Category: News

The balance between males and females in the dance industry – especially ballet – remains slightly skewed. There are predominantly more females than males, wrongly demonstrating that males receive more opportunities in dance; there are simply less of them, so it appears they are ‘better off’ than females.

To this end, it is important to keep boys interested in dance and ballet when they begin lessons as children, and capture that interest so it can be maintained throughout their lives. Younger children find ballet more appealing when they are not doing it alone. Having other boys in ballet classes helps, as males are very competitive. Having other males, or just one, to work with can be very motivating, as well as having special boys-only classes to work purely on technique for male dancers.

If male lessons aren’t possible, teachers can still set specific exercises for boys. When they get older teachers can also include male-orientated steps such as tour en l’air, turns and hops a la seconde, as well as pirouettes from second position. With girls also in the class, combinations can also be made less “pretty” and more strength-based and energetic. While girls may excel in adage or port de bras – although it is not definitive – boys may prefer jumps, separating the aesthetic functionality of the classical technique from the ethereal aesthetic. It is also beneficial for the opposite sexes to try those different exercises too.

Teachers can also encourage their students to find a dancing role model, and this can work particularly well for young male dancers. Here they can identify areas they are good at, and can see what they are striving for. Role models could be famous dancers, a favourite dancer from a local company, a male teacher, or even an older student. YouTube can work well in feeding their inspiration and passion for ballet, and arranging masterclasses with a male teacher can also work well to inspire boys, encouraging them to take ballet long term.

In the week of Sylvie Guillem’s final performances on the Sadler’s Wells stage, the theatre gave her the title of Associate Artist Emeritus, coming into effect in January 2016. Guillem, an iconic dancer of the twenty-first century, has been an Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells since 2006. She announced her retirement from the stage in November 2014, and her final dance production – Life in Progress – has toured nationally and internationally so far throughout 2015.

Guillem has had an extraordinary career encompassing both classical ballet and contemporary dance, beginning with the Paris Opera Ballet School, and in 1981 she joined the company’s corps de ballet. She was promoted to the rank of “Etoile” by Rudolf Nureyev at the age of 19. 2015 now marks a poignant moment in Sadler’s Wells’ recent history in housing Guillem’s work. Guillem’s first commissioned work for the theatre, PUSH, was its first in-house production. The title of Associate Artist Emeritus is therefore a celebration of the wonderful contribution she has made to the world of dance through her incredible artistry.

Life in Progress, Guillem’s final tour, features both existing and new works by choreographers who have influenced Guillem’s contemporary career. The new works include a solo by choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan, titled technê. The piece encompasses the dancer’s body, and how it carries the memory of all the lives it has described. Khan described the body as giving itself away in the moment of performance, so that as soon as each image is created, it is shed, and exists only in memory, so art is the memory of movement.

Life in Progress opened in Modena, Italy, on 31 March. It tours worldwide until its final performances in Tokyo in December 2015. The tour includes UK performances at Sadler’s Wells, London Coliseum, Edinburgh International Festival and Birmingham Hippodrome.

London Wonderground on the city’s South Bank is a cavern of spicy entertainment and smells of the long awaited summer. With a huge programme of comedy, cabaret, dance, theatre and circus, the Udderbelly Festival is hugely popular and always adorned with Londoners enjoying the gradually turning summer evenings.

Part of the eclectic line up is the performance of Scotch and Soda, with an extensive run in the London Wonderground Speigeltent. Made up of talented Australian performers from across the pond, the show is full of daring acrobatics, a sumptuous cocktail of jazz music and characters who strut across the stage be it in clogs, waistcoats or entirely naked. In the heady atmosphere of the Spiegeltent, the performances of the talents of Scotch and Soda are highlighted by the olde worlde circus acts, and the mirrored ringside.

The Scotch and Soda cast is small and personable – as an audience member you feel welcomed and included, rather than peering over the sidelines as with other similar performances. Scotch and Soda could perhaps be referred to as an edgy Cirque du Soleil; it is full of daring and cheeky charm but takes on a more gritty persona. Every element – from the props to the costumes to the tarnished champagne bottles used for a balancing act – was considered and played its part too.

