I've been home for 2 months - now what? Student Edition!

"It's just for a week. Or two. That's it. A couple of weeks."

"They'll fly by! It will be April before we know it and then we'll be back in the studio and dancing with our friends."

And then it was April and we realized, uh-oh, this is going to be much longer than 2 weeks...

Courtesy Denise Krebs, CC Lic

As dancers, we discovered the joy of connecting with other dancers around the world, of taking classes with French teachers and Russian ballerinas, of trying hip-hop and contemporary and Zumba and yoga. Look at all these classes online! Look at all the dancers in their kitchens! Look at all the--

Oops! Look out for the lamp! And the dog!

It was fun for a month or so as we adjusted to a new way of training at home. We built our home studios and we set aside quiet time for ourselves (if we could) and closed the door (if we could) and tried to put our minds back into the studio while our bodies were stuffed into a corner of a living room or perched on the chair in the kitchen nook.

And then reality set in. Oh we thought we were in a new reality but this was the real reality. The reality that we weren't with our friends and our teachers; we weren't getting corrections like we were used to getting; we weren't really training.

We were just...trying really really hard to not kick the dog or smack our hand on the lamp. (I personally have done both many times.)

This way back to reality by Jennifer, cc lic

So right around the 2 month mark, true frustration has set in. Enough of the experimentation with all things new and different! Give us the same old stuff!

We might be in this place for a while longer, depending on where you live. You might go back to your work place but the dance studio will still be closed, which means you're in your home studio for a bit longer. Okay...let's be honest about what you can work on at home. Here is some advice I have for you, as both the teacher who wants to see you mentally healthy and physically able to get back to the regular class and the student who is also stuck at home.

First of all, focus on one thing at a time. Consider each class in your home as an opportunity to work on a step or an arm or a head, etc. You won't have this chance again in the future, unless you do private lessons.

Some things you could focus on:

1. Balance - practice flat or releve, with foot in cou de pied or retire or attitude

2. Stability - practice promenade in any position; developpe; shifting from fourth position to retire as in a pirouette en dehors

3. Port de bras - practice moving through the space and feeling the 3-dimensionality of your hand and fingers tracing the arc in the air

4. Epaulement - practice tilting the head, opening the chest, lifting the sternum and collarbones, rotating the shoulder

5. Calf strength - releves on one leg with the barre and without, use your Theraband with releves in first position

Second, use the rewind button - a lot. If you're not doing a live class, go ahead and hit the back button on a particularly challenging step or a complex combination. Watch it over and over again, study the teacher, and copy it as best you can. When will you ever be able to do that in real life?

Hint: learn new vocabulary by watching a more advanced class and studying the steps and hearing the words.

Third, spend this time to work on muscle memory. Most likely you don't have a kitchen with mirrors so you are doing this on your own. Take this time to feel the movement and get it into your body.

Hint: if you have a small portable mirror, place it somewhere that you can see to check a correct position and then feel what that looks like in your body.

Fourth, practice choreography. This sounds impossible, I know. You're at home with very little room and no mirrors. How can you possibly practice choreography? I would argue this is the perfect time to do it. We rely so much on mirrors and other people that sometimes we don't even pay attention, let alone learn the choreography. So why not use this opportunity to focus on picking things up?

How do you do that? The number one thing to know about learning choreography is that it's different for every person. When I was studying pedagogy in college, the most valuable thing I learned was about how people learn. Some dancers need music, some need to see the combination. Some need the names of the steps or the counts. Do you know how you learn best? Well, why not find out now!

Some hints:

1. Repetition

2. Break a combination up into small chunks

3. Say the names of the steps

4. Count out the music

5. Listen to the music

6. Video yourself doing the combination and then watch it!

Fifth, cross-train.

~Do you have a pool? Swimming builds shoulder and back muscles and increases stamina.

~Do you enjoy walking or running? Put on your sneakers and walk or jog a few times a week for cardio benefits and leg strength.

~Is your town open to hiking? Enjoy nature while you're climbing a hill.

~Yoga and Pilates mat classes are also online and a great way to work in parallel and build core muscles.

~Lift weights if you have them or use objects that can simulate weights.

~Ride a bike, stationary or an actual bike.

Sixth, read. That's right: read. There are a ton of great dance books out there, both fiction and non-fiction (contact me if you need some titles or visit Dance Advantage for my reviews). If you're just not feeling the love of ballet right now because it's just too darn hard to negotiate for space in your home or you're finding it hard to be motivated, you might enjoy reading something that will inspire you or comfort you or educate you. Learn new vocabulary or dance history; check out a memoir of a famous or not-so-famous dancer. Study up on the big ballets and their composers - or choreographers - or costume designers.

