Dance School Blog

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i’m currently in my final year of school and im planning on taking a gap year, and in this gap year i plan on getting a job and dancing. i love to dance but i hav never been properly trained(?) and i want to learn and show my talent, i just dont kno where????

depends what style you mean?

for ballet; the conlan college, tanya pearsons, ecole ballet studios

and for other styles, i’m not sure if they have schools..

but for dance in general; brent street and mcdonalds college

I’m 12 years old and i’m starting a new dance school this summer. I want to make sure i make some friends there, so i’m not dancing alone. So what are some good tips on making friends. thanks! (:

btw i have plenty of friends just not in this new dance school
when i say school i mean studio

i went through this problem last year. one of the bonuses that you get is that you are at a dance school is that you all share a common interest dance. So use this to you advantage. ask the other dancers for help. Or if you see that they may need help, ask if they do. Start conversations about where you danced before. If there is a waiting/dressing room at your studio arrive slightly earlier so you are there when another dancer walks in. if you are in the same room with no one else this will surely lead to an almost forced conversation and that could be a good thing. Also, this was the biggest thing I learned that i never really thought about, look approachable. So don’t text in front of them or reading. This will lessen the chance of conversation. BE YOURSELF! people will admire that. Best wishes!
xoxo

I am 13 and really want to start dancing again. I was wondering what a good dance school in Melbourne is. I have quite a bit of experience but am looking to get into jazz, tap, ballet, and contemporary.

http://www.theministryofdance.com.au/

A guy asked me if he can become a decent dancer without attending a dance school, by just watching other good dancers and seeing the technique, moves and choreographies…..what do you think about this?
modern…..jazz and some hip hop, he’d like to learn by himself

Hip hop maybe, but not modern and jazz. You would have no technique. You need ballet technique in order to do both modern and jazz. You may be able to do some of the steps or think you can, but you will be weak, look weak and you will be doing them incorrectly.
Everyone you see in modern companies or dancing jazz in theater or on Broadway are all classically trained dancers. That holds true for the dancers in music videos too. They make it look easy because that is what good technique affords. Let me give you an example of a good (great) dancer doing a pop piece who is ballet trained. Does your friend really think he could do this without training? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIwE1mEtNOs

I am 21 years old and am looking for schools where I can study music and dance. Anywhere in the world! Looking to see what my options are thanks!
I have only a few semesters worth of jazz modern and hip hop experience and no music theory knowledge. Looking to find a good place to start.

BENDER PERFORMING ARTS IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA

“You a jerk, jerk, jerk, Jerk” you hear it on the radio and the Jerkin dancers get hyphy & go hard geeked up.

What exactly is Jerkin? It is a dance that is spreading across the world with roots in L.A. and the Hyphy movement. The New Boyz and the Fresh boyz both have had a big part in bringing the jams to the streets. The Jerk dance is tight, Its a dance technique that involves moves like the diamond, Sponge bob and the Nut drop among many other styles.

Jerk dancers can be found on Youtube.com by the thousand, lookin’ for a million.

All these kids are on the come up and the main focus is to be seen and dominate in the local as well as internet scene. Most of the jerk dancers have a goal of finding clothing companies that will “sponsor” them… meaning they get free fresh gear to rock and then they rep the clothing line on their videos and on the social network sites like myspace and facebook etc.

Jerkin is about skill, style, technique and workin what you got right on the spot!

While “You a jerk” has dominated the radio for quite some time, some really good new Jerk music is coming out like Bamm! Tight jams to take it low and show some skills while rockin them skinnies and moppin up the sweeties. These kids get off, I often wonder if thats how they came up with the term Jerkin, because its a very self serving sort of dance, kinda like old school Hip Hop Breaking and popping… Alll eyes on me sort of stuff.

“Cant fade my style, Im a Jerk wit’ the sickness and the quickness, let me get this!”

Jerkin clothes have a varied style but some of the  common things seen are skinny Jeans, Clean tees, Headphones, hats, Caps worn off the dome and some even rock scarves over a bright colored shirt. it seems to have a lot of skating and early New wave/Punk rock influences with a new twist. Jerk gear is all about style, finesse and rockin that shit fresh and crisp. You know that its on the come up when even the top 40 MCs and R&B singers give props to Jerkin in the pop songs. Its BIG!

All together now! Jerkin is a habit.. We got this on lock and it can only get better from the hood to youtube, from the videos to the songs. We got a huge undergrtound movement right here, You know its hot when you find kids in the UK and far East rockin and adding to their own jerk styles of dance and fashion. “It cannot be stopped, so drop it to the flo’ and show them lil’ cuties what we came here fo’”

Jerk dancers are here to stay and hoppin in the hood to a spot near you. get geek!

Dusty Vinyl

These are not the only benefits of putting your child in daycare, though being able to get back at work so you can keep the home-fires burning and take care of the family better is a distinct advantage; the child at a quality daycare facility benefits from being in a safe, healthy and hygienic environment with needs for food, play and washing up all taking care of.

With other children also present at the daycare, from babies to toddlers to pre-primary or even primary school children (that come in after attending school), your child at daycare learns to live in a social environment and learns new skills such as communication, interactivity play and team games besides values such as sharing, table manners, importance of obeying rules and being in a structured environment. So, when your child is ready to go to school, he or she has some sort of foundational base already about performing in a structured environment thanks to daycare training! It’s much like thinking of daycare as your child’s first school and outside community living experience that helps him or her learn to interact with other kids – like a unique and playful learning environment.

Children make friends, learn to follow rules, play turn by turn, learn good habits such as nap-time and putting away toys after finishing with them; a good childcare facility will have trained personnel and teachers to involve children in a variety of fun activities such as painting, puppetry, motor-skills expansion games and clay or sand-play besides music, dance and reading classes so not only does the child imbibe a whole new world of play-way method learning but attending a daycare also reduces the chances of separation anxiety for them when they finally have to go to school.

