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

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 Emily Yewell Volin.

The Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is a prestigious annual ballet competition dedicated to student dancers ages 9-19, attracting approximately 5,000 competitors to its twelve US regional and four international competitions.  Of the 2012 competing dancers, 300 students from 26 countries advanced to the finals.  Dance Informa spoke with YAGP founder Larissa Saveliev just before the annual finals, which convened from April 22-26 in New York.  She shared that “more than ½ of the finalists leave NY with some sort of scholarship to pursue their dance education further.”

The Youth America Grand Prix has been receiving some deserved attention thanks to the award-winning ballet documentary First Position scheduled to come to cinemas in May 2012.  The documentary follows six young dancers as they balance the physical and emotional demands of competing in the Youth America Grand Prix with the similar inherent demands of adolescence.  As the movie suggest, the process is riveting and demanding.  Dancers competing in the YAGP are adjudicated on two performances; a classical piece selected from an approved list of repertoire, and an open piece intended to allow opportunity for the dancers to show themselves in a different style of dance. Some opt to forgo pointe shoes in favor of showcasing themselves in a modern piece while others select new classical choreography to showcase their performance range.  Saveliev explains, “right now you cannot find a company in the world who only does Swan Lake.  We try to prepare them for a future career and try to guide them in how to find a job and how to find scholarships.  You have to be versatile. It is an extremely important point we try to teach them.”

Friedemann Vogel & Alicia Amatriain of Stuttgart Ballet perform at YAGP Gala 2012. Photo by Liza Voll

The YAGP is unique in its service to the youngest set of student ballet dancers and the rewards of competing last a lifetime.  Scholarships pair promising young dancers with premier training and have resulted in an impressive list of alumni.  Former YAGP award-winning dancers are performing in companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Royal Ballet, The Hamburg Ballet, The Stuttgart Ballet and others.  Saveliev praises the integral YAGP networking opportunities for helping dancers find their career paths.  And, for the 9-12 year old dancers who are typically too young to leave the country or commit to professional dance, Larissa says YAGP provides them “goals so they can work towards something and tries to educate them about what’s gong on in the world of ballet right now.”  She adds, “We look at ourselves as a membership club.  If you compete once, you become a member for a lifetime.  Any service you need, you get it for the rest of your life.  We’ll be there to help them.”

Larissa has been true to these goals since she and Gennadi Saveliev founded the 501c(3) YAGP organization in 1999.  She is a former dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet who desired an “outlet to learn and get guidance as a teacher” after moving to NY in 1995. Competitions were very popular in Russia.  “You learn so much by seeing it. Teachers watch and see what other teachers are doing,” says Saveliev.   In the 1990s there was nothing in the United States that paralleled the Russian Competitions.  “That’s what gave me the idea to come up with something that would serve this need”, she expands. “We started very small and we worked very, very hard.”

Ballerina Assoluta, Natalia Makarova in honored by YAGP. Photo by Liza Voll

In honor of teaching and inspiring young and old, teacher and student, the YAGP competition includes feature performances.  This year the YAGP presented a tribute event honoring Ballerina Assoluta, Natalia Makarova. The performance celebrated Ms. Makarova’s contribution to the world of ballet by presenting some of her most memorable roles performed by today’s leading dancers, including performers from Stuttgart Ballet, NYCB, ABT, San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Ballet and more. Saveliev adds, “(Makarova) designed the program herself. It had a lot of archival video footage that had never been seen before and she told us about it and talked about her life and the choreographers she worked with.”

The YAGP’s focus on serving young dancers also extends to its historically sold-out culminating Gala performance.  Performed in the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, and heralded as “The highlight of the season” by Clive Barnes of the New York Post, the gala brings future stars and established stars of today onto the same stage.  “We try to bring all different kinds of choreography and styles to the Gala performance”, says Saveliev.  This year’s event was chaired by American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe, Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied and prima ballerina Susan Jaffe.  The performance was highlighted with world choreographic premiers by Dresden Ballet’s Jiří Bubenĺček, with an original score by Karen LeFrak, ABT’s Marcelo Gomes, with an original score by Ian Ng, and NYCB’s Justin Peck.  This program featured YAGP alumni who currently perform with over 50 international ballet companies. The opportunity for selected 2012 competition finalists (the stars of tomorrow) to share a concert with current premier dancers from around the world (the stars of today) is awe inspiring.

