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I have a student who is moderately knock-kneed and has trouble closing in fifth position without bending her legs. She has a swayback, and her turnout isn’t very strong. Do you have any advice? As a teacher, knock knees can be particularly challenging to work with, because they stem from a structural condition that won’t […]
As another season of the popular show “Dance Moms” just wrapped, many are left wondering, “How is this still a show?” The switch from Abby Miller, now behind bars, (wonder if she’s able to watch from her new home?) to ballroom’s sweetheart Cheryl Burke, to the cat-fighting between moms and daughters, clawing their way through […]
I was taught to consistently squeeze my gluteals when dancing, to assist in turnout, and have encouraged my students to do the same. Recently, though, I experimented with relaxing these muscles and have discovered immediate relief from chronic hip pain. Have I been teaching my students incorrectly all along? What you have discovered is that, […]
As a young dancer, Alvin Ailey principal Jamar Roberts learned more than just how to pick up choreography quickly from his teacher and mentor Angel Fraser-Logan at the Dance Empire of Miami. In a recent New York Times article, Roberts, says that Fraser-Logan “taught me how to be an artist—the importance of dance being a […]
My daughter’s ballet teachers have been telling her to straighten her legs more—particularly in arabesque—but she swears they’re as straight as she can make them. Do you know how we can help this? Sometimes knees won’t straighten due to injury, like a meniscal tear or swelling caused by trauma or arthritis. To test if this […]
One of my dancer friends was told by a doctor that she had reverse curve in her spine due to constant forward curves, head-tail movements and backward rolls. Do you have any advice for how to remedy or prevent this? The answer is: good posture! The constant forward head that students have as they look […]
Lindsay Arnold is hoping this is her season to win the Mirror Ball on “Dancing with the Stars,” and we’ve gotta say—it really could be! With her gorgeous choreography and her partner Jordan Fisher’s natural ability, we won’t be surprised if they, “take the lead,” so to speak. On the road to this glamorous career, […]
William Whitener held countless auditions when he directed The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Kansas City Ballet and Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, and he himself learned from legendary choreographers Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse about what it takes to make it on Broadway. Now he coaches ballet students on these skills when he guest teaches around […]
Robert Roldan may have stolen our hearts on Season 7 of “So You Think You Can Dance”—but it seems his heart was stolen long before that by none other than Emmy Award–winning choreographer Mandy Moore. As his first jazz teacher at Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts in Thousand Oaks, California, Moore taught him everything he […]
Help your dancers improve their performance—and scores—with this advice from veteran competition faculty: Martha Nichols, Judy Rice and Suzi Taylor. Connect with your ensemble. Everyone can be dancing at the same time, but not necessarily together, because they don’t acknowledge each other. “Relax and have a good time,” says Martha Nichols of New York City […]