tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78549654891469741902024-03-13T22:10:52.085-06:00Ballet PagesWelcome to Ballet Pages-a place for ballet teachers, ballet classes, technique, teaching tips and stories.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-62431924673198924492024-01-10T11:35:00.000-07:002024-01-10T11:35:11.821-07:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFo-C5BxL5CTNnE5RpFKGemyXMJADDg1VND5HXKTLGQbNSwLLfimI8him98cj1b3k-JriUAhGSXqUMF3x7ZKpiIaWrjlII49P7AFzGNZ1d9qkGbfmy-TfE01FGqovFOYr6dc10TbwNfm5cM57eWdnB-leQLRxtj_-CuZssRLGwDtsCzin4De7gUyT72Y/s4032/IMG_5339.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFo-C5BxL5CTNnE5RpFKGemyXMJADDg1VND5HXKTLGQbNSwLLfimI8him98cj1b3k-JriUAhGSXqUMF3x7ZKpiIaWrjlII49P7AFzGNZ1d9qkGbfmy-TfE01FGqovFOYr6dc10TbwNfm5cM57eWdnB-leQLRxtj_-CuZssRLGwDtsCzin4De7gUyT72Y/s320/IMG_5339.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-23420879729778901212015-10-24T10:30:00.002-06:002015-10-24T10:44:51.453-06:00Taking Advice Where I Can Get ItTis the season! Tis the season for “that ballet that shall
not be named” to come around, once again. As a ballet teacher, I’m excited and
I love this time of year. As a director, teacher and coach, I loath this time
of year. It is the time of year where dreams come true for a select few young
dancers and hearts are broken for the rest.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6D6Ygmwu-0/ViuvlrDH8pI/AAAAAAAAAms/JKAxOWkpLCk/s1600/Nut-Cracker--Aspen-Santa-Fe-Ballet_54_990x660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6D6Ygmwu-0/ViuvlrDH8pI/AAAAAAAAAms/JKAxOWkpLCk/s320/Nut-Cracker--Aspen-Santa-Fe-Ballet_54_990x660.jpg" width="320" /></a>I keep thinking that as the years go by, my skin will get
thicker and thicker and this job of rejecting some and accepting others will
get easier. But it doesn’t. I love my students, with all my heart. They may not
know it, but I lose sleep at night thinking about them, worrying about them. I
lose sleep at night knowing that some will be overjoyed and some will feel that
their dreams have been dashed. The fact that this cycle repeats over and over
and over for me, never gets any easier. Breaking hearts gets tougher as the
years go by.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those of you not sure what I’m talking about, I’m
talking about that annual right of passage in the ballet world called “The
Nutcracker.” I would bet every ballet school in America either puts on their
own or participates in one. Some are student productions where the kids get to
dance all the parts. Some, like ours, are professional productions where professional
company dancers do the majority of the dancing and the students are limited to
a few coveted roles.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJL7qjU3de8/Viuvm1UrA_I/AAAAAAAAAm0/aLyVWgBgE_I/s1600/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJL7qjU3de8/Viuvm1UrA_I/AAAAAAAAAm0/aLyVWgBgE_I/s320/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls.jpeg" width="230" /></a>The role every little girl dreams of from the time she
starts ballet is the role of Clara. Clara is the star of the show and in our
version it is usually played by a young woman age 12-15 who is pretending to be
12-13. This means on any given year, I have 25 young women who can do the part,
and I can cast 2, at the most. Our directors and I have a preference to have 1
veteran Clara and one new Clara. This means that hopefully one of our Clara’s
from last year didn’t get too tall to play the part and she can do it again
this year. The role is complicated and there is a lot to remember. The
rehearsal period is short and it really helps to have at least one of the leads
already know what she is doing. That dancer then becomes a mentor to the newest
Clara. This, of course, is beneficial to the production, but creates drama
within the ranks of girls who want to be Clara. “Why does she get to do it
AGAIN when so many of us have the dream?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do you explain to a teenager about balancing what is
right for the production with what is right for the students? All they can see
is that their friends dream came true, AGAIN, and theirs didn’t, AGAIN. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try, every year, to have THE TALK with my
students and their parents about this very subject. Yet, no matter how I spell
it out, I know the hearts will be broken. I even explain that it’s OK to feel
sad and to grieve for not getting the part. I tell them that how we handle NOT
getting the part we want is as much of our education as dancers as getting the
part we want. I talk to students and parents about this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But regardless, every year, I get a few nasty emails from
parents criticizing the school, the process and the outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year these emails are even more hurtful
than the pain I cause myself, worrying about my students. I’ve been accused of
unfair practices, favoritism, destroying a child’s self esteem, shattering
dreams, etc. I’m sure you’ve all been there. In this age of technology, it’s
oh-so-easy to fire off that angry email, or to leave that angry voice mail when
your child is weeping in her room about how unfair life is. The problem is,
once it’s sent, once it’s recorded you can’t take it back. And usually, after a
few hours, when the passion and the frustration and the sadness has had a
chance to work itself out, most parents wish they could take it back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e-s73yGvbR8/ViuxE_ZrUsI/AAAAAAAAAnA/fkeRka21wFA/s1600/ParentsCartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e-s73yGvbR8/ViuxE_ZrUsI/AAAAAAAAAnA/fkeRka21wFA/s320/ParentsCartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a>So this year, I decided to follow the example of our local school
sports teams. It seems, a couple of friends who have children who aren’t in the
ballet school told me, that the coaches all got together and created a rule. If
you have an issue with the coach’s decisions during a practice or a game, students and parents have to wait 24 hours to contact the coach. And if the
student or parent has a strong emotional response, the coaches recommend the
parents avoid using technology (i.e. email or voicemail) and either calls or
sets up a meeting to talk. The moms all told me that the new rules had already
helped them not make those angry calls or emails and they were grateful for
that cooling off period.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I posted the casting, I sent out an email
to all of our families, outlining the new rules. Then I waited with baited
breath to see what would happen. It worked! I had one father tell me he waited
the required 24 hours to contact me, and we had a civil conversation about why
his daughter was cast in the part she was given. What otherwise would have
probably been any angry confrontation was de-escalated by that cooling off
period. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, teachers, coaches, ballet teachers, directors, how do
YOU handle the annual tradition of choosing some and not choosing others? Is
your skin so much thicker than mine (quite possibly) or do you have tools in
place to help diffuse those unsettling situations? And parents, what tools have programs put in place that have helped you help your children through these difficult life challenges? I would love to know and
will take any advice where I can get it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-2052382923350404702015-05-14T13:44:00.001-06:002015-05-14T13:47:11.811-06:00Top 10 Reasons to Leave Your Cell Phone or Camera at Home during your child’s dance recital (and maybe all the time)<h4>
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10. Because it’s good theater etiquette anywhere in the
world.</div>
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9. Because if you are taking pictures or videos of your
child dancing, you’re not actually watching them dance. </div>
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8. Because those glowing screens are annoying to the people
sitting around you.</div>
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7. Because you would hate to have to tell your kid “sorry
honey, it was MY phone that rang in the middle of your dance.”</div>
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6. Because your flash might accidentally go off and you
don’t want to have to tell your child “ sorry honey, MY flash went off just as
you were doing those complicated fouettes…and then you fell.”</div>
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5. Because we hired a professional to video the show so you
don’t have to, and her videos are much better than those glowing white blobs or
blurry pixilated images you get on a cell phone or a camera in a dark theater.
If you’re lucky enough to have a professional camera, well then you should know
better.</div>
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4. Because we will be collecting phones and cameras that are
being used in the audience and auctioning them off to the highest bidder at the
end of the show as a fundraiser for our scholarship program (just kidding, but…it’s
a thought).</div>
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3. Because the person sitting behind you may actually want
to watch the SHOW not your glowing screen illuminating the 3 rows behind you.</div>
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2. Because all those glowing screens and blinking red lights
and clicking shutters are a distraction to the dancers. Yes, they can actually
see and hear all of that. And it’s distracting, and frustrating for them to
know that you aren’t watching, but recording.</div>
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1. Your kids. They’ve worked hard for this all year long and
they want you to watch them, appreciate them and honor their commitment to
their art. They would love your undivided attention and really shouldn’t have
to fight with your mobile device or camera for your attention. And the person
sitting next to you, their kids would also like your undivided attention. </div>
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So please, sit back, relax, and enjoy the performance in the
here and now, in the present moment. This beautiful, magical moment will never
happen again and you wouldn’t want to miss it, staring at your camera or phone
screen. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-10153003103015907062013-12-19T09:31:00.001-07:002013-12-19T09:31:38.381-07:00Ballet and ChemistryBallet and science hand-in-hand! A few of the many many ways that ballet has benefitted from advances in modern chemistry:<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/T-tU_uZwzXU" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-73898496119626468462013-11-22T15:26:00.003-07:002013-11-22T15:26:44.350-07:00Ballet and Science?Are they two completely opposing ideas? Dancers seem to defy the laws of
physics every day. However, dance teachers know that ballet and physics
go hand in hand. Here is a little presentation on the physics of
ballet.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aJo4cA3HhuQ" width="459"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-87299544414813171392013-08-28T11:01:00.000-06:002013-08-28T11:01:26.209-06:00Had some time off of ballet? How to make those first days back a little less painful and frustrating<br />
<br />
<br />
Summer vacation has ended and it's back to school. After several weeks off of ballet, it's also the first day back to class. Maybe you took the whole summer off, maybe it's only been a few weeks since you came home from that intense summer dance program. Every year I see my young students ecstatic about returning to ballet only to struggle with the frustration of getting their body back to where it was before the break. No mater how much time, if you've had some time off here are some things to help make those first few days back in the studio less painful and less frustrating.<br />
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<b>1. Be patient with yourself</b>. Don't expect the first day back to be exactly like the last day you danced. This is especially necessary if you've had a long span of time off (over 2 weeks). Ease into things. More injuries happen in that first week of coming back because we expect our body to bounce right back to where it was. Allow your body and your brain some time to get back into sync.<br />
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<b>2. Focus on your technique.</b> Remember that your turn out comes from your hips, not your feet. Forcing your feet into your best turn out right away can cause knee pain if the rotator muscles have gotten weak. If you experience that ache in the knees, back off out of your turn out and make sure you are holding with your rotators and not gripping with your thighs and feet. If it has been a very long break, work in first position for the first few classes before building back up to 5th.<br />
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<b>3. Go back to the basics.</b> For a day or two or more, allow yourself to practice one pirouette or even just balancing. Feel the position of passe, check the hip alignment, make sure the passe foot isn't "parked" or resting on the knee, but is driving up from underneath and held. You might feel that deep pinching sensation in the seat letting you know the gluteus medius is working. You might feel the pinch of the hip flexors letting you know the glut mede is not working. Lower the leg, find the place where the hip flexor in front is not straining and the gluteus in back are doing their job.<br />
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<b>4. Be prepared for dramatic shifts.</b> Many times the first class back is sensational and the next class we completely fall apart. We feel like we slide down into a hole that we have to claw our way out of. Do not despair! This is a normal part of athletic achievement. Allow yourself to have a few weeks of ups and downs before settling into your normal rhythm of progress. (Even THEN be prepared for those ups and downs!)<br />
<br />
<b>5. You will be sore!</b> And soreness is not always a bad thing. It's always good to ease into your stretches, rather than pushing or working into them. Relaxing into your stretches can help prevent injury and sore muscles. Consider cross training with yoga, Gyrotonic or Pilates. Drink plenty of water to help flush the lactic acid out of the system, take an ice bath (marathon runners swear by these after a race), make sure you are eating healthily with plenty of fresh fruits and veggies and limit soda intake. Get plenty of sleep. Enjoy the sensation of sore muscles knowing they are getting stronger and more flexible, but be sure to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Don't ignore pain, but learn to listen and differentiate between the soreness of hard work and the pain of potential injury.<br />
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<b>6. Work on your core strength.</b> Core strength is the foundation of our strength whether we are dancers or not. Doing some extra exercises for your core can really help speed up the "getting back in shape" period. Having a weak core can lead to all kinds of injuries from pulled muscles to fractures in the spine. There are many different exercises from simple isometrics using the gravity and the body's own weight to Pilates exercises using machines to fit ball exercises and many more. I'll put together a few for the next post.<br />
<br />