Thus, daycare essentially makes it easier for both the child and the parents to adapt to school life better and faster, as basic number, alphabet and speech concepts have already been picked up by most kids attending daycare regularly besides important socialization skills.

Most daycare centers also encourage a classroom-styled environment for older kids about to enter proper school so they are not intimidated by the first experience at the school and thus it is sort of a preparatory step towards formal schooling – albeit in a fun environment.
Daycare facilities also have teachers on the payroll, many of whom supervise timely homework schedules being adhered to by older, school-going kids and also guide them on various subjects, so parent’s burdens are lessened.

Thus, with a bunch of benefits – from meals, nap, games, studies and safety taken care of by quality daycare centers, parents have a great deal going for them if they pick the right one for their child; but, of course, they still need to play the Mommy-Daddy once the child gets home, right from the hug, to the ‘how did your day go’ and ‘glad to have you back,’ routine – it works to keep the children feel loved and cherished.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/daycare-centers-their-effects-on-children–740387.html

Just a few years ago, Kim Gibilisco, a choreographer, dancer and Polestar- and Stott Pilates–trained instructor, was teaching private Pilates sessions in her Manhattan studio. Today, she is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, and the woman responsible for bringing a Pilates mat certification program to the school. Here she discusses how she came to be SU’s Pilates Program Coordinator and where Pilates fits in the university setting.

PP: How did the idea of a collegiate Pilates program come about, and what did it take to convince school officials?
KG: When I accepted my position in the Dance Department at SU, my chairperson, Erica Helm, and I discussed the possibility of offering a Mat Teacher Training course to our students. I designed the curriculum in the summer of 2005 then applied for Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) approval as an Educational Member. Applying to the PMA was an important part of the process, as I wanted to be sure that our program was properly sanctioned. I also wanted to ensure that our graduates could apply for PMA membership and be accepted into Apparatus programs in the future if they wanted to pursue more. The Mat program was approved and we began running the program in Fall 2005. The program was embraced from the very beginning by our university.

PP: How did you design the curriculum and what are the requirements?
KG: I designed the curriculum specifically for a student population (ages 19-25) who may not have had any experience with the method. One semester of college level anatomy is required to enroll. Since our students are in a four-year program (versus typical weekend-based training seminars), I wanted to capitalize on the available time I had to teach the material. I determined that a two-semester sequence was the most effective way to teach the material to this population.  Students must earn at least an 84% in the first semester to advance to the second semester.

The first semester entails 2 hour of Mat experiential and 1 hour of lecture per week. In the second semester, students take Mat once a week with me. Then students rotate in teaching the whole group a Mat class once a week. Following a student Mat class, participants offer feedback on the effectiveness and teaching style of the student instructor. In the second semester, the lectures focus on teaching methods and class design. Using their understanding of the Trilogy, the 6 Pilates Principles (control, centering, concentration, flowing movement, precision and breath) and the 5 Pilates Lab Principles (use of inhalation and exhalation, pelvic floor, restorative poses, visual gaze and neutral spine) students design a class with a theme or concept they want to address. Written and practical midterms and finals are also administered.

Using some of the Mat Teacher Training models I researched, I designed the curriculum to include lectures and practicums that I believe are important in becoming a well-rounded teacher of the method. For example, our students are tested in physical practicums where they must demonstrate their mastery of the 34 exercises as well as in teaching practicums where they must demonstrate their ability to teach confidently and effectively. I also wanted to offer students course work on the various props used in the Mat work, (e.g.: magic circle, foam roller and thera-bands and thera-ball) so that they did not need to attend continuing education courses outside of the university setting to develop their breadth of knowledge. In addition, I teach contra-indications for diabetes, orthopedic issues and pregnancy so that our graduates feel comfortable with teaching a variety of populations. What I stress the most is the importance of “knowing what you don’t know and to teach ONLY what you know.” For example, if a client asks them about an orthopedic issue that is out of their scope of practice, they know to refer them to a medical professional. Our students are taught how to self-assess and where to look for more information if they are unclear.

PP: Are you the only instructor involved with the Pilates program?
KG: Yes, as per the PMA, all teachers must have at least 5 years of teaching experience to instruct teacher trainers.

PP: What type of students does the program attract?
KG: Up until 2007, we have had primarily dance majors enrolled in the program. However, this academic year our Music Theatre majors and staff have also enrolled and successfully completed the program.  For the 2008-2009 academic year, we have dance majors, music theatre majors, SU alumni and community members enrolled.

PP: Are students who complete all the requirements considered certified Pilates instructors?
KG: Only the PMA can “certify” teachers in the method. As an Educational Member of the PMA, our teacher trainers are given a certificate of completion with the SU and PMA logos on it.

PP: Is Pilates an actual major, and if not, how does it work into a student’s graduation plan?
KG: Our Teacher Training Program is an elective course that can fulfill a dance elective requirement.

PP: How many students have been through the program, and are they actively teaching now?
KG: We have had 26 students complete the Mat Teacher Training course of which 14 students are actively teaching Pilates Mat.

Jessica Cassity
http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/pilates-goes-to-college-717209.html

My brother is DJing a dance at an elementary school and he needs to think of some music. Today’s popular music would be good. But it has to be appropriate.

Most songs have edited or clean versions. So it really would,’t matter what you chose as long as it was filtered. I think the Black Eyed Peas, OutKast, and even some Lady GaGa songs would be great. Fun, Pop songs that everyone could relate to and sing would be great. That Fireflies song by Owl City would be a good choice. Down by Jay Sean, Bad Romance, 21 Guns, etc.