neoblog

FREE Contemporary Class on January 22!

2011-12-10T21:22:00.004-05:00

Neoteric Dance Collaborative in collaboration with The Dance Hall presents

FREE
Contemporary Dance
CLASS

View and share a PDF flyer for this class

Who:

Intermediate/Advanced Dancers

What:
FREE Contemporary Class with NDC Artistic Director, Sarah Duclos

Where:

The Dance Hall
7 Walker Street
Kittery, Maine 03904

When:

Sunday, January 22, 2012
10:00-11:30AM

*Please arrive a few minutes early to
register.

About Sarah: Sarah was born and raised in the seacoast region, and trained extensively in ballet, modern and jazz under Mihailo Djuric, Susan Duffy, Christine Simes and Ralph Hamilton at Ballet New England and later Ballet Theatre Workshop. In 2005, she received a BA in Theatre and Dance from the University of New Hampshire. While at UNH, Sarah founded Neoteric Dance Collaborative. The company has performed Sarah’s choreography on stages in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and at Lincoln Center in New York City, New York. Currently, Sarah is the master teaching artist for Boston Ballet’s Taking Steps program.

About the class: Pulling from her diverse background in ballet, modern and jazz, Sarah’s contemporary class is a unique dance experience. Class will begin with a center warm-up primarily using Giordano jazz and Horton modern vocabulary. Progressions across the floor will include turns, extensions and large jumps, and class will conclude with a study of choreography from NDC’s repertoire.

Hope to see you there!

Trey McIntyre's 10+1 Project

2011-12-10T13:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was checking up on one of my favorite dance companies, Trey McIntyre Project and I came across the announcement for the 10+1 project. The premise, is that the company gives visual artists access to dancers in the studio during class and rehearsal, the artists in turn create pieces inspired by the ten dancers and Trey (10+1), and as an end result they put on a collaborative gallery show.

Watch a brief video about 10+1

10+1 Pt. 3 from TMP Video on Vimeo.

To borrow Trey's words, his goal was to engage with a large group of people in a quick and meaningful way. I think this idea is so beyond brilliant. Kudos to 10+1!

Shifting Gears

2011-12-10T13:10:00.004-05:00

Dear neofans,

*Yells into the void*

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

It's been a long time since there have been updates here on the neoblog, but I am hoping to change all of that. Things are slowly cooking for us behind the scenes, and I hope to report back with company news soon.

Until then, I have decided that I would like to use this space to keep up with my observations on the dance/art world at large. I am constantly coming across interesting articles and projects by other companies. Usually I share these bits and bobs via Facebook or Twitter, but I decided that I would like a more permanent place to catalogue said cool stuff.

If anyone out there is still reading, I hope you enjoy the new content.

Cheers,

Sarah Duclos, Artistic Director
Neoteric Dance Collaborative

Come and See PUSH!

2010-04-18T21:00:00.002-05:00

Bosoma Dance Company's Spring Season Performance with guests Contrapose Dance and Neoteric Dance Collaborative

April 23-24, 2010 8:00pm

Boston University Dance Theatre 915 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, Massachusetts

Box Office 617.358.2500

Opening Act 2010 - Neoteric Dance Collaborative

In 2009, BoSoma launched their Opening Act Series at their spring season performance Through this endeavor, BoSoma aim's to support young companies and choreographers by inviting them to be the Opening Act for their annual spring season performance. The power of collaborating with dance companies of all genres, in hopes of inspiring and educating our audiences, is a vital part of dance in Boston and beyond.

Neoteric Dance Collaborative was founded in 2004 by Sarah Cost as a side project to accompany her dance studies at the University of New Hampshire. At that time, the project's initial goal was to encourage the artistic development of new choreographers and young, pre-professional dancers by providing a laboratory environment that was conducive to collaboration and creativity. In 2009, NDC relocated from New Hampshire to the Boston area. This transitional period marked a time of creative growth and NDC's busiest performance season yet.

CRDF Recap and New Beginnings

2010-03-08T19:30:00.004-05:00

Thank you to all of our family and friends who came to our two performances at the Charles River Dance Festival! Here are a few behind the scenes photos:

The cast of Ghosts from the Little Black Book from left to right: Kim Robinson, Meghan Whitten, Jess Soucy, Allison Duke and Amberlee Timm.

