DanceLife Blog

By Jason Winters

This industry, and the connections within it, surprise me more and more each day! In fact, with todays technology and enough time and perseverance, a dancer/actor/singer/choreographer/director/producer/etc. can have "families" all over the world. And with amazing luck and a simple philosophy to not "burn bridges", I have been become living proof of just that!

Years and years ago, I lived in Orlando, FL, where I worked at Walt Disney World as a dancer in many shows. During my time there I came to work with other young performers from many different countries and backgrounds, as well as world class choreographers like Jaime King (Madonna's current director/creator for all her tours), dancers from Julliard (the most prestigious school in the U.S.), and producers who now create all of Walt Disney's shows on Broadway. At that time we were all just kids brought together for different kinds of contracts, but truly connected through our love of this industry.

I was lucky to meet an incredible dancer named Cindy, who was one of Mia Michaels' assistants at that time, and we began to dance and work together with Mia. Over the years we would find ourselves called upon to help create some of the most amazing projects, and in the down time between those projects, we would go our separate ways working for other people and pursuing other avenues. BUT, we always came back as the closest of friends and picked up right where we left off. Just recently Cindy was here performing with KIDD PIVOT, which is a Canadian based company formed by the renowned choreographer Crystal Pite, and we were able to catch up for lunch. We hadn't seen each other for a few years, since working on Cirque de Soleil with Mia, but we had definitely kept in touch via emails and such. Cindy, went on to tell me about the incredible new project her and her husband have started for poor and under privileged children in Africa and India. Their program brings the arts and basic education to these children in desperate need of support and inspiration. I was so moved by her direction and passion that I agreed to help in any way possible, and in the next year I will travel to India for a brief time to donate my skills in any capacity possible. These schools provide a place to nurture and share OUR experiences and cultures with THEIRS, and there is nothing more special and important in the world today!

The real lesson in this little blog is how important every single connection we make along our career path can be. Don't EVER "burn a bridge", or think someone isn't worth your time... because every human being is "WORTH YOUR TIME", and life is not meant to be rushed or ignored. The dancer/singer/actor next to you today could be the choreographer/director/producer/photographer/movie editor/ or ANGEL OF THE GOLBAL COMMUNITY, that will change the world of tomorrow.

Love & Light,
Jason

By Dale Pope

Teacher: To show (someone) the way; to guide, conduct; To pass on knowledge, especially as one's profession;. There are many definitions, quotes and names for the ‘teacher'. Mentor, coach, role model, hero, idol....... It's quite a list to live up to and sometimes in the role as a teacher I don't feel worthy of the worship that pours out of the eyes of an eager young dancer desperate to follow my every word and move.

There are extraordinary rewards from teaching, and I'm biased, especially from teaching dance. It only takes one face in a room of 30 to inspire me to give everything. And give everything we do. We not only create movement, instruct on technique, prepare for exams, improve performance qualities but we also design costumes, give career advice, balance the psychological needs of the student versus their parent, mentor the Year 10 dancer about to give up dancing, and so on. It can be exhausting, and so I ask, who inspires you? Who coaches you? Who is your role model for teaching? And do you need inspiration?

I say we all need inspiration not matter what line of work. However, dance teachers are unique. We give physically, mentally and emotionally and still we start every hour with a fresh and smiling face as if it's our first hour too. But sometimes the well can feel pretty empty. That's when I know I'm in need of inspiration. How? Sometimes I have the energy to attend another dance teachers class, usually at Sydney Dance Company where they house some of my favourites like Jason Winters (such a beautiful way of explaining things), Dean Walsh (a fascinating mixture of anatomical brilliance and spiritual undertones), and Sarah Boulter (it's like falling into a vat of indulgent cream). Those are just a few. But sometimes there's no energy left to even do that. And so I would like to recommend some simple tips on finding inspiration:
• Book a private yoga or pilates session and have someone teach you! AND you don't have to be good at it.
• Book a private Tango lesson - that was the most inspirational gift I gave to myself two years ago - their passion and reason for dancing not only inspired me but changed the way I taught.
• Go online and look up inspirational speakers/quotes - one that gets me going is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY - Sir Ken Robinson discusses children's creativity.
• Get creative - one of the most important parts of our lives is to be creative and enjoy what we make. Create a sequence that is dancing for the pure joy of it, not for technique or performance. Just because you love the music!
• Sometimes going for a walk in Mother Nature before teaching works a gem for me. Grounds me and reminds me there are bigger things at play.
• And if you do find that energy - get to class with a teacher who truly gets you excited. Learn from their dialogue, their class structure, their passion.

