March 13th, 2012 by soul4dance

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March 12th, 2012 by soul4dance

March 5th, 2012 by soul4dance

As a special component to the creation of its 2012 mainstage show, Rip Romp & Howl, Off-Leash Area is opening up it’s rehearsals to local dance artists and movement performers interested in training in Mask/Movement with Paul Herwig.

Working with masks is central to the area of work called “physical theatre”, but training in masks also offers an opportunity to explore narrative, storytelling, and theatrical characterization – whether abstract or naturalistic. It is training that informs any approach to performance that is concerned with the body in space as a physical being, or an interest in a direct performer-audience relationship.

Mask work can offer:

· An ability to manipulate space in dimensions different than naturalistic staging, or choreographic forms

· An exploration of how the natural world affects the body through movement

· Identifying one’s principal impulses to movement, and exploring new territories of physical expression

February 29th, 2012 by soul4dance

After 31 years as Executive Director of Ballet Hispanico, Verdery Roosevelt has decided to step down this week as the company closes its 2010 fiscal year. A transitional period has been carefully planned during which Eduardo Vilaro, Ballet Hispanico’s Artistic Director, will take on the additional responsibilities of the administration of the organization.

Roosevelt joined the staff of Ballet Hispanico in 1978, and became Executive Director a year later. In partnership with Founder Tina Ramirez, she was responsible for the growth of the nation’s preeminent Hispanic dance company and school from a community-based organization into a nationally recognized cultural institution.

During her tenure with Ballet Hispanico, she oversaw the production of more than 50 new works for the company’s repertory, working with internationally renowned choreographers and designers to realize Ramirez’s vision. Under her direction, scholarship support for the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance grew to over $150,000 annually, while Ballet Hispanico’s Education and Outreach programs expanded to serve 15,000 students on average around the country each year. In addition, she oversaw the purchase and dramatic expansion of Ballet Hispanico’s headquarters on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, as well as the establishment of working capital and endowment funds.

February 21st, 2012 by soul4dance

• Learn about how to perform through a new salsa team routine which will develop your Salsa tremendously! Train with some of the best salsa dancers in NZ to learn to perform & how to execute complex turn patterns, performance tricks, how to relate to Salsa music and learn a brand new Salsa routine.

• There’s no auditioning needed, just turn up, have fun & learn.

• There’s no pressure. No need to perform, but you can when you’re ready or choose to.

• Great Entry level into learning the skills of performing without the same commitment or stress as a full performance team.

Learn the tips and tricks, big moves ‘arials’ that we don’t teach in our normal salsa classes. Improve your fitness and confidence.

• Get trained to a high standard Faster. You will look great on the social dancer floor and performing. Some of the Salsa Sabrosa team will also be participating so you will learn faster.

• When the course finishes you can choose to carry on and possibly perform with Salsa Latina’s Newest Salsa team called “Salsa Nueva”. This can also be taken further to help when you audition for our Competition Performance Team called “Salsa Sabrosa”.

February 16th, 2012 by soul4dance

On June 14, the Democrat and Chronicle reported that city schools 19 and 25 were among 275 schools nationwide recognized for their efforts to promote healthy lifestyles. These schools earned bronze awards for their work, along with 7 other schools down state.

The ceremony, held in Little Rock, Ark., marked the sixth annual Healthy Schools Program Forum by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. This alliance was founded in 2005 by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Its goal is to reduce childhood obesity.

But in Rochester, the goals extend beyond childhood. Teachers are encouraging dance and active recreational breaks during the day. The pay-off? Kids get a break from the classroom, and as studies from the Journal of Sports & Exercise Psychology show, they could also do better in school. The Journal’s 2007 report, “Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in 3rd-and 5th- grade Students,” says students who are physically active generally have higher rates of achievement; conversely, students with a higher BMI do not. Under the new initiatives at schools 19 and 25, not only are kids getting dance breaks in school; they could also be doing better in class.

The D&C says roller skating parties and dances are replacing less healthy rewards, like pizza parties. In one kindergarten classroom, snacks are morphing from ice cream and candy to veggies and low-salt chips. And older students are reportedly walking to the Rochester Public Market to get ingredients for snacks and in-school cooking projects.

February 13th, 2012 by soul4dance

Dedicated to Dance: The New Jersey Dance Needs Assessment Project provides a superb snapshot of the talented and diverse community of choreographers, performers, scholars and teachers of dance that make New Jersey their home. This study is the first step to create an awareness of the extraordinary contribution these individuals make to the cultural life of our State.