Artistic Director, Sarah Cost, ponders future costuming possibilities, between performances, at Forever 21. (((Not so much.)))

Directly after CRDF, we returned to the studio to delve into new work, no rest for the wicked!

Assistant Director, Jess Soucy, led us in some group partnering efforts. Here she is demonstrating beautiful rolls!

Artist Director, Sarah Cost, is at the beginning stages of choreographing a dance adaptation of Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology. Here, Neo dancers are using improvisation to generate new material for the work:

And here, dancers rehearse the first choreographed phrases from Spoon River

NDC dancer, Allison Duke

Neoteric Dance Collaborative

We hope you have enjoyed the behind the scenes photos! Visit us again, there is more to come!

Website Makeover!

2010-03-05T23:38:00.001-05:00

Hello all,

I write this now, a bit bleary-eyed after staring at my computer screen for nearly 48 hours solid! However, I am happy to unveil an updated, functional version of NDC's website! This has been a long time coming...enjoy!

Neoteric Dance Collaborative

Audition for Neoteric Dance Collaborative's Spring 2010 Season

2009-09-29T20:51:00.003-05:00

Neoteric Dance Collaborative is a North Shore based contemporary jazz company. We will be holding open auditions on Sunday, October 11th, 2009.

About the audition:

Please bring:

* A current resume
* A current headshot: Your head shot does not have to be professional, as long as we can clearly tell what you look like!

The audition will take place at Boston Ballet's Marblehead studios located at 40 Leggs Hill Road, Marblehead, MA, (this is also where NDC rehearses), at 10:00 AM on Sunday, October 11th. Studio will be open to you at 9:30 AM. You are responsible for warming yourself up. Be ready to dance at 10:00 AM.

During the audition you will learn two phrases of work that are in our repertory, and one phrase of new choreography.

About Neoteric Dance Collaborative:

Neoteric Dance Collaborative was founded in 2004 by Sarah Cost as a side project to accompany her dance studies at the University of New Hampshire. At that time, the project’s the initial goal was to encourage the artistic development of new choreographers and young, pre-professional dancers by providing a laboratory environment
that was conducive to collaboration and creativity.

The inaugural company included a mix of fourteen dancers and choreographers. Their debut show Neo-Pop! was a sellout.

After a five year hiatus, NDC was resurrected in early 2009 with great success. Last season NDC performed in New Hampshire, Portland, Maine, Boston, MA and at City Center Studios in New York City.

See photos of our dancers, past and present

View a reel of past projects. Please note: There are some students incorporated into the clips on the reel. Not all of the dancers were NDC company members, hence the young-folk!

Important Facts

* We rehearse on Sunday mornings at the Boston Ballet Studios in Marblehead.

* We do not pay: Sadly, we do not currently pay. It is something that we are working towards as an organizatio, but we suspect that dancer compensation is a few seasons off.

* However, we do tour, and touring provides excellent networking opportunities for dancers trying to make it full-time in the dance field.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for versatile, athletic dancers for a spring repertory show in Boston. In the summer we will definitely tour to Portland, ME and New York City again. There is a possibility of a Connecticut tour date as well. You do not have to be available for all dates to work with us, we are comfortable with double casting if need be.

If you have any questions, please e-mail Sarah Cost at sduclos at neodance dot org. If you intend to attend the call back PLEASE RSVP. We must know who is coming, since you will have to be escorted up to the studios.

We hope to see you on October 11th!

Neoteric Dance Collaborative Leaps into the Boston dance scene, performing in the Dance for World Community Festival

2009-05-15T06:35:00.003-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BOSTON, Mass. –May 14, 2009 – Neoteric Dance Collaborative, Founding Artistic Director, Sarah Cost, announced today that the recently-resurrected company will make its Boston debut by performing in the first annual Dance For World Community Festival, in Cambridge, on June 6, 2009.

NDC along with other regional, professional and pre-professional dance companies will perform throughout the afternoon on the indoor and outdoor stages, located in Harvard Square. The festival, hosted by José Mateo Ballet Theatre, will also offer free dance classes, which will be open to the public followed by an open-invite “Dancing In The Street,” celebration to be held in the evening, with more music and entertainment.

