Dance Teachers On-Line

NEWSLETTERS FOR MAILING LIST SUBSCRIBERS

1st April 2009

Established Dance School for sale in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK. Excellent leased hall located in the heart of the town centre. 80 students age 4-18. ISTD examinations and Performance projects. Street Dance, Classical Ballet and Contemporary dance classes. Current students also interested in further Tap and ISTD Modern classes. There is a lot of demand for adult dance classes. The School runs classes three days a week and has its own website. Excellent reputation. Wonderful opportunity for a qualified and passionate teacher. All classes are currently taught by the principal who is selling because she is moving to Australia with her fiancé.

Details at www.dtol.ndirect.co.uk/school14.htm

Enquiries to Catherine Simpson at office@alexzandance.com

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Some advertisements from DTOL Silver Members in the UK:

Classes available for children from 3 years in ballet and for Tap and Modern classes a minimum age limit of 5yrs. Street Dance classes for children on Saturday mornings in Caddington, Luton, from 9 yrs.

Exams are taken twice a year with the I.S.T.D in Ballet, Tap, Modern and Jazz. Adult classes are held in Tap and Street Dance in the evenings.

"Summer School 2009". This is a week's course which runs from Monday 27th July to Saturday 1st August. The classes are split into two age groups, 6-9 yrs and 10+.

The junior classes will run in the mornings and the senior classes in the afternoons.

The course includes classes in Ballet, Tap, Modern/Jazz, Street Dance, Limbering and choreography. The students shall perform a short showcase on the Saturday afternoon for friends and family. Please email me for more details.

Lucy Bennett
Email: lucyb@lucymartinschoolofdance.co.uk or you can visit the website for more info at www.lmsod.co.uk

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Classes by Jean-Pascal Cabardos, Ballet and Pilates Instructor:

Tuesdays at 7pm Pointe Work Beginner/Inter and 8:30pm Ballet Inter, Wednesday at 3pm Ballet Adv/Pro, Fridays at 4:30pm Ballet Beginner and 8:30pm Inter, Sundays at 12pm Ballet Inter/ Adv, 2pm Ballet Beginner, 3:30pm Pointe work Beginner/Inter in Danceworks London.

I can also offer private classes in Ballet and Pilates.

Mobile: 07973167223
Email: jeanpascal.cabardos@yahoo.co.uk

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Tap Attack is an amalgamation of some of the most innovative tap dancers, teachers and choreographers from all over the world. We bring a variety of styles, techniques and continually push the boundaries in all forms of tap dance.

Formed in 2006 by Jo Scanlan and Dean Magri, Tap Attack offers UK based workshops, master classes, global residencies, bespoke workshops and incorporating our performance companies "Xtreme Tap" and "Tap Attack Youth Company" both are high quality innovative and entertaining performance projects for theatrical, corporate and commercial work.

Our teaching faculty includes some of the leading dance figures in the tap industry - Jo Scanlan, Dean Magri, Junior Laniyan, Tarik Winston, Warren Heyes, Graeme Henderson, Nick Yeoman, James Doubtfire, Jamie Read, Ian Waller, Jason Di Mascio and Bret Jones.

Events for 2009 include -

5th and 19th April 2009 - Auditions for "Tap Attack Youth Company" and the England Tap Team 2009

26th April 2009 - Workshop in Portsmouth

7th June 2009 - Workshop in Liverpool

To stay up to date with our events please visit www.tapattack.co.uk
For further information please contact creative director Jo Scanlan at jo@tapattack.co.uk or on 07880790004

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Arindam Mukherjee (arindam0409@yahoo.com) from Kolkata, India "would like some information regarding a certificate course in jazz which I can offer my students. Currently I have over 75 centres of dance across India and I'm teaching them jazz which is taught to my instructors from ballet and jazz dancers who comedown to India as student exchange programs. I would like my institute to get affiliated a credible dance institution via which I can offer internationally recognised dance certificates to my students. If you could help me in this regards it would be much appreciated."

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I've had a number of general questions from site visitors recently and I asked DTOL's dance teacher members to help with some responses. I hope these answers are useful to readers.

DTOL member Sharon Pinsley (s_pinsley@hotmail.com) from Israel gave her views:

Q. If I want to dance hiphop, should I study ballet first?

A. Any dance system* that will provide you with a technical foundation can only enhance any dance form you take up like hip-hop. I recently saw an excellent example of this where I recently worked. There was a really fun, well-crafted hip-hop piece in the concert with 9 dancers. 4 of them were ballet and modern students who'd begun hip-hop a few months before. The others were strictly hip-hoppers with years of classes. The four stole the show, were far more enjoyable to watch and proved my point. TECHNIQUE IS FREEDOM!

*Ballet and modern x-training is the most viable means of developing as a well-rounded and skilful dancer.