The Youth America Grand Prix is a crucial coming together of the ballet community – YAGP competitors, alumni, teachers, choreographers, composers, dance legends, enthusiasts, and the attending public.

For more information visit www.yagp.org

Top photo: Grand Defile, photo by Liza Voll

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

By Emily Yewell Volin.

Muntu Dance Theatre, based in Chicago, is currently celebrating its 40^th anniversary season.  Founded in 1972, the company is the largest African dance company in the US and holds central its focus to present authentic and progressive interpretations of contemporary and ancient African and African-American dance, music, and folklore. The Muntu company is acclaimed for its gripping ability to transform a space with infectious performance energy.  It’s also revered for honoring the Bantu word for which it is named – ‘muntu’ translates to mean ‘the essence of humanity.’

Dance Informa spoke with Artistic Director Amaniyea Payne and President Joan Gray who share that “the response (to Muntu) is the same no matter where” they are performing.  Ms. Payne describes it as a “collective energy…Muntu brings an energy that interconnects with the audience. People leave (our performances) with creative, spiritual and artistic rewards.”  Gray adds “the company is not happy unless people are trying to jump up on stage.  We don’t like it if people are sitting and quietly clapping.  When you come to a Muntu concert you will see people from the cradle to the grave…we like it when the audience does the ‘amen’ of what we’re doing!  We see our cultural connections to each other as world citizens and the art making we do as being that connection. We want to share it.”

Photo by Marc Monaghan

Muntu is best known for its historical works and, according to Payne, frequently collaborates with elders, scholars and practitioners who specialize in the study of a particular dance in order to honor both the research and creative responsibility associated with this type of work. Payne says, “We project the most authentic aspects of (the work) to complement the creative.” Gray adds, “It’s very important for us to present positive and accurate interpretations of the culture.  We are very interested in how African culture has influenced dance and music of people in countries around the world where Africans are now settling.  For example, we spent several weeks in Brazil researching cultural connections between Brazilian culture and African culture. The resulting choreography reflected the convergence of these cultural styles – what we call the race memory.”

Muntu frequently shares concert billings with other dance companies; often in the crowd pleasing position of opening or closing the show.  However, during this anniversary season Muntu will perform its first ever collaboration with dancers from another company.  Muntu and DanceWorks Chicago were awarded a grant from Audience Architects to broaden audiences by going to venues where they had not previously presented themselves. So, on the weekend of May 11-13 DWC and Muntu will perform at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, IL.  Payne beams as she discusses the project. “DanceWorks Chicago opened up its studio for our dancers to engage in the genre of ballet and I will be going to teach at the Ruth Page Dance Center to engage the DWC dancers, and that community, in an African Dance experience.”  The grant provided the two companies the opportunity to bring in a dynamic choreographer, Monique Haley, a former Company member of River North Dance Chicago.  “She has been able to put a piece on both companies that we will perform during the shared performances in May and separately while the companies are on tour independently”, explains Payne.  The piece is titled See (in) Me and wrestles with issues of stress, stamina and trust; all set to a rhythmically inclined score.  Payne adds that it has been rewarding to see the dancers and artistic directors, “have the opportunity to work, share, and inform each other.”

Photo by Marc Monaghan

The community qualities that are essential to the collaboration with DWC are evident throughout all of Muntu’s work.  Muntu maintains a teaching presence in 11 Chicago-based schools and community organizations and offers open adult division classes to the community.  Gray says, “Muntu has a dual function, we are definitely a professional performing arts company that performs around the world and self produces our season every year.  But equally as important to me, is that when there is an important event of significant happening in the community, Muntu is called upon to bear witness to that and to bring the appropriate cultural celebrations.”  Muntu is ‘honored’ to regularly perform for weddings, funeral celebrations, parades, block clubs, and during visits of foreign dignitaries.