What other things do you do to help get back in shape and avoid the pitfalls of frustration and injury?<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-71618229161759692462013-07-07T16:28:00.001-06:002013-07-07T16:28:24.723-06:00Celebrating a different kind of Independence Day<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">by</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span><a href="mailto:chad@aspendailynews.com" style="text-decoration: none;">Chad Abraham</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer</span></span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sunday, July 7, 2013</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Renee Brook and her friend C.J. Locarro walked into Carbondale’s Third Street Center on a recent Wednesday, ready for a dance class in which they imitated the Harlem Globetrotters, ballet dancers and drummers.<br /><br />That eclectic mix isn’t the first sign that this is an atypical dance offering. Brook, for instance, moved a little slower than other students taught by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet instructor Stephen Straub.<br /><br />Brook, a part-time resident of West Buttermilk, has had Parkinson’s disease for several years. Straub’s new class is tailored to people with the condition and, judging from Brook’s response, is a success.<br /><br />She said she enjoys the Dance for Parkinson’s class for several reasons, including a boost in flexibility, camaraderie and because it’s simply fun. Straub, a gregarious former dancer with the local company, ensures the latter benefit is present in abundance.<br /><br />“I’m a strong believer in joy being the essence of dance,” he said. “I think that’s why this class is so special to me. We’re not working to become perfect, we’re working to feel good and bring out the joy.”<br /><br />But there is another reason for the class: Dance and other forms of exercise are among the only things that have proven to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, said Kari Buchanan, director of development at Parkinson Association of the Rockies.<br /><br />The association is collaborating with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet to offer the classes, which began in February, at the ballet company’s studio in Carbondale.<br /><br />Parkinson’s, the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s, affects the central nervous system and muscle control.<br /><br />“The disease is always progressing, that’s the nature of it,” Buchanan said. “But keeping the muscles moving, it really makes a difference in having more control over those muscles.<br /><br />“It’s important for everyone to exercise, but for people with Parkinson’s, keeping them mobile and moving is especially important.”<br /><br />Brook, 79, said she’s had Parkinson’s for several years. Classes like Straub’s and therapy sessions at Aspen Valley Hospital help a great deal, she said.<br /><br />“I’m not a ballet dancer, but I do like to dance,” Brook said.<br /><br />Asked what she enjoys about the class, she ticked off: “Flexibility, interaction with other people, we do a lot of hand motions.”<br /><br />“I’m sort of stiff around the shoulders and the neck, and those hand motions just liberate me,” she said.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>Roots of inspiration</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />This is the first therapeutic program in Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s nearly 20-year history, said executive director Jean-Philippe Malaty.<br /><br />When Straub was hired in September as a faculty member, he approached Aspen Santa Fe Ballet officials about the Dance for Parkinson’s program, Malaty said.<br /><br />“We have a lot of trust in him and were glad to have him join” the faculty, he said. “And he told me about this passion he had for this program that he learned in New York City. I thought it was great and something he could share with the community.”<br /><br />Straub, 31, danced with the company from 2005 to 2009, and then attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. During his time there, two things clicked, he said.<br /><br />As Straub was beginning his career as a ballet teacher, he happened across a blurb in a magazine. It told of a workshop in Brooklyn that was hosted by the city’s Parkinson’s group and the Mark Morris Dance Group.<br /><br />“That’s where it all started about a decade ago,” he said.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img alt="" src="http://www.aspendailynews.com/files/imagecache/art_photo/files/articles/130626_parkinsons_044_cc.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="" /><br /> <em>Chris Council/Aspen Daily News</em></span><div style="padding: 2px 0px 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; width: 280px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Stephen Straub leads hand-motion exercises in the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet studio in Carbondale. Directly across from Straub is Renee Brook, with her friend C.J. Locarro seated to the left.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />He attended the Brooklyn workshop and became a certified instructor in the Dance for Parkinson’s program.<br /><br />But according to Straub, his tie to disease actually goes back to the person who taught him his initial ballet steps.<br /><br />His ballet teacher “when I was a little tiny kid” now suffers from it, he said.<br /><br />“She’s probably one of my favorite people in the world,” Straub said. “When she was first living with Parkinson’s, she was still teaching a little bit. Now a few years have passed, and she’s not doing very well.”<br /><br />The benefits of the Dance for Parkinson’s program had already been well-established in the medical press, Malaty said, and “we didn’t have any doubts” about Straub’s proposal.<br /><br />Malaty said Straub’s experience with his first teacher is also a motivation to help others with Parkinson’s: “It means a lot to him on a personal level.”</span><div style="margin-bottom: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>‘Moving beautifully and confidently’</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br />Straub acknowledged that his Parkinson’s classes “are kind of a way of giving back” to that first instructor.<br /><br />He also teaches all levels of ballet, from, in his words, “baby ballerinas” to adults. Ballet instruction in general is extremely rewarding, Straub said, but the Parkinson’s class is rewarding in a different way.<br /><br />“Some of these students feel like they can’t move, and I get to see them for an hour moving, and moving beautifully and confidently,” he said.<br /><br />Leading Brook and other students through the class, Straub effuses a positive vibe. He soothingly instructs the students to “just enjoy the music and breathe. If you’d like to soften your focus, close your eyes,” Straub said melodiously.<br /><br />Then it’s time for some hoops.<br /><br />“And a couple more times,” he urges, pantomiming dribbling a basketball. “We shoot, swish!<br /><br />“Let’s see how that goes with our music,” he said, as the familiar whistle of the Harlem Globetrotters theme fills the studio.<br /><br />Brook and her friend, Locarro, after imitating a below-the-leg dribble, said it doesn’t seem like exercise. That may be because of the laughter and the joy Straub brings.<br /><br />“It’s very special, he’s very special,” Brook said.<br /><br />“At the end, we all holds hands, and you squeeze a hand and look somebody in the eye,” Locarro said.<br /><br />They do the same to their neighbor and so on, and “it pulses around,” she said. “It’s a really great connection on how to end the togetherness.”<br /><br />Still, Straub said he’s neither a doctor nor a therapist for his students, although the therapeutic benefits are clear.<br /><br />“I think just my experience with movement is where I can put in my couple of cents,” he said.<br /><br />Straub’s class helps attendees with balance, stretching and “all kinds of coordination,” he said. “Those are kind of secret benefits of the class that happen just because you’re dancing.<br /><br />“But the bigger thing, really, is the sense of community that has developed and the feeling that you’re not the only one.”<br /><br />The local Dance for Parkinson’s class closely mimics the Brooklyn program, but Straub said he has brought to it “all sorts of little twists and tweaks” — hence the basketball moves.<br /><br />In the process, he said he’s also noticed a benefit that’s even more personal.<br /><br />“I get so much out of it, too,” Straub said. “You can’t have a bad attitude if you’re going to teach a class like this. I can walk into the studio with my own stuff going on, and I have to turn it off.<br /><br />“An hour later, I remember the great things about the world.”</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-18942161016365076212013-06-21T10:31:00.002-06:002013-06-21T10:31:50.787-06:00Aspen Fringe: Bringing the highest caliber art to Aspen, CO<br />
A lone figure lying prone on the stage, a field of poppies, stark lighting and a blank screen...these images greet the observer as Pontus Lidberg's Within (Labyrinth Within) begins to unfold. The mercurial poppies send my mind probing; real poppies whither almost immediately after being plucked. They must be admired from afar...and a highly loaded flower, too. Is this a dream? A drug induced hallucination? Or a fleeting glimpse of unobtainable desires and longing? Within moments, I am drawn into the exploration of relationships, the exquisite dancing, the flashes of up close, sometime too close, images on the screen. Coupled with David Lang's haunting score, Pontus' creation has me riveted to my seat; voyeur, accomplice and intimate companion on his journey.<br />
<br />
It is rare that live dance and film are partnered so effectively: a pair of tangled torsos, the arc of a foot, a gaze, a look of disdain, longing or jealous suffering. With live dance there is no guarantee where the audience eye will fall, what movement will be captured and what message will be missed. But with film the choreographer has control, can direct the gaze, and sometimes force the viewer to see what he wants them to see.<br />
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With his alternating viewpoints, high, low, extremely close, long hallway shots, Pontus creates a fantasy nightmare where the viewer wonders what is real, what is imagined. Where does reality end and the machinations of our mind begin? All of us are capable of such loneliness, such desire, such jealousy that the story in our head becomes so real we lose ourselves in it and become it.<br />
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No story about dance would be complete without speaking of the dancers themselves. No choreographer creates in a void and Pontus attracted some of the worlds virtuoso dancers for this project. Wendy Whelan and Giovanni Bucchieri are larger than life in the film, but the dancers on stage push Pontus' sometimes awkward choreography to the sublime. "It feels like cheating" says the newest member of the group, Laura Mead, about dancing with her coworkers. Truly their history and resumes are impressive: New York City Ballet Principle dancers, Berlin Ballet principle dancer, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens soloist, and choreographers in their own right. They are all of an unbelievable caliber. Adrien Danchig-Waring's mere presence on stage fills it, his reach and his lines go on seemingly forever, making the room look too small.<br />
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Pontus choreography is often counter to virtuosic. He doesn't want to wow you with amazing leaps, or splits or lifts that defy gravity. He wants to draw you into his exploration of relationships. An uncomfortable hand placement in the live choreography becomes a cry for intimacy in the film. It sometimes feels disjointed, almost muddy, purposefully or not is hard to say. But relationships are often disjointed and muddy too and his exploration of relationship dynamics are devastatingly accurate. His vision becomes clear when the films are rolling. His photographer's eye gives us glimpses into the complexities of our own tunnel vision.<br />
<br />
The multi-media dance/film piece is presented by Aspen Fringe Festival and performed at the Aspen District Theater in Aspen, Colorado on June 20-21. This performance once again shows the Aspen Fringe Festival is bringing us the highest quality and caliber of art. With a stimulating discussion post show led last night by Laura Thielen, artistic director of Aspen Film, Aspen Fringe is becoming a strong voice in inspiring the discussion about art in our valley. Other performances continue this weekend with the 2012 Obie Award winning one man play, An Iliad, on June 22-23 and a sneak preview reading of a new comedy by award winning playwright John Kolvenbach, Bank Job on June 24th. Advanced purchase tickets and festival passes are on sale through www.aspenshowtix.com or by calling the box office at (970) 920-5770. Tickets are available at the door, but, remember, they're fringy- credit cards are not accepted.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-3820027128886063942013-06-08T12:57:00.000-06:002013-06-08T12:58:08.139-06:00Morphoses' critically acclaimed WITHIN (Labyrinth Within) is Coming to Aspen District Theater<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="213" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/11/09/arts/09MORPHOSES_SPAN/MORPHOSES-articleLarge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #909090; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9px; line-height: 11px; text-align: right;">Andrea Mohin/The New York Times <br />h</span><span style="color: #909090; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9px; line-height: 11px;">ttp://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/11/09/arts/09MORPHOSES<br />_SPAN/MORPHOSES-articleLarge.jpg</span></span></td></tr>
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The cutting edge
and highly acclaimed dance company <a href="http://www.morphoses.org/index.cfm">Morphoses</a> is coming to <st1:place w:st="on">Aspen</st1:place>. With the recently created <i>Within (Labyrinth Within),</i> Morphoses met
with high praise at both the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Joyce</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Theater</st1:placename></st1:place> and Jacob's
Pillow last season. This multi-media work incorporates the award winning film <i>Labyrinth Within</i> by <a href="http://www.lidberg.se/pontus/about/">Pontus Lidberg</a> and Martin
Nisser with stunning dreamlike choreography also by Lidberg. Set to Pulitzer
Prize winning composer David Lang’s evocative score, the piece weaves the film
and live dance into a dynamic story of push and pull, love and trust, betrayal
and violent emotion.</div>
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<em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">According to <a href="http://www.artsjournal.com/dancebeat/2012/11/is-my-wife-having-an-affair/">Deborah Jowett of DanceBeat</a>,</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> “Labyrinth Within</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> [the
film] </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">stars the New York City Ballet’s remarkable Wendy Whelan as
the wife, dancer-choreographer Giovanni Bucchieri as the increasingly
unbalanced husband, and Lidberg as her possible lover. The film is beautiful to
look at. Most of it was shot in a castle outside <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city>. A chill, wintry light slants into
a long train of nearly empty rooms with bleached wood floors. No one speaks.
The interplay of rapid cuts and meaningful close-ups (like the shot of
Bucchieri’s wedding-ringed hand) helps convey the basic facts of the tale, but
it also deliberately skews time, so you’re never entirely sure what precedes
what, or what is real and what imagined.</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/06/30/arts/MORPHOSES/MORPHOSES-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/06/30/arts/MORPHOSES/MORPHOSES-articleLarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #909090; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9px; line-height: 11px;">Nancy Palmieri for The New York Times</span></span><br /><span style="color: #909090; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9px; line-height: 11px;">http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/06/30/arts/MORPHOSES/<br />MORPHOSES-articleLarge.jpg</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/arts/dance/morphoses-performing-at-jacobs-pillow.html?_r=0">New York Times critic Claudia La Rocco</a> called the dancers “marvelously
sophisticated…Together, film and dance create a subdued yet dreamlike portrait.</span>”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
not-to-be-missed one of a kind piece presented by the <a href="http://www.aspenfringefestival.org/">Aspen Fringe Festival</a> at the Aspen District Theater on June 20th and 21st. Tickets
are available through <a href="http://www.aspenshowtix.com/">www.aspenshowtix.com</a>
or by calling Aspen Show Tix at (970) 920-5770.<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-43124472980584376502013-03-25T15:23:00.000-06:002013-03-25T15:23:00.423-06:00Happiness: What I Wish I learned 10 Years Ago<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Happiness is not a
goal we achieve</b>. If I achieve A, B, C, then I will be happy, or if D, E, F
happens to me, then I will be happy are both myths. Happiness is available now,
at any time, to anyone. We can work towards goals that will bring more joy and
happiness to our lives, but if we don’t know how to be happy now, chances are
we won’t know how to be happy when we finally do get everything we want.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Happiness is a choice</b>.
