Dance Writer January Edition Volume 1, Issue 12

JANUARYÂ 2019

TARIK FRIMPONG HOW HE LANDED DEBUT ROLE IN FEATURE FILM 'MARY POPPINS RETURNS'

DANCE WRITER

DANCEWRITER.COM.AU COVER: ANDREW RASEVSKI PHOTOGRAPHY

AMBASSADORS ANNOUNCED

CONTENTS

Dance Writer Youth Company launches in January 2019! Mia is our first member to be accepted.

3 Editor's Note 5 PROFILES Nolly Weeks

By Jessica Poulter 7 TO THE POINTE COLUMN A lifetime of goodbyes

By Ruth Letch 10 HEALTH What does correct posture look like?

By Haydee Ferguson 13 How well do you know your body?

By Haydee Ferguson 15 PROFILES On tour with 360 ALLSTARS

By Ruth Letch 19 PROFILES Tarik Frimpong

By Jessica Poulter 21 BREAK THE BARRE COLUMN Passion is a 'must-have' for dancers

By Emma Cheeseman 24 Ambassadors announced 2019

EDITOR'S NOTE Editor Sub Editor Writers Jessica Poulter Ruth Letch Ruth Letch, Haydee Ferguson and Emma Cheeseman

Jessica Poulter Editor-in-chief Dance Writer

Dear readers, This magazine is our most special edition as it is our last...at least for now. Dance Writer is partnering with Pride Productions and turning the digital magazine into a video chat show from February 2019.

As much as we love to write stories, we know that video is the way most people are absorbing content and news. However, our blog will be more alive than ever with more columnists and writers producing quality articles.

As I talk about the blog that I started as a mere journal of my thoughts in 2014, Dance Writer has grown vastly over the years to be a dance hub and community. It is with great pleasure that we keep our blog in safe hands as I welcome our new Editor, Ruth Letch. Ruth brings a wealth of knowledge in the publishing industry, owning her own copywriting business and working extensively for various magazines. Ruth has been our sub editor and leading columnist for the past year so we know she can take our blog to unchartered territory.

Meanwhile, I will continue to write stories but will be spending more time focusing on the launch of Dance Writer Youth Company and our video chat show. I am incredibly excited to host this web series, collaborating with big names in the dance industry and providing ample opportunities for our ambassador team.

We are also privileged to announce that our annual charity gala will be donating monies to Very Special Kids, an organisation that helps children with life threatening conditions. We will be accepting performance submissions from March.

But for now, this is me for the last time saying over and out, for Dance Writer is who I am and has my whole heart. The magazine may return in the future, and I hope it will, yet now it is time to focus on what people want and need right now.

Dance like no one is watching, Jessica Poulter Dance Writer Founder & Editor

Find Your Fierce First production season 'Taurus' June 7-8 Gasworks Theatre 7:30pm, 2pm, 7:30pm

NOLLY WEEKS INSPIRING FUTURE PROFESSIONAL DANCERS THAT A ‘NO’ MEANS NOTHING

By Jessica Poulter

“Growing up, I never thought I was good enough to teach at The Space — that is where professionals teach. This is something I’ve wanted for a very long time,” said Nolly.

31-year-old Nolly Weeks was told that if she had not ‘made it’ as a successful dancer by the time she turned 30, Nolly should quit.

Nolly has had a successful career after graduating from full time dance at Spectrum Dance in Melbourne. She went on to land three consecutive contracts with Royal Caribbean cruise lines, danced for Bollywood superstar Salman Khan at a sold-out audience at Rod Laver Arena, and performed in a Pink tribute show along with many more credits.

Nolly began dancing at age three in Calisthenics and later ventured into jazz and tap. It was not until she travelled to the United States that she truly fell in love with hip hop and urban styles. When she landed in New York where hip hop originated, she knew she had to pursue this style further and spent three months there working on her craft.

