Those who want to be, if not ahead of at least on the curve, can find an easy iPhone app builder or an easy Android app builder and start figuring out ways to best reach their customers. Here’s one I found doing a simple search—which I may try and use for 4dancers to build an app in the coming year.

Keeping up on smartphone technology, social media and other ways to advance your brand is always a good idea, and you can make an app work for you in many different ways, depending on your needs. After all, the more channels through which people can reach you and learn about your studio/company, the better!

Ovation, a television network that is devoted to arts culture, has launched the One Dance, One Chance competition–where one lucky class will win a $10,000 grant or scholarship as well as exposure on national TV. This contest is open to all groups in the U.S., with members age 13+.

Here is an overview of some of the details:

• Dance groups need to have at least three members and the teacher/professor/coach or instructor should submit a 1-3 minute video of a recent performance to ovationtv.com/dancecontest. (Limit one entry per group.)

• All dance forms are acceptable.

• Entries will be judged on creativity/originality, form, technical dance skills and group choreography.

• The Finalists, Viewer’s Choice Winner and Grand Prize winner will be announced January 2012.

All of the requirements are spelled out clearly on Ovation’s site, so for more details, check their page. The deadline for entry is December 1st, 2011.

Robert Long

Today on 10 Questions With… we have Robert Long, a musician who plays for dancers…

1. Can you tell readers a bit about how you got into music?

I started in music the way most kids probably do. There was a lady in the village who gave piano lessons, so off I went. I was 7 or 8.

2. How did you wind up playing for dancers?

I had finished university (Mus. Bach, M.A., University of Toronto), and couldn’t find any employment.Through friends I received some contacts for ballet schools, so I decided to give it a try, even though I had no idea what to play.

3. What are the special considerations you must address when arranging music for dance class?

For me, the considerations to be addressed involve the instructor I’m working with. Some like quicker tempos, some slower; some like lengthy exercises, some shorter, and so on. Beyond that, an instructor could have personal preferences: ragtime, tangos, habaneras, adages in 4/4 instead of 3/4, continuous exercises at the barre with 4 counts to turn the middle; things like that.

4.  What do you enjoy most about working on this type of music?

Since I work mostly with students at early to mid levels (as compared to professional dancers or highly advanced majors), I enjoy the challenge of playing music which (I hope) will help the students feel the relationship of the music to their dance steps and movements. I sense that this is a difficult challenge in dance instruction: young students with their quick minds can probably snap up any dance exercise you can throw at them, but they may find it difficult to relate their movements to the music.

5. Is classical music your only passion, or do you like other types of music as well? If you do, what kind?

In recent years I have done some playing and back up vocals for local singers and bands (new country, top 40 classic, jazz/blues). In the past, I worked for several summers as a variety show accompanist/arranger. I have been a church musician for several years, and at one time played an organ. The church decided it wanted newer sounding music (perhaps a polite way of saying they didn’t like my organ playing), so now I do Sunday mornings on an electric piano.

6. Do you have a favorite piece of classical music?

I seem to have different favorites at different times. Maurice Ravel’s “Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure” has been a favorite, as well as his first song (“Soupir”) from “Trois Poemes de Stephane Mallarme”. Claude Debussy’s “Nuages” from the “Nocturnes” for orchestra has been a favorite, as well has his Sonata for flute, viola and harp. Ballerinas will cringe, but I still love the music of the Nutcracker.

7. What is the greatest challenge in doing ballet class music?

I think I touched on one of the challenges in my answer to question 4: helping students to dance musically. But there are others. I have played syllabus classes (mostly Royal Academy of Dance) and while the music is generally wonderful, it can be very difficult(!). To make matters worse, I have never been a great sight reader. But my biggest problem (going back to non-syllabus classes) is keeping track of how long an exercise is (how many music phrases are required). When an instructor demonstrates or “marks” an exercise, the first thing on my mind is the music quality (as compared to quantity). From there, I start thinking about what to play, and by this time, I’ve long since lost track of the number of phrases, counts, etc. This has led to some embarrassing moments.

8. Has a dancer (or teacher) ever told you anything about your music that surprised you or made you feel good?

When an instructor says “that music was perfect for this exercise”, I feel that my presence has been worthwhile.

9. How do you go about selecting the music for your CDs?

Both of my albums consist of original music, written by me. I was fortunate to receive helpful advice from students and teachers, especially for matching my selections with appropriate exercise.

10. What is next for you?

I am in the early stages of making a third album of music for ballet class.

