Congratulations to the
December Contest Winners!
December 2012 Winner - Judges' Choice
 | Dance Project
Members of the SUU dance department tell us what they love about dance |
December 2012 Winner - Most Votes
 | Works in Progress 2012
Hunter College Dance Company Choreographed by Sharika Valerio |
|
|
NEW Harlequin Dance Scholarship 2013
Harlequin Floors Scholarship Program has moved to TheWorldDances.com as a monthly video contest. Each month in 2013, 4 winners who submit dance videos on TheWorldDances.com will win $250 each to put toward their dance dreams. Every month, 4 winning videos will be selected -- 2 by the total highest number of votes cast on TheWorldDances.com for the videos receiving the most and second most number of votes and 2 by TheWorldDances.com panel of judges. Submit your video today!
|
|
#danceresolution2013
While dancers are constantly striving and resolving to improve, New Year's resolutions are a fun and useful ritual for reassessing our goals, the progress we've made over the last year, and how we ought to focus our efforts in the year to come. If you look back at yourself this time last year and realize that there are things you can do now that you couldn't do then, congratulations! That's a well-earned sense of achievement! I definitely feel good about getting to more classes over the last year than I'd managed the previous year. My extension's getting better and I'm more consistent with my turns. Sure, there's always room for improvement with both of those, but they are better than they were. That said, there are still tons of other technical details to work out. My left foot sickles when I turn, I need to engage my back muscles more in arabesque, and I'd like my ankles to be a lot stronger (they were dislocated a few years ago and I've never been happy with my stability -- or lack thereof -- since then), just to name a few. But those problems and issues like them seem to belong in the category of "needing constant effort" more than "New Year's resolution." These are three dance resolutions that go beyond increasing my technical proficiency -- things that I think will help me be a more comprehensive dancer.
1. See more performances! Every time I see a performance I walk away having learned something and been inspired. It's not always easy to make the time and get the tickets, but it's important. A teacher pointed out that benefit performances are a particularly great way to spend the time and money you set aside for shows. You get to not only see great dancing, but also support a great cause. Dancers Responding to AIDS events, for example, are marvelous in both respects. 2. Take classes in more styles! I grew up doing ballet almost exclusively, except at summer intensives where various different styles tended to occupy the afternoons. When I was younger, I failed to appreciate those opportunities as much as I should have. Now I love taking classes in new forms. It's an amazing way to learn about other cultures' music, to better understand the breadth of dance history and possibilities, to train different muscles than I normally do, and it's incredibly fun! 3. Look in the mirror less! It's so tempting to check your reflection, and I definitely do it way too often. When I was 12, I went to a summer intensive in Aspen, CO. One of my favorite aspects of that program was that the classes were held in tents with no walls. Expansive views of the Rocky Mountains supplanted mirrors. That's super inspiring, and it's also useful for performing on stage. It's more than a little disorienting to have to adjust to an eyeful of dark theater when you're used to practicing with the mirror as a focal point. It's also better for your lines and ability to get swept up in the music if you're not preoccupied with your reflection. And, really, we should be able to feel where our body parts are anyway. Those are some of my dance goals for the year ahead. Share your 2013 dance resolutions on Twitter with hashtag #danceresolution2013. To all of you, a very warm and sincere "merde!" for a wonderful New Year! By Tamara Johnson
|
|
Featured Video
 | Waltz of the Snowflakes - Performing in NY Showcase
Nov '12 - Kat Wildish |
This month, TheWorldDances.com is thrilled to acknowledge a special third, and particularly inspirational, winner of a Harlequin Home Studio Floor - Kat Wildish's video, "Waltz of the Snowflakes - Performing in NY Showcase Nov. 2012." Kat revealed to TWD, "These dancers are my adult students. I'm very proud of them. We have doctors, lawyers, editors, graphic designers and, yes, one totally blind dancer. We included everyone who had the desire of performing." Thanks for sharing this fabulously encouraging and heart-warming video!
| |
Daily Deal  |
|
Beautiful Dance Images  |
|
|
|
