Autumn Ballet

Here is a lovely ballet created about autumn - similar to our "fall leaf dance" which we have been doing in class.  Enjoy!

"Four Seasons Ballet - Autumn"
Dancers: Shanghai Dance Academy



And here is our music we used in class (Vivaldi's "Autumn"):

Wednesday Sr Tappers: The Shiggy Bop

To my Seniors:  Here it is - the elusive "Shiggy Bop"!

And he makes it look so easy!

Remember.. 3 sounds per Shiggy bop - scuff heel step

Contemporary Class: Tilt Jump Inspiration

To work on your tilt jumps, you need to:

• Strengthen your hip flexors (leg lifts in 2nd position)
• Work on flexibility of your hamstrings and splits

In the mean time, below are examples of "Tilt Jumps", which we worked on in class on Monday, with some variations on arm and upper body placement:

Some variations on upper body placement:

Body not tilted at all, arms crossed

Body extremely tilted, arms crossed:

Body leaning forward slightly:

And some super-flexible dancers (because they're pretty to look at!):

Thursday Tappers: Addam's Family Cramproll Dance

Practicing your tap dance at home?

Cramproll (step step heel heel) *snap* *snap*
Cramproll *snap* *snap*
Cramproll, Cramproll, Cramproll *snap* *snap*

Repeat

Shuffle ball change, shuffle hop step on Right, Left, Right, Left
4 Single Timesteps

Repeat cramproll part

Here is the music to go along with it:

Waltz Clog Series

If you're practicing your waltz clogs at home, here are some videos to help you remember what they look like:

SINGLE


DOUBLE


And for my adventurous girls / guy - the waltz clog with a pullback:

Symmetrical & Complementary

REPOSTED OCT 2013
See if you can spot the symmetrical dancers and the complementary ones!

Symmetrical

Symmetrical

Complementary

Complementary

Symmetrical

Happy dancing!

September Contemporary Music

Here is the music we've been using in class this month:

• Freight Train - Sara Jackson-Holman
• Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Ray

Thursday Class: Surf's Up!

Want to practice our jazz dance at home?  Here is the video from "Teen Beach Movie" where our moves came from (we started around 44 seconds into the video): Ahhhh... SURF'S UP!

Ballet Mime

Did you know dancers are storytellers as well as actors and actresses too?

Ballerinas and ballet dancers even have their own special hand gestures to tell stories - sort of like ballet sign language!

You may already know some common gestures:
- Both hands to the heart for "love"
- Hand cupped by ear for "hear"
- Bowing or curtseying to show loyalty
- Strong motions with fists to show anger

There are some others you might not be as familiar with:
- Tapping the forehead twice for "princess" and three times for "king" or "queen"
- Crossed hands with fists for "death"
- And "dance" is said by circling your arms overhead in 5th position


Here are some links for more ballet mime:

• Ballet Mime Vocab by The Ballet Bag

• Mime Meanings in Ballet by iSport

Learn the conversation between the Swan Queen and the prince from Swan Lake:

Sand Dancing!

REPOSTED  - in case you missed it in class or last year, here is the sand-dancing video!

--------------------
For my Monday 7pm tap class - here is footage of "sand dancing" (it starts at around 1 minutes 55 seconds).  You'll see Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, start sprinkling some sand down on the floor and then he dances!

See if you can spot flap flap shuffle hop steps and 7-count riffs :)

Nutcracker Tea Dance

Here is the music (and a variation) we are using in class this month - The Nutcracker Tea Dance:




Our version looks a little different - but check out their hands - they are using "tea" hands too!

Examples of Double Attitude Jumps

A few different variations of the double attitude jumps we've been working on - in some photos the dancers are focusing down or over instead of up - depends on the choreography.

Looking down:

Looking over, hands in 5th:

 Looking forward:

Looking up:

Spooky Ballet: Giselle

Here is a scene from the ballet "Giselle".

In this scene from Act 2, the queen of the Willis (Myrtha) commands the Willis and they dance in the mist of the lake.



Click here for more pictures of Giselle, which were taken this year during rehearsals of the Pittsburgh Ballet.

Halloween Fun!

Enjoy Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video!

Dancing starts around 2:25




Happy Halloween!

October Class Playlist

Here is a list of the music we've been using in class for combinations in October:

 

• Cabaret Aspirateur - Modern classes (Mon & Tues. 4:30)  
• Giselle - Ballet classes (Mon. 5:15, Tues. 5:15 & Thurs. 4:30)
• Thriller - Tues 6pm class
• Heavy In Your Arms - Mon contemporary
• Halo - Tues. 7 Contemporary
• Swing With Me - Mon Tap classes
• Ok, It's Alright With Me - Mon. 7 tap class

Local Tap Show: October 13

Don't miss a local tap dance event:  October 13, 2012 at The Dee Sarno Theater at The Arts Center(320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs) Tina Baird presents "Silver Lining".

"A protege of tap dancer Brenda Bufalino, Tina Baird presents an evening of dance interspersed with stories about family and faith, including a tribute to the great works of the Copasetics Club. Baird is joined onstage by tap dancers Chrystie Greco, Jennifer Jones, Rebecca Kim and Stefanie weber, along with vocalist Karey Hall Trimmings and musicians Carl landa, Dean Sharp & Brenda Vredenburg."

Adults $15 & Children/Students/Seniors $10

Tickets available here: http://silverlining.brownpapertickets.com/

Examples of C-Jumps

While I don't recommend you try practicing the jumps at home, you can work on your back flexibility and strengthening your jumping muscles.  Exercises to help:

• Lunges for leg strength
• Switching lunges
• Stretching exercises for your back and arms

As always - stretch slowly and safely - never bounce in your stretch or go too quickly. 

In the meantime.. here are some C-Jump inspiration pictures :)

Notice how they are all slightly different - but they are all executed correctly - just different degrees of flexibility and body types.

  

Ok, now this girl is insane - this is more like an "O" jump:

See you in class!!

The Doll Dance Music

To all my ballerinas - here is the "Doll Dance" music we have been using in class:

Die Puppenfee (The Fairy Doll): VIII. No. 7 Baby: Allegretto - Josef Bayer

Here are two classic ballets where dolls dance:

1) The Nutcracker "Kissy Doll"
 

2) Coppelia, Act II - much of this Act takes place inside the toy workshop.  In this clip (about 15 minutes in), Coppelia, the doll, "comes to life" (but it is really Swanhilde, pretending to be the doll to fool the professor):

Beg. Contemporary Music: September

The music we have used in class so far:

Week #1: Love The Way You Lie - Ariana Grande 




Week #2: Youth - Daughter  




Week #3: Us - Regina Spektor 

Negative Space!

More fun with negative space!

In artwork:

See how the dance company Pilobolus uses negative space to create a beautiful shadow dance: