From Dance Magazine

By Margaret Willis

It was a brief YouTube clip of her Kitri that set balletomanes abuzz. From the first moment that Bolshoi starlet Natalia Osipova was spotted in a short solo from Don Quixote, the link flew from computer to computer around the world. Her performance commanded the stage with sparkling personality and breathtaking technique. Tossing off multiple pirouettes with a laugh, she flew through the air, her head almost touching her back leg, with such exuberance that audience and fellow dancers alike cheered her on. Via cyberspace, her fame was well-established long before most of her newfound fans saw her in the flesh. Within four years, she rose through the ranks of the Bolshoi Ballet to first soloist. Under Bolshoi Ballet director Alexei Ratmansky, she has been given the opportunity to perform many roles and to develop a partnership with the equally exciting dancer Ivan Vasiliev.

My first live sighting of her was in 2006 in Southampton when the Bolshoi was on a regional tour of Britain. It wasn’t in some high-powered role, rather as one of the shepherdesses in Act II ofSpartacus. But there was something mesmerizing about the way she skipped, light as a feather while clutching her arms around her head, that foretold of a star-in-waiting. That summer, the company returned to London where Osipova, still a corps member, performed the full Don Quixoteto cheers and thunderous applause. The following year, partnered by the 18-year-old wunderkind Ivan Vasiliev, she again set the stage ablaze with her daredeviltry, pyrotechnics, and flamboyance. The tour also showed us more of her talent, and she received the 2007 top female dancer prize from the British Critics Circle National Dance Awards—a great honor considering how many fine and famous ballerinas graced the stages of Britain that year.

As Gamzatti in La Bayadère, she was an imperious, hard young woman who would not contemplate losing the affections of her betrothed to a mere temple dancer. Her whole performance was one of cold, calculating command, and her nuptial pas de deux with Solor was performed with possessive authority. In Ratmansky’s The Bright Stream, she showed a comic streak. In Tharp’s In the Upper Room, she danced with a vitality that was hypnotic for its fearless, slick, and fluid technique—all done with a terrific sense of enjoyment. For this role she received the Golden Mask award in Moscow last spring.

But things could have been very different and we might have been watching an Olympic champion rather than a ballerina. Osipova, 22, started out as a determined gymnast, with eyes on an eventual Olympic medal. A back injury sent her off to ballet classes for strengthening, but she was not a willing dancer. Despite being accepted into the Moscow Choreographic Academy, she felt she was just biding time until she could return to the gym floor.

“When I started ballet, I didn’t really like the classes,” she told me. “I was too flexible. While my limbs flew up easily in class, I didn’t have the control needed. I also realize now that I wasn’t a serious student. I believed that this ballet instruction was just a small period in my life and that soon I would be getting back to the sports world, which I loved so much.” But she eventually realized her back problem would prevent her from returning to gymnastics, and started to accept ballet. “It wasn’t until I performed onstage in a school concert and heard the appreciative applause of the audience that I suddenly realized that ballet was really important for me. I began to work hard. I’d danced a Russian dance and enjoyed wearing a costume, putting on makeup and becoming someone else. But I especially liked the applause—and,” she added with a cheeky grin, “I still do.”

Ballet competitions followed. At 17, in 2003, she won the Grand Prix in Luxembourg. In 2005, as a new corps member of the Bolshoi Ballet, she won the bronze in the Moscow International Competition despite having to cope with rehearsals and performances for two company premieres at the same time. In November 2005, she stepped out of the corps for a night to perform the fullDon Quixote with competition partner Andrei Bolotin, thus winning more fans.

So, after all these hard-punching bravura heroines, what about lyricism? When Johan Kobborg went to Moscow to stage his version of La Sylphide on the Bolshoi in 2007, he selected Osipova as the lead. Suddenly, in place of the powerhouse bravura and fiendishly technical challenges that she relishes, she transformed into a silky Sylph. She skimmed the stage like a smooth stone on a millpond. She offered the lightest of jumps, which exploded like milkweed pods. As her tarlatan billowed out around her, she gave the sensation of her feet not touching the ground. But she was also a sassy Sylph who delighted in teasing poor James. As in all her performances, Osipova immersed herself in her character so much that she was living the role rather than just playing a part.

