What is Modern Dance?

What is modern dance?  It's a tricky question to answer for anyone that's asking for a description, so I'll do my best to outline it here.

The best way to describe modern dance to begin with is that it began with ex-ballerinas that wanted a style of dance that broke away from the rigid structure of ballet and balletic narratives.  Okay, so what does that mean?

Typically, I start talking about the different "teachers" of modern dance.  Martha Graham, Lester Horton, Isadora Duncan.  Most teachers I know seem to do a combination of these three "teachers of modern," but in truth, there is no 'one thing' that points to modern dance as a whole, like ballet (ie: Swan Lake,) Jazz (ie: Cabaret,) and Tap (well, tap.)


Martha Graham: is considered the "mother of Modern dance," and although Modern Dance started well before her time, she is responsible for popularizing it in the United States.  Martha developed her own dance technique after studying dance for years- she wanted dancers to focus on "feeling."  Feeling the floor beneath them, contracting and releasing the core of the body (the center of the body, as contrast to ballet's emphasis on the limbs,) coordinating breathing and movement. 

Isadora Duncan: technically came before Modern Dance.  She concentrated on the center (core), bare feet, loose hair, long and flowing costumes that was important for the dance.  Isadora built in quite a bit of athleticism in her dances:  Skipping, running, leaping, abrupt movements and some simple gymnastics. 

Lester Horton: developed his own approach that incorporated Native American dances and modern jazz.  His technique is the most demanding:  focusing on the whole-body:  Flexibility, strength, coordination.  A common Horton move seen in many modern classes:  the arms straight above the heads and a flat back.


I've always found Modern Dance as incredibly difficult to describe and taking one modern class vs. another could be very different.  Modern classes can also be very close to ballet (ballet with bare feet, I call these classes) so it all depends on the instructor and what "teachings" he or she is instructing.  Modern is a great addition to a ballet class, given the free-flowing movement, being on the floor, and using your body in different ways. It's also a great alternative if your dancer is growing tired of ballet or needs to try something different.  Modern dance does have technique involved, but might feel more like "dancing" since the first half of class isn't done at the barre.

~ Miss Jenna

"Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion."  - Martha Graham

Why dance in a recital?

Our Ballet Petite teachers are just starting to announce our recital information to our parents and dancers. We're expecting an awesome and spectacular show for all our ballet, musical theatre, jazz, hip hop, modern, lyrical, and tap dancers! Our productions team has worked really hard to select the right themes and music for our spring recitals to really make our dancers shine and look their best!

Although recital time can be fun and exciting, sometimes parents and dancers may have some reservations about participating in the recital.

Our younger dancers are often very shy and have a little stage fright. Even performing in front of small crowds can make them a little anxious.

Participating in recitals requires a huge commitment from parents and families. Dancers need to come to class regularly in order to learn the choreography for their dances. This is especially important for dancers who are in more than one performance. In addition to class, there are also dress rehearsal time, costume measurements and fittings and arriving to the theater at the appropriate time to prepare for the performance.

Even though it may be scary to get on stage, there are benefits to participating in a recital:

Ballet Petite ballerinas!

- Dancing on stage can boost confidence! It takes a lot of guts to get on that stage and dance. Think about how proud your dancer will feel when they realize they did something amazing!

- You can create memories to last a lifetime. I remember almost every recital I've ever danced in. Each one is different and special in its own way. I love going through old costumes and pictures and reminiscing about all the performances I did.

-Dancing in a recital is fun! Putting on costumes, fixing your hair, applying your makeup, and getting on that stage - it's all a thrill! It's feels so great to see everyone in the audience smiling and looking at you!

I highly encourage participation during recital time. You may be surprised and find that it's more fun than you think!

Ballet Petite dancers can register for the spring recital on our website by clicking here.
You can also call our office and we can help you over the phone! 301-229-6882

 

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

The Power of Believing

"Three weeks ago, my daughter couldn't jump," said one of my baby dance parents, thrilled that her child had acquired this new skill.  This dancer was only 20 months old. Of course, the other child in the class was running in circles, whooping with excitement and another left early due to uncontrollable sobbing.


