Upcoming Ballet Events!

KMSugar2Haven’t had much time to post since moving to NYC, but I have two great ballet events to announce! First, for those of you who are fans of Kathryn Morgan’s two youtube channels, her website, and her prior career at NYCB, you’ll be delighted to hear that her long awaited return to the stage is not far off! The elegant Ms. Morgan will be performing for one night only in Cleveland at PlayhouseSquare. An Evening with Kathryn Morgan will be and intimate showing of the best excerpts from ballet history plus a newly choreographed piece created on Kathryn Morgan. Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 19, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are VIP only at $100 a person. A steal if you ask me – it includes pre- and post-show receptions plus a meet and greet with Ms. Morgan. 

Separately, those of you in Connecticut won’t want to miss the upcoming performance of Giselle by The Hartt School’s Community Division. Like hundreds of summer intensive programs across the country and globe, The Hartt School offers a performance opportunity to its students at the end of the course, but in this case it is uniquely a full-length ballet. On top of that, this staging has been directed by the talented Xiomara Reyes of American Ballet Theatre. The performances will take place on July 25th, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Millard Auditorium at Hartt, 200 Bloomfield Ave in West Hartford, CT.

If you attend either of these shows, I hope you’ll post about your experience in the comments below! If you can’t attend these events, treat yourself to a ballet in your local community and support the arts wherever you are.

Dancewear en l’air: Custom Leotards at Miss Jones Dance

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il_570xN.733287596_k1dgReady for spring yet? From an aspiring dancer down under, check out these lovely leotards accented with your choice of a variety of beautiful floral and solid springtime fabrics.

Miss Jones Dance is the place on Etsy to find all the cuts and options currently available from this Aussie fashionista.

My favorite leo on the site is this beautiful keyhole front style with a cutout back. The white lycra bottom can be topped with one of ten beautiful patterns. Just in time for spring!

Summer Intensive Decision Time

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Hi everyone. I’ve received a number of requests lately that go something like this:

I/my child got into the SI programs at X, Y, and Z schools. Are they good or bad? What do you think we should do? X school has a different technique than I/he/she studied in the past. Is that good or bad? What do you think we should do?

With messages like this, what I really hear is, “Please tell me where to spend my money and also which school has the magical touch to create professional dancers!”

Well unfortunately the answer to those questions are ‘I don’t know’ and ‘There isn’t one.’ But fortunately, I have created many resources to help, from first summer audition plans to decision time. Especially for newer readers I thought it would be nice for me to list it all together as a guide for you. Take a look below.

Should I Audition for a Summer Program?

Summer Training: Workshop, Intensive, or Camp?

Selecting Your Summer Intensive Auditions

Preparing Your SI Audition Season

DVD Auditions for the Distance Dancer – Part 1

DVD Auditions for the Distance Dancer – Part 2

Getting Accepted: What are “They” Looking for at SI Auditions?

You be the Judge: Choosing Your SI

Prepping for Summer Partnering

In order to expand the usability of this site, I have also added a menu sub-item for Summer Intensives on the left hand menu. Just hover over Pre-Professional Training to access it. That category has nearly every article related to summer training. Let me know what you guys think in the comments if you like.

Ballet in Film: The Garden

Only a few minutes left to support The Garden: A Fierce Ballerina in the Future. I love how this project links dance and science, encouraging young women and dancers to think beyond pink tutus and candy . This intriguing project has been successfully funded already, and they just need help getting to their stretch goal, which will allow them to pay off their Kickstarter fees. They are so close! Help them out and support the arts!

2015 Dance Summer Intensives!

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Update 3/17/15: Added two programs from Charlottesville Ballet Academy – audition is very soon!

Update 2/7/15: Added Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Ballet Royale Minnesota changed dates.

Update 1/18/15: I have added Ballet Royale Minnesota.

Update 1/13/15: Correction to Ellison Ballet dates as well as a few new courses added (though some sites are still out of date like Anaheim and City Ballet School in San Diego). Check it out!

Update 1/6/15: I overlooked two intensives, now added: Oklahoma City and Indianapolis. Sorry guys, you’re on there now. Also, I was too lazy and didn’t verify the hyperlinks before, but now they should all be working!

