On to YAGP and 2nd Stage…

Nutcracker’s over for another year. Julian did a great job. He looked quite regal in red and white, and his partnering was commendable. The production, overall, was superb.

Now we are on to Youth American Grand Prix rehearsals. We started rehearsing earlier this fall, but the kids took time off during the last weeks of Nutcracker rehearsals. Well, Julian and his partner actually did do some rehearsing will at the center for performing arts and just about every chance they got.

We really aren’t sure if they will be totally “ready” come time…and we haven’t decided on when they’ll actually compete…but they will compete even if just for the experience. We may have to wait and go to San Diego just to give them more time.

Julian hopes to take the choreography he’s created for three girls – his first stab at choreography- at TDC and revamp it a bit for himself and enter that as a YAGP contemporary solo as well. Maybe he can also enter it for a choreography award. I’m not sure how all of this works; I actually know little to nothing about YAGP at this point. Time to bone up on the competition, I guess.

As for Second Stage, TDC’s winter production in Mountain View, we are well on our way for that. Julian is the first one to finish his piece for the student choreography track. He’s now got to clean it up. The kids are also rehearsing a variety of numbers. Julian is in one piece of student choreography, a contemporary duet, a tap piece, a hip hop number, a modern piece, and a group contemporary piece.  So, he’ll be sort of busy. (Second stage is the last weekend of January…another reason not to compete YAGP in San Francisco this year, since the competition falls on the same weekend.)

Let’s see if Julian can also get through midterms (mid-January) and get his grades up (yes…still could be improved). At least the girlfriend has left the scene (Julian’s doing), so maybe he’ll be able to focus on the really important things: dance and school.

In the meantime, Happy Chanukah to all my Jewish readers.

My Jewish Son Opens as the Prince in the Nutcracker Tomorrow!

Oy! My nice Jewish boy appears tomorrow on the big stage–the San Jose Center for Performing Arts–as the one and only prince in the classic Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker. Well…we are not so religious to care really, but it makes for a good joke anyway!

And yes,tomorrow evening is the opening show of San Jose Dance Theater’s Nutcracker, performed on the same stage used by Ballet San Jose, who will occupy it just after they are done. (Come watch on December 4, 5, or 6! Tickets are available at www.sjdt.org or at the box office.) It’s wonderful that the kids get to perform at one of the best venues in San Jose. Julian is very familiar with it, having performed there several times while with Ballet San Jose School. He was asked to be in several professional productions with Ballet San Jose. In fact, three of Ballet San Jose’s company members will perform with the kids, including Ramon Moreno, who is definitely worth buying a ticket to watch. (Not that Julian isn’t…but he is mostly doing partnering with the exception of a double tour or two and a few turns. The rest of the time he sits on a very uncomfortable chair, he tells me, and watches the countries perform.)

Anyway, it’s all very exciting, although, I’m not sure Julian is excited by the white tights he has to wear. (By the way, it’s M.Stevens all the way on those as well. The Danskin tights were like girl’s leotards.) This is his first time performing in white. I am also not so sure he’s excited about what the huge soldier head does to his hair, but hey…what can you do? I got him a haircut, so maybe that will help.

Anyway, we’ll be there watching on Friday night and Saturday night. I hope if any of you local readers show up, you’ll seek me out and say hello! And to all the other boys performing in the Nutcracker this season, break a leg! (Not literally, of course.)

ABT Summer Intensive Ends with Awesome Performance

The six weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive ended with a bang! The final performance was awesome with the advanced students, in particular, offering up some really amazing and pretty professional-looking dancing.

In particular, the violet level choreographed one number themselves (with the help of their instructor), and it was a stand out by far! There was another number featuring choreography by Twyla Tharp, and one or two others that were totally memorable. The upper level ballet pieces were all beautifully danced, as were the intermediate pieces as well.

Julian’s first piece, Fakir, was well danced, too, but, as he said, he didn’t really get to show off the ballet technique he learned during the summer. His second piece, E.J., set to several Elton John songs, was phenomenal. The dancing was good as was the choreography, and I thought Julian looked good…but I am his mother.

