is more than the sum of its parts. It is a vibrant physical experience for the viewer as well as the dancer. It is also an opportunity for the unique interpretation of that intent, which will be realized differently for each dance artist.

Irmgard Bartenieff, a physical therapist and the creator of Bartenieff Fundamentals, often said that intent organizes the neuromuscular system for efficient execution of movement phrases. Throughout our day-to-day lives we move to satisfy intention. For example, a child in ballet class might wobble when asked to relevé, but when she reaches for a cookie on the kitchen counter, her spatial intent makes her very stable. Our bodies know how to organize themselves efficiently when we let intent guide us.

Movement is highly complex, and we cannot be mindful of all the many activities going on in different parts of the body as we are moving. By studying Bartenieff Fundamentals, we understand that when we give ourselves a clear intention, the body’s wisdom can serve us and we can move with body–mind integration and coordination.

Imagery and internal experience

A dancer can improve sheer technique by attaching an image to a technical task and trusting it to fulfill itself within the neuromuscular system. Images travel at the speed of light, and the whole body–mind can be reorganized in a moment to fulfill a movement phrase in an efficient, connected, authentic, and personally expressive manner.

As teachers, it is essential for us to provide imagery as well as musical and technical guidance as we teach movement phrases. We should encourage reflection on the part of our students. Ask them to think about what the movement phrases mean to them, and encourage them to bring their own images to the material they are learning and performing.

It is also important to constantly encourage our students to be aware of internal sensory experience. “It is a dancer’s job to reveal her internal experience,” choreographer and movement analyst Bill Evans often says in his classes. According to Evans, dancers need to tune into the kinesthetic and emotional sensations that come alive within them and let them pour out freely to those watching.

Asking students to pair up in technique classes and observe each other can serve many purposes. As they perform dance phrases for each other, guiding questions can lead them to deeper exploration and enhanced understanding of a phrase. Try such prompts as: “How did your partner reveal her personal uniqueness in that phrase?”; “What images came alive for you as you watched your partner perform?”; and “When did you experience your own kinesthetic response to your partner’s dancing?”

Expression

Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung famously posited four functions of the human psyche: thinking, sensing, feeling, and intuiting. Applying those concepts to dancers, Rudolf Laban, founder of Laban Movement Analysis, believed that those functions are expressed in distinct ways.

• Thinking expresses itself in the dancer’s attention to space—either direct or multi-focused.

• Sensing expresses itself in the dancer’s awareness of her weight—emanating either powerfully from the pelvis or delicately from the sternum.

• Feeling expresses itself in the dancer’s attitude toward flow—either freely outpouring or precisely controlled.

• Intuition expresses itself in the dancer’s attitude toward time—either indulgent or urgent.

By encouraging students to experience and reveal these different responses as they learn movement phrases in technique classes, we are preparing them to dance with their whole unique selves.

Left: Dancers Matt Johnson and Emmy Newman fly high in choreography developed by Sabina Smith-Moreland with the help of Young Choreographer’s Lab mentors and artists. Right: As Teen Exchange students cooperate and collaborate on choreography, they hone important skills for dance and other life pursuits.

Three programs that nurture the next generation of choreographers

By Jennifer Kaplan

Growing up in a typical suburban ballet studio, Wayles Haynes became a great mimic of steps and a good dancer. What she didn’t learn was how to make her own dances. Then came the point when each graduating senior was supposed to create a solo for the studio’s final performance. Haynes, who now serves as director of the teen and youth education programs at Dance Exchange in Takoma Park, Maryland, had no idea where to begin.

That’s often the case. Dance studios and programs across the country tend to put most of their emphasis on nurturing budding dancers and give little thought to offering training, support, and opportunities for young choreographers, particularly aspiring teenage dancemakers. But look harder and you’ll find that choreographic mentorship is thriving in three North American programs.

Dance Exchange’s Teen Exchange

“In my studio training,” says Haynes, “you didn’t choreograph until you had to make your senior solo. Then you have to make a dance for college [auditions].” She got stuck. “How do you do that?’ I wondered. I had 13 years of watching other people [make dances] but was never allowed to say or ask anything.”

These days, as a youth dance educator, Haynes is committed to mentoring the next generation of dancemakers so that when the time comes for them to choreograph their senior solos or college audition pieces, they’ll be ready. At Dance Exchange, long lauded for its multigenerational company of professionals who range in age from their 20s through their 70s, Haynes relishes working with budding choreographers at the lower end of the age spectrum, ages 6 through 18.

“I want [to provide] that creative outlet for people at a much younger age than it’s usually given,” she said. That means when her weekly teen and youth classes meet, she offers her own choreographic journey as a model; her students can follow her progress and learn not just how to perform her piece, but how she put it all together.

In addition, the Teen and Youth Exchange programs address creativity directly in the studio, dedicating class time to choreographic endeavors initiated by the students. “We work with a peer facilitation model,” Haynes explains, using many of the same methods Dance Exchange developed under the leadership of its founder, Liz Lerman. The teens take the helm in leading discussions on the works, garnering comments from their peers, asking probing questions, and simply acting as a facilitator. Haynes observes and coaches them, especially the first time.

To join Teen Exchange, interested participants need only apply and express an interest in the creative process. No prior dance experience is required, although many of the applicants have studied dance of various genres. Most of them come from northwest DC and Montgomery County, Maryland. Dance Exchange reaches prospective students through open houses, marketing, and social networking.

The teens range from 12 to 18 years old, which Haynes says can be both challenging and exciting. “I like to think of it as a one-room schoolhouse where you have the teacher who’s teaching the class at large, but you also have peers teaching and collaborating and making work,” she says. “So it’s really a co-creative and collaborative environment in the studio.”

Haynes uses an array of exercises from the Dance Exchange toolbox (d-lab.org/toolbox) to provide her students with the materials they need to build their own dances from scratch. One common exercise that introduces concepts of partnering is called “Blind Lead.” In pairs, one partner closes her eyes while the other leads her around, always maintaining contact, though not necessarily by holding hands. The key is always maintaining contact and not speaking, using the body to lead or follow. Then the partners switch roles. If the group is very comfortable, leaders can switch partners without the “blind” partner knowing. This develops the sensitivity required to dance together and allows dancers to get used to connecting without using their eyes or words. It’s a trust-building exercise that encourages collaborative group dynamics.

Each year the process changes and evolves as Haynes’ students change and grow. Some work together on a single group piece; others choreograph solos or work on dance video projects in smaller groups. Last year one group figured out a way to incorporate the idea of zombies into its efforts. Haynes lets her students, particularly the older or more experienced ones, decide what kind of pieces they wish to build—solos, duets, small groups or one large work, or dances for the camera—and they often lead exercises and discussions.

Each year the teens select an overarching theme—one year it was risk; another time, dreams; another, change—and try to find a way to connect their projects to this larger theme. Much of the learning and mentoring is accomplished by doing—working out choreographic problems on the bodies of fellow teen dancers, showing the work in moderated discussions following elements of Lerman’s Critical Response Process (a methodology for critiquing artistic work that focuses on artistic goals and not merely observer reactions), and revising the work.

The weekly 90-minute session includes a warm-up with some technical instruction in modern dance and then discussion and time to create. By the end of the year, Teen Exchange has a body of work to show in a final performance, but as the teens and their needs and desires change each year so does the resulting work. It could be one long piece for the entire group, or a configuration of shorter individual pieces, connected or not. And the teens often have opportunities to participate in performances at community events.

While Haynes, who is just entering her third year as director of Teen Exchange, has seen former students go forward to major in dance in college, she’s not necessarily worried if they don’t pursue choreography beyond Teen Exchange. “I want them to be happy, successful, and lifelong learners,” Haynes says. “I would love it if they keep dancing, but I think everyone has their own path.”

She’s seen program graduates use the skills they learned in facilitation as public speakers, teachers, scientific researchers, and other endeavors. “We try to encourage creativity, collaboration, and independence at the self level, the self-to-community level, and the self-to-the-world level.”

Seattle Youth Dance Collective

Seattle Youth Dance Collective offers another approach for budding young choreographers. A project of Seattle Theatre Group (STG), the program is open to dancers ages 15 through 22 who are interested in pursuing their artistic vision through choreography. STG is a large presenting organization, not a studio, but embedded in its mission is the goal of developing the next generation of artists, says Vicky Lee, director of education and performance programs.

There’s not one way, one formula. They learn some tools of choreography, about production, staging, what to do about music, what do you do with lights. — choreographer Amy O’Neal, Seattle Youth Dance Collective

“Many young people have a chance to perform and to take [dance] class,” Lee says, but if you’re a teenager, “there aren’t a lot of opportunities to be immersed in a real creative environment where you can explore your artistic endeavors in a lab setting.”

Young Choreographer’s Lab, now in its fourth year, provides that. Each fall the lab runs an 8- or 10-week session for two dozen teen dancers who work in any genre. The application process, which is vetted by Lee and the lab’s lead mentor, Seattle choreographer Amy O’Neal, requires an essay in which prospective students explain why they want to participate and what they envision for their project.

O’Neal oversees the lab, which meets at Velocity Dance Center, an STG partner in the program. “There they explore different ways to make dance,” says Lee. “There’s not one way, one formula. They learn some tools of choreography, about production, staging, what to do about music, what do you do with lights. Under Amy’s mentorship, she also has them giving constructive feedback, writing about dance, talking about dance.”

