Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Southern Comfort: Grits, Sweet Tea and Repertory
By Meghan Bowden
Here’s a little secret about me: I’m a southern girl at heart. I love grits, sweet tea, collard greens and heat. Thankfully the David Dorfman Dance (DDD) southeast tour has all of the above, minus the heat (but the crisp fall air is so refreshing after that scorching summer, I’ll take it!)
Currently DDD just arrived at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC after a wonderful few days at Coker College in Hartsville, SC. The entire company hasn’t been together since the whirlwind of our summer performances ended in mid-August with an exuberant six-night run at Jacob’s Pillow that, personally nearly killed me, but also got us all into great shape to take on the south.
FIVE CITIES
2 ½ WEEKS
2 ½ DAYS AT EACH STOP
ONE DAY TO TECH
SHOWTIME!
 |
| DDD outside the Midnight Rooster in Hartsville, SC |
We also have at least three residency activities at each location. I often find that these close encounters with the students and local residents can generate some of the most rewarding experiences on the road. The intense time re-imagining and developing repertory with students is especially invigorating. It breathes new life into our current work, Prophets of Funk, and greatly informs our work in progress inspired by the music of Patti Smith.
Here is a bit of what Whitney Tucker*, a dancer in the company, had to say about her most recent experience creating repertory with students at NYU’s 2011 Summer Residency Festival.
How many students did you work with and how long did you have to rehearse?
15 students. We only had five days, with ninety minute rehearsals each day.
What DDD repertory were you referencing?
We were work-shopping brand new ideas for a piece inspired by Patti Smith music.
How did you choose the participants?
The participants were chosen by NYU staff during an audition process that placed them according to their technique classes. I typically work with the students who are not from NYU, and therefore grouped separately from the other "levels". I love working with that particular group because there is a great variety of movement backgrounds, hometowns (sometimes coming from different countries), interests and ages.
I am not a big fan of choosing performers or creators within an auditioning paradigm. However, when we (Renuka Hines and I) were determining who would partake in speaking parts, solo material, or particularly highlighted "roles", we made decisions from their improvisatory choices that stood out to us.
How do you decide how and what to teach?
Renuka and I taught based on our availability, which was dictated by our non-David (bill-paying) jobs. For that particular residency, we took inspiration from only Patti Smith music and some photos of her.
Do you teach a technique class to the students?
Throughout that residency, we taught technique classes separately from the repertory classes. Teaching David's repertory is unique in that we never teach purely replicated work as it exists on a video or through counts and formations. We may use excerpts from theatrical structure, specific themes or movement phrases to create a student work.
Alternatively, I have always felt a generous invitation from David to draw out a student's proclivities and to highlight their strengths. I learned this from him and he is a master at it. He really does see people within their dancing. Ironically, there also exists an implicit invitation to challenge a person and sometimes this means encouraging him or her to do what they aren't sure about, have never done before, or that which they feel like they aren't "good" at.
What do you emphasize as far as movement and creative choices in the process, be it in class or rehearsal?
I try to stay off-vertical because watching someone determine their center while unstable is intriguing. When choreographing I try to avoid material that is residue from other works of David's, unless it is worth reiterating thematically.
What is your most memorable repertory experience?
My most memorable experience would be when I was a student at Arizona State in 2004. It was a unique residency that combined high school students, college students, and David. I consider it the beginning of my dance career in some ways, as it came at a crucial moment in which I was considering leaving dance completely to pursue sustainable agriculture and housing.
What are two lessons you have learned from building repertory with students?
1. It pays to give as much as you can, to remember what it’s like to experience DDD-style movement for the first time, and to look for the more subtle things around myself.
WHITNEY LYNN TUCKER is from the hills of southern Illinois, and moved to New York in 2006. She graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University with a B.F.A. in Dance Education. Her interests over time have led her to study Capoeira, Contact Improvisation, various lineages of yoga, boxing, and social dance. She draws from experiences as a public school teacher (Vancouver, WA) and from those as the creator/facilitator of a movement-program for women who were recovering from prostitution (Phoenix, AZ). When she's not dancing, she is working as a labor doula or teaching at Studio 26, an Eco-friendly fitness + wellness center she co-founded in 2010. Visit her at studio26nyc.com.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
New York gets Funkified!
By Meghan Bowden
We kicked it (aka We raised over $5,000 on our online community driven fundraising campaign at Kickstarter.com. Whoohoo!). It’s been funked up (nuf said). So what’s next?
