Okay, this is a blatant advertisement for the TDC Spring Concert and summer intensive, if you live in the Northern California area. Attending the show offers a great way to see what the program is about and to see the level of dance and dancer at TDC. Plus, by attending you support a superb nonprofit […]
The Nutrition Needs of Serious Dancers: How to Stay Healthy, Strong and in Peak Performance Shape (Part 1)
When I first considered giving Julian high-quality vitamins in an effort to keep him healthy, I really didn’t think about the fact that the amount of dancing he did each week could be contributing to his health. Normally we think exercise makes our children healthy. However, too much exercise without the right nutrition can actually […]
Whoo Hoo! Julian's Into ABT and We're Off to NYC Again!
Just a short note to say that Julian received notification late last week that he had been accepted again into the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive Program in New York City. Whoo hoo! However, we were a bit upset at first to see that he had not been awarded a scholarship. Last year he received […]
Tech Week and ABT Summer Intensive Auditions this Week
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 […]
On to YAGP and 2nd Stage…
Nutcracker’s over for another year. Julian did a great job. He looked quite regal in red and white, and his partnering was commendable. The production, overall, was superb. Now we are on to Youth American Grand Prix rehearsals. We started rehearsing earlier this fall, but the kids took time off during the last weeks of […]
My Jewish Son Opens as the Prince in the Nutcracker Tomorrow!
Oy! My nice Jewish boy appears tomorrow on the big stage–the San Jose Center for Performing Arts–as the one and only prince in the classic Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker. Well…we are not so religious to care really, but it makes for a good joke anyway! And yes,tomorrow evening is the opening show of San Jose […]
ABT Summer Intensive Ends with Awesome Performance
The six weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive ended with a bang! The final performance was awesome with the advanced students, in particular, offering up some really amazing and pretty professional-looking dancing. In particular, the violet level choreographed one number themselves (with the help of their instructor), and it was a stand out by far! […]
Gearing Up For End-of-the-Year Concert
This is it! The end-of-the-year concert happens this weekend. Julian finished up Los Gatos Ballet’s Copellia last weekend only to start right in on technical rehearsals for Teen Dance Company’s 10th anniversary concert on Monday. Here it is Friday already, and he’s been at the Mexican Heritage Theatre in San Jose since 4 p.m. (it’s […]
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 […]
Preparing for Going Solo Performance and Copellia
Things are gearing up again. Julian has been practicing an old routine of his from a few years ago called “Hats” for solo studio performance on Thursday. We didn’t realize that he could actually perform in this event, so he didn’t prepare a solo. (We’ll know for next year.) So, he pulled out his very-successful […]
Be Billy (Elliot) and Get Fired!
I read an article in the latest issue of Mvmnt Magazine about the current cast of Billy Elliot, the Musical. (The article I wrote on Criss Angel’s Believe, which Wade Robson choreographed, is on the cover of this issue.) It seems that one, as yet unnamed “Billy” is due to get fired already, and the show […]
Looking Forward to Nutcracker 2009 as the Curtain Comes down on the 2008 Production
The Nutcracker production put on by San Jose Dance Theater, which featured my son, Julian, as both Fritz and one of the two Russian dancers, has closed its curtains until next year. Yes, while others gear up, we’ve cleared the stage for the next production, put on by Ballet San Jose’s professional company (sorry friends, […]