Dance Informa asked Gray and Payne what advice they would give to fledging dance companies.  Gray advised, “be sure that you have a vision for your work; and you have to have clarity about how you are going to express that vision. You’ve got to have something to say. You also have to set realistic goals and objectives for your work and how you are going to advance that work and take it one step at a time. You have to think about a model of operations for the resources that you have or you will have in the foreseeable future. When Muntu first started it was the artists who did all the management stuff, too.  We weren’t paid at that time…we had to do everything.  If you are not prepared to do all of those different types of things until you get to the level where you can contract people, you shouldn’t get started. I don’t believe that every dance company has to have a vision of (lasting) into perpetuity.  Every dance company that gets started may not want to be an institution.  They may want to survive the lifetime of its founding director.  Be clear about what you want to achieve.  If it’s for a single choreographer’s vision, that’s fine, just explore different ways you think. Holistically, it can work for you.”  Payne adds, “you cannot do this by yourself.  It’s important to get a trustworthy team that shares the vision.”

When asked to reflect upon a single wish for Muntu during this anniversary year Payne confided, “one of my single wishes is a wonderful facility in order for Muntu to continue to do the valuable artwork and share it with the community.”  Gray adds to that, “where the whole organization could be under one roof.  We know we could deepen our impact and our expression, and make it easier for everybody, if we were all under one roof.”

Connect with Muntu’s website www.muntu.com to learn more about the company and this season’s 40^th anniversary celebrations.  As Payne said in closing, “be part of the celebration!”

Top photo: Muntu Dance Theatre. Photo by Marc Monaghan.

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

By Emily Yewell Volin.

Dance/USA, established in1982, is a national dance service organization operating with the mission to do work that sustains and advances professional dance by addressing the needs, concerns, and interests of dance artists, administrators and organizations. A member organization serving over 400 dance companies, service and presenting organizations and individuals, Dance/USA enhances the infrastructure for dance creation, education, and performance. Based in Washington DC,  Dance/USA also has branch offices in Philadelphia and New York City.

“In my 25 years of dance management, no single association has done more than Dance/USA to support my organization’s work through its advocacy, data gathering, and networking activities  or played a more important role in my own professional development and that of our staff,”  says Glenn McCoy, Executive Director of the San Francisco Ballet.

Amy Fitterer, Executive Director of Dance/USA since January 2011 has an infectious enthusiasm for the organization’s dedication to “embrace all things and move forward.” She spoke with Dance Informa regarding Dance/USA’s overarching goals, the people it serves, her personal background in the arts and Dance/USA’s exciting preparations for the 2012 conference during this, its 30^th anniversary year.  Amy says, “Dance/USA has made some very important strides over the years in advocacy and ensuring dance has had a place at the table in Federal policy discussions.  Dance/USA is the sole member based national association for professional dance.”

Amy Fitterer, Executive Director, Dance/USA

What is your background and how does it impact your work as Executive Director of Dance/USA?

“I grew up training as a classical ballet dancer and also as a classical pianist.  I allowed those two art forms to comingle and to impact my education and my career. I was able to run a small music school, perform as a concert pianist, and also perform in a regional ballet company in California until my late 20s.  Then I became very interested in where art meets government.  I decided to get a Masters in Arts Administration and went to Columbia University, which had Student Advocates for the Arts (it was founded there and is a national student-run arts advocacy network). Right before getting into Columbia I was active in everything I could get my hands on with advocacy and policy.  I was able to interview a variety of city council members in NY on their arts policy backgrounds and platforms and I organized students to go to Albany to lobby for the NY State Council of the Arts. I also began to coordinate with Student Advocates For The Arts to come down to Washington to lobby on the federal level for arts policy.  So, it was actually through my graduate studies and my work in government affairs that I encountered Dance/USA.  I was hired after graduate school to be the Government Affairs Director for Dance/USA, which is a shared position with Opera America.  So, for about 3 years, I was able to be on the Hill and at the Federal Government agencies speaking to members in the opera and the dance field around the country about federal advocacy issues.  So I bring to this role both my hands-on experience in making art as a dancer and pianist but also my passion for policy.”