Bio: Robert Long has worked as a ballet pianist-accompanist for over 22 years. He has played for Royal Academy of Dance Exam Syllabus classes as well as “open” classes, where the instructor sets the exercises and there is no set music. He has composed two albums of original piano music for ballet class: Ballet Etudes, released in 2000, and Etudes II, released in 2005. Robert has also worked as a church musician for several years, as well as a variety show accompanist/synth arranger. He has appeared in an episode about ballet on a syndicated children’s TV show (“This is Daniel Cook”) and recently has been performing locally in the pop/rock scene. He currently resides in Port Credit, Ontario, Canada.

There are 17 tracks for the barre and 36 for the centre. Frankly, I think that owning all three of these CDs would be a great idea for any ballet teacher or studio owner. They add a bit of spice and verve to the class environment without being silly. It’s nice to change things up a bit here and there.

If you can’t have a live pianist, it pays to invest in good music that you will be able to use again and again. This CD of ballet class music qualifies–and it is available in the UK (as well as other places…see link below) – something that I get requests for all the time.

It’s obvious that Hobson plays for dancers. Not every pianist can arrange music so that it is paced correctly without taking the life out of it. He is able to maintain passion and energy while keeping proper time for the exercises. Well done indeed.

Keep an eye on what’s up with Christopher Hobson and his music by joining him on Facebook

or

If you like, purchase Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 3 here.

Jacob Lyon

1. How did you become involved in dance?

I had done a few years of show choir in high school with no formal training.  Then, when I was 18, a friend of mine asked if I would join her in taking the ballet class at the community college we were attending.  I didn’t have any reservations or anything better to do, so I did.

When I went to buy my first pair of shoes, and the store was attached to a studio.  While I was trying on shoes, the owner of the studio walked in and stopped dead in her tracks and said, “oh, a boy!”  She told me that if I took the ballet partnering class and one other ballet class a week, I could take as much as I wanted of everything for free.  The partnering with the ladies was my favorite class, and I started taking as many ballet classes as I had time for.  The rest is history.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

Currently, I dance for Ballet Quad Cities.  We do a lot of contemporary work along with some character and modern dance.  I love being in a small company because I dance till I drop.  Even in shows when I don’t feel like I’m dancing much, I remember that in larger companies, people sometimes only get to do ONE thing in a show.  We all get to dance a lot, and I get the opportunity to dance a lot of great parts that I would never have gotten in a larger company.  The friendships I have made with the other dancers are also increasingly more important the older I get.

3. Can you share a special moment from your career?

There are quite a few that come to mind, but a recent one stands out.  I’ve always had this idea that dancing in New York would be this great honor.  I was given the opportunity to perform a piece with some of my other company members at the Ailey Center last year.  I was so excited!  Our first show, I fell three times in the first minute!  I was so excited to dance in New York and the first thing I did was to fall on my backside!  It did cause me to relax and truly enjoy what was going on, and I had a great run of the REST of the piece.

4. What advice would you offer other dancers?

Something that I’ve been learning more as I get older (I’m a 33 year-old young man) is that dance isn’t really everything in life.  We take class every day, and some days it can just ruin us!  We get so caught up in the little things about the way we look, the way we move, the technique, the way the teacher treats us… it’s just a dance class!  It’s important to keep things in real perspective and realize that in the grand scheme of the world, that one dance class doesn’t mean very much!  Dance is wonderful and beautiful, but if you’re torturing yourself every day with it, you’re really missing out.  Smiling helps a lot!

5. What have you had to struggle against in dance?

I think every male dancer has had to deal with stereotyping.  People assume you’re one way or another just because you’re a dancer.  Within dance, I’ve always struggled with being a late starter.  My body wasn’t influenced by ballet at a young age, and I’m not special in the length of time it takes a human body to develop into a ballet dancer.  That means that I’m just getting to where I want to be at the age of 33!  I’ve also had to struggle against my own emotions.  I used to get very angry and frustrated at everything.  These days, I understand that it takes way too much energy to be upset all the time!

6. Do you have a favorite dancer or choreographer? If so, what is it about them that makes them stand out?

I admit that my knowledge of the dance world is limited… I never had a bunhead phase!  I do really appreciate Jose Manuel Carreno.  He has a gentle masculinity in his dancing that is very impressive, along with truly excellent technique.  As for choreographers, I enjoy Jiri Killian because he incorporates a lot of different shapes and accents into classical movement.

