Tag Archives: ballet

Just for Fun

Is Dance a Sport–and Should We Want it to Be?

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I was planning on writing a post a post to discuss whether or not dance should be considered a sport, but Misty Copeland’s ad proved that dancers are athletes in less than 120 seconds.  Don’t believe me?

She has more muscle in her calves than I have in my entire body.
 

Sometimes a gif is worth a thousand words.

The real question is not whether or not dance is athletic enough to be a sport, but do we want it to be one? 

Risa Gary Kaplowitz writes in her article on Huffington Post that  in response to the “Olympian approach to ballet” and other dance disciplines is making dancers lose their artistic edge in order to focus on gaining an athletic one (read the whole article if you have time–it’s a great read!).

Some might not see a problem with this approach.  It’s easy to applaud the backbreaking, leg-splitting, gravity-defying tricks that are so popular today, but I think Kaplowitz points out an important trend that dancers should be aware of.

In making dance a sport, we then confine it to rules, and its dancers to mere players.  In creating rules, we make breaking them a taboo.  And yet dance thrives on breaking rules and doing the unexpected.

As artists, we have the freedom to be our own agents.  A basketball player may comment on the game, but rarely does their opinion matter on the outcome of the final score.  A dancer’s interpretation of the dance steps can completely change the meaning of the piece.

Take for example, these two different interpretations of “Too Darn Hot,” a musical theater and dance competition fave.

Both dances are amazing.  In the first clip from Season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance, Makenzie Dustman’s long legs flash through our ennui.  We can appreciate the flawless execution of the lightning fast turns and sizzling footwork.  Right from the start, Mackenzie’s limb-tearing extension promises us a show, and delivers.

In the second clip, performed by the UK cast of Kiss me Kate, you can practically see sweat dripping off the languid yet sensual movements of the dancers. It’s a feeling many of us can sympathize with (particularly if you’re caught in this heat wave in California at the moment).  Whereas the first clip promised to wow me from the first developée, I was constantly surprised at the turns the dance took in the second.

Both dances were performed by professionals.  Both featured amazing extension, technique, and tricks. So who’s the winner? 

No one—and that’s the beauty of dance as an art form and not a sport. Both dances are saying different things: the first seems to say that their moves are too hot for the rest of us, whereas the second revels the delicious yet draining heat.  If dance were a sport, once would have to be deemed “better” than the other.

Dance is a form of expression.  It is a universal language that can be found in every culture.  It is a way around the rules of language, borders, class.  For every social or political line that exists, there is a dancer toeing their way around it.

Why would we give up that freedom for a trophy cabinet?

Bonus question!  Which version of “Too Darn Hot” did you like best?  I personally love the fun surprises and comedy (particularly the trio around 7:15) of the UK Kiss Me Kate cast, but I’m also a musical theater nerd, so I’m  predisposed.  Speak up in the comments, or on our Facebook and Twitter pages!

Just for Fun

Name that Dance Movie!

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How can you possibly stand the wait until Stretch performs onstage again at Carnival?  There’s no real cure (except perhaps watching our YouTube channel), but I’m here to help.  In honor of our Carnival piece, inspired by the upcoming movie Maleficent, I’ve put together a quiz of movies inspired by dance.  How many dance movies can you name?

Step 1: Match the quote with the movie and see how many you can guess correctly.

Step 2: Watch all the movies for the answers you got wrong.

Step 3: Watch all the movies for the answers you got right.

Step 4:  Come see Stretch perform at Carnival on April 30th!

Can Can
Are you excited to take my quiz?!?

1. A: So are you two sisters?
B: We dance in the same company.
A: Ah, ballerinas. No wonder you two look alike.

2. You won’t get any dancing here, it’s illegal.

3. You need to take off that 5th grade dance lookin’ top.

4. Just because I like ballet doesn’t mean I’m a poof, you know.

4 Singin' in the rain

5. A: I told you to bring tights
B: Do I look like I own tights?

6. She can’t act, she can’t sing, she can’t dance. A triple threat.

7. I do ballet because it has nothing to do with the people. Give me tiaras and boys in tights any day.

8. I’m not dancing with you, all right? I’m not dancing with you ’til you dance like you’re supposed to!

3Save the Last Dance

9. A: It’ll never work.
B: Why not?
A: Because I hate you.
B: There’s only one business where that’s no problem at all.

10. I’d kill to dance like that. It’s like sex on hardwood.

Show me the answers!