This project sought to identify New Jersey’s rich and diverse population of individual choreographers, performers, folk and traditional artists, administrators, and educators (public/private schools, colleges/universities and private studios) throughout the state, and develop a comprehensive profile of New Jersey’s dance workforce in order to better understand the most critical needs confronting this essential community.

Analysis of the survey results, conclusions and recommendations are included in Dedicated to Dance: The New Jersey Dance Needs Assessment Project. The full report and its executive summary are available on pdf.

Funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation’s Dodge Fund for Dance, the New Jersey Dance Needs Assessment provides a unique look into New Jersey’s vibrant dance field, its professionals, and the impact these individuals have throughout the state.

To conduct the assessment project, Dance New Jersey engaged noted researcher Joan Jeffri and the Resource Center for Arts & Culture (RCAC) at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. RCAC for more than thirty years has held a national and international reputation as one of the foremost research centers on the needs and issues facing individual artists. Most recently RCAC completed an international study- The aDvANCE Project: a study of Career Transition for Professional Dancers.

February 9th, 2012 by soul4dance

The Department for Education reduced the number of qualifications to be admitted to schools’ Key Stage 4 Performance Tables last week and dance has been excluded. The letter attached at the bottom of this page has been sent to the Secretary of State for Education, Rt. Hon. Michael Gove MP on behalf of the dance community and as a precursor to a sustained lobby for the inclusion of dance as from 2014.

The Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET) is leading this campaign with the support of its members. The Royal Academy of Dance, member of CDET, is committed to raise awareness around this campaign.

Please make your voice heard by sending your letters to Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT.

February 2nd, 2012 by soul4dance

Assembled and presented by Third Rabbit Dance, The next Rabbit Show is one week from today. Playing Wed, Feb 8 at 7:00pm (doors at 6:00) at Bryant Lake Bowl. $1 off with Fringe button.

What do a ballet-burlesque fusion, an ode to a toddler, a soulful portrayal of a bluesy woman alone, some Classical Modern, some Post Modern, a contemporary belly-dance lament for a lost love, and a cry of anguish over cruelty in Nigeria have in common? They’re all about tenderness or the lack of it. That’s the theme for this Rabbit Show.

Choreographers this time include veterans Sarah LaRose Holland with Kinetic Evolutions company, Kalila Indivar’s Smiling Lune company, Jim Lieberthal, Deidre Kellogg, and Mirah Ammal’s Al-Bahira company, plus Kimberly Lesik, Maria Fontana’s Cabaret, Karen Gullikson, new faces Ruth Glaeser, and Betsy Schaefer and John Munger the Em-Cee himself.

The whole point of the Rabbit Show is to introduce new audiences to dance and to introduce audiences for one artist to other artists. So bring a friend. Introduce somebody to something. Doors at 6:00pm on Wed Feb 8, performance (a little over an hour) at 7:00pm. Reservations and so forth at bryantlakebowl.com, or at612-825-8949. Food and drink available before and during the performance. Tickets are $7 - $12 sliding as you choose, but you can get in for only $6 with a current Fringe Button.

January 25th, 2012 by soul4dance

A wealth of young talent shone onstage at the Royal Albert Hall.

A big thank you to everyone who took part in last night’s fantastic Dance Proms – from the brilliant performers, to their teachers who choreographed the pieces and the chaperones, to our guest acts, patrons, enthusiastic audience members and hardworking backstage crew!

With more than 450 young dancers taking to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall, it was an evening to remember with a finale that brought the packed Hall to their feet for a standing ovation.
The young dancers showcased a huge range of dance styles and cultural influences – from classic ballroom and beautiful ballet to energetic tap, Kathak, Spanish and thought-provoking contemporary dance –there truly was something for everyone to enjoy on the night.
Many great names from the world of dance were in attendance and guests including Dame Beryl Grey DBE, Lady Deborah MacMillan, Bonnie Langford, Baroness Hooper, Steven McRae, Karen Hardy, Mark Summers, Sir Peter Wright, Kevin O’Hare, Jack Petchey CBE, Anthony Van Laast and Chris Hollins all showed their support for the performers on stage.
Wayne Sleep OBE commented, “Dance Proms has surely paved the way for an annual event bringing all dance styles together, at last!”

Guest acts, including Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova and Principals of The Royal Ballet Marianela Nuñez and Thiago Soares, provided inspirational performances.

But without a doubt the night belonged to the young performers who had come from all over the country to the Royal Albert Hall and, after months of hard work and a full day of final rehearsals, delighted us all with their exceptional talent and professionalism.