7. What is the best advice you have ever received regarding dance?

The first thing that comes to mind is, corny enough, from an ABT video when Angel Corrella said that you always have to be a person before being a dancer.  It’s a reminder that there is more to life than dancing, and that richness of the world can add to the richness of dance.

8. Where do you think dance is going as an art form?

I think that dance styles are starting to merge.  It’s not enough for most dancers to be one thing anymore.  I know in my company, if you can’t get a handle of many different types of movement, you’re in real trouble!  It’s important to remember what clean, unaffected ballet is, but it’s also important to remember that there are many different styles that can be incorporated into professional work.  Learn everything you can and keep your mind open, or you may get left behind!

9. What is it about dance that you love so much?

Hard work.  I’ve always been a fan of the exhausting, sweaty rehearsals that leave you spent, wanting to do it again, but knowing that you couldn’t if you tried.  I like using my body to do something interesting and beautiful.  Partnering has always kept me working harder.  It’s what got me interested in ballet, and it makes me push a little more for my partner.

10. What is next for you?

A new career and hopefully a family.  I’m getting older, and my body won’t let me dance forever.  My wife will always be involved with dance, so I’ll always have that in my life.  I’ve gone back to college in pursuit of a degree in chemistry.  I’d like to try and make to world a better place through science as well as art.

BIO: Jacob Lyon started dancing in Redding, CA under the direction of Debra Larson.  He continued his dance training at the Burklyn Theatre in Vermont under Arthur Leeth, Amanda McKerrow and David Howard.  He has also performed as a guest artist at UNC Greeley, dancing “Siegfried” in Swan Lake as well as The Nutcracker in Ft. Collins, CO under the direction of David Keener.  With Ballet Quad Cities, Mr. Lyon has danced many roles including “Prince Charming” in Cinderella; “Bluebird” in The Sleeping Beauty and “Cavalier,” “Rat King,” and “Chinese” in The Nutcracker. Jacob has been featured in original works by choreographers Cleo Mack, Julie R. Shulman, Dominic Walsh, Simone Ferro and Deanna Carter. In 2009, Jake captivated Quad Cities’ audiences as “Romeo” in Romeo & Juliet 21st Century.  In April of 2010, Jacob proudly represented Ballet Quad Cities performing in Deanna Carter’s Ash to Glass at Ballet Builders in New York City.  This is his tenth season with Ballet Quad Cities.

Again breaking out of the traditional box, Christopher Hobson puts out renditions of familiar songs such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”, “The Swan, from Carnival of the Animals”, “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin”" and even the “Mexican Hat Dance”! Treat yourself to lovely arrangements of these favorites and spice up your ballet class a bit without taking things over the top.

Hobson is obviously a top-tier player, and he also has experience arranging and playing classical piano music for the ballet class. This is an important factor, and the tunes here work well for both barre and centre exercises. The barre has 18 tracks to choose from, including staples such as plie, tendu, round de jambe and grand battement, and the centre offers a lovely adage, as well as pirouettes, jumps and several allegros to choose from.

All in all this is really a successful CD, and it is available in the UK, which, from what I’ve heard has a dearth of good ballet class music out on the market. I really enjoyed both this CD and the previous one. There’s one more coming up–so stay tuned (argh!) to hear what that one has to offer in the coming weeks.

If you like, you can buy Modern Ballet Studio Melodies Volume 2 here.

You’ll be getting to know John better in the coming months as he signs on as a contributor, sharing his insights about music and dance with us here on 4dancers…

John Nevin

1.      Can you tell readers a bit about how you got into music?

I started by working in recording studios, recording all kinds of different music by whoever booked the studio — a lot of R&B, rock, metal, and several of the first House records when that all started.  After a year or so, some of the artists started asking me to produce them, and  I still think of myself first as a record producer.

As the world of music began to change, though, producing began to include much more original composition — we were writing parts on drum machines and keyboards — so I started writing original music as part of the group ‘ohana Dreamdance.  It wasn’t until one of the choreographers from the Thodos Dance Chicago New Dances series (Jillian Chu) asked me to compose music for her work that composing music for choreography became such an important part of what I do, and what ‘ohana Dreamdance does.

2.      How did you wind up working with dancers?

I began working with Melissa Thodos mixing and editing the tracks for her choreography.  When she began Thodos Dance Chicago, we did the music for most of the company’s work together, but it was when she founded the New Dances series that I really began to work extensively with a lot of different choreographers and dancers.

