Part 1: Getting Insured.

By Stephanie Wolf.

A dancer’s ability to work and earn income is dependent on optimal health and physical condition. Therefore, proper healthcare is essential for longevity in the dance profession. But, unfortunately, many American dancers are under or uninsured due to the rising costs of healthcare and the complexity of applying for an insurance plan. Finding affordable health insurance is a dizzying feat, especially for freelance dancers who lack the option of obtaining insurance through their employers. The Internet is inundated with information and the nation’s capital is all a buzz with talk of healthcare reform, but what does it all mean?

Many dancers fall into the 10 to 11% of Americans who get their insurance through the individual healthcare market and dancers are amongst the highest percentage of uninsured artists. High premiums make it challenging to find the right plan. Additionally, because of the intense physicality of the dance profession, many dancers have difficulty getting approved for a plan because of a pre-existing condition. Organizations such as the Actor’s Fund, Media Bistro, TEIGIT, the Freelancer’s Union, and other artist-based unions provide tools and resources for healthcare options, playing a role in ensuring the health of American artists.

The Actor’s Fund (AF) is at the forefront of this cause – helping more than 400,000 performers every year gain access to healthcare – and gears a lot of their services towards dancers. Since 1998, AF has worked with dancers, and now has several comprehensive online tools and one-to-one counseling options to help dancers continue to perform at their best. One tool is the Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC), which provides listings for workshops, counseling, and an online database of plans, subsidized healthcare, and government programs for each state. Spearheading these programs is AF’s Director of Healthcare Services James Brown who has an extensive background in health insurance and is a healthcare regulator in New Jersey.

Currently, AF is conducting a large dancer healthcare initiative through a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation. The project involves workshops and seminars in 10 dance-centric cities around the country: Manhattan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Washington DC, Houston, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Brown will conduct the workshops and engage with both dancers and people who run dance organizations in conversations about the laws and availability of health insurance in each of their corresponding cities. AF is also working on creating webinars for those that can’t attend the workshops.

On the individual level, Brown will address dancers’ questions and concerns about finding affordable health insurance. Understanding that health insurance is “a local business,” he’ll give details on the laws, availability, and costs surrounding individual plans. Brown will also discuss affordable or free healthcare options available in each city, such as clinics and pharmaceutical programs.

For those in managerial positions, Brown will break down the Small Business Health Insurance Subsidy, which is part of the Affordable Care Act – also known as Obama Care. “This is an opportune time for dance organizations,” says Brown of the healthcare reform, because it might give small dance companies the ability to afford coverage for their dancers. This piece of legislation offers small businesses and arts organizations, who pay at least 50% of their employee’s health insurance costs, the chance to receive a subsidy from the government to help cover the extra expense. Brown will walk arts administrators through the eligibility factors, the protocol of applying, and what aspects need to be discussed with an accountant.

On a regular basis, AF also conducts individual healthcare counseling. Dancers can access these services by either calling the fund at 1-800-798-8447 ext. 280 or e-mailing Brown at jbrown@actorfund.org. Brown will discuss individual coverage options, as well as coverage for spouses, partners, or family members.

However, many dancers simply can’t afford insurance. For these individuals there are a number of free or sliding scale based healthcare facilities throughout the country. Dancers residing in Manhattan can receive treatment at the Al Hirschfeld Clinic, an AF run clinic in Midtown. The facility is New York’s only completely free clinic and administers healthcare services for anyone in the performing arts or entertainment industry who “has done a certain amount of work over the past two years.” Dr. James Spears, a doctor and professor with NY Presbyterian Hospital, is the full-time medical director and the clinic has a network of specialists through a program called Broadway Docs. There are a number of similar clinics throughout the country, including the Cleveland Free Clinic, San Francisco Community Consortium, and the Performing Arts Clinic in Los Angeles.

AF also offers a variety of other services for socio-economic issues that come with being a performing artist. Recently, the fund collaborated with Broadway and television star Bebe Neuwirth for a program called Dancers’ Resources – helping dancers cope with being injured and the recovery process.

The information is overwhelming, but the reassuring aspect is that there are organizations and individuals striving to give dancers the healthcare they deserve. Nevertheless, it’s crucial for dancers to stay informed on healthcare changes currently being debated in Washington. The evolution of Obama Care can, and likely will, greatly impact the dance community. Starting in January 2014, the laws and guidelines surrounding healthcare in this country will change drastically, especially if the Supreme Court rules in favor of a major mandate in the Affordable Care Act. Thus, the ‘game,’ as we know it, will change.

Get informed about Obama Care and the future of American healthcare in part 2 of “Healthcare for Dancers” – out in June’s issue!