David Dorfman Dance (DDD) is about to take over New York City. Tomorrow, 8/11/11, a concert modern dance company will perform live with a billboard chart-topping group of musical icons. Let me hit you with a little background information about the show you don’t want to miss (just in case you haven’t visited “The History of Funk in 550 Characters” See below).
At its peak, Sly and the Family Stone had three number one hits and spent over twenty weeks on top of the charts. They sold out all over the country, revolutionized the funk sound and beamed through TV sets across the nation with a joyful vision of race and gender integration never before seen.
Now The Family Stone is joining David Dorfman Dance for the live concert edition of Prophets of Funk, an evening-length modern dance work inspired by the songs that have made generation after generation get up and dance to the music.
Both groups, DDD and The Family Stone, met for the first time on Tuesday during technical rehearsals. The current band features founding members: Gregg Errico, Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini as well as Blaise Sison, Nate Wingfield, Trina Johnson Finn and Alex Davis. Due to delays from the rain and the normal needs of technical rehearsals, we were only able to jam with the band for about an hour, but that hour was exhilarating, and tricky. DDD has been groovin to the recorded versions of Sly and the Family Stone’s music for over two years. Jerry, Cynthia and Gregg have been playing it live for over forty! Both groups have got their own versions of the music engrained in their bones, which requires some meddling to meld as one.
Everyone was more than game to play along, though, and we’ve still got about seven hours of rehearsal left to lock this thing down. Combining the abstraction of contemporary concert modern dance with the accessibility of commercial pop music. Finding the balance between funky and ferocity. Accessing the joy while honoring the times. Fighting the sweat in 100 degree heat—BUT. YOU are in luck.
The weather calls for 0% chance of rain and a lovely evening in the mid-70s. So there is no excuse to miss this (plus the show is FREE.99!). Get your booty out the door and over to Lincoln Center Out of Doors at the Damrosch Park Bandshell between 62nd and 65th Streets and Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues in Lincoln Center. The party starts at 7:oopm with the 1970’s Ethiopian groove of Debo Band joined by Addis Ababa’s traditional dance and music troupe, Fendika.
David Dorfman Dance and the Family Stone hit the stage around 8pm. We better see you there!
Peace.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Is the reccession really over?!*
*And 5 other questions DDD would love to hear your thoughts on
By Meghan Bowden
So according to the National Bureau of Economic Research* the recent recession that changed so many of our lives in the artistic world and beyond officially ended in June, 2009.
Huh? Really?
What struck me about this little-known economic fact is that no matter how well the economy is doing, whether you’re an artist or a biologist, finding a healthy balance between one’s life work and driving passions is always a precarious endeavor. Last week we heard from David Dorfman Dance’s Renuka Hines about how teaching infuses her dancing with humility and inspiration.
This week we’ll hear from Raja Feather Kelly, dancing fiend, about his balancing act as a performing artist with multiple dance companies. But first, what do you have to say on the subject?
Raja, what’s your job title outside of DDD?
Company Manager for zoe | juniper
Dancer for Race Dance, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.in.Motion, zoe | juniper, Christopher Williams Dance
What was the first job you had after college?
Company Member with Lisa Race (2 hrs after Graduation)
Performing Apprentice with David Dorfman Dance (4 days after Graduation)
Company Member Colleen Thomas Dance (2 Months After )
Company Member Isadora Dance ( 2 months After)
Company Manager - Ellen Cornfield ( 4 Months after Graduation)
Company Manager - RaceDance (4 months after Graduation)
Host- Sarabeth's Restaurant ( 5 months after graduation)
What was the highest paying job you’ve had?
Company Managing
What are 3 most important lessons you learned from the bill-paying jobs you’ve had?
Bills will always be there; find something you enjoy.
A job is just a job. It's there to support what you want to do.
You can make it work.
What are you doing now? How does it supports you as a dancer with David Dorfman Dance?
I work around my dancing, if it doesn't fit, i don't do it.
What’s your advice to dancers out there in finding the right job to pay the bills and support their dancing?
Work around your dancing, don't dance around your work.
RAJA FEATHER KELLY originally from Fort Hood, Texas, is an honors graduate from Connecticut College. Having received his BA in Dance and English. He is currently a company member of David Dorfman Dance, RaceDance led by Lisa Race, Kyle Abraham’s Abraham.in.Motion in NYC, Zoe Scofield|Juniper Shuey in Seattle, WA and Christopher Williams Dance. Raja has also performed with Colleen Thomas and Dancers, IsadoraNOW, Sue Healy Dance company in Sydney Australia and Dairakudikan from Tokyo Japan. His own choreography with thefeath3rtheory had its premiere in October 2010 at DNA in NYC. Raja is also very excited to have been selected as a DanceWEB scholarship recipient for the 2009 Impulstanz Dance Festival in Vienna, Austria.