Dancers, thank you for your patience and encouragement on this year’s list. I’ve received many messages asking for me to post it this year, and it meant so much to me that’s it’s become something you all look forward to. I considered not posting, only because there have been a few other websites that have begun providing the same data in more manageable formats. However since I remain the only free of charge solution, and because providing free access to this information is the reason I started BalletScoop, I re-committed myself to making it happen once more this year.

The reason for delay is due to some exciting personal news. I am very happy to be moving to New York City at the end of this month for family reasons as well as professional ones. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be moving to a city where dance and ballet of the highest quality are simply everywhere. It is a pleasure I never enjoyed as a young dancer in a small town. So I’ve been pretty busy packing and spending as much of my time as possible with local friends and family before I leave.

So that’s the news, now let’s get down to business. I have to admit I was very rushed making this happen despite it’s lateness so a few notes:

1. Everything is updated as of this blog post publication date and time, but schools can change dates and requirements at any moment, so please verify the details for any programs of interest by clicking the web url.

2. About half of the intensives have tweaked their age requirements since last year, so be prepared to forget everything you thought you knew about who takes what age ranges.

3. Lots of programs have either shut down or STILL haven’t updated for 2015, so I made the decision to cut those programs entirely this year, except for those who have such longevity that I can be 95% sure they are just running behind.

4. In addition to the usual Excel spreadsheet, I have made a Google Doc spreadsheet as well since that is easier to use for some of you. In the future I hope to eventually create a very user-friendly database, but I simply don’t have that technical capability right now.

I’ll add updates as they are available directly to the sheet with occasional notes here at the top of this post. As always, let me know if I have any mistakes that need correcting or if I miss any important updates so we can all help to have the most accurate information. Merde to all of you this audition season!! Click below and have a great summer!

2015 Summer Intensives (Microsoft Excel version)

2015 Summer Intensives (Google Doc version)

Dancewear en l’air: Rehearsal Wrap Skirts

il_570xN.631336454_h4xjI’m not even going to ask if you watched the amazing live coverage of the World Ballet Day, I know you did! And you know you were looking at those gorgeous pros wondering how you could one day look like them. It certainly doesn’t hurt to dress the part, and what did we see more of than ever on the ladies of WBD than the gorgeous flowing pastel rehearsal skirts and wrap skirts that can be so hard to find!

Short skirts are so popular for their leg lengthening, that it’s tough to find long ones below or at the knee, but don’t worry, I’ve done the legwork for you. There are a few ready to wear styles that will do the job, but for my money they often have too much fabric or some other issue. Obviously, your teacher may not allow you to wear them in class (most dancers only wear them in center by the way), but they are perfect for rehearsal, particularly when you will be wearing long tutu on stage. For rehearsal skirts to match the pros, handmade is usually the way to go. Here are your options:

Ready To Wear

M. Stevens 123G
This is a decent solution, but the excessive volume of fabric is only favorable for the most slim hipped dancer who is balancing out wider shoulders, or the older dancer looking for more modest coverage.

Capezio N276
This is an ok basic, but it only comes in black and the rolled hem is too tight, causing unattractive ripples at the hem in front and restricting movement of the fabric.

Sansha Misti 1
This is a favorite of mine, but it runs small. Also it is pull-on skirt, not a wrap style. It’s also very sheer and has a bit more fabric than necessary.

Repetto Rehearsal Skirt
Yep, this company is still around.

Cloud & Victory Rehearsal Skirts
These rehearsal skirts are pull on with layers of tulle, but managed to keep a slim look. Divine.

Handmade

Trienawear TR200L
This is a pretty gorgeous version. Still a little too much fabric, but that can be slimmed if you call them and ask for the “chiffon cut”. They offer a variety of other lengths as well.

Tulips by Tracey Skirts
These custom skirts are great. They offer a flowing knee length wrap skirt and a delicate pull on rehearsal skirt item – but be aware the latter has a wavy hemline. It looks good in the photos, but I’m not sure it looks good in person. Also, these skirts are cut to sit on the hips though you can pay extra to have it cut for your waist.

FlicFlac Dance Skirts
Etsy seller FlicFlac a long version of her skirts at about 22″ in a variety of colors. This UK seller ships worldwide.

Bakkendrup Custom Skirts
This Copenhagen company will make a skirt for you based on your measurements, or choose from their standard sizes.

Designs by Alice Skirts
This company is currently running low on skirts due to popular demand, but you can get on their mailing list to keep track of new styles.

