Finding Yourself Through Dancing the Five Rhythms

"Dance is the most immediate way of expressing the body's essential rhythms"-Gabrielle Roth

The 5Rhythms is a simple, powerful movement practice. There are no specific steps to follow but your own authentic, organic movement. The practice has the power to catalyze creative expression and deep healing. Dancing the 5Rhythms is a map to finding yourself.

Human beings are rhythms. Breath is rhythm. Heartbeat is rhythm. Cells are rhythm. All of life is rhythms and cycles. Day and night, light and dark, birth and death, seasons, and the ocean are examples of life's organic, rhythmic, wave-like ebb and flow. Rhythms are the essence of life and who we are. Over time, we may lose our connection with our rhythms. Disconnect, disharmony, and dismemberment can result. Dancing the 5Rhythms helps people return to a more embodied presence.

Fundamental to the 5Rhythms, everything alive is energy moving in waves, patterns, and rhythms. Each rhythm is a different energy field that human beings move through in a wave. Part of our essential makeup, the 5Rhythms form a series of healing maps created by Gabrielle Roth for the body, heart, mind, soul, and spirit.

Flowing—fluidity through continuous, grounded expression in sensual spirals of your body's movements with your feet connected to the Earth united with the flow of your own energy to cultivate restorative input to your being

Staccato—focused percussive, pulsing inner beat released as output into physical shapes with tense edges revealing boundaries that provide insights into your feelings and allow expression of your heart through your body

Chaos—freedom of the mind through unifying opposites, dissolving patterns, and letting go into the unknown by releasing in your organic catalytic wild, unpredictable movements

Lyrical—essence of the soul where the weight of self-consciousness dissolves and expansion occurs into lightness of being revealing your uniqueness and connection with the bigger picture of existence

Stillness—unified emptiness of inner peace and inspiration connected to love and compassion where you let go into gentle movements that rise and fall, start and end, in a field of silence comprised of nothing and everything

What are the potential benefits to the body, mind, and spirit through the 5Rhythms?

Moving through the waves of the 5Rhythms is a spiritual practice of self-discovery illuminating the essence of life on and off the dance floor. Organic movement through a dancing body reveals endless inner reflections. The body expresses through movement what it may not communicate or reveal in other ways. Releasing through a body in motion invites rhythmic balance between right and left, feminine and masculine, input and output, parasympathetic and sympathetic, harmony and disharmony. Developing strong roots through your feet on the ground and letting go to the beat supports this process.

As the physical body releases through rhythmic movement, the mental constructs relax. Chatter ceases. Dancing through the 5Rhythms helps people get out of their heads. The mind becomes liberated. "If you put the psyche in motion, it will heal itself," says Gabrielle Roth.

Integration within the mind-body opens a gateway for the spirit to expand. The 5Rhythms is a catalyst into an embodied presence where spiritual awakening occurs. Deep experiences in soulful states provide insights into identity and purpose. Dancing the 5Rhythms helps people experience the bigger picture by returning to and connecting with their truest essence. This remembering contains profound healing.

What do people experience and learn from the 5Rhythms?

"The five rhythms are the essence of the body in motion, the body alive. The 5Rhythms are states of being. They are maps to everywhere we want to go, on all planes of consciousness—inner and outer, forward and back, physical, emotional and intellectual.

In dancing them you can track perceptions and memories; seek out gestures and shapes; tune into instincts and intuitions. They reveal ways to creatively express aggressiveness and vulnerability, emotions and anxieties, edges and ecstasies. They reconnect us to cycles of birth, death and renewal and hook us up to the spirit in all living things. They initiate us back into the wisdom of our bodies and unleash movement's dynamic healing power. Dancing the 5Rhythms is a practice, a dynamic way to both workout and to meditate in the same breath. They teach us that life is energy in motion, freeing us from any fixed notions about people, places, objects or ideas. In dancing them the body becomes our spiritual path."
-Gabrielle Roth

What is the history of the 5Rhythms?

