Physically Integrated Dance
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| Heidi Latski Dance's "Gimp"
Photo credit: Kris Lefcoe |
We hear increasingly often about expanding our concept of "dancer bodies" and about the importance of diversifying our ideas of who looks like a dancer. But even with this growing--and vital--conversation, it's all too rare for people to extend their vision of who is a dancer to artists with disabilities.
AXIS Dance, founded in 1987 in California, was one of the first companies to integrate dancers in wheelchairs or using crutches or prosthetics. According to AXIS Dance co-founder and artistic director Judith Smith in this Dance/USA article, "As we talk about equity and diversity in the arts, there is a danger that disability is being left out of the discussion of both. That's a huge missed opportunity...Disabled dancers and actors do exist, but their opportunities to train, much less make a living as artists, are very, very limited."
But physically integrated dance is starting to gain momentum with much-needed dialogue and research. Last May, AXIS Dance hosted a national convening of stakeholders in the integrated dance world, including dancers, choreographers, arts administrators, and more. Participants focused on key subjects for the advancement of physically integrated dance, such as mentorship, training for disabled dancers, and opportunities for disabled choreographers and choreographers who want to work with disabled dancers. You can watch a video summary of the proceedings here.
This national convening is to be followed up with regional gatherings throughout the next two months. Two, in the northeast and southwest, have already occurred. "It was truly an amazing and inspiring few days," says Shira Greenberg, director of Keshet Dance Company, which hosted the southwest event and provides excellent dance education opportunities to dancers with disabilities.
Read more about events and grants related to integrated dance here .
By Tamara Johnson
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Francisco Gella: An Artist
with Vision
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| Francisco Gella working with students at the
New Century Dance Project Festival |
Francisco Gella is a distinguished dancer, teacher, and choreographer. As a master ballet teacher and director with Break the Floor Productions, he reaches legions of students every year, but the passionate innovator wants to do even more. "I love this art form," he says. "But we as a community need to do more to help it evolve and connect with more audiences." To this end, Gella launched The New Century Dance Project, a new and unique festival, in Utah this summer. The World Dances caught up with him after the festival to discuss NCDP and Gella's vision for dance's future, as well as his own.
Please tell us about the New Century Dance Project.
The NCDP is a pioneering youth dance festival. I travel quite a bit and I teach at different settings, not only conventions, but conservatories and commercial studios. And I notice there's still a divide between the concert and commercial worlds, but a lot of the competition studio kids are infiltrating into the concert dance world. Many of them graduate and go to top conservatories, Juilliard, USC Kaufman, etc. The lines are starting to blur. There's integration happening in terms of training and interest but there's nothing to help these dancers transition or give them opportunities to connect with different professionals in other parts the dance world. So we created this festival to link students with different facets of the dance world. It was a culmination of putting all these genres together and it was really exciting because nothing like that has ever been done. There hasn't been a festival that merges together the university programs with the concert and convention worlds. The students are starting to cross over and there isn't any other platform for them to make these connections where they can meet different professional and ask questions.
What do you think is driving this phenomenon of crossing over between the competition and concert worlds?
The convention world has been an interesting thing for me. They're all about competition. They used to do these typical competition pieces that weren't always very
artistic. Now I'm seeing more and more competition studios doing more contemporary work with almost a European sensibility. They're seeing the amazing art that's out there and wanting to be at that level. More studios and students are trying to accomplish that level of artistic integrity and taking their training more seriously. For instance, the company that I work for is Gil Stroming's Break the Floor Productions. These kids aren't just coming to L.A. and getting agents. They're going to some of the top schools in the country now and pursuing their training more seriously after their competition days. Now the problem is that there are all these dancers being trained but there aren't enough companies to support the demand.
What do you think would help companies connect more powerfully with audiences?
People want a stronger purpose, maybe involvement with humanitarianism. Most people who aren't dancers might not be grabbed unless a company is saying something that they'll care about because it's part of the human experience. One idea is that you could have a dance company that for part of their season creates work around human rights. It would connect with audiences and give the audience a bigger reason to be inspired. I'm envisioning the human rights idea because it gives back. Right now it's just not enough to have a famous choreographer and amazing dancers. People want a cause.
Read more about Gella's ideas for connecting dance with audiences, his philosophy as a teacher, and his vision of the future here.
By Tamara Johnson
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California Dreamin' Dance Program: Colburn Dance Academy
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| | Colburn Dance Academy Students |
Can you imagine your ideal dance academy? Jenifer Ringer and James Fayette have done just that and now lead the Colburn Dance Academy at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles. Twelve gifted and wildly fortunate dance students age 14-19 years are studying with Colburn Dance Academy's Director Ms. Ringer, Associate Director Mr. Fayette, expert faculty, and a who's who of dance world guest teachers. Not only are these students learning Balanchine technique and Robbins' repertoire from two much-admired former New York City Ballet principal dancers with years of real-world experience, talent, and success--they are immersed in a vibrant oasis of arts excellence. "The Colburn Dance Academy mission is to give our students excellent training grounded in classical ballet while teaching other styles of dance, and to provide broad exposure to music, visual arts, and performance," explains Ms. Ringer. "We offer extra levels of enrichment so that our students have well-rounded experience to bring greater artistry and voice to their dance and futures." Read more about exclusive advantages of Colburn Dance Academy, its affiliation with L.A. Dance Project, how the rigorous and deep training is complemented by the Colburn School's music conservatory, and why dancers crave the experience of this unique school.
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TheWorldDances E-Newsletter Team
Publisher: Karla Johnson
Editor: Tamara Johnson
Producer: Ester Rodriguez
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October 7, 2016
Follow
The World Dances!
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Congratulations to the September 2016 Harlequin Floors Scholarship Winners!
Harlequin Floors has been supporting and celebrating dancers for decades. Harlequin not only provides world-class flooring to keep dancers safe and enhance your performance, but Harlequin Floors also awards $1000 in scholarships to dancers every month. Watch the scholarship winners' videos from last month and post your video today to win one of four $250 scholarships in October. You'll find plenty of videos to inspire you, entertain you, and teach you on TheWorldDances.com along with interviews with the world's top dancers and choreographers, advice from dancers at every point in their careers from student, to pre-professional, to just beginning their professional career or about to transition to their next artistic passion, daily dance deals near you, and much more. Thank you for sharing your thousands of dance videos. We can't wait to see you dance!
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Judges' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Olivia Corlis |
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Judges' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Megan Klein
Things Change |
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Viewers' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Carolina Arango
Glory |
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Viewers' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Mia de Jong
Landslide |
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New Season, New Job?
Are you ready for a new role? You'll find more than 50 current job listings on TheWorldDances.com including an opening for part time Children's Division Faculty at Nashville Ballet. Ohio State University is looking for an Assistant Professor of Dance Studies. American Ballet Theatre seeks a Membership Associate and an Assistant to the Chief Advancement Officer and Director of Development. Are you a hair and makeup expert? San Francisco Ballet is looking for a Hair and Make-up Assistant Department Head. Gallim Dance is conducting a search for the right person to fill their open Company Manager position. Check out these and many other job listings today.
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| Culver City, CA - Three Kids' Dance Classes from On the Edge Dance Studio
$30 |
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