Resources to get insured or access to affordable healthcare:

• The Actor’s Fund: actorsfund.org
• Dancers’ Health Insurance Research Center: dhirc.org
• Artists’ Health Insurance Research Center: ahirc.org
• The Freelancers Union: freelancersunion.org
• Media Bistro: mediabistro.org
• TEIGIT: teigit.com
• Health Pass (for small business owners or sole proprietors): healthpass.com
• Needy Meds (free and low-cost medications): needymeds.org
• Some major retailers offer inexpensive medication, such as Target and Wal-Mart
• The National Mental Health Service Locator: store.sarnhsa.gov/mhlocator
• The Performing Arts Clinic in LA: brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/neurology/services/PerformingArtsClinic.aspx
• The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland: thefreeclinic.org/
• The San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium: sfccc.org

Top image © Andre Blais | Dreamstime.com

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

We always hear about the importance of what you eat, but could when you eat be just as important?

By Emily C. Harrison MS, RD, LD.

What’s the secret for dancing stronger, improving body composition, building muscle, having more endurance, and improving performance? Energy Balance.  Backed by sound science, the concept of energy balance is all about timing healthy meals and snacks to work for you.  Managing your energy balance can even play an important role in injury prevention.

What is Energy Balance?

Energy Balance is eating exactly the right amount of fuel for the activity you are about to do.   It is meeting and adjusting your body’s energy (calorie) needs as they change throughout the day depending on how hard you are working.   Let’s say you are going on a road trip….
Which option would you choose?

1. Ok car, I’m not going to give you any fuel now, but when we get there I’ll give you all the fuel you need?
2. Ok, car, I’m going to give you all the fuel you need for the trip now, but you have to figure out where to store it?
3. Or…Ok car, I’ll fuel you up now for the next 2-3 hours and then I’ll stop and fuel you up again when you need it?

Obviously, we should choose option 3, but all too often dancers choose option 1 or 2.  Providing enough calories from healthy foods at carefully planned intervals when dancing gives the body the fuel it needs to perform its best.  When athletes have enough fuel, preferably from carbohydrates, they have been shown to have higher jumps and more endurance. Also, when dancers eat regular healthy snacks they tend to not overeat later.   If a dancer gets extremely hungry because he or she hasn’t eaten in a while, he or she tends to overeat more than needed within a certain time frame and those extra calories get stored.  Some is stored as a much needed type of fuel called glycogen which is easy to access when dancing the next day, but some is converted to body fat.  This is why eating smaller more frequent meals not only leads to better performance but also to more muscle and less fat.   We all know that working in an aesthetic art form means that we have to be judicious about what we eat, but planning meals and snacks wisely throughout the day can actually lead to better, stronger muscles and lower body fat percentage.

Whether someone dances two hours a day or ten, in order to perform their best they have to provide exactly the right amount of fuel to their system at the right time.  Going for too long without eating can backfire by forcing the body to come up with fuel from somewhere. When running on empty, the body breaks down muscle tissue and converts it into a type of fuel that the muscles and brain can use.

There are several problems with the all too common dancer strategy of not eating before and during classes/rehearsals/shows and waiting until later to eat: The body lowers your metabolic rate to adjust, the body burns muscle for fuel and thus makes you weaker and more prone to injury.  The brain has a harder time concentrating with no fuel, so choreography is harder to pick up and ultimately you end up with a higher body fat percentage and less muscle. Eating a small snack would have been a much more efficient source of fuel.

Here are my top 10 energy balance tips.

1. Eat breakfast!
2. Have a 100-250 calorie morning snack especially if you have rehearsals
3. Provide some calories every 2-3 hours during your day
4. Eat smaller more frequent meals
5. Plan a 100-250 calorie afternoon snack around 3:00-4:00pm to stave off hunger
6. Eat a reasonable dinner with carbohydrate, protein, and some healthy fats
7. Do eat after dancing, but don’t overdo nighttime snacking
8. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate all day
9. Sip on a sports drink if dancing for a long time and eating isn’t possible
10. Focus on fruits, veggies, and whole grains when meal/ snack planning – these carbs are good!

Pack a snack in your dance bag like a granola bar, banana, dried fruit, nuts, and whole grain crackers and peanut butter or make a wrap with hummus, veggies and rice. Make some pasta salad with whole grain pasta, black beans, tomatoes, corn, and red peppers – yum!  Planning is the key to making healthy food convenient.

Want to know more?
Here is some additional info:
Working muscles require calories in order to provide enough readily available energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate (CP) particularly for the short, high intensity bursts of activity that we dancers do in class and in performance.  Longer bouts of exercise (Swan Lake for example) require the use of stored glycogen and fats. The body adjusts what it uses for energy based on the intensity of work and level of training. Providing calories before exercising preferably from carbohydrates, results in better performance and helps preserve muscle mass.  For longer shows, sipping on a sports drink or having a granola bar during intermission will help dancers finish strongly.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, “Inadequate energy intakes can result in loss of muscle mass, menstrual dysfunction, loss or failure to gain bone density, an increased rate of fatigue, injury, and illness”.  Injuries or illness can greatly affect a dancer’s training.  Dancers can have fewer injuries and illnesses by managing their energy balance.