I never did get to talk to any of the boys about their experiences at ABT or as young male dancers. I really wanted to talk to them about the latter, but it seems most of them haven’t had the struggles Julian has had with teasing and such. That’s an interesting subject in and of itself. It seems that the majority of the boys Julian encountered either are home schooled or in performing arts schools; thus, they avoid the majority of the issues that most boys who choose to dance come across, such as being called weird or gay and being ostracized. These boys are choosing to be educated alternatively — either outside of normal school systems or within a school system where they are accepted as “normal,” because they aren’t the only boys dancing or interested in the arts.

I must add that one of the reasons many of the boys are home schooled has to do with their level of commitment to dance. They want to dance  more hours per day than they possibly could if they were in a typical school, such as the school Julian attends. Or they want to complete high school early so they can begin a professional career at an earlier age.

Julian has chosen not to do either; he was ostracized and teased for three years of middle school (longer really), and now that he feels he fits in and has friends, even though he still gets teased by some kids in his school, he doesn’t want to leave his new-found social life. He also wants to be a “normal” kid. That said, if he was offered the chance to dance in a company or in a show, he’d give it up in a second…with some regrets but without much hesitation.

I was at Broadway Dance Center and began speaking to the mother of a girl in Julian’s tap class. She was a teacher, as was her husband. She said the kids she has taught who were home schooled and then came to a public school lacked — well…how can I say this nicely? — social graces. They didn’t have the ability to get along or to solve some basic problems that occurred in social situations or in situations involving “authority figures.” She told me she believed having children complete “normal” middle and high school provided a much better life preparation. She felt children who come out of a typical school have necessary life skills that can’t be gained from home schooling.

As for schools for the arts, I think they are lovely. The kids who attend get to be with like minded children. They are nurtured and allowed to pursue their interests at a young age, and they get all that social education as well as the interaction with authority figures. However, this type of environment also fails to provide a real-life experience. Then when they get out into the world an are called “gay” or pushed around for being different, they may not know what to do.

Anyway, back to the subject of ABT: I was totally, totally, impressed with the boys, especially level blue and up. The higher level boys were something to behold!

Julian is sad that the program is over and plans, at this moment at least, to audition and come back next year. He’s made friends. He’s enjoyed himself. He’s improved immensely.

As a parent, I can say that the experience was well worth the money for him. For me…well, that’s another subject and story.

One more week in NYC. I’ll keep you posted if I can on our escapades at the New York Dance Studios. Tomorrow we aren’t doing much: one jazz class with Sue Samuels and then off to see Pilobolus. We pick up again on Monday late afternoon or evening after a trip to my see my mother once more before going home. (We travel there by bus on Sunday late morning.) More at that time.

One last note: I thought the people at ABT did a pretty superb job with the program and the performance overall. My only complaints as a parent: the fact that we were never allowed into the ABT “inner sanctum” until the last week (although I can understand that they might not want daily visits from parents), no activities for the group of attendees at all and no final group activity or anything. Not even a word at the end of the performance, which made it a little strange. I thought they should have at least come up when it was over and said something. (The directors did say something at the beginning.) But overall, well done, ABT.

Gearing Up For End-of-the-Year Concert

This is it! The end-of-the-year concert happens this weekend. Julian finished up Los Gatos Ballet’s Copellia last weekend only to start right in on technical rehearsals for Teen Dance Company’s 10th anniversary concert on Monday. Here it is Friday already, and he’s been at the Mexican Heritage Theatre in San Jose since 4 p.m. (it’s now 9 p.m.). Tomorrow, he’ll be there all afternoon rehearsing before the evening show. Then he’ll perform in a second show on Sunday.  Then we are done until next year. (Well, classes continue all summer, and they are actually open to the public from June through August.)

If you live in the Bay Area, CA, please come watch! There are still tickets, and you can purchase them at the door or go to www.teendancecompany.org and order them on line. Be sure to email me at NinaAmirLacey@aol.com to let me know you are coming. I’d love to meet you!

I’m so excited to see all the pieces. I’ve never seen two of the numbers Julian is in, a tap piece by Carol Jones and a contemporary piece by Jen Hechtle Bradford. I’ve seen parts of Mark Foehringer’s contemporary number, but I haven’t seen it from start to finish with the additional choreography that was added. (Julian thought he was going to get to do a love duet, but Mark didn’t end up adding it. Julian was bummed.) And, I’ve never seen the number choreographed by Heather Cooper, which Julian is not in, or the alumni piece, which was choreographed by Jason Parsons. So, I’m pretty exciting!