Joining O’Neal and the students are guest artists, many of whom have been booked to perform in one of STG’s three theaters. That means the students, who meet for two to three hours twice a week, might have a session with a noted Seattle choreographer like Donald Byrd or Mark Haim or other guests, such as South African dancer Nelisiwe Xaba or artists from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

“As the lead artist, I help tie everything together. We invite guest artists to come in and share their methods and experiences,” O’Neal explains. “We’ll have a conversation with artists about what they want to share and work on. We bring in people we think will challenge [the students].”

That means introducing them to a variety of genres, styles, and methods of choreographing from artists at various stages of their careers. O’Neal says that the first and most important lesson they get from her is about non-attachment—not getting so attached to something you’ve created that you can’t change it or throw it away and start anew.

As the lead mentor, O’Neal is there to take notes, interpret what the guest artists offer and help relate that material to the students’ work or needs, and get the students participating in these discussion sessions. Sometimes she’ll give them assignments, which might mean closely observing something for a week or bringing in a photograph or poem to work with. She too uses a modified version of the Lerman Critical Response Process to shape the way the students talk constructively about dance. No one can simply say, “That’s cool,” or “I like that.” They need to choose their words and provide specifics to justify their thinking. “We’re challenging their philosophies about what dance is and how they think it should be made,” O’Neal says.

For students who complete the fall lab session, a second spring session offers continued support and the opportunity to craft a dance for the stage. While not everyone from the first session stays on, each year O’Neal and Lee see a strong and committed cohort of students who wish to continue their choreographic process. In the spring, the lab sessions continue and include introductory sessions on production, lighting, grant writing, publicity, and more. At the spring performance, Lee and O’Neal select one work to be performed at STG’s summer “Dance This” program at the Moore Theatre.

Teaching choreography is a bit like teaching artistry—there’s no specific curriculum. Instead, O’Neal and the guest mentors share their experience, knowledge, and ideas with the students based on their needs. “The lab is a very responsive program,” Lee says. “You have a loose curriculum, but you’re responding to who’s in the room, to what they’re bringing, and how they’re exploring.”

Vancouver’s Cultch

At The Cultch (officially known as Vancouver East Cultural Centre), a presenting and performing organization that has brought contemporary theater, dance, and music to Vancouver, British Columbia, since 1973, Rob Leveroos oversees youth programming. One aspect of that programming is a group of teens on the IGNITE! Youth Panel, who curate a week of performances each spring at The Cultch. And for the past four years IGNITE! has been offering space and resources to young people ages 13 through 24 who are interested in exploring the choreographic process, no matter the genre.

Prospective participants must apply. “It’s not about finding the best dancers,” Leveroos says, “it’s about finding those who are passionate and those who are ready to work with other dancers.” Typically six to eight dancers are selected, and they become a company of sorts, for each participant to make a dance on. Leveroos arranges for a dedicated rehearsal space and any other resources the group needs.

The Cultch does not charge for this program (it’s supported by donations and grants) and it attracts participants across a wide swath of the Vancouver region, including modern dancers, hip-hop students, tappers, and a classical Indian dancer.

The program is self-directed, says Leveroos—the teens make decisions on how they organize and use their time. “It’s not just about teaching them to dance or choreograph,” he says. “It’s about having them come in and say, ‘After this, we do that and then the other.’ We give them space—a beautiful dance studio, Scotiabank Dance Center, in town—and then we set up sessions when the mentors come in for couple-hour sessions once a week and they’ll work on things like how to generate ideas and polish them.”

But often the group is on its own, with no mentor or adult supervision. Leveroos says, “It really becomes about them working together. The mentors are not coming in and choreographing. They’re talking about process and about how to develop a show. Then the dancers/choreographers, the mentees, do it on their own.”

Leveroos says he has found the IGNITE! teens to be highly motivated and able to work together and self-direct to get their projects finished. The fact that they have a deadline, a scheduled performance, helps keep them on track. “They know they have to do the performance and often they’re organizing extra rehearsals or meetings on top of what we schedule for them,” he says. The teens created a Facebook group to discuss issues and plan meetings when they’re not together in the studio. Leveroos was invited into that group, so he gets a sense of how they are progressing.

“Ultimately teenagers want to be taken seriously,” he says. “They want to be treated like adults and, honestly, I find that when you do that, they step up to the plate. We’re getting people who want to be performers. They want to be doing this, so they are taking it seriously.”

As the sole adult supervising the program, which offers similar opportunities in theater, songwriting, poetry, and other areas, Leveroos has seen remarkable progress from these teens and young adults. “We give them an opportunity to perform in a professional theater space. I find it’s really inspiring to see that youths can facilitate their own meetings and manage their own stuff. I’ve seen them host a roomful of 35 other youths: welcoming people in, leading icebreaker games, getting everybody to be quiet and listen.”

The reward, for Leveroos, is far greater than seeing the choreographic process come to fruition: “I’m teaching these skills of leadership for the next generation of citizens.”

By Maureen Janson

When a heavy wooden gate dropped onto the back of my foot, the first thing I thought was, “Ouch!” The second was, “How am I going to make it through rehearsal tonight?”

I slapped some ice onto my purpling Achilles tendon, but I could tell I was going to have to rest it. So I emailed the director of A Little Night Music, a production for which I was contributing choreography. A string of email brainstorming correspondence followed, and I began to write out instructions, reminders, and notes for the rehearsal in the event that I could not attend. Fortunately, the show was three weeks into rehearsal with staging and choreography already plotted out. But that night was an important run-through of Act 2, which I felt I could not miss. As a joke, I wrote, “Too bad we can’t have a video conference!” To which the assistant director replied that we could—via Skype, so that I could “watch” the run-through.

Often used for videoconferencing, Skype is a computer-to-computer voice telephone connection, although if conducted between computers with cameras, the conversation can also include live video.

As a joke, I wrote, “Too bad we can’t have a video conference!” To which the assistant director replied that we could—via Skype.

I’ve not been a huge fan of computer video replacing face-to-face communication, but suddenly I found myself intrigued by the idea that I could participate in and see a rehearsal while at home with my foot in an ice bucket. Although relatively computer-savvy, I had never used Skype before. I downloaded the application (which is free) and was ready for a test call from the assistant director.

We experimented and adjusted the direction of the computer-mounted camera, giving me the widest possible perspective of the stage area. And the dancers could also see that I was watching—a reminder for them to behave at their choreographic best. I was only a few miles away, but I could have been halfway around the world and still have participated in the rehearsal.

Although the image and sound became fragmented from time to time, I could see enough of the rehearsal to take some general notes. When the action stopped, the director appeared on the screen to ask if I had any notes or questions. I was able to give feedback on the spot!

When it came to details, though, the technology was not particularly useful. Perhaps because of a slow Internet connection, I could not see facial features or the detail of gestures. And when the movement was far away from the camera or more full (for example during a large-group waltz scene), the image became so pixelated and distorted that I could not make sense of what the dancers were doing. At times the sound cut out for a second or two, making everything choppy and segmented. When that happened, it was almost impossible to determine whether dance steps were executed at the right musical moment.

Yet, in the quieter moments of the play (such as a slow waltz during a dinner party scene), I could see the posture and hand positions of the dancers well enough to remind them of stylistic specifications. I was also able to suggest changes in spacing and general posture, and remark on the order of events.

Had I been required to actually choreograph movement via Skype, the technology might have presented a serious set of challenges. But as the software and quality of the video and sound transmission improve (or with a faster Internet connection), it may be possible for choreography rehearsals to take place simultaneously in two different locations.

Skype is a helpful tool, but I will always prefer being physically present in a rehearsal room. Still, being able to participate in the rehearsal this way was certainly better than not being present at all. And it definitely took my mind off my throbbing foot!

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By Geo Hubela

Tip 1
Be visual. A flat routine will receive a flat response. Change spots, move lines, create levels. Not every dancer needs to be moving all the time—have groups freeze while others are moving, then have them rejoin the choreography. Try having some dancers freeze for a single count—this can be very striking, especially when accented with music. Transitions, staging, and visuals will enhance your choreography in a big way. Don’t be afraid to get beginner dancers transitioning and moving in their routines instead of standing in one spot for an entire song.

Tip 2
A creative and visual routine starts with creative ideas, a concept first and then the music. Hip-hop routines don’t need to include Top 40 music and the latest dance craze. Tell a story; pull from something that inspires you. I love to mix the old with the new and create routines that will intrigue an audience. Once I have the music, I costume the piece and create movement. Choreographers are artists—close your eyes, listen to your music repeatedly, and envision your masterpiece.

Helen Pickett; photo courtesy Atlanta Ballet

Atlanta Ballet has named Helen Pickett as the company’s resident choreographer, agreeing on a three-year commitment that includes new works and an annual, one-week “Choreographic Essentials” workshop.

Pickett has presented on stages all over the world. Her initial collaboration with Atlanta Ballet involved her commissioned work, Petal, which appeared in the company’s “Fusion” program in March 2011, followed by Prayer of Touch, also created for Atlanta Ballet, which premiered in the 2011-12 season.

Both Petal and Prayer of Touch are included in this season’s programming, in anticipation of a Pickett world premiere for Atlanta Ballet’s 2013-14 season.

