Dance Writer Magazine November 2018 Issue 10, Volume 1

NOVEMBER 2018

LAUREN JIMMIESON THE NAKED TRUTH THAT MAKES HER ALL THE MORE BEAUTIFUL

DANCEWRITER.COM.AU

CONTENTS

Lauren Jimmieson, performing artist with a condition that she has been hiding from everyone since she was 14.

3 Editor's Note 6 Lauren Drago: Rising Commercial Star

By Jessica Poulter 11 'Break the Barre' column: Rejection, what can it teach us?

By Emma Cheeseman 13 'To the Pointe' Column: And breathe

By Ruth Letch 16 Lauren Jimmieson: The naked truth that makes her all the more beautiful

By Jessica Poulter 21 Health: Pilates in Dance and its benefits

By Haydee Ferguson 24 'No Standing, Only Dancing' column: Perfectionism doesn't equal success

By Sian Corrigan 27 Ambassador Chat By our incredible ambassadors

EDITOR'S NOTE Editor Sub Editor Writers Jessica Poulter Ruth Letch Ruth Letch, Haydee Ferguson, Sian Corrigan, Emma Cheeseman Dance Writer is officially in the double digits! It has been an incredible journey watching our humble magazine grow.

This issue is the soulful edition where we highlight the importance of health and self-care for the always-adverse life of a professional dancer. So how do we manage our body and minds?

I was in desperate need of a holiday. Working full time in marketing, managing Dance Writer and running my own dance school, not to mention also studying a Masters of Business and a Cert IV in Dance Teaching left me with little to no down time. My mailbox was full and my laptop slowed down from overuse. So my boyfriend and I ventured to the States and Mexico for a month and turned my phone off and put my laptop to rest. When I landed on foreign soil, I realised I had been tensing my face, jaw and shoulders for a long time, perhaps since my last holiday a year ago. Breathing in fresh air in the outdoors on an autumn afternoon was enough to revitalise me and give me energy to last the whole day. I completely forgot about all my worries. When I arrived back home in Australia, my shoulders tightened, my jaw clenched and my breath shortened. When reality hits, your body also gets hit with stress. Everyone needs a break from their busy schedule, including performers and we need to find a solution that best manages our body and minds.

The Dance Writer umbrella continues to expand as we soon launch the Dance Writer Youth Company in January 2019. Our tagline ‘Find Your Fierce’ represents the tenacity and fiery passion that all young dancers have and wish to shape into artistic expression. This Melbourne-based Company is an ignition for young talent to begin their dancing careers. If you would like to audition, you must register at our website: www.dancewriter.com.au/youth-company.

Jessica Poulter Editor-in-chief Dance Writer

Jessica Poulter Dance Writer Founder and Editor

LAUREN DRAGO

Australian professional dancer Lauren Drago is the next big thing! After doing many live gigs with TV, pop artists and music videos, she hope to go to Los Angeles to work with her favourite musicians.

LAUREN DRAGO IS AUSTRALIA'S COMMERCIAL RISING STAR Rising star in the commercial dance realm, Lauren Drago plans to jet set off to Los Angeles on a oneway ticket after gathering many glamorous credits on her CV in both Australia and Asia.

After being exposed to all that Los Angeles had to offer on her first visit, Lauren is determined to uproot her life to the West Coast in hopes of achieving an international dancing career.

The 28-year-old professional dancer Lauren Drago is well versed in the business of performance. She has danced alongside many world famous music artists such as Flo Rider and Brian Macfadden, and toured Asia with the TFBoys, Chris Wu, Wei Chen and Joker Xue. Lauren was also one of the few chosen out of hundreds to represent Australia performing at the Dubai Rugby Sevens World tournament. Lauren has performed at the TV Week Logie Awards, Grand Final Footy Show, Big Day Out, Australia’s Got Talent and Hey Hey it’s Saturday to name a few and starred in TVC’s for companies like BMW, American Tourister and Garnier.

Lauren dabbled in gymnastics and dancing during high school but never considered studying dance full time until Melbourne

dance entrepreneur Trish SquireRogers recommended Lauren to audition for her new establishment, Spectrum Dance.

Upon her successful audition as a foundation student, Lauren rapidly became obsessed with dancing and was soon completely devoted to it.

“I’d get to full time early in the morning to prepare for the day, I wrote down pretty much every critic given to me from each teacher, I’d stay back late for extra technique classes, travel to The Space for more extra classes, then eventually joined a hip hop crew (DVP) and would have rehearsals for that too."

"It very quickly became dance all day and night, and I just never got sick of it.”

Lauren has always had a love for street styles, in particular hip hop, but the most recent addition to her life has been waacking.

Andy Kuramoto and Marnie Newton welcomed Lauren into the Melbourne waacking community (Burn City Waack) and taught her about the style and culture. Earlier this year, Lauren travelled to Montreal with BCW and auditioned to take part in ‘Hot Mess’ an international waacking battle. Her and her dance partner Maggie Mad ‘Madfox’ were successful in the audition and made top 16.

Waacking is a dance that originated in the gay club scene during the 1970s in Los Angeles.

Lauren brings her unique waacking style as a point of difference to her technical craft.

It is a style that focuses on individuality- a term that Lauren feels is something not always celebrated

LAUREN DRAGO IS AUSTRALIA'S COMMERCIAL RISING STAR in the commercial world here in Australia.

Body image is an issue Lauren has faced during auditions, workshops and classes, she deeply felt that her competition were taller, thinner and more beautiful, and perhaps that was what was stood in the way of her becoming an ‘it girl’ in the commercial industry.

“You can’t change your height, so how do I change my body? I thought that would maybe help get me the jobs. I swapped out a lot of my dance training for strengthening and conditioning programs in hopes of lengthening my muscles,” Lauren said.

Since working hard to lengthen her body, she grew to love Pilates and became a qualified Pilates teacher. “I prioritised trying to get this ‘perfect body’ and believe that impacted my progress in dance significantly. Pilates taught me to appreciate all the amazing things that my body can do and reminded me that our bodies are so much more than what they like.”

When she’s not performing, Lauren continues to teach dance and pilates and is passionate about spreading awareness when it comes to self love and feeling empowered as an individual.

“I don’t have bad feelings towards the Australian dance industry. I’m realistic and understand why tall women are used frequently, and most of these women are also very talented. I’d just like the people who don’t fit into this category to not feel like they’re second best. We all have something to offer, and I hope that through my teaching I can help spread some awareness and be a positive influence to upcoming dancers. I’d like them to embrace what makes them unique and find their essence, because no matter how much rejection we face as artists, that’s something that no one can take away from us.”

Lauren is convinced dance will be a part of her life forever and hopes America will embrace her style and individuality.

Lauren Drago @dragoheart Photo credits: 1. Hena Memishi 2. Sam Kid Wong 3. Chris Parker

QUEENSLAND DANCERS, HEAR THEM 'RAW' 75 young dancers from across south east Queensland are set to take to the stage at the University of Queensland in mid-November as part of the Raw Company end-of-year showcase.

The Certificate II, III and Diploma level students will demonstrate their skills with performances in lyrical, jazz, Fosse, tap, contemporary, salsa, tango, hip hop, circus, cabaret, and musical theatre.

Designed for secondary school students looking to further their education and experience in the performing arts, the courses are fully accredited and provide vocational education points towards the student’s QCE score.

Raw’s Artistic Director Jack Chambers said the end of year showcase is critically important for the students.

“Not only can they show friends and family what they have learnt, but for many it also signals the start of their careers in the performing arts,” he said.

For Chelsea Francis of Kelvin Grove, the graduation show is the culmination of 13 years hard work. “I started dance lessons when I was 3, so in some ways this is the reward for all the afternoons and Saturdays I spent training,” she said.

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Rejection: what can it teach us?

By Emma Cheeseman No-one likes to hear the word ‘no’. Unfortunately, in an industry filled with like-minded people competing for work in short supply, not every opportunity will be successful. It is tough. But ‘no’ does not hinder your potential for success. With the right mindset, rejection can be viewed as redirection to a greater opportunity.

Let’s focus on what we can all learn from rejection: 1. A better understanding of yourself Recognising strengths and limitations will help you to understand what jobs suit you. While dancing and auditioning outside your comfort zone will help you to develop new skills and strengths, it is important to remain realistic with your expectations for each audition. That way not every rejection will feel like a setback but, instead, an opportunity to grow.

