The Ballet Dieties

These dancers are the reason I do what I do, all I aspire to, and why I love ballet so much….

Svetlana Zakharova

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Margot Fonteyn

Vaslav Nijinsky

Anna Pavlova

Rudolf Nureyev

Darcey Bussell

Are those snowflakes I see?

The Nutcracker is one of the most iconic shows of the holiday season, and is performed thousands of times all over the world every year. This is the first time in 23 years I am not performing in the Nutcracker, and I must admit it’s bittersweet. I have at one point or other probably done every female role in the ballet, and hearing the music while out at the mall or watching TV during the holidays brings back a flood of wonderful memories. I wanted to share the Waltz of the Snowflakes as performed by the Bolshoi Ballet. Enjoy!

A great new opportunity for students

I recently found out Peridance Capezio Center in New York City is launching a new pre-professional Certificate Program for serious dance students ages 17 to 28. It is more than a scheduled array of open classes. It basically works as an accelerated four-semester conservatory program to give students the skills and professionalism a dance career requires.

Students can choose a ballet/modern track, which resembles most dance conservatory programs, or a commercial track, for those pursuing a career in commercial dance or musical theater. The program requires a minimum of three classes per day, or 60 classes per month. Each student’s schedule is tailored to address their individual needs. All dancers get performance opportunities, conditioning, physical therapy, discounted or free Peridance workshops, master classes, studio space and personal mentoring from Peridance’s faculty. Find out more at http://www.peridance.com, and learn about other post–high school training options on DanceU101.com.

Jaw-dropping much?

So by now you’ve all figured out that I seriously idolize Svetlana Zhakarova of the Bolshoi Ballet. She is one of the most mesmerizing dancers of all time in my opinion and seeing her perform in Swan Lake at a very young age made me want to be a ballerina. Here’s another one of my favorite solos of all time – the Grand Pas Classique from Paquita. Watching it makes me miss my days as a prima!

The Secrets of Russian Pas De Deux

After posting that article yesterday, I came across a video series on YouTube titled “The Secrets of Russian Pas de Deux” on DanceChannel TV. Featuring a former male Bolshoi principle dancer, these films are tutorial-style break downs of common pas de deux partnering steps. Considering pirouettes were always my own personal partnering vice, I decided to share this segment.

Partnering Protocol

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I am working on the Swan Lake Black Swan pas de deux with two students for performance in our holiday show. As many of you know, partnering takes technique to the next level, and requires a distinct maturity and level of trust between dancers. So how do you begin teaching two high school students to trust each other enough to make art? Julie Diana of the Pennsylvania Ballet offers great perspective on how to begin teaching partnering to ballet students in this article from December’s issue of Dance Teacher Magazine.

Theory & Practice: Partnering Protocol

By Julie Diana

Help students get past the awkwardness and start working together.

In a partnering class at the School of American Ballet, Jock Soto teaches his students a lift that requires the boys to lift their female partners by the underarms. Some boys do it correctly, but others hesitate. Seeing this, Soto appeals to their sense of humor: “I’m sure these girls are clean,” he jokes. “So put your hands right in her armpits.” When the giggles subside, the class tries the lift again. This time every boy has the correct hand placement.

Teaching partnering can be complicated. In a class that requires all kinds of touching, students might feel awkward and unsure about physical boundaries. But teachers can ease that tension by emphasizing respect, sensitivity and humor. The following advice will allow you to help your students get past the awkwardness and start working together to develop fruitful partnerships.

First Touches

At first, students may feel nervous or shy because they’re not used to their bodies being in such close proximity. To help them get over this initial fear, teachers can begin the class with exercises that involve little or no physical contact.

Diane Arvanites, a modern dance teacher at the Walnut Hill School, starts with a series of non-touching exercises in which the students mirror each other’s movements. Then they maintain very limited skin contact (touching only the palms of their hands, for example). Eventually the students lean on one another, exchanging weight. By that time, Arvanites says, “They are over the weirdness. They’ve realizedthat physicality is not always a personal thing.”

Similarly, Soto has his students gaze into each other’s eyes for 16 counts or hold hands and simply walk across the studio. William DeGregory, director of Pennsylvania Ballet II, suggests working from the extremities inward, starting class with hand and arm promenades before the boys hold the girls by their midsections. From there, “I have the girl stand on pointe in passé,” DeGregory says, “while the boy leans her forward, back, side to side, to feel her balance. It puts the focus on the process, rather than the touching.”

Setting Boundaries

Partnering should never feel invasive. While students are generally shy about  touching, tending to err on the side of caution, some may take advantage of close physicality in inappropriate ways. Teachers should address this issue at the start of class or at suitable times throughout the lesson to establish a respectful working environment.