1strictly-ballroom-still
Waiting to hear the results is always the hardest part.

Question 1: The correct answer is the Black Swan.

Question 2: The correct answer is Footloose.

Question 3: The correct answer is Save the Last Dance.

Question 4: The correct answer is Billy Elliot.

Question 5: The correct answer is Step Up.

Question 6: The correct answer is Singin’ in the Rain.

Question 7: The correct answer is Center Stage.

Question 8: The correct answer is Strictly Ballroom.

Question 9: The correct answer is Chicago.

Question 10: The correct answer is Take the Lead.

 

Dance and Culture

Football vs Ballet

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Misty vs FootballI came into this article expecting to find irrefutable proof that dancers easily outdistance their competition.  I remember back in high school when a football player challenged a girl who took spent about four hours dancing after school each day to a push up contest—and she beat the pants off of him.  I thought that when I wrote up the details of football vs ballet, the winner would be clear.

The results surprised me.

I won’t say that I’m completely biased against football—but I will admit that I may be just a bit jealous because football players get paid millions of dollars more than their dancing counterparts, or because most people in the US have at least one favorite football team, but couldn’t care less about their local dance company.

It wasn’t that football players were far above dancers in the stats–but it was how similar the two disciplines were. The more I researched, the more surprised I was to see similar correlations between reasons for injuries, longevity in the profession, and hours of practice though really, I shouldn’t have been–they’re both athletic activities that depend on perfect physical execution).  This table below is just the tip of the iceberg of what I uncovered:

Ballet Football
Calories/hour 600 656
Hours of practice/day 7.5 2-8
Percentage of injuries/year 61% 264%
BMI 13-18.5 18.5-24.9
Average Retirement Age 34 28
Average Salary $22,516-100,000 $4-14 million

You can tell just from this small chart alone what some of the advantages and disadvantages of each activity are.  It’s one thing to think about the injuries a football player sustains when it happens on screen—it’s another to see how the numbers add up.

It’s also another thing to hear about eating disorders in dancers and to see the hard evidence in their BMIs.  The lowest healthy BMI for women is about 18.5—to see that that number is the highest of the range for professional dancers, and should be a wake up call to those in the field.

It was amazing to see the similarities between these two disciplines that seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.  It also introduced another difficult point: how do you determine the winner?  Football players certainly have much higher incomes, but an astronomically higher injury rates.  Dancers have a longer careers, but only by a slim margin.  Both dancers and football players are put under extreme stress during their primes, but dancers have a much healthier mental state after they retire.

Footballer in ballet
It’ll probably come out a tie in the end, but it’s a great excuse to post pics of football players doing ballet in the meanwhile!!

A disclaimer: Research on the impact of sports and dance on both mental and physical health is an emerging field, so bear with me on some of the numbers.  As football and ballet are two very different disciplines, there won’t always be exact crossovers in the data, as ABT is going to report different data than the NFL will (for example, most reported dance injuries were sprains, breaks, and other muscle and bone-related injuries.  The most prominent NFL injury statistics ignore sprains almost completely and focus on concussions).  What I aim to do is present the big picture, and maybe those with the money and resources to research these ideas properly will follow up!

Uncategorized

Life Lessons Learned From Dance Class

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I’ve been dancing since I was three years old, but it’s only recently that I realized that all that time spent onstage has taught me some vital life lessons beyond pointing my toe correctly and fluffing my tutu.

1.  Be nice to your costume designer.

In theater, one person you never want to piss off is the costume designer.  Why?  The costume designer can make you look fabulous…or they can stitch your pants just tight enough to show your muffin top.  Not many of us have costume designers in real life, but this important life lesson has taught me that every job is vital, and every person has their specific purpose.  An architect’s design is only as good as the team who assembles it.  Treat everyone with the same respect, even if they aren’t the ones in the spotlight, because chances are they’re the ones who can make your job that much easier…or make you wear a mustard yellow spandex unitard.

 

Stretch - Dance Class

2.  Practice makes permanent .

In my dance studio growing up, the phrase wasn’t “practice makes perfect,” but “practice makes permanent.”  If you practice the wrong things, that’s what’s going to stick.  If you always procrastinate, or if you only do your work with half the focus, that’s how you’re training yourself to respond to all situations.  The same holds true outside the studio as well.