2. Perseverance instills a strong work ethic Dancers are notorious for being hard-workers. Being resilient and persistent is an accomplishment to celebrate. With each rejection, remember that there will always be another opportunity to try again. Instead of feeling defeated—reset, realign and restart.

3. Great struggles lead to great rewards Achieving a difficult goal is much more satisfying when you have worked for it. To truly feel rewarded, you first need to struggle, fight and fail. Embrace the difficulties because they will eventually lead you to your greatest accomplishments. Enjoy your rewards. They may be few and far between, but they are well worth the wait and you are entitled to feel proud!

Learning to view rejection with a positive mindset starts with support - for others, from others, and of yourself.

Jealousy is counter-productive. While envy can be motivating, recognise that you will never walk exactly the same path as another dancer. Instead of wasting time comparing or copying others, focus on your own journey and support everyone else’s pursuit of theirs. The creative arts need as much support as possible; if a dancer is succeeding then so is the industry. This is something to celebrate!

Lean on your support base when you need to. None of us are expected to be strong and invincible all the time. If you’re feeling disappointed or frustrated, let those closest to you help build you back up. Self-belief is an important part of dealing with rejection. Be confident in your ideas and abilities, and back yourself with every opportunity that comes your way.

Rejection can help sculpt us all to be strong, resilient and determined dancers and people. If you experience a setback, remind yourself that you’re probably meant for something even greater!

By Emma Cheeseman Break The Barre www.breakthebarre.com

TO THE POINTE

By Ruth Letch

And breathe...

Working out what is important to your family definitely helps reduce extracurricular activity anxiety.

Understanding what makes you all happy is what counts.

An old-fashioned, hand-written motivational calendar hangs in the kitchen. My phone diary syncs with my husband’s and a notebook filled with daily ‘to-do’ lists resides permanently on our kitchen bench.

With four active and social kids, running a business, volunteer work and house renovations, we are stupidly busy.

Sometimes it is overwhelming and I cry or yell and vent my frustration. I have been known to slam doors in a fit of pique. Suggestions to ‘simplify,’ reduce commitments, make sure I ‘do something for me’ are everywhere. While I do appreciate this, the reality is that I like our life. Our kids love their chosen activities (dance and basketball) and we support their endeavours. We drive to training, games, competitions and gigs because we admire their commitment. We encourage their involvement. Watching them learn, grow, play and perform fills me with pride. It makes me happy.

It is an interesting conundrum. Often the things that cause stress —activities six days a week, late-night games, weekend-long dance competitions, school holiday workshops—also bring such positives to our world. For the first few years of her life, our youngest ate most of her meals in the car or pram. I used to worry about it but, at eight, she seems pretty well-adjusted. We are rarely home to eat together during the week, so Monday nights are reserved for family time. On Sunday evenings we enjoy picnic dinners of nachos or home-made pizza on the lounge room floor. I have no idea how it began, but it is become part of our family dynamic.

Working out what is important to your family definitely helps reduce extracurricular activity anxiety.

Understanding what makes you all happy is what counts. My mother would have a fit if she knew we all sat on the floor and ate without cutlery.

But the kids love it and we’re spending time together, relaxed and having fun.

TO THE POINTE

By Ruth Letch

And breathe...

I do small things that make me happy, give my mind a rest and help me escape from the ‘busy-ness’ of it all.

Our car is a ‘cone of silence’. Like most mums, I worry, but our numerous car trips help me handle the stress.

Over the years, the kids and I have discussed the merits of TV shows, music, religion, social issues and education. We have dissected dance routines and basketball plays. As they are maturing, the car has become the perfect place to discuss the myriad of teenage issues my kids and their friends are facing. Driving home from sport, (and parties), their stories give me insight to their world.

The concept of ‘me-time’ is different for everyone. I have friends who meditate, enjoy massages or love having their hair or nails done. I’ve come to realise that, for me, these types of activities do not help me feel less anxious. My ‘me-time’ is going to the gym early in the morning while my family is asleep. I love to read, so I carry my Kindle everywhere and, if I have a spare minute, I lose myself in a novel. I do small things that make me happy, give my mind a rest and help

me escape from the ‘busy-ness’ of it all.