Gabrielle Roth founded the 5Rhythms in the 1960s teaching movement at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. Hundreds of certified 5Rhythms teachers are now around the world. Gabrielle and her husband Robert Ansell also record and produce music by Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors through their label Raven Recording.

For More Information

5Rhythms
Raven Recording
Maps to Ecstasy by Gabrielle Roth
Sweat Your Prayers by Gabrielle Roth
Connections by Gabrielle Roth

Music of the 5 Rhythms

FLOW fluid, continuous, grounded glide of our own movements click here to listen to a sample of Flow

STACCATO percussive, pulsing beat that shapes us a thousand different ways click here to listen to a sample of Staccato

CHAOS rhythm of letting go, releasing into a catalytic wildness that can never be planned or repeated click here to listen to a sample of Chaos

LYRICAL rhythm of trance, where the weight of self-consciousness dissolves as we lighten up and disappear into our own uniqueness click here to listen to a sample of Lyrical

STILLNESS quiet emptiness, where gentle movements rise and fall, start and end, in a field of silence click here to listen to a sample of Stillness

Finding Inspiration to Choreograph a Memorable Dance

What makes a choreographer want to create a particular dance? What inspires you? Most say that they are usually inspired by music. It's a great starting point. When you hear a certain piece of music, do you visualize colors, shapes and movements? If so, that music is a good candiidate for choreography.

A basic rule of choreography is that gestures should somehow reflect the music. What sets the successful choreographers apart is that their gestures embody the music beautifully, as if each musical phrase had been written just for them. An example is the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. Although different choreographers may have set different steps to this music,nearly all of them have tried to create something appropriately delicate.

Another form of inspiration is the need to tell a story. Dance has always been an excellent vehicle for this. If you want to tell a tale, first decide whether you want to create a complete narrative from beginning to end, or something more complex.

Say, for example, that your theme is the story of Hansel and Gretel. Think of all the ways you could tell that story. You could opt for the linear approach, showing Hansel and Gretel wandering through the forest, dropping bread cumbs, etc. Or you could start at the end of the story, with the 2 kids leaping breathlessly onstage to tell you what they just experienced.

Or your dance could simply focus on character at one point in the story. How does the wicked witch feel when the kids bake her alive? Maybe she could do an interpretive dance to let the audience know.

Using Your Imagination as Inspiration

Choreographers almost always talk about their "vision" of their work, imagining what they would like to see.  A choreographer literally creates an image of the dance in his/her mind before attacking the details. The overall "look" of the dance is set, then from there, steps are chosen that best fit that vision. Choreographers then write down their ideas using dance notation or simply dance it and put it on videotape.

Martin Luther King’s famous speech "I have a Dream" could  be interpreted through  by phrases from the speech, the rhythm, phrasing of the words, emotional content and the time it which the speech was made.

Using Props - Think about the Texture, Shape, Size, Movement, Meaning, Mood, Character, Sound

Suitcase
Umbrella
Overcoat
Hat
Broom
Chair
Scarf
Ball
Cane

The chair in British choreographer Christopher Bruce's Swansong has many uses. It represents a shield, a weapon, a safe haven, a burden, prison bars and shackles. The prisoners relationship to the chair changes throughout the dance, giving the audience an idea of his state of mind as the dance progresses.

An Everyday Activity, Current or Historic Event - Think about Human behavior, Groupings, Formations, Interactions, Mood

People at work, rest or play
Places where people gather
Routines or rituals
News Items
Conflicts
Events that changed the world

Christopher Bruce  has frequently stated that he uses a number of sources for any work he creates. He has stated that there are two basic inspirations from which Swansong sprung. The first influence revolved from Amnesty International where Bruce felt compelled to say something about the situation of the prisoner of conscience. The other main inspiration was a more personal message. Bruce has stated that he felt the need to say good-bye to something and to him; it was saying good-bye to dancing.

The first section of Falaci’s A Man describes the torture of the hero, Alexander Panagoulis, condemned to death in 1968 for the attempted assassination of the Greek dictator George Papadopoulos. Saved from death he spends three and a half years in a cell with almost invisible windows. In the novel Falaci describes the process of torture and interrogation as if it was a theatrical production.

