Thera-Band

“I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance.”

- George Balanchine

There are many ways a dancer can stretch out, exercise and warm up their bodies for a day or night of dancing. A great tool to use, that can lead to several benefits is the use of the Thera-Band, a dancer can use it to work a stretch, especially the glutes, rotators and core. The Thera-Band can be seen as a human size rubber band, it has a low to moderate resistance when using it to stretch the body at the barre.

To start stretching exercises using the Thera-Band one should first, have the dancers wrap the band around both calves, a good length above the ankle. In this position, the band should feel secure, with a moderate amount of resistance. The stretches should be done facing and holding the barre.

For the first exercise, plie in a comfortable second position. From there, lift the heels into a forced arch and then lower. Repeat this in three sets, doing ten raises, with a rest in between each set. Keep in mind the body alignment, the dancer should have a neutral pelvis, continuously bent knees, and engaged hip muscles, which include the glutes and rotators.

The next stretching exercise you can do with the Thera-Band are arabesque leg lifts. The dancer should begin with their feet in parallel. With tightened external rotators and core, have the dancer slowly extend one leg into a slight turned out 45-degree arabesque, then just lower the leg back into a parallel stance. This exercise should be done 10 times on the right leg, and then switch over to ten times on the left leg.

Finally the last exercise is completed by starting with the legs straight in parallel. In this exercise it is important that the dancer keep the core and glutes engaged, maintaining tension in the band. The exercise is performed by stepping one foot out about a foot, while bringing the opposite foot to meet it. Basically, side stepping across the barre for about 15 steps. Repeat this back with the flopped stepping pattern to return back to the original location. Also note, that as you bring the foot in to meet in a sixth position parallel, it should be moving slowly for best results.

These three exercise with the Thera-Band are super quick to do and show amazing results in strengthening your glutes, rotators and core. Always keep your muscles engaged, and take your time to execute the stretches properly.

~Julia

Disclaimer: These are all ideas taken from Kylee Kitchens’ morning routine from the Dance Magazine 2011 December edition.

 

Dance Dictionary: Allegro

“When the music changes, so does the dance.”

- African proverb

Allegro [a-lay-GROH; Italian: al-LAY-groh]

Allegro is the opposite of adage. In ballet terms, it means fast, lively movements and jumps. All steps of allegro are made on elevation for example; sautes, jetes, entrechat, cabriole, assemble and several others. The dancers must show smooth and light movements to correctly execute an allegro combination. With that, an allegro sequence uses fast tempo music, with choreography to match the speed.

~Julia Brewer

Cites: http://www.learntodance.com/online-ballet-dance-lessons/

Studio Switch

“How can we know the dancer from the dance?”

-William Butler Yeats

Dancers make a huge decision every year at the start of the season. Should they stay or should they go? Switching studios can be a sticky situation, I know it is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Having such close ties, and so much history with a studio, just to leave it to go somewhere else. I actually have experience in two varying studio switches. For some background, I began dancing when I was four at Cherie’s Dance Studio. Then when I was six my made the switch for me, and I dedicated a year of dance to Studio Dance. After that year I went back to Cherie’s until I was 17. Just this past year I made the tearing decision to follow a dance teacher from Cherie’s as she opened her own studio, also located in the same city as Studio Dance and Cherie’s Dance Studio. It was a hard thing for me to do, as I don’t believe in giving up on the studio that has taught you everything, to go to another where they take credibility for all of your accomplishments. Of course, now I have a modification of that idea and a sob, for what I had to do in order to make my switch.

Dancing at Cherie’s Dance Studio was basically the only life I knew. I only danced at Studio Dance for one year, and I was very young. I grew up at Cherie’s it is where I made my best friends, found my love of dance, and was taught everything I know. I began as a part of the Cherie’s Competition Team when I was ten years old. When I was eleven my class got to work with Jen, our studio’s most prestigious choreographer, that was a privilege to work with, considering how young we were. It is where our class relationship began with Jen, as she gave us an award winning jazz routine, which received everything at every competition we competed at. From then on she was our teacher for numerous other dances.

