Even if you're not one of my students, you can use some of these. In 2013, I resolve to:
1. Think about dance in four dimensions (height, depth, length, and time).
2. Be generous with my plie for take-off and landings.
3. Keep my eyes wide open and my chin lifted when I spot.
4. Eat healthy foods, get plenty of sleep, and rest when injured.
5. Listen to every correction given to every person in class, whether I think it applies to me or not.
6. Accept feedback and criticism graciously and gratefully.
7. Reverse combinations whenever I can.
8. Train at the barre and entertain in the center.
9. Encourage others, especially beginners, and look for the artistry in everyone.
10. Choose one new thing to think about during every pirouette combination - but only one at a time!
11. Ditch the baggy clothes and appreciate the beauty that is my body.
12a. Never assume I can't do something that is new or unusual.
12b. Eliminate the word "Wait!" from my vocabulary and stop automatically raising my hand before a combination is marked with music.
13. Understand that progress can take many forms and as much time as it needs to.
Happy, healthy dancing in the New Year~
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Art and Real Life Tragedy
[This post was inspired by a post on The Healthy Dancer: Using Dance to Heal.]
In her post, linked above, Diana discusses how the recent school shooting affected her as an educator and parent. Although she is a current Connecticut resident, I am a former one, having lived there for most of my life. My family is still there, scattered across the tiny state, some close to the Newtown area, some farther away. But it's safe to say that all of them were affected, as the entire nation was. You didn't have to be a resident of that state or the parent of a small child to feel tremendous empathy for the families of the smallest victims and their exceptionally heroic teachers.
This past weekend, Le Studio held its annual Nutcracker. One of the highlights of the show is the tiny children who play the mice and reindeer. They always steal the show - always! Some are as young as four and all just love dancing. It's such a joy to watch them on stage, waving to their parents, trying very hard to follow along with the older dancers who are leading them. It was hard for Susie and me to watch them without thinking of the young students in Newtown who would never have an opportunity to dance in a Nutcracker. And it made us feel very protective of the ones who were on stage with us.
Dance, and ballet in particular, has always been a dramatic art form. Every major story ballet involves death or betrayal, even some that are ultimately light-hearted and upbeat. Nutcracker, for instance, involves the death of the Mouse King (and in our version, also one of the tiny mice). Clara and her Prince prevail and go on to dance in the Land of the Sweets and live happily ever after but hey, what about those mice who died? It's not our place as dance teachers to play psychologist with the children but I'd like to think that the arts, whether it's a story ballet or a movie or a picture book, can help the young ones understand about death and life. Parents can use art as the first step to introduce a small child to the notion of death.
In her post, linked above, Diana discusses how the recent school shooting affected her as an educator and parent. Although she is a current Connecticut resident, I am a former one, having lived there for most of my life. My family is still there, scattered across the tiny state, some close to the Newtown area, some farther away. But it's safe to say that all of them were affected, as the entire nation was. You didn't have to be a resident of that state or the parent of a small child to feel tremendous empathy for the families of the smallest victims and their exceptionally heroic teachers.
This past weekend, Le Studio held its annual Nutcracker. One of the highlights of the show is the tiny children who play the mice and reindeer. They always steal the show - always! Some are as young as four and all just love dancing. It's such a joy to watch them on stage, waving to their parents, trying very hard to follow along with the older dancers who are leading them. It was hard for Susie and me to watch them without thinking of the young students in Newtown who would never have an opportunity to dance in a Nutcracker. And it made us feel very protective of the ones who were on stage with us.
Dance, and ballet in particular, has always been a dramatic art form. Every major story ballet involves death or betrayal, even some that are ultimately light-hearted and upbeat. Nutcracker, for instance, involves the death of the Mouse King (and in our version, also one of the tiny mice). Clara and her Prince prevail and go on to dance in the Land of the Sweets and live happily ever after but hey, what about those mice who died? It's not our place as dance teachers to play psychologist with the children but I'd like to think that the arts, whether it's a story ballet or a movie or a picture book, can help the young ones understand about death and life. Parents can use art as the first step to introduce a small child to the notion of death.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
(Foot)notes
This tidbit in Pointe magazine caught my eye, so I thought I'd share:
Wish your pointe shoes were slightly less painful? Get more sleep! A recent study found that when people stayed in bed for at least 10 hours a night, by the fourth day they experienced a 25 percent decrease in pain sensitivity. Researchers think this happens because we have more pain receptors in our blood system when we're exhausted. How's that for an excuse to sleep in? (Pointe Magazine 12/18/12)
So get your rest and save your feet.
FYI...for all of my local dancers in Pasadena and Los Angeles...the following classes are canceled for the holidays:
--Christmas Eve classes at Le Studio
--Christmas Day classes at Dance Arts
--12/26 classes at Dance Arts (evening classes at Le Studio WILL be in session!)
--New Year's Eve classes at Le Studio (except for my 10AM $10 special class!!)
--New Year's Day classes at Dance Arts
ALL other classes ARE in session. If you have any questions, please check the calendar at the bottom of this page or send me an email. Happy and healthy dancing to all!
Wish your pointe shoes were slightly less painful? Get more sleep! A recent study found that when people stayed in bed for at least 10 hours a night, by the fourth day they experienced a 25 percent decrease in pain sensitivity. Researchers think this happens because we have more pain receptors in our blood system when we're exhausted. How's that for an excuse to sleep in? (Pointe Magazine 12/18/12)
So get your rest and save your feet.
FYI...for all of my local dancers in Pasadena and Los Angeles...the following classes are canceled for the holidays:
--Christmas Eve classes at Le Studio
--Christmas Day classes at Dance Arts
--12/26 classes at Dance Arts (evening classes at Le Studio WILL be in session!)
--New Year's Eve classes at Le Studio (except for my 10AM $10 special class!!)
--New Year's Day classes at Dance Arts
ALL other classes ARE in session. If you have any questions, please check the calendar at the bottom of this page or send me an email. Happy and healthy dancing to all!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
New class payment options
Check out the button at the top of the page here. That's right: a Paypal account link! This is a new way to pay for your classes with me at Dance Arts Academy. You can buy 5 and 10 class cards with your choice of card through Paypal, but you do NOT need to have a Paypal account to do so.
Easy to do! Easy to save! Remember, a single class is $15, 5 classes are $70 ($14/class), and 10 classes are $130 ($13/class).
This is a step into the 21st Century for me - lol! Seriously, though, I want to make it easy for you to take class with me. And you can buy cards for other people - or have someone buy one for you. After all, it IS the holiday season and your loved ones want to keep you happy and we know ballet makes you happy!
Happy dancing~
Easy to do! Easy to save! Remember, a single class is $15, 5 classes are $70 ($14/class), and 10 classes are $130 ($13/class).
This is a step into the 21st Century for me - lol! Seriously, though, I want to make it easy for you to take class with me. And you can buy cards for other people - or have someone buy one for you. After all, it IS the holiday season and your loved ones want to keep you happy and we know ballet makes you happy!
Happy dancing~
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