Teaching is a calling not a bread and butter job. Your students see through that immediately and so we have no option but to pour out everything creative via the natural teaching skills we came into this life time with. Every class, you are an inspiration. So do find the time to be inspired yourself.

Hi everyone, my name is Nathan M. Wright and I am thrilled to be making my writing debut, here on Dancelife. When it came to deciding on my first topic, I really wanted to make it interesting, therefore I thought that I would share one of the most fabulous experiences I have had in the past year and that is choreographing the Australian production of Avenue Q. Receiving that ‘phone call was a dream come true and one that I had hoped for a long time. I will be forever grateful to Jarrod Carland, Torben and Richelle Brookman for giving me this amazing opportunity.

The chance to recreate a Broadway show is Australia doesn't happen very often, so I was delighted to be asked to choreograph this production. I was very fortunate to be teamed up with Jonathan Biggins as Director, David Skelton as Musical Director and the incredible Richard Roberts as the Designer. As I knew Avenue Q was hugely successful and had a massive following, I also felt the pressure to recreate something that was true to the original but at the same time leave my new stamp on the show.

One thing I didn't do was to watch any footage of the show. I didn't want to be swayed by anything that I had previously seen, oh, plus, I had never choreographed puppets before either!  As I love a challenge, I started working with Sue Giles from Polyglot Puppet Theatre nearly six months before rehearsals. I was in the Associate Choreographer on The Rocky Horror Show, which was playing in Melbourne, so whenever I had some spare time I would be in the Polyglot Theatre, working with some of Australia's best puppeteers.

The auditionees needed to not only be able to sing, but have multiple character voices, act and dance.... not much to ask really!

The auditions started in Melbourne in September 2008. Everyone had to prepare two songs and a comedy monologue. Can I just say, that I h ave never laughed so much in an audition? Since I am also a performer, I completely understand how nerve-racking auditions can be, so, when I am on the other side, I always make sure that I'm smiling from ear to ear. You want everyone to be brilliant; you want to give everyone a job. At the end of the day we need you!

As there wasn't a requirement for a separate dance call, all of the fabulous people that were called back had a mini workshop with the puppets and then had to sing and manipulate the puppets all at the same time.... let me tell you, it is not as easy as it looks!! While you're in an audition belting out your best ballad, forgetting that your have a puppet on your hand, is quite easy to do.

I'm going to be completely honest with you all...I get my best choreographic ideas from vacuuming! Yes, vacuuming. So by the time rehearsals started, I had the cleanest carpet in history. I had two rehearsal puppets at home to work with. This is the time that I must thank my friends who came over to my lounge room and danced around with cushions and socks on their hands for weeks, before I started rehearsals.

My biggest fear was whether what I had created with those cushions and friends, was going to work on the floor of rehearsals?
I had great days when everything which I had imagined, went off like a dream, then those days when I would swear to the cast that they were about to witness pure theatre magic and it doesn't even come close to what you are thinking!

The other challenge I found when choreographing the show was discovering how to make a puppet behave like a human. Then to make things a little more difficult, two people play one role.

One person controls the left side and the other manipulates the mouth and the right arm, oh, then there are the feet, which is basically a Pas de Deux!
So each morning for the first two weeks of rehearsal, I would workshop with the cast on puppet movement that we could create.

