DLDanceS Dance Club January/February Newsletter Club President: Dana Smith Vice President: Danielle Tatick Edited By: Dana and Debra Smith *************************************** The Dancer's Diary This Section of our newsletter is random entries of all different dancers around the world and how they feel about dancing! The entrys are anonymous and I sure you can understand why. Would you like to add an entry to our Diary? Please e-mail us! 11.9.1999 Today I were in Katri Soini's modern-dance course. Phew, dance was really difficult and especially parallel was tricky, 'cause I'm accustomed to doing first position. Katri rules her body very well: It's AMAZING! We did some floor movement and movement on stand. Dance-exercise was really speedy and magnificent! 13.10.1999 What a ballet lesson! I'm terrible! I have no strength, balance, no force...I'm world's worst "ballerina." My whole lesson was t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e!!! And my pointe work...I'm LOOSER!!! I'll still have tap lesson today...oh no... :/ 6.11.1999 Harri Laine's musculature maintenance course was today and it was really good and very useful. Laine told us some of elastic and how you can service your muscles. Then we did some stretch-exercise. Now I know how I can service my body better. 13.11.1999 How much I love ballet...it's my whole life! Today, in ballet lesson, I was better than last time I wrote...I mean with my balance and force. I have to dance my school's Millennium gala, so I chose variation of Tchaikovsky's Pas de deux. I'm exciting...My first solo ballet dance in high school...So, hope the best for me :) **************************************** Pirouettes by Finis Jhung As I always say in class, turning is easy. It's standing up that's difficult. The problem with turns is not that you can't turn; it's that you can't stand up. Why can't you stand? Most often, you work your arms more than you do your legs. There is a tendency to pull the arms in faster than you can complete your preparatory plié. When your arms move faster and stronger than your legs, that energy you are using becomes the weight that pulls you off balance. It is a law of physics that Energy = Mass. In other words, wherever you put energy, that will become weight. So, if your arms move faster than your legs do, you're going to be top-heavy, with more weight in your arms than in your legs. And, because you are rotating, or turning, that weight will go farther and farther away from the center of your body with each rotation. You have created an upward spiral. This is what pulls you off balance and makes you hop or fall. It is therefore important to think of making a downward spiral. In order to do this, you must coordinate so that your arms are timed with your legs, whether you are doing a plié or piqué. When you do this, then energy begins going downward through your legs into the floor, and that sends your weight downward, creating a downward spiral. Therefore, the longer you turn, the more your weight is centered in your standing foot. You see this happen often with good dancers -- they always finish their turns on one leg, on balance. Because they have pushed their weight downward, and not pulled it up and away with their arms, the more they turn, the more they balance. I also remind my students: “The more you fall , the more you fall. The more you balance, the more you balance.” A rule to remember: ARMS NEVER MOVE FASTER THAN LEGS. In other words, your arms don't pull your legs up from the plié to your passé. Your arms also don't turn your head. Your arms should reflect the coiling of your spine and help your legs to complete the plié. I'm sure it is obvious to you that you need to “wind up” or “coil” in order to turn. Have you seen a top spin? It rotates or spins because torque, or rotational force has been applied. Have you spun a top yourself? There are different kinds of tops, and I like to demonstrate with the kind of top that you can spin with your fingers. After you have placed it, you begin a twisting movement, right, left, right, left, and then you can give it a final twist to the right, release it, and it will spin. I then point out that the top has “no arms” as a way of emphasizing that the torque we dancers create must be in the center of our bodies. Turns are no longer a mystery. Tops have been around since 2000 BC -- much before ballet was invented. And, don't forget we can go to the moon and back. We know how bodies move in space! Have you had teachers say “Don't show your preparation, don't move your arms as you plié to turn. Just quickly pull your arms into 1st position and that will make you turn.” I think what your teacher means is not to athletically swing your arms, as though you're swinging a bat. You do need a preparation. The ball bounces because it is pushed to the earth. The plane flies because the jets push away from the earth. It's all cause and effect. Preparation and result. You must do the same! All good dancers show their plié and “wind up” before they turn. Movement makes movement. Just be sure you make a preparation that is stretched and smooth. Coordinate your arms with your legs. Thinking of the spinning top, you need to “wind up” your spine. If you want to turn to the right, then you need to coil to the left. This will be reflected by your left shoulder and both arms stretching to the left as you plié. Here are some checkpoints: 1. Keep the weight of your body on your standing leg. You've got to go down to go up. You push downwards in order to relevé. 2. You've got to begin your plié stretching left in order to turn and relevé to the right. 3. Arms never go faster than legs. 4. Facing the mirror, you should be able to see your plié begin turning to the right. 