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The beloved “So You Think You Can Dance” alum and former Emmy-nominated “Dancing with the Stars” pro Chelsie Hightower discovered her passion for ballroom at a young age. She showed a natural ability for the Latin style, but she mastered the necessary versatility by studying jazz, ballet and other forms of dance. “Every style of […]
While Teddy Forance admits that performing with commercial artists like Lady Gaga and Madonna, and in front of 30,000 people, is exhilarating, he is personally drawn to more abstract music when he choreographs. It’s a preference that sometimes confounds his contemporaries. “Some of my friends will ask, ‘How do you choreograph to music that sounds […]
“Popular music has an overall energy that lends itself to the street-jazz style,” says Derek Mitchell. But over the last eight years or so, the choreographer, who also teaches contemporary, jazz funk and musical theater, has noticed a lack of great musicality and interesting lyrics. As a result, Mitchell’s music searches often gravitate toward the […]
This is a charged question that I have heard debated my entire career as a dancer, teacher and director. So why would I pose such a contentious question? Because good dance teaching is at the heart of the RAD and a core value we need to be able to define. I hope this will also […]
Despite her traditional ballet training in South Africa, Andrea Giselle Schermoly has always had a wide range of music tastes and sensibilities. “There’s always been this other drumbeat in my heart,” says Schermoly, who’s a three-time Outstanding Choreographer winner at the Youth America Grand Prix. That “other drumbeat” has become an integral layer to her […]
Nothing can get students excited for class quite like the sound of holiday music. There’s just something special about breaking out of your regular routine and playing something fun and festive. Sometimes finding good Halloween music can get a little tricky, but to help, we’ve compiled a playlist full of songs that your students will […]
Ask anyone at the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance how they feel about assistant professor of practice, d. Sabela grimes, and they automatically begin to sing his praises. Not only is he one of the department’s most beloved and dynamic educators, he is among the most respected and innovative facilitators of […]
“This is what I like to call my ‘PG but LIT’ playlist,” says Showstopper Dance Convention teacher Taylor Quinn. “That means all of these songs are great for kids 8 and under, and I get to enjoy them, too. I use this playlist for our stretch and warm-up, going across the floor and sometimes even […]
At the start of last night’s episode of “So You Think You Can Dance,” 41 dancers remained. An hour later, we had a Top 20. And then there was a BIG FAT TWIST. (We’ll get to that.) The 41 still-standing Academy dancers showed up at the Dolby Theater in L.A. ready to tackle three rounds: […]
In 2011, when former American Ballet Theatre principal Michele Wiles departed the company and formed BalletNext, she found an artistic freedom she’d been longing for. Along with new collaborations with choreographers and musicians, she began working with trumpeter Tom Harrell, who introduced her to the multilayered sounds of jazz. “The dancers are another instrument to […]