A San Diego native, Pickett began her dance career as a student under the direction of Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin and, later, Helgi Tomasson at San Francisco Ballet. She then spent more than a decade with Ballet Frankfurt, achieving principal status, under the legendary William Forsythe, whom she credits with “shaping her aesthetic eye.” Pickett soon began to develop her own voice as a dance maker and in 2005 received her first choreographic commission from Boston Ballet. Now, seven years later, Pickett has choreographed more than 20 works and has become one of the most sought-after choreographers in dance today.

The announcement was made in tandem with the rollout of Atlanta Ballet’s new 5-year strategic plan. Over the past few years, Atlanta Ballet has welcomed new leadership—veteran arts leader Arturo Jacobus as executive director—moved into new headquarters, and run a successful capital campaign.

For more information, visit http://www.atlantaballet.com/about-us/company/choreographer-in-residence/.

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, official school of The Joffrey Ballet, announced this week that Ma Cong, William McClellan, and Jeremy McQueen are the winners of the Third Annual Choreographers of Color Award.

The Choreographers of Color Award was created to recognize promising young minority choreographers. Winners receive a minimum of 30 rehearsal hours to set a new work on the Joffrey Academy trainees, a $2,500 stipend, and the opportunity to work directly with Joffrey Academy artistic directors Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik.

Cong started his career at the Beijing Dance Academy training as a Chinese classical dancer before he joined the National Ballet of China in 1995, then Tulsa Ballet in 1999; he has created works for Tulsa Ballet, Houston Ballet, BalletMet, Ballet Florida, Smuin Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Ballet Nouveau Colorado, and Ballet Des Moines, among others

McClellan, a principal dancer and resident choreographer for 10 years for the first and second Dayton Contemporary Dance companies, is currently an MFA candidate in the Department of Dance at University of Michigan.

McQueen, a 2008 graduate of The Ailey School/Fordham University, BFA in Dance program, has presented his choreographic works throughout New York City, including the seventh annual Dance From The Heart concert presented by Dancers Responding to AIDS, the Young Choreographer’s Festival, and the Dance Gallery Festival.

The three world premieres will be presented in “Choreographers of Color Award 2013: Winning Works” at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 East Randolph Drive, Chicago, on March 10, 2013 at 4pm. Tickets are $18 in advance or $22 at the door and will be available as of January 8, 2013, by calling the Harris Theater Box Office at 312.334.7777 or online at www.harristheaterchicago.org.

And The Winner Is…; image courtesy Rhee Gold Company

Savvy studio owners know how to make the dance competitive team experience at their school a winning program for everyone involved—students, parents, faculty, and, of course, themselves.

Rhee Gold knows how, too. With experience as a top competitive dancer, a competition owner/director, and a studio owner he’s seen the dance competition industry from every angle. Share in his inside knowledge this weekend (November 17 and 18) when the DanceLife Retreat Center offers “And The Winner Is . . . ”, a unique intensive for teachers who participate in dance competitions.

From choreography to fees, building morale to choosing dancers, handing out solos to writing handbooks, this weekend will tackle the tough questions. Bring your stories, bring your questions, and get ready for an inspirational, informational weekend that will have you pumped right through nationals!

For more information, visit http://www.danceliferetreat.com/#!fall-2012/vstc3=winner.

Researchers have found that teen girls who took dance classes saw reductions in their stress levels and psychosomatic symptoms, writes MedPage Today.

In a randomized trial, girls ages 13 to 18 with internalizing problems, who were involved in an 8-month dance intervention, self-reported improvements in their health status and overwhelmingly deemed the dance classes as a positive experience (91 percent), according to Anna Duberg, RPT, of the Center for Health Care Sciences in Orebro, Sweden, and colleagues.

“[Dance] can provide a supportive environment and an opportunity to enhance low body attitudes and physical self-perceptions,” wrote Duberg’s group in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, adding that the intervention could help reduce “disabling conditions resulting from stress.”

The number of adolescents who rate themselves as having poor health is three times higher for girls than boys, the authors pointed out. This is especially true for young girls with internalizing problems such as depression and low self-worth.

“Exercise is considered an active strategy to prevent and treat depression and anxiety for school-aged youth,” they explained. “It has been shown to promote positive thoughts and feelings, enhance confidence to cope with problems, and provide increased confidence and self-control.”

The researchers suggested possible mechanisms of action in the dance intervention, including lack of demands and pressures associated with school; the opportunity to have input into the choreography and music used during the intervention; and social aspects involved with the classes.

To read the full story, visit http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/35910.

Nancy O’Meara; photo courtesy Nancy O’Meara

When Miley Cyrus struts, spins, and swivels around her concert stage, it was Boston-born choreographer Nancy O’Meara who helped her hone those moves.

O’Meara will be just one top industry faculty member at next summer’s DanceLife Teacher Conference. Her fast paced and powerful choreography can be seen on television (Hannah Montana), in music videos (“She’s No You,” Jesse McCartney), on live stage tours (Vanessa Hudgens), and in concert (High School Musical).

She’s danced on TV award shows—the Grammys, Oscars, MTV, and others; appeared in films such as The Wedding Planner and Forrest Gump; and worked with Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Usher, Reba McEntire, and Paula Abdul.

And August 1 to 4, 2013, in Scottsdale, Arizona, O’Meara will work with the 700-plus teachers at the DLTC. For registration info, visit http://www.dancestudiolife.com/dltc/dltc-fees-info/.

Don Halquist; photo courtesy DLTC

In the November issue of Dance Studio Life magazine, SUNY Brockport professor Don Halquist shares his thoughts on teaching students how to layer their own passion, their own emotions, and their personal uniqueness on the choreography they have been taught in class or for performance.

Halquist, a member of the Bill Evans Dance Company for 20 years, will expand on these and other modern-dance concepts when he serves as a faculty member at next summer’s DanceLife Teacher Conference. Set for August 1 to 4, 2013, at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona, the DLTC features some of the top motivational minds in the dance education world.

Halquist has performed as a guest artist with the New Mexico Ballet and in the companies of Nora Reynolds Daniel, Licia Perea, Debra Knapp, and Jennifer Predock-Linnell; and has taught dance at the University of New Mexico, Santa Fe Community College, and the New Mexico Ballet Company school.

“We should encourage reflection on the part of our students,” Halquist says in his article. “Ask them to think about what the movement phrases mean to them, and encourage them to bring their own images to the material they are learning and performing.”

For more information on the DLTC faculty, visit http://www.dancestudiolife.com/dltc/dancelife-teacher-conference-faculty/.

Darrah Carr Dance; photo courtesy Darrah Carr

2012 Bessie Award nominee Darrah Carr Dance and celebrated guest choreographer Seán Curran return to New York City’s Irish Arts Center this November to premiere new work in the company’s signature style of ModERIN: a unique blend of traditional Irish step and contemporary modern dance.

Set to the haunting music of Irish traditional musician Seamus Eagan, Curran’s Sé Caoineadh explores the emotion of lament and reveals the lyrical depths of sadness, longing, and regret. Curran, artistic director of the Seán Curran Company, danced with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and the original Off-Broadway cast of Stomp, and has choreographed for Trinity Irish Dance Company, ABT’s Studio Company, Denmark’s Upper Cut Company, Sweden’s Skänes Dance Theater, Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Ririe Woodbury Dance Theater, and Dance Alloy.

The program also includes displays of lightning-fast Irish dancing to live musical accompaniment by Liz Hanley, Niall O’Leary, and Christel Rice.

The Irish Arts Center is located at 553 West 51st Street, New York City. Performances are set for November 16 and 17 at 8pm; a special price family show on November 17 at 11am; and a matinee November 18 at 3pm (pre-show conversation at 2:30pm). Tickets are $25 general; $15 for the family show; and $20 for IAC members. To purchase, call 866.811.4111 or visit www.irishartscenter.org.

San Francisco Ballet will mark the 100th anniversary of the revolutionary ballet The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps) with its own version staged by SF Ballet choreographer in residence Yuri Possokhov.

The Rite of Spring, which heralded the start of the modernist movement, was originally created for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and featured an original score by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. On the night of its premiere in Paris in 1913, the ballet’s depiction and celebration of a human sacrifice, along with its dissonant score and provocative movement, sparked an audience riot.

Yet subsequent performances were well received, and in time, the score and the ballet were accepted as classics. Numerous revivals of The Rite of Spring have been staged over the years, by companies such as the Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet and by choreographers including Pina Bausch, Glen Tetley, and Maurice Bèjart, to name a few.

The Rite of Spring will be performed in Program 3 of San Francisco Ballet’s 2013 repertory season. “On the 100th anniversary of its premiere, we are thrilled to have Yuri’s staging of The Rite of Spring enter our repertory for the first time,” SF Ballet artistic director and principal choreographer Helgi Tomasson said. “We are especially honored to join our colleagues across the country and worldwide in paying tribute to the groundbreaking innovation and artistry of this masterpiece.”

In addition to The Rite of Spring, Program 3 (February 26–March 10) also features Mark Morris’s Beaux and Ashley Page’s Guide to Strange Places. Tickets to Program 3 are currently only available on subscription. Program 3 is a part of SF Ballet’s Principal 8 and Principal 3 packages as well as the “New Works” mini-package. To subscribe to SF Ballet’s 2013 Repertory Season, visit www.sfballet.org/ subscribe or call 415.865.2000.