In her debut as Giselle last fall she was a peasant girl with gusto rather than a demure seamstress. Her mad scene was so vivid that she received a phone call from her mother in the intermission, checking if she was all right. As a Wili, the ballerina born to balance on pointe evidenced fluidity and grace while remaining strong in character.

So where does she go for technique polishing and filigree detailing of all these roles? Osipova never hesitates to praise her coach Marina Kondratieva, who is the complete antithesis of the young dancer. The soft-spoken, introverted, and gentle Kondratieva was a Bolshoi ballerina of the ’60s and ’70s much loved for her lyricism, phrasing, and musicality. It was a surprise to everyone that Osipova pleaded with her to take her on. Kondratieva guides her pupil in the ways of long held Bolshoi traditions, regularly reining in Osipova, who would rather bring out her personality onstage than dance by the book. “Marina Viktorovna is a genius in explaining everything to me,” says Osipova. “We work out every minute detail from eyelash to fingertips.”

The pretty young Russian with raven-black hair and heavy mascara-ed eyes is a glutton for hard work, a perfectionist who demands 100 percent of herself even in rehearsals. She will ruminate over anything that she feels was not her best, and her brow will furrow with displeasure. But after some walking to and fro, she continues, no matter how tired, until the steps are perfected. Dance is a propelling force inside her and nothing can stop it—not even the virus and high temperature she suffered on her debut as Medora in Le Corsaire in April. Despite this, she danced full-out in a role well-suited for her with partner Ivan Vasiliev, who was also making his debut as Conrad and who won plaudits for his macho, comic bravura.

These two dynamos make for an exhilarating pairing. Anything can happen, and they set the audiences cheering. Osipova turns on a dime in her speedy multiple pirouettes and devours the stage while reaching the heights in her flights across it. Vasiliev, in true competitive spirit and with a great sense of fun and joy, will match her, streaking like an arrow in airborne jetés and spinning like a top in his jaw-dropping turns. The two of them have become the darlings of the international ballet world, not to mention they were each a Dance Magazine “25 to Watch,” she in 2007, he in 2008. During the festival of Ballet Nacional de Cuba in the fall of 2006, they challenged the Latins’ renowned virtuosity to flash their unique brand of excitement to crowds who erupted with enthusiastic and passionate cheering.

While we can anticipate many more sparkling jewels in Osipova’s tiara to be unveiled in the next few years, it is her bravura that her devoted fans want to see most. She is often invited to guest with many companies—usually performing “Kitri, Kitri, Kitri” she laughingly states—bringing the house down as in St. Petersburg, where she repeated her 32 spot-on fouettés at the Kirov. She admits that her life as a gymnast would have been very short-lived, so she’s happy how things have worked out.

“Ballet is my destiny,” she declares solemnly.

Margaret Willis, a contributing editor to Dance Magazine based in London, has been covering the Bolshoi Ballet since 1977.

From Dance Teacher

By Jennifer Anderson

While many dance studios have begun to make hip-hop classes a staple in recent years, colleges have not exactly followed suit, and many students are getting frustrated. “It only makes sense that hip hop should be included in higher education,” says Ithaca College senior Kay Cotton, who is president of the student group IC Hip Hop. “It’s going to continue to be in high demand from dance students, so doesn’t it make sense for future dance educators to learn and understand the style?”

Nonetheless, it’s not always obvious where it fits into the higher education setting. Some colleges and universities make sure to offer credited classes, while others offer it as part of a jazz curriculum or bypass it altogether. Meanwhile, student-run hip-hop clubs are sprouting up at colleges everywhere. Here, we talk to dance professionals and students about how they view the artform’s place in higher ed.

Trend or Mainstay?

What came first, the surge in classes or the hit television shows? It’s hard to pinpoint cause and effect, but one thing’s undeniable: Hip hop’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down. Television programs like “So You Think You Can Dance,” “America’s Best Dance Crew” and MTV’s “Dancelife” are just a few examples of the genre’s heightened exposure.

“It’s such an entertaining, fun style to watch and perform,” says Cotton, who joined the college’s recreational hip-hop club, IC Hip Hop, to compensate for the lack of courses offered at Ithaca. And she’s not alone in her pursuit. Due to increased student demand, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, recently added hip hop to its roster of classes, says Jeff Friedman, PhD, assistant professor of dance at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. Even so, it’s only a portion of the jazz curriculum.