NOLLY WEEKS

She also has a strong love for teaching dance. In 2018, she received an ongoing job offer to teach at The Space—the most iconic casual class studio in Melbourne.

“Growing up, I never thought I was good enough to teach at The Space — that is where professionals teach. This is something I’ve wanted for a very long time,” said Nolly.

Yet her success story is not without adversity. Returning to Australia after being at sea for two years proved difficult to re-enter the dance industry. She soon developed hip pain and later discovered her injury was a labral tear surrounding the hip socket caused by over-stretching.

“I am all about safe dance practice and correct technique because I have had so many injuries that I would never want to inflict that kind of burden on my students,” said Nolly.

It took a whole year for Nolly to leap back into dancing post-surgery and re-discover her technique.

Now, Nolly’s outlook on dance is that her career is just beginning. Nolly aims to live and work in Los Angeles to pursue her dream of backup dancing for an artist—particularly in the R&B style.

“Ideally, my dream job is to go on tour with an artist such as Jason Derulo, Justin Timberlake, Pink, Usher,” she smiled.

Nolly hopes she can inspire future dancers to believe in their own talent to achieve their passions, no matter how big.

“I personally have been told I wasn’t good enough. I was told that if I hadn’t made it by the time I was 30, that I should quit. I’m 31 and dancing better than ever before.”

TO THE POINTE

By Ruth Letch

A LIFETIME OF GOODBYES

During the past 17 years, I have learned that the one constant about parenting is that things always change.

From nappies to high heels, childish giggles to the gruff growls of a teenage man-child, we spend our lives saying goodbye to our kids. It is weird. The birth of our babies opens up an unknown world of endless possibilities; our hearts fill with the need to love, protect and defend. Then, almost immediately, we help them set off on their journey to independence.

During the past 17 years, I have learned that the one constant about parenting is that things always change. When my kids were little, I would finally understand how they eat, play, sleep; and they would change it, leaving me wondering what on earth was going on. My firstborn spent the better part of a year eating only from one particular plate. Until the day he threw a serious hissy fit because I dished up his dinner on that very plate when he had, (for some still-unknown reason), decided he preferred a different one. Their thoughts, opinions, likes and dislikes change constantly. Food, friendship, music, book or sport preferences keeping up with their

growing independence is an endlessly exhilarating yet exhausting game. The end of 2018 instigated significant change for us. In November, my eldest gave up playing basketball; the sport he has loved since he was ten years old. He appears to be totally cool with his decision to focus more on his studies and part-time job. This was a natural progression for him and, while I am sure he misses the games and camaraderie of his team mates, it was time to move on.

Not as easy for me!

While I understand and fully support his choice, six years of driving him to training and games suddenly came to an end. No more sitting on the bleachers, season after season, watching him grow in height, confidence and skill. He made a decision and something that had been our constant routine, (not to mention a big part of our social life), just disappeared.

TO THE POINTE

By Ruth Letch

Watching my children grow up is a constant battle between dread and exhilaration. Saying goodbye to their childhood innocence i s no fun. But I’m learning that with every goodbye comes a new hello.

I was lost. For a couple of weeks, I grieved. Even though I knew it was right for him, I hated saying goodbye.

We also moved to a new house in November. After spending 13 years in our previous home, I welcomed the change with open arms. From my perspective, there are so many positives. Our new house has a better layout and a great kitchen. We have a pool and it is closer to public transport, which means less teentaxi-driving for me. But my little one was not happy at all. The prospect of having her own room for the first time in her life terrified her. She felt comfortable in her existing environment and was scared of all the unknowns.

Facing the unknown is one of the most difficult things about change. As much as I reassured my daughter and explained how lovely it would be, she could not really understand.

She has lived in the same house and has attended the same primary, dance and swimming schools for as long as she can remember. Her home and routines were familiar, whereas the change to our new house was frightening. She did not want to say goodbye.

Similarly, my 12-year-old daughter is heading to high school next year. In December, she experienced all the fun and fanfare of finding the perfect dress, hairstyle and jewellery for her Grade 6 graduation.

