Seems like we just got back from New York City, but Julian and his Dad went off to San Francisco today for his American Ballet Theatre summer intensive audition. I think he was a bit less nervous this year, but, of course, this year everything is riding on it. Last year, he did it on […]
Tips on Deciding If a TV Dance Competition is Right for You
A while ago I posted a guest blog from Julian’s first male dance teacher, Anthony Foster (see bio below). Since then, he and I have been working together to post a second blog, this time about his experience with Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). Yes, the first season of the show, Anthony […]
What Goes Into a Dance Resume?
While tweeting on Twitter today (yes, you can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ninaamir), I saw a link offered as the answer to a question about the difference between a regular resume and a dance resume. So, of course, I clicked on the link. I discovered a short and sweet explanation of what goes into […]
Interview with Duncan Cooper (Part 4): The Issues and Difficulties Faced by Male Dancers (How to Make Choreography Your Own)
Last, but definitely not least, here’s part four to my interview with Duncan Cooper. If you don’t remember who Duncan is, please go back to this post to read the brief bio I offered in the part one. Working on Flexibility and Weaknesses Continuing my conversation with Duncan, I wanted to know if he often saw the […]
Make Choreography Your Own (Take 2) and Social Networking for Dancers
My fellow blogger, or Nichelle Strzepek, has posted a superb response to my post, and the ensuing comments, about when and how to make choreography your own. It’s well worth a read. You can find it here: http://danceadvantage.net/2009/04/16/make-it-your-own/ You also might want to go check out her website, Dance Advantage. It’s a great resource. Dance […]
Visualizing the Dancer You Want to Become
I was reading a post at BoysBallet.wordpress.com, called Being Billy Elliot that is from a story written by Nancy Stetson for the Florida Weekly that talks, about ballet dancer Stephen Hanna’s role in the Broadway musical Billy Elliot. Hanna plays the grown up “Billy.” The article describes a scene in which Billy is imagining himself as […]
Do Development Stages Affect Boys' Dance Ability?
We’re back from The Pulse. Julian is tired, happy to have danced with some great choreographers and to have learned some cool choreography, and a bit disappointed not to have won a scholarship of any sort. I know…I know. The scholarship isn’t important. Tell that to Julian. He had several choreographers talk to him and tell him he was […]
Convention Choreography: Make it Your Own or Not?
Today I have to admit that I was called to the carpet by a reader, a young man who feels I’ve written about him, and rightly so. I didn’t name him, but I guess he felt “described” well enough for someone to notice. And he also pointed out that I had made a few judgements […]
ABT Summer Ballet Intensive: What's a Boy to Do?
We thought Julian had his summer all planned out: Back to Jewish camp for four weeks, something he had his heart set on, especially after missing almost half of his session last year when he came down with what was later diagnosed as Relapsing Fever. This was to be his last summer not spent focusing on […]