At the festival, NDC will perform three pieces in its repertoire: “Burst,” choreographed by Cost; “Don’t I Look Good Doin’ This?” and “Spy Underground,” both choreographed by NDC Resident Choreographer and dancer, Jessica Soucy. “Burst,” features nine female dancers and explores the polarity of emotions within the self. “The movement vocabulary draws inspiration from bharatanatyam, a form of Indian classical dance,” Cost said. “Don’t I Look Good Doin’ This?” showcases three dancers in an epic battle of dance and comic wit over a coveted bench, according to Soucy. “ ‘Spy Underground,’ is an athletic piece for five dancers that explores mistrust between secret agents,” Soucy explained. “The movement vocabulary is inspired by the Afro-Brazilian fighting tradition, Capoeira,” she said.

Twelve dancers are scheduled to perform these works, all of whom have previously worked with Cost. The dancers, including Cost, reside near the Seacoast-area of New Hampshire.

“The Dance for World Community Festival is a tremendous opportunity for NDC to establish itself as a part of the greater Boston dance community, while simultaneously engaging a wider audience,” Cost said.

NDC was founded in 2004 by Cost as a side-project to accompany her dance studies at the University of New Hampshire. At that time, the project’s initial goal was to encourage the artistic development of new choreographers and young, pre-professional dancers by providing the laboratory environment that was conducive to collaboration and creativity. Cost’s mission is to support a future of dance in New England by: creating and presenting new works; educating aspiring, professional and recreational dancers with a innovative curriculum; and engaging the community through outreach and educational programs.

The inaugural company included a mix of fourteen dancers and choreographers. NDC’s debut show Neo-Pop! was a sellout. Today, NDC continues to be active within the greater Boston area. NDC presented two other works at Dance Rochester 2009, in Rochester, NH, in April. Cost and NDC dancers look forward to later in June, when they will perform in New York’s City Center studios as part of a choreography showcase, IndepenDance, hosted by Eidolon Ballet.

For any further questions about Neoteric Dance Collaborative and upcoming performances, please call Allison Duke at (603)-674-7864.

###

NDC's Choreography Reel is Now Online

2009-05-04T09:57:00.003-05:00

Check out our 2009-2010 Choreography Reel on YouTube or Vimeo

Neoteric Dance Collaborative Choreography Reel 2009-2010 from Neoteric Dance Collaborative on Vimeo.

All choreography is by Artistic Director Sarah Cost and Assistant Director/Resident Choreographer Jess Soucy.

Ratings and comments are appreciated!

Local girls who took a LEAP can feel PROUD

2009-04-29T22:01:00.002-05:00

Last Friday night I witnessed an exceptional theater/dance performance by a group of twenty girls from the Dover area, in 7th grade through high school. Entitled "PROUD," this theatrical experience gave me chills. It was strong, uplifting, and fun!...

Read the full article at Fosters.com

Dancing Through Life Newsletter April 2009

2009-04-29T01:22:00.001-05:00

Please follow the link below to read the most recent news about performances, classes and more!

Dancing Through Life Newsletter April 2009

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

2009-03-14T00:15:00.002-05:00

Follow the link below to read the most recent news about performances, classes and more!

3/13/09 Newsletter

My Choreography is on YouTube!

2007-05-20T18:20:00.000-05:00

I have figured out technology - and there will be more to come!

Turning Tips from Travis Wall via Dance Spirit

2007-04-14T00:46:00.000-05:00

Fun for advanced dancers...

Reminder...Switching Channels

2007-04-14T00:10:00.000-05:00

Thomas Meehan Performing Arts Center - Stratham, NH.

BNE students may attend for FREE and family members for $5 per ticket!

Inspiration Video of the Week : Soulescape (again) As You Sleep

2007-04-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

This post is for my jazz class

This is the piece As You Sleep, choreographed by Justin Giles. The piano break is what we've been working on as a combination at the end of class. (NOT FOR PERFORMANCE - just for fun).

Enjoy - they're phenomenal.

Ballet Mime for Little Ones

2007-04-11T07:02:00.000-05:00

The post is for my Creative Movement, Combination and Pre-Ballet classes.

