L.A. Dance Project
Innovates and Invigorates
As the Managing Director of L.A. Dance Project, James Fayette has helped craft the remarkable achievements of this innovative and invigorating dance company. Formerly a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and a dancers' union delegate and employment contract negotiator, Fayette channels his complex understanding of ballet companies to help LADP and its Artistic Director, Benjamin Millepied, to redefine the image of a contemporary ballet company and its audience. LADP will be holding its annual gala on December 9 and 10 at L.A.'s Ace Hotel, featuring the world premiere of a new piece choreographed--and performed--by Benjamin Millepied. The World Dances spoke with Fayette about LADP, what it takes to be a dancer in the company, advice for aspiring dancers, and more.
What do you think is so special about the Los Angeles dance scene now and LADP's role in it?
Something that's really nice about L.A. is there's this desire to give people the opportunity to experiment and fail. And Angelenos really respect that--that you're trying to do something new. There's a sense of pride about being out here, too. If you try to create something in Los Angeles, you try to do something different, access the audience in different ways, bring in a sense of collaboration. That's where I think LADP and Benjamin Millepied's vision have really keyed into the culture here. Benjamin didn't try to create a miniature New York City Ballet; he set out to make a new, contemporary dance company with a mission of collaboration. We bring in spectacular visual artists for our scenery, different composers, fashion designers for our costumes, and interesting and extremely various choreographers. Benjamin tries to find good partnerships and kinds of artists to work with these choreographers in order to bring in these different elements and make sure we're following the vision of collaboration. It's a much more immersive environment that we create.
What advice do you have for dancers aspiring to join a company like LADP?
I think we're now in a new season in the dance field. We've done ballet to the top level it can be done. Everyone can do 32 fouettés, double tours. We've reached an amazing technical level, to the extent the technique is actually becoming a little bit boring. We need to get back in touch with artistry and diversity, how we present our art. That's something that's very significant. At LADP, we're not trying to do 32 fouettés; we're trying to communicate dance in new ways to make it a richer experience for the audience. We also have a really diverse repertory. So to be a really rich artist for a really rich company like this, your spectrum of dance has to be broader. Obviously take your ballet class every day, but definitely take a look at the other art forms. Embrace them and learn about their history. Be the person in the room who, when the choreographer wants to do something new, you can step out there and not just do a good dance step, but an interesting dance step. I think diversity informs that.
Read more about LADP's strategy for developing dance audiences, what it's like to dance at LADP, managing ballet, and more here.
By Tamara Johnson
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Ballet Mentor Provides Support
for Dancers, Access to World Class
Professionals
Last month saw the launch of Ballet Mentor, a new web platform that creates a network of support and guidance for dancers. The site was co-founded by American Ballet Theatre dancers Eric Tamm, Sarah Lane, Craig Salstein, and Luis Ribagora. The roster of mentors already includes ballet luminaries like Gillian Murphy and Sara Mearns, and the number of mentees is growing daily. The World Dances spoke with Eric Tamm about Ballet Mentor, the value of mentorship, becoming an entrepreneur, and more.
First of all, how does the platform work?
When you sign up, you sign up for one, three, or twelve months. After filling in basic information, you're asked to select your top three mentor choices, knowing that people are very busy. We try to pair you with your first choice, but if it's not possible we'll try to pair you with your second or third choice. The mentors have only a limited number of mentees at a time to ensure they can be really dedicated to each. Once you are matched with your mentor, you can send text, photos, videos, or links that the mentors can review and provide feedback. They really get to know you and grow a relationship over time. Dancers want to give back, but they're very busy and don't necessarily have the outlet to give back. They're dancing eight shows a week, touring, rehearsing. It's crazy! This platform was set up with that in mind, so that this transfer of information could happen flexibly around the dancers' schedule and allow the dancers to really help people.
What inspired the concept for Ballet Mentor?
The idea came from growing up as the only male dancer in my small town in northern New Jersey and not having parents from a dance background who could offer advice about the dance world. I had to figure things out step-by step for myself. I was lucky enough to be just 20 miles away from New York and its amazing dance scene, but still found it challenging searching for answers. Since we have all of this technology now, I thought, wouldn't it be great if we could use this to meet dancers' needs. We're facilitating access to people who know the answers to vital questions. There are only a few professional ballet dancers actively working at any time, so this knowledge about being a dancer is actually limited.
How are you choosing and recruiting the mentors?