For nine seasons, the So You Think You Can Dance live tours have brought stellar dancers and cutting-edge choreography to viewers’ hometowns, and now Curtain Call Costumes will be actively supporting those efforts as the exclusive Dancewear On-Screen Media Partner of the SYTYCD Tour 2012.

The 30-city Season 9 tour is now underway and will conclude on December 5 in Hollywood, Florida. Along the way, tour ticketholders will be treated to an on-screen video showcasing the latest in Curtain Call’s line of dance costumes. (To view the video, visit http://youtu.be/n6tieT6jw8M.)

“Curtain Call has dramatically expanded its range of styles for competition dancers, teams, and performance companies,” said John Misner, Curtain Call’s executive vice president. “We think the SYTYCD tour audience will love what they see in our Costumes in Motion video segment.”

Curtain Call is a division of Perform Group, LLC, a supplier of dance recital and competitive gymnastics apparel that has been seen at Olympic competitions, at Super Bowl half-time programs, on NCAA top gymnastic teams, in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and in major college bowl shows, and is also worn by the Kilgore College Rangerettes.

Helen Keller joins Martha Graham during a rehearsal studio in 1954; photo courtesy Perkins School for the Blind Archive

Craig Brown’s Hello Goodbye Hello: A Circle of 101 Remarkable Meetings details a daisy chain of encounters between famous literary, artistic, and historic figures. One such “moving meeting of great spirits” took place when Helen Keller, age 72, visited iconic choreographer Martha Graham and was able to learn from legendary dancer Merce Cunningham what “jumping” was all about.

The Brain Pickings blog reports that Brown writes:

“Graham is immediately taken by what she calls Helen’s ‘gracious embrace of life,’ and is impressed by what appears to be her photographic memory. They become friends. Before long, Helen starts paying regular visits to the dance studio. She seems to focus on the dancers’ feet, and can somehow tell the direction in which they are moving. Martha Graham is intrigued. ‘She could not see the dance but was able to allow its vibrations to leave the floor and enter her body.’

On one of her visits, Helen says, ‘Martha, what is jumping? I don’t understand.’

Graham is touched by this simple question. She asks a member of her company, Merce Cunningham, to stand at the barre. She approaches him from behind, says, ‘Merce, be very careful, I’m putting Helen’s hands on your body,’ and places Helen Keller’s hands on his waist.

Cunningham cannot see Keller, but feels her two hands around his waist, ‘like bird wings, so soft.’ Everyone in the studio stands quite still, focusing on what is happening. Cunningham jumps in the air while Keller’s hands rise up with his body. ‘Her hands rose and fell as Merce did,’ recalls Martha Graham, in extreme old age.

‘Her expression changed from curiosity to one of joy. You could see the enthusiasm rise in her face as she threw her arms in the air.’

Cunningham continues to perform small leaps, with very straight legs. He suddenly feels Keller’s fingers, still touching his waist, begin to move slightly, ‘as though fluttering.’ For the first time in her life, she is experiencing dance. ‘Oh, how wonderful! How like thought! How like the mind it is!’ she exclaims when he stops.”

To see photos and a video of Keller’s visit to the dance studio, visit http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/10/22/helen-keller-martha-graham/.

Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition; photo by Alex C. Hicks Jr.

Ballet Spartanburg choreographer Lona Gomez enjoyed reading the Angelina Ballerina book series to each of her three girls when they were little, so she wrote a ballet that tells the story of Angelina Ballerina as she prepares to audition at the prestigious Camembert Academy.

Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition will be performed October 19 at 4pm and October 20 at 11am and 2pm at David W. Reid Theatre, Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg, South Carolina, as the first ballet in a double feature. A production of The Elves and the Shoemaker, directed by Ballet Spartanburg artistic director Carlos Agudelo, also will be performed.

Gomez told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal that in her story, Angelina realizes the world is more than just ballet when she meets mouse friends who teach her about other dance styles. “I wanted to make it somewhat updated. I added things that kids might enjoy such as Irish and hip-hop dance styles,” she said.

While there is a touring Angelina Ballerina musical, Agudelo said Ballet Spartanburg is the only one in the country to have been given the rights to produce an Angelina Ballerina ballet.

To stay true to the look of the PBS series, colorful costumes were made by a professional seamstress in California. Masks were made by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Tickets are $15 and are available at http://www.chapmanculturalcenter.org/events.php?id=839 or by calling 864.583.0339. To see the original story, visit http://www.goupstate.com/article/20121018/ENT/210181005.

Paul Taylor received the 2012 Lifetime Achievement in Dance award and Alice Teirstein took home this year’s award for Service to the Field of Dance at The 2012 Bessies: New York Dance and Performance Awards, held October 15 at the Apollo Theater in New York City.

The Bessies saluted Taylor as a pioneer who helped reshape the landscape of American dance: “For his pioneering work as modern dance’s original maverick, helping to reimagine what was possible in dance; for creating a unique dance language that is both lyrical and muscular, dynamic and humane; for having the courage and commitment to follow his own compass, creating new works for six remarkable decades,” read the award.

Teirstein’s work with young dancers in New York City “has changed countless lives and given generations of young people the ability to express themselves through dance and choreography.”

The founding director of Young Dancemakers Company, Teirstein has been choreographing, performing, and teaching dance in New York since the early 1970s.

She designed, initiated and developed the dance curriculum for grades 7–12 at the Fieldston School, where she served on the faculty for over three decades, leading the dance program and directing its Touring Fieldston Dance Company. She initiated the dance program’s Dance Out Project, bringing her students into the city’s homeless shelters where they served as group leaders in dance workshops with homeless youngsters, and for three years was co-director of the 92nd St. Y’s Young Masters Repertory Ensemble. She has led workshops for dance teachers for the NYC Department of Education, the Dance Educators Lab, and many other organizations.

To see the full list of nominees and winners, visit http://broadwayworld.com/article/The-Bessies-Announce-2012-New-York-Dance-and-Performance-Award-Recipients-20121016.

Paul Taylor; photo courtesy Paul Taylor Dance Company

Legendary choreographer Paul Taylor was feted at a state dinner at the iconic Lotos Club on October 3 where he received the Medal of Merit, the club’s highest honor given to leaders in the arts and cultural worlds.

The Lotos Club, one of the oldest literary clubs in the United States, was founded in 1870 by a group of young writers, journalists, and critics. Frequent guests then as well as now include top scholars, musicians, painters and sculptors, art collectors, historians, novelists, and college presidents.

Past recipients include Gilbert and Sullivan, Ulysses S. Grant, Samuel Clemens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Woodrow Wilson, Enrico Caruso, Fiorello LaGuardia, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Gloria Swanson, Harry Truman, Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, Stephen Sondheim, Peter Martins, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Marilyn Horne, and Barbara Cook.

Lotos Club president Anne Russell read letters of praise from Baryshnikov, Ellsworth Kelly, and Alex Katz, all of whom have worked closely with Taylor. “Mr. Taylor embodies the tenets that the Lotos Club holds so dear: to promote and develop art, and encourage and inspire other artists and audiences alike,” Russell said. “It was a fitting tribute to such an accomplished and lovely man.”

Taylor has achieved countless accolades, including two of our nation’s highest artistic distinctions: the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.

Dance luminaries and dance lovers will be on hand when The New York Dance and Performance Awards—“The Bessies”—are presented at the Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street, New York City on October 15.

Produced in partnership with Dance/NYC, The Bessie Awards seeks to honor outstanding work in the field of dance, and to advocate on the national and international stage for the extraordinary range of dance being performed in New York. Named in honor of treasured dancer and teacher Bessie Schonberg, the awards honor exceptional choreography, performance, music composition, visual design, and others areas of dance and performance.

Hosted by Elizabeth Streb, the event includes award presentations by Marina Abramovic, luciana achugar, Ron Brown, Brenda Bufalino, Archie Burnett, Stuart Hodes, Bebe Neuwirth, Kevin McKenzie, Charles Reinhart, Rokafella, David Thomson, and Wendy Whelan; with performances by Souleymane Badolo and Trisha Brown Company.

Doors open at 7pm; ceremony begins promptly at 8pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.apollotheater.org or at the Apollo box office.

To see a full list of this year’s nominees, visit http://www.dancenyc.org/bessies/

Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo; photo courtesy Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Napoleon and Tabitha D’umo have choreographed for Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, and Christina Aguilera, but now the couple has embarked on a new collaboration: parenting.

“The first week we were so scared,” Tabitha tells People magazine of bringing home baby boy London Riley in mid-August. “You have this little person in front of you and you question everything you do.”

The American Idol and America’s Best Dance Crew choreographers are learning to trust their instincts as new parents despite their shaky start. Now feeling more confident, the proud parents have returned to work choreographing for the recent So You Think You Can Dance finale and have television show and music video shoots scheduled in the coming weeks.

“Every rehearsal, when we leave him, I tear up a bit in the car,” admits Tabitha, 39. The couple is also finding ways to bring 7-week-old London to work with them.

“We have little noise-canceling headphones that we put on him and they look really cool,” Napoleon says. “He doesn’t hear any of the noises and sleeps right through while we are choreographing.”

To see the full story, visit http://celebritybabies.people.com/2012/10/04/so-you-think-you-can-dance-napoleon-tabitha-dumo-son-london/.

New York Jazz Choreography Project; photo by Jan La Salle

The New York Jazz Choreography Project, featuring works by both emerging artists such as Alison L. Krauss and established masters like Luigi, will be presented October 19 and 20 at 8pm at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street, New York.