We had five weeks rehearsal in total before we started our tech in Melbourne. For a show like Avenue Q where none of our cast had ever used puppets before that isn't a huge amount of time. Rehearsals for the first three weeks were in Sydney as Jonathan was performing in Travesties for The Sydney Theatre Company, and then we made the move to Melbourne for our final two weeks. By then end of our three weeks in Sydney we had finished the show, which then gave us the opportunity to work on everything else.

The Director, Jonathan had the most incredible ideas, and did he make me laugh?! The most important thing for me in rehearsals is having a laugh. If the cast isn't having a good time, then you won't be either. I discovered that some of my favourite parts of the show were when we were mucking around with the puppets and someone would do something spontaneous and Jonathan and I would be like..."that's it!"

We were very fortunate to have the most incredible actors in out show. Each one of them brought so much to this production. When casting this show we had to find actors to fill the roles but then also actors that could cover the roles! You wouldn't think that Avenue Q would have a Dance Captain, as it might not look like the most choreographed show in the world.

The reason that this show is choreographed to within an inch of its life, is because, should one of the performers get sick, the show or the puppets don't alter. For example, if one of the actors who share the puppet ‘Trekkie' falls ill and a cover goes on, all of the reactions and footwork have to be exactly same. As nearly every performer in the show changes puppets throughout the show, so every moment is choreographed to perfection, for the well being of the production.

Once ‘Opening Night' hits, The Creative Team leave the show and The Dance Captain and Resident Director take over. Their work is to maintain the vision of the show, throughout the run. Both Jonathan and I pop in whenever we can, to see the show.

We moved into the theatre five weeks after the rehearsal journey started. It was so thrilling to see Richard Roberts set design. Richard also didn't look at any other footage or images of the show when embarking on his vision. Our set was the first one that revolved into the three apartments on Avenue Q.

We finally hit previews!!!

After dissecting the show for the past six weeks, the jokes are still funny but the cast now needs a real reaction from a paying audience! The previews went through the roof. The reaction was incredible. I remember sitting in the stalls and the show started, my stomach was filled with every emotion possible and then they laughed, and laughed again! It was truly the most wonderful sound to hear after you invest so much of yourself into something.

Jeff Marx who wrote the show came out for the Opening in Melbourne. What an incredible man. He came and watched a preview on the Sunday matinee. I was so nervous to be sitting next to Jeff who wrote the show and won the Tony Award for best musical! Long story short...he loved it. Loved all the little changes and the choreography!

Avenue Q was one of the most incredible times of my professional life. I want to thank every single person who I worked with throughout this time. The show is still running now nearly a year later. I'd like to make special thanks to the cast, band, crew and producers.

Nathan M. Wright.

DanceLife would like to congratulate Nathan on being nominated for a Green Room Award, Best Choreography in a Musical. Goodluck and well deserved. We are also lucky enough to have Nathan as one of our judges at DanceLife Unite!

By Jeff Withers

Heard of sports psychology? Of course you have. And you would know that its focus is on processes and strategies that deal with a performer's "conscious" level of thinking - ie consciously seeking a change in physical behaviour, for example working on your body shape so on.

However, have you considered the power of the mind and its affect on performance? Performing at your best is more than simply the result of physical training - when body, mind and emotions work together, heightened performances result. Would your performance be improved through greater concentration, increased awareness, the ability to visualise, more focused motivation and so on? Your mind, your emotions ... they control your body, so peak physical performance is the result of "programming" and integrating these unique elements into your regular ongoing training / rehearsing regime.

How you think affects your emotions, and your emotions affect your physical performance. Try this exercise ...

Find yourself a quiet place to relax in and think of an outstanding performance you have enjoyed in the past. As you begin to relax, replay the occasion in your mind ... where was the event ... what did you do upon arrival ... how did warm-up preparations go ... what was going through your mind during all this. Then ... immerse yourself in how you felt, what you saw, what you were saying to yourself just prior to the occasion, the nervousness of the moment, the excitement ... the tension ...

Now, the event begins ... enjoy the moment ... relive the occasion to its full ... embrace the anticipation, the excitement ...