Time spent waiting can be a source of stress. But it depends on our perspective and mind-set. When my children were little, I found the hour they were in class to be a fabulous opportunity to meet other parents and lend a hand. Whether sewing names on costumes or helping manage a team, volunteering makes me feel good. I’ve learned new skills and made some amazing new friends.

Now that we are so busy, I am conscious to use these waiting hours mindfully. I might enjoy a mind-clearing walk or a chat with a friend. Often, I use the hour to write. My comfy, warm and uninterrupted ‘car office’ is the perfect place to be creative.

Juggling work and family commitments, we face moments of stress every day. Managing worries, frustration and anxiety can be as simple as embracing the mayhem of a busy family life, while scheduling in moments of peace and calm to soothe the soul and rejuvenate the mind.

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THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT LAUREN JIMMIESON MAKES HER ALLMORE THE BEAUTIFUL

Photographer: Ruby Clark.Â

The naked truth about Lauren Jimmieson makes her all the more beautiful

By Jessica Poulter

It has taken Lauren half her life to build the courage to reveal what she has been concealing. Professional performer Lauren Jimmieson finally opens up about her skin diagnosis.

At just 14-years-old, Lauren was diagnosed with a skin condition known as Vitiligo. Vitiligo is loss of pigmentation where the melanocytes within the skin die off, causing white patches to occur.

It is estimated that only around one percent of the population is affected by Vitiligo. There are a range of treatment options including the most popular, UVB light treatment.

Despite all treatment, it was only 50 percent effective until her skin became unresponsive.

“When I was 14, I developed eczema on my neck which triggered Vitiligo. Overnight, the pigment from my jaw line to my collar bones suddenly disappeared, leaving only a few tiny specs of pigmented skin behind,” she explained.

“While I hopped from doctor to doctor desperately seeking a diagnosis, the condition spread to my face affecting my eyelids and forehead, which subsequently also turned my eyebrows white.”

Lauren Jimmieson

As a teenage dancer with her skin losing its natural colour in a visible area of the body, Lauren felt she had unwillingly walked into a mousetrap of bullies. Some students were vicious to Lauren when they saw the depigmented patches on her upper body. She had no choice but to ask the Principal if the rules could be bent in her favour and wear makeup to school.

“The bullies pounced on me in full force,” Lauren admitted. “I remember the moment I asked my mum if I could cover my neck and my face with makeup. I went to a school with a strict no makeup policy, but I was even granted permission to wear makeup to cover my condition by the Principal,” she added.

Lauren had one silver-lining, and that was dancing. She grew up dancing at her local school and developed passions for musical theatre and children’s theatre. Lauren spent three years at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and attained her Bachelor of Music (Musical Theatre).

However, Lauren admits that if she had revealed her condition earlier, her CV might have looked less colourful.

“I know that had I pursued my professional career with my Vitiligo uncovered in auditions, it is likely that my CV would look very different today. It’s the nature of the beast!” she told Dance Writer.

“As long as I could continue to present myself with concealed skin, not a single casting director had any reason to suspect what was underneath and therefore, my vitiligo would never be the reason I didn’t book a job.”

“I never wanted my vitiligo to take away from my talent, drive and passion when auditioning for a job, but I always dreamed of a day where I could be accepted for the way I look bareskinned.”

Lauren is making the conscious decision to work towards finding confidence in her own skin, vitiligo exposed, as a performer. She hopes her story and experience can empower others and help break the stigma that ‘beauty influences success’.

As a performer its extremely useful to have the tools and skills to camouflage a condition for stage and screen. Most people who don’t have vitiligo or anything of the like have encouraged Lauren to go bare skinned all the time now that she have revealed the truth.

"Most people who have contacted me around the world who also have vitiligo are very eager for me to share my tips and tricks on coverage. While it is super important for me to find comfort in my own skin, I understand how empowering it is to have choice. If you’re having a bad day, the ability to confidently disguise your condition can be liberating and useful."

"After going camouflaged for so long, It’s going to be a process as I journey As her credits on her CV grew, so did her confidence. After 11 to feeling comfortable and confident years, Lauren felt emotionally and mentally exhausted from hiding her vitiligo. She felt the urge to tell everyone about her in my own skin in society and as a condition two years ago but only found the courage in performer. I plan on sharing my October 2018 to share her story on social media and write a blog JimmieI Journal’.