The title, Swansong, is highly appropriate for the dance and has two meanings.

A person’s last work or act before death or retirement.
A song like that fabled to be sung by a dying swan.

The importance of a swan’s song is the belief that a swan sings only at the point of death. In this sense Christopher Bruce’s Swansong has a parallel theme to Michel Fokine’s famous and more literal solo, popularised by Anna Pavlova, The Dying Swan (originally called The Swan). It is an image that has attracted artists in numerous disciplines.

Many teachers of dance in education use Swansong as an inspiration for choreographies, performances and greater dance understanding. It is clear that although Swansong can be easily watched and understood by many there is a dark undertone to the work that must be explored. Swansong has an ambiguity to its content and topic and has proved to be still relevant today.

Developing a Vocabulary for the Dance

The same basic step can be danced in many different ways. When you choreograph a dance, you have a nearly infinite number of steps to choose from. The vocabulary of the dance refers to the particular gestures and movements that you choose to use - the ones that seem to reflect your own character and make up your own personal style.

The order in which you put the steps is important. The steps should flow from one to the next. After you experiment with various sequences, you're likely to find some that feel just right for you. You then can repeat those sequences again and again, creating a vocabulary that is your own. George Balanchine, for example, was famous for following an arabesque with a jete. that was his trademark, just as Bob Fosse made a name for himself with bowler hats and turned-in legs.

Using Your Full Space

Another rule for choreography is to use the full amount of space that's available. By the end of the dance, every area of the stage should have been stepped on at least once.

Consider using non traditional areas - Staircases, hallways, even puddles(as Gene Kelly discovered) The unexpeted is often where the most inspiration lies.

In covering space, try vaying the shape of your dance. If you begin with a move on a diagonal, try using adding a circular pattern later or vice versa. Stretch your imagination and keep your audience on their toes.

Ending As You Began

One way to make a dance feel atistically whole is to "come full circle." And one way to accomplish this is by starting and ending the dance with the very same pose.

A more advanced version of this technique is to end in a slightly "evolved" version of the starting position. For example, if the dance is a duet, try switching the parts at the end, so that one person ends where the other began and vice versa. This gives the dance a feeling of completion, and it can often be very poignant and moving.

Learning from Others

All choreographers have been inspired and influenced by certain favorites of theirs. There's no better ay than to learn by example. However, your aim should be to learn, not imitate. For you to become known, you have to find your own style, your own voice. Eventually, you'll be heard.

How to Overcome Ballroom Dancing Competition Nerves

By Christopher Pilarchik at BallroomBliss

Beating Competition Nerves

For some people (ok, most people), performing in front of others can be the single most frightening experience of their life. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are some tried and true tips from a 12 year professional on how to beat competition nerves. The first section are tips you can actually physically apply, the second half are tips on mental preparation and attitude. If you think the second half is unnecessary, you are quite mistaken. The way you think about something definitely influences a situation’s outcome.

The Physical Aspect

Eye Level - Keep your eyes looking just above the heads of the audience and the same for the judges. Looking above the crowd makes them MUCH less noticeable and aids in keeping your dancing frame maintained.

Breathing – Please remember to breathe! This sounds silly but I cannot tell you how many students I have had to tell to breath in a competition. Air is desperately needed for the muscles to perform at a higher level (not to mention to sustain life and keep your instructor from having heart failure that their student is going to suffocate on them). Focus on slow, smooth and controlled breathing. This also takes one’s mind off of worrying about anything.

Pre-competition stretching-stretching the muscles thoroughly before going out on the competition floor is critical; when your legs are shaky from nerves they just start a chain reaction, they make you conscious of your nervousness and add to it. Stretch for a good 10 minutes before dancing and keep moving and loose between dances.

The Mental State for Ballroom Dancing Competition:

Anticipation – I wish I knew who said it but I don’t, “the anticipation of an event is always worse than the actual event itself”. Often in life we panic unnecessarily over an impending situation. Unless you’re a psychic, you REALLY DON’T KNOW how the situation will turn out! Be open to the possibilities and opportunities awaiting you instead of fearing the unknown.