Emily Harrison
Emily Cook Harrison MS, RD, LD
Emily is a registered dietitian and holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nutrition from Georgia State University. Her master’s thesis research was on elite level ballet dancers and nutrition and she has experience providing nutrition services for weight management, sports nutrition, disordered eating, disease prevention, and food allergies. Emily was a professional dancer for eleven years with the Atlanta Ballet and several other companies. She is a dance educator and the mother of two young children. She now runs the Centre for Dance Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles. She can be reached at emily@dancernutrition.com www.dancernutrition.com

Top photo: © Ivan Mikhaylov | Dreamstime.com

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

By Christine Dion of Mode Dion

It’s Recital Prep time!  Are you ready?  Preparation is the key to a confident and polished recital performance. You might have your costumes, music, lighting, and of course the right moves – but what about your makeup and hair?  Even the most seasoned performer should have a makeup and hair rehearsal.  Applying makeup together with fellow performers will help insure everyone is on the same page, in the right look, uniform and polished.

To help you out this season we have a few easy to follow stage makeup step by step application videos with stage beauty expert Christine Dion from Mode Dion. To learn more go to modedion.com.

A polished face is a must.
Here’s how to apply Foundation, Concealer and Powder like a pro:

Eyebrows frame your eyes and create balance.
Here are the steps to perfect brows:

Stage eye steps made easy:

False lashes are the Eye Openers:

Create lips that show off your smile and cheeks that are perfectly flushed
and contoured to perfection:

Era and Theme Makeup for Recitals

Recital make-up is important as it complements the costume and sets the mood of the dance piece.  Those little extras capture the era and style of the number.  Whether the dance is 1950’s Grease, a ballet classic, or futuristic pop, it’s the make-up and hair that finishes the look and creates the fantasy.

Here are a few make-up color rules to keep for the next time you create a fantasy face. Remember the theme of the look. Make-up changes every era just like fashion.

The make-up era looks that set the style in their day:

• In the1920’s black shadow across the lid and deep burgundy rosebud lips were the choice of every flapper girl.
• In the 1940’s liquid liner sweeping up only on the top lid, with rounded rich red lips were popular.
• In the 1950’s blue shadow and pink lipstick were the colors of the moment.
• The 1960’s saw heavy lined eyes, white shadow all over the lid and gray shadow through the crease.  The lips were washed out in light beige to keep the eyes the focus.
• In the 1970’s blue shadow was back in, but with frost for the lid and white shadow highlighted under the brow. The face was brightened with pink cheeks and pale pink glossy lips.
• In the 1980’s, the era of excess, we saw three colors of bright shadow, heavy brows, and bright lipstick.  Think Cindy Lauper.

When creating a fantasy, the era may not play a role at all. Instead you might want to play on the imagination of the audience.  Create magic by defining the character of the piece.

Fantasy character looks and the colors that make them come alive:

• The ShowGirl.  Feathers in the hair, big lashes and glitter everywhere. The brighter the colors the better.
• The Spanish Flamingo Dancer.  Heavy black eye liner sweeping up at the corners, red lips, and a split curl along the side of the cheek.
• The Cat.  Whether you choose a lion, a leopard, or a tiger, the drama is purr-fect for a feline fantasy. Use face pencils or greasepaint in black, brown, orange, yellow, white, and red/brown.
• Fairy Princess.  A favorite for classical pieces, this look is soft and sweet.  Use lots of glitter and sparkling shimmers, placed only on the key light catching spots.
• Man look.  This look includes a suit and tie with hair parted and slicked back, but the face is feminine.  Lips are red or defined with lots of gloss, cheekbones are contoured and eyes are shaded in browns with thick black lashes.
• Make-up to accent costumes.  Add rhinestones and glitter to the face in complimenting colors to draw attention to unique costume detail.  Other accents can include:
  Glitter, sparkling powders.  These light catching products can turn any look into a magical fairy princess or a futuristic intergalactic arrival.
  Wigs- Try a wig or hair piece.

RECITAL SPECIAL FROM MODE DION!

Special Discount Offer just for Dance Informa readers.
Mini Stage Kit with Professional Eye liner Brush.
Retails at $63.50, but Mode Dion is offering a Dance Informa Reader SPECIAL for only $48.00!
($15.50 off!)