She has known many of her school friends since kindergarten – that is nine years of involvement in each other’s lives and families. While the graduation itself was filled with squeals of happiness and declarations of undying love for each other, her group of BFF’s are scattering to five different secondary schools. Amidst the excitement of the adventures that lie ahead, she (and I) felt sad when saying farewell to the world she loves.

Who knows what changes 2019 will bring? It’s now January and my eldest is full steam ahead into his final year at high school. He is also loving playing a new sport ‘just for fun’ with his mates. My little one is happily ensconced in her own room, relishing her newfound privacy and the fun of a sleepover without her sister’s presence. As I write, Miss Twelve is off riding round the neighbourhood with her friends, enjoying her summer holidays and making memories that will last forever.

Watching my children grow up is a constant battle between dread and exhilaration. Saying goodbye to their childhood innocence is no fun. But I’m learning that with every goodbye comes a new hello. Every change brings something fresh for all of us to experience and learn. My kids are fastmaturing into adults who are preparing to explore the world and fill it with their intangible energy. Their ability to forge forward into the unknown makes me unimaginably proud. And that is a change to embrace.

WHAT DOES CORRECT POSTURE LOOK LIKE?

BY HAYDEE HERGUSON

There is an ideal posture that all dancers strive to achieve while in dance class, but what does it look like and why is it so important? Wellbalanced alignment is essential for dancers to develop good dance technique and prevent injury. Dancers should learn to control this placement during movements but also while standing still.

What is correct posture and alignment?

Before knowing what the correct posture is, dancers need to understand how the human body is designed. There are three natural curves present in a healthy spine; a cervical lordosis, a thoracic kyphosis and a lumbar lordosis.

Traditionally, dancers work to flatten out these curves in an attempt to lengthen their spine and avoid postures such as the sway back or lordotic posture, however, this can place the spine at greater risk. Neutral alignment of the spine, especially the low back, is important for stability of the lumbar spine and allowing optimum movement in all directions.

It is important to remember that the spine is more than just the bones. Between each of the vertebrae (bones of the spine) there are discs.

These discs act as the shock absorber between each of the vertebra in the spinal column by keeping the vertebrae separated when there is impact from activity. They also protect the nerves that run down the middle of the spine.

Through the centre of the vertebrae runs the spinal cord. This is the thick bundle of nerve

fibres that connects the brain to almost all parts of the body. The nerves that talk to your muscles and organs come from this spinal cord and travel out between each of the vertebrae to their destination. Surrounding the vertebrae are connective tissues, blood supplies and ligaments. There are many vital things occurring within the spine’s overall structure and if any of these smaller structures are damaged, it can have devastating consequences. Think about all these things next time you are doing contortion tricks! (…but that’s a whole other post!)

Back to alignment…

Correct alignment of the body enables the bones and muscles to hold you upright, against gravity, with the least amount of energy. You should be able to hold this position by working the deep postural muscles, however it should not take all your muscle energy to stand, ready for an exercise. You would be exhausted before you even started dancing!

Looking from the side, if you drew a straight line down the side of the body, “ideal” alignment places the earlobe over the centre of the shoulder, over the centre of the waist, over the centre of the hip joint (just in front of the bony bit on the side of your thigh), over the centre of the knee joint and finally through the centre of the ankle. This is only applicable for when you are standing; once you start moving everything changes again!

When you begin dance class, you may automatically start thinking about posture. The

WHAT DOES CORRECT POSTURE LOOK LIKE?

By Haydee Ferguson health reporter

problem is that dance class is usually only a few hours per night. What about all the rest of the time?

Do you think about your posture outside of the studio? What about in between exercises? This is the time when our postural habits affect muscles and cause some to become tight and some to lengthen and become weak.

