Online Dance Resources
Dance Blog Spotlight: Tights And Tiaras
Welcome back to our new feature “Dance Blog Spotlight” where we will be highlighting some of the best dance blogs on the web! Last month we turned the spotlight on Tendus Under A Palm Tree, and this month we have Henrik, the author/creator of Tights And Tiaras – another one of my all-time favorites!
Tights And Tiaras Creator, Henrik Lamark
1. Can you tell readers a bit about your background in dance?
I have been dancing all my life. When I was a kid, my parents tell me, I was running around the house doing all sorts of movements all the time, and I told my mother I wanted to be a dancer already when I was three years old. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds, I was born with a severe hip-displacement, and went through extensive surgeries when I was about 6 to 8 years old. After a recovery-period, I finally started dancing ballet at a local studio. From there, it’s been a bumpy road, but always heading for the same goal I set out as a three year old: I’m going to be a dancer. And a dancer I became. Today I have been working professionally with ballet and dance since I graduated from ballet academy several years ago.
2. When did you begin your blog—and why did you start it?
What Dance Blogs Are You Reading?
I started this blog in November 2009. Back then, there were a handful of blogs out there on dance (at least that I was aware of), and I wasn’t even sure I would have much of an audience on 4dancers. To my surprise, I got a wonderful response from the online dance community. It encouraged me to keep at it, and, in truth, the readers are really what helped this blog blossom and grow into what it has become today.
Now, as I look around at the amount of dance blogs on the web, I find it very exciting. The online dance community continues to grow and expand, and it seems I can’t even keep up with the amount of sites that are popping up all over the place. There are some wonderful new voices, and many of those that have been around a while have grown and included contributors to round out their offerings. It’s wonderful.
So why this post, you might ask…
I’m reaching out here to see if you can help me. I’d like to hear what dance blogs you are checking out these days. Although I attempt to find the new ones, I am not always successful, and I really hope that I can be a part of spreading the word when I discover them.
So…can you post any links in the comments section here for me to check out? Please feel free to include your own blog in the mix–this is not just for me, but for 4dancers readers as well. Let’s all work together to help spread the word about what is out there to read–there’s so much!
Even if you don’t normally post comments, I’d really love it if you’d share just one or two dance blogs you read–
Thanks to my readers, and thanks to the online dance community–I’m happy to be a part of something so amazing!
Dance For Life Chicago 2011
Dance for Life Chicago Tickets are now available.
Chicago has a rich dance scene and one of the highlights of the year is always Dance For Life Chicago, a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS prevention and care that also promotes the art of dance in the city. Participating companies this year include Ron De Jesus Dance, River North Dance, The Joffrey Ballet, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and Hubbard Street Dance.
If you have the chance to come out and support this event, please consider doing so. It benefits the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Dance For Life Fund – both are wonderful.
4:45 PM – 6:45 PM Gala Reception
7:30 PM Performance
Learn more about Dance For Life Chicago
0Introducing Lizzie Leopold on “The Business of Making Dance”
Leopold Group by Matthew Gregory Hollis
by Lizzie Leopold
If this were real life I would shake your hand, say “nice to meet you” and maybe we would exchange phone numbers. But here we are in the vast spaces of the internet. So, think of this blog as a virtual hand shake.
I’m Lizzie Leopold, choreographer, writer, scholar and social media enthusiast and these are my thoughts on the “Business of Making Dance.” The intersection of dance and business is busy, fast-paced and highly dangerous, so fasten your seat-belts.
This past week I attended the annual Dance/USA Conference in Chicago, the largest gathering of dance professionals in the country. I attended as student (as a PhD candidate at Northwestern University), as an Artistic Director and choreographer (Leopold Group), as a part of a dance service organization (Audience Architects), a social media manger (SeeChicagoDance) and as an all-around dance nerd. I left inspired, confused, clarified and exhausted.
3CD Review: Music for Ballet Class III
Mediaphorie has added another excellent ballet class music CD to their lineup with their latest – “Music for Ballet Class III” (Musique pour le Cours de Danse Classique).
It’s lovely to have original music to use, and this collection fits the bill. The tracks are expertly played by pianist and composer Ellina Akimova, who plays in France for the Ballet School of the Paris National Opéra, as well as the CNSMDP, at the CND, and at the Danse school of the conservatoire of the XVIIe district of Paris.
There is nothing quite like taking class with an accomplished pianist providing accompaniment, and if you can’t have live music, this is the next best thing. The phrasing is perfect, and the musical choices suit the exercises in a way that only someone who knows ballet well could choose, with perky music for tendus and a pretty selection for plies. Everything is well-matched.
The complexity of some of the tracks here make me lean toward recommending this CD to teachers with more advanced students. Some of the slower pieces may be a bit difficult for brand new students in terms of using the phrasing properly for movement. Advanced students will appreciate the opportunity to get into the spirit of things and practice their musicality. Akimova’s Russian roots shine through in her music, making the selections all the more beautiful.
This album features repeated tracks for easy instruction at the barre. There is a complete class here–barre and centre, with music for pointe and for tracks geared toward men.
This is what happens when you have an expert pianist at the helm–I can recommend this CD easily for ballet class. It would make a great addition to any teacher’s collection. The cost is $30, and you can find it, as well as other ballet music on Mediaphorie’s site.
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It Gets Better Project – A Powerful Resource For Dance Teachers
“It gets better.” These words are a necessity for every child and/or teenager feeling bullied, isolated, depressed or who is thinking about ending his or her life. These words were the inspiration for the It Gets Better Project started by Dan Savage, a political gay activist, and his husband Terry Miller. The objective of the project is to help save lives by reaching out to LGBT teens who can’t see a future for themselves; let alone a future full of amazing possibilities.