Don't despair. We'll get through this.

Whatever you do, know that you are not alone.

As with all social media, what we see may not be what is.

Other dancers may appear to be doing ALL THE THINGS but they're not.

Or maybe they are.

But what does that matter? You are you.

And we are dancers.

Help! I'm having trouble picking up choreography!

Spring recitals and shows are upon us which means many students are going to be on stage soon in pretty costumes and pink tights. They will be expected to perform for their family and friends and strangers under hot lights and on a surface that is unfamiliar. They will also not have any mirrors to look at - so no peeking at other dancers when they forget what they are doing.

 Help!

The first thing to remember about learning choreography is that it takes practice. Not just the actual piece you are learning but also practice in general. Every class you take has choreography and attending consistently helps train the brain and body to pick things up quickly. We often do similar sequences of steps so that can help too.

One thing I like to do is to reverse combinations, whether for my students or for myself. In this way, I really get my brain and body attuned to what a step is: where do I go with pas de chat, which positions am I really in on glissade, what exactly is temps de fleche?

Breaking a step down into its components like that in order to reverse them singes the image on my brain and helps me stamp it with a bit more permanence than if I simply did it in sequence.

Remember that there is a difference between the reversal of a step and the opposite of a step.

--Example: Reversing a glissade jete over means doing glissade jete under and the foot will land in sur le coup de pied devant (in front of the ankle and in fondu, naturally).

--Example: Doing the opposite of a entrechat quatre would mean doing royalle.

Another thing to challenge yourself with is to go first in a group across the floor. Now, don't go if you have no idea what you are doing! The teacher and other students won't appreciate that. However, if you usually go in the second group - or the third or fourth - step up and go with the first group. Volunteer if you are not placed in the group so the teacher sees you want to try.

By going with the first group, you force yourself to pick up the choreography more quickly because you will have that much less time in which to prepare for it.

As a teacher, I sometimes don't allow much "marking" time during a combination for this very reason. I want students to push themselves to pick up the steps. Sometimes dancers ask so many questions that they prevent themselves from trying things. For brand new dancers or for brand new vocabulary, yes, I will take more time but students who require everything to be "spoon fed" to them do their brains a disservice. They are not challenging themselves to figure it out. And that challenge often sears the step into their heads.

Hope this helps! Happy dancing~

From Page to Stage!

It feels like it's been a million years since I wrote the opening lines to my novel, Sweet Sorrow:

The whisper blew a chill across her cheek. It tickled her eyelashes and curled around the delicate pink shell of her ear. The voice of her beloved echoed in her head, calling her name, and despite her best efforts to reach out to him, her body remained stubbornly rigid.

And now it's a ballet and Nancy Evans Dance Theatre will be putting on the first half of it in less than two weeks! I can hardly believe how far it's come and how beautiful it's shaping up to be, even in its more grotesque moments (remember, there are zombies!).

When you write a novel, you have no idea where it will end up: in a bookstore or online, most likely, or just stuck on your hard drive. It's unlikely you think it will be a ballet! Except that's how it all began, with a phrase I used in my ballet class about six years ago. Costumes, lighting, bottles of potions and even a crypt! Who could have guessed when I tossed a short but intense adagio into a Halloween ballet class that it would evolve the way it has?

The most exciting part for me has been to see how excited other people get when they talk about it or hear about it. Dancers have been overwhelmingly positive; friends and family have been extraordinarily supportive; and I've had the luxury of collaborating with Nancy and her dancers, who have shared their gifts with me as I develop the story.

For the next week and a half, I'm not going to plug the show relentlessly nor will I bombard people with emails entreating them to SEE THE SHOW! And DONATE IF YOU CAN! lol...beyond today, of course. 

Here's the link to the crowdfunding campaign. This is the last week of it, just a few more days. If you can donate, that's awesome. If you can share the link, that's awesome too. As you can see we've raised 1/3 of the funds, which is still amazing - and we thank every single person who has donated or shared. You are all fantastic people and I wish/hope that you can also see the show come to fruition!
  

My first time collaborating with a professional company!

Beautiful dancers, teachers, choreographers and dance aficionados~

I'm so excited for the show with Nancy Evans Dance Theater this weekend (January 31 and February 1). A 9 minute section of my zombie ballet will be shown as part of the Friends/Family/Dance/Festival. It's a work-in-progress but I'm really thrilled at how good it looks already.