Other Stuff

The Skirt
Ok so, this maker doesn’t have a long style, but I though it would be good to include them because they make SAB-style pull-on skirts, and I know you are all very fond of those. Also, they may be able to custom make a pull-on rehearsal length skirt if you ask.

So many options, so little time. If you know of any other resources, please let me know in the comments! Happy ballet shopping!

Princeton Ballet School: Champion for Diversity

Former Princeton Ballet School students Ellen Lou and Jacopo Janelli. Lou is now with Princeton Ballet School’s Trainee Program. Janelli, a former Trainee, is now a full company member. Credit: Caroline Pallat

Last month I was honored to speak with Mary Pat Robertson, the Director of the Princeton Ballet School, the school of American Repertory Ballet. A distinguished choreographer, Ms. Robertson has endeavored to create a learning environment that presents unique opportunities for dancers and which is helping to produce dancers who are better prepared to improve our landscape of ballet.

JD: What really sets you apart?

MR: For one thing, we are still interested in dancers who are college age. Many summer intensives don’t want to work with kids after high school. Many of those young people are about to become trainees, or are coming to the program in the hopes they might be invited to be a trainee. We strongly encourage our trainees to attend the summer program instead of going straight to the trainee program so they can become accustomed to the environment.

Also we’ve had a long-standing commitment to try to develop an early interest in choreography in the students. Many schools don’t do that until young dancers are much older. We all know how many young women dance, but so few become choreographers. The current model is that we have an optional choreography workshop. So the students who are interested meet with the teacher Janell Byrne, who talks about improv and choreography. And it’s entirely in addition to their other classes, so they don’t have to miss anything. 

Students in class at Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive program 2014. Credit: Leighton Chen

Students in class at Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive program 2014. Credit: Leighton Chen

For many years, we did that as a way you could be in the performance at the end. In the last few years, fewer people were willing to take the risk of not being in a faculty led piece however, so now we do [choreography] on Saturday afternoons one evening a week. Then in addition to the sessions, we also have done interviews with the resident choreographers and on picking music. One of the most outstanding results of our choreography program is Amy Seiwert. We ran into each other at DanceUSA and she said, “If it hadn’t been for you all, I would never have started choreographing.” We’ve been introducing the dancers to choreography in this workshop for almost 25 years now.  The Summer Intensive itself is 32 years old – it’s one of the longest-running programs in the US.

In a lot of other organizations when you prep for a show, you are put in a dance with all other people in your level, but we don’t do that because we want [the students] to feel like each dance is a mini ballet. Each choreographer gets a group of dancers from each level so they can have a soloists, demi-soloists, corps, and so on. That gives everybody a different view. We vary them from high classical such as the vision scene from Don Quixote to pieces newly commissioned.

JD: What is the technique teaching philosophy?

MR: We have a very safety and anatomically based approach. We really want the dancers to think about how their bones align, and how their muscles are working. We ask them to use all the turn-out they have, but only the turn-out they have. We’re going to be making a lot of progress, but let’s keep it real. We have a lot of kids tell us, “You really made me feel like I had to pay attention to this and that helped me fix this or that.” I give a class once to each level weekly called body mechanics. How do we pointe the feet without crunching the toes? How do we turnout without pulling the pelvis out of alignment? I show them exercises that would help with that, and they can write it down. Each week we work on a different area. We also have a consulting physical therapist. 

American Repertory Ballet Resident Choreographer Mary Barton teaching class at Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive program 2014. Credit: Leighton Chen

American Repertory Ballet Resident Choreographer Mary Barton teaching class at Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive program 2014. Credit: Leighton Chen

It’s really about making a personal relationship so that they want to do what you want them to do because they know that it matters. Even the least advanced students get a week with the Artistic Director and with the resident choreographer – each of the teachers moves around. So all the guests work with all the levels. We also have partnering in all the levels, and it’s real partnering technique. I know from the young men we have taught that in a lot of other programs they are learning a whole pas de deux, but not necessarily the skills. We focus on partnering itself and that’s how we teach the skills. For the young ones its kept simple: Is she on her leg or not and how can we help you do that? 

We don’t have a lot of guests, because we want to make sure the students understand what each teacher is doing for them. Our guests are master teachers such as Kirk Peterson and Trinette Singleton, who are close friends of the organization and whose choreography ARB presents, or seasoned alums of our school. This year we had Unity Phelan, who left three years ago to train with [School of American Ballet]. This was her first corp year [with New York City Ballet], and Dance Magazine recently named her as one of NYCB’s five Up-and-Coming Women.