For Soto, every step is an opportunity to talk logistics: “At the beginning of each combination, I make sure to tell the boys where to lift—on the waist, under the shoulder blades, on the hip.” With pirouettes, Soto admits that things can be a little tricky: “The girl is usually afraid she’s going to knee him in the crotch. I tell the boys that if they’re close to her, that’s going to happen—make sure you’re not in her way.” But sometimes hands do slip accidentally. Encouraging students to have a sense of humor helps them to better handle these kinds of situations.

In modern partnering, which can be more intimate and physical than ballet partner work, Arvanites discusses with her class the importance of having respect for someone else’s personal boundaries.“Of course,” she says, “you wouldn’t allow a student to touch another student in a personal area. But eventually, even that area becomes a part of the body that’s not personal. It just takes a while.”Once students have developed a level of trust with their partners, you can introduce steps that involve generally “off-limits” areas like the buttocks and groin—shoulder sits and torch lifts, for example. But these lifts should be reserved for advanced students who already understand the difference between what is necessary touching and what is not.

Pairing Up

When students select their own partners, they naturally gravitate toward friends. But this process can make class even more stressful for those who are left out. Instead, DeGregory insists that every boy dance with every girl. “That means there’s always a different energy,” he says. “And shy students won’t feel like they have to break into a social clique.”

Students vary in height and strength, however, and not all partnerships will be natural physical matches. Show your students ways to compensate for these differences. A short boy, for example, can hold a taller girl by her wrists or forearms instead of trying to take her by the hands. The girl can help, too, by bending her elbows to shorten her arms. Strength issues are trickier, since strength usually comes with experience. DeGregory suggests that when a boy is having a problem lifting a girl, you might ask him to “do a simple mid-level lift, so he can work on establishing strength.” To prevent injury or embarrassment, avoid asking younger students to do full presses or other complicated lifts altogether.

What changes if the pairings are girl/girl or boy/boy? A lot, says Arvanites. “Over the years,” she says, “I’ve found that girls are relatively comfortable dancing with each other; boys are not. It doesn’t matter what their sexual orientation is. Girl/boy pairings tend to be most comfortable because that’s the socially accepted norm of contact.”

Yet all couples in partnering class, regardless of gender, face the same challenge: getting over fear so that they can effectively support each other. “When students can look at their bodies as professional tools, as instruments, they’ll see that the physicality of partnering is not personal,” Arvanites says. “It’s about responsibility for the other person.” DT

It’s getting chilly….

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! The weather is getting quite cold – I find myself wearing at least three layers to rehearsals and classes these days – so I decided to share some of my favorite cold weather dancewear items from discountdance.com – enjoy!

Bloch Lightweight Shrug - I have had one of these for a few years and love that I can still see the lines of my arms and shoulders and keep warm at the same time! Only $16.20

Bloch Tights with Rollover Waist - A good pair of knit tights is essential to staying warm and work great on their own or over other tights - $25.50

Mirella Rollover Warm Up Shorts - Never underestimate a good pair of knit shorts! Great for warm or cold weather - $18.75

Mirella Warm Up Jumpsuit - Although it's pricier, I wouldn't trade my own long sleeve jumpsuit for anything! It's the best thing over or under other layers when you can't seem to get those muscles warmed up - $54.40

 

Body Wrappers Stirrup Legwarmer - for only $7.95, these thigh-high legwarmers are a MUST HAVE! I wear mine almost daily

Sansha Bright Stirrup Legwarmers - for those who like bright colors, these are an even better bargain for $6.20

Reminescing about my favorite table

An iconic Joffery Ballet creation, The Green Table was one I got to perform many times, and is one of the more creative and thought provoking pieces of the century. This video is only part one, but the rest can be found on YouTube if you are interested in seeing the entire work.

The Art of Teaching Ballet

I decided to spend the holiday weekend cleaning out closets and bookshelves in my apartment, and came across one of my favorite ballet teaching books this morning. The Art of Teaching Ballet is comprised of interviews with ten exceptional teachers. They represent different artistic lineages, each have distinctive classroom techniques, and structure a range of varying exercises. Each segment is very is stimulating, combining philosophical discussion and stories with sample classroom exercises.

Buy it here on Amazon

Sparkle for the holidays

I cannot believe the holidays are here already! I have finally finished up my choreography for our studio’s holiday show and wanted to share the costumes I found for my advanced pointe class on discountdance.com because they are adorable! As I mentioned before, I decided to mix up my choreography a little bit this year and create a pointe/jazz hybrid dance, so this draped sequin tunic in bright red was the absolutely perfect thing – and at a great price!