A Place in This World

The debate is whether hip hop “should receive the same amount of serious contextualization as classical ballet and contemporary forms,” Friedman explains. “All world forms have need for context, and college dance departments need to consider this factor.”

Like world dance forms, hip hop has a rich history. It is a folk art “created among the common people as an expression of their everyday lives,” writes dance educator Kelsa Rieger in Cityfolk Enews, an online newsletter about traditional and ethnic performing arts. “It emerged from the inner-city streets of the South Bronx in the early 1970s: a new style of music, instrumentation, dance, fashion and visual art that together made up a rich and colorful expression of life for the people, place and time in which it was created.” (Until the college suspended operations in June, Rieger taught hip hop in the dance program at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.)

Antioch’s dance program included the courses “Introduction to Hip Hop Dance and Culture” and “West African Drum and Dance” as part of its curriculum. “Kelsa Rieger really wanted students to have an understanding of the cultural context that generated hip hop,” says Jill Becker, former dance program director. “She brought in guests and had the students do readings. Some were really interested in understanding the social, political and economic context.”

Still, many view the artform as a pop-culture phenomenon, explains Becker. “But I take it seriously, and think students can learn a lot about the culture that generated hip hop.”

Perhaps the problem is that some college faculty members don’t know where to find “authentic” hip hop. In the e-newsletter, Rieger talks about how the artform has changed drastically (due in large part to the media) from its beginnings and what is currently being taught. She likens the two styles to the way that samba can refer to either “the raw, authentic, hip-driven dance seen on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, or the smooth, elegant, partnering danced at ballroom competitions in the U.S.; the two look almost nothing alike. The ‘hip hop’ taught in most dance studios across the country today is a far cry from anything you would have seen at one of DJ Kool Herc’s block parties in 1975.”

The educational worth of hip hop extends far beyond the movement involved, and dance professionals like Rieger and Becker are doing their part to spread this knowledge in the higher ed setting. “It’s important for students to value vernacular dance alongside performance dance,” says Becker. “I would like to offset the high art/low art/folk art distinctions—it’s all high art.” And, of course, students are speaking up. “Hip hop is here to stay,” says Cotton, “so the dance community can only benefit from accepting and including it.” DT

Jennifer Anderson holds a BA in Dance and English from Rutgers University and is the rehearsal coordinator for American Ballet Theatr

From Dance Teacher

By Michelle Vellucci

Rebecca McGregor’s high school guidance counselor told her she’d never make a living teaching dance in the K–12 sector. At the time, there were only three full-time high school dance teachers in all of Vermont, her home state, and no dance programs in any of its elementary or middle schools, aside from guest-artist residencies.

McGregor studied dance in college anyway. And not only did she prove her counselor wrong by landing a job, but, in a twist of poetic justice, the school that hired her—Lyndon Institute—is her alma mater’s rival.

The private high school in the rural  community of Lyndon Center, VT, (about 80 miles northeast of Burlington) is where McGregor has spent the past six years building a dance program and cultivating relationships with teachers across the state to ensure that dance in Vermont thrives. “I took it upon myself to make connections with the other dance teachers out here and find ways of bringing us together,” she says.

First Steps

McGregor started dancing in her hometown of St. Johnsbury, VT, at age 8. When a Costa Rican dancer named Liliana Cubero moved to town a few years later and took over the local studio, McGregor began taking class several nights a week, as well as assisting with baby classes and teaching a summer dance program. Through Cubero, she discovered a healthy approach to movement. “I knew that was what I wanted to do,” she recalls. “I wanted to teach.”

Fast-forward to McGregor’s senior year of college, when she traveled throughout Vermont to research school dance programs. “I learned that no one in the dance field knew of each other,” she says. “It became my goal, if I ever got a teaching job, to increase dance awareness and opportunities in schools.”

Her chance came earlier than expected, when her mom spotted a newspaper ad announcing that Lyndon Institute was looking for someone to start a dance program. Though she still had a semester of student teaching ahead of her, McGregor decided to interview for the position just for practice. Two weeks later, she was offered the job. “They waited a semester for me to finish my degree,” she says.

