Dancer

“I have been dancing for the past fourteen years of my life. My parents made the decision to enroll me in classes when I reached the age of four years old. From then on it was my decision to keep coming back. I made that decision based upon the love I had gained for what I was being learned and the heart warming, over joy feeling I received from any ounce of dance I could perform, see, hear, even taste and smell. I am hungry to dance, it is my overwhelming desire to improve both my dancing and myself as a person. The lessons I have learned from dance are those I have and will continue to take in my life, and share with others. I have realized so much about myself, and have an outspoken personality, strong will, high confidence, eager mind and creativity development. I don’t dance for selfish reasons. I dance to dance. When I am dancing I feel the utter most love and accomplishment. Dance inspires me and gives me motivation to reach my goals. I could go on and on as it is my favorite topic, but I some ways there are just no words, just silence and appreciation for both the art and sport I have grown up with. I am not the best on my team, in my class, in the state or the world, but to me that does not matter, because I am the best me, which I know is from my life as a dancer. To thank I have Cherie’s Dance Studio and Extensions Dance Academy. The day I have to say goodbye to dance, is a day I never want to face. I love dance, dance will always be a part of me, the best part of me, my burning passion and desire I love to showcase.”

~Julia Brewer

Team Bonding Pays Off

"First comes the sweat. Then comes the beauty if you're very lucky and have said your prayers."

- George Balanchine

Team bonding is a vital fundamental for a whole team to prosper. Group dancers are together for an immense amount of hours several nights a week, week after week, and because dance is an all year round sport it is uncommon to find dancer’s never getting break from one another. I look at this to be both a positive and negative experience, for the most part positive although with that many hours it can become difficult. Effort from the whole entire group and their background support make the efforts to be either negative or positive. An easy solution to either outcome can come from team bonding.

With so many hours spent together it can be easy to grow tired of those you are working with. Personalities can clash, ideas are thrown, and mistakes will be made. It is life in a whole new scenario. Completely taken inside the dance room. Team members should always remain courteous to one another, to their teachers, parents and general spectators. Dance can bring about a lot of pressure to any dancer at any given age. The environment should remain positive and constructive. I believe that harsh overwhelming comments don’t further a dancer as far as demonstrating weaknesses and approaching on a positive element way to fix the errors. Of course not everything can be happy and go lucky, but the point should not have to get to an emotional breakdown. Strides need to be taken and always showing improvement.

With these tiring hours being taken in a studio, sometimes relationships formed in the studio leak out or vice versa, for this I believe it to be necessary for dancers, parents and teachers alike to both take breaks and make room for outside group activities. Being with the same people over and over, repeatedly can detriment even the strongest, long lasting relationships. Take personal time and give time to others who don’t necessarily always get that time, such as grandparents, friend of school, even treating yourself. On the other hand time with your team should also be spent outside of the studio, doing normal people activities. Go bowling, to a trampoline park, paint pottery, go out for dinner, to the beach, DIY something fun. Easy light activity where everyone is involved and talent and skill doesn’t matter. Team bonding is so important in keeping strong relationships with all your team mates. It will not only increase strength within your team’s social aspect, but on the dance floor as well you will grow closer. That quality time can be transforming in the long scheme of things.

~Julia Brewer

 

Costumes

“Ballet is a universe of the imagination, a place of magic and enchantment, beauty and romance. Its many worlds vibrate with graceful dancers, glorious music, and sumptuous costumes.”

-Trudy Garfunkel

Costuming can be a make or break in the execution of a performance. So much can go wrong with costume malfunctions, and at the same time the costuming can completely transform the piece, making it come to life and feel so real within a manner of two to three minutes. Costumes are everywhere, from second hand stores, to online costume resources, fabrics and gems from local craft stores, or just a simple leotard. Dance costuming is an endless opportunity.

Sometimes, for a more vintage, old time piece you might be looking for a raggedy costume that you can’t quite find anywhere other than a second hand or antique store. Dancers can magnify these pieces to their old former glories by representing them in their time era piece. It is in my opinion somewhat fresh, incidentally to see an old, worn clothing item on the stage bringing new art to an audience. Not to mention that when you can make an old costume seem new, it is much less expensive, a very affordable option.