My baby dance class is interesting since this is the dancer's first classroom experience and it's difficult for parents not to compare their young dancers to the others.  I hear every comparison from, "She has way more hair than my kid" to "Your child is younger than mine, but so much better."  Parents also get very embarrassed by their unfocused toddler and I try and assure them that their toddler's reaction is perfectly normal.  I also tell them that my parents used to say that I fooled them into thinking they were good parents- then my sister came along and proved them wrong.

I've mentioned this dancer once before in a previous blog post, but I'll go more into detail now.  It was a Ballet 2 class for 6 year olds at a different studio I worked at.  Even though this student had taken ballet for a couple of years, I did not feel as though she as ready for Ballet 2.  The class moved much faster, the other little dancers already knew basic terminology, and was picking up on choreography.  I had to stop the class frequently for this particular student, she would stick her tushy out for her pliés, could hardly focus long enough for one exercise and would arrive sobbing for most classes.  When I heard the student say to her mother, "this class is too hard!"  I decided to have a conversation, stating that I think she should take Ballet 1 again.

"But she took Ballet 1 last year," the mother argued.

"I know, however-"

"No, she's staying in this class."

This conversation continued several more times, until finally, the school stepped in and told the parent that her child needed to move down to Ballet 1.

The mother was furious.  I understood.  She was protecting her dancer and didn't want to experience to effect the person she may become.  I decided to offer private lessons to her daughter before classes.

"30 minute private lessons before every class for as long as I felt she needed it," I said.  Her mother agreed.

Only three weeks passed when I told her mother she was caught up and would be fine without the private lessons anymore.  Only THREE WEEKS.  The dancer blossomed and surprised me.

I can't say that she blossomed because of the private lessons (but of course, they helped.  It allowed me to play with my vocabulary and find what "clicked" for her,) but I do feel like she understood that her mother believed in her (thinking that she was signed up for private lessons because she was exceptional.)  For the mother, there was no giving up.  Her mother believed in her daughter, and therefore, her daughter blossomed.  Then I believed in her (admittedly when I should have all along.)

The following year, this dancer auditioned for our Pre-Professional Program and was accepted.     

I try to keep this in mind with every dancer I have now.  Not "writing off" any individual- no matter how rambunctious, how "behind," anything she may seem from the rest of her class, because honestly, I should be the one who believes in them unconditionally.  As an instructor, it is my privilege to believe in the dancer of each and every one of my students and watching them thrive.

I told this story to my Baby Dance parents today and they all left with smiles on their faces and holding the hands of their waddling toddlers with their heads held high.  

~ Miss Jenna

"Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


 

The Pointe Shoe

At the beginning of our Winter session at Ballet Petite, we introduced our new pointe manual to parents and students who are interested in going onto pointe, or are already dancing on pointe.

Here is the history of the pointe shoe according to Gaynor Minden pointe shoe company, "A history of pointe shoes is also a history of pointe technique. They evolved together; they created each other. But the pointe shoe itself is seldom given recognition for its role in steering the development of technique. 
 
The Italian princess Catherine de Medici married the French Henri II and introduced ballet de cour, or "court ballet" to the Court of France in the sixteenth century. From these early productions featuring masked and costumed courtiers, dancing at court developed into lavish spectacles and extravaganzas, from which a codified vocabulary of steps eventually emerged-- the same steps and the same basic positions that you do every day in class. 
 
In the 1600's, King Louis XIV especially loved dancing and starring in court productions. When he grew too old and fat to perform he continued to be one of ballet's greatest patrons. He founded the Académie Royale de Danse, which would later become the Paris Opera Ballet. Ballet had a political advantage as well in that Louis surely used his ballets, in which the courtiers bowed and curtsied to him in a variety of elaborate and elegant ways, to celebrate and glorify himself, to associate himself with divinity, and to reinforce the power of the throne." www.dancer.com/hist.php 

As beautiful and elegant as pointe looks, it is honestly no joke. Dancers who are not yet ready for pointe shoes can sustain serious injury to their bodies. There are many criteria that dance schools follow before allowing students to dance en pointe because it requires a substantial amount of strength and training.