Alter Ego - In a recent conversation with Dorothy, a ballroom student and friend, she was commenting on some comments given her after a VERY playful character kind of routine. Someone asked her how she could get up and act so crazy, so funny, so wonderfully in front of all those people. Dorothy responded “are you kidding, how many chances in life do you get to be a whole other personality or person!?!” She certainly hit the nail on the head. For about two minutes, you can be whoever you want and we all know how uncommon a chance that is so GO FOR IT! If you’re Latin dancing, imagine yourself the greatest Matador in Spain, roses thrown at your feet. For women, you’re the prettiest Senorita in all Spain, men vying for your affections and unable to resist your charms. Imagine whatever you wish and for two minutes let it come true!

Compete only against yourself - make your competition have one goal and one goal only, to dance bigger and better than you ever have before. If you dance for the enjoyment, you win no matter what place the judges give you and have a True memory to last a lifetime.

Overcoming Negative Thoughts and Doubts

Negative Thoughts – Think only positive thoughts before and during competition. The times I said to myself, “I don’t want to goof that up” or “I hope I remember this or that”, I goofed up what I thought I wouldn’t and forgot what I hoped to remember, EVERY TIME!!! Think instead, I will remember this or that, I will do this or that right. Negative thoughts bring negative actions.

Finally, Trust your Instructor - You’re dancing with a trained professional who happens to be in his or her element, just enjoy the ride. I tell and have told my students for years, when you’re at a competition, you’re in My Backyard, Ain’t NOTHING bad gonna happen to you in MY backyard! It’s the truth, most instructors are truly in their element on the competition floor. If you trust in them and just enjoy the outcome, you’re guaranteed to make far fewer mistakes, shine brighter and have a great time in the process.

Dealing With Different Partners in Ballroom Dance

In a group ballroom dancing class, the instructor will ask dancers to change partners on a fairly regular basis. Although some students may find this practice of trading partners intimidating or objectionable (perhaps for good reason), it is an excellent teaching technique and an important part of learning to dance.

Benefits of Exchanging Dance Partners

Ballroom dance studios and instructors are aware of the many benefits to switching partners, which is why it is such a common instructional technique. Some studios such as Houston's SSQQ even insist on a policy of switching partners during group lessons; their experience has shown that couples who remain together tend to fall behind in a group situation.

A beginner or weaker dancer struggling with a pattern or concept will benefit from dancing with a stronger partner on an occasional basis.

Changing partners can help break developing bad habits.

Couples who always dance together develop "shortcuts", leading to subtler and often incorrect or inadequate leads, or to the woman leading the man.

Women improve their ability to follow by adapting to the different styles of movement and lead from a variety of partners.

Men develop better lead skills by recognizing that some women require more precise timing, clearer signals, a firmer or gentler lead than others.

Social Dance Etiquette Requires Changing Partners

In social dancing situations, it is expected that dancers trade partners frequently, so the skills learned on the classroom floor will apply in real life.

In some areas, the etiquette is that a gentleman should dance at least once with each lady seated at his table (while never leaving a woman to sit alone).

Elements of Dance Etiquette strongly encourages everyone to dance with many different partners in order to "ensure a diversity of partnerships on the floor, and to give everyone a chance to dance.

Considerations Against Switching Dance Partners

Although switching dance partners is a good idea from an instructional and learning viewpoint, there are nonetheless some good reasons why couples may prefer to dance together exclusively.

Extremely shy individuals may find changing partners difficult or threatening (though this usually diminishes with the increasing confidence brought by practice)

Some people join a dance class to spend time with a significant other, and may find that switching partners, especially in larger classes, defeats this goal.

Some people join a dance class for a specific need—such as an engaged couple taking lessons to prepare for their wedding reception—that may not be met by changing partners

In some religious or cultural groups, dancing with anyone but the marital partner may not be permitted.

If for one reason or another an established couple insists on always dancing together, the couple should not ignore the instructor or request "an exception" but instead should withdraw from the class. Private lessons will obviously be the preferred choice.