Online resources are easy. There are such a wide variety of options among online costume companies. To name a few there is Art Stone, Weissman, Curtain Call and Kelle. With so many options, sizes and styles across many genres of dance these websites are able to grant dancers matching costumes to help bring their piece to life. One of the greatest benefits to ordering costumes online from a company is the guarantee that they will all look identical, most especially important in large group number pieces. The trouble however is that sometimes the costumes do not fit precisely to the dancer’s body it was ordered for, as they are not designed specifically, but generally. This can lead to tightness limitations, as well as droopiness, ultimately ending multiple costume malfunctions. Also, ordering online needs to be taken well into advance to ensure all aspects of the costume are taken care of and will be received well in time of the performance date.

Costumes do give you the opportunity to be personally stitched, sewed and stoned to fit exactly to the dancer’s body. Most commonly done for solos, or smaller groups, because the detail and time required to pull off an originally tailored costume needs to be meticulous. On my team many parents design and create the costume from simple leotard, sports bra and spandex articles, adding fabrics, gems, and décor pieces to fit the style, song, and form of the dancer. Handmaid costumes that are original pieces are also made by professional seamstress private businesses at dance boutiques and online dance boutiques. These range to be highly expensive, so I would suggest to invest money, time and dedication to basic dance wear with additions from craft stores like Michaels and Jo Ann Fabrics.

Simplicity is a magical device. Not every costume as to have huge flowers, ruffled bottoms, a million bedazzles or be extremely risqué. Sometimes the dance can be focused on greatest with the simplest costume. Glitz and glamour is not for everyone on the dance floor. A plain leotard, matching booty shorts and tight crop top, or plain black dress may be the hitch a dancer needs to make a lasting impression. In the end it comes down to the dancing, and although a beautiful, full sequences, feathered costume is gorgeous, it is about the dancer’s personality and technique. A costume is a small part of that masterpiece, it can best be done high profile or within a low key simple piece. All are great options, just be sure to fit the costume to the dancer, style, song and vision of the choreographer.

~Julia Brewer

Instructor Teaching Methods

“Dancing in front of your students pushes you to practice what you preach.”

-Michelle Dorrance

As a dancer matures in age and experience they pay great attention to detail, in choreography, and instruction by their teacher. All dancers are either visual, kinesthetic or auditory learners, or a mixture of the sorts. Therefore, it is important that an instructor recognizes this, and sees that the most helpful way to direct chorography is by both saying and doing it for their students, and adjusting them to change to the vision of the chorographer. I believe it is most effective for dance instructors to use all three learning types when in class, whether it is a technique, choreography, or competition class. Using these three learning techniques also enables the dance instructor to showcase to their students what they want the piece to look and feel. Students find it beneficial because they are able to be corrected in motion, on the spot, hearing their correction and also seeing it demonstrated by the individual who has given their selection of choreography. This teaching method also justifies the dance teacher’s abilities in the field. Not every dance instructor is going to be a skilled professional in the genre, which is why some instructors only use the auditory method. It takes more than that though, students need to be taught, and with that, be taught correctly, most effectively achieved through visual, kinesthetic and auditory demonstration. Displaying the dance to students to give them the best outcome for their realization of the overall outcome of their choreography, technique skill or dance routine. Seeing the click from students is much more rewarding than any trophy they could ever win, it begins by the instruction given to dancers.

~Julia Brewer

Dance Dictionary: Assemble and Attitude

“Socrates learned to dance when he was seventy because he felt that an essential part of himself had been neglected.”

-Source Unknown

Rounding off the A’s to the dance dictionary are the ballet terms of assemble and attitude. Both commonly used in across the floor, at the barre, and in dance routines.

Assemblé [a-sahn-BLAY]

Simply put it means when two legs are joined together in the air. It is when the dancer shoots one leg up into the air and then jumps the second leg to join the two legs together in the air. Usually the dancer will land in fifth position of plie after the jump. A dancer can also take note that this term looks similar to the English of assemble. So, in an even simpler note, this term literally means to assemble the feet. They are apart and assemble together to finish.

 

Attitude [a-tee-TEWD]

An attitude is a standing position on one leg with the other leg lifted in the front or the back with the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees and well turned out so that the knee is higher than the foot. The knee must be higher than the foot, otherwise the attitude turns into a jazz foot flick in comparison to the technical ballet attitude. The supporting foot may be à terre, sur la pointe or sur la demi-pointe. The arm on the side of the raised leg is held over the head in a curved position while the other arm is extended to the side. A dancer’s back in attitude should be straight, hips should be down, with a raised head to finish out the pose. Attitudes are also commonly done within turn sequences, or used in half in some leaps. Generally in ballet, they are poses, done with seamless execution.