Julian is a bit upset about one costume: a very see-through shirt that basically is a maternity shirt.  Well…no wonder he is upset. He was going to pose a revolt tonight and see if he could get out of wearing it. I’ll find out later if he had any success. 

And when this weekend is over, we’ve got to finish shopping for dance clothes for American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive. Plus, Julian has to study for finals. (His grades have come up some, I am very happy to report.) While he is preparing for finals, though, he has to stay in shape and, actually, increase his level of exercise. He’s going to run a few days a week with a friend and start taking some extra jazz and ballet classes. Last weekend he jumped rope. He’s also using a theraband and a ball to do some of the exercises I’ve written about for Dance Teacher magazine. 

I’m trying to get someone to write a post about how to prepare for a summer ballet intensive, so keep your eyes peeled. It’s a bit late, but I’ve had no success yet. The people at ABT wouldn’t do it; the only information I could get from them was in the material they sent out. Basically, it just said that the kids should be in good physical shape and be taking three to four ballet classes per week. 

I’m not too worried about Julian. He dances way more than that. Plus, I talked with the mother of a boy who was there last year, and he had plenty of energy to go to tap classes at Broadway Dance Center twice a week, plus take other classes on Saturdays and Sundays. I hope Julian will feel he can do the same. Although, I really think one day off will be a good thing; six weeks without a break can lead to injury. We plan to take at least a whole weekend off to visit my mother in upstate New York (about an hour and a half north of the city), and I want to go out to Long Island to the beach! We’ve also scheduled an extra week at the end of the program just for taking dance classes in New York.

Visualizing the Dancer You Want to Become

I was reading a post at BoysBallet.wordpress.com, called Being Billy Elliot that is from a story written by Nancy Stetson for the Florida Weekly that talks,  about ballet dancer Stephen Hanna’s role in the Broadway musical Billy Elliot. Hanna plays the grown up “Billy.” The article describes a scene in which Billy is imagining himself as older and the two — the younger “Billy” played by one of  three different dancers each night (Kiril Kulish, David Alvarez, and Trent Kowalik) and Hanna — do a pas de deux.

Reading this reminded me of a really valuable practice used by many athletes that our dancing boys can use to help them in so many ways — with their performances, competitions, technique, and general advancement in the art form. What is this practice? Visualization!

As I’ve said before, I’m a big human potential and personal growth proponent. So, I know or have used a lot of the tricks of this trade. However, visualization is one that has been used so successfully by so many athletes. And it’s so simple. You simply develop a really clear picture of yourself doing whatever it is you want to do successfully. If you want to perform your dance perfectly, you see yourself doing so. Or you imagine yourself in the spotlight taking your bow with all the people clapping and yourself feeling like you danced the best you’ve ever danced. If you want more flexibility in your hips (since this is an area in which boys’ bodies often are tight), you can visualize — or imagine — your hips being very flexible and allowing easy movement or the muscles stretching easily as you move and stretch. You can see the muscles like rubber bands or taffy… You get the idea.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this technique before, but reading that article and seeing the picture of the older and younger Billy made me suddenly realize how easy it would be for boys (or girls) to visualize themselves achieving their dance goals as a way of helping themselves actually do so. This is not enough, obviously. They have to train and strengthen their bodies, but will help. It’s another tool in their toolbox.

If you don’t believe this works, ask some professional athletes. Or listen to some motivational tapes from Brian Tracy or any number of human potential and personal growth teachers in a variety of arenas (business, sports, spirituality). Or take my word for it. I did a fire walk once, and all we did for two hours prior to putting our feet on those glowing coals was visualize being on the other side with our feet in buckets of cool water. And guess what? I walked across those coals not once but twice without even the slightest burn on my feet.

Anyone can use this technique for anything. You can visualize yourself having a successful job interview or dance audition. You can visualize yourself having a good outcome to a confrontational communication with someone or to a conversation with your teenager about homework or grades.

There’s one caveat to this, however: The visualization is more effective if you can actually feel what it would be like to achieve the outcome you desire. If you can get a sense of being in that lime light with the applause and feeling like you’ve never danced better, if you can really feel the pleasure of muscles that are supple and flexible, if you can feel the relief of a communication gone well and the honest and love that were shared in the process, if you can feel the sense of achievement of landing a new job or being told your got the  part after an audition. The key is to combine your thoughts of what you desire with the feeling of having it. In other words, while you are visualizing what you want, feel it as if it had already happened. It shouldn’t feel like an “I wish” scenario happening in the future but rather like something happening right now in this moment.

