Because the chassé is often neglected during the execution of this traveling step, Judy Rice asks her students to do a minimum of a six-inch chassé before transitioning into the pas de bourrée. She encourages dancers to pay close attention to their shoulders and hips in effacé, too. “Kids tend to open it up. They […]
In garba, be-thali (pronounced “beh-tahlee”) is the basic step used to travel around the circle counterclockwise and clockwise. Be-thali translates to “two clap.” (The phrase in its entirety is a daudiyu, which loosely translates to “running step.”It includes multiple steps, like two-clap, three-clap, pivots and turns that are linked as the dancer travels around the […]
The twist-o-flex is a standard popping move in which you divide your body into three sections and turn each section individually. Although you can rotate in any order, Ms. Vee’s variation of twist-o-flex rotates the lower body (hips and feet) first, then the head and finally the upper body (shoulders, ribs and arms). “It’s kind […]
The lateral T is a hallmark of Horton technique. When executed correctly, the body resembles the letter T: The torso tilts to 90 degrees, and the opposite leg extends for counterbalance. For a more advanced version of this staple movement, Karen Arceneaux has students continue tilting past 90 degrees to create a low lateral T […]
When Martine van Hamel burst onto the New York dance scene in the 1970s as a ballerina with American Ballet Theatre, she was a bit of an anomaly. At 5′ 7″, she was taller than most ballerinas at the time, but what really made her shine—in a company already filled with stars like Gelsey Kirkland […]
Barbara Mahler’s Klein Technique class always begins the same way: Students slowly roll down until they’re completely folded over—and stay there for about half an hour. This, dancers say, is where tiny miracles happen. There’s a Zen-like calm so strong it’s palpable, as Mahler weaves through her students, gently inviting them to “bring attention to […]
In a sunny studio at Gibney Dance Center in New York City, Janet Panetta is gearing up to teach Ballet for Contemporary Dancers. She slips on her signature red ballet slippers while chatting with one of her students. At her feet, a tiny white Maltipoo bounds over to a dancer stretching on the floor. “She […]
With serpentine fluidity, Nijawwon Matthews gives his intermediate contemporary jazz class at New York City’s Broadway Dance Center a rundown of his warm-up sequence. His spinal undulations, spider-like finger articulations and seemingly infinite wingspan transform a relatively standard array of pliés, roll-downs, head rolls and stretches into something soulful. “Warming up is like being in […]