As you relive this, allow all your emotional and physical reactions to intensify as if you have a big dial that you could turn - turn up the volume, magnify the colours, increase the emotions and thoughts you are immersing yourself in. Are you getting a reaction, is it something different, is it a good and pleasant recollection.

If you could measure your body's physical reactions at this point you might notice reliving the event has increased your heart rate, or perhaps quickened your breathing, maybe initiated / increased involuntary muscle movement as you replay the experience.

Did you experience some interesting reactions. If you didn't, perhaps you might like to try again - it's not always easy to allow your mind to be so active and even a little out of control.

Your body, mind and emotions are not separate entities;
they intertwine and work together to influence your behaviours.

Did you know imagined experiences affect you in a physiologically measurable way just as much as "real ones" do? Therefore ... and here's the exciting bit ... the more vividly you imagine, the more powerful your experience will be. Even more exciting, what if you had the ability to do the very same thing, turned on "at will", whenever you prepare for a performance. Would this make a difference?

Bottom line - before something can happen physically
you must engage your mind and emotions.

In other words, you need to decide what you intend doing in your mind and then build your desire to have this happen as you imagine it prior to any physical action.

Think back for a moment this time on a performance where things didn't go as planned. What got in the way - poor concentration, bad mood, nervousness, self doubt, poor discipline, lack of enthusiasm (you get the idea). Was there any physical reason you didn't perform as hoped? On most occasions performers face emotional and mental obstacles more so than physical issues when performing, yet most spend so much time on physical preparation at the expense of working on these obstacles.

How much practice / rehearsal did you undertake this week -
how much was aimed at improving your mental and emotional strength?

Consider the following concept put forward by the famous Donald Trump......

80% of your success is the product of your attitudes, beliefs, motivation, self perception ... your mind and emotions ... and your willingness to engage them in your training and performances

20% of your success is the result of the skills and expertise you have developed over the many long and hard hours of practice and rehearsal

In other words, having ability will only get you so far ...

So many performers struggle with success, either on the way up, or simply trying to stay there. My aim over the coming months is to present you with some thoughts and observations on what holds people back and strategies that can help you overcome barriers to success and keep you performing at the level you choose to seek or maintain.

Your emotional and mental focus is always being tested as a performer.

So, how can you control this focus, turn it on and up at will, use it to reach inside to push that little bit further. We will examine how belief systems can work for you or against you, how you can utilise visualisation and positive imagery, develop the skill of modelling others, self coaching, rationalising future pathways and much more.

In closing, I encourage you to visit my website or email me directly should you have any specific issues / questions you would like to see explored further in future articles.

Jeff Withers, Principal of Red River Journey, has a long established history of working with clients in Performance, Personal and Professional environments, to help them reach their optimum Performance Goals. For more information on Jeff go to www.redriverjourney.com.au or email jeff@redriverjourney.com.au  

By Debbie Hatumale

"People wanna know their history. You know, you can't know where you are going if you don't know where you come from."
- Budda H. Stretch
Elite Force Crew
Mop Top Foundations
Hip Hop dance legend and pioneer

Hip Hop is more then a dance style. Hip Hop is a culture, and dance is a distinct part of that culture. Hip Hop dance was established in late 1984 and comprised of four elements - Dance, DJ, MC and Graffiti. Of all the Hip Hop arts, the history of Hip Hop dance is still the least recognized.

Unbeknownst to most dancers, street styles such as Popping, Locking and Break Dance (Also known as Bboying or Bgirling) were established long before Hip Hop dance. Each has its own separate history and documentation, but Hip Hop dance today has grouped the separate styles together, forcing Hip Hop dance to function as an umbrella term as well as a distinct style in itself.

Hip Hop started small, as an urban social dance style present within communities of dancers. Once the recognition of Hip Hop dance lead to the media popularizing the new dance style, major media coverage led to the over exposure of Break Dance and Funk Styles such as Popping and Locking. Large media coverage customarily serves as a promotion for any subject, however in the release of 1980's films "Breakin", "Breakin 2/Electric Boogaloo" and "Beatstreet", the promotion of Hip Hop dance portrayed a historically inaccurate depiction and endorsed the wrong ideas about Hip Hop's dance foundation. More so for commercial intentions rather then portraying precise representation of the dance, the films broadcasted choreography that appealed to audiences without worrying about being correct. Through the culmination of these mass media films as well as numerous music videos and television commercials, the integrity of the culture, as well as the dance, had slowly started to weaken.

