Practice | Dance Advantage

An Old Guy Does Ballet

April 15, 2013 by Guest Contributors 13 Comments

After taking ballet for the first time, 50+ partner dancer, Andrew has observations to share about recognizing serious dancers, the importance of ballet, pas de deux, and being ready to adapt.

Filed Under: Blog, Dancing, Practice Tagged With: 50+, adult ballet, adult dancers, age of a dancer, ballroom dancer, core truth, dance over 50, dance skills, importance of ballet, life after dance, little death, male adult ballet, martial arts, mature dancers, over-50, partner dance, partner dancing, swing dance, tango, universal truth, waltz

Ten Tips for Adult Newbies Who Aren’t New to Ballet

April 3, 2013 by Guest Contributors 18 Comments

The elbows of dancers as they place their arms in front of their bodies.

Adult ballet dancers, newbies or not, enter a whole new world when they begin taking classes. There’s a lot more to learn than movements. Here are 10 takeaways from an adult beginner who has been where you are.

Filed Under: Blog, Dancing, Featured, Practice Tagged With: adult, adult ballet, adult beginner in ballet, adult category, adult dancers, advice for adult dancers, are you an adult beginner, ballet again as an adult, dance attire for adults, danced as a child, not new to ballet, starting ballet as an adult, starting over in ballet, taking adult dance classes

Tap Shoe Review: Capezio’s Boy’s Tapster

January 24, 2013 by Tristan Bruns 2 Comments

Tristan tears apart the Capezio Tapster for an in-depth review of the this beginner shoe for boys. What’s inside might surprise you!

Filed Under: Blog, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing, Featured, Practice, Tap Tagged With: American Ballet Theatre tap shoes, beginner tap shoes, capezio, capezio tap shoes, capezio tapster, dance shoes at payless, inside a tap shoe, Payless, shank, shoe construction, tap dance, tap rivets, tap screws, tap shoe review, tap shoe reviews, tap shoes for beginners, tap shoes for boys, tapster

A Floor Barre DVD For Barre-Lovers

December 13, 2012 by Guest Contributors 8 Comments

Stephane Dalle's introduction of The Boris Kniaseff FLOOR BARRE METHOD.

If you love ballet barre work or value what barre does for you, this DVD series may be for you. Lorry discusses the few negatives and many positives of The Boris Kniaseff Floor Barre Method as presented by Stéphane Dalle in his beginner level DVD.

Filed Under: Blog, Dancing, Practice, Technique Tagged With: barre on the floor, barre work, boris kniaseff, dance dvds, dvd series, dvds for dance teachers, DVDs for dancers, floor barre, floor barre dvd, gift ideas for dancers, instructional dvds, lying on the floor, Pilates, practice at home, rent dance DVDs, stephane dalle, yoga

Do Great Choreographers Have To Be Great Dancers?

September 28, 2012 by Nichelle (admin) 6 Comments

Should someone whose goal is to become a choreographer work just as hard at becoming a better dancer? I have a few thoughts on the matter but I invite you to add your own, share what it means to be a great choreographer, and name a few so-so dancers turned choreographers. .

Filed Under: Blog, Choreographing, Dancing, Featured, Practice Tagged With: average talent, becoming a choreographer, behind the scenes, defining greatness, famous choreographers, great choreographers, Mia Michaels, production of dance, reader questions, reader response, recognition, rewards, role reversal, strengths and weaknesses, what it takes to become a choreographer

The Fit Dancer: Get off the couch for back-to-dance bootcamp!

September 6, 2012 by Lauren Warnecke Leave a Comment

Back-to-school time is upon us, and with the freshly sharpened pencils and crisp wide-ruled paper also come the frightening anticipation of returning to dance. While most studios offer some sort of summer intensive and many dancers go away to professional intensives, chances are many young dancers spend a good chunk of summer putting in serious [...]

Filed Under: Blog, Dancing, Health and Wellness, Practice, Training Tagged With: advice, aqua, aquatic fitness, back to school, ballet, bootcamp, cross-training, dance, fitness, fitness for dancers, health, my dance homework, Pilates, the body, The Fit Dancer, yoga, yogalates, young dancers, zumba

Use What You’ve Got On Hand: Towel Exercises To Strengthen Feet

August 28, 2012 by Guest Contributors 3 Comments

Author and dancer, Nikki White shares foot strengthening exercises that are useful for any dancer but especially for students who are preparing for pointe work. She also talks about “pointing with your whole body”. Watch the video and tell us what you think!

