Maria’s little dancers have experienced their share of tragedy lately. She shares her experiences and how she helped her young ones cope, plus some resources to help you help your students if or when tragedy strikes.
Add “the Cranes Dance” To Your Summer Reading List
March 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Gwen and Kate are sisters in the same ballet company. Gwen has left New York to be with her family in Michigan and a palpable, angry silence has developed between she and her sister, Kate. “the Crane Dance” an upcoming novel by Meg Howrey follows their personal and professional struggles with “flair, wit and honesty,” says our guest reviewer. Put this one on your summer reading list!
More Than A Prop: Object As Performer
January 23, 2012 by 3 Comments
Sarah Dahnke is a New York dancer and choreographer who frequently incorporates props in her work. She shares a spectacular exercise to generate movement and use objects as part of the process as well as details about her latest project, Object as Performer.
What The Ailey School’s Melanie Person Knew When She Was Twelve
December 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Co-Director of The Ailey School, Co-Chair of The Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. program, and former Dance Theatre of Harlem ballerina, Melanie Person answers ten questions: on leg extension, encouraging ballet students, what studios could do to better prepare students for college, and what she knew when she was twelve.
What’s Not To Love About A Pink Walrus?
October 22, 2011 by 1 Comment
Take little dancers on a Ballet Adventure with Liz Vacco. Her Petite Feet DVD presents developmentally appropriate ballet concepts and vocabulary with imaginative stories and imagery and original songs. The set and a friendly Walrus have Yo Gabba Gabba charm but there are more reasons kids, parents, and teachers will love this new DVD for young dancers.
Talking Fusion, SYTYCD, and Futures with Dwight Rhoden
October 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Nichelle interviews Dwight Rhoden whose company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, which he co-founded with dancer Desmond Richardson is performing in Houston. We talk about the future of dance, the fusion of dance forms, and his work in commercial (namely So You Think You Can Dance) and concert dance, including the works Rise, set to selections by U2, and Richardson’s solo CLICK.
Brand Spotlight: Capezio and their Tap Shoes
October 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Which is the right tap shoe for you? TAPography columnist, Tristan Bruns wants to help you decide. With this brief history of the Capezio brand and its tap shoes, he launches a series of posts which will include his personal, non-sponsored tap shoe reviews from major shoemakers.
Dance Training in New York vs. Los Angeles
July 16, 2011 by 6 Comments
If you were looking to train professionally in modern dance and wanted to relocate to the big city, would you choose Los Angeles or New York? With a little help from a friend who knows both cities well we compare the dance personalities of each and discuss the importance of setting goals to get you where you want to go.
My First-Time YAGP Experience
April 6, 2011 by 16 Comments
Alison thought the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition was only for dancers who were one step shy of becoming a professional, not for girls like herself who were serious about training, but with so much left to learn. Little did she know she was about to experience YAGP firsthand and share the preparation, expectations, and emotions of the event with you.
Chloe Arnold’s ‘My Life, My Diary, My Dance’
April 5, 2011 by 1 Comment
Chloe Arnold is confident in her life’s journey, as is evident in her one woman show, “My Life, My Diary, My Dance”. Through entries of Chloe’s ‘diary’ we come to understand the relationships and circumstances that developed her into the powerhouse performer that she is today. While the style and flow of the evening was uniquely Chloe Arnold, she makes it very clear that this show is not just about her. In this article Chloe Arnold speaks with columnist Tristan Bruns on tap, her influences, and new directions in this review and interview.
Sunday Snapshot: Ballerina Lounging in Central Park
April 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The dancer in this photo, Julia dances with Houston Repertoire Ballet. The photo is one in a series Melissa took while on a trip to New York City. After watching American Ballet Theatre’s dress rehearsal for Swan Lake along side Ethan Steifel and Jared Matthews, the girls were inspired to dance (naturally), and Melissa suggested they head to Central Park.
Insight Into ABT’s National Training Curriculum
September 1, 2010 by 22 Comments
Deb describes her own productive and exhilarating summer adventures as a participant in American Ballet Theater’s National Training Curriculum program in wonderful detail. “The Training is organized as week-long intensives; candidates are asked to obtain certification in Primary Level through Level 3 of the curriculum before being allowed to continue certification in Levels 4 and 5, and then 6, 7, and Partnering (taught as two separate intensives).”
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