JD:  Any other details about the program you’d like to mention?

MR: Students choose us for a wide variety of reasons. Our students live on campus at Princeton University, so some students come here because they have heard about Princeton’s dance programs and are interested in finding out more about the University. We do turn out a lot of [professional] performers, but there are many kids who have a more intellectual interest who can get a lot out of the environment here. 

American Repertory Ballet Artistic Director Douglas Martin teaching class at Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive program 2014. Credit: Leighton Chen

American Repertory Ballet Artistic Director Douglas Martin teaching class at Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive program 2014. Credit: Leighton Chen

–

Diversity issues in dance are real and they are profound. Ballet has a long running culture of women being directed by men, and we must do more to prepare all underrepresented groups to achieve director and choreographer level roles if that will ever change. For years PBS has been offering opportunities for students to gain experience choreographing without sacrificing their own performance training, making it possible for students to receive all too rare preparation to achieve leadership opportunities and, in turn as they choose their casts and hire, to change the landscape of dance as we know it.

Princeton Ballet School classes being the Friday after Labor Day. Students interested in registering for advanced classes should arrange for a Placement Class, or an audition if they are interested in being a Trainee.  There are also Open Enrollment Advanced classes available. For more information, visit Princeton Ballet School. Thank you so much Mary Pat, for sharing your program with BalletScoop!

Ballet in Print: YAGP (with Author Interview!)

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Few people outside of our insulated ballet world are aware of the intense “make or break” moments of dancers’ careers, and fewer still have documented them. So it is with great pleasure that I present to you YAGP, the debut book from photographer and photojournalist Drew Kelley, in which he chronicles some of the most beautiful and evocative backstage moments from the 2013 Youth America Grand Prix.

02.yagp.behind.the.scenesYAGP is a competition that has launched the careers of many outstanding ballet students, inspired far more, and shown the door to still others. In 2013, YAGP saw nearly 1,000 dancers in the New York City rounds, with 30 countries represented. I had the pleasure of speaking with Drew about his involvement and his approach to capturing some of the most fleeting, poignant moments experienced by the young competitors.

JD: How did you get involved in this project, since you had never been exposed to the ballet world before?

18.yagp.behind.the.scenesDK: I work primarily with newspapers, that’s my “day job” so to speak, and the topics can be really anything. So I was sort of thrown into shooting ballet, covering some girls from a local Southern California studio, and I thought, this is actually pretty cool! I was kind of blown away. I ended up attending the First Position premiere in Santa Monica and eventually approached my editor with the suggestion that it would be worth going to New York and documenting the experience.

JD: So how long were you in New York and did you get to stay until the end?

DK: I was actually embedded with the original school that got me involved, so I flew over with them and was there from start to finish. I got to watch the gala and everything.

06.yagp.behind.the.scenesJD: It must have been incredibly visually stimulating. How did you narrow your focus and choose your subject matter with so much to see, and what made you decide to focus on backstage moments versus the more often flashy onstage performance shots?

DK: It’s a little nuts, and it is hard to stay focused because there’s so much going on at once. It was definitely overload. I took a lot of pictures including onstage, but right now you can Google “YAGP” and you can find 90% of the photos are onstage performing. I found it was just as exciting to witness the moments behind the scenes. Because I was embedded and was with a woman who knew basically everyone, I actually met Franco De Vita, Larissa [Saveliev] – who founded it with her husband – and many other powerful people. I was shaking a lot of hands. Things kind of fell into perspective.

JD: I’m sure that each photo is very special to you, but do you maybe have any particular favorites?

04.yagp.behind.the.scenesDK: Actually there is one where you see the back of the girl with her arms out, and you see there’s this background of people and that’s actually the judges. The judges photo is hard to explain to people. To get access backstage is not that big a deal, but that was the scholarship classes. In reality, the point is not at all who will win, the point is to be seen. And that’s what that was. Seeing them perform [in audition class], if the Artistic Director liked them, they were approached right then and there and it was like, “Can you move to Monte Carlo?” And I’d think, but she’s only fifteen! Lives were completely changed in a moment.

11.yagp.behind.the.scenesJD: Anything else you’d like to add about your experience?