I now dance under Jen, and with the breakout studio, Extensions Dance Academy. I travelled from Cherie’s to Extensions with Jen. She was my teacher before for six years, and I went with her so I could continue receiving the award winning choreography, and to grow in my technique that was not progressing as quickly as it should have been at my age. The decision to leave Cherie’s was one of the most difficult choices I have ever had to make, but a choice of mine it was. It took me many months to decide what I wanted to. I contemplated, due to the strong ties I held at Cherie’s and the family aspect I associated with the studio. Ultimately, my whole group left and I didn’t want to be in a junior group at Cherie’s which was all that would have been left for me. There were also new relationships forming among the staff that made dance uncomfortable and overwhelming. I felt that Jen could help me focus more on my dancing, and offer me more opportunities, but what I maybe liked most was that I already knew her, how she operated and how my group operated, since it was remaining the same just under a new name. I give Jen a lot of credit for making me the dancer I am today.

On the other hand there are dancers who are recognizably studio hoppers. Going from place to place constantly, just for the individual. This is a harsh place to put a dancer, because they don’t usually learn to work well with a group, as they are only there for their selves, which is important, but dances are not always going to be a solo. A moral disadvantage to studio hopping is that you learn all of your dance background from a studio, just to up and leave them. Yes, it's great for the studio that gets to inherit your talent, but you are leaving what your original studio made you into. It's hurtful to the original business, because there intentions for molding you to be a great dancer, was for the intention of the dancer to represent their brand, not leave to falsely advertise another. In my situation I was branded by Cherie's, but also by Jen, which is why I feel I am a reliable representation, but I also hold some bad morals for all Cherie's taught me.

Dance is a harsh industry, brands and relationships get switched around, feelings get hurt and studios lose and inherit new dancers frequently. It's important to note that a dancer should always remember who they represent, some a lot, some a few based on who they have trained under. Dance cannot always be a solo show, you must stay cautious of others around you because working with others is a skill you need to carry on your life.

~Julia

 

Dance Dictionary: Adagio

“Dancing is silent poetry.”

- Simonides

Adage, Adagio [French: a-DAHZH]

Adage means “slow, sustained” movement and has two meanings in Ballet:

1st meaning: A series of movements following the centre practice, consisting of slow and graceful movements which may be simple or complex, performed with as much fluidity and ease as possible. This helps the dancer build strength and control as the movements are slow. The steps may include attitude, arabesque, développé, grande rond de jambe, and plié, and others.

2nd meaning: The opening section of the classical pas de deux, in which the ballerina is partnered by a male partner. Together they perform slow movements in which the male partner lifts, supports or carries the lady. The lady dancer will usually perform développés, pirouettes, arabesques and more.

~Julia Brewer

Cite: http://www.learntodance.com/online-ballet-dance-lessons/

Love of Dance

“To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.”

- Jane Austen

Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day, as I spent it dancing away at my studio in preparation for first competition of the season. Dancing has been my life for the past 14 years of my life. From a young age I danced aimlessly, without a though or care. I danced simply because it brought me joy and happiness. I will dance when I am happy, emotional, inspired or excited. It doesn’t matter my mood, I will always be dancing, because it is my most favorite thing to do. It’s crazy how an after school activity turns into hours of your weekly schedule dedicated to the art. It shows true passion and desire to want to keep going, and work on improvement, despite a hectic schedule and other experiences. In the end I have found it is all worth it all by the feelings dance brings me. After every meeting, practice, rehearsal, performance, competition I fall in love all over again. Being on stage is not the only highlight, its being around the dancer who share the same of love of dance with you its working with choreographers who inspire you to love dance more than ever before, it’s the little girls outside the door waiting for you to finish and catch your glance that makes the love grow stronger and stronger by each eight count. Dance has become my first love, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I only hope to share that love with those around me. I indeed have becoming so fond of dancing, that with every; leap, turn, reach, extension and step I fall deeper, and deeper in love. If you are ever feeling forever alone, especially on the celebration day of love, just chase deep within you passion and find something that can keep a smile on your face, because that is a great kind of love.

~Julia Brewer

Do It for the Duet

"Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals."

- Charles Baudelaire

There are many categories to choose from in a dance competition, those being; solos, duets, trios, small groups, large groups, lines and productions. I have experience in all of these, however I was only exposed to a duet partnership last year. Competing a duet is a hard tackle. It takes a great deal of time in effort to perfect the connection and synchronization in a rehearsal.