Through the It Gets Better Project adults in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi and trans) community have been sharing their life experiences (through You Tube) with teens struggling with their own sexuality and all of the intolerance and ignorance that unfortunately can come along with it. (As if growing up wasn’t hard enough.) The words that are repeated and reinforced in all of the videos are that no matter what hardships you are facing today – life will get better. No matter how bad your situation is today- it is temporary.
There is so much love and life to live. This message of love and hope has reached hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and straight people all over the world.
Information From www.itgetsbetter.org :
Dan heard about the suicides of Justin Aaberg and Billy Lucas and had a reaction so many LGBT adults had. “I wish I could’ve talked to that kid for five minutes before he killed himself,” Dan recently said. “I’d tell him that however bad it was in high school or middle school…it gets better.” The It Gets Better Project was born.
2Dance Bag – Hand Silkscreened By 4dancers
Get your hand-silkscreened canvas ballet bag now–before supplies run out! I have made 7 of these unique tote bags and will be selling them for only $8 each! Get one for yourself, or as a gift for someone you know–they make a great bag to cart your dance shoes and miscellaneous gear back and forth to the studio, or even to show your love for dance and “go green” at the grocery store.
I got into silkscreening a while back and have been working on developing dance designs for the past couple of years. It’s a long process from photograph to finished product, but I now have several screens and I’ll be sharing the designs with the dance community over the summer months. The nice part about these bags is that you will never see them anywhere else–these are all my own designs.
Soon I’ll add t-shirts to the mix as well, so keep checking back. I’d love to hear what people think about the design–and I’d love for you to help me spread the word!
Here are the specs:
Canvas (cotton woven)
Navy Blue
10.5 x 12.5 inches
$8.00 (plus $2 shipping and handling – continental US prices – inquire about overseas…)
If you’d like to purchase one of these bags, drop me an e-mail at info(at)catherineltully(dot)com and we’ll work out the details.
Thanks!
0Starting A Dance Blog
Starting a dance blog can be a very satisfying thing. If you love dance, researching and writing about the subject may be something you would enjoy. Getting a blog up and running is pretty simple, and it doesn’t have to cost you anything either. If you want to just try it out and see how it goes, here are some tips for getting started:
Think up a name for your blog
Set up a free account at WordPress.com
Brainstorm some topics you’d like to write about
Choose from the list for your category headings
Go behind the scenes and play around a bit
Write an “about” page that tells readers a bit about who you are
Write and publish your first post
It may sound simple—and it really is if you just want an outlet to express your thoughts and ideas on dance. Getting a more formal blog up and running can be more challenging, but starting out this way lets you play around with ideas and get your legs under you. If you find that you would like to do something a bit more serious, you can always upgrade your account with WordPress and get more features.
I started 4dancers on a whim—following the steps I just described above. I had no special knowledge of blogging, and I didn’t have a grand plan for what I was going to do with the site. I just jumped in.
If you are going to try your hand at a dance blog, I recommend looking at some other sites to see what they are doing that you like—and what they are doing that you don’t care for. It can help you pick some subjects and find a general direction. Here are some that you can peek at for ideas–or check out my blogroll:
If you do decide to blog, be sure and drop me a note—or leave a comment here so I can check out your site!
5New Exhibition From Sculptor Andrew DeVries
Faerie Dance by Andrew DeVries
Some of you may remember an interview I had on 4dancers some time ago about the talented sculptor Andrew DeVries.
I thought I would share with readers the fact that he has created a new exhibition of original bronze sculptures and drawings that feature depictions of contemporary dance and movement, accompanied by photographs and commentary on works ranging from ancient Greece to the days of Degas to today.
His 2011 collection and exhibition officially opened on May 13 in Lenox, Mass., in the heart of the Berkshires, an epicenter of arts and culture.
A number of events surround the exhibition, as well; For instance, Andrew will unveil his latest works such as Apollo, a half-life-size depiction of a male dancer, on June 5 at a reception that will include performances by Boston Symphony musicians. Dancer-model Ruslan Sprague modeled for this sculpture, which was inspired in part by Jennifer Homans’ NY Times bestseller Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet.
DeVries Fine Art International gallery is located at 62 Church Street, Lenox, so if you get the chance to go–by all means drop by.
In addition, DeVries will unveil Apollo at Ventfort Hall, The Museum of the Gilded Age in Lenox on June 5. The gallery is open in the spring on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On June 27, the gallery will expand its hours to span six days a week, including weekend evenings. For more information, visit his website.
Andrew will also host open studio sessions on August 13 and 14, which will feature a live bronze pour.
0Choreography Help From DancesToGo.com
Today we have with us Frances Hellens McDonald, co-founder of DancestoGo.com, talking about the site and introducing one of their newest choreographers…
Frances Hellens McDonald, co-founder of DancestoGo.com
Can you tell readers what DancesToGo.com is, and who it is for?
DancesToGo.com is a unique website featuring a collaboration of award winning choreographers, talented performers and teachers. It offers specialized and exclusive choreography for all age groups in a variety of dance styles. Whether you are a studio owner, dance teacher, performer, or school teacher, DancesToGo offers excellent choreography and musical dance activities. Our notes are easy to read and our suggested music is linked directly to iTunes from DancesToGo.com. Obtaining, reading the choreography and purchasing related suggested music from iTunes becomes very easy and convenient. We also offer some videos of the routines and will be producing a larger selection. DancesToGo is proud to be a monthly choreography contributor over at DanceStudioOwner.com.
What types of dance are covered by DancesToGo.com?
DancesToGo.com features a wide variety of dance styles including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Hip-hop, and Pre-School. We even have The School House Rocks section for choreography and upbeat dance and learning activities for grade school. The dance world and dance studios are our primary focus.
What are some of your most popular items?
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