The first question that most people ask is, what age can someone go en pointe? There is no set age for when students can start, but the average age is about twelve. Young dancers have very soft bones, and muscles need to be sufficiently developed.

At Ballet Petite, we ask students to perform a series of tests in order to determine their strength and ability for pointe shoes. The tests may seem simple, but they demonstrate a lot to the ballet instructor:

1. Balancing on one foot while holding the other foot in retiré or sur le cou-de-pied: students must balance without wobbling and keeping all the toes flat on the floor. Try balancing with your eyes closed or tilting your head!

2. Turn-out: There are a lot of exercises and tests we do involving turn-out. In one of them, we have the student stand in first position and do several pliés. The instructor will be looking for toes to be kept on the floor and knees going out. 

3. Arch in foot: In order to go on pointe, dancers will need to have flexible feet and ankles. The instructor will ask the dancer to sit on the floor, then proceed to pointe their toes. 

Pointe can be hard and challenging, but it can be very rewarding. I remember performing in my first dance recital en pointe, I felt so accomplished. I felt like a real ballerina dancing around in my pointe shoes. However, I think the most important thing about going en pointe is having the can-do attitude. Some days, you really will not want to put on your pointe shoes, but you will anyway because at the end of the day, you love ballet. Just keep your chin up and push through! 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

Harsh Reality on Becoming a Ballerina and Why You Shouldn't Care

Only 5% of the world's population have the "ideal body type" to become a supermodel.  What about for ballet dancers with the top companies?  It's only 2% of the world's population.  What is this body?

FEET:  High arches with a top bump and strong Achilles tendons.
ANKLES:  Strong and flexible Achilles tendons.
HIPS:  Must have a 90 degree turnout from each of the hip rotators, giving you a 180 degree foot stance.
LEGS:  Long and hyper-extended.
TORSO:  Short.
NECK:  Long.


Not to mention a small, round head and you can't exceed the height and weight restrictions.  

Of course, it's impossible to tell if your child will have all these requirements as an adult, but regardless, these dancers must start training by age seven at a top ballet academy.  Of course, there are plenty of these top notch professionals that don't move to a serious academy until the ages of eight to eleven and have even had some dancers start at late as 13, but these are incredibly rare.  These dancers have sacrificed their childhood, many are home schooled or go to special schools at their academy.  By age 14, these dancers are training 20-30 hours a week and by age 17, would be an apprentice with a company and then join the corps de ballet at 18 (if asked.)

For those who are really talented, they become Soloist, then Principals and then a select few reach the level of "Ballerina."  Most dancers retiring by their 30s (given no injuries,) and the rare exception dance until their 40s.

I don't meet these strict requirements for the ballet dancer's body and I definitely didn't put in the time in becoming a professional ballerina when I was in secondary school.  However, I do remember wondering if I could or would become a professional ballerina.  Of course, I didn't know all these facts when I was a young dancer or I might have been heartbroken, but I continued to dance and never really stopped.  By college, my goals were different and I decided to pursue writing (majoring in English) and minoring in Theatre.  Then, later at grad school, my focus turned to film-making and screenwriting.  Regardless of my current goals, which will now take a long, long time to "make it," I did dance with a small ballet company in DC and was lucky enough to have some decent roles.

So, why shouldn't we care about how hard it is to become a professional ballerina?  Because holding onto the dream while we're too young to realize the harsh realities of the profession in the arts can keep us going, maybe being the next Misty Copeland or maybe we'll eventually dance for smaller companies or even better, it will teach us how to work really, really hard for new dreams.


There is nothing about ballet that is instant and in the world of instant gratification, I feel like ballet taught me the best life lesson for success: hard work, time, and perseverance has shown me success time and time again.  

