by Kathryn Holmes | May 6, 2020 | technique
“Fifth! Fifth!” Daniel Catanach shouts during a brisk tendu exercise in his advanced-intermediate ballet class at Steps on Broadway. “That’s ‘fifth’ with a ‘th’!” he adds, making several students’ tense faces...
by Rachel Caldwell | Aug 1, 2019 | technique
On a sunny Thursday morning in Berkeley, California, Robin Nasatir leads her modern class through a classic seated floor warm-up full of luscious curves and tilts to the soothing grooves of Bobby McFerrin. Though her modern style is rooted in traditional José Limón...
by Jenny Ouellette | Jun 27, 2019 | Higher Ed, technique
It’s nearing 5 pm on a Sunday in February, and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” reverberates through University of South Carolina’s volleyball gym, where the Carolina Girls dance team is rehearsing a Nationals routine. What’s most...
by Kathryn Holmes | Mar 20, 2019 | teacher stories, Teaching Tips, technique
To a certain subset of the New York City dance community, Gail Accardi is known as the Body Whisperer. For her part, Accardi calls her work “creative physical problem solving.” Whether she’s leading her Anatomy Awareness class for dancers,...
by Rachel Caldwell | Feb 13, 2019 | teacher stories, technique
In Antoine Hunter’s jazz class, students inevitably pick up sign language just by virtue of being his student. Though he doesn’t typically incorporate ASL into his class combos, this dynamic phrase, which is one of his favorites, includes four signs:...
by Rachel Caldwell | Jan 2, 2019 | technique
The tripod (demonstrated by LizAnne Roman Roberts) is one of the more standard Countertechnique tools, designed to challenge the body to maintain dynamic balance while multitasking through multiple trajectories. Aptly named, the tripod works in three different...
by Rachel Rizzuto | Nov 27, 2018 | technique
Taught by Francesca Harper and demonstrated by Naya Lovell, this step borrows from William Forsythe’s quest to take classical movement vocabulary and deconstruct the shapes created. “Let the momentum at the top of the développé carry you,” says...
by Rachel Rizzuto | Oct 31, 2018 | technique
Stepping into arabesque from développé effacé is tricky, says Kelly Slough of Mark Morris Dance Center, because it involves “that moment of truth”: changing weight from one leg to the other in one movement. To make that transition easier, Slough encourages...
by Rachel Rizzuto | Oct 2, 2018 | technique
This partnering move is all about the weight transfer, say Chris and Lauren Grant. “It’s not about Hulk-Hoganing someone,” says Lauren. The flyer and base must keep their hips together throughout, so that the weight of the flyer can pour gently onto...
by Rachel Rizzuto | Sep 4, 2018 | technique
Robin Dunn loves to teach the sexy walk in her beginner hip-hop classes, because it’s a basic step, yet students can put their own mark on it. Two key things to remember: Maintain a light bounce and relax the upper body throughout. “Another key thing? Put...