When I work with dancers, many respond to my question, “what is your biggest challenge?” with “how can I improve turning on my own?” In ballet technique, singular turning is an essential ingredient, a challenging flourish that adds energy and … Continue reading →
Getting ready for a competition is like listening to Ravel’s Bolero -it starts out quietly builds up in volume adding instruments along the way, repeats …building a driving theme and finally ends in a crescendo that reverberates as much in its … Continue reading →
The New York Times did not report the Las Vegas shooting in the Monday morning edition – it happened late Sunday night on East Coast time. My dentist told me Monday morning shaking his head in disbelief. I was shocked … Continue reading →
I’m wondering, “how do we plan?” We plan our schedules, what competition or showcase to do, what costume to buy/rent, what food to buy, what car to buy, who to marry (one of the more involved ones I dare say!) … Continue reading →
I remember when I was a 10 year old ballet student being carted around by my teacher and mother to various dance conventions sometimes meeting important other teachers and choreographers . They were trying to assess or confirm my talent via other … Continue reading →
If we take beauty as a constant, describing everything from flowers to trees to faces to dancing, we may wonder if beauty is really a distilling down, a reduction of add-ons, encumbrances and wasted effort. Trees, plants and flowers all … Continue reading →
If you have a dog, cat, horse, or other pet, watch how they move. Notice how they amble, run, trot, roll, sit, jump, breathe and generally instruct us on their easeful use. They don’t know that they are coordinated, they … Continue reading →
There is a truth about our design that is inescapable. Yet often, our beliefs are in conflict with that truth. And knowing just a bit more about our spine can invite a change for the better. I ask my students … Continue reading →
I clicked the play button on the video and was transported to that wonderful world of pleasure, excitement and amazement. It was Fred Astaire dancing in “Top Hat and Tails”, posted by Fred Astaire Wisconsin. You can see it here: … Continue reading →
I remember when the only way to solve a movement challenge was to bounce from one solution to another. Ticking them off in a fury of trial and error using known options. Known, yet not workable. Arm styling using my … Continue reading →