~Julia Brewer

Team Values

“There is no reason why a strong back can’t get you as far as a strong mind. Work together, grow together, conquer together.”

-Larry J Cowell

Being a part of a dance team brings up values of commitment, team work, ownership, effort, connection, and kindness. Dancing with a group is much different in comparison to a solo. In a solo it is justified to be focused on yourself, you can be off the music or improv without a judge’s notice. However, dancing among others, a dancer must acknowledge that they are to if not be identical, similar enough for anyone to understand that they are a match, or fit within a group. Being a part of a dance team disciplines a dancer to value the time and effort meant to coordinate group dance. Yes, it takes a tremendous amount of skill, confidence and experience to solo in front of an audience, but there is so much more to learn by dancing within a group.

When on a team, every dancer must be dedicated to the betterment of themselves, and their fellow teammates. Commitment also has to be made to the choreography and choreographer. A dancer should be committed to the chorography they were assigned, making something small into something important. The dance will not always be established exactly to the dancer, but it is the dancer’s responsibility to do what they are given, and do it to the best of their ability. Commitment to the choreographer is equally as important, it should not be on them for losing a team member, dancers should always finish what they start and make the most of it, no matter the scenario. If it doesn’t work, out take opportunity elsewhere once the commitment is finished.

A group dancer, dances for everyone else in their group before themselves. In rehearsal you better be going just, if not more full out that the person next to you, for when you are on stage the expectation will be fulfilled by every member doing their absolute best. Team work also comes by being each other’s motivators. Dancers within a group should have full trust in each other. If the feeling of team outside of dance rehearsal is mutual and strong, it will only grow stronger in performance. Going along with team work, is effort by every team member. Weak links should never exist on a team, everyone needs to be pulling their weight whether they are considered the “number 1” girl or not.

Taking ownership in your dancing is important within a dance team. Yes, sometimes it is hard to hear the flaws you make as a dancer, but it is a teammate’s way of encouraging you to correct them, they want to see you succeed just as much as you want to. Take ownership of that and work on making it correct to yourself and your team. As a dancer takes ownership of their dancing, they will be able to master connection with their teammates. Connections made both o and off the floor will be acquired and used to advance a dancer in their training.

Finally, between all of these qualities being a part of a dance team, large or small, kindness will always be an asset that should remain priority. It is a team you are apart, therefore it a job that you should feel, and respond proudly towards. Be kind to everyone, watch tone of voice, support each other no matter what and speak of one another with gratitude. Respect will only mature and strengthen all of the values that come along with dancing in a group and being a part of a dance team.

All values to be learned from being part of a dance team are in relation to each other. It is important to learn these as they will help a dancer progress in the professional dance world, continuation with more group work and in everyday life. Values learned from being a part of a team and dancing in a group are greater in comparison to any solo. Also, what’s not to say a dancer won’t every get a special solo part within the framework of a group routine?

~Julia Brewer

Dance Dictionary: Arriere, Avant

“The vocabulary and manner of classical ballet express a high order of discipline and restraint, a sense of harmony with forces larger and more lasting than the individual.”

- Marsha B. Siegel

Dancing at the barre can be done in two different rotations, forward and backward. A teacher will indicate by referring to them in their technical ballet terms of arriere and avant. It is important to distinguish the difference, because they will set and complete the combination.

Arrière, en [ah na-RYEHR]

Means to go backward. Used to indicate that a step is executed moving away from the audience.

And on the completely opposite side of the spectrum…

Avant, en [ah na-VAHN]

Avant means to the front or Forward. A direction for the execution of a step. Used to indicate that a given step is executed moving forward, toward the audience.

Learning, knowing and understanding these two simple ballet terms will discipline a dancer to complete them appropriately when given a barre or ballet combination.

~Julia Brewer

Dance Solo Routine

“For a dancer, to be able to perform well, most of his waking hours must be devoted to preparing for the holy white instant of performance.”

- Paul Taylor

There are many preparations a dancer takes to make their performance on stage. All the backstage action is what results in the look, stretch and overall dance that the dancer presents. It differs by dancer, but I have a continuous routine that I stick to at every competition, and performance. With that here are the steps I take in order to take the stage, from the moment I wake up to get ready for my solo.