3.  How to set goals like a pro.

I also learned that progress is a series of tiny, almost invisible improvements.  I don’t aim to do everything perfectly in dance class, but I focus on a few goals to get me through the day, like lifting my leg a little higher, or going for an extra pirouette across the floor.  Life is the same way.  It can be hard to try a new fitness routine, or on keeping my car clean, or to cook more than I eat out, but if I focus on the baby steps each week, I’m much closer to make progress.

4.  The small things will get you hired…and fired.

There is a very strict, mostly unspoken etiquette in dance. Showing up early, wearing clothes that don’t get in the way of dancing, turning off your cell phone, and a strong focus on the task at hand prove a dancer’s mettle almost as the diva who can whip out 32 fouettes, but shows up half an hour late all the time.  These same mannerisms, along with my ability to pick up on unspoken etiquette, has gotten me jobs outside the theater.  It’s amazing how much the little things can make an impression on others…and conversely, I’ve seen others deal with the fallout that seemingly insignificant practices.

5.  The final performance is out of your hands.

Now matter how many weeks and hours you practice, live performances are subject to last minute disasters.  I’ve seen broken bones, fire alarms, slippery floors, tangled jump ropes, broken shoes, and countless other small catastrophes that are almost impossible to prepare for, but at the end of the day the show must go on.  Life is a live performance.  It’s important and necessary to prepare as much as you can, but at the end of the day, you have to work with what life throws at you.  It’s no use beating yourself up about what you couldn’t prepare for, so be happy with what you did accomplish and get on with the show!

Stretch - Denai Being a Badass

About the Company

The Next Era of Dance

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Same Love Stretch Dance Company YouTube
Theatrical dance relies on the emotions underneath the piece to inform the dancing, not the other way around.

WHAT IS THEATRICAL DANCE?

Put this question to a professional dancer and even they might be stumped.  It’s not really musical theater dance.  It’s not concert dance.  It’s not the dance you do while waiting in the ridiculously long line for the bathroom at a theater.

We may not know it yet, but theatrical dance may be the next evolution of movement, thanks to new generation of versatile dancers.  Whereas it was once good enough to be the master of one form, the modern dancer must be as fluent in ballet as they are in break dancing to remain competitive in an increasingly diverse environment.

Television and YouTube have helped bridge the gaps between the different types of dance, and myriad studios offering any and every kind of dance have given birth to a new type of dancer who has learned Bollywood and ballet in the same studio.

Such a diverse and talented new generation of dancers have set the stage—literally—for shows like So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Next Best Dance Crew, and even Dancing with the Stars, ushering in a whole new era of dance that blends the established techniques of different forms to tell create story-specific movement.

Think back to your favorite piece from So You Think You Can Dance.  Do you remember the amazing dancing, or the amazing story told through the dance?  I’ll bet you’ll remember the story better than you remember how many pirouettes, or how high their jumps were.

Stretch - Bench
Many routines on SYTYCD uses short, yet intense stories to capture the audience

These shows have capitalized on their dancers utilizing a wide range of techniques, but have blended it with strong–yet succinct–story telling.  It’s the perfect format for today’s fast-paced world: a snippet of easily digestible story with a strong narrative.

Add to that a modern flair that mixes hip hop dancers with ballerinas or tappers with a contemporary vibe or a pas de deux with aerial—something that the dance critics would have found horrifying fifty years ago–and you have the recipe for a form of dance that is as powerful as it is adaptable.

Each of these shows relies on each dancer’s individual talents and their ability to seamlessly adapt to new styles and partners while still maintaining a through line.  Shows like SYTYCD gleefully reimagine how dance is pieced together every single week.

This adaptability makes theatrical dance the perfect form for Stretch Dance Co.  Theatrical dance takes advantage of the many talents of our dancers, focuses on the individual strengths of each one, and is flexible enough to transition from a dramatic look at the Holocaust to playfulness of Lady Gaga.

Theatrical dance takes the richness of all the traditions of dance, and yet eagerly steps outside the box to suit its purposes, which is exactly what Stretch Dance Co works for in every dance, every song, every story.  This new trend in dance is already popping up onstage, on screen, and on the streets, but few have realized that these dances reach beyond traditional forms and into a brave new frontier.

Stretch - Fierce

About the Company

What Makes a Stretch Dancer?

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Miss our weekly video? We’ve missed making it!  But don’t worry: we’re coming back with a hearty round of Applause from Lady Gaga this coming Thursday! Stay tuned on our YouTube channel to see it first!