I wrote an article about collaborating with Nancy and her dancers at Dance Advantage. I interviewed Nancy herself about her work and working with outside choreographers and offered up my own list of helpful hints when you're working with other people. Here is a link to the article:

How To Work Well With Others

If you'd like to see the show this weekend, just go to Nancy's website to order tickets. And if you come on Sunday (which is Super Bowl Sunday, who knew?), simply say "What Bowl?" at the door and you'll get $5 off your ticket - for the Sunday matinee only.

Get show tickets here. Happy dancing!

Upcoming event: Friends/Family/Dance/Festival with NEDT

At the end of this month, Nancy Evans Dance Theatre, a modern dance company based in Pasadena, California, will be hosting its semi-annual festival which is always a lot of fun. They are an exciting, young and vibrant company, generously including top-notch talent in their programs. Before I ever had the opportunity to work with them, I loved attending their shows. They have a wonderful mix of humor and gravitas and they are master storytellers.

That, in fact, is one of the primary reasons I approached them about collaborating with me on my Sweet Sorrow zombie ballet. Nancy and her dancers are intelligent and thoughtful and they bring experience and their own ideas to a project, specifically their characters. I knew they would be ideal to work with. So as much as I say I'm setting the ballet on them, I'm actually collaborating with them. In the nearly four months I've been working with them, I have never once heard anyone say they couldn't do something. They try everything I ask and if my ideas don't work the way I thought they would, they are quick to help fix the problem. They don't impose their will on my material or me; rather, they seek ways to make my ideas come to fruition in the best way possible.

So mark your calendars for Saturday, January 31 and Sunday, February 1, Porticos Art Space in Pasadena. You can see a tremendous program - remarkable work from Nancy herself and other talented contemporary and modern dance companies. And you'll see 2 pieces from my zombie ballet: a group work titled Infection and a pas de deux titled Plague Pit. I'm so excited for people to see them! They are still works-in-progress but I'm thrilled about how they're developing.

More information can be found at Nancy's website: www.nancyevansdancetheatre.com

Is it Nutcracker time again?

Doesn't it seem like we just danced to Waltz of the Flowers?  No?  Seems like it to me!  A year has passed so swiftly....!

As lots of studios and schools tackle the annual winter show, whether it's Nutcracker or something else entirely, both dancers and choreographers struggle with the steps.  Teachers and choreographers usually have little time to teach the material to dancers, who in turn must be able to process and memorize in an instant.  More follows from week to week.  In the case of smaller schools with smaller bodies of dancers, there is the added pressure of multiple roles within a show.  Most dancers do not have the luxury of spending several months learning one piece and most choreographers do not have the luxury of a full-time cast.

It can be frustrating on both sides but I want to offer some tips to students and teachers at this time of the year, just to ease the tension that inevitably builds as you get closer to performance.

Dancers:
1. Attend technique classes regularly.  Stay on top of your pointe work, your pirouettes, your allegro.  This is not the time to skimp on classes.  Confidence comes from knowing you are technically in control.  Also, consistent class attendance gives you the opportunity to practice picking up choreography and learning spatial awareness for the stage.

2. Be focused during rehearsals.  When a section is being taught to another group, do not check your iPhone.  Do not chat with your friends.  Do not rest.  Pay attention to what is being taught because you may be asked to do it, repeat it, reverse it, etc.

3. Let go of the ego.  Some of the dancers in your group will be better than you, faster than you, pick things up more quickly than you.  Get over it.  You were chosen for the piece too.  You all have a reason for being there. But if you get yourself worked up over your skills or whatever, you will lose the thread of the choreography.  Instead, GET TO CLASS!

4. Be prepared. This means get your shoes and tights ordered in advance, homework done, schedule cleared.  If you know you cannot make a rehearsal, tell the choreographer well in advance!  Do not rely on a friend to tell him or her you won't be there.  Better yet: don't miss rehearsal.

5. Don't talk back in rehearsal.  Having a problem picking up a step? Work on it at home or in class.  Talk to the choreographer outside of rehearsal only when you absolutely cannot do something.  DO NOT challenge the choreographer during rehearsal.  It is rude and disrespectful- and time-consuming.  And it will guarantee you will be replaced.

Choreographers:
1. Manage your expectations.  You will rarely, if ever, see your work performed exactly the way you imagine it in your head.  Get over it.  Do the best with what you have and understand that the essence of the piece, its meaning and subtext, can still be achieved even if the steps are not what you had in mind.