Even though dance is a communicative art form, sometimes it is difficult to communicate an idea through movement. In ballets we use simple mime to get across important ideas in the story. It's the equivalent to sign language for ballet, (and in fact some of the actions are taken from signing), and are very easy for little ones to learn.

This is what we have learned thus far this month:

I/Me: point to your chest
You: point to your friend
Love: cross hands over heart
Beautiful: make a circle around your face with one hand
Listen/Listening: cup your hand over your ear and lean towards the sound
Anger/Angry: bend your elbows with your fists pointed towards the sky and shake them
Making a Promise: Point two fingers, like a peace sign only with fingers held together, to the ceiling.
Stop: Palm out
Dance: Hands circle one another moving from first to third position of the arms
Kiss: Touch your lips with one or two fingers
Engaged or Married: Point to your ring finger

The more that you practice these at home, the more that they will stick with your children. You can use these to make simple movement sentences such as "I love you" "You're beautiful" "I promise to listen" "I love to dance."

At home activity: Teach your children how to play charades. Pick an action like brushing your teeth, or pouring a glass of milk. The ability to effectively mime everyday things in dance is so important. The more realistically they can do it - the better! And it's fun to play!

***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT*** My computer has died, and as I cannot afford to get a new one, posting will be sporadic. I will make every effort to get computer access so that I may keep you updated as to what your children are doing in class, but it may not be weekly.

Inspirational Video of the Week : Fallen Angel

2007-03-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

Just beautiful...

Musical Awareness for the Creative Dancer

2007-03-05T08:31:00.000-05:00

Welcome back from vacation everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed some time to rest and relax.

This post is of interest to my students in Creative Dance, Combination Class and Pre-ballet

I feel that it is of utmost importance to instill a sense of musicality in my students when they are young. Therefore March is devoted to reviewing musical concepts that we have already worked on earlier in the year.

Working at home with your child: The more children listen to music, the more they will be able to understand it. Three year olds should be able to learn how to clap or pat their knees to the beat and count to eight over and over. Four year olds should be able to do this as well as adding pauses, such as clapping for eight and then holding for eight. Five-year olds should be able to clap to four and hold for four, getting a little more complicated, and six-year olds should be able to clap on the "one" of a waltz. (ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three)

Do not be afraid to put aside children's CDs in favor of classical music. Children have enormous ability to understand classical music. Finding the beat, with the absence of words, will make transitioning to the music used in a classical dance class setting easier for them.

Dancing in Different Directions

2007-02-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

This post concerns my students in Creative Dance, Combination Class and Pre-Ballet

Besides working on using dance to express how we're feeling, this month we are also working on direction during free dance. While I lead a free dance I'm calling out directions such as Dance FORWARD! SIDEWAYS! BACKWARDS! and the little dancers have to change direction on my cue. This game can definitely be played at home, but it is important to keep close watch when your little dancers are dancing backwards! Some students kinesthetic awareness develops more quickly than others so take care that your children don't go dancing into walls!

Inspirational Video of the Week : Brian Enos' Dipthong

2007-02-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

May be of interest to my Advanced Jazz class.

Performed by Hubbard Street Dance

It's interesting...I've never seen this piece before and yet there are elements of it that are very similar to the style that I'm going for in the Indian piece. I like this choreographer!

Inspirational Video of the Week : Manon Bedroom Pas De Deux

2007-02-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Of interest to Advanced Ballet students:

A romantic pas de deux in the spirit of Valentine's Day! This is an absolute favorite and is brilliantly interpreted by (again) Sylvie Guillem and Zoltan Solymosi.

Inspirational Video of the Week : Complexions - Plus a Review

2007-02-05T23:10:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday evening I attended a performance of Complexions Contemporary Ballet at the Tsai Performance Center in Boston. Complexions did not disappoint, offering up a varied program of intense contemporary dance.

This is their promotional video:

This first act was a Boston premiere of Dwight Rhoden's (the co-artistic director) Hissy Fits. The choreography demonstrated one technical challenge after another. Special mention should go to Bryan Arias his reappearing solo, each more challenging than the one before it. His pirouettes in particular were speedy and flawless.

The program notes describe Hissy Fits as a "suite of high voltage dances for 11 performers that captures the uncontrollable emotional impulses that frame our relationships as people." Despite the fantastic technical profiency I saw very few people relating to eachother on stage. There seemed to be, at first five set couples, and Arias' solo, and then people began to leave and switch off and return to their original partners. I found the intention of the piece to be muddy.