Unfortunately, most people haven’t realized this yet. Most of us choose by
default another emotion that we grew up with or that we’ve allowed to dominate
us. Maybe we grew up in an angry house, so we default to anger. The truth is we
can choose to be happy instead. Right now, right this very second, we can allow
happiness to blossom.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Happiness can be
exercised like a muscle.</b> Not everyone is born with a sunny disposition, but
we can get more of one if we work on it. Practice trying to find the positive
in a difficult situation. Practice being grateful for what you have, right now.
Chances are there is someone in the world that has much less who is happy. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Getting more
happiness doesn’t have to be a big make over.</b> Psychologists argue that it
is difficult to change major personality traits. However, those that focus on personality
are finding there are many qualities that are actually learned habits. Just as
a habit can be learned, it can be unlearned, or a new habit learned. For more
see the article called “Second Nature” in <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200802/second-nature">Psychology
Today.</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Happiness comes from
within.</b> Seeking happiness outside of ourselves is setting us up for
failure. No amount of money in the world can make us happy if we don’t know how
to be happy. On the other hand, if we are happy, money can make life even
happier. No one person can make us happy if we are miserable, but if we are
happy, a person can bring more happiness to our lives.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Being happy doesn’t
mean you will never be sad.</b> Happiness doesn’t mean annihilating anxiety or
banishing grief. As psychotherapist and Buddhist <a href="http://www.psychotherapy.net/interview/epstein-buddhism">Mark Epstein</a>
says: [Happiness is] the ability to receive the pleasant without grasping and
the unpleasant without condemning. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Happiness can broaden
your mind.</b> Literally! Researchers, such as Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a
distinguished psychology professor and author of <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Power-Positive-Networking-Forward/dp/0735204020" target="_blank">Positivity</a>,</span></em> have found that positive emotions
such as love, joy, happiness and gratitude broaden your field of vision. So
when you are happy, it’s much easier to see the forest for the trees and not
get bogged down in negative tunnel vision.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Happiness is contagious</b>.
If you exhibit positivity and happiness, those around you are more likely to
feel sensations of happiness too. Even Grumpy Gus will have a hard time
avoiding being amused when you are laughing and joyful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lasting happiness is
attainable</b>. According to research psychologist and University of California
professor of psychology Sonja Lyubomirsky, in her book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://thehowofhappiness.com/">The How of Happiness</a></i>,
but only if you are willing to do the work. This is no different than
education, weight loss or physical fitness. Just like anything else worth
having, happiness takes some hard work and dedication.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-89582115817750161982013-03-18T08:00:00.000-06:002013-03-20T17:01:13.749-06:00The Truth Is...<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently one of
my long time students came to me completely distraught. She was having a crisis
of ballet proportions. She had lost her desire, her spark and her passion for
dance, but she was reluctant to quit. She was loathe to give up something that
she had spent so much time and money working on. She was afraid to disappoint
her parents. She was afraid of letting me down. I had noticed this coming on
for the past several months, but wasn’t sure if it was home, school or ballet
that was troubling her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a long
talk about what makes her happy, what her passions were. I really wanted to see
if she was just burned out of if she really was ready to stop dancing. Either
way, I suggested a break. It turns out, she really was ready to do something
different. As sad as I was to see her go, I was doing summersaults inside knowing that she was on a new path to new joy and passions. Some really amazing things came out of our conversation and I thought I'd share them with you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>There is more
than one path to a career or success</b>. One dancer may choose college while
another chooses to hit the audition circuit. One dancer may go to summer
programs and another to competitions, while another stays home and works just
as hard. Dancers may have the same goals but there are infinite ways of getting
there. Whatever path some one else takes, it doesn't mean that is the right
path for you. Work with your instructor and your family to find the best path
for you. Listen to your heart and your intuition.<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>There is more
than one way to do things.</b> You will meet teachers, directors and choreographers
in your life who will tell you that their way is the only way. But look at all
the different ballet schools, companies, and the variety of styles and
techniques that have grown out of ballet. There is always another way and
another path.<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>College after
high school isn't for everyone</b>. If you want to be a professional ballet dancer,
don't waste any more time, go dance. An education is important, and fulfilling.
But a dancer's career is often short. Be aware of the choice you are making.<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>If you don't
love it anymore, find something else that makes your heart sing.</b> Don't get
caught up in the internal dialogue about how much time and money has been spent
teaching you to be a ballet dancer. When you have lost the passion, it's time
to find a new passion.<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Another person's
judgement of you is a statement about who they are as a person, not who you
are</b>. If you are a professional dancer, you will be judged; by critics, by
directors, by choreographers, by your peers. Never let another's judgement of
you or your ability cheapen your dreams. Take constructive feedback, apply it
and move on. <span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You have control
of your emotions</b>. No one can make you feel anything without your consent.
Dancers tend to be dramatic and highly emotional. It comes with the job, the
work, the adrenalin addiction, and is an necessary part of our ability to pour
out our hearts on stage. But you don't need to get caught up in the drama. You
don't need to get caught up in another dancer's negativity. Negativity is
contagious. <span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Every cloud
really does have a silver lining.</b> Almost every professional dancer has a horror
story about a former teacher, director or choreographer. But they will all tell
you what they learned from that situation, about life, about themselves, about
what it takes to be a dancer. Even in the worst situations some good can come
out of it eventually. It's what we do within and after those bad scenes that
make or break us. <span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dancers should
be seen AND heard, loud and clear.</b> While dancers learn at a young age to be
silently respectful during classes, a dancer's voice is their passion. Make
your passion for what you do loud and clear. Don't hold it back. You will get
incalculable joy from your work and possible better roles.<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Don't worry
about disappointing your parents</b>. The truth is, all they really want is for you
to be happy. They may have interesting ways of expressing it, but it all boils
down to what they think will make you happy. If you are happy dancing, they'll
come around eventually. If you're unhappy dancing, stop! Find another love, and
don't worry about their disappointment. That's about them, not you.<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-66401134964461645492013-03-11T12:39:00.000-06:002013-03-11T12:39:36.740-06:00Starting Ballet in College: Is there hope for a career?One of my readers recently posted this comment on the <a href="http://balletpages.blogspot.com/2011/10/15-truths-about-being-professional.html">15 Truths</a> post. I thought it raised some really good points and wanted to open it up to the rest of the community. I have also posted my response and welcome all you male dancers and any teachers who have advice for this young dancer to chime in. If you started dance in college and went on to have a professional career, I'd love to hear your comments. Please, join the conversation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="comment-content" id="bc_0_29MC" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Dear Blogger:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> I am currenty a student studying dance at East Carolina University, hoping to tranfer to virginia comon wealth in </span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> the near future. I really appreciate your fifteen points. Being a male and having only danced for about five years </span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> makes dance, and technique in particular very challenging at times. However, I have wonderful improvisational </span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">
skills and am pretty sufficient in modern technique. One of my largest concerns is that I wont reach my full </div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">
potential, and will be over looked by companies due to my lack of perfect turn-out. I wish there were more </div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">
opportunities for young males in dance, I constantly feel like im playing catch up while trying to work on my </div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">
personal style. What advice would you have for a young man trying to make it big, with very little. THank you</div>
</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="comment-content" id="bc_0_28MC" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My Response: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: -webkit-auto;">
'Thank you so much for reading the blog and for writing this comment. I hope there are other men who started dance in college who will chime in with me on this. I can tell you that I have known many male dancers who started in college and went on to have professional careers. For whatever reason, this is easier for men to accomplish, in general, than for women. Maybe it's because there are more women than men in ballet, maybe it's because men don't need to be as flexible. Who knows, but there is definitely hope.</div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: -webkit-auto;">
I can also tell you that in our company, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, there are men who started ballet in college and have little natural turn out. One thing they have going for them; they are really good partners. Having great partnering skills can open up opportunities. The other thing they have going for them is they can move. You mentioned you have strong improv skills. That's great! Hone in on that. Learn to move! A choreographer once told me "I don't care if you weigh 500lbs, have blue skin and 3 heads, as long as you can move. "</div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: -webkit-auto;">
The last bit of advice I can give is to be open to other forms of dance besides classical ballet. There are so many opportunities to dance professionally out there, but often, us classically trained dancers limit ourselves to focusing on classical companies. But the reality is, even the most classical of companies is now doing contemporary dance. Small companies want dancers who can move flawlessly between Balanchine and Glen Tetley. Large companies want that too but sometimes have the "classical" dancers and the "contemporary" dancers. </div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: -webkit-auto;">
I believe an audience would much rather see a dancer with passion and no turn out than one with 180 degree turn out and nothing to back it up. There is always hope where the dream is strong. Keep dreaming, keep working and keep believing."</div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text" id="bc_0_28MN" kind="m" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: whitesmoke; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"></span></div>
<span class="comment-actions secondary-text" id="bc_0_29MN" kind="m" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-67957017241028708562013-03-05T10:50:00.001-07:002013-03-07T10:31:07.841-07:00Three Great Apps to enhance your teaching/coaching experience<span style="font-size: x-small;">FYI, I am endorsing these products because I see value in their usage as a teacher and a coach. I am not in anyway involved with the companies that make these Apps, nor am I getting anything in return for these endorsements.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">Uber</span>Sense Coach by UberSense Inc</b></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ko4xsngdWRY/UTYpA6ct23I/AAAAAAAAAWw/UMbh97oo4oI/s1600/Uberresize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ko4xsngdWRY/UTYpA6ct23I/AAAAAAAAAWw/UMbh97oo4oI/s1600/Uberresize.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zWhrTXH5Eww/UTYsvW91qUI/AAAAAAAAAXE/PAo2DrB11Eo/s1600/Merged+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zWhrTXH5Eww/UTYsvW91qUI/AAAAAAAAAXE/PAo2DrB11Eo/s320/Merged+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This little app
was designed with the athlete in mind, but I say dancers are athletes too! It
that allows you to record a subject (student, athlete, dancer). What makes it
unique and useful for dance teachers is that you can take two recordings and
play them side by side, showing the differences between the two. You can play
the recording in super slow motion, highlight areas that need attention and,
even record comments or notes onto the video. You can scrub backwards and forwards showing how a motion is working (or not working). I have been using this app to
teach private lessons and find that the kids really respond well to seeing what
they are doing on the video. I don't do competitions, but this would be a tool
of tremendous value to anyone who does. Best of all, this is a FREE app!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b> iMuscle</b></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iUBbf-pmA-A/UTYpAzAn1WI/AAAAAAAAAWs/v0ETC0mhkKI/s1600/imuscleresize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iUBbf-pmA-A/UTYpAzAn1WI/AAAAAAAAAWs/v0ETC0mhkKI/s1600/imuscleresize.jpg" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Q5crJFzrtU/UTYvQ_mVJ0I/AAAAAAAAAXM/GVrvBfkQlVc/s1600/merged+muscle+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Q5crJFzrtU/UTYvQ_mVJ0I/AAAAAAAAAXM/GVrvBfkQlVc/s200/merged+muscle+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">iMuscle again is
not specifically designed for the dancer, but is a workout app. Pick a muscle and it will show you what
exercises specifically target that muscle. Help dancers get stronger faster by
giving them a few simple "extra" exercises to strengthen weak areas.
iMuscle also shows during specific exercises what muscles are being used. Plus
the graphics of the skeleton with the muscle groups are gruesomely fascinating,
and the kids love it. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Tempo-Slow Mo</b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fD04uovXJ_w/UTYo8O8TEAI/AAAAAAAAAWk/JAK57xWZwIg/s1600/tempo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fD04uovXJ_w/UTYo8O8TEAI/AAAAAAAAAWk/JAK57xWZwIg/s1600/tempo.jpg" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--DNEhvaHxHE/UTYvT8YiKnI/AAAAAAAAAXU/25O_ooJ_9Po/s1600/tempo+merged+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--DNEhvaHxHE/UTYvT8YiKnI/AAAAAAAAAXU/25O_ooJ_9Po/s200/tempo+merged+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been
reluctant to stop using CD's and move to the more organized, clutter free,
scratch-and-skip free MP3 player. I mean, I have an iPhone and and iPad but the
one thing that brings me back to CD's is the ability to control the speed.