Dance/USA’s work is viewed in 3 umbrella categories:   Leadership & Learning, Research, and Advocacy.  Tell us more about Dance/USA’s work in these areas.

Dance/USA Advocacy:

“Dance/USA maintains a registered lobbyist on staff and we are a founding member of the Performing Arts Alliance, the national advocacy coalition representing over 28,000 members including dance, opera, orchestra, theater, arts presenters, chorus and so forth.  Dance/USA has tracked a variety of issues with the coalition. The top issues we have always been paying attention to include visa policies for foreign guest artists, arts education, cultural exchange, charitable giving laws, and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Recently, we’ve been lobbying on issues related to wireless microphones and the internet so we’ve been having meetings with the Federal Communication Commission.  All of these policies impact the work that dance companies do in this country.  Dance, in coalition with the rest of the performing arts, needs to have a seat at the table.”

How can people support the advocacy being done by Dance/USA?

“People can sign up to be part of the Dance Advocacy Network, a member listserve we have that sends timely advocacy information, including information about recent meetings on the Hill.  They can respond to calls to action over email action alerts.  Those do make a difference and legislative offices track those records and those responses.  What’s also very important is that anyone working in the field of dance views themselves as an advocate, in the broadest sense, for the art form.  And that they talk about their work not just with their friends and family but with other people they come across.  We all have the responsibility on our shoulders to continue to raise the visibility and the recognition of the public value of our work.”

Dance/USA Leadership and Learning:

“Leadership and Learning goes back to the way Dance/USA was started, it creates a national network of dance leaders.  One of our core membership structures is called ‘Councils’. We group our membership into different Council categories where managers, agents, artistic directors, students and educators can sit in a closed room discussion with their colleagues from another part of the country.  They also get to participate in conference calls and listserves throughout the year.

Also, the national conference for professional dance (hosted by Dance/USA) is the largest annual convening of dance professionals in the United States.  It includes a variety of keynote speakers, break out sessions, council meetings  and dance performances and allows us to focus in on one dance city each year and really try to raise the visibility of dance in that city.

We also do professional development in this category throughout the year.  Right now we have a partnership with NTEN, on a technology leadership training program for individuals in the dance field and a program called The Institute for Leadership Training, which allows for one-on-one coordinated mentorships with individuals across the country and participation in a leadership training seminar.”

Dance/USA Research:

“One of the longest standing programs of Dance/USA is the financial and data surveys it does each year.  It allows participating dance companies who fill out these surveys to see a variety of data points compared across companies.  They can see overall organizational expenses, how ticket revenue is doing and what shows are being performed.  They can also look at staffing size, different staff and board and the breakdown of different revenue sources.  It really allows a dance manager to check in and say, ‘Okay, how am I doing?’.  It’s hard to work in a dance organization because you can feel very isolated.  So, to be able to stop and see how you compare to a fellow dance organization of the same budget size is very informative.”

Tell us more about this year’s Dance/USA conference, which will convene in San Francisco from June 27-30.

“This year’s Dance/USA conference celebrates 30 years by looking forward and moving forward; change is now the norm.  So, with this year’s conference our goal is to embrace trying new things.  We’re partnering with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and ODC Dance Commons so all our conference sessions, breakouts and performances will be held in arts venues (dance studios and theaters), rather than in a conference hotel.  We are trying to bring the art form more front and center so we have a dance performance during the day that everybody at the conference can attend. We are getting proposals, booking speakers, and coordinating with the host company in San Francisco to decide the themes and threads we want to touch upon.  I’d say the three threads that have come out so far are diversity, community partnerships and technology.  We have a great keynote speaker, Simon Sinek, who not only loves dance but has really innovative approaches to leadership.  I know he is really excited to work with the dance community.”

Learn more about Dance/USA and this year’s conference at www.danceusa.org and www.conference.danceusa.org

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.