Act II opened with Barely Silent a quiet and understated work. The piece opened with Rubinald Rofino Pronk demonstrating a series of delicious developpes. Pronk and Clifford Williams, also in this piece, were the stars of the evening for me. Their similar physicality made them well suited to dance together in many pieces over the course of the evening - their hyperextended lines, and they are LONG lines, were breathtaking.

Barely Silent employed the use of text over the music which gave an eery feeling to the dance. The grey costumes and minimal lighting contributed to the atmosphere for this piece for two couples.

This Heart with choreography by Matthew Prescott was a favorite of the evening. The connection between Yusha-Marie Sorzano and Juan Rodriguez lit up the stage even in this quiet yet passionate duet.

The Cyclical Hour, excerpt only, was a fast paced contemporary tango. This was one of those dances where if you blink, you'd miss something. It was such a short and exciting glimpse, I wished that they had performed more of the piece.

Showman's Groove was a bit out of place in this contemporary heavy program. This piece was choreographed with a classical jazz/broadway flair. Christina Dooling truly understood the showy quality and stage presence needed to pull of this number and unfortunately her partner, Arias, did not. He did not have the same connection to the audience the Dooling had from the moment she stepped onstage.

The last number of the act, Wonder-full, was a highlight of the evening. Desmond Richardson was exquisite in this intimate solo. The fluidity of his torso and arms are just as mesmerizing as any developpe or leap. What I enjoyed most about this opportunity to see him perform was how "real" he was onstage. There was a light in his eyes not just in this number, but in the rest of the show as well, that showed a loving connection to the movements that he was executing. A tremendous performer - I feel honored to have watched him.

The third act brought Chapters, a work in progress to the music of Marvin Gaye. It was excerpts of a dance theater work to be premiered in 2008-2009. The choreography was fun, hip, and made you want to get up and dance yourself! Unfortunately this was slightly tainted for me, as this style of "dance theater" is territory that has already been covered by Twyla Tharp with her Movin' Out and The Time's They are a Changin', but perhaps the work in it's entirety will take away my skepticism.

I'll leave you with a video of Richardson performing in a clip of Episodes by Ulysses S. Dove. Pay special attention to that torso and his arms. So fluid and lovely!

Express While You Dance : Facial Expression

2007-02-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

This post concerns Combination Class, Creative Dance and Pre-Ballet

This month we are going to be focusing on emotion and expression during class. This week we will be focusing on facial expression. One of the games that we will be playing will involve mimicking each others' faces. I'll sit down with the students and give them a key word, like sad, happy, angry, silly, scared, etc... I'll ask them to make their own face to go along with the word that I say. Then everyone will get an individual turn and we have to guess what kind of face that they are making and then copy it.

Happily since Ballet New England is performing Snow White right now, I will be using the music during free dance to help the face-making game translate into dance. I'll ask them - how would you portray the Evil Queen? Snow White? The dwarves?

These activities will hopefully plant the seed in their minds that dance is a communicative art, a tool that they can use for expression no matter what age they are.

Don't Forget!

2007-02-01T05:32:00.000-05:00

Ballet New England Presents

Snow White

Sunday, February 4th 2:00 pm
Thomas Meehan Performing Arts Center
Cooperative Middle School, Stratham, NH

Saturday, February 10th 2:00 pm
Peterborough Town House
Peterborough, NH

Sunday, February 11th 2:00 pm
York High School
York, ME

Advance Tickets
$8.00 Adults
$6.00 Children & Senior Citizens

Tickets at the Door
$9.00 Adults
$7.00 Children & Senior Citizens

GENERAL SEATING. DOORS OPEN 30 MINS. IN ADVANCE.

Advance Tickets can be purchased by calling Ballet New England, 430-9309.

*I will also be running a program for 6-12 year olds an hour previous to the Stratham and York performances. This will entail a short dance warm-up and the opportunity to learn the dwarves' choreography which the children will get to perform onstage at the opening of the show. The price for the workshop is $20 which includes a ticket to the performance. Pre-registration is required, call 430-9309.