3.      What are the special considerations you must address when arranging music for dance?

Music for dance performance is really different from music for listening.  The reason is that the dance is the most important part of the work, and that leads to several important issues in arranging, let alone composing, the music.  Most choreographers, certainly in contemporary and jazz, will include several different pieces of music in their work, and creating a through-line with them is the key to making it work.  There can be extreme variations in mood and intensity, but even when the sound design is sparse, it’s crucial to maintain an unwavering progression for the audience. Once you draw an audience into your work, you can’t do anything that breaks the momentum and let’s them remember that they have other things to think about.

Even when a piece has to come way down, to get really intimate or quiet, there are ways to design the score, and even the silence, so that the enchantment of that special world that is the moment of performance never fades.

4.      What do you enjoy most about working on this type of music?

The variety of music that choregraphers bring me is astonishing.  I’ve always tried to learn as much as I can from everyone I work with, and that’s especially true with choreographers and dancers.  What I enjoy most is the constantly expanding world of things I discover — especially about music and how people are inspired by music — from dancers and choreographers.

5.      What kind of music do you listen to for enjoyment?

I listen to a lot of beat-driven music, to classical music, to world music, to rock and alternative music, and to chill electronica.  I spend a lot of time at the DJ sites like Beatport, and Juno, so I hear a lot of different kinds of electronic music.  But because of the artists I’ve produced and all of the artists who are my friends, the music I like covers a lot of styles  — a lot of the time I’m listening to tracks that they’re working on.

6.      You work closely with Thodos Dance Chicago. Can you talk a bit about what that is like?

The artistic scene that centers around Thodos Dance Chicago is one of the most exciting ones I’ve ever seen.  Melissa Thodos makes artistic development such a priority that there’s a kind of multi-faceted excitement in all of the Thodos Dance projects.  Their Production Director, Nathan Tomlinson, is a great example — he’s one of the most gifted lighting designers in the country, but he can also stage a huge show so gracefully that it runs like a tech ballet, and the whole organization is like that.  I think the New Dances series has created a environment that’s more like a cultural scene.  It reminds me of places that you hear about,  like London in the sixties, where a group of people who all create independently also work and collaborate together, always drawing new people and new ideas into the scene.

7.      Would you talk a little about the process of composing music? What is that like?

Every track becomes its own world, so it’s a lot like traveling through imaginary worlds, but with real friends.  When I’m writing a song-based track, it’s a very abstract process that starts with a groove or a melody. Then depending on if I’m working on my own, or writing with somebody else, it moves into a dynamic balance between the purely creative part of dreaming up ideas, and the practical art of record production — which is mostly the art of sharing what you love with people who might love it too.

When I compose for a choreographer, it’s very much the same, except that there is a different and equally priceless part of the process that is the choreography.  It’s like two artists painting two imaginary scenes — the unfinished choreography and the unfinished music — at the same time on the same canvas.  There’s a special art in that communication, an art that doesn’t have a name, and it’s really rewarding.

8.      Has a dancer (or teacher, or choreographer) ever told you anything about your music that surprised you or made you feel good?

The ones that surprise me are usually different from the ones that make me feel good.  I often hear really positive things from the dancers about how they feel performing to the music, and from the choreographers about how the music helped to inspire them, and that always makes you feel good.

During the process of actually building the piece though, I’m regularly surprised by the shocked look on a choreographer’s face sometimes when I play them an idea I’ve been working on which, as it turns out, doesn’t sound anything close to what they had in mind .  But that’s what I like most about the process, that they always lead me someplace I could never have found without them.

9.      How does it feel to see dance movement created specifically for music you have written?

It’s a wonderful feeling.  It takes a while before I can really see the movement, because what I see most is the shared creativity, the expression in movement and performance of the personal qualities of the artists I worked with through the process.  It’s always a bit mesmerizing as well, because during the process, I’m so concerned with making sure the music is working, that then to see the performance is like a completely new beginning, where all of a sudden I see the full reality of what we made together.

10.  What is next for you?

A major focus is the release of the ‘ohana Dreamdance album, probably in a few months.  It’s an unusual project, because it includes the really diverse choreography compositions, most of which we’ve already released as singles, with more song-based tracks.  That’s a really unusual thing to do for the music industry, but it’s who we are. In any case, we’ve had such good response to that approach in the Dance Community that we’re going to remaster the existing tracks, see if we can make videos of the brilliant choreography that they were composed for and do some remixes of the beat-driven tracks.  It’s all music for dance, it’s just a larger perspective.