Hip Hop dance originally emerged as a "party dance", gaining popularity in clubs and dance floors by listening to Hip Hop music and grooving to the music. The original form of Hip Hop dance emerged from improvised movement to Hip Hop music that was fun and upbeat, forming as a social dance rather then a planned and choreographed piece. Different to what it has come to be in its current dance form - choreography and planned steps were not the focus of Hip Hop dancers in the beginning.

Hip Hop dance today nearly ignores Freestyle and concentrates on the "choreography" of the dance - learning set steps and trying to accomplish them as best as you can. While there is nothing wrong with this - ignoring the basis and original form of the dance is almost as bad as failing to ignore technique and history in Ballet. The influence of other conventional dance styles has had its affect upon Hip Hop dance, which has instigated the shift from Freestyle to sharp and clean movements that have been choreographically planned.

The ability to express individual dance by improvisation shows a dancer's ability to merge training and individual style. Hip Hop in its original form saw dancers not caring about what they looked like, just grooving to Hip Hop music that became popular on dance floors. Recent Hip Hop trends have witnessed an emphasis on choreography that is danced with a Hip Hop attitude, without any understanding on basic Hip Hop foundation and groove.

Break Dancers at the inception of Hip Hop dance referred to the social dance of Hip Hop as "party dancing", emphasizing the fun and carefree nature of the dance. However, implying that there was no choreography or planned steps at the time of Hip Hop creation is also wrong - to gain the popularity of the style requires pieces of recognizable choreography. The creation of new trends and steps in Hip Hop dance requires improvisation and Freestyle, emphasizing raw, unbound and unplanned movement that can only come from improvisation.

The essence of Hip Hop dance is Freestyle. Budda Stretch, from Elite Force Crew and Mop Top Foundations, a Hip Hop dance legend and pioneer, describes Hip Hop as not only a type of dance. Hip Hop is a culture, and the dance is an expression of the culture. Ignoring the very roots of the dance equates to ignoring the essence of the culture. In essence, Hip Hop as its own individual dance form hasn't evolved much. It is the influence of other conventional styles, the media, and the shift away from what was originally deemed important that has changed how Hip Hop is danced. The shift from Freestyling and social dancing to set Choreography has seen current Hip Hop ignore what was seen as the most important foundation at its inception. The unfortunate lack of historical documentation of Hip Hop dance roots has produced dancers who participate in Hip Hop dance but ignore what should be the most important element, Freestyling.

Link:
Budda Stretch from Elite Force Crew defines real Hip Hop Dance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4if1XfMr78w

DanceLife Make Up Expert Tina Sparks from Stand Out Cosmetics gives you the essential facts on Make Up to get you started.

• Skin sweats more when we dance
• We loose 40% of our facial features from the Lights on the stage.
• Eye brows frame our face
• Poorly applied make up is a distraction

These facts are just a few on the large list that we will explore this year, so lets look at these today.

When we dance our body produces sweat to help cool our bodies down. For some, sweating can be minor but for others this may be problem they need to learn how to deal with.

