Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom Dancing is the newest dance form on my daughter's list. She took Argentine Tango a while back, but now has been taking lessons daily since August. Loves it! She has learned the foxtrot, waltz, viennese waltz (however it's spelled) and the Tango. She is also learning the latin dances. It's interesting to note that after fifteen years or so of ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and modern that ballroom dancing uses entirely different dance muscles. Isn't that strange?! Anyway, the technique is entirely different and she just loves it! She enters her first competition in January. Can't wait to learn all about this new endeavor! We won't return to NYC for a couple of months. Taking a break to prepare for ballroom competition.

Work, Stretch and Dance CAREFULLY!

Dancers: The colder months are upon us. Many of the dance injuries that occur happen in January, February and March .... when the cold is bitter and dance studios keep the studios at subzero temperatures. Be sure to warm up your bodies properly.

Try taking a hot bath before class, bring extra socks so you can change wet socks and keep your feet warm, bring some cushy slippers to class so you can warm your feet during off times!

Eat! If your energy is down and your body is cold, you will be more prone to injury. So, bring little snacks and nibble between classes. Also, drink lots of water.

You can also heat up one of those corn filled heating pads that you microwave and stick it in your dance bag to heat your feet up on or to warm your shoes.

Broadway Dance Center Needs Your Help! Read Please!

After reading this blog, please link it to your blog or sent it via e-mail to people who may be interested in this topic. Speading the word is the best help I can provide to this cause. Thanks. Here is an article from Backstage and other links.

Dancers Rally for NYC Center
December 01, 2005

Dancers rallied Thursday morning in support of the Broadway Dance Center, which is in the midst of a legal battle to retain its space on West 57th Street in Manhattan.

About 150 people gathered at the facility, said Bruce Cohen, press representative for the center, on Thursday afternoon.

For two decades the center has served the rehearsal, training, and conditioning needs of thousands of dancers, according to Cohen.

"More [than] 40,000 members, including Rockettes and Broadway chorus line dancers, consider the Broadway Dance Center their professional home and the place to stay in shape," said a press release announcing the rally.

The New York Times reported on Nov. 23 that the dance center might lose its home, a victim of Manhattan's "heated real estate market," which "is squeezing arts groups in the city."

The center is involved in a legal battle with its landlord, the Extell Development Company, to keep its space at 221 West 57th St.

Extell purchased the building and an adjacent site in June for a reported $67.5 million, according to the Times story, which added that the Broadway Dance Center's lease expires in 2012. Allison Ellner, chief executive officer and director of the center, told the Times that Extell had offered her $1 million to leave the space but that she had declined and that she had estimated the relocation cost at $3.4 million.

Franklyn Snitow, an attorney for Extell, told the Times that the company was prepared to operate the building "while there are existing valid leases for the premises." He would not comment on negotiations for relocating the dance center, except to say, "We were not willing to accept the dollar figure they presented."

-- Roger Armbrust

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/stage/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001613074

Also visit the new BDC Support site: http://www.supportbdc.org/

Great Suggestion from Julia

Fellow Blogger Julia Wrote .........
She can still do her breathing excercizes and do gentle humming excercizes and other voice related practise that doesn't make a lot of noise. Perhaps her teacher can show her some for the next time, a soundless workout for the voice! ........

Thanks! What a great suggestion! We'll do that at her next session.

The Holiday Struggle

We went visiting this Thanksgiving. It was tough for my daughter to keep in shape with all the food and lack of dance classes. She went to the exercise room daily and rode the stationary bike, elipical rider, roman chair and lifed weights. She recently got the New York City Ballet Workout I and loves it! She remembered the exercises and did them in the apartment we were visiting. It all worked and she is in great shape, but, wow, it took a lot of dedication to keep going every day!

The singing practice just stopped for seven days. We were visiting out relatives in an apartment building and no noise was allowed. So practicing sing was just OUT!!!! We both became very aware of the struggles of people who don't live in neightborhood housing. Very difficult to be a singing or musical instrument artist if you live in an apartment building where you have to be quiet!