Slowing down a variation's tempo while students are learning is vital. Plus,
not all ballet CD's have just the right tempo for a combination. But now, with
Tempo-Slow Mo I can slow down tracks on my iDevices. I can access music files on
my device, in dropbox, on the web or even record. The app lets you place
markers in the track, too, to easily find your way back to a section of music. There is a looping feature and markers for where you want the track to start and stop. After all that, you can email or dropbox the finished file. Best of all, it's FREE! </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-71805676647940680422012-12-06T15:04:00.000-07:002012-12-06T15:04:11.479-07:00Lying, Buying and Bullying:<br />
<div class="s2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s4" style="font-weight: bold;">Why we</span><span class="s4" style="font-weight: bold;"> should be running away from GM food</span><span class="s4" style="font-weight: bold;"> as fast as our legs can carry us.</span></div>
<div class="s5" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">The question of whether or not genetica</span><span class="s3">lly modified food is safe</span><span class="s3"> for long term human consumption</span><span class="s3"> is coming to the forefront of the political, scientific, health and environmental debates. A large group of food conscious consumers sought this past election to pass a ballot measure to require processed food</span><span class="s3"> containing</span><span class="s3"> genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) substances</span><span class="s3"> in California</span><span class="s3"> to be labeled, allowing them the choice of whether or not to purchase these foods. </span><span class="s3">The ballot measure </span><span class="s3">failed but it also brought to light many concerns American’s have about the future of our food supply.</span><span class="s3"></span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">This touchy subject is</span><span class="s3"> fraught with questions not only of science, but of ethics, morals, consumer preferences and the nature of profit driven multi-national companies. </span><span class="s3">There is the added issue of providing food for an exponentially increasing world populat</span><span class="s3">ion</span><span class="s3">.</span><span class="s3">Whether America chooses to label GM food or not,</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">my research kept bringing me back to the idea</span><span class="s3"> that several large biotech</span><span class="s3"> companies</span><span class="s3"> and the governments with whom they have chosen to do business, have made millions of human beings the unwitting guinea pigs in </span><span class="s3">a massive science experiment</span><span class="s3"> for the sake of profit, wealth and greed.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">There are many proponents of GM</span><span class="s3"> food that say the concept of altering plants and animals to achieve a desired trait has been around as long as humans have been practicing agriculture</span><span class="s3">, and</span><span class="s3"> it is nothing to be concerned about</span><span class="s3">. This is </span><span class="s3">only partly </span><span class="s3">true. Humans work tirelessly over generations, selectively breeding certain</span><span class="s3"> plants to be more flavorful,</span><span class="s3"> to be drought resistant or to grow in cold weather. Animals are selectiv</span><span class="s3">ely bread to produce larger</span><span class="s3">, healthier</span><span class="s3"> animals</span><span class="s3">, more tender meat,</span><span class="s3"> larger</span><span class="s3"> eggs</span><span class="s3">, etc</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s3">What farmers fro</span><span class="s3">m antiquity did NOT do,</span><span class="s3"> wer</span><span class="s3">e incapable of doing, was to take</span><span class="s3"> genetic material from completely</span><span class="s3"> different species and combine</span><span class="s3"> them to create</span><span class="s3"> a desired effect. </span><span class="s3">An example of this is: i</span><span class="s3">n the late 90’s</span><span class="s3">, Nexia Biotechnologies, successfully inserted a gene from a spider into a goat embryo. The result was that the adult goat would then produce the same protein in its milk that spiders have in their silk for use in things as far ranging as bullet proof vests and fishing line. </span><span class="s3">These and</span><span class="s3"> other great achievements have been made in medi</span><span class="s3">cines using GMO technology (Potter, Eng). There are good things coming out of GMO technology, it is true. Many of those achievements are not meant for human consumption as food. Unfortunately, some have become a large part of the American diet with little to no regulation, testing or risk asses</span><span class="s3">s</span><span class="s3">ment</span><span class="s3">.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">In the United States, </span><span class="s3">70% of the crops grown are genetically modified</span><span class="s3"> (</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…</span><span class="s3">)</span><span class="s3">. T</span><span class="s3">he FDA</span><span class="s3">’s regulatory process for</span><span class="s3">biotech companies producing</span><span class="s3"> G</span><span class="s3">MO has been </span><span class="s3">entirely voluntary</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s3">The FDA only requires</span><span class="s3"> labeling</span><span class="s3"> of GMO’s</span><span class="s3"> if the food has a “significantly different nu</span><span class="s3">tritional property” (Byrne</span><span class="s3">).</span><span class="s3">To regulate, the FDA uses the principle</span><span class="s3"> of “substantial equivalence,” or the idea that investigators can compare a food that they are testing to one that they are already familiar with</span><span class="s3"> (Fedoroff pp 170-171)</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s3">Since crops grown from GM seeds</span><span class="s3"> look</span><span class="s3"> like traditional crops</span><span class="s3">, smell</span><span class="s3"> a</span><span class="s3">nd tast</span><span class="s3">e</span><span class="s3"> like traditional crops</span><span class="s3"> and have</span><span class="s3"> the same nutritional p</span><span class="s3">roperties as traditional crops; </span><span class="s3">they could be treated as “substantially equivalent.” </span><span class="s3">“</span><span class="s3">S</span><span class="s3">ubstantial equivalence” became the end result that scientists were look</span><span class="s3">ing</span><span class="s3"> for; is this plant or food substantially equivalent to a naturally produced plant or food? If so, then it is safe to eat. Many opponents of GMO</span><span class="s3">, including </span><span class="s3">researchers, scientists and doctors such as Jeffrey Smith, Dr Michael Hansen and Jeremy Rifkin</span><span class="s3"> feel that “substantial equivalence” should only be the </span><span class="s3">starting point of investigation</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">(</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…).</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">In order to genetically modify a seed or food substance, a protein derived from another species is blasted into the genes of the original species to achieve a desired trait, such as pesticide resistance or even toxicity to certain pests. </span><span class="s3">Many scientists see the proteins inserted at the genetic level as a “food additive” </span><span class="s3">(</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…). </span><span class="s3">Food additives have intense regulatory procedures that must be met in order to be approved for consumption.</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">The</span><span class="s3"> FDA did not create a separate or special process for these new foods, but decided that GMO’s should be regulated the same as traditionally grown foods. Dr. James Maryanski, the FDA Biotech Coordinator has admitted this was a political decision and had nothing to do with scientific data </span><span class="s3">(</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…). </span><span class="s3">When GE seeds were first introduced to the public, during the Reagan Administration, there was a huge push to boost industry by deregulating. This continued on into the George HW Bush years. Basically, the principle of substantial equivalence was the “best way for [biotech companies] to get their new products to market with the least amount of government</span><span class="s3"> interference” (Rifkin via </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…</span><span class="s3">).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Unfortunately, </span><span class="s3">testing of GMO foods </span><span class="s3">still </span><span class="s3">remains woefully inadequate. Independent scientists are calling into question the short duration of studies being used by regulating agencies. None has been over 90 days, and even those short duration tests are showing kidney and liver damage in diets intense in GMO foods. Also being called into question is the blatant disregard of “sta</span><span class="s3">tistically significant results”</span><span class="s3"> (Seralini, et al) of those tests. A body of independent European scientists has concluded that the 90 day tests currently being lauded as proof that GMO food is safe are “socially unacceptable in terms of consumer health protection” (Seralini, et al). </span><span class="s3">It continues to be difficult to have faith in our US regulating bodies when companies like Monsanto </span><span class="s3">and agencies like the EPA and FDA have a revolving door policy. Michael Taylor, o</span><span class="s3">ur current deputy commissioner of the FDA has been back and forth between Monsanto and the FDA more than once. Dr. Michael A Friedman, the former FDA deputy commissioner for operations left to become Senior Vice President of Monsanto. Linda Fisher, for</span><span class="s3">mer</span><span class="s3"> assistant administrator at the EPA left in 1993 to become President of Monsanto and returned to the EPA in 2001. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the justice who authored the opinion that allowed Monsanto and others to patent life in the form of their seeds, was a lawyer for</span><span class="s3"> Monsanto. Donald Rumsfeld was CEO of a subsidiary of Monsanto</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">(</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…). </span><span class="s3">The list goes on</span><span class="s3">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Part of the great commercial success of GM crops has been the </span><span class="s3">successful engineering of herbicide-resistant and insect-resistant crops.</span><span class="s3">These crops are lauded by biotech companies like Monsanto to “increase yield potential…manage weeds… create win-win</span><span class="s3">… [</span><span class="s3">and offer] superior crop safety</span><span class="s3">”</span><span class="s3"> (Monsanto).</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">According to Monsanto’s website they currently produce:</span><span class="s3"> Bt Cotton and Bt Corn, which secretes a toxin lethal to cotton and corn specific pests, Round-Up Ready</span><span class="s3"> (RR)</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">alfalf</span><span class="s3">a, canola, </span><span class="s3">corn, soybeans, wheat,</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">sugar beats</span><span class="s3"> which all have an in-plant tolerance to the pesticide</span><span class="s3"> Round-Up.</span><span class="s3"> Round-Up’s active ingredients are 2,4-D and</span><span class="s3"> g</span><span class="s3">lyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the US. RR crops allow farmers to spray crops with large doses of the pesticide without fear of harming their crops. </span><span class="s3">Monsanto made many claims to the biodegradability of Roundup but was later found g</span><span class="s3">uilty of false advertising three times</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> i</span><span class="s3">n</span><span class="s3">199</span><span class="s3">6</span><span class="s3"> and 1997 in the US</span><span class="s3"> and in 2010</span><span class="s3"> in</span><span class="s3"> France</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s3">While the product hasn’t change, the biodegradable label has been removed</span><span class="s3"> (</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Proponents of</span><span class="s3"> GM crops say that </span><span class="s3">RR crops lead</span><span class="s3"> to an over-</span><span class="s3">all reduction in the use of pes</span><span class="s3">ticides.</span><span class="s3"> However, a research paper published by Washington State University Researching Professor </span><span class="s7">Charles Benbrook in 2011 shows that overall pesticide use has increased by 527 million pounds in the</span><span class="s7"> 16 years since g</span><span class="s7">lyphosate resistant crops have been planted, 1</span><span class="s7">996-2011.</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">The new RR crops can be sprayed throughout the entire growing season, unprecedented with standard crops, which has</span><span class="s3"> created a “perfect storm” for g</span><span class="s3">lyphosate resistant (GR) weeds. </span><span class="s3">T</span><span class="s3">here are</span><span class="s3"> now</span><span class="s3"> 22 GR weed</span><span class="s3">s</span><span class="s3"> in the US as listed by the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). Between the WSSA and the USDA it is thought that some 25 million hectares of farmland in the US are infested with GR </span><span class="s3">or “super weeds” (Benbrook</span><span class="s3">). To combat these “super weeds” farmers are forced to use larger quantities and stronger varieties of pesticides. </span><span class="s3">On</span><span class="s3">e look on</span><span class="s3"> Monsanto’s website </span><span class="s3">and you can see that they are now offering</span><span class="s3"> “plus” versions, or “max” versions of their original products. The original product no longer does the job so now a farmer must get the intensified version.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">G</span><span class="s3">lyphosate is a potent herbicide</span><span class="s3">. M</span><span class="s3">any studies have been done regarding the health and safety concerns of </span><span class="s3">exposure</span><span class="s3"> and some</span><span class="s3"> show potential long term health effects</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s3">According to Robert Belle, a research scientist from the French National Center for Scientific Research, studies have shown Roundup affects cell division, which “provokes” the process that leads to cancer in levels well below those normally used in regular applications of the herbicide (</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">Belle via </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…</span><span class="s3">). Also, a</span><span class="s3">ccording to the</span><span class="s3"> EPA’s Technical Fact Sheet on g</span><span class="s3">lyphosate, a child who drinks more than a liter of water a day, for 7 years, that has 20m/L of Glyphosate in it can suffer Kidney damage, reproductive damage, shortness of breath and congestion of the lungs.</span><span class="s3"> Glyphosate can enter the water supply by “accidental spraying, spray drift and run-off”</span><span class="s3"> (EPA).</span><span class="s3"> Startling as that is, an even more astonishing recent finding is that supposed inert ingredients in Round-Up, such as polyethoxylated tallowamine (POEA) can actually cause cell damage and death in very low levels. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Caen, shows that Monsanto’s “inert” ingredients are not so inert</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> and that the safety of </span><span class="s3">Round-Up and products like it is</span><span class="s3"> very questionable (Scientific American).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">It’s no surprise a company</span><span class="s3"> like Monsanto</span><span class="s3">, who ow</span><span class="s3">ns and controls 90% of the GM seed</span><span class="s3"> produced worldwide (</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…)</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> are feeding us poison and fighting tooth and nail to keep Americans from knowing the truth. Monsanto has a long history of creating toxic chemicals and fighting to keep information about them out of our hands. </span><span class="s3">Monsanto’s past cover-ups</span><span class="s3"> are quite important in understanding the culture of the company now striving for world dominance of our major food sources.