• Sweat can drip down our face moving make up from our eyes lips and cheeks. The best way to think of your skin is in the same way a professional painter views their work.
• Start with a clean fresh canvas (your face) by cleansing and moisturizing your skin. If you have oily or combination skin you may not need to moisturize.
• I recommend an oil free non clogging foundation that is a warm tone one shade darker than you natural skin tone.
• Apply this to every inch of skin from the base of your neck upwards (including ears, eye lids, up into the hairline, jaw, front and back of neck.
• Make up does not need to be harsh looking, it should be complimentary, elegant well blended and not a distraction.
• Up to 40%of our features are lost under stage lights. When we don't fill in our eye brows it looks like our forehead goes on forever.
• Choose an eye shadow not pencil to fill in your brows even if they are dark like mine! Using a shadow with an angle brush is less harsh looking and can be easily brushed out with a brow comb or groomer.
• Think of eye brows as sisters not twins, everyone's are slightly different on each face. They beauty of make up is that we can make them look identical or shape them anyway we like.
• Apply your shadow, blush, lip liner & lip stick.
• Finale! Your last and most important step is to powder your skin. Choosing your finishing powder is vital to how your make up will hold out during your performance day.
• Powders come in many forms from lightly colored, invisible, rice, finely milled and more! They are often neglected in our selection whether we are male or female.
• Invisible ones work well as they don't contain any colour and suck up the oil & shine from our skin really well.
• We spend countless hours rehearsing, our parents spend endless nights sewing & if we just take a little extra time choosing the right high quality make up for our skin & that little bit extra applying it you will have a perfect ending to the beginning of an outstanding performance that is unbeatable!

For more tips, information and Australia's number one preferred make up line for on stage and off visit Stand Out cosmetics at www.standoutcosmetics.com.au or email or call me Tina Sparks, any time!

By Juliette Verne (Jet)

It's almost 5am and taking more than a few moments to work out why my alarm clock is blaring in my ear. Looking at my phone it reads: "Call time 6.00am Berocca Commercial".

I rock up to one of the funkiest locations I've ever been at. Two huge production trucks drive past, side by side down a massive ramp into this vast, empty, rundown tram graveyard. Sun filters down through the beams in the deteriorated roof, shining on bright colourful graffiti that covers EVERY wall. In the shadows of the far corner, 12 gutted trams peak out, watching everyone walk across the muddy floor to where the shoot is about to take place. They sit there silently observing from the shadows the sudden buzz of life as dancers greet each other, production and camera crew prep the lights, sound, smoke, flooring and unload copious amounts of film from the trucks, disturbing these 12 old trams quiet and abandoned peace.

Engaging in a brief chat with the head of production and director to go over the rundown of the days sequence and confirm what shots are required based on the meetings we had weeks in advance, I'm off to find the talent in the building next door. Walking into a sectioned off area that's been turned into the boys change room, I find the Top 10 boys of Season 3's SYTYCD all on the floor. Most of them are half asleep and all of them exhausted after day 3 of their SYTYCD Top 20 experience. Give them all a brief on what's expected today and then to the ladies change room to give them the same. The girls are all abuzz chirping and chatting away (atmosphere worlds apart from the vibe in the boys room), getting to know each other and exchanging their life experiences and the clock hasn't even ticked past 6:05am yet!

Gather them quickly into the rehearsal area as I only have limited time to teach them all the choreography and get them to performance level. "Challenge" has been written all over this process from the beginning as I couldn't get a separate rehearsal time with them prior to today's shoot. Happily for me I work best under pressure and I know that the Top 20 contestants do as well. All of them very capable and fabulous dancers who I got to know quite well while working on the production team and saw them all go through the intense audition process of SYTYCD Season 3.

The new Top 20 picked up the combination very quickly with only a few nervous giggles and lots of buzzing excitement about being in the New Berocca commercial. The dancers chose their own partners and started rehearsing the new combination, which was fast and intricate (Jet style) with a touch of partner work. One of my favourite things to watch is the different dynamics and energy between couples and how the same moves can look completely different depending on who is doing them.

20 minutes later (10 minutes short of my allocated 30 minutes) the Top 20 were pulled away for makeup and wardrobe. Soon after that we‘re over to the location and about to shoot. Smoke fills the set, crew running around making adjustments to lights and cameras. A quick practice on the stage that's been put in especially for the dancers, smack bang in the middle of the huge tram shed, we're ready for "Action!".