Anatomy of a Dance Program

McGregor started teaching part-time in January 2003, and by the end of the year, she had attracted enough students to support a full-time position the following September. Today, there are about 80 in the dance program—not too shabby for a rural school with a population of 623.
“My students are from all learning levels and socioeconomic backgrounds,” she says, noting that dance has given these children another way to succeed in school. Headmaster Rick Hilton agrees. “It is a delight to see her students strive for excellence, achieve it and receive the approval of the community,” he says. “Rebecca’s stage is a joyful place.”

Classes take place in the school’s historic Lyndon Town House, a sunny, spacious building with high ceilings and wood floors. McGregor teaches two sections of Dance I in the fall and Dance II in the spring, as well as yearlong courses in jazz and lyrical ballet. Her well-rounded curriculum covers history, technique, choreography and principles of anatomy and kinesiology.

As the school’s only dance teacher, McGregor feels it is essential to expose her students to guest artists as often as possible. “Each semester, I try to bring in people who do things differently from me so that my kids can learn something new and get experience from different teachers,” she says.

Serious dancers may audition for Pulse Dance Company, a troupe for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Company members perform and teach in local elementary and middle schools and participate in talent shows and competitions. McGregor also offers independent study courses tailored to students who are planning to continue their dance education in college.

LI’s after-school tap club and dance club, which explores styles from various cultures and time periods, such as bellydance and swing, are geared toward recreational dancers. “It’s about trying to excite kids about moving their
bodies,” McGregor explains. “We let loose and ham it up.”

Reaching Out

When McGregor started her program, she decided to befriend the local studio owners rather than try to compete with  them. The gesture paid off. “The other teachers are very supportive,” she says. “They want their students taking class with me.”

She communicates regularly with the studio teachers, sending her syllabi and weekly outlines to those with students in her classes so they know exactly what she’s covering. “I make it a point to connect to studio teachers so they feel I’m trying to stay on the same page,” McGregor explains. “We share ideas. It’s important for us to connect and talk about the students, because that’s how they’re really going to progress.”

To connect with dance educators and students on a broader scale, McGregor founded the Vermont State Dance Festival. Now in its sixth year, the annual event brings about 150 teachers and students from around the state to the LI campus to participate in classes and performances. In addition to offering professional-level classes, it allows dance teachers from throughout Vermont to meet, collaborate and learn from one another, McGregor says.

Meanwhile, nearby elementary and middle school students get a taste of LI’s dance offerings, thanks to visits from members of Pulse Dance Company. And each spring, McGregor invites other schools and studios to participate in a benefit recital. Four schools took part in last year’s show, and she’s hoping for a few more this year. Admission is free, but donations are accepted; the proceeds go to organizations that promote child wellness. “We usually have about 500 people in our audience,” she says. “In the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, where hunting is the biggest sport, that’s pretty exciting.”

Looking Ahead

One of McGregor’s plans for the future is to encourage local schools and dance studios to get involved when guest artists come to town. “It would be great to establish a rotating schedule,” she says, “and have dancers from other high schools and studios participate in the master/open classes offered by the artists in residence.”

After running the show solo for the past six years, McGregor says she’ll eventually start delegating certain responsibilities—though she admits she often feels she could keep going forever. “I could easily work on lessons and choreography 24/7 or until I fall asleep in motion, because I am passionate about my job,” she says. “I love seeing the students grow physically, cognitively and socially.”

For now, she’ll continue forging ahead, doing what she loves. “Rebecca possesses that essential quality of great teachers: a passion for her academic discipline,” says Hilton. “Her lessons instruct her students, but her example inspires them.” DT

From Pointe

By Sara Leshen

You saw her on the cover of the February/March 2008 issue; now read a personal interview with Venezuela-born Tulsa Ballet dancer Karina Gonzalez. Find out how she got her start, what it was like to participate in a ballet competition and more.

How did your ballet career begin?
I danced at the School Foundation Gustavo Franklin, starting when I was 7 years old. After I graduated from the school, I wanted to find a good company where I could get experience. I heard the director of Tulsa Ballet was coming to do an audition in Caracas. I thought, “This could be a great opportunity!” Then the audition came and Marcello Angelini offered me a contract. My family and I were so happy.