DK: It was really impressive to see all the kids from around the world that, once they were here in the same room together, it was like they all speak the same language. When I was a kid, I was into skateboarding, and when you’d see another kid with a skateboard it was like, hey, we understand each other. It was just like that. Here’s this kid from Japan and this kid from Brazil, and they can instantly bond. That was pretty great to see.

Thank you so much, Drew, for undertaking this project and sharing these beautifully captured moments.

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For more information about Drew Kelley, please visit http://drewakelley.com/

Fore more information about the YAGP competition, please visit http://www.yagp.org.

Dancewear en l’air: Boxy Cropped Cover-Up

productcojocaru13I think this is the first time I’ve posted two similar articles in a row… but I’ve waited too long to show you Cloud & Victory! I’m so in love with their spring/summer 2014 collection I could bust – Do yourself a favor and check out all their shirts and skirts, as seen on such inimitable luminaries as Joy Womack of American at the Bolshoi fame.

I’ve chosen their Cojocaru cropped cover-up because it absolutely embodies the effortless style of dancers. It’s made of soft Tencel to slide over your skin luxuriously, and this version’s print is inspired by gorgeous Alina Cojocaru to give you your day’s inspiration.

Have a dress code that requires coverups between classes? This is the perfect solution to stay breezy cool after a long sweaty class. This top would look completely fabulous over a tank or camisole leotard for the wide neck to show off your beautiful shoulders. Add one of their lovely lace skirts and voilà, you have an ensemble fit for a dancer of the Paris Opera. I would even throw this on for coffee or shopping. So chic!

 

Dancewear en l’air: Edgy Racerback Cut-Out Leotard

JulieDancewear1Jule Dancewear, made by Los Angeles Ballet dancer Julia Cinquemani, is most well-known for it’s wrap skirts but has also created two sporty leotards including this stylish racerback. I love this athletic take on dancewear. This leo pairs really well with the company’s famous wrap skirt color options as shown here, but also looks smashing alone.

Wear this stand-out style to your contemporary ballet class or modern dance rehearsal. If you’re not a skirt-wearer but still want additional coverage, a pair of short shorts or capri leggings goes equally well. Choose from a variety of color options, including innovative holographic trim.

Jule Dancewear is a perfect example of alternative income potential for aspiring dancers. Julia Cinquemani began selling her wrap skirts at an early age and was able to start her own company at 19 years old. In the competitive world of dance, Cinquemani aims to create dancewear that will set you apart and impart the confidence you need to be your best.

Keep up with Jule Dancewear by liking their FB page.

Building a Dance Studio

2009.0142A number of students and colleagues of mine have recently decided to open their own studios. This was never my goal – I love the freedom of teaching without worrying about the hassle of owning a building or harassing parents for their tuition payments – but if your goal is to own your own studio one day, one of the biggest concerns will be how to build it properly.

Rory Foster’s excellent book, Ballet Pedagogy: The Art of Teaching (highly recommended for any aspiring ballet teacher!) has some wonderful tips on this as well as John White’s Vaganova-focused Teaching Classical Ballet. White has some useful comments on studio structure, making sure you have ample space for students to do homework, parents to observe, etc. If you are considering opening a dance studio, do yourself a favor and take a look at what these two books have to say about it.

For the dancing space itself, there are many demands: tap shoes, ballet shoes, pointe shoes, rosin lovers, bare feet… We all know what a great dance studio looks like – big windows, wonderful lighting, high ceilings, sprung floors covered in marley and preferably pretty and stylish! If you haven’t danced in one, go find one and do it. It’s like nothing else. One of my favorite studios that I’ve seen (only in photographs sadly, since it no longer exists) is the studio of famed New Orleans teacher Harvey Hysell, pictured above.

Fortunately there are guidelines available that go beyond the guesswork and which provide specifics for measurements, structure, and fabrication. If you are hoping to build your own dance studio one day, visit the website of the British National Dance Teachers Association, or NDTA, and take a look at their Studio Specifications. After years of experience, they have thought of virtually everything! Ventilation and HVAC, piano space, acoustics, lighting, accessibility, barres and tons of details in between. Lucky enough to have an architect? Harlequin Floors has a whole resource section just for them.

If you have dreams of owning your own school one day, make it the best it can be! Having and safe, beautiful, spacious dance space is incredibly inspiring for dancers and will make a big difference in their experience in your studio.