Inspirational Video of the Week : Sleepless - First Pas de Deux by Jiri Kylian

2007-02-01T05:11:00.000-05:00

This post is of interest to advanced ballet, modern, contemporary and jazz students.

My apologies for the tardy video of the week this week!

I am just discovering Jiri Kylian years after a good friend of mine told me that I would fall in love with his choreography...thank goodness for YouTube for reminding me of these things!

I love the use of negative space in this pas de deux. The couple creates new shapes and fills those shapes somehow and they do this quickly moving from one to the next. A very interesting pas de deux.

Inspirational Video of the Week: Love Stories - Choreography by Judith Jamison with Robert Battle

2007-01-22T13:46:00.000-05:00

This video is appropriate for all ages and of special interest to students in Advanced Jazz, Modern, Ballet and Contemporary.

I struggled to pick a video to feature this week. I've been watching SO many on YouTube! In the end I went with Love Stories danced by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. They are positively one of my favorite companies to watch, I've seen them many times live and they never disappoint!

This video is only small excerpts from Love Stories. In its entirety it has many individual pieces. I love the colorful/playful nature of this piece. It showcases the dancers' technique without being stuffy. There is one point where the dancers are basically having a dance off and, in the version that I saw, one female dancer booty shakes like you have never seen before! You think that all of her limbs are going to come flying off before she finishes, it's incredible! (And unfortunately not on this video!) Enjoy!

Fixed Points in the Studio

2007-01-18T00:09:00.000-05:00

This post concerns my Combination Class, Pre-ballet and Ballet I.

There are eight fixed points in a studio according to the Vaganova Method (of teaching classical ballet). They are used for direction and orientation in the dance space. The mirror/audience side is always numbered "1" and the remaining seven numbers follow consecutively traveling clockwise.

Related Activities:

Combination Class: At the conclusion of a free dance I will call out one of these numbers. The dancers will run and pose by that number. I then make them identify whether they are upstage, downstage or center.

Pre-ballet: In addition to the above activity, while practicing sautés,(small jumps in first position), I have the dancers jump turning clockwise to the SIDES ONLY. They shout the number of the side they are facing when they land. So 3,5,7,1 or 7,5,3,1.

Ballet I: Does the sauté combination above, without counting out loud.

Familiarity with this fixed point system allows them to take verbal direction such as "Run from corner 6 to corner 2" or Travel from upstage to downstage, or from side 5 to side 1. Useful indeed!

Pre-Ballet - January 15-19th, 2007

2007-01-17T13:34:00.000-05:00

Last week, in Pre-ballet, we began to use third position of the feet. This position is achieved by turning your legs out from the hip - toes to the sides - and placing one heel in front of the other. This is a gentle preparation for fifth position, a more extreme position where the front heel touches the back toe, and the front toe touches the back heel. But that will come later!

In the center we continued to work on tombé from last week. Described in layman's terms this is a small lunge, the leg bearing weight is bent, and the non weight bearing leg is straight. We also worked on our "rocking step," which prepares them for doing balancé in Ballet I.

Across the floor we worked on Triplets. These are done by doing one tombé front and two quick walks on demi-pointe/half-toe. The rhythm is like a waltz: ONE two-three, ONE two-three. Most of my pre-ballet students have had a little trouble with this, so it would be a good thing to practice at home.

We also learned the Fixed Points of the Room, but I am going to put that in a separate post later this evening.

Vocabulary

Third Position (Feet): See above
Tombé: (tawn-BAY) Falling. This is a movement in which the dancer, with the working leg raised in the air, falls forward, backward or sideways into a fondu (bent leg) on the working leg.
Fixed Points of the Room : See upcoming post!

Inspirational Video of the Week : Sylvie Guillem in Grand Pas Classique

2007-01-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

This video would be of interest to all levels of ballet.

Sylvie Guillem started her career at the Paris Opera Ballet. She received the rank of "étoile" or "star", POB's highest rank for a dancer, when she was only 19 years old.

This video is probably about 20 years old, and still amazing today. It is Ms. Guillem's solo from Grand Pas Classique. It is a lovely example of the virtues of her wonderful feet and sky-high extensions. Take special note of the ballonné diagonal. Enjoy!