Do you think you have what it takes to be a Stretch Dancer?  After watching our dancers back in action at our latest rehearsal, I’ve compiled a list of what makes a SDC member stand out above the rest!

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A Stretch Dancer is…

Disciplined – When you only rehearse once a week, you have to be on your A-game.  This doesn’t apply to just  polishing the combinations learned during rehearsal, but making a personal commitment to keep our dance skills and knowledge at its best.

Versatile – Versatility is key for a Stretch Dancer.  One week we’ll go Gaga, the next we’ll turn Pink, then head into history the week after that.  Dancers need to be able to make those leaps without missing a beat while still portraying their character honestly and respectfully.

Stretch - Stretch
Carrie’s got the Stretch part down pat!

Exceptional Actors – Stretchers come from a variety of dance backgrounds ranging from contemporary to flamenco, but we share one thing in common: a solid set of acting chops.  Lyndell’s choreography is extremely story-driven and would wouldn’t pack as much of a punch without some amazing storytellers  behind it.

Stretchy– Dancers have to be flexible, and not just on the dance floor!  Since we come from such different backgrounds, everyone has their chance to shine…and to stretch their abilities. From dance steps to emotional vulnerability onstage, each dancer has to face moments where they move past their comfort zone.

Passionate – Above all, Stretch Dancers are extremely committed to dance and storytelling.  Dance is more than a job or a workout to us; it’s expression at its purest form.  This week’s video might suggest otherwise, but we’re not in it for the “Applause.”

Interested in learning more about becoming a Stretch Dance member?Find out more StretchDanceCo.com! 

Stretch - Awesome
We’re also just an awesome, open group of people who love to dance!

 Got a dime to spare?  

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I Have Lived 1000 Years, Shows

Stretching the FAQs: Questions from Our Preview Performances

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First off, all of us at Stretch Dance Co. would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to our preview show this past weekend!  It was an incredible experience for us to show you what we’ve been working on.  For those of you who missed it, don’t worry!  We’ll still be posting videos and updates on our Twitter, Facebook, and website, so…

Stretch - Empty stage1

This weekend was a great opportunity for us at Stretch because it was the first time that we got to hear some audience feedback.  Some of the questions were expected, some took us by surprise.  Here are some of the top FAQs from our audience:

How do you deal with the emotional strain of a show about the Holocaust? (This was the most asked question by far!)

While I Have Lived a Thousand Years is a very inspirational account, the Holocaust will never be—and should never be—a light-hearted subject matter.  That being said, we’ve joked about getting a puppy to cheer us up after particularly rough rehearsals.

It helps to know that the Dr. Livia Bitton-Jackson is still well, and lives a very full life in spite of her traumatic experiences.  Lyndell linked us to a phenomenal interview with her, and it is amazing to see her composure and gentle spirit (you can check it out here if you want to see!  You can create a log in for free).  For me, it helps to know that by bringing her story to life through dance, we are hopefully preventing its recurrence.

Stretch - Puppy Mascot
The puppy mascot would be available after performances to cheer up audience members, too!

 

Which orchestra played for the soundtracks? 

No orchestra, just one man!  Our composer, Robby Greengold digitally compiles all the music and different instruments to create the tracks.  We hope to raise enough funds to eventually hire an orchestra to record the tracks, but for now, we make do with Robby’s one-man band!

 

Do they still teach the Holocaust in public schools? 

Stretch - Family
Stretch dancers come from different backgrounds, but have the same passion!

Most curriculums cover at least some portion of the Holocaust.  However, as budgets steadily grow tighter and resources are stretched thinner, students today may not get the same exposure to the material as past classes.  I remember visiting the Museum of Tolerance several times while I was in school, but some schools now cannot afford even the buses for field trips.

Furthermore, our production is a fresh perspective of the Holocaust.  Many people in the audience were surprised at certain facts from the memoir, particularly in what the prisoners were forced to eat and drink.  Our production can round out and fill in the holes in the current high school curriculum.

 

Is everyone in the cast Jewish? 

Nope!  Some of us are, but  others in the cast are not. Just as we come from many different dance disciplines, we all come from different backgrounds, but we all feel strongly about the subject of compassion and tolerance.

 

How can I get involved? 