What is one of the favorite roles you’ve danced with Tulsa Ballet?
My favorite has been Juliet in Michael Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet, because I always dreamed of dancing the part. The role is incredible. To have the opportunity to perform this ballet was amazing because the ballet allows you the freedom to be yourself. It is a combination of technique and artistry, and you can enjoy every step that you do throughout the entire ballet. I really loved it, and I hope I will be able to perform it again.

What was it like to compete in the New York International Ballet Competition?
To be in NYIBC was a great experience. To compete with so many great dancers from all around the world makes you believe in yourself and push yourself to be better each day that you are there. No one came knowing what they were going to dance and perform, so it’s really difficult, but you learn to become your own coach.

What do you enjoy doing outside of dance?
When I am not dancing, I really enjoy staying home, waking up very late, going to the movies, playing with my cat, Garfi, and calling home to talk with my family. Most of all, I try to relax in the short time I have free.

Hello my friends!

I have had my share of injuries, as every dancer does.  I sprained both ankles while skiing, on different occasions, when I was very young.  The doctors told me I had to stay off of it for six weeks, but obviously I wouldn’t have that.  I went to my chiropractor and he put the bones back into place, tied the ankle up with athletic tape, and I walked out of the office and was dancing within a week.  I can’t say it was smart, but I couldn’t bear to take time off of dancing.

Now, most professional companies make you sign an agreement that you won’t do crazy sports like skiing and snowboarding while you’re on a contract, but injuries do commonly happen in the studio.  Just last year, I was in class and landed wrong coming down from a jump during petite allegro; I ended up pulling a ligament on the outside of my left ankle.  I could still take barre, but my foot doctor wouldn’t let me turn or jump for a month since I would run the risk of tearing the ligament.  It was actually great having a chance to get down to basics and re-train myself so that when I did start jumping again, my technique had greatly improved.  The only problem was, I had shows coming up and had to jump back into rehearsals immediately.  It’s hard to be careful when you’re doing intense choreography as opposed to class work.  That ankle still gives me trouble every now and then.

Last week, I was landing from a pirouette and when the foot in passe came down, my pointe shoe slipped.  I didn’t have time to shift my weight forward and, before I knew it, I was on the floor with a throbbing ankle.  It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what happened, but when I came down, my foot beveled and all of the weight went to my right ankle/inside of my arch.  It tweaked my knee a bit, but the biggest problem was the outside of my foot.  All the way from my pinkie toe to the top of my ankle bone, the tendons were strained.  I was limping for the next few days and am still waiting to get into the foot doctor.  I’ll have to take a bit of time off to make sure I don’t injure it further.

The only way I get through injuries and recoveries is by seeing the bright side of it.  Yes, I can’t do certain steps for a while and have to take time off, but at the same time, it gives me a break and lets me get back to basics with my technique.  No, its’ not much fun, but it helps me cope.  I’m sure all of you have had to take time off at one point or another due to injuries.  What did you do to get through it and get back into the groove?

Hello Everyone!

What motivates you?

I have many motivating factors.  Whether it be with my kids, my husband, with my daughter’s dance or son’s sports, it’s requires motivation.  It is about completing a job well done.  I always reach for higher expectations than I could go for.  There is no job I take on to do half way.  I think that in life when you give more than you have to, you will almost never regret putting the effort in.  Even if the outcome isn’t what I expected or hoped for at times, it still makes it all worth it.

Of course there are always the wins.  The times where you reach high…almost too high and you surprised yourself.  There is never shame in shooting for the stars, even if you fall short.  There is only shame in not trying hard enough.

So now I ask…what will you reach for next?  How high will you strive to climb with that dream?

Hello Everyone!

My name is Shelli, and I’m here to answer your dance questions! But,  I guess the best place to start is to give you a little history about myself.

To begin, I wear a LOT of hats in life.  Like most moms, I am completely twisted and pulled in all directions, at all times.  I am a mother of 3 amazing kids (I know we all say that…but they really are).  My kids are very close in age but for the next month I don’t get to look completely insane and tell you that my kids ages are 21, 21, and 19.  Until my baby turns 20 March 2^nd.  Then the head scratching begins when I say my kids are 21, 21, and 20!  So yes, I did have twins (boy & girl) and a 3^rd just 15 months later.  They are a dancer/business owner, a senior at Chapman University (Graduating with top honors), and a sophomore at Idaho State who also plays football for them!

