We’re the Lucky Ones.

You know…

We are pretty damn lucky to be dancers. I don’t ever think how much my life would be changed or effected by dance when I was to be the age I am now. Back in 1988 until 2001, dance was class. It was something I knew I loved and couldn’t live without and something I looked forward to every single day.

I did not at the time realize who the people teaching me were going to end up being. World famous choreographers and entertainers, convention owners, dancewear company owners, et cetera. Little did I know that those people would end up being my friends, while still being mentors, all these years later. When I have the opportunity to be in their class, either to take or to observe, I listen to every single word they say and STILL absorb it all. Even if it is the same speech that they have been giving since I was 14, I still cling to every word. Because even 16 years later, they still hold true. 

Little did I know that what I was learning and what I was doing at the time would effect how and what I would create as a choreographer. Little did I know that what I would eventually create, would bring people to tears. Little did I know that those tears would motivate people to reach out to me and contact me for work or even just to thank me for doing what I do. Little did I know how often I would be moved to tears by such beautiful and authentic choreography and dancing. It is such a beautiful thing to be able to experience once a month or so. 

Little did I know, that the lessons I learned as a young dancer would then be passed on for generations as I became a teacher. The ones that go beyond pointing your feet and straightening your legs. Lessons of preparation. Lessons of responsibility.  Lessons of accountability. Lessons that turn into a strong work ethic. The lessons that in turn, make you an effective adult in society. The ones that get you jobs and promotions. 

Little did I know, that I would be able to sit and watch people dance, day in and day out and never tire of it. Little did I know that this teaching and dancing thing that I love so much, would take me around the globe. 

Little did I know that I would be a student for the rest of my life. I thought once I left the studio, that I was a pro. Little did I know how little I actually knew. We often think we know everything between the ages of 13 and 23 (roughly). Boy. Was I wrong. 

My good friend Mark Meismer once said “We aren’t curing cancer. We aren’t fighting the war. We are doing chaine turns. We are dancing. It’s not that serious. So have fun.” I have always tried to keep that mentality. Through every thing I have done in this dance world. Winning is cool, but having fun is cooler. Life is so much easier when you aren’t pressured. Yes, we all want to do well and improve, but if there is no joy in it, those trophies, ribbons, first overalls and everything that came along with it, are all pointless. 

Stop being concerned about the ‘best dancer,’ because that ‘best dancer’ is only concerned about themselves. Remember why we do this. Think about where you want to take these experiences, both in and out of the studio, and just dance. Happy Monday, everyone.

#TechniqueTuesday – Turn Out For What? Everything.

It’s been awhile since i have posted a blog for #TechniqueTuesday, and I found this one very important to touch base on. This past weekend, I sat through roughly 400 dances, give or take a few. Of course, the competition spanned many styles – even some clogging and Irish step dance, which was refreshing to see between the ‘regular’ studio styles. As always, there was a ton of lyrical and contemporary and lots of ballet. The one thing that I am always aghast at is the lack of attention to true balletic technique in these styles, especially ballet.

You would think that if you are competing ballet, that there would be attention to the use of true turn out, not faking it from the ankle. I don’t know how many times I cringed at the sight of pique arabesques on a completely parallel foot, out fouettés a la seconde that, when dropping into the plié, I saw the knee cap pointing straight to the audience, or the developpé a la seconde that was neither parallel or turned out, but turned in. Yes…turned in, towards to center line of the body. 

Growing up, the use of turn out was drilled into my brain. It is second nature. So much so that I started to walk in a turned out position. When I was a student, and even now as an adult and educator, when I sleep, I make sure my pelvis is neutral and I turn my legs out when I sleep. (I sleep on my stomach in a side attitude, basically.) I was constantly thinking about the rotation of my hips. We spent hours warming up those joints to get them nice and mobile. If our supporting legs weren’t turned out, we were reprimanded. If our hips opened up to cheat an arabesque, we were reprimanded. There was zero tolerance of such discrepancies and disrespect to the art of ballet technique, even in a lot of our jazz pieces. 

As I left the auditorium Sunday night, I busted out my trusty ballet dictionary and went to see what it said about the use of turn out. My good friend Gail Grant defines turn out as “the ability of a dancer to turn his or her legs and feet to a 90-degree position. This turn our, or en-dehors, is one of the essential of the classical dance, giving the dancer freedom of movement in every direction.” 