Cameras rolling the dancers are on fire, repeating their tricks, kicks and spins over and over again as the Director and DOP' s go for different angles and shoot with different film speeds, lighting and camera movements. Monitors are aglow with the action on the stage and the Director, DOPs and myself watch each take to ensure all shots are captured. Like with any production there are so many variables that can affect a shoot. From different camera angles, lighting adjustments (due to the sun moving throughout the day), equipment, amount of smoke to create atmosphere, dancers choreography, energy levels and fitness of each dancer, music levels, power etc etc the day went super smooth making the client [Berocca], Channel Ten and SYTYCD production team very happy, especially as they were there the whole day providing input on what they wanted / didn't want in the final product. I extend BIG kudos to the Director and crew for keeping all parties happy and making the process flow seamlessly.

Before we knew it someone was calling "It's wrap" and my watch was saying 5:00pm Top 20 were rushed off for various osteo/phsio/massage and other important appointments and I was saying my goodbyes and thankyous while receiving generous praise for a great day.

It's a pleasure working with positive and capable teams and today was a highlight in how well a shoot day can run and will go down in the book as a winner.
Look out for the new Berocca commercial! It's going to be a GREAT year!

Till next time :)
Jet

At least 3 times per week I ride my bicycle into Byron Bay. I live 6km out of the town centre and the ride gives me clarity and ideas for my three favorite things within my world of dance - directing my school, writing for DanceLife and my work as a performance enhancement coach. As I was riding this morning I noticed the higher the gear I was in the greater the resistance in my muscles, creating a greater challenge and harder ride. In that moment I could have chosen to let my tired legs win, slow up the bike and simply cruise, or I could step up to the challenge by letting my powerful mind drive the bike and override my tired legs. I chose the latter and when I did this I became capable of riding faster; and boy can I ride fast! I become more focused, alert and centered as my senses become alive and I am more capable of handling the traffic obstacles.

Life provides similar analogies and so does the dance studio. The more we are challenged, the more capable we become of mastering harder choreography and technique but only if we take on the challenge! The more we repeat those challenging steps and create a consistent rhythm the easier they become and we quickly find ourselves ready for a greater challenge. This is how we improve, this is how we grow and this is an important principle in life.

The same principle also applies to the mental and emotional aspects of dance. Today dancers not only need to be dance fit, they need to be emotionally and mentally fit. Your mental and emotional fitness is only strengthened through having a balanced perception of yourself and of the world around you. This enables you to endure set backs, audition rejections and critiquing from your teachers, directors, examiners and adjudicators. It also enables you to humble yourself after the high of the win and get you focused again on the next goal. Your mind and emotions play a major role in your dance life.

I do not necessarily promote "positive thinking" but rather, "balanced thinking". Balanced thinkers know that for every positive experience there will be a drawback and for every negative experience there will be a benefit. Your world is perfectly balanced with challenge and support, however when you chose to focus on only the negative without the positive or the positive without the negative you become out of balance either stressed or hyped.

So while you are refining your goals for 2010 consider creating goals that will help you grow emotionally and mentally. Some goals maybe;
• Stand at the front of the dance class more often
• Ask your teacher to give you more feedback on your ability and career prospects
• Enter more eisteddfods so you get used to staying focused at competitions
• Audition audition audition!
• Try public speaking

Try something new, anything that will help you to grow out of your current mental and emotional box. Decide to love yourself no matter what the outcome and give yourself permission to fail; it is only through failure that one can discover success!

I look forward to assisting you in growing as a dancer, performer or teacher in 2010 on DanceLife! ...Remember YOU are the one that can make anything happen!

Yours in dance
Kate xx
www.katehiston.com
www.byrondancedynamics.com.au  

© Copyright Kate Histon 2010 on behalf of DanceLife Australia. To copy or distribute any part of this article you must first seek permission by the author Kate Histon.

BY: DALE POPE

Just before Xmas, hundred's of hopeful dancers around the country found out their dreams were coming true for 2010. They were accepted into a full time tertiary dance course. These successful dancers enjoyed a huge Xmas dinner (before starting their health kick) and made New Years resolutions to be the best and most committed dancer Australia has ever seen. And so now as we enter a new decade of fresh starts, it seems timely to offer up some advice to these eager young hopefuls (of which statistically only 5% will work professionally immediately after graduating) and maybe inspire some broader thinking about their year ahead.