Standing with a “banana back” or anterior tilt through the pelvis results in shortened hip flexors and spine extensor muscles in the low back. The majority of the load is taken through the lumbar spine and this is usually the first spot that dancers will complain of pain. The abdominal muscles and glutes are constantly being lengthened and will eventually weaken. Many dancers struggle with holding their leg in devant (front of the body) and also find flexing through their lumbar spine difficult.

Dancers who stand with a “sway back” tend to be those that are hypermobile. They stand with their hips shifted forward, their upper back behind their centre and their knees hyperextended. Their upper abdominal muscles and diaphragm are often overactive, which makes breathing correctly very difficult. The front of the hips are placed on constant stretch, in particular the hip capsule.

These dancers often feel like their hips are tight and are constantly stretching them. This sensation of tightness is because the muscles at the front of the hip are overactive to prevent any further stress on the hip capsule. It is important for these dancers to focus on

"Neutral alignment of the spine, is important for stability of the lumbar spine and allowing optimum movement in all directions." releasing their glutes and hamstrings and not stretching the front of their hips as this is only going to aggravate their hips further.

The final posture is the “hip sitter”. These dancers tend to sit into one hip, hyperextending the knee of that side and bending the knee on the other. The effect on the body is asymmetrical. Dancers who stand like this will have one hip that is tight, one that is over stretched, one hip that seems to turnout more easily than the other and one side of their lower back that is tighter. This posture can be due to asymmetries in muscular development or scoliosis or can develop following injury when then dancer wants to reduce the load on one side of their body.

So my challenge to you…

Take a photo of yourself in your “normal” standing position. Draw a line down the side of your body and see if you can analyse what may be tight, weak or over active.

Can you point to the areas that you tend to experience pain? Do they match up with the way you stand? Having a good understanding of your posture may help you to eliminate injury risks before they even start!

Find Your Fierce First production season 'Taurus' June 7-8 Gasworks

Theatre 7:30pm, 2pm, 7:30pm

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR BODY?

By Haydee Ferguson

Picture a musician who plays beautifully, yet does not clean their instrument or pack it away properly. It is hard to imagine because it is expected that all musicians understand how to care for and use their instrument effectively. Dancers are no exception to this rule.

Your body is your instrument. If you do not understand the basics of the way your body functions, then how can you ensure it performs to its full ability? How do you care for it and make sure it doesn’t break down? While you do not need to know all the intricate details of muscle attachments or the name of every bone, learning the fundamentals will help you better understand your body. It will also enable you to talk effectively to the health professionals you will encounter throughout your dance career.

As a physiotherapist, I love exploring the incredible way in which our bodies work.

At one point during my full-time dance career, I sustained a stress fracture in my hip, which resulted in many physiotherapy rehabilitation sessions. And I fell totally in love with learning anatomy. The more I understood, the better I became at caring for and respecting my body, especially when injured. Now a dance physiotherapist, I encourage young dancers to learn about their body and how it works.

Knowing how to properly use your muscles is essential for all dancers. Each muscle has a specific job; if they are not performing as they are designed to, weakness, overuse and injury can occur. For example, if the big calf muscles that control the ankle and the smaller intrinsic muscles of the foot that control the arch are not working effectively, the deep calf muscles may become overloaded as they try to do not only their job but the roles of the weaker muscles as well.

This may result in shin or calf pain, clicking around the ankle, restricted pointe range and possible injury.

Including simple anatomy (muscles, bones, joints, ligaments) and biomechanics (how the body moves) in dance classes empowers students to better understand their bodies. During dance training, I was often given the cue to ‘feel’ my hamstring during grand battement devant. I never felt engaged with this muscle and could not work out how my hamstring could lift my leg to the front.

But, once I learned about the muscles involved, I understood that it is not biomechanically possible for the hamstring to lift the leg devant. In reality, the hamstring extends the hip derriere and flexes (bends) the knee—neither of which, are part of a grand battement devant. What my teacher was trying to tell me was not to grip with my quads and hip flexors.