The Mini Stage Kit contains the perfect stage makeup to create a polished and professional performance face. Rich high quality pigment, the 5 color eyeshadow pallet doubles as cake eye liners too, with a professional eye liner brush for flawless lining application. Two versatile defining eye shadow shades allow for multiple looks. Stage Red cheek color flushes cheeks to perfection and compliments the Stage Red long lasing lip color and liner for enhancing and shaping lips.
Phone 760.837.9433 to order

Christine Dion has worked internationally as a makeup artist in fashion, print, television and stage. She has been in the beauty industry for over 30 years as an artist and educator. Check out her website modedion.com for more information.

Top photo: © Jorgosphotos | Dreamstime.com

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

How much do you know about jazz dance icon Bob Fosse?

By Rain Francis.

1. Which of the following characters would you NOT find in Chicago?

a) Mary Sunshine
b) Roxy Hart
c) Lilli Vanessi
d) Billy Flynn

2. In the 1972 film Cabaret, Sally Bowles is a performer at what club?

a) The Kitten Klub
b) The Kit Kat Klub
c) The Top Kat Klub
d) Top Hats ‘n’ Kats

3. The 1953 film Kiss Me Kate was inspired by which Shakespeare play?

a) Romeo and Juliet
b) The Taming of the Shrew
c) Much Ado About Nothing
d) Othello

4. The video for Beyonce’s Single Ladies was inspired by what Bob Fosse number?

a) All That Jazz
b) I Gotcha
c) Mexican Breakfast
d) Bye Bye Blackbird

5. Rich Man’s Frug is a number from which Fosse film and stage show?

a) Sweet Charity
b) Pippin
c) The Pajama Game
d) Damn Yankees

6. In the semi-autobiographical All That Jazz, who plays the elder “Joe Gideon”, the character based on Bob Fosse?

a) William Shatner
b) Michael York
c) David Hasselhoff
d) Roy Scheider

7. As a Choreographer and Director, Fosse won nine Tony Awards and one Academy Award. What film was the Oscar for?

a) Cabaret
b) The Little Prince
c) Lenny
d) Kiss Me Kate

8. In the 1969 film Sweet Charity, who played Charity Hope Valentine?

a) Gwen Verdon
b) Shirley MacLaine
c) Liza Minnelli
d) Ann Reinking

9. Which of the following is NOT a number in The Pajama Game?

a) Steam Heat
b) Hernando’s Hideaway
c) Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo
d) Small Talk

10. What moniker is given to Amos Hart in Chicago?

a) Fred Casely
b) Mister Cellophane
c) Pal Joey
d) Mr. Applegate

Answers:
1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – b; 4 – c; 5 – a; 6 – d; 7 – a 8 – b; 9 – c; 10 – b

Top photo: The Female Ensemble in Australia’s Chicago. Photo by Jeff Busby, 2009.

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

Choreographer, award winning performer, director and producer, Mande Dagenais has released a new book – Starting Your Career as a Dancer. In Starting Your Career as a Dancer (released by Allworth Press this May 2012), Mande Dagenais explains what it really takes to get into the business, be in the business, and survive in the business.

Based on more than twenty-five years of experience in the performing arts industry, Dagenais offers insider advice and shares her vast knowledge while answering questions asked by professionals and beginners alike.

Mande Dagenais has won numerous awards for her writing, including a Silver IPPY Award in Performing Arts. Her work as a choreographer, director, and producer has been appreciated by millions of people around the world. With over seventy stage shows to her credit—including ten years of performances at the famed La Cage Aux Folles Los Angeles—she has received accolades from some of the industry’s most discriminating critics and performers.

A great read for new and seasoned dancers of any style, Starting Your Career as a Dancer radiates inspiration while dishing practical advice on everything from gigs, to nutrition, to finances. Starting Your Career as a Dancer is a very comprehensive and practical guide to dance success.

Other topics include: different markets, venues, and types of work for dancers, audition dos and don’ts, what to expect from a dancing job, versatility, injury prevention, unions, psychical conditioning, business management, career transition and more.

Starting Your Career as a Dancer retails for $19.95 and can be found in good book stores or ordered directly from the publisher by calling (212) 643-6816 or visiting www.allworth.com.

Top photo: Mande Dagenais, author of Starting Your Career as a Dancer

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

La Scala dancer fired after speaking out about anorexia.

By Rebecca Martin.

As a ballet dancer, the pressure is always on. Get your legs up, turn more, jump higher, be thinner, be stronger, turn out, rehearse harder. We look at ourselves in full length mirrors in the studio wearing next to nothing and criticise every arm, leg, foot, and miniscule bulge. For dancers, there is no such thing as perfection, so the quest is endless. Add to that the pressure of teachers and directors and the desire to get a certain part or role.

It’s no surprise then, that young dancers – particularly students – are susceptible to eating disorders. They often think that if they are thinner, they will be better or more successful. If they are thinner, they will get cast in the lead role. If they are thinner, no one will notice their bad feet or their height. Female dancers need to look a certain way and maintain a comparatively lower body weight than non-dancers, not only for the aesthetic of the art form, but for the safety of the male dancers who have to partner them.