What is the Future for Dance and Dance Shows?

In both film and  reality tv, dance has become a new focus for modern expressions and ideas of talent. But where is this leading?

The dance films that charged through the theaters in the 1980s would not only reinvigorate the teen film genre for the coming decades, but also embrace the music video style that would synonimize dance with modern expressions of life, love, and sex. In the 1980s this genre included films such as Fame (1980), Flashdance (1983), Footloose (1984), Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985), and Dirty Dancing (1987). Last year, Black Swan brought ballet to the forefront. And with the recent death of Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze, it is only appropriate to reflect on where dance is in modern consciousness and where it is headed.

A Brief History of Dance

Historically, dance developed in multiple forms, through opera, theatre, and performance and totes around a long history of styles, movements, and connections with social and political histories. Dance, on screen, developed with the transition of vaudeville acts to the screen in musical form. These musicals,, notably of the studio-era, used dance in tandem with song, but also on its own as a source of pure uninhibited expression and most often as an illustration of topics that could not be spoken or discussed. So these cinematic dance moments began to function outside of normal or standard ways of viewing dance, like in a theater or other venue. Dance within the entertainment industry developed its own look and style quite separate from Broadway, ballet companies, etc.

However, this separation also allowed cinematic dance to see and express things lost on stage not only though the use of the camera, lighting and staging, but also through a mixing of dance elements. This allowed the modern genre of screen dance to embrace all types of ballet, modern, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, and the list continues. The modern world of dance is also thankfully an all-embracing one that fosters a strong competitive yet supportive community. And is this community that has recently become responsible for a rise in the interest in certain types of dance and a greater visibility of dance on screens.

Dance On the Small and Big Screen

For the moment, if dances are separated  from film and looked at individually, a common theme is discovered - That a moment or a piece danced will never be the same even if danced by the same dancers in the same venue. Every minute is unique.This uniqueness of dance not only encourages viewers to tune in and see the live replay, but also reminds audiences to why dance has lasted as an art form for so long.

Reality programming not only attempts to stay in stride with anything consumable by the general public from coast to coast, but also wets audiences' appetites for more of the same 'guilty' pleasures. Whether it is Dancing With the Stars that emphasizes the rise and fall of fame and careers or So You Think You Can Dance?, the American Idol of dance, reality programming actually highlights the breathe and appeal of dance. Also, it has re-emphasized the most important element of dance; that is cannot be recreated or reproduced. Like the theme previously mentioned, reality programming has actually enabled dance to re-invent itself within modern consciousness and translate to audiences outside of dance flicks.

What are the Essential Aspects of Dance Reality TV?

Display of skills and/or character
Drama
Competition

Jennifer Grey's popularity on Dancing With The Stars is a reflection of skills, character and another trend in the media, the impressive role of powerful middle-aged women. Grey is sexy, fit, and accomplished. She is mature, sophisticated, and as the finale of the 11th Season of DWTS verified, a step ahead of the other younger contestants.

Prior to competing for the title on DWTS, Jennifer Grey had some professional experience as a performer. This probably gave her an advantage over other contestants with little or no training. Regardless, she was an inspiration. She sent a message to women viewers. Aging doesn't necessarily mean losing your beauty or your body. In fact, for Grey, the opposite is true.

As a performer, she embodied grace in ballroom dance numbers that were technically challenging and engaging. She achieved full form as a dancer on the 11th Season of DWTS, consistently performing and remaining professional while revealing her maturity as an artist.

In addition to Grey's skills and artistry on stage, Grey's personal hardships captured "off-stage" led viewers to connect or sympathize with her. She suffered many painful physical injuries throughout the season. Grey also showed depth emotionally, in an episode during which she grieved over the loss of former dance partner and colleague, the highly respected late-Patrick Swayze, with whom she co-starred on Dirty Dancing.

Grey's physical and emotional hardships contributed to her success on the show. Her public display of emotions created just the right amount of drama. TV audiences everywhere long to feel drama. This is an essential aspect of dance reality TV. After all, it is dance reality TV.