By learning how muscles and joints work, teachers can use technique cues appropriate for the movement of the muscles involved. This is helpful to many dancers, especially those who are anatomically inclined. Knowing how the body works empowers both teachers and students to develop a strong understanding of technique, injury prevention and rehabilitation.

ON TOUR WITH 360 ALL STARS

By Ruth Letch

UP CLOSE WITH 360 ALLSTARS URBAN CIRCUS

Stage lights dim and a video screens flickers to life. Images of an old-school style computer game appear before the curious, expectant audience. Drum beats roll through the theatre as international beatbox star Beau Monga loops his iconic rhythm and two energetic break dancers flip onto the stage. Amidst the whistles, claps and cheers, a toddler swamped by his oversized 360 ALLSTARS t-shirt, bounces on the knee of his pregnant mum, proudly calling ‘That’s my daddy.’

Breakdance artist Bboy (Peter) Sette is one of the seven stars cast in this vibrant show. Featuring a BMX Flatlander, Basketball Freestyler, Roue Cyr artist, Sette’s partner-in-crime, Bboy Leerok, and a Beatboxer / Loop musician as MC, these international masters have come together to perform in this entertaining ‘urban street circus’. A long-time dream of Creative Director and Percussionist, Gene Peterson, the show has toured Australia and internationally for the past six years, wowing audiences and inspiring a new generation of performers to do what they love.

On tour with 360 ALLSTARS Speaking to Peterson and Sette following the first of their Australia-wide ‘hundred shows in a hundred and fourteen days’, Peterson explains: "Essentially, 360 ALLSTARS is a new age hip hop circus. We replace the stereotypical circus art forms with contemporary street forms. Instead of acrobats, we have break dancers, instead of a juggler, we have a basketball freestyler, instead of a unicycle, we added the twist of a BMX flatlander." - Gene Peterson.

Rowan, our Roue Cyr artist stands out. It’s more of a traditional circus art form, but it links us all together and ties us to the circus history. It’s a nice touch… we’re all urban, hip hop, street, then he comes in with a contemporary take on a traditional circus art. It works," added Gene Peterson.

Peterson is living his childhood dream. Since he created the first 360 ALLSTARS in 2013, he has ‘traveled the world playing music and working with cool artists’. This year, the show has three new cast members. While the basic concept remains the same, both Peterson and Sette are enjoying the different dynamic amongst the team.

There is new content from the solos.’ Peterson says, ‘On stage, we collaborate and interact all the time. With three new people comes three new skill sets; we have taken the time to revisit the show and level-up new skills and tricks.

While it is not an entirely new production, there is a new energy and lots to come and see.’

The Allstars on tour are a force to be reckoned with. At any time, they are likely to break into an impromptu jam session, enjoying the flow of creativity that constantly zings between the performers. Peterson loves being on the road, regardless of their hectic schedule.

"Inevitably when you spend 24 hours a day together as a group, you become a family by default. It is a really beautiful thing because, over the course of a couple of months, you suddenly have a new family—and we’re all getting to do what we love together."

Sette finds touring ‘awesome’, but challenging, because he has a pregnant wife and young son based in Melbourne. ‘The crew are a really fun bunch of guys to hang out with. But I do miss my family. The longest I am ever away is a month, but they visit me when they can, so it’s not too bad.’

For Sette, the difficulties are offset by the unique opportunity to do something he is passionate about.

"The thing I love about this show is, for once, I am being me, Bboy Sette, breaking, doing my art form. I am being introduced as my name, I’m not playing a character. I’ve done musicals, kids shows, dance shows and, while I do love them, it is nice and refreshing to just do me."

Peterson agrees, ‘I certainly don’t have to drag myself to work. I love playing the drums, that’s my thing, and I get to do this behind world champions, watching all the other cool art forms that I can’t do.’

The show transcends cultures and language barriers. During the past six years, they have enjoyed a ‘plethora of experiences’ as the team have visited 70 countries throughout the world.