First I have to feel fresh, no makeup, no hair, freshly showered and calm. I then proceed to putting my hair up loosely, starting my makeup. The usual; foundation, powder, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, eyebrow gel and then lipstick with gloss.

Once I have finished my makeup I begin on my hair. At my studio we put our hair in a bun, with side braid leading to it. So, I begin by parting my hair and braiding it down toward my hair, and then backwards toward the direction of desired ponytail placement. Then I hair tie the rest of my hair with the braid inside of it on the spot I am going to build by bun. As a method to my madness I do this with all my fly aways, and baby hair everywhere, because I then take both gel and hairspray. It helps to ten take out the ponytail and get all the extra, little hairs up and attached, so there is nothing poking out. After everything is up, I secure it with a ponytail yet again in the place where I’m going to build your bun. Now I should have a ponytail, to make the ponytail into a bun, I use a snap bracelet bun maker, straightening out my hair, rolling it up to the top of the hair tie and then snapping it to hook in the back. I next fasten the hair towards the back, and use bobby pins to secure it in place. From here I am left with a perfect, solid, tight bun.

After hair and makeup, I put on my costume. Pretty straight forward, hair piece, costume, jewelry and dance shoes.

Now I’m already in terms of my looks. The next concern is stretching. I do pretty basic, everyday dancer stretches, on the ground left, right, needles, splits, calf raises, back bends, and any turn combinations. I keep stretching until I feel confident that my body is ready to tackle a dance without pain, or restriction. After my body is ready and stretched, and I have done some of the major tricks in my dance, I run through it several times with the music. At first I just park it to hear my timing. The second time to the music I do everything full out, of course sometimes there is limited room and carpeted flooring, but I do my best. The third time I practice with the music I mark through most, but do all of my turns and some of my more challenging skills, or any bumps I had from either of the first two. Sometimes I do it more that, but I always do a minimum of three times.

Once I feel confident, I take to the stage. This routine makes me feel very good at my performance, and contributes immensely to how I perform and feel. I would widely encourage to any dancers seeking a routine to prep themselves.

~Julia Brewer

The Reality of Dance Moms

“My dream is to continue dancing forever. I would kill myself if I didn’t dance.”

– Maddie Ziegler

A common household dancing reality show is brought to viewers from the Lifetime television channel, Dance Moms. Dance Moms was centered on a junior elite competition team of young girls from the Pittsburgh area, dancing on a competition team that traveled around the nation, attending a new competition every weekend. The show is famous for great dancing, bickering moms, and a psycho dance teacher and studio owner Abby Lee Miller. Since the show has aired, dancing has improved, dancers have come and gone, Abby’s in trouble with the government, the moms are becoming their children’s agents and more loco than ever, and the team has moved from Pittsburgh to a new studio location in Los Angeles, California.

Dance Moms is a huge exaggeration on the dance industry, competitions and rehearsals. Abby’s teaching methods are anything, but kind, motivating or inspiring. The moms are in a constant fight with each other over who has the best dancer, and total hypocrites when it comes to special advantages with their daughters. The dancer’s however are the shadowed over portion of the show, they hardly show their improvement in the studio, because it’s all about the moms. It is amazing to see what they have accomplished in a matter of three days preparation for a regional competition, considering they do something new week after week.

One key piece of insight to remember when watching an hour episode of Dance Moms is that although producers may not say its stage, I have never seen a grown woman act so horrible at a dance competition in front of the choreographer, her children, the competition faculty and other spectators. If I was one of the mothers on that show I would be ashamed of the actions I put on television, my representation of the studio and in the example I would be setting for my kids. With this, Dance Moms is only an hour long special that is taken from a week’s worth of time. A viewer has to acknowledge that it is a reality show, so they are going to feature the most dramatic of moments in order to keep the show “entertaining.” Personally as a dancer I find the most entertainment at the end of the show, when all of the dancers perform their solos, duets, trios and groups on stage. I wish Dance Moms would show more dancing instead of the immense amount of tension involving the moms and Abby.

I have been dancing in the competition scene for the last eight years of my life, and never have I ever seen anything even remotely similar to the actions on the show of Dance Moms. Yes, it is a cut throat sport, but it is still a positive environment. Maybe it is just a Midwest feng shui, but I would certainly hope that it is like that across the nation. Moms should be the support for their daughters at their highest and weakest moments. The dancers should be able to trust and rely on each other both on the dance floor, in rehearsal and everyday life. While the dance teacher’s job is to TEACH their student to DANCE, giving them an appropriate amount of attention and time, noticing their flaws and finding ways to improve them, inspiring them to be the best dancer they can. It is not always amount winning, but the improvements made both on and off the competition stage.