Featured choreographers include Bob Boross, Crystal Chapman, Mike Esperanza, Cara Goodwin, Joyce King, Alison L. Krauss, Luigi, Cat Manturuk, roberta mathes, Merete Muenter, Kirsten Schwartz, Kellie Schweon, and Sidney Erik Wright.

The Jazz Project is Jazz Choreography Enterprises, Inc.’s semiannual dance concert devoted exclusively to jazz. This year, the performance will feature six new choreographers such as Krauss, who has been a dancer in many performances of the Jazz Project and is in the show as a choreographer for the first time.

Since 2007, artistic directors Marian Hyun and Merete Muenter have presented more than 50 choreographers and approximately 150 dancers from the U.S., Japan, South Africa, and Germany. The performances will be presented at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center.

Tickets are $33 ($18 students) in advance, or $38 ($23 students) cash at the door, and are available at the MMAC box office or at http://jazzchoreographyenterprises.org/october-2012-new-york-jazz-choreography-project/.

Put props to work for fun and impact
By Karen White 

Anyone who has sat through endless hours of repetitive competition numbers knows there’s something exciting about a dance that makes good use of props. Props can augment a theme, create character, add technical difficulty, and hide flaws. Props are fun for students to use, add an element of interest for the audience, and open up creative possibilities for the choreographer.

On the other hand, props used poorly can detract from a performance. There’s no ignoring the dancer fumbling with a handheld item. Worse still is the prop carried onstage and then left to sit, barely used or completely ignored, for the dance’s entire three minutes.

Theater actors know that just like hitting a mark or singing in harmony, there’s an art to working with props—and it requires planning (right hand? left hand?), practice (5,6,7, open!), and lots of preparation (anyone have 10 identical old-fashioned hat boxes in their basement?). Here’s some simple advice on how to work with props like a pro.

Have a plan

You’ve spent hours considering songs, mulling over movement, sketching costumes in your mind’s eye, and coming up with concepts. Props require just as much attention. It’s as big a mistake to throw a prop in as an afterthought as it would be to switch your dancers from flat jazz shoes to character heels a week before the first competition.

Take time to think things out. How important is this prop? How much will it add to the overall impact of the dance? Will the dancers carry it the whole time? If they put it down, where will they put it?

It’s a good idea to mentally work through the entire piece with the prop in mind. If it’s something that might prove finicky—for example, a balloon on a string—it’s helpful to create the choreography while holding the prop yourself. That way you’ll know when it might get in the way or how it might react physically to certain steps. For example, can the dancers perform the on-the-floor sequence you want while holding onto a floating balloon?

Choreographing with the prop will help you avoid what I call “disappearing prop syndrome”—which is when a choreographer says, “You’ll be dancing with baskets here,” and then continues to show choreography without any further mention of props at all, leaving the dancers to ponder: Where did they go? Are they on the ground under our feet? Are we balancing them on our heads? When the baskets finally appear in rehearsals, it might be too late to figure out these sorts of things. And the result is never good—I’ve actually seen dancers reach the end of their “prop choreography” and just drop the now-unwanted items onto the stage.

A good rule of thumb is: if there isn’t an overwhelming reason to add props to a number, don’t. And if you do, think it through.

Perfect prop practice

As soon as you show your dancers the first step of choreography, get those props into their hands. It doesn’t matter if what they are holding is the actual item they will have onstage—until you’re done pasting the glitter on those canes or the parasols on backorder arrive, give the dancers a substitute.

If you don’t, it’s too easy for kids to forget they have something in their hands. And if they do forget, they’ll be thrown for a loop when the items show up. Use something that’s close to the shape, size, and weight of the actual item. You can usually mix and match stand-in props from items you find in your garage or basement. Or have the kids bring something from home.

Be clear about how and where they should hold the props. I worked with big, metal buckets once (and no, it wasn’t for “Hard Knock Life”). Sometimes I wanted the dancers to pick up the buckets by the handles with one hand. Other times I wanted both hands flush on either side of the bucket. It matters. Take the time to clarify and practice. 

Props can augment a theme, create character, add technical difficulty, and hide flaws.

Be sure to consider props an active element of the choreography. Don’t just have the dancers carry them—have them twirl them, spin them around, hide them behind the back, make them reappear. A pillow can be thrown in the air by one person and caught by a second, who slides it across the floor to a third, all while the dance continues.

In choreographing, I consider any costume articles that come on and off during the number as “props” and give them just as much attention. To do otherwise is to court disaster—if there’s one dancer struggling to get her arm in a sleeve, guess who’s getting the judges’ attention?

Make sense

Introducing a prop onstage means you’ve created a theatrical reality. That means props must be used in a realistic manner, just as that item would be used in real life. For example, you wouldn’t have your dancers tossing wine glasses at each other and then have them “drink” the wine. Audiences just don’t buy it.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with props. Fred Astaire created movie magic when he turned a hat rack into a dancing partner in Royal Wedding, and “Good Morning” from Singin’ in the Rain showed us endless imaginative uses for ordinary raincoats. But if you hot-glue coffee cups to trays, make sure your “waitresses” don’t carry the trays upside down. And remember—this theatrical reality extends from wing to wing. Keep up the illusion during entrances and exits.

Use it

My biggest peeve is when props prove unimportant: the framed picture that plays a big part in the song’s introduction is set down and forgotten; the newspapers that are used for the first four eights are chucked into the wings.

Throwing or kicking props into the wings is a no-no, the exception being if the action is part of the dance—for example, a girl who is falling out of love takes off her boyfriend’s shirt and “throws it away,” a symbolic gesture that fits into the storyline of the dance.

Still, props don’t have to be carried for an entire number. If your little dancer is doing a storybook song and you want her to begin by reading a book, make sure she returns somehow to the book at the end—even incorporating it into the final pose would be sufficient.

If you need the props to disappear partway through the dance, again, be creative. Make a line that stretches into a wing and hand the props from dancer to dancer, on the beat, until they disappear. Or have some dancers collect the items, and choreograph their exit (with props) and re-entrance (sans props).

Never have the dancers begin with a prop, set it down, dance without looking at it again, and then exit, leaving that prop sitting all by its lonesome. That’s just choreographic laziness. The exception, again, would be if leaving behind the prop completes the storyline.

My mantra—if it’s important enough to include, it’s important enough to use.

Plan for problems

In all my years of theater and dance, I’ve seen just about everything go wrong with props that possibly could. Things break, fly out of hands, get tangled in wigs, or roll into the orchestra pit.

Discuss what the dancers should do if the inevitable occurs. Should they pick up that dropped hat? How do they dance around an item that ends up in the wrong spot? What’s the rule of thumb for prop-related disasters? Don’t assume they know what to do or will be able to improvise on the fly. I once had a group of experienced dancers tell me they thought they were supposed to kick dropped props into the wings. I’ve seen a girl scoop up a dropped ribbon and try to throw it into the wings, only to have it land a miserable three inches away. So she tried again.

Whether the dancers should pick up a dropped item depends on the number. They can dance around most small items without much difficulty. Someone who scoops up an item in a crazy comedy number might not even be noticed, while the same action could disrupt the flow of a quiet lyrical piece. And by all means, if the dancer needs that umbrella to fill her spot in a Busby Berkeley–style stage picture, she should pick it up.

Work out contingency plans. Practice with things going wrong on purpose. See how the dancers react and discuss which actions would be most appropriate. Remind them that it isn’t the end of the world if everyone but one girl has a fan to flutter—the judges will applaud her effort if she just keeps going as if nothing is wrong.

And tell your dancers never, ever, to react to a dropped prop with an “oops” face.

Set pieces

All the same rules apply for set dressing items such as chairs, stairs, or tables. Why are they there? Are they really needed? I saw the most marvelous dance once in which the dancers expressed boredom by slumping on, over, and around an overstuffed easy chair. But far more common and much less marvelous is the dance in which the soloist starts perched on a chair but never uses it again.

If you decide to use large, stationary items (as opposed to background set pieces, which are not meant to be touched by the dancers), make sure they mesh with the feel and theme of the piece. As much care should be put into these choices as into costuming the dancers—it’s jarring and just plain wrong to do “Mein Herr,” set in 1931 Germany, with molded plastic chairs circa 1995.

A bad set piece is worse than none. Case in point: “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” with dancers hopping on and off an unadorned card table. Better: same song, perhaps with dancers’ legs dangling over the edge of the stage for a few seconds at the beginning or end. Or better yet, a song that doesn’t “sing about” a prop or setting.

Set pieces can be difficult to make and tricky to transport. Think things through before basing an entire dance on such items. I’ve learned to construct props that break down into smaller pieces so that all the items for an entire ensemble secretarial number—chairs, desks, phones, steno books, pencils, the works—fit into my midsized sedan. I made sure I could carry everything myself too, eliminating the need to find someone’s dad to hoist and lift.

Have fun

Props can be a blast, for both yourself and the kids. They can add another dimension to a dance by forcing the choreographer to think creatively about something other than steps. They can make a number memorable. With beginning or recreational dancers, props can disguise shaky technique or a limited movement vocabulary. With advanced dancers, props can add an element of sophistication or difficulty. Just be sure to handle with care.

Applications from up-and-coming choreographers between 18 and 25 are now being accepted for the 2013 edition of the Young Choreographer’s Festival.