~ Miss Jenna

"Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th" - Julie Andrews

Ballet: Audition Tips

With the Giselle auditions coming up for our Ballet Performance Company, it feels like a good time to go over audition tips.  I've been in both sides of the audition room more times than I can count- especially in the role of auditionee.  It's being on the other side of the room (as a judge or casting associate) that really taught me how to audition: everything from looking the part, what you need from your headshots (myself, I never looked at resumes when I was doing castings), to nailing the audition.

Of course, ballet, theatre, and on-camera auditions are quite different.  For today, I'll focus on ballet auditions for our upcoming auditionees.

1. Look Your Best.  It's an audition:  you want the judge to be looking at you.  Make sure your leotard, skirt, tights, and shoes are in good shape.  Hair is pulled back into a neat bun.  A hair accessory for some extra flare.  A little bit of make up.  Typically looking your best means feeling your best and you can focus on doing a good job at your audition.

2. Well Rested and Energized. Eat well and get a good night's sleep.  This is critical to feeling like you're in tip top shape.  It's awful having to audition when you're hungry and/or tired.



3. Smile.  Enthusiasm is one of the most important things when auditioning.  When I've been in the judges or casting director's chair, I'm always inclined to offer a role to the audition-er that seems to want to be there, excited to be there, and eager to perform. 

4. Be Prepared:  Roles do go to dancers best for the role.  It might be difficult to keep in mind, especially if a role you wanted was offered to somebody else- but perhaps your leaps are fantastic and more suited for a role that requires a good leaper.  It is important to hone your skills and to make sure you're warmed up and ready to execute the choreography and technique to the best of your abilities.

5. Perform: This might seem obvious, but it's amazing to see how many dancers, actors, etc., walk into an audition room 'auditioning' rather than 'performing.'  Treat everything given to you like you're performing on stage for a thousand people.  What does this mean?  It means forgetting about the judges and allow yourself to be swept away in "your character:" even if it's a simple plié exercise, imagine this is your dance, your moment, try not to focus on the other dancers auditioning along with you.  It's just you up there.

 My last bit of advice after the audition is to forget about it.  This is nearly impossible to do, especially right after the audition. Find a new project to focus on- or if it's your child auditioning, try and have a family project to keep them excited about:  Baking a new dessert you've never tried before every Saturday, being more involved in their homework assignments, finding a movie night, etc.

 The wait can drive you nuts.  I know. I've been there, especially for roles I've felt strongly about.  In my many years auditioning since I was a child, I've learned to not "try to get the role" but to be the one they wish they could give the role to.  Daniel Day Lewis might be a great actor, but the majority of roles out there are not right for him- but I bet nearly every casting director wish there was a role right for him when there isn't.

Good luck to all the Giselle auditionees!

~ Miss Jenna

"An audition is an opportunity to have an audience," - Al Pacino

I don't think actors should ever expect to get a role, because the disappointment is too great. You've got to think of things as an opportunity. An audition's an opportunity to have an audience.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/audition.html#TXmVmTrHF4qCyXfq.99An

I don't think actors should ever expect to get a role, because the disappointment is too great. You've got to think of things as an opportunity. An audition's an opportunity to have an audience.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/audition.html#TXmVmTrHF4qCyXfq.99

For the Love of Dance

A popular reality dance show premiered with a new season this past week. It's a show about rising young dance stars and some pushy moms.

You probably know which show I'm talking about.

When I watch shows like that, I always wonder who loves dance more; the child, or the parent?

Regardless of how much potential and talent you have, I don't think it really counts unless the dancer really, really, REALLY loves to dance.

Sometimes when parents find a talent in their children, they try to push and push to make a career out of it. My own mom tried to do this a few times. Tried.

(Miss Tess performing a group lyrical piece.)

Even though I love dance more than ANYTHING, I had no desire to pursue it as a professional dancer. I just dance purely for the love of dance. And now, I love sharing that love of dance with other young students here at Ballet Petite.

I think that's what makes me love dance so much; I dance because I want to and it brings me joy!




So, dancers and parents:
Don't stress about being the next Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly or Anna Pavola. Dance because you love it and it makes you happy. In the end, that's all that really matters.
  

Happy dancing!

 

 

 Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com