 

~Julia Brewer

 

Dancing Feels

“You have to love dancing to stick to it. It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.”  

-Merce Cunningham

The feeling of dancing is extraordinary. Gives you a sort of rush that is indescribable, it is just an overwhelming feeling of joy, that is just completely surging through your body. You know when something makes sense, because it causes you to smile contagiously and passionately, whenever the thought, speak or action of the topic comes about. And for me, I feel that way with immense gratitude on every discussion of dance.

I may not be the very best one in my dance class, or on my dance team, but I sure do love what I am doing, and can’t imagine ever giving dance up by choice. I want to do it forever, even when I’m anciently old with arthritis in every bone, I hope to always be a dancer. The heart I have gotten from dance, the things I have learned, the experiences I’ve had, the friends I’ve met aren’t even comparable to any other sport of my knowledge. There are so many opportunities, and ever changing ideas in the fields of dance. It is a sport and an art in one that prepares you for so many walks of life.

I am proud to wear the label of a dancer, because it is something I take great pride in, as it brings out my greatest personality, attributes. Motivation, everything. It is the most heart defining passion I could have and I know I am not alone. The feeling of dance is so widely stretched, there are so many words, ideas, examples to be had within it, but the only way of truly experiencing what dance can bring you is in doing it yourself. So dance, dance, dance and never look back, because your heart will be full, troubles empty, mind relaxed and happiness lingering longer than a child’s trip to Disney World.

~Julia Brewer

 

Telling a Story

“A fine work of art - music, dance, painting, story - has the power to silence the chatter in the mind and lift us to another place.”

-Robert McKee

Dances are meant to tell a story, move an audience to feel a certain emotion portrayed by the dancers, entertain the crowd to the point they want to hop on stage and join them, as well as force observers to evaluate themselves on a controversial issue.

To achieve this point in a piece of choreography, dancers must not only have great technique, but powerful movements, facials and connection. Connections must be made in many different ways, between dancers, between the audience, between the music and between their movements. When all of these main components are achieved, you can be sure to feel confident that no matter the dance, dancers will create a bond to their subject, others will see and understand that passion and begin to feel in the same way the dancers do.

To better understand what I mean by dancers telling a story I will give some examples. Some may tell a story in simple terms, maybe through musical theatre, like the story of The Wizard of Oz. However a story may be told in broader terms, not so easily expressed like a jazz for the Great Gatsby, with a song from one of their recent tracks. Other stories are told to move an audience, bringing emotions they have bottled up from experience to be completely poured out in a packed performance hall, example being a contemporary about the effects of drunk driving. Other stories are more positive booster ups like a highly entertaining jazz dance that uses a lot of highlighting facials, big leaps, kicks and jumps as wells as energy from every dance. These stories make you want to get up and dance and be just like everyone performing them, you can compare this to a performance brought to you by Beyoncé. Finally, stories can be told to bring awareness about controversial issues, possibly a hip-hop on the stance of gun control, a lyrical about cyber bullying, even a tap on the issue of school dress codes. These are only some examples on how stories can be told through a dance performance, there are of course several others.

Telling a story is a very important concept in the dance world. Choreographers are not looking directly for that silenced, pin dropping audience, standing ovation or jaw dropping moment when they are creating these routines, but more for showing off their dancer’s talent through an idea that is important for them to show the world. It is the message that they want their dancers to convey that is the most important to them. With that message, dancers can make an audience, laugh, cry, smile, or silence.

~Julia Brewer

Improv

“I see dance being used as communication between body and soul to express what is too deep to find words.”

-Ruth St. Denis

Improv is basically dancing freely to a selection of music, or just endlessly in your living room. It is an impromptu, very informal dance that is made up on the spot. Consistent improving for purpose of creating art in a free expression, no string attached can really bring out a dancer or choreographers creativity and emotion, as well as an enhancement of their natural talents and feelings. Improv is done so fluidly, there should never be a blank spot, because it is all up to you to decide what comes next.

Choreographers of all backgrounds improv, both the best and the worst. In order to create a dance a choreographer must improve, and figure out the best formation for all of their ideas. Every single dance, no matter what begins with improv and ends with a new, innovative dance routine. The chorographer has to be able to use their talents to create something that goes seemingly with the music and emotion of a piece. It may take many attempts, but since improvisation is limitless, they are able to do whatever they want to have it all come together.

