Floating Floors

“Dancing is the world's favorite metaphor.”

- Kristy Nilsson

I attend the new studio of Extensions Dance Academy in Cedar Rapids. At the studio we have two dance studios that contain Harlequin floors, and one room with wooden floors that are used for tap. This is my first year on the new floors, and although it took some adjustment I have learned to love them all they are doing to help my body.

Here is an excerpt from my studios website http://www.extensionsdanceacademy.com/about/our-facility/

Dance is a very physical activity that can put a lot of stress on the bones and joints. Most dance footwear provides very little, if any, cushioning or support, so the shock of dance movement can place a lot of pressure on the knees and back of a dancer. The best way to prevent against potential injury is by choosing a studio with a professional “floating floor”. A floating floor is a dance floor that rests on a system of high-density foam, to absorb the shock of landing. A high-density foam base is superior to a “sprung” floor, which usually consists of a wood structure built on a regular floor. The top layer of the dance floor is also important. A vinyl and rubber composite “harlequin” floor is accepted as the best surface layer for recreational to professional dance. Facilities such as the Joffrey Ballet of New York and Chicago, American Ballet Theater of New York, and Riverdance are just a few of the many professional dance organizations that use harlequin floors as their dance surface. A harlequin floor will protect your child from slips and falls as well as overuse injuries and muscle fatigue.

This floor has proven benefits to me as I have previous knee pain and injuries from dancing on concrete and gym floors for dance team. I feel less pain than I usually would and for that I am grateful. I believe that the outcomes from this floor are so beneficial and should be spread to all dance studios, to give relief to dancer’s body, they will not be young forever.

~Julia Brewer

School Dances for a Dancer

“I try to dress classy and dance cheesy.”

-Psy

School dances are a lot different than any other type of dance style recognized by a competitive or professional dancer. My experience of school dances is held at the high school level, with narrow knowledge as I have only attended four of my high school dances, with most of my understanding coming from the fall Homecoming dance held each year at my school. Let me tell you high school dances are not just your average fist bumping middle school parties, they are an all-out rave.

These high school dances resemble a mass huddle of people surrounding the DJ, moving together to the beat of the music in a hot, sweaty and condensed area. When you flash back to the moment, it can make you feel uncomfortable, because in that moment you were sweating with exhaust, hair falling out and next to all your peers that you are going to see at school in two days acting like absolutely nothing odd happened, because, well everyone was doing it. Administration is walking through the crowds of teenagers making sure everyone is being “appropriate” and respecting each other’s bodies.

The music is loud and the room is dark, with the exception of the DJ’s light show that matches the music. Vibes can be killed to the high school students when the songs they would rather listen to are interrupted by the chicken dance, Macarena, YMCA, cha cha slide, and sometimes the frustration of too many slow songs. Why is that high school students only feel comfortable dancing to crazy, loud, popular songs?

School dances look like a mass gathering of people all on each other like they are attacking a football during the most important game of the season. The upperclassmen gather nearer to the DJ, while the underclassman head for the back unsure for what they are about to be exposed to. By the end you can typically find all grades bumping and grinding with each other. Recounting what it looks like is a prickly subject, so I’m going to move on.

The scent you receive by the end of the night is absolutely horrid. As I mentioned everyone is sweating profusely, releasing extreme amounts of body odor in one area that is not enjoyable for anyone. It doesn’t help that the area is usually in a gym, therefore when a massive student body is contained in it, it gets very humid and hot, extremely quickly. Guys are most typically wearing pants and long shirts, which results in them becoming quite stinky, and girls tend to get hot all the time anyway, so it’s just a sweaty mess of body odor across the whole gym, being transferred to everyone in the clutter of people. Please put on your deodorant people!

School dances can be what you least anticipate as a freshman, but become fairly expectant as you become more accustomed to them. Although the sight, smell, feel, and sound may be uncomfortable, they are fun and I hope that all high school students take the opportunity to attend at least one of their high school dances, whether they are known as a blast or bust.

~Julia Brewer

Turning Like A Top

“Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn.”