“Bycalled the‘Thetime finally shared this with developments in my blog. Both sides – the bare skinned me and the the world, I was ready. It has been camouflaged me and all of the in extremely liberating and very emotional to receive such huge waves betweens, ups and downs, good and of support from friends, family and bad and most importantly, the progress I make. the theatre community.”

Photographer Ruby Clark.

Instagram is @rubysamclark Photography: @iamrubysam Website: www.iamrubysam.com/

HEALTH

By Haydee Ferguson

Adddance Pilates to your regime In Pilates, the goal is not only about how much resistance you can push or how many repetitions you can do, but also about how effortless and flowing you can make the movements look as you perform them.

It is now widely accepted that dance class alone does not provide the necessary physical adaptations to ensure optimal performance and reduced risk of injury.

Dance movement stresses similar muscle groups because of repetitive movements. When we are in class, we are always aiming for higher leg extensions, higher jumps, more turns.

It is about aiming to achieve the end product whether it is a particular technical skill or a performance.

Dancers are expected to have the perfect ‘look’ and often push their bodies into positions that they are not physiologically able to do safely.

Pilates can encourage muscle balance by working joints through full ROM and building support in all layers of soft tissue. Therefore supplementary training is an essential ingredient to a dancer’s success and longevity. For most dancers, Pilates is a natural choice when it comes to supplementary training.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is a mind-body conditioning program developed by Joseph Pilates, which incorporates breathing and movement to achieve balance and body awareness.

Joseph Pilates began developing his movement program during World War I. He immigrated to New York in the 1920s where he gained notoriety with the New York City Ballet.

Dancers from the Company started Pilates because they found the exercises helped them dance better. Ever since, Pilates and dance training have been deeply interconnected. In Pilates, the goal is not only about how much resistance you can push or how many repetitions you can do, but also about how effortless and flowing you can make the movements look as you perform them. Very similar to dance! Through Pilates exercises we can teach the body to move more efficiently.

HEALTH

By Haydee Ferguson

Adddance Pilates to your regime Pilates as a supplementary training feels familiar to dancers because it embodies artistry quality of movement and an emphasis on breathing, alignment and adaptation, deep core support and mobility.Â

By connecting mind and body we can create meaningful results. By building awareness about how movement works, where it comes from and how to connect to it, dancers can bring a new level of sophistication to their dance practice. Some studies of dancers doing Pilates programs have found that the dancers improved their dynamic alignment and increased their muscular strength and flexibility compared to those just doing their normal dance class work.

Pilates takes the pressure off performing to slow the dancer down and focus on aligning the body and isolating the muscles that need more attention.

Ballet dancers especially, spend the majority of their dancing in external rotation which can create muscular imbalances through the body. This eventually can cause weaknesses of other muscles and in turn can result in injuries. This leads us to Pilates for rehabilitation. By incorporating JosephÂ

Pilates equipment inventions such as the Reformer and Cadillac, most of the exercises can be performed in a non-weight bearing position, which takes the pressure off the joints allow them to work on their alignment and control in a gentle way so that coming back into the dance class after an injury is a lot easier. A dancer is also able to maintain most, if not all, of their strength through the rest of their body whilst having the time off from the studio allowing their injury to recover. It is possible to do almost everything you can do standing in a dance studio lying down on the equipment.

Pilates as a supplementary training feels familiar to dancers because it embodies artistry quality of movement and an emphasis on breathing, alignment and adaptation, deep core support and mobility.

Because of this, many dancers enjoy and commit to Pilates with ease. This can mean a higher rate of adherence to supplementary training.

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Do not let your perfectionism define your success

Dancers need to understand where the critique is coming from and, when noone else is being kind, we need to show ourselves compassion and understanding.

Dancers often consider themselves to be perfectionists. We are people determined to achieve our goals, no matter the cost. As we strive for perfection, we are driven to be better, to do more turns, to jump higher than the day before.

However, when this determination becomes an obsession with perfection, it can cause far more damage to our physical and mental health than we may realise.

We might be able to achieve the perfect turn one day, but not the next…and that is OKAY! It took me a long time to realise that having a bad day does not make me a bad dancer or person. Our bodies were not designed to do Russian jetés or five pirouettes in a row, but we do them anyway, and that is what makes us special.