Acrobatics, strength and circus skills naturally took up a large part of the 80 minute performance. With each cast member taking on a character from the history of Australian circus it added much to their skills as the audience could plot their journeys amongst each other. Double trapeze work was of particular note, as was the balancing act upon a tower of boxes. Charming lovebirds provided simple but effective comic relief from the daring of the bicycle riding, and the varying jazz music was the perfect musical backdrop for this fun but gripping spectacle.

As a dancer, there will be undoubtably several pains you will encounter during your dancing lifetime. Be it pain going onto pointe, pain after a hard day dancing in a different way to usual or even the wonderful aching pain after a long rehearsal, pain is often present for a dancer. However, not all pains are good ones, as some act as warnings from the body because it is injured, rather than it just experiencing general dancing pains.

It is important to know the different between this ‘improvement’ pain and injury pain, when it is safe to continue dancing, and when it is imperative you stop dancing in order to repair the body. Some pains are the body telling you it is strengthening and improving itself whereas other pains call for rehabilitation so as not to hinder the body. As an injury for dance can be any matter of ailments, dancers must heed the ones that prevent them from dancing at their best.

Dancers need to correctly perceive the pain they are experiencing. Pain can occur daily, so it is important to identify the difference in this. Some dancers are highly aware of their bodies – as well as having a high tolerance of pain – and can instantly recognise the improvement pain, whereas for others it might the a little time before this recognition is in place. Some dancers think their general aches and pains are injuries, and treat them according to their perceptions. They may even push through the injury pain without seeking assistance or taking the rest that they should.

Despite this, being a dancer ultimately does build up tolerance to pain; there are always barriers to overcome in dance, and especially after dealing with a dance injury. You must be honest with your body when it is in pain to make sure you can aid it in the best possible way. There is no point trying to get back to the studio or the stage if you’re not fully healed, as you may end up with an injury that could stop you dancing.

Dance expert Bob Rizzo believes virtual dance corrections can improve your technique, by him coaching and advising aspiring professional dancers. Previously Rizzo has directed and choreographed for television and live theatre, and his company, Riz-Biz Productions, has produced over seventy five dance teaching videos covering Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Lyrical, Hip Hop, and Swing; his website, thedancecoach.com, serves as a virtual dance instructor.

With the internet, pre-professional dancers can access a wide variety of information about the dance industry and their careers, such as where to study dance in their area, as well as searching for auditions. The Dance Coach website, however, was designed to give professional feedback and advice for dancers considering a professional career. It also provides a service for any dancer looking for personalised, detailed feedback on a dance or maybe even audition routine, such as how to improve their technique and/or performance, as well as their choreography. Dancers – and teachers too – can therefore refine their work from a passive, objective source.

The website also offers a phone and Skype service to discuss dance career goals, college choices, or making a move to a larger city, again offering objective advice for those that need it, especially if they would like a second opinion or have no other source of information. Many online forums can also be somewhat useful in this area, however that can become opinionated and subjective, which is less helpful when the experience or problem is relative. Website users can also schedule a session for a private, one-to-one coaching in a studio.

As a virtual service, thedancecoach.com is a very cost-effective way for dancers and teachers to get feedback, especially if feedback is only usually gained from competitions. Additionally, gaining access to this information is highly valuable, being able to discuss career goals, professional career guidance based on interests and aspirations, as well as suggestions for additional education, including workshops, internships and job-shadow opportunities.

July 2015 will see Danceworks, one of the capital’s dance training facilities offering classes in a multitude of genres, launch its Elite Summer Ballet School. Open to 8-16 year old boys and girls, parents of talented young dancers are invited to bring their children along to meet the team behind London’s newest international ballet school in June, with the free Open House including a demonstration class.

Danceworks will be hosting a 2 week intensive ballet training course preceding the launch of the Danceworks International Ballet Academy which will open in September, to become London’s newest centre of excellence for training young ballet dancers. The course runs between 20 and 31 July and is open to both boys and girls. There are a limited number of scholarships on offer and the academy will consequently offer elite training to young dancers wishing to develop their love of dance.

Two renowned American ex-professional dancers are behind the new Academy initiative to promote the very best ballet training. Kim White, the Course Director and Antonia Franceschi, the Artistic Director, were both members of the New York City Ballet Company. Kim later set up and ran the Vevey Children’s Ballet School in Switzerland for many years. She devised, choreographed and directed a number of full ballets in Vevey’s local theatre. Antonia, who was a Principal ballerina at the New York City Ballet, also performed in the films ‘Grease’ and ‘Fame’. She teaches at the Royal Ballet School.