-Terri Guillemets

Turns can be a struggle if you are attempting to do them on an unfamiliar surface. Typically a studio contains all the same flooring, therefore you become accustomed to that surface for turns, and when attempting to turn on anything other than it, your turning capabilities seem to differentiate. In order for a dancer to have their turns under control, they must learn to adjust to any surface and still contain consistent turns.

Turning can differ by surface, for example, you may be used to turning on wood, so when you try to turn on Marley it is more difficult, and uses more of a push, because Marley is a stickier surface than wood. Gym floors all differ tremendously, and can also be struggle some. If the gym recently had wresting mats down, the floor is more neutral, not super sticky, but also not too slick. If the gym floor was recently used by volleyball or basketball it tends to be stickier, and in need of a greater push to get rotations around. Finally if the gym floor was just swept and cleaned it will be very slippery and turns may not have much control. A dancer has to know their floor to enable them to turn like a top.

There are always tricks to get better turns, no matter the surface, a dancer can train their body to turn anywhere. It takes practice and several attempts, but it's learning what positioning your body needs to be in for the best results. A trick that I have learned is applied to the dance shoe, and that is either water or deodorant. If the floor is too sticky for your liking, it's easier to make your turns more slippery by applying deodorant under your turning shoe and then rubbing the shoes together, transferring some deodorant to the opposite shoe while leaving the majority on the turning foot. The other application can be used on the use of floors that are overly slippery. The option for a slick floor is to use water to tighten up the turn, or I know gross, but licking your hand and putting it on the shoe. It's a little bit gross, but if need be in a hurry it is very efficient. The last option that can be applied to a dance shoe to make it stickier is spraying perfume on the bottom. It pulls the shoe’s bottom together tighter, and makes the turn seem fresher as if the shoe is brand new.

Some stages are just too slippery and not ready to be performed on by dancers who are going to be doing a mass amount of turns. In order to take away the chances of a slip some directors may take cola bottles and pour them across the floor. It’s reliable on making the floor less slippery, but don’t take my word on the mess, stink, cost it may result in.

Keep turning like a top and practice on various dance floor surfaces to build up your muscles and releve in order to perform on any floor. It takes a lot of work, but you can use some of these sneaky tips and tricks to help you along the way.

~Julia Brewer

 

 

 

 

Steps To Use A Snap Bun Maker

“On the highest peak of the heavens, angels glanced at the sky and saw a glimpse of a gateway to a world of artists whose guardians were dancers.”

-Shah Asad Rizvi

 

Step 1- Buy the snap bun maker

You obviously have to purchase the snap bun maker to create the snap bun hairstyle. They are available at dance retailers online, Claire’s, studios and some drug stores. The brand I use is from the company Hairagami.

Step 2- Slick hair back into a ponytail

Use either hairspray or hair gel to click back a tightly secured ponytail on your head. Using hairspray or hair gel helps in reducing fly aways, giving a professional look to the bun when it is finished.

Step 3- Use the snap bun maker to create the bun

First split it in half so that one side covers the back of the ponytail and the other side covers the front of the ponytail. Be sure the middle part between the snaps is not twisted, if it is twisted than the bun will not snap in a direction after the hair is gathered. Next, take both ends and slide it down your ponytail. It is easiest to go the farthest down, but not too far to the point that layers are falling out. Finally you need to roll the bun maker in a circular motion, coming toward the top of your ponytail. Note that if you roll it upwards the bun will clasp in the back, and if you roll it downward it will clasp in the front. Either method works to create the bun, however I prefer rolling it upward so that if it isn’t created perfectly, it is more messy in the back than in the front, and easier to fix.

Step 4- Pull the bun tight

Once you make the bun the back of the bun maker will still be exposed. To complete the whole bun you have to take from the front corner bun and pull it a motion that moves it to the back of then bun. This makes the bun look fuller and not sparse in the back.

Step 5- Secure bun to the head

To secure the bun to the head you need to use bobby pins. Open the bobby pins and split them between the fly away hair and hair on head, push them inward so that the open part is inside of the bun. Also use hairspray to keep fly aways around the hair line and bun contained. Some dancers also use one last ponytail around the bun to make sure it does not wiggle on tricks or turns.