It is time we learned to be kind to ourselves and think differently about success. What if success in class was not about receiving recognition? What if it is the fact that we enjoyed the class?

Or that it felt good to dance? These things that were so important to us when we first began dancing can become lost. It is such a shame that as we get older more emphasis is placed

By Sian Corrigan on perfection rather than love of what we are doing. In 2016, I suffered an ankle injury. It took me a long time to return to class because I was worried that people would not know I was recovering, and would think that I was not as good as I used to be. It caused me so much anxiety that I stopped dancing for far longer than was necessary. The fear was far more detrimental to my dancing than the injury ever was.

In this industry, we are surrounded by people constantly critiquing us.

We must remind ourselves that our teachers and choreographers are not there to tell us everything we are doing right; their job is to teach us and show us how to improve.

Dancers need to understand where the critique is coming from and, when no-one else is being kind, we need to show ourselves compassion and understanding.

We can be our own worst enemies. Our self-critique often involves words we would not dream of saying to another person. We know this is hurtful, so why waste energy on internal nastiness?

Next time you start to listen your inner mean-girl/boy, try directing your thoughts differently. Thank your body.

The fact that your hamstring flexibility allows you to nearly kick your face is pretty cool, and it is something about 90 percent of the population will never experience. Surely that deserves some gratitude?

It is possible to have fun in class while continuing to work very hard and strive for excellence. Be aware that obsessing about not being good enough can be detrimental to our minds and bodies. Focus your energy on feeling good, strong, and thankful that you are able to do something you love so much.

It is so important that we look after our minds as much as we do our bodies, because happiness matters. After all, being happy is the closest thing we have to perfection!

Happy dancing xx Sian Corrigan

@nostandingonlydancing_Â nostandingonlydancing.net

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AMBASSADOR CHAT Sharnika Chamberlain. A slower month for me this month, with the emphasis on concert training and reaching dance goals. I was pretty excited to be asked by Style Show Case Melbourne to dance and model in their event at the new Aviary Crown in December. Thanks to the Dancewriter Gala where I was recruited from and a few other Dance Writer Ambassadors as well. The show will raise money for the Isabelle and Marcus Foundation, which have a mission to make paediatric brainstem cancer a treatable disease. I also received a copy of Madison Fashion Magazine today with two pages of photos of me taken by the talented Alicia Ruberto from New Dimension Photography.

Georgia Wall. Over the school holidays I got to compete in two eisteddfods and was so happy with the results. Best of all I got to see some of my close friends at the competitions. I received another bursary and my first ever clean sweep when I got 1st for all 5 solos I performed. Then the rest of the holidays meant SLEEP! It’s been a huge year for competitions, but also so much fun. I also have learned a lot of things along the way. Now it’s time for concert preparation - where I am playing the lead role as Cinderella for our ballet classes. Concert time is so much fun!

Brooke Humphreys. The highlight of my month was receiving 1st place for lyrical and jazz solos at the Victorian Performing Arts Challenge (VPAC). I have been performing my lyrical for two years, so it was a great finish! Another exciting achievement was finishing our lyrical trio of two years with 1st place at every competition! We are excited to learn a new dance, but also sad to say goodbye to such a successful first one. This month, I was also lucky enough to teach my first ballet and jazz classes. I co-taught the classes with a friend from my dance school and we taught the U9s. I really enjoyed teaching and hope to do more in the future.

Bella Jacobs. Wow, what a busy month we have with preparations for our first Dance School Showcase at The Rage DC. We have all been working really hard throughout the year to put together an amazing show for everyone.

At Dance Prescription we were put into groups to film our own piece and I had an absolutely amazing time working with some wonderful and talented dancers.

Comp season has come to an end, and after our showcase we will all be busy getting ready for FYD nationals in January, which will be so much fun.

Tayla Williams. This month I have been focusing on improving my dance technique in all of my classes, especially ballet and jazz. I have had some success so far, and I look forward to working towards achieving more goals during all of my classes for the rest of the term. I have also been busy preparing for upcoming performances, the routines are coming together really nicely, I can’t wait to perform them.

Dance Writer Ambassador applications open December 1.

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