The mission of the Young Choreographer’s Festival is to provide experience and resources to aid the young artists in the progression of their careers. The festival advisory board includes Michele Assaf, Sheila Barker, Rachel Bress, Maurice Brandon Curry, Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo, Andy Funk, Shelly Hutchinson, Jim Keith, Diane King, Laura Diffenderfer, Bill Prudich, Desmond Richardson, Faith Rein, Pascal Rekoert, Ryan Saab, Tracie Stanfield, and Kat Wildish.

Submission deadline is January 31, 2013. The work sample submitted may be in any genre of dance, either rehearsal or performance footage, and should be three to five minutes long. Choreographers will be judged on the quality of the work, not the quality of the video. Selected choreographers will present their piece at the festival next June 15 in New York City.

Questions should be addressed to info@youngchoreographersfestival.com. For more information, visit www.youngchoreographersfestival.com.

Coping With “Copy-ography”
It made No. 4 on TenduTV’s blog listing “APAP Preview: Ten Things the Dance Field Should Be Talking About in 2012,” and I’m sure it has been popping up in your conversations more and more. What is it? The issue of intellectual property rights, otherwise known to dance teachers as “Hey, that’s my choreography!”

This is a slippery subject, but one that is probably causing plenty of heartache and heartburn this competition season. It would seem that if an idea came out of your head, you would own that idea, but life today is rarely that simple. The professional world with all its contracts and lawyers still can’t figure out if Beyoncé really “stole” those steps from Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker when putting together her “Countdown” video.

It’s even worse for those of us in the dance studio trenches, where video cameras outnumber contracts 1,000 to 1. What prevents a teacher from using steps she picked up at a convention in her own dances and calling them her own? What stops Studio C from re-creating Studio D’s award-winning competition number from last season? Or, with more and more competitions streaming live, even stealing from this season?

Years ago I read a magazine article about a studio that did a number to “It’s Oh So Quiet” with the dancers as librarians. Eureka! Not even having seen it, I immediately imagined what it would look like: the funny moments, the choreography, how we’d use books and chairs and tables to build this crazy number. As tempted as I was (and believe me, you know those days when you’d kill for just one good brainstorm), I never did it, because, well, it was someone else’s idea.

Some people see nothing wrong with lifting ideas, songs, concept, even entire choreography sequences, from work they catch on YouTube, in competition, in recitals. One of my studio-owner friends calls it “copy-ography.” We chatted about it one night after lessons, and while in some industries a similar discussion might involve copyrights or compensation, we just decided the whole situation is very sad. I think I’ll stick to my own ideas, thank you, good or bad. —Karen White, Associate Editor

It’s a Team Effort
The musical The Wild Bride, performed by Cornwall, England–based Kneehigh Theatre Company at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, is a prime example of a collaborative process that works. The production is stunning, with a rustic set, emotionally driven dance numbers, and music that’s a blend of blues and Eastern European folk—nothing I’ve ever heard before.

Because I am interested in adapting literary works for the stage, without simply reiterating the text theatrically, I was intrigued by how in this production (adapted from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Handless Maiden”), word, set, movement, and score came together in a way that made a 150-plus-years-old story seem fresh, complex, and relevant.

In the program notes, Emma Rice, the show’s director and co-director of Kneehigh, reveals the troupe’s creative process. She works on sketches with the designer to create an environment for the story to live in and exchanges music that feels right to her with the musical director/composer, who then comes up with a “musical palette of melodies.” Amazingly, no script is created with the writer; instead poems, lyrics, and ideas are produced and a structure is mapped out in order to maintain an element of surprise. “The shared imagination is greater than any individual, so we begin the rehearsal by returning to the story,” Rice says. “We tell it to each other, scribble thoughts on huge pieces of paper, relate it to our own experience. We create characters, always looking to serve and subvert the story.”

So that is how a collaborative process that engages all the players fosters original, creative art. Regardless of the story that compels us to the stage, unique work often is not created alone. Sometimes you need others, and even your students, to help you scratch that itch. —Arisa White, Editorial Assistant

Words from the publisher

How do you decide which of your students get to participate in dance competitions? Your answer reveals a lot about your definition of winning and the reasons why you take your students to competitions.

Here’s a scenario: Dancer A hasn’t mastered four pirouettes, but she shows up for every class and rehearsal and works her butt off. Dancer B can do four pirouettes, but she misses a ton of classes, is always late, and usually arrives with a bad attitude. Do you treat these dancers equally?

Most of us probably don’t. And why not? Do you hold back the student who can’t do four pirouettes from competing because you, the teacher/choreographer, might receive a lower score if she’s in the piece? Do you overlook the missed classes and rehearsals of Dancer B because she is stronger and makes you look great at competition? And if so, are you basing your decisions about what you allow students to do on your own needs, not theirs? Do you just need to boost your own ego?

Some people would say that all of the dancers who dance together in a competition must be equally good, but that raises another question: what is the definition of good? Do we define it by the number of tricks a dancer can do, or might it also incorporate work ethic, passion, and commitment?

You might be wondering how you can factor in non-technique-related aspects without affecting the judges’ perception of your dancers’ skill (and your own). The answer is to create a piece that includes both the strongest and the most passionate dancers in such a way that the audience or the judges can’t tell the difference.

How do you do that? First, forget about the tricks. Instead be imaginative in your music, concept, and movement, and create interest by using formations, patterns, and artistic pictures. That way you don’t need an entire class to do four pirouettes. And why would you want to, when everyone else does that?

One thing I learned from my years as a competition director is that for most judges, a dance that’s unique, clean, and passionate trumps one that includes dozens of tricks. I believe that judges are hoping for pieces that are unique, and when they see them, they focus less on the technical aspects. Why? Because the choreography doesn’t show them all the tricks the dancers can’t do well. Instead, they get caught up on a journey that’s fresh, interesting, and expressive, and they don’t even think about what the dancers didn’t do.

Also, we could ask ourselves what winning is. Do you consider yourself a winner when you see your dancers’ passion and joy on the competition stage, even if their technique isn’t stellar? If the dancers are happy, their self-esteem is intact, and they love dance, are you a winner—even if they win a high gold instead of a super titanium medal? Yes, and yes.

And how about when one of those dancers gets into an Ivy League school because of the work ethic she developed in your classroom? That makes her a winner in the game of life, doesn’t it?

You and your students have plenty of potential to be winners. It just depends on how you define the word “win.”

and she’s going to want to count it

By Julie Holt Lucia

Do you know the popular children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond? How about If You Give a Moose a Muffin or If You Give a Pig a Pancake? These books tell tales that follow a slippery slope—one small thing always leads to another and before you know it, you hardly remember what started it all. Sounds like a familiar premise, doesn’t it? Yep, I thought so.

If you give a dance teacher some music, she’ll want to count it. In fact, even if she doesn’t want to count it, she will anyway, because that’s what dance teachers do.

Once she has the new music in hand, the dance teacher will hunker down at the studio (or in her car or at the computer), listening and counting and making notes about steps. Which means, naturally, after she counts the music she is going to want to choreograph. And if she wants to choreograph, that means she’ll need dancers.

But before she can choreograph, the dance teacher will have to hold auditions. And that means she’ll need to make an announcement. The announcement will cause one parent to complain that her kid can’t come and that it’s not fair that the audition is the same night as her soccer game. The dance teacher will reassure the parent that there will be other opportunities, even though she’s thinking that it’s not fair that someone scheduled a soccer game on the same night as auditions. 

During auditions, the dance teacher will ask the dancers to start the warm-up barefoot and then put their jazz shoes on. While the dancers are putting their jazz shoes on, one of them will find a cricket in her shoe, causing her to shriek and kick one leg out karate-style, flinging her arms up overhead. The other dancers will follow suit and scatter around the studio, away from the cricket, who will hop out the door to escape the chaos. 

All of the jumping and kicking and flinging will spark the dance teacher’s imagination, and so she’ll decide to make a new dance step out of it. She’ll call it “the crickick” and she’ll teach it to the dancers right then and there.

After learning the crickick, the dancers will wait nervously for the audition results, but the dance teacher will decide to put all of them in the piece—which will now, of course, include the crickick.

Since rehearsals are underway, the dance teacher will need to find somewhere for the group to perform. She’ll search and search and finally find a great-sounding arts festival in a nearby town and then play phone tag with the event organizer for two weeks. When they finally connect, the organizer will say that actually, they already have a dance school registered to perform and they can only allow one, so thanks anyway and buh-bye.

Since the festival is out, the dance teacher will be seething. She’ll keep calling around, looking for a performance opportunity, but she won’t find one. So she’ll decide to create her own. After the dancers have had enough rehearsals, she’ll videotape them and put it on YouTube so they can at least show their families and friends their new dance (and their new cool dance move).

After 24 hours on YouTube, the dance teacher will find out that it already has thousands of hits. Thousands turn into hundreds of thousands, which turn into nearly a million hits in just days. The crickick is becoming a phenomenon and the dancers are freaking out at their Internet celebrity.

In fact, the dancers will be so excited that during the next rehearsal one of them will faint when describing how she taught the crickick to the cutest boy in the school. The dance teacher will take the woozy dancer into the office to have her lie down and to call her mom, and while they are there, the phone will ring. The call will be from a producer of The Today Show, who will say he wants the dancers to appear as guests! As soon as the dance teacher hangs up, the phone will ring again, and it will be a producer from The Tonight Show with the same request! 