BIO:  John Nevin is the Resident Composer and Sound Designer for Thodos Dance Chicago, as well as an independent record producer, and a founding member of the group ‘ohana Dreamdance.    In addition to his work as a composer, John works with choreographers and other artists in the sound design for their creative works, and writes extensively about music and dance at aotpr.com.

Instead, the tracks are easy and fun–as well as expertly played. Christopher Hobson is at the helm here, and he began training at age 4. He has experience working with dance schools, which is obvious by the arrangements here, which are metered, without being dull. His background includes working for Northern Ballet Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.

The intent of the CD is to add variety to the ballet class repertoire, which it does quite successfully. I am located in the US, but have had many UK dance teachers ask me for recommendations in their area in terms of ballet class music. I would pass this CD along without hesitation as something that would be fun to use for a welcome change of pace. There is both barre and centre music, and the quality of the recording is very good–another rarity in this type of CD–although I will admit it has been improving overall as a genre.

If you are searching for something fun to add to your collection as a dance teacher or dance studio, this is a good pick. Here are the particulars:

If you are interested, you can purchase Christopher Hobson’s Modern Ballet Studio Melodies, Volume 1 here.

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.

I was inspired by opening speaker and writer Pico Iyer.  Drawing on his experience as a world traveler, he reminded me that dance is my home, “shards of culture creating a stained glass home.”  He spoke of the cross pollination of cultures and ideas.  Here begins the recurring theme of intersections.  I began with dance and business but what the Conference truly illuminated was the importance of these virtual, metaphoric and literal networks: share ideas, business cards, tech secrets and even stages.

Next was a session with technology and stress-management consultant Jennifer Edwards.  (Those two fields denote another complicated and essential intersection.)  She shared strong opinions about an intuitive approach to social media platforms.  It was a necessary reminder that doing it because “all the cool kids are” didn’t work in high school and it doesn’t work now.  Make these tools work for you and your purpose.  And if they don’t, move on.

Here’s where the exhaustion starts to set in (the most satisfying of exhaustions).  Research consultants at WolfBrown presented results on a study of Engaging Dance Audiences, 60% of which are dancers themselves.  This is both wonderful and terrifying.  I love that we are all supporting each other, but are we also chasing our tails?  As dancers we spend so much time in a closed room starring at ourselves in mirrors.  I am worried that if 60% of audiences are fellow dancers, this is just one more reflective surface.  That other 40% desperately wants more context: program notes, introductions from the stage, etc.  Let’s give it to them!  We need them.

The conference ended with inspiration once more, from author and speaker Patricia Martin.  How does dance stay relevant and important in this tumultuous time?  “Teach us to fly,” she says simply.  Inspire.

Now it is my turn and I better get to work.

Lizzie Leopold, photo by Matthew Murphy

Contributor Lizzie Leopold is a dancer, dance maker and dance scholar. She holds a BFA in dance from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Performance Studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, with thesis work titled Choreography and Commerce: Tracking the Business of Dance Through the Rite(s) of Spring . In fall 2011 she will begin work on an Interdisciplinary PhD in Theater and Drama Studies at Northwestern University, continuing to focus on the intersection of dance and business, both historically and theoretically. Her writing has been presented at the Congress on Research in Dance 2011 Special Topics Conference, Dance and American Studies, and the Cultural Studies Association Conference 2011. She is also a contributor to the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University blog writing about their dance performance series.

Lizzie is the founder and Artistic Director for the Leopold Group, a Chicago based not-for-profit modern dance company. She was awarded Best Choreography for Green Eyes, a new kind of musical in the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival and has been in residence at the Workspace for Choreographers’ Artists Retreat in Sperryville, Virigina and at the Chicago Cultural Center through DanceBridge. In addition to choreographing, Leopold has danced with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She also works for Audience Architects (www.audiencearchitects.com, www.seechicagodance.com) , a service organization working to build audiences for dance in Chicago, and is working to launch the New Books Network Dance Channel podcast. She currently serves on the Alumni Board of Governors at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater and Dance.

Jean Kyle

More than 20 years ago, I allowed the first love of my life to slowly slip away. We were then reacquainted 10 years ago for a brief, happy, but not overly fulfilling affair, after which I was convinced that my passion for ballet – my first love – had fizzled out and that I would find joy through other forms of dance.