* Check out this review of the recession report in the New Yorker.
It’s an amusing commentary on the “irrationality” of such reporting and its usefulness to the everyday citizen.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2010/09/is-the-recession-really-over.html#ixzz1PBogN36U
By Meghan Bowden
So according to the National Bureau of Economic Research* the recent recession that changed so many of our lives in the artistic world and beyond officially ended in June, 2009.
Huh? Really?
What struck me about this little-known economic fact is that no matter how well the economy is doing, whether you’re an artist or a biologist, finding a healthy balance between one’s life work and driving passions is always a precarious endeavor. Last week we heard from David Dorfman Dance’s Renuka Hines about how teaching infuses her dancing with humility and inspiration.
This week we’ll hear from Raja Feather Kelly, dancing fiend, about his balancing act as a performing artist with multiple dance companies. But first, what do you have to say on the subject?
- How do you pay the bills, AND allow passion to thrive in your life?
- What was your first job?
- What’s a lesson you’ve learned from the job you have now or one from the past?
- When was the last time you got funky?
- Any work/passion advice to share?
Raja, what’s your job title outside of DDD?
Company Manager for zoe | juniper
Dancer for Race Dance, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.in.Motion, zoe | juniper, Christopher Williams Dance
What was the first job you had after college?
Company Member with Lisa Race (2 hrs after Graduation)
Performing Apprentice with David Dorfman Dance (4 days after Graduation)
Company Member Colleen Thomas Dance (2 Months After )
Company Member Isadora Dance ( 2 months After)
Company Manager - Ellen Cornfield ( 4 Months after Graduation)
Company Manager - RaceDance (4 months after Graduation)
Host- Sarabeth's Restaurant ( 5 months after graduation)
What was the highest paying job you’ve had?
Company Managing
What are 3 most important lessons you learned from the bill-paying jobs you’ve had?
Bills will always be there; find something you enjoy.
A job is just a job. It's there to support what you want to do.
You can make it work.
What are you doing now? How does it supports you as a dancer with David Dorfman Dance?
I work around my dancing, if it doesn't fit, i don't do it.
What’s your advice to dancers out there in finding the right job to pay the bills and support their dancing?
Work around your dancing, don't dance around your work.
RAJA FEATHER KELLY originally from Fort Hood, Texas, is an honors graduate from Connecticut College. Having received his BA in Dance and English. He is currently a company member of David Dorfman Dance, RaceDance led by Lisa Race, Kyle Abraham’s Abraham.in.Motion in NYC, Zoe Scofield|Juniper Shuey in Seattle, WA and Christopher Williams Dance. Raja has also performed with Colleen Thomas and Dancers, IsadoraNOW, Sue Healy Dance company in Sydney Australia and Dairakudikan from Tokyo Japan. His own choreography with thefeath3rtheory had its premiere in October 2010 at DNA in NYC. Raja is also very excited to have been selected as a DanceWEB scholarship recipient for the 2009 Impulstanz Dance Festival in Vienna, Austria.* Check out this review of the recession report in the New Yorker.
It’s an amusing commentary on the “irrationality” of such reporting and its usefulness to the everyday citizen.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2010/09/is-the-recession-really-over.html#ixzz1PBogN36U
David Dorfman Dancers throw down! ...and pay the bills
By Meghan Bowden
If you’re an artist of any kind you will have a “bill-paying” job to supplement the income you receive from your art (and often BE the primary source of income to support your art-making). Finding the right one can feel like a job on its own, but once you’ve found it, the bill-paying gig can be just as rewarding as time in the studio or on stage. It can provide an excellent outlet for other creative interests, build marketable skills applicable across the job market AND support the demanding physical work of dancing professionally.
Here are few facts about earning potential for artists, specifically dancers, compiled by the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Median hourly wages of dancers were $12.22 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.03 and $18.82. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.28, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $27.26. Annual wage data for dancers were not available, because the wide variation in the number of hours worked by dancers and the short-term nature of many jobs—which may last for 1 day or 1 week—make it rare for dancers to have guaranteed employment that exceeds a few months.”
www.bls.gov/oco/ocos094.htm#earnings
$12.22 per hour is approximately $25,000 per year (before taxes), and that’s working 40 hours per week for 52 weeks, which is unfathomable in the dance world (and down right unhealthy!). The reality is dancers work around 20 hours per week, for less than 21 weeks out of the year, which is closer to approximately $5,000 per year (before taxes!).