Contact info@stretchdanceco.com to see how you can get involved!  And of course, don’t forget to follow us on our social media! Or you can…

 

Stretch - Donate

I Have Lived 1000 Years, Uncategorized

Dance: When Words Are Not Enough

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NEWS ALERT: We’ll be having a special GUEST POST from the granddaughter of Livia Bitton-Jackson, Laura Faiwiszewski* this Friday! And don’t forget to tune in for Stretch Dance Co.’s important announcement on Thursday!

Stretch - CharlieDuring our last rehearsal, each dancer had to describe the show in one word as part of a promotional video that will be coming out this week.

You would think that finding one word would be easy after writing out several thousand of them for this blog, but I found that I was tongue-tied…and I wasn’t alone. I wish we had an outtake reel of all of us oohing when someone said a good word or stuttering out three in a row in the hopes that we could create a mega word that would somehow capture everything (supercalifragicourageousinspirationalmovingdocious?).

How can I say everything in one word, I thought, when this is so far beyond words?

Which, when you think about it, is really what this production is about.

In theater, they say that you only sing when your emotions cannot be contained in words, and you dance when your emotions cannot be contained in song.

The emotions run so high in I Have Lived a Thousand Years that words only convey a fraction of the story, but dance can connect those phrases with living poetry that transcends language and cultural barriers.

Whereas written and spoken words have a feeling of finality and definition to them, dance engages the audience’s imagination; they must imagine the words that could have been. In imagining themselves in the positions of these people, they can form a stronger connection to the material.

Stretch - Stretch

I Have Lived a Thousand Years stands out from many other Holocaust pieces because it is not simply a memorial for what has passed, but an investment for the future. We want audiences to connect with the material so that the next time they face adversity or cruelty, they can perhaps take strength from those who have come before us.

It’s easy to paint the Holocaust in the bleak grays of history gone by, but Denai is Awesomethere was more to these people than just sadness. Livia Bitton-Jackson’s memoir does an amazing job of highlighting the humanity of each person in the book, of their personal moments of brilliance and strength in a dark time.

With dance, we hope to capture some of that complexity and add a new facet to Livia Bitton-Jackson’s compelling story, taking her knowledge beyond words and into our hearts.

*I think we should make it a rule that all posts be written by people named Laura 🙂

I Have Lived 1000 Years, Rehearsal Process

A Day of Rehearsal in a Thousand Years

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This week I thought we’d take a little break from Holocaust history and take a look at the rehearsal process that goes into building a show like I Have Lived a Thousand Years. If you watched last week’s video, you already have a bit of an idea of what goes on (if you haven’t seen it, then go watch it now!).

Stretch One Big Family
We’re one big happy family!

Since rehearsal is once a week, the first few minutes are filled with a lot of hugging and weekly recaps of our lives. Some of us have known each other from previous shows and start dusting off old inside jokes (This is also the point where we make loud comments about how sore we are in the hope that Lyndell will go easy on us during warm up).

Spoiler alert: she never does.

Lyndell’s warm up is a mix between classical ballet and the exercise routine that Rocky Balboa abandoned because it left him in tears each day.  Since we have dancers ranging from hip hop to contemporary to flamenco, the warm up gets on the same page as far as dance technique goes.

Hold and Cry
The “Hold and Cry” combo, guaranteed to bring a dancer to their knees.

It also serves as a great bonding experience. If I Have Lived a Thousand Years doesn’t work out,  this company has great potential as a standup comedy act, so long as we performing under balletic duress.

After warm up, the rehearsal really gets going.

Lyndell’s way of approaching dance pieces is different from any other choreographer that I’ve worked with. She spends a lot of time talking us through the piece, not only telling us the context, but the greater meaning behind the dance and how it relates to the rest of the show, and the arc of our emotions throughout.  We may even get a bit of a history lesson.

By this point, the jokes have died out and everyone has their game faces on. Each week brings a challenge: sometimes it’s just trying to perform the dance steps correctly or manage traffic patterns. Other weeks, it’s hard to connect to the emotional turmoil of those who went through the Holocaust.

Fearless Leader Lyndell
Fearless Leader Lyndell hard at work!

Once we finish the day’s group piece, Lyndell works with some of the soloists.  Anyone can stay behind and learn the solo, but most give into hunger pangs and grab a bite to eat.  Our social media expert Matt catches a few interviews with some of the dancers, and that’s a wrap!

Be sure to stay on the lookout for the pics and videos coming out this week!  We learned an extra dance for National Dance Day, so mark your Saturday calendar!