But aside from a mother of 3, I am a wife of 23 years, a business owner for the last 20 years and the matriarch of my entire family. I am also a grantie (yes that’s spelled right) of 5 nieces, mother to my 4 dogs, 3 cats, 3 bothers, 1 sister and sometimes my Husband & my father.  I am also partner in a dance wear business with my daughter, and the PR & Special Projects Manager for Discount Dance Supply.

So what does that have to do with my knowing anything about dance and dancers?  Well, I guess it begins with my daughter.  She’s an amazing young woman who has navigated her way thru the maze of being a student, a competitor, a protégé, a professional, a teacher, a judge and a business owner…all in the world of dance.  So without a conscious effort dance and the dance world have been a very big part of my life for 15 years now.

What I would like to accomplish with blogging is to talk.  About every possible subject in the world of dance I can  speak with relative confidence about.  I know that as a mother of a dancer, there were so many moments that I needed a friend…a confidant…an advisor who knew the road I was on.  Hopefully I can provide some of this to you.  I have been through it all as a mother of a ballerina and now out there watching it all from different angles in the business world of dance and competitions.  So feel free to comment back to me…ask questions…give me your thoughts.

I want to leave you with some questions to begin the conversation….

What’s your goal in dance with your child?  What motivates you?  What motivates them?

Hello everyone!

I want to give a little thought to competitions, primarily how you cope when things go wrong.  A few weeks ago, I watched students from my studio compete in a competition, and most of the transitions from piece to piece were smooth and seamless, but the tension built up when one of my friends was about to go on and they turned on the wrong music.  The announcer said “Attention judges:  the next number will be …” The next girl stepped onstage and took her pose, but her music was wrong as well.  They had switched it with my friend’s piece!  Then came the awkward part where the announcer asked the dancer to please leave the stage.  My friend had to wait through about five dances before they straightened out the music and went back to her.  By that time, there is no telling how much her adrenaline and nerves had built up.  She did fairly well, but you could tell that she was past her peak as far as stress levels go.

I once fell during the Medora variation from Le Corsaire, right at the beginning of the piece.  When landing from a jump my foot slipped behind me (slippery stage + pointe shoes = disaster) so I catapulted forward and fell right on my face.  The audience gasped, but for some reason my mind was so calm and set on giving them a show, I bounced back up and didn’t miss a beat in the music.  The crazy part is, I look back and remember that performance as one of my favorites.  After that fall, there was nothing worse that could happen, so I just danced my heart out and the audience cheered at the end.  It felt great!  I find nothing more invigorating than giving a good show.

In my years of competing, I have had several experiences with mixed music, costume malfunctions, and falling flat on my face onstage.  The question is:  how do you cope when something goes wrong?  For me, it all comes down to mental preparation.  A few years ago, my parents gave me a motivational cd series called the Psychology of Winning.  That it my top choice when I need to get in “the zone”.  It’s not necessarily about winning, but having a mindset that anything is possible.  After all, you become what you think about most of the time.  I always perform best when I take a few minutes to be in a quiet place by myself, close my eyes, listen to my ipod, and get in “the zone”.  How do you prepare for competitions and deal with mishaps?  Embarrassing stories welcome!

-Lizzy

In July 2009, Dance Teachers from all over the country converged on New York City Dance Teacher Summit’s recital costume preview and fashion show…and the time has come again! The conference is a 3 day line up of 900 of your fellow dance teachers, 3 motivating days of dance in NYC, World renowned dance instructors and much, much more.

To help gear up, below is a clip from the 2009 summit;  Discount Dance Supply provided all of the clothing that the dancers so elegantly presented.

Get your passes for the 2010 Dancer Teacher Summit today!

Nathan Trasoras, finalist from So You Think You Can Dance, visited the Discount Dance Supply retail location in Anaheim on Feb. 6, 2010 to launch his new t-shirt line.
Brett asks him about the finer points of dance and his career.
Check it!