Ailey Citigroup Theater, The Joan Weill Center for Dance NYC
April 2012

By Deborah Searle

This April, Ailey II presented a mixed bill of modern and contemporary dance works for 11 nights at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. Audiences could choose from two programs, either Modern Moves or Contemporary Choices.  On the evening on April 19 we were treated to the contemporary program which featured three distinct works; The Corner (2010) by Kyle Abraham, The Legacy of Inheritance (2011) by Stefanie Batten Bland  and Shards (1988) by Donald Byrd. Each work was very different and showed the varying strengths of the company’s young dancers who are all students in Ailey’s professional dance courses.

The Corner surprised me as it had a strong street dance and hip hop flavor, as opposed to the modern dance usually displayed by Ailey dancers. It included spoken word, characterization and much fun and frivolity as the dancers became friends hanging out on what I envisioned as a street corner. It involved moments of humor, games and comradery as the dancers grooved in colorful, casual costumes. The soundtrack was a mixture of popular music and classical with funky, jazzy choreography and some slower, softer more lyrical moments.  An upbeat group number at the end was entertaining. The stand out dancer for this work was Elizabeth Washington who seemed to embody her own personal groove and really suited the choreography. The other dancers, although they all executed the steps well, didn’t always embody the theme and style as Washington did.

The Legacy of Inheritance which followed was starkly different from the first work. It was much more raw and contemporary. In the intermission we could see fog being dispersed across the stage as well as a huge piece of white, light material. This intrigued me, as I wondered how the dancers were going to work with such a huge prop. To begin, the cast of dancers picked up the white material and wrapped themselves up in it as they slowly swayed. It was eerie but intoxicating. Although the movements were simple, the manipulation of the cloth, the way the light hit it, and the dancers’ commitment to creating interesting shapes were rapturing.  A swimming-like scene where the dancers in lines seemed to swim on the ground in different directions was mesmerizing and unique partnering scenes involved inventive lifts and lines.  Stefanie Batten Bland’s work was very interesting and it showed the dancers’ technical strengths as well as their ability to work with what could have been an overpowering prop. I thoroughly enjoyed this work. Thomas Varvaro in his first season with Ailey II was delightful to watch. He finished every movement and danced with clarity and ease.

Lastly, Shards by Donald Byrd was different again. We were hooked from the first second as the company started in a group center stage, in the spotlight. With the dancers all in royal blue, the bright costumes coupled the bright choreography perfectly. At times the music was very dramatic and the dancing matched. The dancers were able to perform simple port de bra with such dynamics to fill out the strong music and keep us entertained.  The choreography was quite balletic and demanding. It involved much batterie, battements to second, penchée on relevé and some flinging but controlled movement.  A pas de deux by dancers Fana Tesfagiorgis and Colin Heyward showed Fana’s flexibility and strength. A solo by her later in the program cemented her as a stunning dancer.  Anne O’Donnell, in her first year with Ailey II, was stunning in this work. She has lovely lines and strong ballet training.

Contemporary Choices by Ailey II was a dynamic program that showed the young dancers’ versatility. It is wonderful to see these budding young stars have the opportunity to present such works to a large and appreciative audience.

Top photo: Fana Tesfagiorgis in Troy Powell’s Reference Point. Photo by Eduardo Patino, NYC.

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

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center
March 31 2012

By Leigh Schanfein.

When was the last time you went to a school dance performance?  When was the last time you even had the inclination to do so?  It may have been last week, it may have been a decade since, and chances are it was because you were related to one of the budding star performers.  Of course we tend to associate school shows with baby ballerinas, simplistic choreography, and immature dancing, but we have to remember that not all dance schools put on the same show, especially in a locus like New York City.  Perhaps we should not be so quick to dismiss amateurs when seeking a dance fix at the theater, and I can say this now because I have recently witnessed the unexpected.  On March 31^st the Manhattan Youth Ballet pulled off a great feat for any dance school; it put on a performance worthy of an audience that is comprised of more than family and friends.

