A Ballerina's Story: from first tendus to point shoes!

A Ballerina’s Story: from first tendus to pointe shoes! Do you ever watch beautiful ballerinas twirl and leap in their pointe shoes and wonder how they do it? Do you one day dream of dancing en pointe? Believe it or not, all of those professional ballerinas started out in taking classes just like you! This edition of beyond the studio will walk you through the progression of ballet training, giving you an inside scoop on what it takes to make it to the big leagues!

Part 1: Learning the Basics This is the time period where students learn ballet vocabulary, proper alignment, and how a ballet class is structured. This phase can take up to three years, as there is lots to learn. Learning ballet is like learning a new language!

Part 2: Patterns and Strengthening Once ballet students have all the basics down, they focus on applying the steps that they have learned to longer sequences, working on transitions and expression. This is also the time that they begin to focus on strengthening the ankles and legs so that they are strong enough for pointe work.

Part 3: Intro to Pointe Your first pair of pointe shoes is an exciting accomplishment, but there is lots of work ahead. Once you put your pointe shoes on, more strengthening and understanding of how to get on and off pointe is the focus. Students continue to take classes in their soft shoes to maintain their current training.

Part 5: Advanced Training During this time students begin to seek out professional trainee programs, intensives and classes to take in order to network and career build. There are programs all over the world that accept these dancers and sometimes even offer company positions! Excelling in ballet takes many years of hard work, but if it is your passion, then it is all worth it!

Part 4: Variations and Dedications As students progress en pointe, they begin to learn short dances from classical ballets also known as variations. This allows them to combine their technique from regular class with their pointe training. This is also when training becomes more serious and dancers are asked to commit more time to developing their craft.

At Home Dancer Training

Ever wonder what you can do at home to work on your dance technique? Here are five quick and easy at-home dancer exercises!

 

1. Reach to the sky then reach to your toes (5 times)

2. Point your toes, flex your toes (10 times)

3. Take turns with a partner- hold each others feet down and 5 whole sit ups!

4. Sit with the bottoms of your feet together for 1 minute. Just like a butterfly.



5. Make up your own dances to different kinds of music. Show your dances to your friends!

Ettiquette = Effort!

Excellent Etiquette Tip #1: Be on Time For Class

Dance is a physical activity that requires the body to be warmed up in order to execute movement safely. Late students miss the proper warm-up and/or barre and therefore may sustain injury. Students who arrive more than 10 minutes late may be asked to observe class for reasons of personal safety.

Excellent Etiquette Tip #2: Make Sure you Look your Best

Music House maintains a dress code to encourage concentration and a sense of inclusiveness. Uniformity in dancewear allows the teachers to assess how well the students are implementing the technique being taught, problems with alignment, and other important aspects of dance training.

·       Watches, jewelry, and safety pins should not be worn to class.

·       Dance shoes should never be worn outside.

·       Students with long hair should wear it tightly secured and styled away from the face

The Well Rounded Dancer

In last month’s issue we learned all about tap and it’s origins. But what does tap have to do with other styles of dance, say ballet or hip-hop? Believe it or not, all three disciplines SUPPORT and RELATE to each other. How, you ask? Check out the chart below!

At Music House, we encourage all of our students to try all three of these techniques that we offer to supplement other areas of study and to increase improvement!

Music House Winter 2018 Recital Highlights

The History of Tap Dance

What is Tap Dance?? Tap is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of a specialized shoe striking the ground as a form of percussion. Tap shoes have a metal tap on the ball of the foot and the heel.

1600’s: Tap dancing originates from the fusion of British clog and step dancing and West African drumming and rhythmic step patterns. Watch an example here

1800’s: Tap dance hits the stage in Minstrel shows. Performers would compete to be the most ‘authentic’ in their interpretation of African rhythmic patterns and styles.

Early 1900’s: Tap is recognized as Broadway and Hollywood grow. Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson is the most famous tapper on stage and film. John W. Bubbles invents rhythm tap, which has more syncopated movements, freeing tap from the classic 8 bar phrase.  Watch Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson here and watch John W. Bubbles here

1930’s-1980’s Tap hits Hollywood Hard. Some of Hollywood’s most famous tappers include Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller and Ginger Rogers. After a brief disappearance, tap returned as a featured style in Broadway shows such as 42nd street and The Tap Dance Kid. Watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance Swing Time here

1980’s- present day: Rhythm tap experienced a revival under the influence of Savion Glover and his development of power tapping. Lately tap has taken to hip hop influences, incorporating funk rhythm.  Watch Savion Glover power tap here

Today, students all over the world (including here at Music House) are studying the different styles and rhythms of tap. Tap dance is for anyone and everyone, including you!