The beauty is that we are having fun with each other on stage,’ says Peterson, ‘it’s really contagious.’

Sette laughs, ‘It’s got everything—

physical performance, cool music that is funky, uplifting and original, plus dance and circus tricks. It is one thing after another…. if you come to this show, you don’t really know what to expect.’

Inspired by a childhood visit to a Cirque du Soleil show, Peterson knew exactly what he wanted to achieve as Creative Director.

"Conceptually, the show came together over two years. I wondered how many different types of awesome I could get on one stage.

Then I removed all the usual limits to not dream too big. I headhunted the best artists in the world and tracked them down, one by one. The actual rehearsal time took

about three weeks because the show was entirely formed in my mind, I just needed the artist to inject their flavour, moves and style to make it happen.’

"Peterson’s engaging smile shines, ‘It is so rewarding to look out into the audience and see a thousand people smiling and know you made that. You know, if you give someone a gift, just one person, then that’s rewarding. We get to multiply that by a thousand and it’s just the best feeling. We love what we do, on stage and during workshops, inspiring the next generation, passing those skills on. Sharing what we are passionate about is a wonderful thing.’"

TARIK FRIMPONG HAS ‘THE WHOLE WORLD AT HIS FEET’ AFTER FILM DEBUT MARY POPPINS RETURNS

By Jessica Poulter

At just 24-years of age, triple threat performer Tarik Frimpong is Australia’s newest rising star— his most recent credit is the supporting role of Angus in the feature film Mary Poppins Returns.

Not many actors can say their debut feature film starred Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury among so many others— but Tarik Frimpong can.

Tarik received an audition brief from his agent for Mary Poppins Returns to be directed by Rob Marshall. After succeeding in many dance, singing and acting rounds, he was awarded the role of Angus.

“I remember being stunned…I couldn’t manage or comprehend my emotions, so I called my mum and she cried too,” admitted Tarik.

Walking the red carpet was a wild and surreal experience!

Just a four to five hour pinch yourself moment really,” Tarik smiled.

Despite all the nerves as one could imagine working for the first time along so many Hollywood greats, Tarik’s first day on set was working on the main dance number, which made him feel at ease straight away.

“The first filming day on set was the big dance number. I’ve danced my whole life so that was how I was baptised into the movie process! It was nice to start with my body, which made me less nervous.”

One-and-a-half years after filming, he finally walked the red carpet during the Mary Poppins Returns premiere at Dolby Theatre in the heart of Los Angeles.

TARIK FRIMPONG HAS ‘THE WHOLE WORLD AT HIS FEET’ AFTER FILM DEBUT MARY POPPINS RETURNS

By Jessica Poulter

“It was a wild and surreal experience! Just a four to five hour pinch yourself moment really,” Tarik smiled.

Born into a family of professional dancers, Tarik knew nothing else but dance. Tarik’s professional career began very early in his childhood when he landed the role of Simba in the Lion King The Musical. At 21, he moved to London to further his career as a performer. He then performed on The Graham Norton Show with the cast of The Greatest Showman, and danced for pop icons such as Justin Bieber, FKA Twigs, Aston Merrygold, ZHU and more.

Tarik also played the role of ‘Twig’ in the Australian professional premiere of Bring it On the Musical. He is now back home touring the Australian and New Zealand premiere of Madiba the Musical, understudying the roles of Narrator, Sam Onotou and William Xulu.

“If you want something, go get it, period.”

– ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

Tarik’s success comes from his hard-working ethos that he brings to each role. He believes the key to success lies within everyone’s individual differences & remaining humble enough to learn from everyone you meet.

“If you want something, go get it, period.” – ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’

Passion is a ‘musthave’ fordancers ballet

By Emma Cheeseman

It is the responsibility of all dance educators to take the focus off body image and place it on delivering the best training methods for each and every dancer to achieve their greatest potential.