I've taught in numerous full time tertiary programs and every year I collect graduate's impressions and words of wisdom to the up and coming talent. Interestingly advice is remarkably the same: The hard days are going to be real hard, harder than you ever thought it could get. The good days are going to blow your mind with how high you'll soar. Injuries will plague you with unfortunate timing, teachers will be looking the other way when you finally nail that quadruple pirouette, your non-dancing friends will be your best cheerleaders (and never lose them, you will need them this year).

And what I want to offer up to this new breed emerging through the glorious haze of So You Think You Can Dance mania is this. Head down and work hard in Term 1. Term 2 lift your head and start to stake your claim in the class. Refine your skill, your dance personality and your image in Term 3, and in Term 4 - bring it home! It will be one of the best and worst years of your life. It's a year meant to challenge and define you no matter what the outcome is. Of the excited graduates from 2009, not a single one regretted their year, and yet only 5% are now working. Must be worth the dream! Good luck!

By: Tia Jordan

Performers are passionate peeps and there's no doubt that anyone with a passionate heart and a mind for success will have rung up some major wins last year. You'll have taken stock of your 2009 experiences, income, health and opportunities, and now you're asking yourself, ‘How can I make 2010 even better?'

As you answer that important question, can you also put up that well trained arm of yours and say you have written down your 2010 life goals? What's that? You don't yet HAVE specific goals for 2010?

Don't worry. You are not alone. But if you do write your goals up, you are statistically much more likely to achieve them, increase your income, enhance your experiences, and bring your wishes to life. In fact if you have someone who you report your progress to, your success is dramatically more likely to happen... sooner!

The first thing I ask when people come to me for career coaching is ‘What do you want?'. " I want to be in Musical Theatre" comes the reply normally. Which makes sense seeing that's my specialty. It's from that starting point that I've helped many people get their foot in the stage door, as it were.

But one of the most important steps you can take in your career, is to design exactly the kind of lifestyle you want your work to interlace with. These lifestyle goals need to be specific and fun to create. Remember this isn't supposed to be a prediction. It's more like a target.

By now, many of you know my personal mission is to help as many people as possible reach their full potential and live the life of their dreams. So get ready to rip this gift below, and paste into your blog or facebook or wha-eva. It's especially for you, so be sure to use it please. You are welcome to share it with family and friends. Don't be tight. Share the love. That's the first step to getting what YOU want in life.

The 4 Moves to More - Tia Jordan's gift to you

Move #1. Prepare To Win. Put your favourite up beat music on - something that juices you up. Stand up and feeling FANTASTIC put a smile on that dial of yours! Dance if it increases how AMAZING you feel. Now you're in touch with what really matters and what you really want.

Move #2. Get Clear. Feeling AMAZING ask yourself: What do I want for my career? What job opportunities? What challenges? In what areas of the industry? Ask questions like: Who do I want to work with? For what kind of income? Where in the world? Now write those answers up.

Move #3. Storyboard Your Future. The brain organises in pictures and symbols. So a picture really does says a thousand words to your mind. Go through magazines or the internet to find pictures that remind you of the goals you've written up. Create an inspiring montage on your favourite coloured cardboard by pasting the pictures on it in a way that makes you excited when you look at it. Glue at least one pic of you into the montage so you feel connected to the goal.

Move #4. Give Thanks. Be grateful for your future like it's already happened. Give thanks to a higher power. (eg. your angel, your creator, the universe)

The Secret Move #5. I absolutely believe in the law of attraction, like in that film and book The Secret. But that's only ONE of thousands of laws. Use the law of Cause and Effect too. The ACTIONS you take(or don't take) CAUSE a RESULT or EFFECT. Meet your angel guides half way, and TAKE ACTION TOWARDS ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS. Goals won't show up by looking at your storyboard alone.

For more information about Tia Visit www.auditionguru.com

Tia is running her successful Scene It! Believe It! Live It! Workshop on Sunday 21 February. Get all the info HERE! Register today, places are limited.