 

New UK College Dancer Competition by Dance Direct

dancedirectUK dance retailer Dance Direct is launching a competition to help one talented dancer with dancewear gifts and media exposure. To enter, students must be enrolled in a certified dance course at a UK college or university and are required to send in a video of themselves performing classical ballet.

The winner will receive £250 worth of Dance Direct vouchers to stock up on dancewear as well as a featured blog about themselves on the Dance Direct website. This will be shared to 86,000 Facebook fans of Dance Direct, and over 4000 Twitter followers.

The winner of this competition will also be named the ‘UK’s best ballet dancer’ by Dance Direct. More details on this opportunity are available here: http://blog.dancedirect.com/2014/04/11/student-ballet-dancer/

Life as an NYCB Apprentice

Are you in love with all things Balanchine? Do you adore NYCB and dream of joining the company one day? Then you have to watch the AOL Originals series “city.ballet”, available on youtube.

There’s a lot to criticize about the School of American Ballet and the dancers of New York City Ballet, but the Balanchine style, the school and the company live on – thrive – with good reason. For some it’s the only choice. Balanchine’s choreography is all that’s worth pursuing in ballet. Other find it later in life and search for spinoff companies (like PNB and Maimi) where they can have a chance to perform the work without having attended SAB. But if an NYCB apprenticeship is in your dreams, SAB is the only path and here is your sneek peek at what you can expect from life of as an NYCB apprentice and everything after.

PS – Do you love the swishy skirts on many of the female dancers? Check out the BalletScoop tutorial for the classic SAB diy skirt.

My Liebster Blog Award

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Sincerest thank you to dearest UK blogger NimbleMouse for nominating me for the ubiquitous yet mysterious Liebster Blog Award! For those of you unfamiliar (and for my 5 nominees), this is a delightfully unofficial award bestowed from one blogger to another, which requires the following:

1. You must link back to the person who nominated you.
2. You must answer the 11 questions given by the person who nominated you.
3. You must post 11 random facts about yourself.
4. You have to pick 5 (or 3 or 11, depending whom you ask) nominees (sometimes with a follower limit) to answer your questions.
5. You can’t nominate the person who nominated you.
6. You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you.

So here goes!

1. Which blogs inspired you to start your own blog? Why?

I actually didn’t read blogs before starting BalletScoop! I was inspired to learn how to make a website and maybe learn HTML, so I figured I’d play around with WordPress. Then I realized it would be a good way to post information that I don’t get time to tell my students during class, so I decided to make it ballet-focused. I created the name classicalballetteacher (real original, lol), thinking I would just change it to something cooler later on. It became the url for two years before I finally ponied up the funds to get a “real” domain!

Since then, I’ve created and written content for many sites for friends both in and outside of dance, including www.liveoakdance.com, http://nolra.wordpress.com, and the soon to be published total revision next month of www.bodyexpressionsdance.com.

2. Favourite quote?

Oh man, so many good ones. You’ve put me on the spot! But here’s one of my favorites:

Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion. – Martha Graham

3. What do you like to read about on other blogs?

Ballet of course, but also many other things like classical music, art, science, and video games.

(Many people who know me from dance don’t know that by day I work at a video game studio where I hire programmers, artists and game designers. I’ve been a gamer since childhood, and I also have an blog on a video game industry site for professional game developers.)

4. Where do you want to be in 5 years time?

Doing more of the same, but hopefully better at all of it! I love my current life. I have a wonderful boyfriend and apartment with two adorable kittens. Wherever they are is where I want to be!

One thing I want to change is that I am currently working on getting back in dance shape. A number of injuries have been holding me back, but many are now heading into recovery, so I hope to be taking my own classes regularly (so yes, possibly teaching a lot less…) for my own enjoyment. I’ll never be able to do what I was doing at 18 or 19, but I just enjoy taking class for it’s own sake. I absolutely freaking love moving to music. There’s just nothing like it!

5. What is your dream job?

Hm… tester for a dance video game? (Which is funny because I don’t play dance video games at home. Also, the testers make no money!)

At one point in life, I definitely would have said principal dancer for blah blah blah company, but I don’t feel that way anymore. I liked performing well enough, but I’ve discovered with maturity that like dancing for myself a whole heck of a lot more than for an audience. Also, I would have hated the financial constraints!