Last year I started the first duet of my life with my good friend Lily Hartney, who is a freshman this year on dance team with me. She has a lot of talent, is a very hard worker and shares my love of dance. We wanted to do a duet together despite the apparent height difference. We thought it to be a good pairing, because we both are flexible, and we would be able to intricate lifts, due to her smallness. At the time I was sixteen, and Lily was thirteen. We found a song that matched our scenario very well, falling head over heels for the Pink's "Conversations with My 13 Year Old Self." The song gave situation of an adult trying to reconnect with her past when she was thirteen, wishing she could have someone to look out for her. She didn't have anyone to help her, but herself. The story we told was of Lily being the thirteen year old, and myself being her older version, reconnecting to the past and giving Lily a guiding hand. Another unique aspect on our duet is that we learned it in one, one hour rehearsal. It was choreographed by Paige Beatty and Mallory Asplund splendidly, they created it together, making the learning process go double as fast. Mallory created all of my choreography and Paige made all of Lily's. The duet really tested us, because it was new to us both, focus on connection, synchronization and rehearsal is what really benefitted us in the long run, because the duet was moving, and did very well at every competition.

There has to be a noticeable connection in a duet, because there are only two people on the stage you can't just connect to the audience, you have to be able to connect with one another. Likewise, you can't rely on a group to show the story for you, you have to have feeling and emotion with your partner to tell a story, or create art for the audience. In jazz dances you need to share a common energy, working off of each other. Same in lyrical based dance, lots of feeling should be involved, it should feel as though there is an attachment and yearning to be with that person. Sometimes, duets are told with different characters in that situation you need to make a connection with yourself as a character and work that into the interaction of your duet partner's character. Facials and body language towards your duet partner will have a more noticeable effect on the dance overall, it takes work, but if you already have a connection with your partner it will make it just that much easier.

Synchronization is vital in the placement of a duet. Practicing with your partner frequently with the music is going to be obvious to the outcome of your duet. If you are to match timing with your partner, you better have a 100% understanding on when that is in relation to both each other and in the music. Practicing together full out with the music all  of  the time is also highly recommended, this gives a better idea of spacing and timing in general when you two actually perform on stage together. Due to only two people sharing the stage in a duet, difference in synchronization is crucial, it will be clear whether one of you is slow, or fast, if someone did one less turn, or if you don't make your jump on the boom. Take out the “ifs” and work on them with your partner and music full out on a frequent basis.

Keeping up on rehearsals is important overall, it will show dramatically on stage, and will feel so beneficial in the end. Take the time to go through every small detail, mastering it together whether it's technical, timing, or feeling. Work together to create a masterful piece of art on the stage, it shouldn’t be about outshining, or out dancing your duet partner. It's about working with them to make the dance come to life, even with so few people on the stage.

  ~Julia

Hips Don't Lie

“There is only the dance.”

-T. S. Eliot

Turnout should always come from the hip, if it doesn’t it can lead to the foundations of incorrect technique and joint problems. No matter how high the kick, if turn out is not extended straight from the hip, it can lead to major dance injuries. This said, dance takes a huge toll on a dancer’s hips. Common injuries include; “labral tears, snapping hip, and various forms of tendonitis” stated by Dr. Peter Lavine an orthopedic surgeon whom treated The Washington Ballet Dancers in 2011.

Forceful turnout has been proven to result in these hip problems. The everyday pressure for better turnout can just as easily cause these problems as a bad fall. This is, “because of the extreme range of motion, the labrum can get pinched between the ball and socket of the hip joint,” says Patrick McCulloh the orthopedic surgeon for The Houston Ballet. A labrum tear is feelings of sharp pain in the hip or groin region, causing stiffness and a limited range of motion, possibly relatable to a locking sensation. Recovery for a labrum tear usually takes wees to months to heal, after assistance from anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, and in extremely serious cases arthroscopic therapy.

Snapping hip occurs when a tendon or muscle passes over a bone. McCulloh has found there are two types of snapping hip; external and internal. External is when your IT band rubs against your trochanter too tight. Internal is where the iliopsoas tendon rubs against the hip’s front. Pain is more tolerated in snapping hip, most noticed by the snapping feeling it makes out from the hip bone. Snapping hip only becomes dangerous if it develops tendonitis, which can be healed by stretching out the internal and external joints with a roller.