After reading that, I got even more upset at the amount of lack of turn out in these dancers. I asked myself, “Why, as a teacher, would someone not correct this issue and ultimately limit their dancers?” The Holy Grail of ballet spells it out loud and clear. Turn out improves the range of motion and movement in EVERY direction. One of the aspects of choreography that I pride myself on is giving the dancer or dancers I am working with an adequate skill set while still challenging them within the choreography set on them. I do not give them anything that isn’t as technically sound as possible for their level. Every dance does not need fouettés. Not every dancers is flexible. Not every dancers has beautiful feet. Why do we feel the need to give these lofty skills to dancers that we know are not at that level to execute these skills properly? 

I constantly tell my dancers to dance with what they have today, while still striving for improvement. If you only have 35 degrees of external rotation, or turn out, I want you to use it every single last degree of that turn out. Consistency in using the turn out will build up the strength and improve your turn out. Of course, very few people will ever reach a true perfect turn out of 180 degrees. That’s not what I am asking for in a dancer. I want you to use what the good Lord gave you and use it to the best of your ability. 

Teachers, I am implore you to start correcting this massive technical deficit in your dancers. Get your dancers at the barre, stand in a parallel first position, then rise to a quarter relevé, engage the tailbone and glutes and use the inner thigh to press the heels forward before lowering into their turned out first position. In their battement tendu, get them to rotate to a parallel position and back to the turned out tendu. Make sure they don’t sink into the hips. Focus on building the strength of the muscles that serve as rotators around the hip joint and in the legs. If you aren’t sure, educate yourself so you can educate your dancers. Attention to detail is imperative. 

Dance is not easy. We know that. Dancers must be multitaskers. We have to think about every aspect of our body while looking graceful all at the same time. We need to know out choreography so well that our body has memorized it through muscle memory. We spend hours and hours rehearsing to perfect a three minute dance. We spend hours working on the basics, stretching and wamring up before we even dance! There is so much we have to be mindful of. It is easy to forget but you have to make a clear choice to point your feet and straighten your legs to make it a habit. Start to focus on the amount of turn out you are using. 

To quote the dance movie classic, Center Stage, “Use what you have and turn out!”

An Open Letter to New Teachers…

Hello young teachers,

First off, I would like to thank you for your passion that you feel necessary to share with our community. It’s always nice to see a new wave of choreographic voices and teaching styles come out. I’m probably not much older than you, but I have learned and witnessed a lot in my entire dance career both as a student, a teacher, a choreographer and a studio consultant. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, but first some advice.

This industry is very hard to get into much less sustain a career in it. Find your own style quickly and stick to it. If you’re teaching what is trendy and popular now, you’ll be gone by next season. Stay creative. In order to find who you are as a teacher and choreographer, you must find what makes you, you.

I understand you are trying to get your name out there, but be sure not to spread yourself too thin. If you say you’re going to work with someone, make sure you do it. Don’t go back on your word. People will remember that forever.

Make the training of your students a priority, no matter how many you have. By becoming a teacher, it’s no longer about you. You become a mentor and role model. They show up to your class prepared and ready to work and you should as well. I’m not one to have lesson plans, but I come in to every class with a clear goal in mind. Don’t fiddle on your phone, be on time and be respectful. You can learn from your dancers just as they can learn from you. If they see you aren’t invested in them, they won’t invest in you.

Only teach classes that you know you are completely capable of teaching. If you don’t have the technical capacity to teach advanced level classes, be honest and don’t teach them. You are ultimately doing a disservice to the students, the parents, the organization owners and those other teachers who have more experience and training under their belts.

Remember that while we all love to just dance and be carefree, there is a strict and proper technique on how to do things. Use technique and terminology as a teaching tool. It’ll make your students more aware of how the things we work on at the barre, translate in to choreography. It also prevents injury for both yourself and the dancers in class.

Your image goes further than just what you do in class. Students, studio owners and company directors have ready access to what appears to be your life on social media these days. Be careful what you post. If you can’t monitor your posts, make your accounts private.

Last but not least, remain a student. After years of teaching and dancing, I am constantly educating myself. Whether it be in taking classes when I can or self-educating by reading my ballet dictionary, brushing up on the basics at the barre, or learning about a person or genre that I know very little about. The more you know, the better teacher you can be.

Remember to learn from those around you. Come in to the industry with respect and you’ll gain it. There’s a place for everyone in the industry to some capacity. You just have to find yours.

XO,
#DanceTchrProbs