So what’s a dancer to do?
Keep it MOVIN! Try one of the following professions of a David Dorfman dancer: Teach. Write. Choreograph. Judge. Draw. Manage. Study. Model. Dance. Train. OR, check back here each week to learn more about the life of a David Dorfman Company Member.
This week features the fiery and fabulous, Renuka Hines. Renuka joined the company in 2008. Here’s what she had to say about paying the bills and making dances happen.
Renuka, what’s your job title outside of DDD?
Dance Teacher
What was the first job you had after college?
Dancing for David and as a Nanny for a 3.5 year old child.
What was the highest paying job you’ve had?
Being a Nanny.
What are 3 most important lessons you learned from the bill-paying jobs you’ve had?
It's all about balance--paying the bills is important because finding a consistent source of money allows me to dance more. I'm not exhausted from piecing together odd jobs to pay my rent.
It's impossible to be everywhere at once, and there will be times when the demands of all of my jobs don't align. I find that when I try to be in the moment wherever I am (and not worry about where I am NOT), I feel like I truly give my whole self to each job. We really don't spend all of our time dancing, so the jobs we do outside of dance need to be fulfilling in some way also. Ideally, a bill-paying job can also be creative and energetic fuel for the art that we make.
What are you up to now? How does it support you as a dancer with David Dorfman Dance?
I currently teach 14 classes a week in NYC to dance students ranging in age from 2-10. My students' energy, creativity, and vulnerability constantly amaze and humble me, and in teaching them I remember to apply those same things to my work with David and the company.
What’s your advice to dancers out there in finding the right job to pay the bills and support their dancing?
Don't sacrifice one thing for another. Dancing is what we do because we love it; it is the thing we are most passionate about, and many people don’t have the opportunity to do the things they are most passionate about. That being said, finding a job that supports your work and life as a dancer is also important. Being a dancer is hopefully a long career- one which is sustainable because you balance your passion for dance with the reality of being able to live securely.
Renuka hails from Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Columbia University in 2008 where she received the Louis Sudler Prize for the Arts and was also a finalist for the ACDFA/Dance Magazine award for Best Performer. Renuka joined David Dorfman Dance in 2008. She is also currently performing with Nicholas Leichter Dance and has worked on projects with Tze Chun, Colleen Thomas, and Bill T. Jones. In addition to dancing and performing, Renuka is happy to be teaching young dance students at schools and studios around NYC. Renuka is constantly humbled by the incredible support of her family and friends and would like to thank them for believing in her as much as they do.
If you’re an artist of any kind you will have a “bill-paying” job to supplement the income you receive from your art (and often BE the primary source of income to support your art-making). Finding the right one can feel like a job on its own, but once you’ve found it, the bill-paying gig can be just as rewarding as time in the studio or on stage. It can provide an excellent outlet for other creative interests, build marketable skills applicable across the job market AND support the demanding physical work of dancing professionally.
Here are few facts about earning potential for artists, specifically dancers, compiled by the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Median hourly wages of dancers were $12.22 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.03 and $18.82. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.28, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $27.26. Annual wage data for dancers were not available, because the wide variation in the number of hours worked by dancers and the short-term nature of many jobs—which may last for 1 day or 1 week—make it rare for dancers to have guaranteed employment that exceeds a few months.”
www.bls.gov/oco/ocos094.htm#earnings
$12.22 per hour is approximately $25,000 per year (before taxes), and that’s working 40 hours per week for 52 weeks, which is unfathomable in the dance world (and down right unhealthy!). The reality is dancers work around 20 hours per week, for less than 21 weeks out of the year, which is closer to approximately $5,000 per year (before taxes!).
So what’s a dancer to do?
Keep it MOVIN! Try one of the following professions of a David Dorfman dancer: Teach. Write. Choreograph. Judge. Draw. Manage. Study. Model. Dance. Train. OR, check back here each week to learn more about the life of a David Dorfman Company Member.
This week features the fiery and fabulous, Renuka Hines. Renuka joined the company in 2008. Here’s what she had to say about paying the bills and making dances happen.
Renuka, what’s your job title outside of DDD?
Dance Teacher
What was the first job you had after college?
Dancing for David and as a Nanny for a 3.5 year old child.
What was the highest paying job you’ve had?