Morphoses: The Wheeldon Company

2007-01-11T02:03:00.000-05:00

Big news in the New York City ballet world! Christopher Wheeldon is starting his own company - leaving a cushy job as resident choreographer for NYCB and gambling to become a major force in a city that has been dominated by NYCB and ABT for the last fifty years! Read the NY Times article for more about this breaking news.

Dancers In

2007-01-11T01:46:00.000-05:00

I found a new dance website that looks interesting. There are posts for auditions and forums for dancers/teachers/choreographers of all ages. It's very new, so many of the forums are empty, but every forum has to start somehow! Check it out: Dancers In

Ballet I : Week of January 8, 2007

2007-01-08T23:16:00.000-05:00

This post is relevant for all of my Ballet I classes:

This past week we've worked on poses. Poses have different names that tell us where our arms, legs and head are in relation to different corners of the room, or the audience. Here are pictures of the poses that we've learned so far to review:

We've also been learning our arabesques. We know three out of the four outlined in the Vaganova method of ballet.

New words this week:

Fondu (fawn-dew): Sinking down/melting. Lowering of the body by bending the supporting leg.

Balancé (ba-lahn-SAY): Rocking step

Pas de bourrée dessous or Pas de bourrée (pah duh boo-RAY duh-SOO) Step back, side, front.

AT HOME: Start a dance journal. Each week when we learn something new, write down the correct spelling of the French terms that we've learned and your own definition. Your definition should remind you how to do the step. Keeping a dance journal is a great way to practice and remember those French terms from week to week!

Take care,

S.E.C.

Knowing your SPACE : Dance Theory for 3-6 year olds

2007-01-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

This post is relevant for students in Creative Dance on Mondays, Pre-ballet on Tuesdays, Creative Dance on Wednesdays, Combination Class on Wednesdays:

Greetings parents! Each month your little dancers learn different dance theory concepts. These are just as important as any steps that they learn in class, if not more so. If they continue dancing, as they get older, these concepts will remain the same and, therefore, be useful to know!

This month we are learning about spatial awareness, or recognizing where you are in the room, or on stage, in relation to the audience. I began by telling every class this story.

Have you ever been on/seen a stage? The floor is flat like this room, right? Well in olden days a long, long time ago stages were tilted, or raked. (I show them my teaching binder to illustrate this) If you were standing down towards the audience, you'd be standing at the lower part of the stage, like a hill. If you were standing far away from the audience, you'd be standing upstage.

We still use the same words today! Even though stages are flat!

If you'd like a little more historical info on raked stages check out the entry at Wikipedia.

Here's what your little dancer's know so far; They know that the space near the audience is downstage, they know that the space far away from the audience is upstage, they know that the space in between the two is center.

FUN AT HOME!: Help your dancers review the terms downstage, center and upstage at home. Pick out some music that they like and ask them if they'd like to do a free dance. In dance class downstage is the front of the room/audience and upstage is the back of the room. Sit downstage as their audience and start the music. They can dance while the music is on. Turn the music off and they should freeze in their spot. Ask them to tell you whether they are upstage, downstage or in the center of the room.

Review of terms:

Upstage: The space furthest from the audience
Downstage: The space closest to the audience
Center: The space in the center of the room
Free Dance: A dance exercise where the young dancers can move however they like within the boundaries of what they are learning that day. There is always a beginning pose, dancing to music and an ending pose.

Have fun and take care,

S.E.C.

Inspirational Video of the Week

2007-01-08T13:27:00.000-05:00

Company: SoulEscape Piece: Anna Begins

This video may be of interest to students in Advanced Ballet, Advanced Modern, Advanced Jazz and Junior Company.

There isn't much information online about SoulEscape. I know that they have performed in Texas and that the majority of the choreography is by Justin Giles. I'll be posting many more of their videos! The choreography really speaks to me and my style and I love Mr. Giles' choices of music. There are definitely more SoulEscape videos that I'll be posting to inspire! Enjoy!

Welcome to the NeoBlog!

2007-01-06T22:00:00.001-05:00

Hello all, and welcome to the NeoBlog!

I am so excited to welcome you all to this blog and to use it as a tool for communication to those interested in Neo, parents looking to further enrich their child's dance education and to dance students seeking to learn more about their craft.

I will begin to post about lesson plans on Monday along with an inspirational video of the week.

Take care,

S.E.C.