I hope Julian and I will be able to go see Billy Elliot while we are in NYC. We are in the process of looking for apartment sublets at this point (if anyone knows of one).

Do Development Stages Affect Boys’ Dance Ability?

We’re back from The Pulse. Julian is tired, happy to have danced with some great choreographers and to have learned some cool choreography, and a bit disappointed not to have won a scholarship of any sort. I know…I know. The scholarship isn’t important. Tell that to Julian. He had several choreographers talk to him and tell him he was doing a good job, but no real “recognition.” To him that means he isn’t yet good enough.

I attended all of Saturday’s classes and the last class on Sunday. So, while I could only relate what Julian told me after the Nuvo convention, this time I actually analyzed a bit of what was going on when it came to choreography and how the kids interpreted it or “copied” it, and how they were, indeed, getting recognized. And now I can tell you what I think…or what questions came up for me…for whatever that is worth.

First, let me say, that there were some pretty awesome dancers there, especially when it came to the boys. Saturday was almost totally focused on hip hop classes. I thought some of these boys would disappear on Sunday, which seemed mostly focused on contemporary, but when I go there for the last class most of the boys were still in attendance. And most of them were just as good at contemporary as they had been at hip hop. (They did combine the advanced and pro class for that last class that I watched, because they were short one teacher; Mia Michaels was sick and didn’t show. I guess Julian is destined not to dance with her. Instead they had Brian Friedman for a second class.)

So, here’s what I noticed: First, according to Julian and from what I heard while I was in the room, at this convention all the teachers told the attendees to make the dance “their own.” That makes the question from my last post mute. And it gave the kids the freedom to learn the dance and then go beyond the basic movements. Most of the kids, however, did the choreography pretty much as taught. The difference between how one dancer did it and another and who got put on state and who didn’t (and who got scholarships and who didn’t) seemed to me to come down to the amount of energy, feeling, accuracy, and precision in the movements. The kids made it their own not so much through interpretation that changed the choreography in any way but in how much they bent their knees, how much emotion was portrayed in the movement of a head or hand, how quickly their torso moved, etc.

As I watched them move, and as I watched Julian, a question arose in my mind: Is it possible that a boy’s dancing  (or a girl’s) can be inhibited by their developmental stage at any given time? I think the answer is a resounding “yes.” And here’s why.

Let’s take a simple example first. One of the first dances the kids did on Saturday was to a song that was very sexual in nature. It was all about taking a girl home and having her do to the guy what he normally did to her. While the choreography could be done by anyone, the kids who performed it best, did so in a very sexual manner. They had the pelvic thrusts and the sways of the hips and the movements of the hands down the body down to a sexy art. (It’s a bit appalling actually to think that 14 and 15 year olds know how to dance this way…The room was filled with 14-18 year olds.)  More to the point, if a 14 or 15 year old (or 16 or 17 year old) doesn’t have the developmental wherewithal to know how to dance that way — to drum up the feeling to dance that way, they aren’t going to carry off the choreography well. Their performance is going to be missing something that a boy who maybe has had a sexual experience, or whose hormones make him feel sexual or sexy, or who has watched a lot of movies with sex scenes, or who simply is older and can relate to the words of the song will have.  Their movements will belie their knowledge, understanding and depth of feeling, while the other boys movements will be lacking. And I definitely saw some that were lacking in that way…and some that were not.

A less simple example comes when you have a kid whose developmental stage makes him insecure. Take your average freshman in high school, who is trying to fit in, find himself, and discover even a small sense of self-esteem.  The lack of these things will show in their dancing despite any superb technique or ability to mimic choreography or even make it their own. Their performance just won’t be as strong; it will wreak of all those insecurities they carry with them all day long, even if they feel fairly secure on the dance floor. Wherever they carry that insecurity — in their upper bodies, in their arms, in their shoulders — that’s where you’re going to see their dancing falling short and looking weak.

All this to say that the dancers I saw really “hitting it” at the convention seemed to have a maturity about them, a strong sense of self and a confidence that allowed them to carry out the choreography in a way that made you notice them. They were not only really going for it and making sure they got noticed, they were putting their heart and soul into the movements with a true sense of self.