Both women believe passionately in the quest to perfect the art of ballet training. Their original course syllabus, the International Ballet Curriculum©, will focus, among other things, on the unique physicality of the American ‘school’. In addition, one of the major aims of the Academy is to invite adult dancers from major ballet companies to rehearse, work with and perform alongside students in an annual theatrical production.

It has been announced that the BBC Performing Arts Fund is set to close after 13 years in action, in March next year. A fund to aspire to, which has been a lifeline for many aspiring young artists, will no longer be available, which is a huge blow to both previous winners and future applicants.

The BBC Performing Arts Fund’s funding is created by revenue from phone voting in BBC TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Voice, however this has significantly diminished. It is now easier than ever to engage in shows such as these which require audience voting, and more and more people are voting for free with the touch of a button on their remotes. Not only is the media world becoming increasing accessible through dramatically less effort from the audience, it means less people are phoning the show and contributing to the funds in that way.

Since it was set up in 2003 the BBC Performing Arts Fund has distributed £5 million in grants to emerging talent. It was initially launched as the Fame Academy Bursary, and it has supported more than 1,200 individuals in the performing arts, and in excelling their careers. The BBC Performing Arts Fund has aided the work of globally recognisable names such as singing sensation Adele, composer Mark Simpson and the Bristol Old Vic as an organisation.

Before it closes, the BBC Performing Arts Fund will award £156,100 split between 17 alumni, however it could be argued that creating further alumni with this remaining fund would promote its work further, and the message of it closing, rather to those who have already benefited from the fund. Many owe the start of their careers to the BBC Performing Arts Fund, so it would be encouraging to see further use be made of the remaining money. It has been stated that the BBC’s commitment to the arts and nurturing talent remains as strong as ever, despite the fund’s closure.

For Pennsylvania Ballet, the future of ballet depends on young males. As one of the premier US ballet companies, the artistic director – Angel Corella – believes this is where the successful development of ballet lies. The number of boys beginning ballet training, and continuing this into later life, is significantly less than girls. Corella maintains that ballet requires gender balance because every ballet has specific choreographed roles and responsibilities for men and women.

Despite this, it appears boys are privy to more opportunities and greater roles, simply because there are less of them, compared with female competition for that gender. In order to encourage boys to continue with ballet training, gender stereotypes must be broken to help boys consider ballet to be as exciting, rewarding, challenging and as athletic as more traditional pursuits such as football or basketball, balancing the competition divide.

For Pennsylvania Ballet, there is a ballet school for boys and girls that seeks to maintain that all important balance. Many boys suffer ridicule and bullying simply because they enjoy dance, as sadly it is still often seen as effeminate rather than recognised for its requirements of strength, athleticism and artistry. Additionally it is one of the few professions that require complete engagement of every aspect of your being; mentally, emotionally and physically.

Corella believes you have to make ballet as easy to experience as possible, especially for young males, creating a positive atmosphere and helping families support a boy’s passion for ballet. It is therefore the role of ballet companies to create the vision and capture the dreams of children. Pennsylvania Ballet school has seven levels of training in the student division, in addition to pre-ballet classes. Boys train together to normalise the experience, and each year students are selected exclusively from the school to appear with the company in its annual production of Balanchine’s The Nutcracker: the younger they start, the better!

It has been announced that Equity, the body providing professional security for dancers, has launched a rate card for professional dancers which brings together industry minimum rates across the union’s dance agreements for the first time. This added measure for dancers means that there will be less chance of their talents being exploited by low, or even no pay. This recent campaign has been highly publicised in drawing attention to the low industry standards for many arts professionals.

The union claims the information will empower dancers to negotiate the correct rates when working on jobs, giving them the confidence through the correct information to ensure they are being paid sufficiently for their work. The rate card includes Equity minimums for dancers in areas such as West End productions, commercial productions, opera, film and television commercials. The variety of work for dancers is so broad, so the rate card must cover all eventualities.

The Equity organiser for dance maintained that the rate card – as a resource for dancers – would be particularly useful for new graduates with limited professional experience, and for dancers taking on work in new areas that are unfamiliar. It is the nature of the profession with its portfolio careers that people will do one or two days of work in different types of dance, in places which aren’t the normal place of work, and that they are not knowledgeable about.