After she counts the music she is going to want to choreograph. And if she wants to choreograph, that means she’ll need dancers.

Soon the dancers will be on their way to New York to promote their video and the crickick. While in line to board the plane, the dance teacher will spot a familiar face. Then she’ll realize that it’s Susan Stroman, who will walk over to the group and say she recognizes them from YouTube. The dancers will tell her they are going to be on TV and will squeal with delight when Susan offers them tickets to a Broadway show—and the opportunity to perform the crickick on a Broadway stage!

When they arrive at the Broadway theater, the teacher and her students will be so awestruck that two of the dancers will collide while practicing onstage, and they’ll be so shaken up that they’ll need to rest. The dance teacher will take them into the house to watch the rest of rehearsal, and on their way to the seats, she’ll bump into a gentleman who will look at her funny and then ask if she is the dance teacher of the crickick girls. Then he’ll hand the dance teacher his business card. She’ll be so distracted that she’ll slip it into her pocket without looking at it and forget about it. 

At the airport, heading home, the teacher will reach into her pocket for her ID and the business card will fall onto the counter. The airline representative will snatch it up and ask if it’s trash, and after a moment’s hesitation, the dance teacher will say no and take it back.

 After the flight, the dance teacher will call the number on the business card. The gentleman will say he wants to visit her school and see the dancers in action. The dance teacher will be flattered, so she’ll say yes. When the man arrives, the dance teacher will have the dancers perform for him. After the show, the man will say that he is an investor who loves the arts and dancing and wants to support neighborhood dance schools, like the one the dance teacher runs. 

The dance teacher’s eyes will glaze over when the man says “support neighborhood dance schools,” and then they’ll pop open when he offers to buy her studio for a handsome sum—on the condition that she stay on board as an advisor and director. The dance teacher will be floored but excited. She will accept the offer and the dancers will all yelp and cheer and do the crickick. They’ll even get the investor to join in.

The investor will leave behind a token gift when he returns to New York. It will be a CD with 12 tracks of his favorite songs. The dance teacher will play it immediately. And once she hears the first song, you know what she’ll have to do . . .

When you create choreography for your students, be sure that you are creating a work of art featuring what your dancers do best. When dancers can’t execute the movement correctly, they might as well just stand on stage and shout out, “look at what I can’t do!” Have a great day–Rhee

By Debra Danese

Have you ever browsed YouTube and come across a video of your choreography? Or spotted an excerpt from one of your dance classes on Facebook? You didn’t post them and you didn’t authorize anyone else to do so. What can you do to keep your work from being distributed without your knowledge or consent?

Because of advances in technology, school owners and choreographers may find that keeping up with technology and ownership rights is increasingly challenging. I’ve faced this issue several times. Once, some parents posted dances from my student showcase on YouTube without seeking my consent as the choreographer. Another time, after I taught a master class, the school posted excerpts on its website and Facebook page. In both instances, I had made written and verbal requests that there be no video or photography taken.

So I sought the expertise of an intellectual property (IP) attorney for guidance. I learned that the person who owns the copyright for a piece of choreography has the right to exclude others from five activities. These include reproduction, distribution, public display, the preparation of derivative works, and public performances. If a choreographic work is fixed in a tangible medium (meaning it’s been recorded or notated), it qualifies for copyright protection.

Once I was more familiar with the terms of copyright material, I needed to establish if I was the author, the person who creates a copyrightable work, and the owner. The Copyright Act of 1976 explicitly states that works of authorship include choreographic works. However, an employer or commissioning party may be the owner if a piece of choreography is considered “work for hire.” This would be the case if it was created by an employee within the scope of employment by a studio owner. It is also applicable if the work is made by an independent contractor and there is a written agreement that states that the work is for hire and falls under one of nine statutory categories. (For more information on this, see copyright.gov.) For this reason, it is critical to have a contract to stipulate IP ownership.

If you are hired to create choreography and want to retain ownership of it, ask that it be stated in your contract that it is not a work for hire and that you retain all rights to the work. Other terms to address would be the rights the employer or whoever commissioned the work has to it and any limitations you set. For example, you can specify if the work is to be presented as part of a public performance and whether the other party can make and distribute videos of the performance. Include any conditions or limits regarding videotaping, future use of photographs, and future performances.

Once I was more familiar with the terms of copyright material, I needed to establish if I was the author, the person who creates a copyrightable work, and the owner.

You don’t need to hire a lawyer to draw up a contract; there just needs to be a “meeting of the minds.” You can find guidance regarding wording online.

Once you have taken measures to retain ownership of your choreography, what can you do if you believe the copyrights to your work have been infringed? In the area of digital and social media (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter), consider utilizing the take-down notice to website providers. For example, YouTube has a copyright center on its site that includes copyright infringement notification. Facebook also allows you to report claims of IP infringement.

As artists, we want to share our work with a broad audience while also maintaining control over how it is reproduced. As technology develops, we will continue to face issues regarding copyright. Understanding rights of ownership and how to uphold them is the first step toward protecting your creative work.

TEACHERS: Great choreography isn’t about emulating the latest trend or the award you may win. Greatness is present in the choreographer who has the ability to make every dancer look good (and feel confident) regardless of the skill level of the students. You accomplish this by creating works in which the audience can’t tell the difference between the strongest and the “not as strong” students because of your genius choreography. Have a great day–Rhee

The George Balanchine Foundation has expanded its archival video series, which documents detailed explanations of selected passages of Balanchine’s choreography, by seven new titles.

The videos feature excerpts from Davidsbündlertänze, Le Baiser de la Fée, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Ballo della Regina, Prodigal Son, “Emeralds” from Jewels, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, coached by dancers who originated or were major interpreters of these roles.

In a studio setting, the original dancers teach, coach, and discuss their parts with dancers of today. The overall goal of the Video Archives Program is to create an original “manuscript” of Balanchine’s ballets by preserving not only the steps, but the nuances of the choreography as Balanchine taught it to his original casts.

Coaches in the 2011 series include Merrill Ashley, Conrad Ludlow, Yvonne Mounsey, Mimi Paul, Helgi Tomasson, Violette Verdy, and Karin von Aroldingen. Participating are dancers from Los Angeles Ballet, New York City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.

The release of the seven new videos brings the series total to 35 videos. Edited masters are preserved in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and for a nominal fee, copies of these are made available to non-circulating research repositories. Currently some 70 libraries worldwide house the collection.

Nancy Reynolds, dance historian, writer, and the foundation’s director of research, conceived and continues to direct the program, assisted by independent filmmaker and film professor Virginia Brooks and Nichol Hlinka, a former New York City Ballet principal dancer.

For a complete list of videos shot to date and the facilities housing them, visit: www.balanchine.org/03/gbfvideoarchieves_videos.html.

Hi Rhee,
I have a hip-hop teacher who has become a huge asset to the school. He has created a hip-hop team that performs throughout the area, and he’s a good teacher who takes his responsibility seriously and is always trying to do the right thing for the kids.

Here’s the problem: a dad of one of the teenage boys on the team told me that he feels uncomfortable with his son taking lessons from this teacher. He says he knows the teacher is gay and he’s afraid that his son might think it’s OK to be gay if he continues to take lessons from this teacher. I know you’re probably thinking that I should have slapped the guy, but I think he really believes what he said.

My school is located in the Bible Belt. I have had several gay teachers and a few gay students pass through my doors, and no one has ever said anything to me. My belief is that diversity is what my school is all about, and I am proud of that.

I told this dad that I believe this teacher’s personal life has nothing to do with his capabilities and that children aren’t influenced by others to be gay but are predisposed to be that way. He seemed to understand, but it was obvious that he was very disturbed by the discussion. So I didn’t push it any further and told him that I hoped he would keep his son at my school. The child did show up for the next class.

What is strange about this situation is that I think this dad’s son is gay, and I am wondering if the father is looking for someplace to lay the blame. I’m not sure if I should say anything more or just leave it alone. Got any advice? —Freaked Out

Dear Freaked,
This is the first time I’ve received a letter like this, but this type of scenario could well be playing out all over the country in the minds of many fathers whose sons choose to dance. I do think you handled the situation the best way you could, and I wouldn’t bring it up again. The father is probably freaked out too and he might even feel like a fool for mentioning it.

If he does bring it up again, I would probably ask him to pull his son out of the school because I believe that dance and the other arts are not the place for prejudice or judgment about anyone’s sexuality, skin color, language, or beliefs. We all speak one common language that every dancer understands and that’s it; nothing else matters.

It could be uncomfortable for you, but I might bring this incident up to the hip-hop teacher so that he is aware of how this dad feels and can keep it in mind when he is working with the child. Since the father came to you about it, he has probably brought up the subject with his son. It’s better if everyone involved knows what’s going on.

It is hard for me to accept that some parents believe that if they keep their children away from those who are gay, their children will not become gay. Then our society ends up with young people who believe there is something wrong with them and that they will lose the respect and love of their parents if they follow what their heart tells them. And that’s how we end up with teenagers who commit suicide. Good luck with this. —Rhee

Hello Rhee,
I have a bit of a dilemma. I have owned and operated a dance studio for 25-plus years. My dancers have done well at competitions and in examinations and have done many performances in our community. I am struggling this year to create more award-winning choreography. I find that my students and parents seem to think that I can make it happen by myself. Any advice?
—Sondra

Hello Sondra,
If you mean that your students and their parents question your choreographic abilities, then you have let them become too involved in the process. Their exposure to the art of choreography is nowhere near your own level of expertise. Don’t let their inexperience or desire to be winners intimidate you. It may be time to stop asking them for their opinions and simply tell them how great you think your own work is.