Improv is not only an element used by choreographers, but it is also used for dancers themselves. It helps dancers learn to listen to their music, and decide based on hat what story they are trying to tell. Should the accent be determined by a turn, sway, leap, snap, body hit, head turn or foot flick? That is for them to ultimately decide in a split second. Dancers at most auditions will be asked to improve, so those hiring them will see their musicality when they have been given nothing, but a newly heard or classical piece of music. Dancers should be showing that they can balance their dance tricks and turns with, reaches, emotion and fluid filler. Some may say that will just wing improv, but I do not suggest this going into an audition. You can indeed practice improv, by playing music and really listening for accents, and flavored musicality. You should never go into an audition to wing improv, because it can sometimes be awkward and you should not feel embarrassed to do what you love, dance.

Improvisation is endless in dance. It is up to the dancer to decide what comes first, next, in between, after that to the finish. It helps a dancer display their talent, creativity, feelings, emotions and fluidity. Improving has the ability to use varieties of music and instrumentals, however music is not even needed. A dancer is improving whenever they dance freely even if no music is playing. Improv also lets you get comfortable with new music and styles, and a great tool for aspiring choreographers. In my opinion the best part of improve is that it is limitless and carefree. It is one of the truest expressions in dance because there are truly no rules.

~Julia Brewer

 

Dress Rehearsals

“Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays.”

-George Balanchine

Before a studio presents their choreography, or show on a stage either for a single performance, recital, competition or tour they will need to have a run through dress rehearsal. This process takes planning, an extensive amount of time to carry out.

Before anything can happen the dancers must first be taught the choreography. Then master the choreography by themselves, without reliance on others or questions over the moves. Once that is accomplished, the director should feel confident in putting the piece on stage.

To be sure a director can hold a private, casual show, for example my dance studio holds a run through of all the competition numbers about two or three weeks before competition, in our largest dance room. The room has no mirrors so it is a casual feel of what it will be like on stage. To add to the experience have parents sit in the front to spectate as audience members. Also to improve the routines in later weeks have faculty write down critiques for all the dancers and classes. In addition to the run through, remember to run it on a tight schedule, the dancer’s don’t need to be rushed necessarily, but they shouldn’t be lollygagging around for a long time either. The purpose is to dance so get moving and show off their dancing talents. Hopefully this helps to provide a smooth competition season.

As recital time comes near, book the performance hall the whole week before the weekend performance shows. Have dancers do full hair, makeup and costumes. Use music, lighting, props, curtains to demonstrate and have a feel for how the show will actually come out on the actual recital date. It is especially important to keep things moving this week, recital does not provide breaks, therefore the dancer’s need to know exactly how much time they have to prep for their next performance on the busy night. Watch the show with a careful eye, stay calm as the pressure will be stressful, just think about the outcome when you get to see the whole show top to bottom on the final day. It will feel incredible and accomplishing, and totally worth it.

For dance tours after competition and recital, you can prep by going to venues or dance for a charity, also use recital as a prep. Tours will usually hold majority veterans and a lot of talent that know how to deal with pain, stress and exhaustion.

Best of luck to all dancers, companies and directors on productive run through dress rehearsals that lead to seamless performances.

~Julia Brewer

On Another Level

“All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.”

― Martha Graham

Dancing like any other sport can be played at many different levels. Some dancers are just beginning, while others have a lot of experience, even so there are a large amount of dancers who have a lot of experience, however are not yet at a competitive performance level. With hard work, a great amount of dedication, and a fine attention to detail a dancer will thrive to the top and extend beyond their dreams to achieve successful outcomes in their dance career.

To begin, dance for the not so serious member, beginner or a very young child is considered to be recreational. Typically only one to a small selection of classes a week. Not as dedicated to becoming prestigious for the time being, but getting into the dance world to learn the fundamentals, have fun, or stay active.

We then jump to the advanced, competitive dancer. This dancer has a lot of experience, and applies knowledge to the production of a routine. They hold technique, passion, musicality, and fluidity. Dancers in this category can be seen as the hardest workers within a given company, they strive to become better and grown in the extremes year after year. Many reside to compete in local, regional, national and world wide dance tours, competitions and conventions. Not only are they involved in judging, they also give performances and book shows where they display their talents of dance on a bigger stage for a bigger audience. Others take their dancing careers from adolescence and share it in other ways by going to shows and performances to keep up with sport and art they so loved as they grew up.