However, dancers need to eat. With punishing rehearsal schedules and endless shows, if they don’t eat, they won’t be strong enough to perform at their peak. Dancers certainly need to monitor what they eat, but mainly for overall health and peak performance. It’s like the old adage of putting fuel in the car. If you don’t put fuel in, the car won’t start. If you put the wrong fuel in, performance will be sub-par.

Ballerina Mariafrancesca Garritano

So, unhealthy thought patterns about weight and eating is not unexpected and definitely not uncommon in the dance world. Teachers need to foster healthy body image and eating habits so that students can develop into well adjusted dancers. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. During my time at a full time ballet school, some of the girls in my class were told on a Friday to lose weight by Monday, “whatever it takes”. Drugs and starvation were advocated in these cases, with another student being told to exist on a diet of broccoli and steamed fish in the lead up to a performance so she looked good in a unitard.

This unhealthy weight obsession has been highlighted over the past few months by Mariafrancesca Garritano, a ballet dancer with the famous La Scala in Italy. Mariafrancesca was fired from the company after repeatedly speaking out about what she labelled an “anorexia epidemic” within La Scala. Garritano first raised the issue of the eating disorder in a book called The Truth, Please, About Ballet that was released in January 2010, followed closely by media interviews, in which she said her weight dropped to 43 kilograms as a teenager after teachers called her ”mozzarella” and ”Chinese dumpling” in front of other students. Both the theatre and Mariafrancesca’s former colleagues have denied all claims. Dance Informa spoke to Mariafrancesca after her sacking to discuss the issue of eating disorders amongst dancers…

What inspired you to speak out about the problem of eating disorders at La Scala?
I talked about eating disorders, both within and outside the dancing world. By sharing the experiences of my own illness during my time at La Scala Ballet School, as well as the similar experiences of some of my classmates, I have reinforced that eating disorders are a real problem that affects people everywhere, including here in La Scala. My sole objective was to raise awareness about eating disorders, in order to help young people learn how to spot pitfalls and how to heal.

You say 1 in 5 dancers have anorexia. Is this problem worse than before or has it always been this bad?
I spoke about my personal experience, 16 years ago – but I did my research and discovered that eating disorders are constantly rising in our society, both here in Italy and abroad. If we don’t encourage people to talk about this issue, we’ll never be able to know how serious this problem is.

Ballerina Mariafrancesca Garritano

Do you believe the problem comes from the ballet schools where the dancers train or is it the pressure of being in a company that makes them anorexic?
I believe teenagers are vulnerable, and to keep them in an isolated environment where they’re exposed to inappropriate language runs the risk of aggravating a predisposition to eating disorders. Those in a position of responsibility must be trained to behave in a way that protects young people from eating disorders.

Why do you think your fellow dancers have not supported you regarding your allegations?
I heard they were offended by my statements – this is a shame, as it wasn’t my intention to offend, but to raise awareness about a problem.

La Scala had hinted that if you continued to speak about the topic, you would be fired. Did this worry you? Was getting the message out more important than your contract?
There is much suffering behind eating disorders and I would have never thought that I’d be ostracised for talking about them. My life, other people lives, are too important for me not to fight this battle. I regret that I had to lose this much, but my motivation came from the bottom of my heart.

Do you intend to continue dancing?
Yes, I really hope so!

What do you think needs to be done to address the problem of eating disorders in ballet schools and companies?
There’s a need for experienced professionals – diet experts, psychologists, and so on – to follow both students and teachers. A full staff backed by appropriate resources is a good start for any school or company.

Occasionally the enthusiasm for dancing is such that dancers neglect their quality of life. For instance they may skip meals due to tight rehearsal schedules, and eventually skipping meals becomes the norm. Dancers should be trained and monitored in this respect – many already know how to look after themselves, but many others don’t. I hope things can get better for every one of us.

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance student.

By Emily Cook Harrison MS, RD, LD.

The Glycemic Index is a tool that gives a numerical value to a specific amount of food based on how it affects your body’s blood sugar and insulin over a specific time period.  Foods with lower numbers don’t spike blood sugar as much as ones with higher numbers and provide more sustained energy.

Why does this matter to dancers?
Dancers who eat foods low on the GI tend to have more sustained energy overtime and more endurance. Not only can low GI foods improve performance, but when eaten before exercise they can help you feel more satisfied and may even help you burn more fat.  Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and peas are all considered good choices.

How to keep a low GI diet
Consider the importance of lowering the GI of your entire diet as a whole instead of picking out foods individually. Basically that means eat more whole foods. When low GI foods are consumed as part of an overall diet, there is a lower insulin response and better glucose control. A low GI diet as a whole helps you feel more satisfied after eating and leads to less overeating.  It is also important to eat smaller more frequent meals for good blood sugar control, to feel great, and to dance stronger.