This all became clear to me during the question and answer session. Someone asked what the choreographers looked for when dancers audition for parts in shows. Two choreographers responded. Tyce Diorio said something along these lines: “I look for people who are real individuals.” From this I took him to mean that that sense of individuality and strong sense of self comes through in their dancing.

Laurieann said, “Spirit is like a muscle, and you have to exercise it every day.” As she elaborated on this, what I took away was that as you exercise your spirit, strengthening your ability to bring your spirit forth in your dance (which means bringing more of yourself through your dance), you become a better and more unique dancer.

Both of these pieces of advice require confidence and a strong sense of self. (They don’t require a big ego; in fact, a large ego is usually a symptom of insecurity.) And many young dancers — boys and girls alike — are still trying to find their individuality, struggling against the pressure to conform in order to fit in, and their spirit. Thus, they may not have these qualities yet. They have to find their individuality; they have to know who they are, be okay with themselves, feel good about who they are even if they don’t fit in, even if they are different. They have to like — love — themselves. And then they have to dance in a way that expresses who they are.

I think Julian’s stuck in a developmental stage right now that isn’t helping his dancing. I suggested he go into the studio alone with his music and “find himself.” Actually, during the question and answer session someone asked if dance class or time spent dancing alone benefited a dancer’s education more.  I believe Wade Robson said, “Both are beneficial.” Julian doesn’t spend much time dancing alone.

Now, I’m not sure that dancing alone will help Julian find himself in school or socially, but it’s a start. One area at a time.

And for every boy that is still struggling to find himself, I wonder if the same advice doesn’t apply: Be an individual. Exercise your spirit muscle.  Go into the studio alone and find yourself.

Preparing for Going Solo Performance and Copellia

Things are gearing up again. Julian has been practicing an old routine of his from a few years ago called “Hats” for solo studio performance on Thursday. We didn’t realize that he could actually perform in this event, so he didn’t prepare a solo. (We’ll know for next year.) So, he pulled out his very-successful piece, choreographed by ReMinD, otherwise known as Aristan Rinpoyla. When Julian competed this number, he won lots of awards for the unique choreography which is a bit like the movie “Mask;” each time he puts on a new hat, he dances a different type of hip hop.

While those who make the decisions about who performs what at the studio weren’t too keen on Julian doing a hip hop routine, they actually found the choreography “entertaining,” and allowed it into the show. Another point for ReMinD!  Julian has since been trying to get the piece back up to performance level. I’m not sure it will be quite there with just 2 weeks of sporadic rehearsals, but it will be okay.

Tomorrow, he begins rehearsals for Copellia with Los Gatos Ballet. Since tech rehearsals for this productin were in close conflict with Teen Dance Company’s concert tech week, we were afraid he wouldn’t get to do the performance. However, he’s been allowed to do it with the caveat that if his school work starts affecting attendance at TDC, he has to drop out of Copellia.

His grades are getting a bit better, I’m happy to say, and he’s only missed one assignment in 3 weeks or so. However, his honors English grade is in the basement (and that’s putting it really nicely). We’re hoping he brings it up so he doesn’t have to attend summer school. If that happens, he can kiss his ABT summer intensive scholarship and experience goodbye. That would be a shame.

This weekend he is off to The Pulse to dance with the choreographers of So You Think You Can Dance. He’s excited about that. Although he does get to work with Mandy Moore occasionally, and she isn’t with The Pulse, he hasn’t worked with Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, Shane Sparks, Brian Friedman, or Wade Robson before.

I’m hoping to get to the convention to watch as well, since I’d like to see these people operate myself. However, my daughter has a synchronized swimming meet on Sunday…Can’t ever be on a different day, can it?…so I’m going to miss a few of these choreographers in action. I’m sure Julian will have a blast, though.

Be Billy (Elliot) and Get Fired!

I read an article in the latest issue of Mvmnt Magazine about the current cast of Billy Elliot, the Musical. (The article I wrote on Criss Angel’s Believe, which Wade Robson choreographed, is on the cover of this issue.) It seems that one, as yet unnamed “Billy” is due to get fired already, and the show only opened on November 13! It seems time does not lie on the side of these child actors/dancers. As soon as puberty hits, they are out!