Q. Can dancing help me lose weight?

A. Dance is definitely a weight loss inducer. It is well known now that diet alone will not make those sought after body changes- flat stomach, increased energy and stamina, sleek and well formed legs, etc. These come from physical training with the proper intake of food....and dance is one of (if not the best) the ways to achieve these goals.

Q. I find the music used for my ballet classes boring; can modern music be used for ballet?

A. I tend to use classical music for ballet classes, including Bach, Brahms and Schubert (not only Glinka, Tchaikovsky or Chopin). However, I have found I can use more modern music, like Debussy and Ravel, even Glass and Diamond. What I personally won't use is pop, ragtime or "twinkle toe" stuff- personal opinion! There are a lot of new discs for class out there that are wonderful for class inspiration and Richard Maddock is a prime example of this. I love using his music and so do my students.

Q. What kinds of dance should I learn if I want to dance in musicals?

A. Musical comedy dancers need to have great technique in ballet and modern, good work in jazz and some tap helps. You need to be very musical as well and some voice lessons are almost a must.

Q. How do I know if the teachers at my local dance school are qualified?

A. Wow! That's a toughie to describe online. Watch a couple classes of varying levels. Do you see real improvement in the dancers? Does the school boast graduates who have gone on to careers in dance, were accepted at quality SI's? What are the teachers' backgrounds and training? One thing I dislike seeing is placing really young unqualified students in the position of teachers. A 16 year old is NOT ready to take over a class at any level! If this is the case in your local school, it should raise your suspicions.

Katherine Coburn (katsteps@tesco.net) from Buckinghamshire, UK also answered some of the questions:

Q. Can dancing help me lose weight?

A. Yes, like any exercise if done for a minimum amount of time each week or as part of a combined exercise plan. It can also help to "tone up" and reshape areas. Some people find they don't lose "weight" as they develop muscle tone but completely reshape themselves. One of my pupils over 12 months went down a size in trousers due to this reshaping. However diet does need attention too.

Q. What kinds of dance should I learn if I want to dance in musicals?

A. Ballet and Modern are the main ones as most musicals are choreographed by "stage dance" style and trained choreographers and you will need to know the terminology to know what they are talking about.

Q. How do I know if the teachers at my local dance school are qualified?

A. Ask to see a copy of their qualification certificates and annual membership details. You can also contact the society which the teacher claims to be a member of (BATD, ISTD, IDTA, RAD) and check if the teacher is listed with them. I have a copy of my qualification certificate and annual insurance pinned up at my main teaching venue. There is a large difference between those qualifications gained through the main establishments which requires years of study and some of the new "college" qualifications which are being offered.

DTOL member Kathie Hunwick (lighthouseacademyofdance@yahoo.ca) from British Columbia, Canada also responded to these questions:

Q. If I want to dance hiphop, should I study ballet first?

A. To get good posture before I ruin it...???? I see no reason for this one (except to fill up ballet classes that are less popular) as hip hop is one of the few dance forms which bears little relation to ballet (except following the music and being generally co-ordinated) and where ballet can actually hinder it.

Q. Can dancing help me lose weight?

A. Absolutely - aerobic and muscle toning dance can definitely help to lose weight and tone up (I have the proof in some ladies in my adult ballet who used to be quite heavy and lacking in tone).

Q. I find the music used for my ballet classes boring; can modern music be used for ballet?

A. Yes - although it could also be 'boring' because the same pieces are played over and over again... There is a beauty, also, in classical music styles that can be appreciated in time.

Q. What kinds of dance should I learn if I want to dance in musicals?

A. Definitely ballet and jazz. Tap, if you're interested in tap musicals, of course! (If you like High School Musical, you'd end up doing a variety from hip hop to lyrical to funk...)

Q. How do I know if the teachers at my local dance school are qualified?

A. Find out their qualifications (ask to see certs if necessary) - if they are a registered teacher of the R.A.D (Royal Academy of Dance), ISTD (Imperial Society...), BBO, IDTA - to name some of the biggest worldwide, they are qualified.

DTOL member Paul Pritchard (paul@danceat8.com) from Worcestershire, UK adds his own view on the question raised:

"Q. How do I know if the teachers at my local dance school are qualified?' You ask!! Then you check with the relevant association. Which is very easy to do, all have websites and will most likely have their members listed on the site. A simple phone call will also verify. Teachers who are qualified will have no problem with that question - and even be happy that you asked! If a teacher even slightly hedges at the answer a red flag should go up immediately. There are so many 'teachers' out there who have taken a few lessons and gone out on their own, taking the unsuspecting customers money - and often charging more than qualified teachers. This needs to stop and the only way to do this is to educate the public to ask the question!"

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More answers to these questions in the next issue of the newsletter!

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