GI facts

• The GI is a numerical index used to describe how a carbohydrate is metabolized/ absorbed and its effect on blood glucose and insulin levels.
• Consuming low GI carbs before endurance exercise results in increased fat oxidation during exercise in trained men and women.
• Participants in a J. Nutr study reported feeling full following lunch in a low GI trial.
• Consuming a low GI breakfast increases fat oxidation during exercise and improves satiety during recovery.  (J. Nutr. 139: 890–897, 2009).

Low GI food choices (better choices)

Whole grain/ high fiber breads
Brown rice, basmati rice
Oatmeal
Quinoa
Bran/ high fiber, WG cereals
Pasta (especially whole grain)
Most fruits
Most vegetables
Beans/ legumes
Nuts, seeds
Milk, dairy, soy

High GI foods  (not the best choices)

White rice
White bread
Sugar, honey, candy
Cornflakes, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Coco Puffs
Waffles, Pop-tarts
Baked potato, mashed potatoes
Pretzels
Baked goods, cakes, pies, muffins
Sugary drinks, sodas

Emily Harrison
Emily Cook Harrison MS, RD, LD
Emily is a registered dietitian and holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nutrition from Georgia State University. Her master’s thesis research was on elite level ballet dancers and nutrition and she has experience providing nutrition services for weight management, sports nutrition, disordered eating, disease prevention, and food allergies. Emily was a professional dancer for eleven years with the Atlanta Ballet and several other companies. She is a dance educator and the mother of two young children. She now runs the Centre for Dance Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles. She can be reached at emily@dancernutrition.com www.dancernutrition.com

Resources:
www.glycemicindex.com
www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/foods/grains/gigl.html

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events.

Top photo: © Dreamstimepoint | Dreamstime.com

By Stephanie Wolf.

Dancers begin their professional careers at young ages, focused solely on the present and success. They push their bodies to extreme measures and, typically, don’t consider the dancer ‘after-life’. But, in reality, the daily grind wears the body down, limiting the longevity of a dancer’s career. What lies beyond a life of curtain calls can be frightening. St. Mary’s College of California Liberal Education for Artist Professionals (known fittingly as LEAP) helps pacify this anxiety by educating current and former dancers and giving them control of their futures.

LEAP Program Director Mark Baird can relate to these feelings. A former dancer and LEAP graduate himself, he knows the value of education and the fear of transitioning into a new career. “So much of [a dancer’s] identity is tied up in dance…It’s our support structure. It’s where our friends are, where our paychecks come from. It’s how we define ourselves,” he explains. “When that gets taken away most dancers are left with ‘Now what?’” After a fruitful dance career with companies such as Pacific Northwest Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Ballet du Nord in France, and Teatro Comunale di Firenze in Italy, Mark moved back to the States and faced the same question…“Now what?” A brief stint in the corporate world made him realize he wanted to go to school and find a new passion. He joined the first group of LEAP students and became Program Director in 2002.

Claire Sheridan founded LEAP in 1999. A jazz dancer who had to retire “early because of injuries,” Sheridan was teaching at St. Mary’s College (SMC) – a private liberal arts university in Moraga, CA – when she got the inspiration for LEAP. In collaboration with SMC’s Performing Arts Department and the School of Extended Education, Sheridan spearheaded the dancer-specific program, which “paralleled” the university’s Bachelor of Arts and Performing Arts 4-year degree.

The purpose of LEAP is “to make it possible for a current or former professional dancer to access higher education. And, in doing so, gain the confidence and security to be able to transition into new careers.” Generally, “dancers don’t get to go to college because they’re busy dancing.” LEAP offers dancers the flexibility, accessibility, and affordability that traditional colleges don’t, so they can earn a degree in conjunction with their performing careers or upon retirement.

LEAP student Damian Smith. Photo by Erik Tomasson

How LEAP works

“What makes LEAP so successful is the amount of credits students can get for prior experience, including professional experience,” Baird explains. LEAP students can earn up to a year’s worth of college credit for professional dance experience. “Because LEAP students are adult learners, they also have additional life experience…there are ways of writing for credit.” Students can earn up to another 30 credits by writing Experiential Learning Papers. “LEAP students can get up to half of their college credit done by having danced and lived” – accelerating dancers through the program.

At the heart of LEAP is the “core curriculum of academic liberal arts courses [brought] to the dancers”, adds Baird. These courses are comparable to what on campus students take and are offered in hotel conference rooms on evenings that are convenient for dancers to attend. Dancers take 10 core courses to receive their BA in Liberal Studies. Another advantage of LEAP is that the course of study can be “individualized for each student”, says Baird. A student can gear his or her academic path towards their future professional interests, such as business, medical fields, or journalism.