Being a Nanny.
What are 3 most important lessons you learned from the bill-paying jobs you’ve had?
It's all about balance--paying the bills is important because finding a consistent source of money allows me to dance more. I'm not exhausted from piecing together odd jobs to pay my rent.
It's impossible to be everywhere at once, and there will be times when the demands of all of my jobs don't align. I find that when I try to be in the moment wherever I am (and not worry about where I am NOT), I feel like I truly give my whole self to each job. We really don't spend all of our time dancing, so the jobs we do outside of dance need to be fulfilling in some way also. Ideally, a bill-paying job can also be creative and energetic fuel for the art that we make.
What are you up to now? How does it support you as a dancer with David Dorfman Dance?
I currently teach 14 classes a week in NYC to dance students ranging in age from 2-10. My students' energy, creativity, and vulnerability constantly amaze and humble me, and in teaching them I remember to apply those same things to my work with David and the company.
What’s your advice to dancers out there in finding the right job to pay the bills and support their dancing?
Don't sacrifice one thing for another. Dancing is what we do because we love it; it is the thing we are most passionate about, and many people don’t have the opportunity to do the things they are most passionate about. That being said, finding a job that supports your work and life as a dancer is also important. Being a dancer is hopefully a long career- one which is sustainable because you balance your passion for dance with the reality of being able to live securely.
Renuka hails from Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Columbia University in 2008 where she received the Louis Sudler Prize for the Arts and was also a finalist for the ACDFA/Dance Magazine award for Best Performer. Renuka joined David Dorfman Dance in 2008. She is also currently performing with Nicholas Leichter Dance and has worked on projects with Tze Chun, Colleen Thomas, and Bill T. Jones. In addition to dancing and performing, Renuka is happy to be teaching young dance students at schools and studios around NYC. Renuka is constantly humbled by the incredible support of her family and friends and would like to thank them for believing in her as much as they do.Stand...
By Meghan Bowden
That’s my Step! A History of Funk in 550 characters
(that’s 5 tweets for you twitterbugs out there)
James Brown, Black and Proud, introduces the musical groove.
Sly and the Family Stone (integrated by race and gender) slap the electric bass guitar, extending the funky groove. Their joyful sound and socially conscious lyrics catalyze funk to mainstream success.
George Clinton and the Parliament’s innovative style clearly define and propel funk to its commercial peak.
Prince redefines contemporary funk by mixing diverse instrumentation and musical styles.
David Dorfman Dance performs Prophets of Funk, featuring a groundbreaking collaboration with The Family Stone at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, funkifying New York City on 8/11/11.
(that’s 5 tweets for you twitterbugs out there)
James Brown, Black and Proud, introduces the musical groove.
Sly and the Family Stone (integrated by race and gender) slap the electric bass guitar, extending the funky groove. Their joyful sound and socially conscious lyrics catalyze funk to mainstream success.
George Clinton and the Parliament’s innovative style clearly define and propel funk to its commercial peak.
Prince redefines contemporary funk by mixing diverse instrumentation and musical styles.
David Dorfman Dance performs Prophets of Funk, featuring a groundbreaking collaboration with The Family Stone at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, funkifying New York City on 8/11/11.
A Dancer Prepares
By Meghan Bowden
It’s a little over an hour before the show. Dinner was good. Tech and dress rehearsals went well. My Afro is well-picked. There’s only one question that keeps coming up:
What in the hell should I do to warm-up?
Everyone has their own pre-performance rituals. The David Dorfman dancers have chosen over the years to forgo a company class, instead opting for an hour of reserved stage or studio time to warm themselves up however they see fit. The choices vary within the ranks from: giving oneself a full ballet class complete with barre, center and across the floor exercises to moving through pure calisthenics including jumping jacks, pushups and jump squats. Whatever the case, I’ve found the most success with the following formula/highly open guidelines.
1. GET YOUR MIND RIGHT: Get inspired, mentally and physically. It’s time for plenty of positive self talk, deep breathing, mental reviewing and Michael Jackson (ok so the song choices are definitely open, but having a playlist to pump you up can sometimes do more wonders to a performance than any amount of tendues, leg swings or crunches ever will). I figure, if it worked for Michael Phelps, it can work for me.
2. OSCILLATE THE JOINTS: Get some initial juices flowing. Not necessarily heavy stretching. Modern dancers tend to roll around on the floor at the beginning of the warm-up. They could be doing one of two things: a) looking for loose change or b) allowing breath, gravity and some light muscle activation to work its awakening magic.