6. How are you feeling?

Pretty good overall!

I love my life. However because I do so many things, I feel like there’s never enough time to devote to everyone and everything in it (my students, my blog readers for dance, my blog readers for games, my day job, my boyfriend, my cats, my apartment which always needs cleaning – thanks cats, my body, my mind, my soul…) So I am very aware right now that I have too many commitments, so I’m not able to do any one thing as well as I feel I should.

7. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

Getting to share my opinion without having to get anyone’s approval! After teaching for so long, I have found that there is no school where you can have all things done your way all the time and where everyone agrees with your philosophies, so there’s real value for me in being able to have a little world of my own where it’s all based in my opinion.

There’s a lot big responsibility there to make sure my facts are correct and that my opinions are based in correct facts, but I like the challenge that presents to make sure I’m on top of my game and a respectable authority on whatever I’m talking about.

8. Who is your idol?

Brenda Romero

9. What is your favourite thing to do?

Enjoy a great feel-good ballet class or video game. Just had a spectacular class at Alonzo King LINES with Sandra Chinn – visit her class if you’re in SF. Right now, my favorite game is the gorgeous Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch by Studio Ghibli and Namco Bandai Games.

10. Do you have any regrets?

Not learning how to code. Actually, I just signed up for Code Academy, which offers baby-level coding courses online for free. Programming is the most promising career of the future, and its fascinating. Too many people avoid it because they think it’s impossibly hard. If you can learn other stuff, you can learn coding.

I wouldn’t call it easy, but will be one of the most useful and rewarding things you do. It’s too late for me to want to pursue it as a career, but I want to learn HTML eventually so I can do more nifty stuff with BalletScoop for you guys!

11. What makes you  smile every day?

My amazing boyfriend, Brendan, who makes me feel so great about myself and taught me to enjoy life! Our two delightful kittens, Ponyo (there’s another Studio Ghibli reference) and Robin (as in Nightwing, as in Batman’s sidekick, naturally) are nonstop smile-generators. Also my coworkers at Gameloft are hilarious, and that makes work stress so much easier. Finally, my students. They always have something unexpectedly funny to say, and they help me not take myself too seriously, thank god.

My 5 nominees! (who have probably already been nominated at some point, but too bad, answer anyway guys!) :

  1. Adult Beginner
  2. Henrik at Tights & Tiaras
  3. Dave at DaveTriesBallet
  4. Tara at GnarlyToeboots
  5. Steve at YouDanceFunny

And my questions (some stolen from NimbleMouse because she had some good ones!):

  1. How did you end up starting a blog?
  2. What was your first ballet class like?
  3. What do you love most about dance?
  4. What has been your favorite moment of your dance training or performing career so far?
  5. Who is your favorite (live or recorded) accompianist?
  6. What is your favorite piece of music you have performed to and why?
  7. Who is your idol in dance or in life?
  8. How are you feeling?
  9. What’s your favorite, I-feel-awesome dance class outfit?
  10. What’s a little known fact about you?
  11. When are you happiest?

Support BalletScoop’s Image Dancer & Anastasis Ballet Company!

3 Comments

Anastasis BalletKickstarters are the ideal way to show your support (or not!) for the arts today.  The US is not known for it’s excellent government arts programs. Despite what some folks think, we don’t compare to Europe’s contributions, leaving the burden to you and I if we truly want to see great companies producing great programs! Today, I backed Anastasis Ballet Company, a polished group of classically trained dancers (including the official BalletScoop image dancer Lindsey Salvadalena!) performing classical and contemporary ballet on the westcoast, for their project PRISM, bringing exciting and entertaining new choreography to their arts community.

If you are a dancer or dance enthusiast, SUPPORT THE ARTS TODAY! I don’t care if it’s Anastasis or NYCB  – well, maybe I care a little 😉 –  just please don’t forget that without financial support, good quality art in the US will go extinct. That means fewer or even no jobs for all the dancers reading this blog today. Since the 2008 recession, I have been witness to too many incredibly talented dancers never showing their talent to the world because there simply were no jobs. We can’t let that happen! I’m starting to see that turn around, so let’s keep it going: Back projects, go to performances, and put your money and time where your mouth is so we can continue to enjoy our amazing artists of today. See you at the theatre!

Lindsey Fitzmorris, 2010