5. Facing the mirror, the last thing you see is your arms stretched out with your legs in plié. 6. Facing the mirror, the next thing you see is yourself finish the turn on relevé. There is much more to discuss, but time and space do not permit. If you have questions, please ask, and we'll do our best to help you. Enjoy your turns! Copyright 1997 by the Author This page may be printed, copied or distributed freely, provided this copyright notice remains. www.dancepages.com *********************************** January and Febuary's Dancer of the Month! Januarys dancer of the month was picked by Danielle and I sorry members you did not get to vote this time!! But anyway the winner of becoming Januarys Dancer of the Month is... Natasha, Sweetdreamer100!! Congratulations!! If you would like to be February's Dancer of the month e-mail us! Dear Dana and club members, I think I should be chosen for "Dancer of the Month" for January because my life revolves mainly around dancing. I dance 5 days a week, a total of approximately 12 and a half hours! I am totally dedicated...I am 12 yrs old and I've been dancing since I was 3 yrs old! Since the day I started dancing, I have done ballet, pointe, creative movement (when I 1st started), jazz, hip hop, tap, and much more..... ...My schedule is jam-packed w/ dance classes..... I think I am qualified to be chosen as dancer of the month... ...Dancingly Yours, Natasha ************************************** What Dancer5524 has to say about the Footloose Dance Competition Company!! Hello! I'm writing to express my concerns about a certain competition company. I recently wrote to Footloose to question the additional 10% charge to independent dancers. I know that many of you do compete as independents or have students who do and this would be of interest to you! I probably wouldn't even bring this to your attention, except for the unprofessional manner my letter was handled. I'm adult enough to say that yes my letter was heated and maybe I should haven't worded things the way I did, but the number one rule to running a business is to handle your customers in a polite manner, no matter what. The Footloose representative failed to do this. What I'm asking you to do stop and think before you send in that entry form. We should have experiences that we are going to be able to grow as dancers and this starts with the way they treat their competitors. How should a company treat its customers? -Dancer5524 ***************************************** Question of the Month From: Memii2 Answered By : Cynthia Roses-Thema I understand that the character dances in both The Nutcracker and in Swan Lake are derived from actual folk and regional dances. I have been taking character classes for many years, yet this is about all I know of it's history. Can you tell me anything else about character dance? Yes, that's true that national and folk dances are the source of ballet character dance, which is a specialized technique. I believe Marius Petipa, the father of Classical Ballet, was the one who really used character dances to the fullest in ballet. Fanny Elssler was famous for the Cachucha in the late 1800's. She was the rival to Marie Taglioni in Paris. But to the best of my knowledge it was Petipa who inserted these dances into practically every ballet he did. What Petipa did though was to make everyone do them in ballet attire and ladies in pointe shoes. Michel Fokine, who was the next great innovator in ballet did things like Scheherezade and Prince Igor using dancers in more traditional costume and took ladies off pointe shoes and into regular slippers necessary for that type of dance. In the United States Katherine Dunham is responsible for bringing the dances of the Carribean into prominence. They are, however, not really considered character dances but more folk dances which is the other avenue of character dance, the actual folk dances themselves. To learn the history of those you would have to research each particular country itself. You might try this website: International Folk Dance at http://www.io.com/~hbp/folkdance/fd.html. Igor Moiseyev who created and choreographed for the Moiseyev Dance Company is credited with bringing the character dance to an entertaining level internationally. Folk dance is usually more entertaining for those doing it, than for the audience. But Moiseyev blended ballet and the Russian character dance paving the way for many other companies to do the same thing. Now I believe Flamenco dancing is the new "in" thing sweeping the world. ***************************************** Ballet Vocabuarly by: Anthony Noa - coach@danceart.com This is the ballet vocabuarly section of out newsletter. Each month when the newsletter is sent out we will pick a new letter to give ballet terms to. If you have any terms to add to our list please e-mail us at DLDanceS@aol.com A adagio ah•DAZJ•eh•oh slow a slow, sustained movement allegro ah•leh•GROH fast fast; jumps performed to a quick, sharp tempo grand allegro - large jumps; petite allegro - small jumps allongé aa•lohn•JAY to elongate; to stretch arabesque ah•rah•BESK a pose on one leg with the other leg extended to the back; originally a flourished, curved line used in Arabic motifs arrière, en ahn ah•REHY•ehr to the back assemblé ah•sahm•BLAY to assemble; a jump from one foot landing on two feet; example: from 5th position brush the back leg to the side 45° as the supporting leg bends at the knee, then jump off the floor land on both legs in 5th position at the same time attitude ah•teh•TEWD a pose on one leg with the other extended with the knee slightly bent either to the front, side or back avant, en ahn ah•VAHN to the front ******************************** Dance Sayings Some of these sayings, I though were very cute! Be my guest and use them any time you would like to! Of Course I have an ATTITUDE I'm a Dancer! If Dance were easy it would be called FOOTBALL! Dancers have the best BUNS! Dance is Life, everything else is just Details! To Dance is to Live, To Live is to Dance Ballet Dancers always have a POINTE! Dancers Turn Out Better! If Dance was Simple, they'd call it HOCKEY! Ballet......nothing else Matters! Dance Allows Your Dreams To Speak. (Katie Imedieke) Don't Dance and Drive! (Brad) When all else fails..... spin! (Danya) If you get confused just jump around and wave your arms!