3. CONNECT TO YOUR CORE: Get the abs and your ass moving. Generate some heat by moving vigorously enough so that plenty of oxygen is pumping into your muscles. Improvise, follow a short set of exercises, review your favorite combination, anything really; just get moving. Worry less about form and instead pause often to do some core work. I particularly love the running plank. Push up position with body aligned as if planking and running the legs. Seems to get everything tight and right every time.
4. REVIEW. Now is NOT the time to rehearse the show. You’ve done that. You’ve got it. Check! Now IS the time to rehearse the moments (and I do mean moments) that you might have blanked out during recent rehearsals or just plain screwed up. Don’t overdo it. Get the right mental and physical neurons firing by rehearsing these sections a couple times and move on. I like to buddy up during this part of my warm-up. The team spirit helps to get connected to the group.
5. STRETCH: Now that you’re nice and juicy, stretch a bit more. Again, don’t overdo it. Overstretching before a performance can lead to injury. You want the muscles ready to fire, not worn out and ready to sleep.
That’s it! Five easy steps to prep so you can soar on stage…kick ball change with fierceness…or shake your thang to a funky beat!
*Post warm-up, post make-up, pre-show follow-up: Breathe and look into the eyes of your cast mates before you go onstage. Whatever happens, you’re in this together (aka you go down, you got folks to take down with you!)
What in the hell should I do to warm-up?
Everyone has their own pre-performance rituals. The David Dorfman dancers have chosen over the years to forgo a company class, instead opting for an hour of reserved stage or studio time to warm themselves up however they see fit. The choices vary within the ranks from: giving oneself a full ballet class complete with barre, center and across the floor exercises to moving through pure calisthenics including jumping jacks, pushups and jump squats. Whatever the case, I’ve found the most success with the following formula/highly open guidelines.
1. GET YOUR MIND RIGHT: Get inspired, mentally and physically. It’s time for plenty of positive self talk, deep breathing, mental reviewing and Michael Jackson (ok so the song choices are definitely open, but having a playlist to pump you up can sometimes do more wonders to a performance than any amount of tendues, leg swings or crunches ever will). I figure, if it worked for Michael Phelps, it can work for me.2. OSCILLATE THE JOINTS: Get some initial juices flowing. Not necessarily heavy stretching. Modern dancers tend to roll around on the floor at the beginning of the warm-up. They could be doing one of two things: a) looking for loose change or b) allowing breath, gravity and some light muscle activation to work its awakening magic.
3. CONNECT TO YOUR CORE: Get the abs and your ass moving. Generate some heat by moving vigorously enough so that plenty of oxygen is pumping into your muscles. Improvise, follow a short set of exercises, review your favorite combination, anything really; just get moving. Worry less about form and instead pause often to do some core work. I particularly love the running plank. Push up position with body aligned as if planking and running the legs. Seems to get everything tight and right every time.4. REVIEW. Now is NOT the time to rehearse the show. You’ve done that. You’ve got it. Check! Now IS the time to rehearse the moments (and I do mean moments) that you might have blanked out during recent rehearsals or just plain screwed up. Don’t overdo it. Get the right mental and physical neurons firing by rehearsing these sections a couple times and move on. I like to buddy up during this part of my warm-up. The team spirit helps to get connected to the group.
5. STRETCH: Now that you’re nice and juicy, stretch a bit more. Again, don’t overdo it. Overstretching before a performance can lead to injury. You want the muscles ready to fire, not worn out and ready to sleep.That’s it! Five easy steps to prep so you can soar on stage…kick ball change with fierceness…or shake your thang to a funky beat!
*Post warm-up, post make-up, pre-show follow-up: Breathe and look into the eyes of your cast mates before you go onstage. Whatever happens, you’re in this together (aka you go down, you got folks to take down with you!)
Merde and have a great show!
Eco-Friendly Fitness & Wellness Center Opened by DDD Company Member Whitney!
Whitney is the proud co-founder of the recently opened eco-friendly fitness and wellness center, Studio 26!
Check out their website at www.studio26nyc.com or better yet walk in and see her at 250 W 26th St, 4th Floor between 7th & 8th Aves.
You can sign up with Whitney for a private Pilates session, or take her class with a small group Sat-Thurs!
Check out their website at www.studio26nyc.com or better yet walk in and see her at 250 W 26th St, 4th Floor between 7th & 8th Aves.
You can sign up with Whitney for a private Pilates session, or take her class with a small group Sat-Thurs!
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