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">In the late 1920’s Monsanto acquired a company that had recently developed polychlorinated biphenyls or PCB’s. By the 1960’s PCB’s were used for all kinds of applications including coolant, lubricant, water proof coatings, sealants, and hydraulic fluids. Despite a growing body of evidence that PCB’s were a major health hazard in the 1930’s it wasn’t until the 60’s and 70’s that the US</span><span class="s3"> started doing studies. By 1976</span><span class="s3">, PCB’s were</span><span class="s3"> banned in the US</span><span class="s3">. In 1998</span><span class="s3">, the p</span><span class="s3">eople who worked in and lived</span><span class="s3"> near Monsanto’s PCB plant in East St. Louis still report “the highest rate of fetal death and immature births…the third highest rate of infant death and one of the highest childhood asthma rates in the United States” (Tokar p 254) from the levels of dioxin </span><span class="s3">in their soil and water</span><span class="s3">. Monsanto was involved in a huge</span><span class="s3"> government</span><span class="s3"> cover up of laboratory reports documenting “the presence of large quantities of PCB’s manufactured by Monsanto</span><span class="s3"> in contaminated soil samples”</span><span class="s3"> (Tokar p 256). </span><span class="s3">Documents show that Monsanto covered up the contaminations in East St. Louis</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">Anniston, Alabama </span><span class="s3">and other towns</span><span class="s3">. People were dying and even today suffer all sorts of horrible cancers, but it was covered up</span><span class="s3"> because Monsanto felt “w</span><span class="s3">e can’t afford to lose $1 of business” </span><span class="s3">(</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">In the late 1940’s Monsanto developed 2,4,5-T,</span><span class="s3"> also known as dioxin,</span><span class="s3"> an herbicide that caused those working with the substance to</span><span class="s3"> get</span><span class="s3"> skin rashes, limb, joint and body pains, weakness, irritability, nervousness and loss of libido</span><span class="s3">, almost immediately</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s3">T</span><span class="s3">he Army Chemical Corps took a keen interest in the affects of the substance for use in chemical warfare</span><span class="s3"> as far back as 1952</span><span class="s3">. The Army Chemical Corps mixed Monsanto’s 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D herbicides to create Agent Orange.</span><span class="s3"> Monsanto led the cover up of the health issues of its workers and of the horrible affects of Agent Orange on the Vietnam Veterans</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> who eventually sued </span><span class="s3">Monsanto </span><span class="s3">and won</span><span class="s3"> a $18</span><span class="s3">0 million settlement</span><span class="s3"> (Tokar</span><span class="s3"> p 256</span><span class="s3">).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Over the 10 year period between 1986 and</span><span class="s3"> 1995 Monsanto was fined</span><span class="s3"> another</span><span class="s3"> $150 million</span><span class="s3"> in various states for</span><span class="s3"> everything from </span><span class="s3">submitting false science to the EPA,</span><span class="s3"> to</span><span class="s3"> covering up dioxin contamination, </span><span class="s3">to</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">hiding evidence in a </span><span class="s3">dioxin </span><span class="s3">contamination of its popular Lysol product. </span><span class="s3">I</span><span class="s3">n 2001, </span><span class="s3">(</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…). </span><span class="s3">They downplayed health and safety issues of their workers</span><span class="s3"> as well as residents of towns near their plants. As early as </span><span class="s3">1995, Monsanto was listed in the top 5 companies in the US for “Toxic Release Inventory” (Tokar p </span><span class="s3">257).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Monsanto </span><span class="s3">also broug</span><span class="s3">ht us </span><span class="s3">aspartame, legal but can cause brain tumors and brain cancer, and</span><span class="s3"> recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, or rBGH. Monsanto spent 14 y</span><span class="s3">ears getting approval from the U</span><span class="s3">S FDA</span><span class="s3"> for rBGH</span><span class="s3">.</span><span class="s3"> FDA officia</span><span class="s3">l Richard Burrows and others were</span><span class="s3"> fired for accusing the company and the FDA of suppressing and falsifying data. The FDA pushed through the approval despite the release of data that showed increases in udder infections in cows as well as birth defects in cows injected with rBGH. After the approval of public sale, farmers began reporting severe increases in infections, calving problems, and </span><span class="s3">even spontaneous deaths</span><span class="s3">. When </span><span class="s3">a group of conscientious </span><span class="s3">farmers sought to label their milk as being rBGH f</span><span class="s3">ree, Monsanto sued them and won (Tokar</span><span class="s3">: </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…</span><span class="s3">).</span><span class="s3">Ironically, rBGH was banned in both Europe and Canada. In Canada, Monsanto was caught in a large scandal trying to bribe officials from Health Canada</span><span class="s3"> to approve rBGH</span><span class="s3"> (</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According</span><span class="s3">…)</span><span class="s3">.</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">C</span><span class="s3">ompanies like Monsanto have a deep rooted culture where profits are more important than the health and safety of the product they are selling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Money and profit certainly move</span><span class="s3"> America</span><span class="s3"> and</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> unfortunately, issues coming back to money are probably some of the strongest arguments opponents of</span><span class="s3"> the California GMO labeling laws had</span><span class="s3">. The single best tool the opposition used was the idea that mandatory labeling laws would cause huge price increases for the average consumer.</span><span class="s3"> Infrastructure would have to be set up between farmer, manufacturer and retail outlet. Mountains of paperwork would overwhelm small farmers and food producers/manufacturers. How would the US determine what percentage of GMO requires labeling? Would food that is modified through selective breeding need to be labeled or only food where genes from</span><span class="s3"> different species are spliced</span><span class="s3"> together</span><span class="s3"> (Byrne)</span><span class="s3">?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">It is</span><span class="s3"> hard to</span><span class="s3"> say what kind of economic impact this would have on Americans, however</span><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> there are</span><span class="s3"> already</span><span class="s3"> between 40 and 60 countries</span><span class="s3"> which </span><span class="s3">have mandatory labeling laws in place, including China, a huge exporter of GMO food. </span><span class="s3">The number of countries with mandatory labeling laws is growing each year. Many American food manufacturers export to these countries and are required to label the food. T</span><span class="s3">his means many companies</span><span class="s3"> are </span><span class="s3">voluntarily </span><span class="s3">dealing with the new infrastructure, increased paper work, verification procedures and testing requirements</span><span class="s3">, without large cost increases</span><span class="s3">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">What about</span><span class="s3"> health costs of eating a substance that is showing more and more evidence of being dang</span><span class="s3">erous over a lifetime of consumption</span><span class="s3">?</span><span class="s3"> Recently, while at the hospital for a routine procedure, I spoke with</span><span class="s3"> a couple of nurses</span><span class="s3"> about GMO foods. </span><span class="s3">B</span><span class="s3">oth </span><span class="s3">mentioned a severe increase in celiac disease, diabetes, leaky-gut syndrome, allergies, ADD/ADHD, autism and gluten and soy intolerance.</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3"></span><span class="s3">One nurse, Heather</span><span class="s3"> Milne</span><span class="s3">, has a son with severe food allergies. </span><span class="s3">“</span><span class="s3">The kid barely eats because nothing agrees with him</span><span class="s3">” (Milne)</span><span class="s3">. Over the summer, the family vacationed in France, which has been very hesitant in allowing GM crops to be planted</span><span class="s3"> or GM </span><span class="s3">food to be imported</span><span class="s3">. She said it was amazing because her son could eat just about everything there that he was allergic to here in America</span><span class="s3">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Biotech companies will tell you that the production of GM seed and crops is the only way to deal with an exponentially increasing world population, and that it will sol</span><span class="s3">ve the world’s</span><span class="s3"> hunger problems (Monsanto). The world’s hunger problems are not necessarily a problem of scarcity, but a problem of distribution, economics and market share. Food is a commodity and those that live in poverty will not be able to afford all the new abundance promised by biotech companies in the future any more than they can now. </span><span class="s3">Look at our own country. Many go hungry while others suffer diseases related to too much food. Grocery stores and restaurants throw food away every day while families stand in line at food banks. </span><span class="s3">Unless companies like Monsanto are willing to put people before profits and are willing to give food, seed and agriculture products away, there will always b</span><span class="s3">e hunger, no matter how many GM</span><span class="s3"> crops are planted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">The truth that I have found </span><span class="s3">in researching this subject is really scary. </span><span class="s3">In </span><span class="s3">my opinion, </span><span class="s3">there is absolutely nothing trustworthy about the biotech companies and their culture of profits before people. They have not proven trustworthy with past toxic chemicals and food substances and there is no reason to believe their culture of deceit has changed. </span><span class="s3">B</span><span class="s3">iotech companies like</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">Monsanto are only in it for the money. They are profit driven no matter how they green wash it and they have a sordid history of lying, buying or bullying </span><span class="s3">consumers,</span><span class="s3">competition, opponents, law-makers and regulatory agencies.</span><span class="s3"> Studies are showing that consumption of some GM foods can cause liver and kidney failure. I</span><span class="s3">t has been proven that the use of GM crops has not reduced the amount of pesticides and herbicides used by farmers, but dramatically increased it. More and more powerful herbicides and pesticides are now being marketed to kill the “super weeds” cr</span><span class="s3">eated by over spraying. S</span><span class="s3">tudies are</span><span class="s3"> also</span><span class="s3"> coming out showing </span><span class="s3">g</span><span class="s3">lyphosates and the inert ingredients mixed with them to create these powerful herbicides and pesticides are toxic and quite possibly deadly. </span><span class="s3">No government should force its people to consume food substances they don’t wish to consume. If consumers want to know if there are GMO’s in their food then the government should require labeling. T</span><span class="s3">here is no proof that mandatory labeling of food will raise prices, damage the public or in any way harm farmers. It’s already being done around the world, but instead of leading the way in protecting the public, America is leading the way in corporate greed and monopoly</span><span class="s3">, and our regulating agencies are a part of the problem</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s3">Lastly and most devastating, the lie about solving the world’s hunger problems is divisive and profit driven, not humanitarian. Americans should be running away from GMO’s as fast as our legs can carry us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s8" style="font-weight: bold;">W</span><span class="s8" style="font-weight: bold;">orks Cited</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Beiwen, J. “Engineering Crops in a Needy World”. </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">American Radio Works</span><span class="s3">. American Public Radio. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3"> December 2000. Web.</span></span><span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b> </b>Accessed: November 1, 2012.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Benbrook, T. “</span><span class="s7">Impacts of genetically engineered crops on pesticide use in the U.S. -- the first sixteen years.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="padding-left: 36px;"></span><span class="s10" style="font-style: italic;">Environmental Sciences Europe</span><span class="s7">. September 28, 2012.</span><span class="s7"> Springer Open Journal. Web. Accessed </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s7"> November 13, 2</span><span class="s7">012.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Byrne, P. “Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods.” </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">Food and Nutrition Series</span><span class="s3">. Colorado State </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3"> University Extension. 2</span><span class="s3">010. Pamphlet.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Castle, D</span><span class="s3">., </span><span class="s3">Ruse</span><span class="s3"> M.</span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">Genetically Modified Foods: Debating Biotechnology</span><span class="s3">. New York: Prometheus </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3"> Books. 2002. Print.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Fedoroff, N., </span><span class="s3">Brown</span><span class="s3">, N</span><span class="s3">. </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist’s View of Genetically Modified Foods</span><span class="s3">. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3"> Washington D.C.: Joseph</span></span><span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> Henry Press. 2004. Print.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Gammon, C. “</span><span class="s7">Weed-Whacking Herbicide Proves Deadly to Human Cells.” Scientific American.</span></span></div>
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<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">"genetically modified organism (GMO)". </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;"> Online. </span><span class="s3">Encyclopædia, B</span><span class="s3">ritannica Inc., 2012. Web source. 28 Oct. 2012</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Langer, G. “Poll: Skepticism of Genetically Modified Food.” </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">ABC News</span><span class="s3">. ABC News. Univision. June 19, </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3"> 2012. Web. Accessed November 15, 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span class="s3" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Milne, H. Personal Interview. November 7, 2012.</span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">Monsanto-A Sustainable Agriculture Company</span><span class="s3">. Monsanto Company. 2002-2012. Web. Accessed </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3"> November 13, 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Potter, N., Eng, P. “</span><span class="s7">Spinning Tough Spider Silk From Goat Milk.” </span><span class="s10" style="font-style: italic;">ABC News</span><span class="s7">. ABC News. Univision. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s7"> January 31, 2002. </span><span class="s7">Web. Accessed November 13, 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">“Robert D. Shapiro.” </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">NNDB</span><span class="s3">. Soylent Communications. 2012. Web. Accessed November 13, 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span class="s7" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seralini, G., Mesnage, R., Clair, E., Gress, S., de Vandomois, J., Cellier, D. “Genetically modified crops </span><br />
<span class="s7" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> safety assessments. p</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s7">resent limits and possible improvements.” </span><span class="s10" style="font-style: italic;">Environmental Sciences Europe</span><span class="s7">. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s7"> October 23, 2011. Springer Open. J</span><span class="s7">ournal. Web. Accessed November 13, 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s7">“</span><span class="s7">Technical Fact Sheet on: Glyphosate.</span><span class="s7">”</span><span class="s7"> </span><span class="s10" style="font-style: italic;">EPA.</span><span class="s7"> United States Environmental Protection Agency. np. nd. Web.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s7"> </span><span class="s7">Accessed November 18, 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">The World According to Monsanto.</span><span class="s3"> Dir. Robin, M. Starring: </span><span class="s12"> </span><span class="s13">David Baker</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7854965489146974190"><span class="s3">,</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s13">Ken Cook</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s3">and</span><span class="s3"> </span><span class="s13">David </span></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s13"> Carpenter</span><span class="s7">. </span><span class="s7">Image et C</span><span class="s7">ompagnie. 2008. Video.</span><span class="s12"> </span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3">Tokar, Brian. </span><span class="s6" style="font-style: italic;">Monsanto: A Checkered History.</span><span class="s3"> The Ecologist. Volume 28, No. 5. p. 254-260. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s3"> September/October</span><span class="s3"> 1998. Web</span><span class="s3">.</span><span class="s3"> Accessed November 13, 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
<div class="s2">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-29611021500912300312012-10-28T13:42:00.000-06:002012-10-28T13:42:27.290-06:00A Vibrant and Vital Nation<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In times of economic crisis, the first two things on the chopping block
for government cuts are always the arts and humanities. Ironically, cutting
these programs represents such a minuscule portion of the National Budget that
it’s almost laughable to think about. Why would government cut programs that
lead to quality of life in times when people are already miserable?
