Tag Archives: dance

A Practical Guide

Posted on by
Reply

Rebecca Stenn and Fran Kirmser have spent decades supporting and encouraging young dancers. They know that in addition to the immense passion and commitment that a dancer needs, working knowledge of the financial and practical aspects of a life in dance are equally important. With A Life in Dance, Stenn and Kirmser give you resources to help you book rehearsal space, obtain a legal representative and a taxpayer, find auditions, apply for grants, acquire health insurance, meet photographers, agents, publicists, and consultants, pay off student loan assistance, and begin financial planning. 

There’s no Business like Show Business

Posted on by
Reply

Veteran performer and choreographer Tina Paul dispels myths and delivers the inside scoop about achieving your dream of dancing on Broadway. Tommy Tune, Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, and eleven other dancers join Tina in sharing their diverse experiences to help you make the right choices, avoid embarrassing mistakes, and prepare for the challenges that lead to a Broadway career. All of them agree—they love theatre and that love got them over many hurdles. Through tips on survival, discipline, and protocol, these professionals offer encouragement, bolster determination, and guarantee that you will be one step ahead in your quest for the lights and life of Broadway. 

The Ballet Maker

Posted on by
Reply

The foremost contemporary choreographer in the history of ballet, George Balanchine extended the art form into radical new paths that came to seem inevitable under his direction. He transformed movement and dance in classical and modern ballet, on the Broadway stage, and in the cinema.

George Balanchine chronicles the life and achievements of this visionary artist from his early, almost accidental career in Russia, where his lifelong collaboration with Igor Stravinsky was forged, to his extraordinary accomplishments in America. The editor and writer Robert Gottlieb, one of the most knowledgable dance critics in America, offers a superb and loving portrait of a genius who, though married many times to many ballerinas, remained truest to his greatest love, Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of dance.

“I’d recommend Gottlieb’s book for its authority, completeness, and articulate excellence.” Benedict Nightingale, New York Times Book Review

Show me Your Best Jazz Hands

Posted on by
Reply

The history of jazz dance is best understood by thinking of it as a tree. The roots of jazz dance are African. Its trunk is vernacular, shaped by European influence, and exemplified by the Charleston and the Lindy Hop. From the vernacular have grown many and varied branches, including tap, Broadway, funk, hip-hop, Afro-Caribbean, Latin, pop, club jazz, popping, B-boying, party dances, and more. Unique in its focus on history rather than technique, Jazz Dance offers the only overview of trends and developments since 1960. Editors Lindsay Guarino and Wendy Oliver have assembled an array of seasoned practitioners and scholars who trace the numerous histories of jazz dance and examine various aspects of the field, including influences, training, race, aesthetics, international appeal, and its relationship to tap, rock, indie, black concert dance, and Latin dance. 

 

 

Takes two to Tango

Posted on by
Reply

Widely regarded as the foremost existing textbook on the art of partnering. First published in 1969 in Russian by one of the world’s most respected experts on partnering, the original book was created for the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, the school that produced Pavlova and Nijinsky. This expanded edition contains new text, sketches, and photographs that describe 32 new poses and lifts, along with new information about strengthening exercises and balance points. It is adaptable to instruction based on the Royal Academy of Dancing and the Cecchetti methods, making it invaluable for teachers and dancers of all three major methodologies.

Beginning with simple exercises for young dancers, the comprehensive text guides students, teachers, and choreographers safely to complex lifts and tosses. The instruction is useful for all forms of dance, including ballet, jazz, modern dance, ballroom, and ice dancing.

Creative Approach to Modern Dance

Posted on by
Reply

An introduction to modern dance and body movement techniques, this guide begins with an overview of the history of modern dance and proceeds to a discussion of basic body movement, improvisation, and choreography. A series of clearly photographed exercises enables the dancer to execute each movement properly and to learn to use the body more effectively and expressively. Clear photos show exactly how to execute each movement. Of interest to students of dance, yoga, aerobics, and t’ai chi; also helps the modern dance viewer better understand the work of Graham, Taylor, Ailey, and other modern dance giants.