Initially I had ten people on a short list I knew I wanted to be a part of the program. You need to know the mentors will be responsible in their role. They also need to be dancers with a certain level of credibility in the industry in order to be taken seriously and for people to be willing to pay for their services. We chose people who are genuinely looking to give back. Since the launch, we've had people come to us wanting to join. They reach out to us and tell us they're passionate about this and want to be involved. People seem really eager about it.
Read more about Ballet Mentor, the value of mentorship, and entrepreneurship.
By Tamara Johnson
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Are Dance Competitions and Conventions the Right
Choice for You?
Are you weighing the value of dance competitions and conventions? Several Harlequin Floors scholarship winners share their thoughts on the advantages of participating in competitions and conventions.
"I think competing in dance has made me a better person. Competing requires discipline, focus, drive, time management, physical fitness, and teamwork. All of these skills translate to my everyday life, particularly as a high school student." --Mia de Jong, September 2016 Viewers' Choice Harlequin Floors Scholarship recipient
"YoungArts was a great experience! I was fortune enough to be able to be surrounded by like-minded artists which inspired me and reminded me why I fell in love with the art of dance in the first place. I believe that competitions allows you to have more opportunities to perform and gain the stage experience that dancers need." --Eddieomar Gonzalez, August 2016 Judges' Choice Harlequin Floors Scholarship recipient
"The greatest benefit to participating in competitions is the friendships you make with your teammates. And the greatest benefit of participating in conventions is having the opportunity to learn from some of the best dancers/choreographers in the business today." --Jonathan Cubides, June 2016 Viewers' Choice Harlequin Floors Scholarship recipient
"I believe there are so many benefits of participating in competitions. I love the challenge of learning new variations, performing on stage, attending workshops, and seeing other talented dancers." --Aleksandra Shkurigin, May 2016 Judges' Choice Harlequin Floors Scholarship recipient
"Youth America Grand Prix and other classical competitions have helped me grow so much as a dancer. Studying every last detail in a variation makes you more aware of arm and leg positions in ballet class. These competitions have helped me realize my passion for ballet, and I am truly grateful to them for it. In addition to performing, YAGP offers many scholarships, connecting students to summer intensives, full year positions, and job contracts." --Marina Halama, April 2016 Judges' Choice Harlequin Floors Scholarship recipient
Read more about what these and other Harlequin Floors scholarship winners have to say about competing, what inspires them to dance, their plans for the future, and more in the Meet the Winners section on TheWorldDances.com.
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TheWorldDances E-Newsletter Team
Publisher: Karla Johnson
Editor: Tamara Johnson
Producer: Ester Rodriguez
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November 4, 2016
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The World Dances!
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Congratulations to the October 2016 Harlequin Floors Scholarship Winners!
More than 800 votes were cast for the October Harlequin Floors Scholarship videos. Thank you to all the dancers who shared your amazing talents. Thank you also to all TheWorldDances.com users who watched, showed support, and your appreciation for the wonderful videos posted in October. Along with providing highest quality floors to keep dancers safe and enhance your performance, Harlequin Floors is honored to recognize and support dancers and their dreams by awarding $1000 in scholarships every month. Congratulations to all four October scholarship winners. Watch their winning videos in this newsletter and enter your video now on TheWorldDances.com for the opportunity to win one of four $250 scholarships in November.
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Judges' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Annika Vaughn |
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Judges' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Ying Lei Pham
Prosperina |
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Viewers' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Roland Martinez
Say I Won't |
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Viewers' Choice
Harlequin Scholarship Winner
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| | Tori Edsel
Cycle |
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The World Dances
more inspiring photographs of dance
from around the world.
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Exploring New Jobs in the Dance World?
Check out more than 55 current job openings on TheWorldDances.com. New openings include the Artistic Director position at Ballet San Angelo in Texas and the Special Events Manager at Cincinnati Ballet. Bowen McCauley Dance and Chicago Dancers United seek Executive Directors for their organizations. Chamber Dance Project in D.C. is looking for an Assistant to the Artistic Director. Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet has an opening for their Director of Development. The Joyce Theater Foundation seeks a House Manager and a Board Liaison & Research Specialist. Are you the right candidate for the Mark Morris Dance Group General Manger/CFO position? The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater announced an Instructional Academic Staff Position in Dance beginning August 2017. You'll find these and more than 45 additional current career listings on TheWorldDances.com now.
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| | Plano, TX - Four or Eight Children's Dance Classes at Edge Dance & Performing Arts Center $39 / 52% Off |
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