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has plans to drastically cut funding to PBS
even though, according to recent polls, 69% of American’s value the money the
government spends on PBS, and it represents a minuscule one one-hundredth of
one percent of the national budget. (PBS Statement) President Obama has
recommended cutting another 12% from the paltry $150 million dollar National
Endowment for the Arts budget. If government wants to make meaningful cuts,
politicians would do better to look at their own inflated wages, lifetime
pensions, platinum health care plans and personal allowances. While these cuts
may not balance the budget, they might actually give the American people some
hope that our elected officials really do have our best interests at heart
rather than their own political careers and fat bank accounts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There are two things that are critical to cultivating a productive,
prosperous, happy society; arts and education. While our education system
languishes and becomes the laughing stock of the international community, our
arts programs are now on the chopping block for support from our leaders. The
two things that promote the greatest creativity, innovations and
entrepreneurship, which Presidential candidates all claim we need to revitalize
this country and are an important part of the US economic recovery, are the two
things are government is willing to sacrifice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Those against government funding for the arts will say that government
has no place deciding whose art is worth funding and whose isn’t. They will
claim there is no guarantee that the funding will be fair. But that is true
with private funding as well. Why is a wealthy eccentric any more qualified to
decide what art is valid than a committee of politicians? With government
support a wide variety of art can flourish and communities can ensure that access
to art remains affordable and available. Public funding combined with corporate
or private funding can allow arts organizations and individual artists the
opportunity to thrive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Why should we care? You might ask. Why is it important for arts organizations
to thrive? What do they contribute? Those opposing arts funding will tell you
there is no measurable value to adding arts to education or ensuring arts
thrive in communities. In truth, what the arts contribute, or the value of the
arts, is two-fold. First, there are measurable values that can be seen and felt
on local as well as national levels. The arts create jobs, something we need
more of now. The arts promote tourism, a multi-billion dollar industry. Thanks
to the arts neighborhoods are rejuvenated and aspects of our culture can even
be exported to other countries. Second, there are also powerful, non-measurable
values of the arts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Second, the arts help develop what are being referred to as
“non-cognitive” skills. Today, as a society, due to programs like No Child Left
Behind which focuses only on measurable skills, we equate success with high
test scores. A growing body of research is showing that success in life depends
largely on development of non-measurable skills, or non-cognitive skills such as
grit, determination, tenacity, focus, and impulse control and that these skills
may be equally or even more important than cognitive skills in terms of success
later in life. In other words: humans succeed with character, not test scores. Research
has also shown that while cognitive skills, measurable skills such as IQ, are
primarily developed during adolescence and can’t be expanded, non-cognitive
skills can be learned any time in life and developed for success</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">(Tough)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">. Involvement
in the arts is an important means of developing these skills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As a ballet teacher who has been working with kids for over 20 years, I
get to see daily these “non-cognitive” skills being learned an applied. Along
with <i>pliés</i> and <i>jetes</i> students learn grace, determination, focus, grit, and to
handle constructive feedback. They learn to push beyond their self-imposed or
society-imposed limitations. These ballet students become role-models, learn to
set goals and work to achieve them. They don’t let a little rejection get them
down. They face disappointment with grace and temerity and, rather than
quitting, apply themselves to their task with enthusiasm and determination. The
strict, athletic discipline of the art form combined with fluid grace and
artistry give these kids skills that reach far beyond pointing their toes and
turning out their legs. They gain the tools to become successful citizens,
creators and entrepreneurs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Throughout history, governments have supported the arts. The societies we
revere and value as important precursors to our society, such as Classical
Greece and Roman periods, all provided public funding for the arts. The arts
were an important part of opening up the human mind to new ways of thinking,
governing and building communities. The idea of the Republic and Democracy came
from these eras of intense public support for the arts. The Italian
Renaissance, also a period of some of the greatest government support for the
arts, was born out of a catastrophic legacy of war, famine, disease and massive
death. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">After the Black
Death there was increased value placed on the individual. People of the
Renaissance put high value on individual ability and the realization of human
potential. A new social ideal developed and people strove to be one “who was
capable of achievements in many areas of life” or strove to be a “universal
person-<i>l’uomo universal” </i>(Spielvogel 341). People were encouraged not only to be educated and exemplary athletes,
but to study music, painting, poetry and dance. It was considered a vital part
of becoming that universal person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Public
funding for the arts provides vital resources for arts organizations and
individual artists. While government funds should by no means be the sole
source of funding, it allows artists and organizations to leverage other funding
received either privately or from corporate sources. The <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country>
spends, on average, far less per capita, on the arts than most other wealthy
countries. The arts contribute to growth and jobs and “economic regeneration,”
(Davey) all things that are sorely needed in the current <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country> recovery.
Government funding of the arts, however, should not be measured solely in terms
of economics. The arts help create a “vital and vibrant” (Davey) nation and
should not be overlooked as part of the public responsibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Works
Cited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bently, A.
McNamera, J. <strong><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-weight: normal; padding: 0in;">PBS Statement Regarding October 3
Presidential Debate</span></strong>. <i>PBS</i>.
October 4, 2012. Web source.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brobow, <st1:place w:st="on">E. Davey</st1:place>, A. Spence, P. Arts Funding: Should governments
fund the arts? <i>The Economist</i>. August
22, 2012. Web source.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The National Endowment for the Arts. <i>Art
Works for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">America</st1:country></st1:place></i>
<i>Strategic Plan, FY 2012-2016</i>. n.p.
2010. Print.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Spielvogel,
J.J. <i>Western Civilization Vol 1: to 1715</i>,
Eighth Edition. <st1:city w:st="on">Boston</st1:city>: <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Wadsworth</st1:city></st1:place>, Cengage Learning. 2012. Print.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tough, P.
Interview with Ira Glass. <i>This American Life.</i> National Public Radio. KAJX. September 4, 2012. Broadcast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-4014960839835680082012-10-14T13:34:00.001-06:002012-10-14T13:34:40.430-06:00Tickets are going fast!<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pQxjJQlhM6g/UHsTzwR43NI/AAAAAAAAAUM/kLNEhlJUzv8/s640/blogger-image-263263437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pQxjJQlhM6g/UHsTzwR43NI/AAAAAAAAAUM/kLNEhlJUzv8/s640/blogger-image-263263437.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-53753189119270050532012-10-11T15:40:00.001-06:002012-10-11T15:40:40.665-06:00<!--[if !mso]>
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<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;"><img alt="HOT PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK" height="110" id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://www.answers4dancers.com/images/stories/newsletter-images/newsletter-hot-performances.jpg" width="690" /></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-26949060138953078292012-10-10T10:00:00.001-06:002012-10-10T10:00:46.334-06:00The 10 Best Pieces of Advice I’ve Ever Received<br />
Posted in Dance Spirit online on Oct 5, 2012 by Melissa Hough. <br />
<br />
1. “Leave your ego at the door.” Remembering that phrase reminds me to listen and keep an open mind in class and rehearsal, which makes every experience more interesting and positive.<br />
<br />
2. “Push from the back leg.” When I do, my dancing looks lighter and I’m better able to eat up the stage.<br />
<br />
3. “Change is natural and inevitable, so enjoy the moment for what it is.” This helps me appreciate the good things in my life—roles, partners, relationships.<br />
<br />
4. “Sometimes you just have to get mad at it!” I’ve danced some extremely hard roles, and getting angry at them helps kick me into high gear onstage. I need to get mad to dance the role of Red in Jirˇí Kylián’s Forgotten Land and Myrtha in Giselle.<br />
<br />
5. “Don’t expect it to happen—make it happen.” This advice is especially helpful when it comes to actively applying corrections in my everyday work.<br />
<br />
6. “Working with your natural rotation will save your hips and strengthen your turnout.” I have torn labral tissue in my hips, which means I can no longer force my turnout—at all. But my strength has improved since I’ve stopped pushing my natural limits.<br />
<br />
7. “Take the good. Leave the bad.” It’s important to form opinions about what you like or dislike. When I watch other dancers, I think about what they’re doing that I can to take into my next rehearsal or performance.<br />
<br />
8. “It’s all in the music. Just listen to it.” Music is the major driving force behind my dancing. Sometimes the only thing I need to remember onstage is to listen.<br />
<br />
9. “Do what you’ve gotta do.” At the end of the day, it’s my body, my career, my life and my responsibility to do everything to the best of my ability.<br />
<br />
10. “It’s okay to fall down, but then you’ve got to get up, look sickening and make them eat it.” A little gem from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”!<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-66138969302063365172012-07-31T13:20:00.001-06:002012-07-31T13:20:55.280-06:0012 Classic Devices for Developing Contemporary Choreography<br />
<h1 class="entry-title" style="color: #333333; font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This post appeared in <a href="http://danceadvantage.net/2012/07/31/choreography-games/">Dance Advantage</a>.</span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="color: #333333; font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
Revitalize Choreography By Playing Games With Your Dancers</h1>
<div class="post-info" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 16px;">I was beginning to feel like all my contemporary choreography was just cheap imitation of choreographers I’d worked with or respected.</span></div>
<div class="entry-content" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; overflow: hidden;">
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I was lacking my own original voice. Or was maybe just afraid of it.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
So, for our annual recital this past May, I decided that I wanted to approach the choreography for my advanced students a little differently.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I called my students together for a 3 day workshop over MLK Jr weekend and came with no movement prepared. Just lots of choreographic games.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
I let the students create plenty of movement and then, like a jig-saw puzzle master, I put the pieces together, made them cohesive, tweaked them, and filled in the gaps with other movement ideas.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
While this is not a new way of doing things, it was for me and the students. The kids had a great time and the piece was unusual for them and for me. To my pleasure and horror, my boss, the Executive Director of our organization, LOVED the piece and now wants us to do MORE work like that (uh oh-choreographic panic!).</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
It’s summer now, the days are long and warm, and it’s a great time to let inspiration flow. I usually wait until January to start thinking about what I’m going to do for the May show, but this year, my Modern dance guru, Adrianna Thompson, and I sat down and started to brainstorm about choreographic devices.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<img alt="12 Classic Devices For Developing Contemporary Choreography" class="aligncenter wp-image-15498" height="245" src="http://danceadvantage.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/12ChoreographyDevices-485x400.png" style="background-color: white; border: 4px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; max-width: 410px; padding: 1px;" title="12ChoreographyDevices" width="292" /></div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
Here are some great games we remembered from our days as students.</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Unfortunately, we can’t remember which teachers gave us which devices and which ones we just came up with ourselves. We’d like to thank all our teachers for passing on this inspiration to us: Eiko and Koma, Viola Faber, Margaret Jenkins, Robert Johnson, Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Daniel Nagrin, Anna Sokolow, Jeff Slayton, Elizabeth Streb.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
1. First Dance:</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
This is a great one if you are in a situation where you don’t know the students very well. Ask students what was the first style of dance they ever did and to do a step or short movement phrase that best represents that style of dance.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
2. Name Game:</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Have students write their name in the air. After everyone has done this ask them to do it with their non-dominant hand. Then assign each student a body part to write their name with and have the rest of the group try to guess.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Then ask students to change the level of their writing. If they did it standing up, try sitting down, try to stretch it across the whole room or do it in place without traveling.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
3. Gesture Game:</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heathbrandon/3187174516/" style="color: #941919; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Don't Walk sign in NYC" class="wp-image-15493 alignleft" height="182" src="http://danceadvantage.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DontWalk-HeathBrandon.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 4px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 10px 0px; max-width: 410px; padding: 1px;" title="DontWalk-HeathBrandon" width="198" /></a><strong>Part A:</strong></div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Talk with students about gesture and how some gestures could be understood by someone speaking any language.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
How would they communicate their needs if they had crash landed on an alien planet? Ask each student to get up and demonstrate a universal gesture.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<strong>Part B:</strong></div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Talk to students about a common activity they are all familiar with, like sitting in the classroom at school (or driving in a car, or going on a picnic).</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Ask students to come up with 4 gestures that they would normally do during that activity. (IE, at school, sitting at their desks, standing in the lunch line, at their locker, in the classroom, etc.)</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Ask students to put the 4 gestures together into one phrase of movement. Then make those gestures larger than life. Partner up the students and have each teach their partner their phrase, then put the two phrases together.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
4. Adjective Game:</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Before going into the studio, do the following 2 things:</div>
<ol style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;">Come up with a short movement phrase of about 8 or 16 or 32 counts.</li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;">Write down on individual pieces of paper several adjectives: hot, tired, excited, blue, tenacious (it’s ok if students have to look up the word).</li>
</ol>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Teach students the movement phrase and then have each student draw one of the pieces of paper out of a hat. The student must then do the movement phrase with that word in mind. Have the other students try to guess the word.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
5. Props Games:</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
There are many games using props. Here are two that are a lot of fun:</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<img alt="The contents of a dance bag" class="alignright size-large wp-image-15494" height="318" src="http://danceadvantage.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DanceBagConents-Melanie-Doskocil-300x400.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 4px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); display: inline; float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 15px; max-width: 410px; padding: 1px;" title="DanceBagConents-Melanie Doskocil" width="239" />1. Ask your students what they have brought with them. What’s in their dance bag?</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Grab something and use it to create a short movement phrase.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
2. The teacher/choreographer brings a bagful of goodies. Cards, chapstick, candles, food bars, those little sugar in the raw packets, postcards, whatever. I like to find items with writing on them, it gives another dimension for the students’ creativity.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Ask students to each draw one out of the bag and create a movement phrase based on the item. There are no rules, so students can use the words, the item, the smell, the ideas the item represents… just let their creativity flow.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
6. Parameters:</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Give the students a set of parameters and ask them to come up with a 16-count phrase.</div>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Example: The phrase must start with a classical ballet waltz turn (arms of choice), have one turn (pique, pirouette, tour, spin, swivel, axle, anything), change levels from floor to standing and standing to floor at least once, have at least one non-classical movement (but can have more) and at least one classical movement. Go.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: Oswald, arial, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
7. Phrasing:</h3>
<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Once a teacher or student has created a phrase, retrograde is a great tool to creatively add to the phrase. Ask students to completely reverse, not just the order of the steps, but to rewind the steps as if they were rewinding a video.</div>
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Here’s another phrasing tool: Teach 4 simple moves: A, B, C, D and play with putting those moves together. Examples would be A, B, A, C, D, C or A, B, C, D, D, C, B, A or any other combination.</div>
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As students get comfortable the simple moves can be turned into phrases and the phrases can be put together as ABA, CDC etc.</div>
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8. Alternate Facing:</h3>
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Create a short 8-16 count phrase.</div>
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Ask students to observe each other from the front, back, and sides. How does what we see change depending on vantage point?</div>
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Ask students to imagine the floor is clear glass or plastic and covered in sand and that the audience is sitting below this floor. How would they create movement that would be interesting if seen from below?</div>
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9. Follow the Leader:</h3>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diverslog/239104037/" style="color: #941919; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="A school of barracuda follow the leader" class="wp-image-15495 alignleft" height="339" src="http://danceadvantage.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/FishSchoolBarracuda-JennyHuang-292x400.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 4px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 10px 0px; max-width: 410px; padding: 1px;" title="FishSchoolBarracuda-JennyHuang" width="248" /></a>This round-robin game helps students think quickly while moving in a group.</div>
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Rather than stand in a line, ask students to clump up with one person in the front. The front person is the leader and initiates movement or a phrase of movement (set a limit so they don’t get caught up in their own choreographic process).</div>
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When the movement turns to the side or back, the instructor calls out the name of the person now in the front and that person takes over as leader until the movement turns again and a new person is in front.</div>
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As students progress in this exercise see if they can choose a new leader organically, without the teacher having to name someone. Even if part of the group ends up following one leader and part of the group another, it can be interesting!</div>
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10. Sleep Game:</h3>
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This is a great spatial awareness game and gives students a very slow, safe way to interact with other bodies moving through space.</div>
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Have students lie on the floor on one side of the room, or in one corner, and imagine a sleep conscious, dream-like state. With their eyes closed ask them to slither, roll, move across the floor all the way to the opposite side in this ultra slow trance-like state.</div>
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Keep the eyes closed! They can rise and stand but it must retain that super slow dream quality. How do they interact when they meet another student? A wall or other obstacle?</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30sacs/5554512879/in/set-72157626337512892/" style="color: #941919; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Pencil line drawing by Shangri-La" class=" wp-image-15496" height="292" src="http://danceadvantage.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/LineDrawing-ShangriLa-329x400.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 4px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); max-width: 410px; padding: 1px;" title="LineDrawing-ShangriLa" width="240" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; padding: 5px 0px;">
Pencil line drawing by Shangri-La</div>
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11. Pathway Patterns:</h3>
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Another great spatial awareness game is this patterns game. It also teaches students how to interact with an unexpected foreign body in their space.</div>
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First ask each student to come up with a simple, short traveling movement phrase.</div>
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Then, either draw several floor patterns yourself and have the students select them randomly or ask the students to draw a simple pathway on a piece of paper.</div>
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Students will then apply their movement phrase to the pattern they drew on the paper.</div>
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After they are comfortable with their phrase and repeating the phrase within their drawn pathway, pair students up and have them repeat their phrases with their patterns overlapping on the floor.</div>
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Do they intersect? What happens when the two phrases and patterns intersect? What interesting new thing happens when the pathways and phrases overlap?</div>
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Now assign each student a color and ask them to repeat the phrase with that color in mind. What changes? Now swap colors. Any more changes?</div>
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12. Musical CD’s:</h3>
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Create a short phrase 16-32 counts long and make sure students are comfortable with it.</div>
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Then give students some parameters to alter the phrase on their own: retrograde the whole thing, or certain sections, repeat certain sections, or use any of the above choreographic devices to allow students to play and make the phrase their own.</div>
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Three at a time, ask students to perform their new phrase (they will all be different now because of the playing) without music, just to their own timing.</div>
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After everyone has had an opportunity to do their phrase, start again with the first group. This time the teacher selects random music from their collection (have a great variety of music from all genres prepared!) and the students now dance to that selection of music.</div>
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When they are done ask them to face a different direction and do it again, with no music. Then choose a completely different type of music and have them perform their phrases with the new facing and new music. Do this three times with each group, changing facing 3 times and music three times.</div>
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It’s important to let them do the phrase with their new facing at least once before throwing the new music at them. This gives their brains a chance to reset in the new direction. At the very end, choose one piece of music for each group and ask them to put their 3 facings together into one long piece.</div>
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<span style="color: #e5810e;">What choreographic games can you add to the list?</span></h5>
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<span style="color: #e5810e;">What do you do when your compositions start to feel stale?</span></h5>
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<span style="color: #e5810e;">Share in the comments!</span></h5>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-31134907184155007122012-07-26T11:43:00.004-06:002012-07-26T11:43:30.161-06:007 reasons why Dance Matters-to me.Why does dance matter? It's a question that Dance Advantage is asking this week and goes hand in hand with "why does art matter?" I could go all over the place and talk about the benefits of an arts education to an individual and to society, but I think I will keep it closer to home.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #990000; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Why does dance matter to me?</b></i></span></div>
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1. Dance was my identity. For better or worse, it was "who" I was and when I had to retire, it didn't go away. Now I am fortunate to get to teach it to the next generation.<br />
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2. Dance gave me a family when mine was far away. Dance schools and teams, dance companies, dance partnerships, no matter what kind of dance I did, the people I danced with became my family and helped me through the good and the bad times.<br />
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3. Dance gave me a purpose. As a wild teenager who spent WAY to much time thinking about boys, dance reigned me in, gave me direction, asked me to make intelligent choices and ultimately provided a path for my life.<br />
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4. Dance gave me love and passion. Different dance roles asked me to plumb the depths of my emotions. Choreographers asked me to bare my soul, and the emotional well was expanded. <br />
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5. Dance gave me health and vitality. Dance forced me to take care of and respect my body as my career depended on it. Despite career ending injuries, the healthy lifestyle I learned while a dancer will never go away.<br />
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6. Dance empowered me. In life one is constantly faced with the hard choices and dance empowered me to make wise decisions.<br />
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7. Dance gave me life, and dance became my life. Need I say more?<br />
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Why did I take all those thousands of dance classes and spend hours in a studio practicing for a few precious moments on stage? It was more than being on stage. It was being part of something that was being created in the moment. Feeling connected to something bigger than myself.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #990000;">
<b>A message from Nichelle of Dance Advantage:</b></div>
<br />
I hope you’re having fun with <strong>Why Dance Matters</strong> this
week. It’s been a blast of inspiration to see the many ways you express
why dance matters to you, your community, your kids, your students,
your world!<br />
<ul>
<li>If you still don’t know what it’s all about, head over to <strong><a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=177697cc48&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Why Dance Matters Project">whydancematters.org</a></strong>.</li>
<li>If you’re on Facebook, follow the <a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=c51ee13fd5&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Why Dance matters on Facebook">Why Dance Matters page</a> and join <a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=677ca551e9&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Why Dance Matters 2012 on Facebook">the 2012 event</a>.</li>
<li>If you’re on Twitter, <a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=788ff053e4&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="#whydancematters">search #whydancematters</a> and tweet or RT and tweet some more. You can also follow <a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=0d98504b65&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Why Dance Matters on Twitter">@whydancematters</a> for more twitterrific fun!</li>
<li>If you’re on Pinterest, check out the amazing pins on our <a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=c51ca49399&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Why Dance Matters Pinterest Board">Why Dance Matters collaborative board</a>. Or, pin something that exemplifies the why for you and tag it #whydancematters. I’m tracking <a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=556b51568f&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Pinterest search for whydancematters">the tag</a> so you just might be repinned!</li>
</ul>
Don’t forget we love your <a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=c09572c262&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Why Dance Matters YouTube playlist">videos</a> and slideshows, too. Share/post them in any of the above locations and just make sure I see them!<br />
<a href="http://danceadvantage.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e9cae90ba3405e7b2dd3ff693&id=5f94b853dc&e=fb8573510f" style="color: darkred; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Bloggers share why dance matters (Wordle)" border="0" height="283" src="http://danceadvantage.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/WDM-Bloggers-537x400.png" title="WDM-Bloggers" width="381" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-32745519417059832672012-07-18T07:00:00.000-06:002012-07-21T11:47:47.402-06:00Great Stretch Tips from Dance Spirit Mag and Hilary Cartwright<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">Recently our school hosted Hilary Cartwright, master teacher and founder of Yoga For Dancers, for a week of ballet classes. She gave invaluable instruction to our students about the art of stretching correctly. I had hoped to capture some of the technique with photos or videos but alas was not able to co-ordinate it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Then I found that Dance Spirit Magazine captured her stretching advice beautifully in their April 2009 issue. <span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Daphne Fernberger,</span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i> </i>now a student at Juilliard wrote excellent descriptions and Matt Karas captured great photos. Please enjoy this reproduction of their article</span>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> Before you stretch, warm up the body with aerobic exercise (like light jogging) for five to 10 minutes. Then allow 10 seconds for each stretch on a continuous exhale, recover and relax. Then repeat all 5 to 6 times.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Stretch: Splits</span></h3>
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<strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Step 1: The Prep</strong></div>
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<a href="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="135" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching9.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="169" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The wrong way:</strong> Right leg is forward with foot straight ahead. Back hip is open and hip bones are sunken.</span></div>
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<a href="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="162" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching1.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="182" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The right way:</strong> Begin in a lunge with the right leg forward at 90 degrees and foot turned out. Lean forward to feel a stretch in the hip and quad.</span></div>
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<a href="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="148" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching3.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="183" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Next, straighten front leg with toes pointed (hold on to a chair or barre with right hand for support if needed). Continue lowering until left leg is straight. When comfortable, add left cambré arm.</span></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tip: Keep chest up.</em></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> <strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Step 2: Going for it!</strong></span></div>
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<img alt="" height="134" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching8.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="185" /><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The wrong way:</strong> Knees and feet are relaxed, hips are open and head is thrown back.</span></div>
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<a href="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="117" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching2.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="169" /></a></div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The right way:</strong> Keep hips squared and toes pointed. Straighten back knee and keep it pointed toward the ground. Cambré left arm. Switch sides in the splits after one set of five to six preps to completion, then repeat each side twice.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tip: Keep chest lifted.</em></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Stretch: Straddle</span></h3>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="" height="127" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching6.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="170" /><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The wrong way:</strong> Hips are rolled forward, toes are pointed and elbows are on the ground.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="126" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching5.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="169" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The right way:</strong> Start by sitting in an easy straddle. Place hands behind bottom, chest lifted, and stretch lower back. Flex feet strongly.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tips: </em><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Keep back long and stretched. </em><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Do not roll through straddle.</em></div>