As a result, it is ultimately important that the rate card is something that professionals can refer to, to know exactly what the Equity minimum rate should be and whether this work is meeting that standard. The rate card has been launched following the creation of Equity’s freelance dance network last year, and a similar rate card for choreographers is also in the process of being drawn up.

The extensive website, 4dancers.org, is an incredible dance resource and source of information. Including features on training, interviews with young aspiring students and even information on cinema screenings of well-known ballets, 4dancers is the go-to for a wealth of dance information.

Recently the Dance Wellness segment of 4dancers has rocketed away from its previous stance. In 2012 the first article on Dance Medicine and Science – aka Dance Wellness – went live on the 4dancers website, introducing readers to information on that aspect of the dance world. The response from the 4dancers audience was so positive that a new section of the website was born: a new ongoing segment of 4dancers, entitled “Dance Wellness”, emerged and has been going strong ever since.

May 2015 saw a Dance Wellness panel created for 4dancers, following the eagerness of the audience to learn more about this important field of dance, and how it informs so much of the dance world we live in. 4dancers is the first source for this, spreading the word online about the many aspects of dance wellness and how it aids dance careers. The Wellness panel, therefore, is made up of a group of professionals from the dance science field, working together to inform and enthuse.

James Garrick, MD., is founder and Medical Director of the Center for Sports Medicine, at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco. Dr. Garrick was physician for San Francisco Ballet Company, founded the clinic for dancers at San Francisco School for the Arts, and is currently on the physician panel for the San Francisco Ballet School.

Gigi Berardi, PhD has an academic background and performing experience that combined her interests in the natural and social sciences with her passion for dance. Over 300 of her articles and reviews have been published, including in Dance Magazine, Dance International, the Los Angeles Times, The Olympian, and scientific journals such as Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Kinesiology and Medicine for Dance and Dance Research Journal.

Robin Kish, MS, MFA, is an Assistant Professor in the Dance Department at Chapman University. Robin blends her background in dance and science to creative innovative educational programmes supporting the development of safe and effective dance training programmes. She has presented research and developed lectures for the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) and the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).

Moira McCormack, MS, is Head of Physiotherapy at the Royal Ballet in London. After a professional dance career in classical ballet she trained as a dance teacher and then as a Physical Therapist, and has worked with dancers for the last 20 years. She teaches anatomy, dance technique and injury prevention internationally, with a main interest in the management of the hypermobile dancer.

Janice G. Plastino, PhD is Emerita Professor from the University of California Irvine in the Dance Department. She is regarded as the founder of the field of Dance Science, and established the first dancer screening/wellness programme in an educational setting at UCI in 1982. Her pioneering and continuing work in the pre-participation screening of dancers has been lauded by the medical, research and dance communities.

Emma Redding, PhD is Head of Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She has been Principal Investigator for several large-scale research projects including a 3 year government funded study into dance talent identification and development, as well as studies into the role of mental imagery within creative practice.

Erin Sanchez, MS is the Healthier Dancer Programme Manager at Dance UK, administrates the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation’s website for healthcare professionals and dancers, and manages the Dance Psychology Network. Erin is a registered provider for Safe in Dance International, a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science and holds the qualification in Safe and Effective Dance Practice.

Selina Shah, MD, FACP is a sports medicine and internal medicine physician, and the Director of Dance Medicine at the Center for Sports Medicine in California. She is the dance company physician for San Francisco Ballet School, Liss Fain Dance Company and Diablo Ballet. She takes care of the performers for Cirque du Soleil and various Broadway productions when they come to San Francisco Bay.

Nancy Wozny is editor in chief of Arts + Culture Texas, reviews editor at Dance Source Houston and a contributor to Pointe Magazine, Dance Teacher and Dance Magazine, where she is also a contributing editor. She has taught and written about Feldenkrais and somatics in dance for two decades.

Matthew Wyon, PhD, is a Professor in Dance Science at the University of Wolverhampton, UK, and a Visiting Professor at the ArtEZ, Institute of the Arts, The Netherlands. At Wolverhampton he is the course leader for the MSc in Dance Science and Director of Studies for a number of dance science and medicine doctoral candidates. He is a founding partner of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, UK.

Keep an eye in the 4dancers website for updates and wellness content!