I would speculate that Kiril Kulish, aged 14, has gotten (or will get) the ax. One of the other boys also is 14, but Kiril is the only one who looks 14. The other two look much younger.

If you recall, my son auditioned for this Broadway musical almost two years ago now, making it through four  auditions to the last one which was supposed to last 30 minutes but which lasted almost 2 hours instead.  We were sure at the time he would be considered for the role.

When he didn’t get the part, we discovered that the casting directors had to produce time lines on all the top candidates, predicting when they might hit puberty. The “Billys” can’t have cracking voices or peach fuzz on their lips while on stage. And they surely didn’t want to put a ton of money into these boys only to discover they no longer looked or sounded like boys a month or two – or even six months – into the show. (Unfortunately, it seems they miscalculated with at least one boy…) They made the right decision with my son, Julian. Had he been there on opening night, his voice would have sounded much different than it did when he auditioned on that February day in 2006 and the audience might have detected a slight mustache (of which he’s quite proud) if the make up crew didn’t do a good job of covering it up. Whether or not that’s why they didn’t hire him as a “Billy” we’ll never know. He didn’t have any voice training, although the voice teacher we hired just before and just after the Be Billy audition said he had singing talent. And, the audition description said they were looking for raw talent. In fact, when it came to the dancing, the boys were told to bring tap shoes “if they had them.” So, the directors were willing to train these boys.

Anyway, this article indicates that young male (or female) dances and actors must live with the fact that their time in any show is limited by their changing bodies. While they perform, other actors and actresses are being trained to take their places…thus the reason for the Billy Elliot Academy. Adult actors don’t need to worry about this; no other actors waiting in the wings to jump into their role, unless of course they don’t do a good job.

That’s the oh-so-up-uplifting news for today. Sorry I couldn’t be more positive…A reality check is always a good thing, though, right?

On that note, let me also mention that puberty does effect dancers in some other ways. As they grow, their muscles can’t keep up with their bones and they become more prone to sprains and breaks and all sorts of injuries. They become clumsier. They may not be able to do things they could before, or the same actions may feel awkward all of a sudden, because their center of gravity has changed. They may literally not know where their feet are at any given moment. They may not be as flexible, or they may suddenly be able to “get” their splits. They may have aches and pains for no reason. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a growing child and a dancer to boot.

Let me wish you all a very Happy second night of Chanukah and a week of light and miracles if you celebrate this Jewish holiday. And for the rest of you,  may you have a very merry Christmas (in case I don’t write before the 24th or 25th–my schedule has been crazy with driving Julian to tutoring and community service opportunities and trying mostly unsuccessfully to work)! Don’t forget to put a My Brother Can Dance T-shirt in your dancin’ boy’s stocking…or to purchase one before the prices go up in January!

Looking Forward to Nutcracker 2009 as the Curtain Comes down on the 2008 Production

The Nutcracker production put on by San Jose Dance Theater, which featured my son, Julian, as both Fritz and one of the two Russian dancers, has closed its curtains until next year. Yes, while others gear up, we’ve cleared the stage for the next production, put on by Ballet San Jose’s professional company (sorry friends, Julian won’t be in that one this year…) at the same venue, The Center for Performing Arts in downtown San Jose. That said, SJDT’s Nutcracker was a resounding success, and, given that it’s the first time I’ve seen it, I was totally impressed. Really!

This production features mostly local youth dancers and four professionals: Sarah Spradlin-Bonomo and Chris Bonomo, a husband-and-wife team that do amazing lifts and partnering; Maximo Roman Califano, a Ballet San Jose company member;  and Liesl Coffin, a teacher at Los Gatos Ballet. Marcie Ryken, the production’s artistic director, runs Los Gatos Ballet. It also had a few adults as the parents in the party scene and such. By the way, the father of one of the dancer’s played Drosselmeyer, and he was, by far, the best Drosselmeyer I’ve ever seen! In any case, the sets were beautiful and totally professional. The costumes were fabulous,  and the dancing impeccable and as professional as humanly possible with children aged 5-18. (They call the kids they put together for the SJDT Nutcracker a pre-professional company…)

Of particular note, a girl we know played the lead in the Arabian dance  on the night we watched and partnered with Califano. I was so very impressed with her ability to partner with him, which must have been a bit intimidating as well as exciting. (As a mother, I was watching her in that skimpy outfit with his hands on her body…but that’s a fact of a female dancer’s life. I just wondered if she felt uncomfortable…) She did as well as any professional dancer. Of course, if your going to partner and leap into a dancer’s arms, you want to do it with a professional your first time. Then you can be confident of being caught and having your turns go well.