Yes, hip injuries are extremely painful, but they are preventable. Efforts to prevent hip injuries is getting a healthy amount of calcium in your diet, developing an equal amount of strength in both hips (some dancers take Pilates class to this, because it helps gain better hip flexibility), and as mentioned earlier, using a roller. Strengthening of the abdominals, and pelvic area is crucial to prevent injuries in dancer’s hips. Strangely enough sea salt in your food is actually super healthy for your joints, due to the minerals it contains from coming from the waters. Hips are an asset to a dancer, take good care of them.

~Julia

Note: Many ideas and information is taken from Nancy Wozny’s article “From the Hip” in Dance Magazine’s 2011 December issue.

Record on the Record

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

-George Eliot

Video recording is a great way to strengthen your dancing. It points flaws in positioning and movement that can be further improved on, giving the dancer a better representation on how they are seen dancing among others. It’s also very beneficial, because you can go back at a later time to see your critiques, and videotaping on a phone also gives you the opportunity to record in slow motion, and go back and watch in breakdown sequences, taking screenshot of specific moments that need work or are already mastered.

If a dancer is doing a quick across the floor sequence it would be highly valuable for them to record themselves in slow motion, so they can see their exact form of preparation when they transfer that combination to a piece of choreography. Again, this would help because it can point out both the strengths and weaknesses of the dancer’s skill.

Videotaping should also always be used in short term choreography rehearsals such as a solo, duet or trio. This is extremely helpful when attempting to remember specific timing details, or notes that the choreographer wants you to keep in mind when performing the piece. It’s important when rehearsing to be positive that you are doing it correct, because usually non group numbers will be taught in a hurry, with minimal time, because it’s expected the dancer will just go back to recount on what the choreographer wants. You can also go back at a later time if the choreography has been away from you for a while since the last rehearsal.

Recording is a very useful tool for dancers and should be used more often than it is, it is beneficial for hearing critiques the instructor is yelling out, to see form of motion during skills, remembering choreography and understanding the strengths and weaknesses you hold as a dancer. From the recordings you can work for improvement, learn new things about your movement and hear the corrections you may have lost from the day it was recorded. Keep your recordings on record to keep strengthening your dancing.

~Julia Brewer

 

 

Much Poms

“In a dancer, there is a reverence for such forgotten things as the miracle of the small beautiful bones and their delicate strength.”

-Martha Graham

The dominant style of dance for high school and college dance teams to perform is pom. Pom is highly competitive and fuses elements of hip-hop and jazz by the collaboration and use of poms. Poms help create dynamic visuals, interesting arm motions, and add something extra to formation changes. It’s important when executing pom skills that they are done crisp and tight, and sharp and clean. Pom moves have to be hit with power and purpose, otherwise they will result in sloppy form and the dance will not match among the team. I have more information on the style of pom in a previous post.

Poms are obviously a major asset to a dance team, because they are what make a pom dance a true pom dance. It sounds silly, but at UDA camp you perform pom dances, but not with poms, and it doesn’t give you nearly the same effect in terms of visuals and placement. I would of course suggest that whenever you are practicing a pom routine or choreographing a pom dance, to use poms. To feaster pom you have to be comfortable with using them while dancing, it can take adjustment.

There are many types of poms that teams use. Some use one straight color, one assigned color to each and mixed colored poms. Some are heavy, sparkly, large, neon, small, plain, fluffy or light. It varies team to team. It’s very typical to have a practice set of poms and a performance set as well, due to the fact that they can get ruffled up and dull. Single colored poms usually do not stand out, nor do they give much visual variety to arm movement as two separate colored poms would. Medium sized poms in my opinion are the best way to go, you don’t want them to be so small that they look dinky, but you also don’t want them to be overwhelming large, and fluffy that it is difficult to effectively execute skills. Having brighter colors is also important because you want arm transitions to stand out and look more creative, and that is more noticeable when the poms have pigment of color and some shine to them.

Poms are a very important note to have when choreographing and performing a pom dance. They help translate the creativity of visuals and use of arm transitions within the dance to both the audience and the judges. They should stand out and help the team pop on stage. When using poms you have to keep a tight end on pom technique, to be sure all skills are executed seamlessly.

~Julia Brewer