Additionally, SMC makes the program economical for dancers with meager incomes. A traditional SMC undergrad pays $38,000 a year for a 4-year program, while LEAP students pay $24,000 for the entire program. At a fraction of the cost, dancers receive education from one of the nation’s top private colleges. (SMC ranked 172 for best overall undergraduate program in Forbes Magazine’s Top 650 American Colleges.)

The present and future of LEAP

The LEAP program originated in San Francisco and expanded into Los Angeles in 2004. Three years later, LEAP came to NYC. Baird always envisioned the program on the East Coast, but says, “we wanted to try it on the road first before we went all the way cross-country with it.” Between the three cities, LEAP has over 400 students and a staff of 30 plus instructors.

Baird plays a large role in the present and future of the program, “from strategic vision of the program, growth, fundraising, overseeing administration and operations. I do all the academic advising for New York and Los Angeles students,” he says of his duties as Program Director. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to do it alone and has a staff of individuals who are familiar with the structure and complexity of LEAP; everyone who currently works for LEAP is a former dancer and graduate of the program. “If we’ve all gone through it, then we know what students need and how to advise them.”

The program continues to grow. In Fall 2012, LEAP will be available to dancers in Las Vegas. And that is only the beginning. “Other cities are asking for it,” says Baird. Some of these cities include Chicago, Washington DC, and Miami. So long as there is “a relatively vibrant dance community in the city” LEAP can “work.” However, Baird wants to keep the expansion within means. “We are growing slowly so we can always provide the one-on-one attention that I think is so great for the students’ success” and not “overextend” the faculty.

Ultimately, Baird finds it exciting to see the dance community embrace higher learning. Education allows dancers to “bring more to the art” and to be excited, not “fearful” for their transition. “The best gift LEAP can give is those last few years of a dance career, when the dancer can enjoy it knowing that, ‘hey, I’ve got something else [to look forward to]” – hence, empowering dancers and putting the decision of when to transition in their hands.

For more information on LEAP or to inquire about admissions, visit them online at www.stmarys-ca.edu/leap

Top photo of graduates by Mark Baird.

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.

By Christine Dion of Mode Dion

Even with plenty of practice and an on time arrival back stage, disasters can strike! Be prepared with this handy Check List Of Dance Bag Must Haves.  If it ends up that you yourself never needs these items, rest assured that you will save the day for someone else!

Must have necessities for the performer’s dance bag:

• Eye make-up remover pads: Non-oily are best. For fast make-up changes, use gentle downward strokes to remove false lashes and all. Never rub side to side when removing eye make-up, you’ll work the make-up right into your eyes.
• Scissors (small): Use this handy tool for trimming false lashes, clothing tags and threads.
• Tweezers: Eye make-up looks its best when the brows are well groomed, so keep up on stray hairs. Also use tweezers to perfectly place rhinestones or help with false lashes.
• Eyelash curler: A must for perfectly curled lashes. Always curl lashes before you put on mascara or false lashes, never after. False lashes that have lost their curl can be brought back to life by gently curling them with an eyelash curler.
• Cosmetic pencil sharpener: Lip and white eye pencils must have a perfect point.
• Cotton squares: Wet cotton squares with warm water and a little face wash to do a fast clean up without even needing a towel.
• Q-tips: are great to spot clean quickly, remove mascara smudges or eye shadow flecks.

Other important necessities: band-aids, safety pins, feminine products, aspirin, Tums, breath mints, deodorant, extra pair of tights, paper and pen, hair brush and hair spray, bobby pins, scotch tape, first aid tape (for roaming glitter), socks, foot powder, nail clipper/file, nail polish remover, shoe polish.

Basics for the performer’s makeup box:

• Skincare products like facial moisturizer and makeup removing wipes are both great for putting your stage face on and taking your stage face off.
• Foundation, concealer and loose face powder in oil-free formulas.
• Brow grooming pencil or cake color.
• EYES: eye shadow colors in neutral tones like matte black, matte brown, matte peach or red/brown and matte cream highlighter to go with every look and costume change. Good pigments are very important and shadows can be used as wet/dry liners too.  White Pencil (a must have eye opener), false lashes, lash glue, mascara.
• LIPS:  A red/brown lip liner to define and enhance lips.  Stage red lipstick and a lighter shimmer golden color as a lip highlighter.
• CHEEKS: Flushing shade/stage red cheek color and contouring shade/natural contour.
• Shimmer opaque loose powder for highlighting cheekbones, eyes, shoulders etc. Any place you would like to add a little more light-reflecting glimmer.See all these stage products and more at modedion.com under ‘shopping’

Resource Special: Mode Dion are running a special exclusively for Dance Informa readers!
Receive the High Performance Beauty Book + DVD for only $15.00! (Retail $34.95)

Mode Dion High Performance Beauty Book
In depth and thorough, filled with beautiful photos and step by steps, this book covers everything from ways to achieve beautiful skin, health and nutrition, at home spa treatments and healing tired muscles to every makeup application need. Learn how to enhance and correct features as well as how to choose your most flattering colors for every day. What look is best for an audition, polished looks for outdoor performances and sports like cheer to pageantry, photography, large and small stage looks and even theme makeup are all covered along with the correct tools to make it all look professional.