As for Julian, he looked great! He managed to land his flip in the Russian dance every time but one out of five performances. And he did land it that last matinee on Sunday, but ended up with his hands on the ground briefly. Chalk it up to being tired. All his other turns and leaps looked great, and he had a super time. He did a superb acting job during the party scene, although I told him he really didn’t have to act at all – he just had to be himself: a pain in the ass. He was very funny being a holy terror and annoying everyone in sight as Fritz.

He said he enjoyed it enough – and made some good friends (and the girls, of course, loved him) – to give up all his weekends between September and December  next year again.

Anyway, Julian had a great time in the Nutcracker. His dancing improved by working with Marcie, and he plans to try and take her Wednesday afternoon ballet class so he can keep on benefiting from having her as a teacher. He learned a few new skills, like that flip. He also learned to partner, after asking Chris Bonomo to teach him how. (As I said, Chris is an awsome partner. His wife has to be thrilled each time she does a turn or is lifted. He lifts her like she weighs nothing at all. And he was more than happy to offer a few lessons to my son.)

Additionally, Julian also learned how he does not ever want to act to younger dancers after one professional dancer treated him with disdain. 

He also made a ton of new friends (girls and boys) and left a few hearts broken. His phone now buzzes with text messages even more frequently than before. I see him being tagged in photo after photo on FaceBook, and he’s always the one boy among about six or seven girls in tutus.

Overall, therefore, I’d say the Nutcracker 2008 was a success all the way around – at least for Julian. And I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

(Also, given that we had a boy, we really weren’t asked to do much work either! A few hours of Ron being a security guard and that was it! That’s a benefit to having a boy who dances!)

One last note: I did ask Julian after the Friday night performance if he would consider giving the other boys a scoop and swoop lesson, which they really could have used. However, he flatly refused to do so. “Mom, do you really want them to think I’m looking there? Am I supposed to say to them, ‘Hey, I was looking at your crotch (he used other words) and noticed that you don’t have them packaged up correctly. Here let me show you how to do it?’ I don’t think so!’” I guess that just wouldn’t be okay. Ah…if only they had had a great teacher to offer them the manly secrets of how to use a dance belt… I guess the boys just won’t teach each other.

Is Competition Good for Technique?

I’d like to write a short post based on a comment by Nichelle Strzepek at http://danceadvantage.net.   She read my last post on making boys dance slowly to learn the basics, and said the following:

“I have found it particularly difficult to impress the importance of learning to do things correctly with competitive dancers (again, my experience in this realm has been at recreational schools that compete). It seems for these students the eye is too often on the prize and not the work it takes to get there. I also think we live in an instant gratification culture and it becomes increasingly challenging to get kids to see the value in working slowly and methodically.”

In my experience, focus on competitions can, indeed, take away from technique. We saw that happen to Julian. Plus, for the last few years, Julian’s teachers have encouraged him not to compete. They said that the time spent learning dance routines took away from time spent perfecting technique. (Not to mention that the judging at competitions is not always so great, but that’s another whole subject.)

When Julian danced at Dance Attack Los Gatos, one year they would have a recital and the next year they would call their “technique year” and not have a recital. This allowed teachers to focus on technique all your long rather than stopping mid year to teach choreography and focus on all the stuff that goes into putting on a show. I thought this made a lot of sense, and Julian learned a lot more during those technique years.

I think he learned a lot about performing while he was on the Dance Attack Los Gatos performing/competition team, but after the second year we actually thought his technique had gone down hill. That’s when we pulled him out and enrolled him at Ballet San Jose School.

So, for whatever it’s worth, here’s my two cents worth: I think competitions have their place, especially for boys, who tend to really like competition. They also help kids learn how to perform. That said, I do think they can take away from technique, even though to win at a competion you really should have to have good technique in your performance. I think the focus gets put on the performance over the technique, though.

Now, in a perfect world. your son’s (or mine’s) performance or competiton routine  should require him — or rather his teacher should require him — to have perfect technique before he gets up on that stage before the judges.