2. Simplify whenever possible.  While it's tempting to give dancers challenging material, if they are not pros, they may freeze up when they get on stage.

3. Encourage your dancers. Let them know when they are doing something well so they will not always hear negativity from you.  You want them to enjoy themselves in rehearsal so they will learn to project it on stage.

4. Videotape rehearsals and send to the dancers for between-rehearsal practice.  Not only does it give you a record of what you did from week to week, but it also can help them remember what they need to work on. Also, since they are in the middle of the piece, they may not understand how it all fits together. Looking at it on video gives them a wider perspective.

On Nichelle's Dance Advantage website, David Alonzo Jones writes about how he helps his students pick up choreography in class.  I think both dancers and teachers can benefit from reading this.  Thanks, Nichelle!

Happy dancing!  Happy Nutcracker~

Fun Friday Ballet!

I don't know why I wasn't aware of this video until now!  But thanks to my student, Wilma, who sent it to me, I can share it with you.  It's a super cool video with some gorgeous dancers and a rockin' beat (do the kids say "rockin" these days?) and it was choreographed by a local artist named Josie Walsh who works with lots of wonderful companies as well as her own. And bonus! It was shot at my friend John Pennington's studio, ARC Pasadena, where we performed Zombie Ballet and Alice in Wonderland.

Brise vole!

New class coming in February!

I’m so excited to be adding a brand new class to my schedule, this one at Dance Arts Academy on Wednesdays at 11AM.  A little bit later for you (and me!) who need some extra time in the mornings to get going.  But it ends at 12:30, which to me still says morning.  I chose the time because I think people want to finish earlier and have the rest of the afternoon to do whatever it is they need to do. 

It will be an Intermediate level ballet class for adults and for older teens as well.  Very similar to the class I offer at DAA on Monday mornings at 9:30AM.  The only difference is that I will be devoting the last 15 minutes of the class to something special.  Perhaps it will be original choreography or some contemporary ballet phrases that I want to work on (did someone say Zombie Ballet?), or maybe it’s stretching and core fitness (pushups and sit-ups, anyone?).  All I know is that I want to give the class a fun and exciting twist!

I hope you’ll put it on your schedule too!

What: Intermediate Ballet

Where: Dance Arts Academy, 731 So. La Brea, LA

When: Wednesdays, 11AM-12:30PM

Cost: $15/class (discount available with a class card)

Begins February 1st!  Happy dancing~

(And stay tuned for the next post when I discuss how the Pirouette Workshop went!)

With the change of seasons comes a season of change

How philosophical, lol!! I happen to love Fall, no matter where I am (and contrary to public opinion, we do have our own version of Fall in Los Angeles!). But typically, this season brings changes for people's lives, good and bad. This post is sort of a catch-all as I reflect on some changes in my life...yes, good and bad.

First of all, of course, is studio stuff. Melissa Waters, my partner in crime (!), has moved back to Florida to be with her family and while I'm happy for her, this does mean some changes for me and the other teachers (and students!). On Mondays, I will take on her pointe class from 6-6:30PM and on Fridays, I will take over the teen open ballet class from 5-6:30PM.

Susie and I will also be doing Nutcracker without her and that is a loss of great talent and creativity. Melissa kept us on our toes (no ballet pun intended!) and she did so much with the girls of the company. We will do our best to do another great show but it will be tough without her.

Then there is change among my own teachers. One of my very favorite teachers, Patrick Frantz, has canceled a class I took with him on Saturdays which makes me sad. Not only did I get tremendous feedback from him about my own technique, I also got inspired as a teacher whenever I took class. I saw the nuanced corrections he would make with a student and that would give me ideas for my own students.

On the plus side, though, I'm excited about choreographing my Zombie Ballet for ArtNight in Pasadena (more on that as it develops) for my teen and adult students. I find that, as I age, I love choreographing much more. When I was younger, I think I used to want to perform or my expectations of my dancers would be so astronomically high that it was frustrating for me. Now, I love seeing my students develop and take on roles, making them their own. It challenges me and my creativity.

Another happy moment for me is my new yoga class with Susie at the studio. She introduced me to yoga this summer and now I'm really looking forward to continuing it this Fall.

Overall, I think everything will balance out. Good, bad, it will all be fine in the end. Things are cyclical, as my husband reminds me, and somehow they will work out. I may experience negative things for a while but that will only force me to make positive changes.

Happy dancing~