(Karlea) You can lead a Horse to water but you can't make it dance! (Clinton) While I Dance I cannot Judge. I cannot hate, I cannot separate. (Paige) ********************************* THE TOP TEN THINGS A BALLERINA WOULD NEVER SAY !! As presented on the 4/8/96 broadcast of "The Late Show With David Letterman" 10. "You gonna finish those cheese fries?" 9. "I can't get the chewing tobacco stains out of my unitard!" 8. "I'm loopy from all the spinning!" 7. "My dream is to do a ballet version of 'Smokey and the Bandit'." 6. "Baseball players can scratch themselves. Why can't we?" 5. "I don't know which I love more--'Swan Lake' or Ricki Lake?" 4. "When I have to jump really high, I pretend there's a ferret biting me in the ass." 3. "I love the Quizstar 5000!" 2. "Hey girls--let's go beat the hell outta some opera singers." 1. "I'll have what Rush is having." ****************************** Stretches!! Rules of Stretching Stretching is a vital part of any exercise program and athletics. The best way to describe what "stretching" does, is that it will allow the athlete to not only achieve their best performance, but also to extend that performance for years by avoiding the consequences of long term muscle strain. Muscles that are stretched properly on a consistent basis, are more flexible and thus less prone to injury. But what about improper stretching? Stretches that put abnormal stress on the ligaments may cause permanent damage and should be avoided. It is a matter of knowing the basic anatomy of the body's joints and ligaments, to learn where one should and should not feel tension. Many athletes are told to hold a "stretch" for a certain amount of time (for example, 30 seconds). The reality is that a stretch cannot be timed because it varies from one individual to another. In truth a stretch should be held until the tension in the muscle group is gone. This timing also varies from day to day for each individual. Power Stretching By Amber Martin Bubbleb990@aol.com Power Stretch is the term used for an ultimate flexibility and strengthening class for the dancer, drill team member, and potential drill team member. Power Stretch is important for many reasons. It is directly associated with injury prevention, body alignment, and creating the perfect balance between strength flexibility. INJURY PREVENTION: Did you know that one of the best ways to prevent injury was through proper stretching? A Power Stretch class should be conducted the same as a dance technique class. The instructor takes the students through a brief warm up which includes calisthenics and brisk walking if the space allows. This movement allows ample blood, essential fluids and oxygen to flow to all muscles in the body. Next, stretches follow a gradual pattern that increases in intensity. (Intensity also includes partner stretching.) This lesson plan of stretching teaches each student about his or her own body and what it must realistically have to be injury-free. BODY ALIGNMENT: Body alignment is important for not only flexibility, but also correct range of movement when executing technical dance steps. It is very important for an instructor to have a watchful eye and be both knowledgeable and responsive to the students so stretches are done correctly. Poor form makes a stretch useless and could cause injury. BALANCING STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY: In dance movement, muscle groups work on a system of stretching and relaxing. Therefore, it is very important for a dancer to be as strong as he or she is flexible. Otherwise, injury may again occur because the particular muscle groups are not able to keep the body in proper alignment. In Power Stretch class, the instructor will do exercises that will strengthen isolated muscle groups. In most cases, both the strengthening and stretching exercises will be done in a format so that the student can be educated about his or her own body. In conclusion, when these elements are applied in a challenging and fun environment, the student not only acquires a flexible and healthy body, but also a positive mind when it comes to setting realistic goals and expectations as a dancer. ************************************ Links Sarah's Dance Page! Twinkle Toes! Caroline's Page of Ballet Ballet Alert! An online newsletter for those who love ballet Capezio Ballet Makers Inc. A Day in the Life of a Dancer [degraded kanji hyperlink] New York City Ballet Photo Gallery CyberDance - Ballet on the Net - Education, Part 3 - Summer and Special ProgramSAB Ballet Sarah's Dance Page Dance 2000 Club Links DLDanceS Dance Club Website!! E-mail us! ************************************************* Club Jobs! The DLDanceS Dance Club needs members of our club to fill some of the jobs for our club if you think you would like to do any of the following club jobs please e-mal us as so as you can because the job spaces with go quickly! Thanks! Lady of list-o- links - we need a member to be responsible to have a list of about ten or more links to give us for evey newsletter Advertiser - we need a member to to make get our site into webrings and get more people to join our club! Dance specialist- we need a member to write about a different dance form every month. The job will include writing tips, articles, about dance schools and giving links. The articles, and tips do not have to be originally written by you. You may copy an article with permission and put it into your own words. DLDanceS Dance Club Newsletters Copyright ©