Young ballet dancers love to learn how to plie and point their toes but, once they reach the age where the whimsical songs and skipping stop, there is a tendency to give up dance and try other hobbies. But, even those who continue because they truly love the art often seem to lose their passion later in life.

Why does this happen? And how can we be assured that a dancer’s passion will be nurtured and developed along with their technique?

BODY IMAGE Full-time ballet students are generally aged between 14-20 years old. For males and females, this is a crucial developmental stage; both physically and emotionally. Learning to understand and accept body changes is difficult for most people, but dancers must also contend with the added physical attention and certain expectations of how they should look.

The dance industry still has a long way to go in its acceptance of diverse body types. Access to dance-educated nutritionists and psychologists would be a fantastic mental health care resource for full-time dance schools to implement for their students striving to become professional ballet dancers.

It is the responsibility of all dance educators to take the focus off body image and place it on delivering the best training methods for each and every dancer to achieve their greatest potential. This priority change would perhaps not make a difference in the number of ballet dancers who ‘make it’ but, instead, we might see more dancers develop self-confidence and fulfil their dream of learning to dance.

PRESSURE Most teenagers learn to deal with pressure by adhering to school rules and practices such as examinations and disciplinary actions, or by conforming to social standards in friendship groups. This kind of pressure is very different to the adult stress felt by adolescent fulltime dance students.

Ballet is a young person’s career with most ballet dancers retiring sometime in their 30s. As a result, ballet students are taught to reach an extremely high skill level by a very young age, which requires an immense amount of discipline, determination and maturity.

Students are encouraged to make dramatic sacrifices for their dance career, such as moving out of home,

not taking part in regular teenage activities like parties or more dangerous physical hobbies, and paying particular attention to their diet. Plus, they are expected to consistently perform to the highest standard in class and on stage.

Also, classical ballet has a high demand for a small amount of positions, which means students must be competitive in the pursuit of their career. All of these factors create a huge amount of pressure to succeed.

A student’s journey can leave the path of passion and easily focus on simply conquering the next goal. Achieving goals is a completely rewarding experience, imperative for those who want to continue to improve, but motivation should always be genuine rather than a response to the pressure to succeed.

Parents and dance teachers have a duty to allow their young dancers to make their own choices regarding their career path. Ballet is a profession that requires tremendous physical and mental toughness - no one should be forced to dance without the passion to do so.

TEACHING METHODS Ballet teachers have developed a reputation for being strict and militaristic.

This certainly was the way to teach in previous generations, yet it is well known that our children now all learn in different ways. So that one commanding teaching style of screaming, yelling, belittling and embarrassing the students is long gone.

The mental repercussions will often result in the dancer having much shorter career if they are exposed to this type of teaching. Hopefully dance teachers are willing to become more open-minded regarding their training methods. For too long, fulltime dancers have had very limited options in terms of finding a school that will nurture technical, artistic and mental health development equally.

The trends and styles of the dance industry continue to evolve, while dance

students also develop in maturity and physicality. Why, then, are some ballet teachers determined to continue with the same teaching methods? While the integrity of classical ballet remains the same, the style has grown to incorporate more modern movement and expressive storytelling than ever before. It is time for dancers to learn from educators who will nurture and produce the best results for each individual student. And this should always include the encouragement of passion.

To any young dancers who are struggling to remember where their passion for dance began, take time to reflect on your journey.

Think about some of your favourite dance memories. Begin the new year by making decisions for yourself; those who support you will always support your decision to be happy. If dance is what makes you happy, then make the choice to incorporate that joy into your training. The pursuit of a career is not nearly as important as the pursuit of passion!

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AMBASSADORS FOR 2019 ANNOUNCED

WELCOME OUR AMBASSADORS

2019

WELCOME OUR AMBASSADORS

2019

WELCOME OUR AMBASSADORS

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WELCOME OUR AMBASSADORS

2019

ANNUAL CHARITY GALA Proudly supporting Very Special Kids August 10, 7:30pm Forest College Applications to perform open March 1 Tickets on sale from June 30