The Manhattan Youth Ballet is a non-profit curriculum-based dance academy founded by Executive Artistic Director Rose Caiola, who is also a Broadway and film producer.The Ballet has a small but impressive faculty roster, including Head of Faculty Deborah Wingert, Choreographer-in-Residence Brian Reeder, and Artistic Advisor Daniel Ulbricht, the last of whom would also make a surprise appearance mid-show.  The ballet’s Spring Performance opened with a new ballet by Reeder. Holding Court was a minimalist neo-classical piece that was far too dependent on a sense of irony that was completely lost on the youthful cast.  The dancers looked beautiful in their vaguely baroque costumes, but there was better work to come.  Le Jardin Anime, from the classic ballet Le Corsaire, was nicely done.  Nicole Zadra did a particularly lovely job, looking very composed, soft, and elegant.   The younger girls who made up the corps were very cute and not the least bit clumsy.  What followed was a scene from another major ballet, Don Quixote, in a smartly staged series that notably included the delightful Liza Knapp-Fadani as a Kitri who pierced the stage with her flight and fire.

The second half of the show opened with an excerpt from George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, that first struck me with the visual delight of colorful bug costumes that adorned the young cast.  The shimmery fabrics were ingeniously twisted into wings and shells appropriate for the stage and cast, by a trio of costume designers who, as we were told in the opening remarks, are former professional dancers.  After being thoroughly bowled over with the cute, I was doubly blown away by Daniel Ulbricht, appearing as King Oberon.  He more than impressed me with his impeccable batterie, downy-soft landings, butter smooth turns, extremely smart use of space, and, oh yeah, his muscles.  Ulbricht not only serves as Artistic Advisor to MYB, he also serves as a magnificent guest star and incredible model for the young cast.  He was a fantastic surprise that momentarily carried my imagination to the majesty of Lincoln Center, and brought the level of the performance to that of the company with which he performs, New York City Ballet.  Of course, my eyes and my mind had been seared.  I was worried that I’d be unable to objectively review the remainder of the performance after Ulbricht magnificently manipulated my perspective.  However, I continued to find the second part of the program to be a delight, my view perhaps prejudiced in favor of this talented group.

The second part continued with a series of variations: from La Fille Mal Gardee, which lacked confidence, Four Little Swans from Swan Lake, which required more teamwork and facial control, Raymonda, which had dramatic countenance but bumpy bourres, and August Bournonville’s Jockey Dance, which stood out as a winning performance.  Both boys, Thomas Barnea and Julian Donahue, did a commendable job.  The show closed with a short excerpt of Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes.  The energetic corps looked great posing to Sousa, and soloist Savannah Green shone with strength.  If only her smile were as unwavering as her pirouettes!  I was left a bit disappointed that there was no solo variation, but the excerpt was a bright flash of color and enthusiasm that left a glow after the lights went down.

This pointe-predominant performance was entirely cringe-free, a feat for which I enthusiastically applaud MYB’s instructors.  I find it strangely common to find dancers very weak en pointe in performance, even at a professional level.  I’ve all too often held my breath, waiting for the imminent twisted ankle, precipitated by the “deer in the headlights” look in pre-professional, collegiate, and regional company performances.  MYB should be proud of that. Even its youngest dancers look downright comfortable in pointe shoes.  A problem remains, however, and it lays with the men.  Usually, when there is a dearth of male dancers, those that are present carry a disproportionately large amount of the work.  With MYB however, the four boys were a minimal presence, which was sad considering the budding talent these boys demonstrated.

If you seek cheap seats to see classical ballet and you are tired of the nosebleed section of the theater, you can easily satiate your craving with Manhattan Youth Ballet.  With guest stars like Ulbricht, a smart program, and up-and-coming young dancers, you’ll be inspired to seek out the unattainable beauty of classical ballet.

For more information about Manhattan Youth Ballet, visit manhattanyouthballet.org

For more information about MYB’s home Manhattan Movement and Arts Center, which holds a limited selection of open classes and workshops, visit: manhattanmovement.com