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</h3>
<h3 style="border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</h3>
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</h3>
<h3 style="border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</h3>
<h3 style="border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</h3>
<h3 style="border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Stretch: The Frog</span></h3>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="" height="115" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching10.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="182" /><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The wrong way:</strong> Belly is down, butt is up, upper body is supported by elbows and stomach is dropped. (This position actually rotates legs in the wrong way.)</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br />
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Tips: </em><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Look straight up.</em><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Keep ribs down.</em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em></div>
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="89" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching4.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="188" /></a><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The right way:</strong><b> </b>Lie on back and bring feet into first position, turned out. Place arms to the side with palms down. Pull knees sideways with heels lifted until a stretch is felt in hip flexors. Engaging the back rotators slightly elevates the pelvis without tucking.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stretch: Hamstrings</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="" height="114" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching11.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="180" /><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The wrong way:</strong> Knees are slightly bent, neck is jutting forward and shoulders are hunched over.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="131" src="http://files.dancemedia.com/dancespirit/stretching7.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="175" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The right way:</strong> Start with legs directly in front of you and grab flexed feet from the outside (keeping arms straight). Lift your back, exhale and lean forward.<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tips:</em></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Keep shoulders down.<br />2. Stretch lower back.<br />3. Don’t arch.</em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-12512138457836226432012-07-11T07:00:00.000-06:002012-07-12T17:33:29.202-06:00Why Dance Matters<h4>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Affirming the impact dance has on individuals, communities, and the world.</span></h4>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why Dance Matters is a virtual event that rallies the dance community online. Join us July 23-28, 2012 for a world wide virtual conversation about Why Dance Matters.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: center;">Ok, dear readers and fellow writers...here's a chance to get involved</span></span><span style="text-align: center;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nichelle Strepak, host of <a href="http://danceadvantage.net/2012/07/09/why-dance-matters-reloaded/">Dance Advantage</a> wants you to:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>
Tell Us Why Dance Matters</i></span></span></h3>
<blockquote style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; margin: 5px 15px 20px; padding: 15px 20px 0px;">
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Write a blog post sharing why dance matters…</div>
<ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">To you personally</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">OR to your community</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; position: static;">OR to the world</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">OR to someone else</li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">OR all of the above!</li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: italic; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
Then submit it via <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDVhVVdxTVNWbFRwMTZEcmZ2djY4T0E6MA#gid=0" style="color: #941919; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="July Circle Time - Why Dance Matters">this form</a> <strong>by July 20</strong> for inclusion in our Circle Time post roundup to appear during the Why Dance Matters event, July 23-28.</div>
</blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 2012 Why Dance Matters Project is about to get underway. All you have to do is write, video, blog, tweet, post or in any other way creatively express "why dance matters" to you.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-size: 24px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>
Not a Blogger?</i></span></h3>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Not a problem! Why Dance Matters meets you where you are!</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">You can Tweet, share on Facebook, post a YouTube video, or Pin it!</span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">All the details for how to jump in are at <strong><a href="http://whydancematters.org/" style="color: #941919; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Why Dance Matters">whydancematters.org</a></strong>.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please help spread the word! Nichelle of Dance Advantage has been the event's host and is looking for partners in creativity to bring the event to it's full potential (whatever that may be).</span><br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-36324864046032387012012-07-07T13:53:00.000-06:002012-07-07T16:18:42.978-06:00What is the measure of successful art?<script type="text/javascript">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last night I went to see Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HS)
at the District Theater in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Aspen</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">CO</st1:state></st1:place>. The company was presented by Aspen
Santa Fe Ballet (ASFB) and the show was 3 pieces. While this is not necessarily
a review, I will give a little opinion on the pieces. More than that though,
this show was inspiration. It was art. It was, as I overheard one gentleman in
the audience say, “some of the best art you can find in the valley.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First up was Alejandro Cerrudo’s <i>Little Mortal Jump</i> which he recently created for HS. I loved this
piece. It was spontaneous, surprising, and a non-stop action packed
contemporary dance piece. It was everything a short attention spanned audience
could want. Interesting lighting, coupled with moving stage props tied the
whole thing together in a captivating package. At the intermission we all were
expounding on how moving the piece was, “emotional,” and looking forward to the
premier of Cerrudo’s piece for ASFB in a couple of weeks.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The second piece was <i>thrice</i>
(purposefully un-capitalized), created in January 2012 for HS by former HS
dancer Terence Marling. This piece was a bit more of a conundrum for me. I
could appreciate the movement and the phrasing but there was a start-stop
quality to the movement that kept interrupting my complete absorption into the
piece. Ironically, my modern dance guru friends both LOVED this piece and
couldn’t get into Cerrudo’s piece for that very same quality. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And here is where I feel the show started on its rise to
success: the fact that a bunch of educated ex dancers in the audience could
have a discussion about what made this piece work or not work for them. And
there were a lot of us, some ex and some still working, in the audience last
night. And we all had an opinion. While opinions can get a bad rap, the idea
that this one piece was stimulating conversation and heartfelt emotion, whether
positive or negative, is a measure of artistic success.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With that in mind, the crowning glory of the evening was the
last piece, <i>Too Beaucoup</i> (they stole my
favorite catch-phrase), created in 2011 by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar. If the
last piece was a conundrum then this piece was an enigma. I was totally
entranced by the opening. 15 dancers were moving about the stage in unison like
a school of sardines to the throb of 80’s music in white unitards with pageboy
wigs. There was a nod to the 80’s dance scene but it was infused with quirky
interesting movement that over-arced the retro feel the music provided. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hate to admit it but after a while my mind started
wandering and I caught it with horror thinking “uh, oh, I’m getting bored.” But
moments later my thoughts changed. Not because there was some dramatic gimmick within
the piece that suddenly caught my flagging attention either. It was more like a
throbbing mediation. My mind suddenly synced with the dance and I was hooked. I
could see the detail, the precision, the ingenuity within the repetition. There
was repetition, yes, but within it there was individuality, spontaneity and
emotion that was mesmerizing. At the end of the piece I had an even more
profound respect for the dancers.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After the show was over, small knots of people lingered in
the lobby and I heard lots of discussion. It was different discussion too. Not
just the usual “I like this, I hated that,” but speculation, inspired
questions, and answers filled with wonder. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m sure there are many who will disagree, but for me, the
measure of successful art as an audience member is whether or not it stimulates
something in its viewers. It doesn’t matter if the audience loves the work or
hates it, but that they are stimulated to have an emotion about it. If the work
then inspires heated debate and conversation, it’s even more successful and if
any viewer is inspired to create something of their own then that success is
immeasurable.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As someone in the dance field, it is ironic to me that many
are willing to take a risk artistically on music or theater that is new to
them, but not so much dance. An example of this is the recent Aspen Fringe
Festival. The festival brought in one play, Red, one dance company, Dominic
Walsh and did one reading of a new work called Hope and Gravity. They couldn’t
drag people to the dance concert and yet both Red and Hope and Gravity were
well attended. So what’s the deal, folks? Why is dance so scary?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people are afraid to take a risk on dance because they
fear they “won’t get it.” But the truth is it doesn’t matter whether we as the
audience “get” what the choreographer was trying to say. All that matters is
that we allow ourselves the possibility to see, hear, feel, think, emote and
maybe get inspired as well. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-89267257578680363802012-06-21T08:36:00.000-06:002012-06-21T08:36:55.333-06:00Fringe Festival directors David Ledingham and Adrianna Thompson throw down the gauntlet with opening performances of Dominic Walsh’s Camille Claudel<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Wednesday night, at the Aspen District Theater, the Aspen
Fringe Festival opened its program on the 4</span><sup style="background-color: white;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white;"> annual festival with a
stunning performance created by the inspired creativity of </span><st1:city style="background-color: white;" w:st="on">Houston</st1:city><span style="background-color: white;"> choreographer Dominic Walsh. His
Camille Claudel told the story of Rodin’s one-time lover and muse through
dance, music, prose and film. Walsh created an evocative and emotional piece
where the often unsupported and misunderstood Claudel sought solace in her
bronzes, brought to life with exquisite technical prowess by dancers Ashely
Gilfix, Allison Miller and Joseph Walsh.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dancer’s Hana Sakai and Domenico Luciano lovingly portrayed
the roles of Camille and Rodin. Hana’s ephemeral and profound dancing was only
outdone by her delightful acting. She easily morphed from joyously in-love to
tortured soul and the gradual descent into paranoia was etched into her fine
delicate features. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As with any Fringe Festival, there are definitely elements
of this piece that are “fringy.” There are aspects that warrant further
exploration by the choreographer and dancers. The shadowy figure of Camille as
an insane inmate was lost in the grandeur of the production (but maybe that was
the goal). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Walsh’s ideas were very clear in his use of multi-media and
his choice of prose and film clips definitely enhanced the experience of the
performance, but his attention to detail wavered in these alternate medium. The
spoken prose did not match the caliber of the dancers (professionals from
companies in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Italy</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>, Houston
Ballet and Ballet Austin). The film clips were shakily presented and not as
tightly edited as the dancing. I love to see the use of multimedia within
ballets and part of the choreographer’s job is to choreograph these other
medium with the same loving attention given to the dance steps. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Overall, though, the piece was a resounding success. It is
visually pleasing, educational and entertaining, thought provoking and
inspiring. The dancers are exquisite in their technique, line and acting. They
stretch themselves to the very edges of physical and emotional limitations. As
an audience member it is thrilling to be invited to witness these explorations.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The performance will be taking place again tonight at 7:30
at the Aspen District Theater. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes
contemporary ballet and multi-media performances. It is appropriate for any age
students that enjoy Aspen Santa Fe Ballet performances. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The festival promises to be of the highest quality continuing
this weekend with <i>Red</i> by John Logan
on Friday and Saturday nights and a reading of Michael Hollinger’s new play <i>Hope and Gravity</i> (working title) on
Monday. All performances are at 7:30pm at the Aspen District Theater. Tickets
are only $30 for adults and $15 for students and can be purchased at <a href="http://www.aspenshowtix.com/">www.aspenshowtix.com</a> or at the door.
Bring cash or check to purchase at the door because credit cards are not yet
accepted. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7854965489146974190.post-91947656040690150632012-05-09T09:42:00.001-06:002012-05-09T09:42:23.822-06:00What the world needs now...is love...sweet love<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vfLxEkdwnIE/T6qPfLKpvYI/AAAAAAAAAR4/fw14SiuTam8/s1600/rainbow_flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vfLxEkdwnIE/T6qPfLKpvYI/AAAAAAAAAR4/fw14SiuTam8/s200/rainbow_flag.jpg" width="200" /></a>I am so disappointed with the state of Colorado and the CO House Republicans. It seems they defeated a bill allowing civil unions because they were feeling snarky about other things going on in the House yesterday. How very high school of them.<br />
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I really wish we as a nation could get some level headed adults in the government, instead of a bunch of entitled juvenile minded posers. Adults who learned about "sharing" when they were kids. Adults that understand that ones religious beliefs are no excuse for government sanctioned discrimination. Adults that believe that ones religion is very personal and private and as individual as there are people and that no government can presume to satisfy the religious beliefs of all it's constituents and therefore should keep religion out of it.<br />
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Besides, what are they afraid of? Are they afraid the gays might do marriage better than the straights have? They sure couldn't do it any worse. Anyone who sites the "sanctity" of marriage and the family has been living out in the wilderness for too long and has no connection with reality.<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxnSjhxi7RE/T6qPZxnC4gI/AAAAAAAAARw/ynP2_TJQe6o/s1600/Love-Knows-No-Gender-Various-Gender-Symbol-Combinations_small.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxnSjhxi7RE/T6qPZxnC4gI/AAAAAAAAARw/ynP2_TJQe6o/s1600/Love-Knows-No-Gender-Various-Gender-Symbol-Combinations_small.gif" /></a><br />
Over 50% of "straight" marriages end in divorce. Hundreds of thousands of kids come from "straight" broken homes. There is rampant domestic violence and teen pregnancy in "straight" homes. Get real! Let's give the gays a chance to do it better...or do it worse. But however it's done, they should have the same chance to do it as everyone else.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NukbVp86BIw/T6qP1n-_RyI/AAAAAAAAASA/5E7jKhLEK5M/s1600/people-holding-hands.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NukbVp86BIw/T6qP1n-_RyI/AAAAAAAAASA/5E7jKhLEK5M/s200/people-holding-hands.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
Why can't people who love each other come together to live or to raise children without being persecuted by their government? What is wrong with love? Does it matter what color some ones skin is or hair is or what genitalia they have? It's love! And the world needs more love, not more hate. The world needs more acceptance, not laws that promote divisiveness. As Americans we need to put aside our prejudices against each other if we want to rebuild our nation into something worth fighting for.<br />
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Let's put an end to government sanctioned discrimination!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0