It is a big jump to go from recreational classes to the competitive level, so of course you need to consider the in between middle ground area. There are some dancers who are caught in the late stages of recreation and the opening of life on the advanced level. Usually it’s the split of having the passion and desire to be a part of something bigger and better, but not having enough dance background to compete at that level. The most important part of these dancers is that they have the drive to become great dancers, they just need a greater focus on technical aspects of dance to progress. To improve skills it is recommended that the dancer gets more involved and participates in a variety of classes, especially ballet, technique, conditioning and possibly even private lessons to have that important one on one time with an instructor. As long as passion is there and the mindset of improvement stays positively on the dancer’s shoulders, I believe they will be able to become great dancers.

All dancers are on a different level, each having their own strengths and weaknesses, but the beautiful thing about dance is that it is a constant improvement. Week after week skills become better mastered, and new fundamentals learned. Passions drive harder and levels become apparent. To be on the top level you must share both the common love of dance as well as a strong background in all fields of dance. To achieve greater levels you must show a lot of dedication and commitment, it is progressive and improvement will be obvious overtime. Work hard, stay positive and be passionate if dance becomes the most important aspect of your life.

~Julia Brewer

Dance Dictionary: Arabesque

“May You Always Dance Lightly With Life.”

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Arabesque: [a-ra-BESK]

The name Arabesque originates from a form of Moorish ornament of Arabic culture. Arabesque is a ballet pose that is learned from the start of an early dance career. Young children generally learn to arabesque by turning out a straightened supporting leg, and pointing that back ankle, while holding light, dainty arms.

The position is most typically held by the body in profile, meaning you face the side, or at an angle to the audience. Coming with a rule of thumb that the dancer is supported by one leg, with the other elevated behind themselves, aligning the hips, the leg in the air at a ninety degree angle to an obtuse. Note also that the dancer’s shoulders should remain relaxed and held back, and squared to the direction that is being faced. There are many ways in which you can hold your carriage, for example the dancer can be straight, in plie, or on releve while in an arabesque position. Dances also can conclude arabesque hops, or pique arabesques to add more levels to just an upper, lower or midway supporting leg. Arms in performing an arabesque should reach and extend outward, it should be light and dainty, to show the fluidity in a different, difficult arabesque combinations.

The forms of arabesque are varied to infinity. The Cecchetti method uses five principal arabesques; the Russian School (Vaganova), four; and the French School, two. Arabesques are generally used to end a floor combination, both in the slow movements of adagio and brisk, quicker motions through allegro. 

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

~Julia Brewer

Body Prep on Competition Day

“Dance is a life, every day. Don't miss it. You're in bodies, you can move... Where is your joy?”

-Mary Anthony

Competition season is here. With that comes long weekends from morning tonight. Sometimes dances are rushed back to back, and others are hours apart stretching across three days. Competitions are crowded, cold, stressful and hectic. Sometimes it can be difficult to stay focused on yourself and your body throughout the whole day or weekend. It becomes a necessity, yet a struggle to stay stretched, energized and prepared. There is a part of you that wants to see every dance being performed on stage, another that wants to hang with your dance friends and enjoy team bonding and another that is on a go go go mission to be stretched and ready to dance at any second, even though you are probably dancing around aimlessly throughout the whole weekend at the convention center. Preparation of the body is important and can be reached in a variety of ways.

To be prepared on competition day you want to be ready and warmed up. At the beginning of a long competition day treat your body kindly. Don’t be snacking on unnecessary junk. Stay hydrated and just drink water. You will also need fuel to keep you going throughout the day. I suggest natural sugars found in fruits like apples, berries, oranges and bananas. Throughout the day snacking is okay, but you want to be sure that you don’t go nuts and keep it healthy with a lot of hydrates. There is no reason to feel bloated or tired on a day that is a constant go. It will help if you let your food be a source of energy.

Another way to get your body ready to go for a long day of competing is to do a warm up and cool down. It really helps in getting you energized and warmed up for all the dances you have, also do it before any stretching because it will help loosen your muscles and spark blood flow for a deeper stretch in the future. Start by doing some low impact exercises that will boost your pulse for around ten minutes like; jumping jacks, squats, heel raises, leg swings, swimmers. Once you begin to sweat you should begin to slow it down and begin to cool down, taking deep breaths while also completing deep body movement to keep your blood pumping.