Hopefully these steps help to make the perfect dancer bun.

~Julia Brewer

Category Selection

“The only way to make sense of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”

-Alan Watts

Selecting the correct category to place your dance under is vital to the message you want your routine to display. It’s not as simple as one may think. You cannot just throw a lyrical into a jazz category, hip-hop into musical theatre, or mistake a ballet for contemporary. There is a difference between clogging and tap, large group and line, and teen and senior. Dances need to make sense in the category they are placed in to keep judging standard and equal across all divisions, styles and ages.

The choreography was most likely given to fit a select amount of dancers. The style was made to reflect what the dancers perform best under the category. For example, a jazz routine can be either sassy, fierce, funk, creepy, classical, slow, fast, etc. However you have to be careful that if it is under the jazz category, it is straight jazz. Yes you may get away with a street jazz, but in all honesty a street jazz is hip-hop. Same goes for a Broadway jazz, where the style could have fit better under the musical theatre division. It is also important to note the difference between jazz and lyrical, which is especially confused in dance team, when they are not filtered into the correct categories. At the high school level there are two separated categories of lyrical and jazz, and a lot of teams incorrectly place their lyrical into the jazz category, and get away with it. Another thought about distinguishing styles is the question of contemporary. Contemporary is pretty much a cross of lyrical and jazz elements, but combined to form a new interesting piece. Contemporary may lean toward a more jazz side, or lyrical side, so a choreographer should be precise on whether the style is lyrical, jazz or contemporary when registering it under a style.

Please place your dance in the correct division, style and age category. It makes judging fairer in an already opinionated sport. It can be easy to misjudge the style of dance, so if it’s questionable you should look for multiple opinions, from multiple backgrounds. You want the message of your dance to be displayed properly to the audience, and one step to making that happen is by placing the dance under the correct category.

~Julia Brewer

Appreciating Talent

"While I dance I can not judge, I can not hate, I can not separate myself from life.  I can only be joyful and whole. This is why I dance."

- Hans Bos

Dance is very popular, performed and watched by many. There are so many spectators of dance, not only do you have judges, family, and friends, but you may have scouts, unknown peers, rival studios, and crazy dance parents. This all leads to many eyes falling upon the dance on stage and forming their own opinions. With that it is obvious that training and talent of dancer's differ tremendously on a great range of areas. It is easy to spot out a dancer or group that has a high level of talent, blowing you away by every breath they take, move they make and sound you hear. It is what the spectator chooses to do with that opinion that defines them in the dance world and the view others may share or disapprove of in comparison t their own.

There are too many cases to be had and experiences to be told about parents, dancers, teachers and outsiders alike not appreciating a dancer’s talent and what they bring into the dance industry. Some take the dancer out on the means of jealousy, which in my opinion is just absolutely ridiculous. Some of the best dancers in the world are frowned upon by others for simply being the best dancer they can. What is wrong with being the best? I believe instead of trying to tear down the dancers that are better than yourself, you should be in appreciation of the talent they have. Dancers should be inspired by what they are doing, and strive to be like them or the best version they can be.

 

This jealousy is penetrated all sorts of ways, like through social media, gossip and hate messages. Famous dancers have so much hate on them through gossip and social media. It's visible everywhere, through Facebook, Instagram, twitter and vine. This is wrong to do. It is degrading talent and embarrassing. There are several cases as well where jealousy sparks the fact that some individuals can't even stand to dance with someone that might be seen as better than themselves. This is a prime studio hopper, although not always the case, many studio hoppers feel as though they aren't getting the attention they deserve, because someone else is better than them, and they don't understand why they are not as good. It's a sad, but a true occurrence in the dance world.

Talent should not go unnoticed, instead be appreciated. Someone else's should not be at the expense as an escape for an individual or group to terrorize the talent. There is an under appreciation for the talent of dance, because some cannot handle the fact that they are not the best. It is a sad idea that is ignored by many, it's wrong and needs to be settled to an end. If you see an individual or group with an immense amount of talent use that to compliment them on what you see instead of tearing them apart because you are not who they are, even though that is where you want to be.

 

~Julia Brewer