The Past and Future of Dance Reality

Interestingly, the roots of dance reality TV span throughout the history of television. TV shows from the past such as Star Search aimed at selecting the most talented performers through rigorous competition. Star Search exemplifies another important element in all dance reality TV, competition.

It is an inspiring moment in the history of dance and television to see people of all levels, backgrounds, and ages making an appearance and communicating a simple message: with heart and hard-work, dance is an art form for everyone.

Is this reality programming here to stay? Are the careers of their winners better off? Stay tuned...

Dancers Who Can't Audition in Person: Making Use of Videos

With more summer programs and ballet companies than ever, making it to every audition isn’t always a possibility. Travel expenses and the stress of arriving amidst a bevy of like-minded bun-heads aside, auditioning in person isn’t always the best way to go.

Whether you’re unable to make the audition in person or you want to show your best qualities from a distance, video auditions are a great alternative. However, before you jump into the studio and start filming, check out these simple tips (and pitfalls) that will help you show yourself off to your best advantage.

Read the Requirements Carefully

Before you do anything, read over the requirements for specific programs’ video auditions. Most have several requisite exercises that must be shown at barre and center. Some mandate both sides others request one, and some ditch class work entirely in favor of seeing a variation from prospective dancers. Make sure to be crystal clear on the video requirements before you start planning or filming anything.
In addition to reading the requirements thoroughly, remember that rules both loose and strict serve as a means to test a prospective dancer on how well he/she listens and responds to the rules.

Dress for Success

How you present yourself in your video is key. Dress how you would for an in-person audition; wear a leotard that is a solid color and fits you well. Avoid shiny, patterned, strappy, or overly-complicated looking leotards. These will distract the viewers and pull attention away from your dancing.

Before you film, make sure your hair is absolutely neat and secure. While you can always stop to fix it between takes, you want to have filming structured around your dancing — not the bobby pins flying off of your head during your pirouette exercise.

Additionally, make sure your shoes are clean and tidy. Drop canvas flats in the wash before filming (cold water, air dry to stop shrinking) and gently wipe pointe shoes and leather slippers with a dry microfiber cloth to give a clean, professional appearance. Avoid using pointe shoes that are brand new and not broken in, or shoes that are dead and falling apart. Make sure all drawstrings and ribbons are tucked in and tied properly; few things look more unprofessional than bunny-eared ribbons flopping around a dancer’s ankle.

Establish Combinations

If you’re filming a video audition that requires class exercises to be demonstrated, plan with your teacher ahead of time what combinations to present. You may just want to work with the ones you practice in class and are comfortable with, or your teacher might suggest creating new ones to show your strengths. Either way, make a plan and get the combinations memorized, musically accompanied, and ingrained in your body before you film.

Show Your Strengths

There’s no way to get around doing certain exercises for audition videos if they’re a requirement; however, there are ways to show your best assets and play down your weaknesses. For example, if you have to do an adagio but don’t have a lot of extension, try doing one that has a lot of port de bras and fondus. This will give your extension a nice bump by drawing attention to your arms.

Talk with your instructor about the video requirements, and see what elements he or she considers as your weaknesses and strengths in technique. Always meet the video requirements, but since the structure of a combination is almost always up to you, take advantage of it and add in elements at which you excel.

Show Some Personality

Whether you’re limited solely to class exercises, or have the freedom to choose a variation or two, make sure to really express yourself and show what kind of dancer you are. If you’re stuck doing barre and center with no variations, talk with your teacher and pick music that makes you feel expressive. Are you a feisty virtuosa? Then accentuate your jumps with a bit of flair, just like you would when playing Kitri. A tender lyrical type? Use accompaniment based on Swan Lake and dance the part of Odette, manipulating the combination to show yourself to your best artistic advantage.

If you can perform variations for your video, go over some options with your teacher. Choose variations that showcase both your technical and artistic strengths. If you’re amazing at jumps but have a lyrical nature, choose something like the black swan. Feisty, but no good at turns? Try a brilliant petit allegro from the odalisques in Le Corsaire. Make sure you’re not focusing entirely on technique, but equally on technique and expression. Dancers with decent technique are a dime a dozen, but you want to make yourself stand out by showing some personality.