After the light cool down you should begin to stretch. Keep the stretching light. Overstretching can believe it or not hinder your flexibility, you bod is not used to that deep of a stretch and that makes the muscles the go tighter than usual. Instead hold stretched in a normal rotation for less than thirty second intervals. Focus on body strength on the competition day. To achieve the body strength you should concentrate your stretching on dynamic stretching such as yoga and walking lunges. After that give your attention to plies, abs and feet exercises. Results should show in your leg and core strength and flexibility for sure.

After all of your performances you should leave time to continue stretching out your muscles, this is when you should stretch for longer intervals within your stretch rotation, helping flexibility and prepare for the next day of dancing, with that you should also stretch statically the night before your first day of competition. It will help in the overall of your dancing and will prevent injury from all the work you put on your body from an exhausting day of dance completion.

~Julia Brewer

Dance Dictionary: Air

“When you are ecstatic and in love, you feel buoyant, you feel life, you feel like you're dancing in the sky.”

-Margo Anand

Air [ahn lehr] In the air

In the air literally means that the dance movement is to be made in the air, and that the working leg will be raised to a horizontal position with the toe on an equal level to the hip. Air is very specific to feet movements at the barre, instead of simply doing the selected ballet, barre feet movement you can do it ahn lehr, developing your muscles to become stronger as the lower part of your body is performing in the air, especially difficult with the leg being completely straight and in line with solid technique.

~Julia Brewer

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

Stress Fractures

“People tend to look at dancers like we are these little jewels, little cardboard cut-outs, and yet we have blood and guts and go through Hell.”

-Susan Jaffe

Dancers encounter many different types of injuries within the body, just like any other athlete. Bones especially are placed under a great deal of stress on a dancer that can result in stress fractures. Stress fractures are small splits in the bone, they can appear in the feet and legs of any athlete when a lot of strain has been placed on the bones from high intensity workouts with little time to recover. The bone cells will replace themselves, however if the bone tissue is worn down to quickly without a healing period, the bones will split faster than they can be replaced, leaving small gaps in the bone itself.

Dancers with stress fracture injuries will most likely notice pain, swelling and sensitivity within a specific spot, typically in their legs or feet. Ignoring that pain is usually the result of further injury, because with more constant use on that given spot without rest the more serious and damaging the injury becomes. Stress fractures can be seen in X-ray scans, but sometimes it takes an MRI to really see the damage done.

A stress fracture injury can occur soddenly and overtime. It may result from a combination of not enough rest and overuse, a sudden increase in rehearsal time, coming back from a resting period without sufficient conditioning, and also the way in which dancers land specific tricks, jumps and leaps. Not all causes are a result from dancing itself, other key roles in getting a stress fracture in your bone is the dancer’s diet. A blend of abnormal menstrual cycles, eating disorders, and being underweight could be a reason a dancer is prone to stress fractures. Having a small body mass with a full load of dance can cause a lot of stress on a dancer’s bones, resulting in stress fractures.

An at home remedy for helping a stress fracture is to rest, ice, compress and elevate. Frequent icing, massaging and taking a suggestive amount of ibuprofen between several hours of intervals should show some improvement. With swelling, wrapping of the bone in addition to elevation would also be quite helpful to the dancer. Most importantly rest is very important in the process of stress fracture recovery.

If a stress fracture becomes relevant in a dancers life mid-season without a long period that could be used for resting they could try out a bone stimulator. It is able to send ultra sound wave pulses into the bone marrow, producing young bone cells and cartilage cells. They can be used at home and only take around thirty minutes a use. These bone stimulators help cut the time of recovery to work within a dancer’s busy schedule. Of course they should still use the at home remedies to speed up the process as well, in addition to consulting a doctor on what is the best solution  for individual dancer.

Although it is hard for a dancer to take time off and rest injuries between rehearsals, commitments, performances and conditioning it is extremely necessary and important to do so. To continue putting tension on the stress fracture, could lead to the longest resting period of all, retirement that is, from the art the dancer has perfected for so long. Dance could become a thing of the past if not treated immediately, so with that listen to your body and think about the costs in the long scheme of events.

~Julia Brewer

Disclaimer: These are all ideas by Nancy Wozny article on Boning Up in Dance Magazine’s October 2011 issue.

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