One Quick laugh!

Even dancers must laugh! Take a look at this video and reminisce about the dancer you use to be. In case you do not remember, First position is the beginning position in ballet where the heels are touching and the whole entire leg all the way up into the inner thigh is turned out (See picture below):

So now, let's take a look at this little dancer having a hard time learning first position in her ballet class.....

Syllabus and Class Planning

The common belief is that dancers do not teach, they dance around all day. WRONG! We create a curriculum and a syllabus just like any other subject matter. The below is an example of a syllabus created by me for a previous class. Use this as a model to plan your syllabi for dance classes when teaching movement:

Advanced Jazz (MASTER CLASS)

Ages:  14-17 (10 girls and 1 boy)

Wednesday s, 7:15-8:45 pm

                                             

Objective:  Students will learn how transitions between movements help add flair and style to one’s performance.  Students will be able to connect movement in an almost seamless manner by the end of session or have deep understanding of subject.

Warm Up (approx. 30 minutes):

Isolations- starting with the head and moving down to shoulders/arms *helps bring awareness to separate body parts that can be isolated*

Sagittal stretches- basic Horton stretches from sagittal plane all the way to floor and back up to opposite  side, 2^nd set done with plié in between *will be done slightly at moderate speed to raise heart rate*

Continue Isolations- starting with the torso and moving to the hips

Feet Treads- will start with slow speed and work its way up to half time and turn into prances in circles around oneself *continuing to raise heart rate*

Tendu- parallel and turned out en croix with a plié in between to switch sides *opening up the hips and stretching Achilles*

Sit-ups/push-ups- Duration of one full song approximately 4 minutes in length switching different ways to do them, end with a upward dog stretch. Continue with 20 push-ups and child’s pose to end*helps strengthen the core

Floor stretches- legs open and together in front of oneself, reaches done in moderate speed  to half time to give the brain a workout *opens the hips and keeps students from ‘zoning’ out

Across the Floor (approx. 20-30 minutes):

Pirouettes- small connecting movements into a ball change pirouette, done multiple times from holding relevé to triple (or four if can be done) *movement before turn will start the awareness of transitions*

Battements- small connecting phrase involving chainés and battements as well as sharp movement *helps one practice the turning techniques they just used on other types of turns; helps one to experiment with different kinds of transitioning techniques*

Leaps- Turn leaps and calypsos going to the ground *helps one become comfortable with the floor*

Side Leap- small phrase that combines previous movements done across the floor and ends with a side leap *Seals the muscle memory for all techniques used and learned*

Phrase (the rest of class duration):

Phrase will combine technique done across the floor with stylized movement. Students will not only practice their visual learning skills, but will also learn how to transition movement within their own body to develop a personal style and performance. Phrase will be approximately 6 to 10 eight counts; length determined on how well students are picking the material up. Students will demonstrate in groups and conclude class with one final round altogether.

Cool Down:

If there is time, cool down will consist of the sagittal stretches and feet treads done earlier in class done at a slow and leisurely speed. If there is no time for a cool down, it is my job to remind students to take time on their own to cool down.

Attention All Serious Dancers...READ!

DanceUSA is a wonderful resource for finding out the latest news in the dance world. Dancers can come become a member of the website and reap all the benefits of the organization and its website. One can find job opportunities all over the world in their database, connect with other dance professional, attend conferences, and even receive discounts on classes at certain studios around the country who are members as well.

There are many dance alliances and councils out there that are strictly for supporting artists. Organizations like the National Endownment for the Arts even provides funding and grant opportunities for dancers. Check out your local county and state to find the arts council or dance alliance. They probably are connected to other organizations. For example, the Tucson-Pima Arts Council loves connecting artists with other practicing artists. In the past, TPAC has provided grants to dancers who use their art to improve and/or enhance the community.

Speaking of finding opportunity, here is a great article written by a dancer for dancers in the E-magazine of DanceUSA. It is really great lesson for all serious dancers to learn. See the link below:

Letter and Apology to Dancers About To Enter the Dance World — FROM THE GREEN ROOM: Dance/USA's e-Journal

Introduction

This blog is an unofficial dictionary of terms, movement, people, and all things dance that may be important in your educational dance endeavors. Resources for these post are pulled from books, textbooks, articles, online, video, photos, and personal experience in the dance classroom. The book seen in the photo is Gayle Grant's Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet. This is one of the best dance dictionary's on the market if you want to define terms, see rudimentary positions, and learn the correct French spelling for dance terms. This is a MUST for all serious dancers!