Unexpectedly, and in a totally unplanned manner, a series of circumstances found me back in an adult ballet class about 4 months ago. I was persuaded to join a class “just for fun”; I thought I’d do one, two classes at most, then probably give up.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Although I struggled to keep up that first class, I was hooked before the 90 minutes was over.  As a younger dancer, I loved the challenges that the quest for perfection in ballet presented, the exhilaration of expressing myself with my body, being encouraged and pushed to give my very best, and the thrill of making little achievements. Much credit has to go to our teacher, Tibor, who within my first two classes, managed to push all those buttons, and who has been very instrumental in re-kindling my passion for ballet.

Coincidentally, my return to ballet occurred a few weeks shy of my 40th birthday, inspiring me to set myself a 52-week challenge – to re-build the strength, flexibility, technique and artistry required to be able to stand beside the other dancers in class and dance with them; to experience the joy of dancing ballet again, which I have rediscovered absolutely soothes and nurtures my soul.

At the start of my challenge, I decided to keep a journal of the 52 weeks and to share the journey online as a blog, simply titled “52 weeks”. My initial reasons for the blog were humble ones – to keep myself honest to the goal I had set, and to ensure I kept up to date with my entries. Along the way, if I were able to inspire others to take on a similar journey themselves, perhaps provide teachers of adult dancers an insight into our minds and what motivates us, or if I were able to make friends with those who share in the passion, it would be more than I had dared to dream.

Jean Kyle

But as I write this guest post for 4dancers, a quarter way into my 52 weeks, I have found that the blog has grown in its purpose.

Writing a personal blog and sharing my thoughts and feelings so publicly challenge me on many levels, and take me out of my comfort zone; adding yet another personal development dimension to my challenge. Looking out for material for my blog has also made me much more conscious about my whole experience – the things that happen to me and around me.  It has made me reflect more diligently on the lessons I’ve learnt along the way, and to ask more questions of those around me.

Never having been one to keep a personal journal, I have surprisingly found that blogging about my journey has become a weekly ritual that I look forward to and find very comforting to do.

It has also given me a vehicle that allows me to participate in and contribute to the online dance community, which I’m finding is a very supportive one filled with interesting and wonderful personalities. One of the first people I’ve met online is Catherine (owner and editor of this thriving 4dancers.org blog) who so generously provided me the opportunity to contribute this guest post. (Thanks again, Catherine!)

Over the weeks, it has occurred to me that I’d love to use my blog to give a voice to adult ballet dancers whom I’ve been meeting along the way – all of us with a shared passion but with such different reasons for doing it, and having travelled such diverse paths over the years to arrive at these same classes. There is so much I’ve been wondering about adult ballet dancers (having just become one myself); How do adult dancers inspire themselves? What do they work towards and how do they know they’re improving? Do they need to have defined levels of achievement (as most of us had as younger dancers, with exams and certifications) or is the joy of dancing enough to keep them coming back to classes every week? Does it matter whether or not their teachers correct and push them to their individual limits, or do they prefer to be left alone and allowed to just dance recreationally? I hope to explore all these questions and more over these 52 weeks with the many dancers I dance with, and blog about what I discover.

In my blog, you will meet Tibor, my teacher and coach who has agreed to travel with me on my journey to provide the guidance and inspiration I need. While in my first few months of blogging I’ve been rather conscious about writing too much about Tibor, I have finally decided that my blog will also be a tribute to him as an outstanding teacher, and that it can be as much about him as it is about me. It sounds so clichéd, but I have never been taught nor been so positively affected by a teacher as inspirational as Tibor and from the outpouring of love, respect and affection I’ve seen shown to him by all whom I dance with, as well as his talented pre-professional teen students, I know that I am definitely not alone in feeling this way; it is my hope that along the way, I will be able to capture and share through my blogs the essence of a great, passionate, generous and inspirational teacher.

The journey has just begun, and I know not what lies ahead, but I know I’m excited by most possibilities. It has already been one big roller-coaster ride so far, and I’ve enjoyed every single minute of it, especially the lovely and interesting people I’m meeting along the way, and despite the dull body aches that have become an almost constant companion. If you find the time, please do drop by at www.52weeksofballet.com and join me on my journey! I’d love to see you there.

Jean Kyle

BIO: Jean Kyle is an adult ballet dancer from Sydney, Australia, who recently rediscovered her passion for ballet unexpectedly.  She has set herself a 52-week challenge to re-build her strength, technique, flexibility and artistry in order to really enjoy dancing once again, and is sharing her journey through her blog www.52weeksofballet.com. She hopes to capture and share the highs and the lows, the triumphs and the frustrations, the lessons and anything else that come her way on this journey.  In the process, she hopes to make some new friends who share in the passion.