MODE DION’s High Performance Beauty DVD
Choose between:

“The Junior” specifically for Juniors, and those who help them with their make-up, to achieve a flawless performance face! Easy, fast and comforting, Christine guides the viewer through techniques that are designed just for children who are at times uneasy with the experience of makeup application.

“Senior” (teen/adult) Step by step application of stage make-up for performers who need to look their best under stage lights. Easy to follow application techniques along with enlightening dos & don’ts, using neutral colors that compliment every costume change. Covers achieving perfect brows (the frame), beautiful open eyes, flawless skin, defined features and adding show appeal for the most polished performance face.

Phone 760.837.9433 to order

Christine Dion has worked internationally as a makeup artist in fashion, print, television and stage.  She has been in the beauty industry for over 30 years as an artist and educator.  Check out her website modedion.com for more information.

By Chris Bamford.

Being a dance teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, but I might be a little biased as I am one. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a student improve, grow and reach his or her full potential in your class.

But what about the teachers? We place so much emphasis on the students’ conditioning, care and injury prevention, yet we have a tendency to forget about ourselves.

Long gone are the days where the teacher just sat in a chair with a cane and explained what the students had to do. We teach a lot more visually and practically these days. The teacher generally shows the wrong way and the right way to do steps and movements and goes to the extremes so students can see and understand the differences. This can put teachers at risk, especially when they may not be as fit and limber as they used to be.

Being a dance teacher, and especially a studio owner can be very stressful. You need to wear so many hats and manage many facets of a business from customer service, complaints, marketing and finances to general administration. Then add an annual recital to the mix, and maybe a summer school and competition, and let’s face it – we are stressed! So we don’t need to add injury to our lives.

What can dance teachers do to reduce the risk of injury? Let’s start by looking at what some of what the most common dance injuries are

• Muscle strain

• Joint sprain

• Bruising

• Muscle soreness

• Fractures

Understanding what these injuries are and what causes them can help identify problems early, as most teachers do with their students. But what about yourself? Let’s look at what can cause these injuries during the many hours of instructing and choreographing that each teacher does.

Excessive range: This applies to movement that forces a joint or body part beyond a safe range. For example, hyper flexion at the neck or over-arching the back.

Excessive load: Movement that places excessive weight on or through a joint or muscle. For example, knees bending below 90º when landing or straight leg sit-ups.

Ballistic: Repetitive dynamic movement that stretches muscle tissue beyond the normal range. This sort of movement is often explosive and uncontrolled. For example, bouncing (of knees, spine), overly repetitive kicks, leaps, head isolations and arm flings.

Sustained: The holding of a position that places excessive stress on a muscle group or joint. For example, a coccyx sit or balance on one leg for a long period of time.

Repetitive: Too much repetition can be dangerous. Even safe movements performed too many times can cause injury. For example, jumps, push-ups and lifts.

In my opinion, when you’re teaching for four hours in a row or more, you can’t avoid some of the above movement types, but it’s important to be aware of them and to think about how much we demonstrate a movement if we feel strain, pain or any warning sign. Injury and stress are always going to be in our lives, it’s the nature of the dance business, but here are some tips to help you reduce them:

• Remember occupational health and safety rules.
• Get a regular remedial sports massage or visit a physical therapist.
• If you have injured yourself, but still have to teach, use an assistant teacher or senior student for demonstrating until you have fully recovered.
• Keep up regular classes for technique and strength. We can get so busy, but we too must be in class regularly. I have heard of large dance studios holding a teachers’ class once a fortnight and rotating who from the staff takes the class. This helps the teaching staff to keep up their technique and fitness.
• Keep hydrated and eat a well balanced diet.
• Make sure to get plenty of sleep. You need energy to energize your students and a rested mind to be creative.
• If you are teaching for long period of time pace yourself and take regular breaks if you can.

At the end of the day, teachers need to remember to take care of themselves. We inspire and nurture talents, yet we sometimes forget to inspire and nurture ourselves. Start to look after yourself so you can continue to give to your students for years to come. Being a great dance teacher is just as important as being a great dancer.

Source: www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/pdhpe/dance/dan004.htm

Photo: © Viorel Sima | Dreamstime.com

Published by Dance Informa digital dance magazine – dance news, dance auditions & dance events for the professional dancer, dance teacher and dance students.