Filed Under: Ballet/Pointe, Blog, Dance Styles, Dancing, Practice, Technique Tagged With: ankle flexibility, ankle strength, articulating the feet, ballet feet exercises, En pointe, extrinsic muscles, feet strengthening, flex the toes, foot articulation, foot exercises, foot muscles, foot strength, intrinsic muscles, metatarsals, point your foot, pointe prep, preparing for pointe work, pronating, pronation, proprioceptive muscles, sickling, strengthening feet, strengthening for pointe, strengthening the feet, strong feet, strong feet for ballet, supporting foot, tarsus, toe scrunching, towel exercises, towel scrunching, video

How Leon Got His Groove Back (and how you can, too)

March 14, 2012 by Nichelle (admin) 5 Comments

IMAGE A couple dance the waltz dressed in formal wear for competition IMAGE

As a ballroom instructor and competitor, Leon is no stranger to burnout. Sometimes getting to class or continuing with training can feel like a chore. When he needs a boost of inspiration, he uses these 5 strategies to re-energize and look forward to dancing and training again.

Filed Under: Blog, Dancing, Practice Tagged With: ballroom dance, bored with dance, burnout, enliven, feeling uninspired, get your groove back, how to re-energize your dancing, how to stay inspired to dance, inspired to dance, instructional videos, preventing burnout, quitting dance, re-energize, re-inspire, refresh, renew, stay inspired, stuck in a rut

Protecting Your Toesies For Pointe

January 5, 2012 by Lauren Warnecke 13 Comments

Toe padding for pointe shoes is a controversial subject. Every dancer has an opinion. Lauren has tried nearly everything and wants to help you form your own.

Filed Under: Ballet/Pointe, Blog, Dance Bag, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing, Featured, Health and Wellness, Practice Tagged With: avoid blisters, ballet shoes, benefits of pointe shoe padding, breathe, dancer's foot, dancer's toes, dancing on pointe, En pointe, feel the floor, gel pads, lambs wool, ouch pouch, padding for toe shoes, plastic, poine shoe guidelines, pointe dancing, pointe shoe fitting, pointe shoe gear, pointe shoe padding, pointe shoe padding options, pointe shoe products, silicone, teaching pointe, toe pads, toe protection, toe shoe, toe shoe padding, which are best

Tap Classic: Jimmy Slyde and his Signature Sliding

November 6, 2011 by Tristan Bruns 2 Comments

Sliding has long been a popular tap step. The novelty of the slide comes from the illusion that the floor has somehow developed a slick surface, giving the impression that the dancer is off balance and could fall at any minute. Discover how it’s done, view classic footage, and learn about the men who made the step famous.

Filed Under: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing, History of Dance, Practice, Tap, Terminology Tagged With: classic tap steps, contributions to tap, dance history, Dr. Jimmy Slyde, famous tap steps, flash step, gliding, Jimmy Slyde, novelty tap step, old videos, Raymond Winfield, signature tap step, Sir Slyde, slide, sliding, sliding feet, Slyde Brothers, tap dance history, tap moves, tap tricks, Tip Tap and Toe, video, what is sliding, who is Jimmy Slyde

What a Candy Cane Can Teach About The Virtues of a Dancer

October 17, 2011 by Guest Contributors Leave a Comment

IMAGE A candy cane's tabletop reflection forms a heart. IMAGE

Young ballet dancers gain integral qualities that lead to success, not only in dance, but in life. Guest and School of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Director, Melanie Doskocil describes for readers two occasions when it was clear her students had discovered important life lessons – ones that will carry them far toward a successful future.

Filed Under: Blog, Career, Dancing, Featured, Practice Tagged With: adversity, Ballet's Un-X-pected Lesson Files, candy cane, career, constructive criticism, constructive feedback, corrections, dance teaches about life, dancer virtues, dignity, do I have what it takes, grace, handling rejection, how to become a ballerina, how to become a dancer, lessons from dance, life lessons, life skills, Nutcracker, obstacles, pre-professionals, qualities of a dancer, rejection, successful at ballet, successful dancers, taking corrections, unexpected lessons, what I learned, young dancers

Celebrating Successes With A Dance Journal

July 26, 2011 by Nichelle (admin) 3 Comments

Dance teacher, Nants Foley created a special 70-page book for her students. Called A Dancer’s Steps it includes space for recording class work and progress as well as content like checklists, quotes, ballet vocabulary, foot care, and more. She has published the journal and workbook, making them available beyond her own dance school so we talk with Nants about the book and how she encourages journal-writing in her own ballet classes.