If your students and parents believe in your abilities and you’ve lost confidence in yourself, just remember that you’ve done it before and you can do it again. It sounds like you just need some inspiration. Start to see every performance you can, including styles of dance that are outside of your current scope. I often find that I am more inspired by performances that are different from what I know or do.

Also, search on the Internet for videos of performances by professional dance companies or choreographers. I have a feeling that you will find lots of choreographic inspiration right on your computer. And browse the music websites, such as iTunes, for something totally different from what you typically choreograph to. I find good music in the New Age category and there are lots of cool versions of old favorites.

Explore new boundaries, both for yourself and your dancers, and the creative energy will begin to flow. Also, have confidence in the fact that you have been creative in the past and that you’ll get better every year. Enjoy the inspiration. —Rhee

Dear Rhee,
I’ve been teaching with as much passion as I can for close to 30 years, but now I am in my mid-50s and my body is starting to feel it. My knees, back, and hips are always cracking, and sometimes when I get home from the studio the pain is unbearable. I’m not sure if it’s because of the pain or just years of teaching, but I also think I’m starting to burn out. I now look back with amazement on the enthusiasm I had just a few years ago, because I don’t know how I did it.

I still want to be a part of dance teaching, but I think I want less of it in my life. It would be nice for my body to recover after a long day of teaching, which can’t happen when I have to work every day.

In the past I have contemplated selling my business, but I couldn’t imagine not seeing my students every day. That thought doesn’t scare me so much anymore. I think someone younger might be able to give my students more. Now my biggest worry is trying to figure out how to stay in the dance education field without having to teach all the time. What do teachers who are in my place do? —Sore Dancer

Dear Sore,
You are not alone. There are several thousand readers of Dance Studio Life who are reading this and saying to themselves, “I feel your pain,” literally. I am not in the classroom as much anymore, yet my knees, back, hips, and neck are always sore from the 35 or 40 years that I was either in class or teaching. It’s called wear-and-tear, and it happens to so many of us.

With your experience, you should be able to find yourself a teaching job that allows you to customize your hours to accommodate your body and your health. You could also consider selling your school to someone who would keep you on part-time.

Some dancers and teachers are afraid of what happens when the body or the brain gives out, but frankly I never understood the panic. I think the dance world has so many options for older dancers, everything from judging dance competitions to consulting with school owners who are new to the business. Your knowledge and experience are valuable; you just have to take the leap to the next phase of your dance career.

That’s not to say that making a big change isn’t going to be a tough process, filled with emotions and maybe some roadblocks, but the reality is that most change in our lives does turn out to be a good thing. Take it from a man who is an expert on finding all sorts of things that are fulfilling and keep me smack in the middle of the dance-education field.

It sounds like your body is telling you that it’s time for a change. Now you just have to get your mind to follow, and the possibilities will be endless. And read our “A Better You” column in each issue—it’s full of tips on how to keep yourself going. Good luck! —Rhee

Dance students at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, will have an opportunity to have their choreography critiqued by four nationally known choreographers during the college’s annual Choreographer’s Showcase on February 4.

The adjudicating choreographers will also offer master classes to dancers from around the region on February 5. Participating choreographers are:

• Sonya Tayeh, a choreographer for the last four seasons of So You Think You Can Dance. Tayeh has taught at Edge Performing Arts Center, the Millennium Dance Complex, and the Tayeh Dance Company in Los Angeles, specializing in contemporary funk and progressive contact.
• JaQuel Knight, the award-winning choreographer behind Beyoncé’s hit Single Ladies. He has worked on Britney Spears’ “Circus” tour, Hannah Montana: The Movie; and Beyoncé’s “I Am” tour.
• Joey Dowling, associate choreographer for the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit In the Heights, and So You Think You Can Dance choreographer. She has danced on Mariah Carey’s “Butterfly” world tour and has appeared on Broadway as Elaine in Sweet Charity, along with other television, movie, and Broadway productions.
• Maria Torres starred in the Broadway musical Swing! She trained Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams for the film Enchanted, as well as Raven Simone in College Road Trip. She appeared in and choreographed Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony in El Cantante, and has been a guest choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance.

The Dean College student choreographers work with their classmates to develop a performance that will be judged by the panel. The showcase performance on February 4 begins at 7:30 pm in the Multi Purpose Room in the Campus Center. Tickets are $15 for general admission.

Dean dancers and other dancers from the region can also take master classes with the four adjudicators on February 5. Registration is required. Information can be found at http://www.dean.edu/Academics/MasterClasses.cfm. Sign-in begins at 8:00 am, with classes beginning at 9:00 am. Registration for participants is $60 and includes lunch. Tickets for observers are $20 (lunch included). For more information, call 508.541.1606

Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre (SPDW) offers a program of diverse choreographic voices March 10 to 12 at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

Founded in 1997, Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre offers a repertoire of work from Chicago artists as well as choreographers from across the nation, with styles that incorporate classical and contemporary modern dance, jazz, and improvisational experimentation.

Scheduled pieces include Joanna Rosenthal’s Grey Noise, inspired by film noir; HIT by Minnesota choreographer and Black Label Movement artistic director Carl Flink; and To Have and To Hold, choreographed by Joanie Smith and Daniel Shapiro.

Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre performs March 10 to 12 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $26 to $30. The family-oriented FamilyDance Matinee on March 12 at 3:00 p.m. is a one-hour performance preceded by a free parent/child movement workshop with the artists at 2:15 p.m. Admission for children 12 and younger is free; tickets for adults are $15. For tickets, call 312.369.8330. For more information about SPDW, visit www.spdwdance.org.

By Carol Crawford Smith

Being a dance teacher requires almost constant creative thought, from teaching dance classes to dreaming up shows and performance opportunities for students. Where does all this creativity come from? Last summer I took a trip to New York City—an arts-and-culture mecca—to see if that would revive my spirit and jumpstart my creative juices.

My first stop was the Palace Theatre to see West Side Story. From the film, I recall Rita Moreno dancing exquisitely in a purple dress in “America,” but when I saw the musical onstage I could really absorb the intricate patterns and poses of Jerome Robbins’ choreography. I was certainly inspired by Robbins’ ability to tell a meaningful story in a dramatic musical—inspiration I intended to take back to my studio.

Before my trip, I had been questioning what to do with this year’s annual dance production. Now I know. I will turn a favorite bedtime story into a ballet and feature each of my children’s divisions. In years past, parents have responded well to the creative concept of telling a story through dance, and my dancers were always eager to learn which characters they would portray. In one show, Dancing in Oz, my youngest tap class danced “Hail and Thunder” before the tornado lifts Dorothy from her Kansas cornfield. It was fun but also a real creative challenge to choose costumes, find music, and choreograph based on a story line.

The next day, I found more inspiration in a ballet class at Joe Lanteri’s New York City Dance Alliance summer intensive. The teacher was my dear friend Katie Langan, chair of the dance department at our alma mater, Marymount Manhattan College. In the early ’90s, after successful dance careers—hers included dancing with Twyla Tharp—Katie and I were both committed to achieving undergraduate degrees. From the moment we met at Marymount, we supported each other as we navigated through a new terrain of textbooks, term papers, and final exams.

Though Katie and I danced with different companies, we share many of the same philosophies and approaches to teaching. In the NYCDA class she used a positive approach as she challenged students to remember the flow and placement of port de bras at the barre and then keep it up as they moved to center. One of my instructors was in the class, and I am certain she will take the best from Katie’s lesson and pass it on to the students at my school.

I was inspired by Robbins’ ability to tell a meaningful story in a dramatic musical—inspiration I intended to take back to my studio.

A day later, I was off to my ol’ stompin’ grounds—Dance Theatre of Harlem—where I visited with former colleagues who now serve in administrative positions. We laughed and reminisced but also shared our excitement over plans for the DTH Ensemble to visit my community in the spring. My students will see firsthand an entity of the arts organization that molded me as a dancer, and I hope the experience will inspire them to excel in class and performances. It might also motivate others to return to dance or to begin studying for the first time.

 My Big Apple excursion included a visit to The Ailey School, where I could sense a “desire to be the best” in the air. The facility, with 12 studios, an in-house theater, and physical therapy and exercise rooms, is a dance studio owner’s dream. I felt like I was in a Degas painting as “baby ballerinas” greeted each other and checked each other’s pink tights and tightly wrapped buns. The school’s co-director greeted students and parents in the halls, reinforcing my belief that a studio owner needs to know her customers individually. Parents and students should be recognized and appreciated, and all members of a studio family should be comfortable enough to communicate with each other about expectations and needs.

As my “inspirational adventure” came to a close, I attended outdoor performances of Wideman/Davis Dance and Complexions Contemporary Ballet as part of the Summer Stage program held at East River Park. It was time to sit back, relax, and enjoy other dance companies. There was absolutely nothing to critique or fix, and no need to take notes or fuss with costume changes. It was pure rejuvenation. All I had to do was exhale.

I encourage all teachers to take a similar trip. You’ll be glad you did, and your students will thrive in the refreshed energy you bring back to their lessons.