If you’re leaning toward filming your audition video yourself, keep in mind that you’re going to need professional-quality editing software to splice together the best takes of each exercise. This software can easily cost over 200 dollars, not to mention it requires countless hours of interface learning and practice before you can confidently edit your video.

Hire a Professional

Unless you have a friend or family member with experience in professional-quality recordings, you should look into hiring a professional videographer — particularly one who specializes in dance. A professional videographer knows what equipment is needed and how to get a clear and steady picture. Further, experienced dance videographers can make sure to shoot you at your best angle, and emphasize your features and the cleanest aspects of your technique.

Additionally, professional videographers can ensure that the music used in your audition filming stays in sync with your dancing; many dancers film their audition videos, only to find out later that the audio has turned fuzzy and out of sync. This is a huge frustration for viewers, who will want to see your musicality clearly.

Don’t Separate Sessions

It’s tempting to want to split the filming of your audition video into several sessions to make sure you have the best combined sections, but don’t give in! Viewers can tell when footage has been spliced from several different days and filming sessions, and will not approve. They want to see not just your technique and expression, but your endurance as well. Dancers who can’t handle filming their audition video in one session will probably not be able to survive a class or rehearsal.

Keep Going

Audition videos are never easy to make, and often involve weeks (if not months) of careful planning, practice, and do-overs until they’re successfully completed. But don’t give up! A well made audition video can be used to get you into your dream schools and companies.

The Long-Term Affects of Dancing on the Mind

Courtesy of Lovetoknow.com

How does dancing affect the mind in the long run? Is it different from the short term effects of dancing? Yes, absolutely! The short term effects of dancing on the mind are related to mood and satisfaction, while the long term effects are related to discipline and memory.

Dance Today, Smile Today

Dancing is an excellent form of exercise because it not only burns calories and builds muscles, but it also contributes to an overall sense of happiness. Of course, all exercise releases endorphins, but dancing has an increased effect in this realm because it's not only the physical activity, but also the music, that affect the mind.

Endorphins are released when the body is forced to exert itself at a certain level. You may have heard of a 'runner's high'; because dancing is a similar activity, this same boost in mood can be achieved through dancing. In addition to the physical activity of dancing, when dancing is also a performance, adrenaline and endorphins work together to create a dramatic 'dancer's high'.

Dancing also affects the mind by contributing to a sense of satisfaction. While you may not reach new goals each day that you dance, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you worked hard towards reaching those goals. Sweating through a series of exercises can be very satisfying even if change comes about at a pace so slow that you can't see the improvement. In the long term, you will see the fruits of your efforts from year to year, but on a day-to-day basis, most dancers feel very satisfied with having completed their exercises, worked on their turnout, and done their daily stretch routine.

How Dancing Affects the Mind More Permanently

Dancing not only has short-term benefits for your mental well-being, but also long-term benefits. Dancers become very good at learning things quickly and methodically. Because of how often they learn new dance moves; you may see a dancer turn and stare into space while moving his/her hands and perhaps mouthing something to himself/herself while trying to learn a move. Dancers learn to repeat things not just with their bodies, but also with their hands and in words. This process of repeating what you just saw or heard until you've committed it to memory is a skill, and it serves dancers in all aspects of life, both inside the studio and out.

In addition to enhanced memory skills, dancers also tend to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. Dancers grow accustomed to working in a structured manner toward a goal and realize that results never come overnight. For this reason, dancers are often highly disciplined, and carry this discipline over into other aspects of their lives.

Dancing is a part of social activities because it improves on your confidence, boosts your social abilities and offers people opportunities of making more friends.  Research has proven that mingling eliminates depression and stress.

Ballroom dancing helps in the coordination of brain muscles. This mechanism works by increasing the flow of blood from physical exercises to the dancer’s brain. The social aspect of dancing additionally elevates isolation and gloominess.  In the same way, dancing with someone you are close to augments mental abilities, creating more chances of mental growth.

Getting Started

If all these mental benefits sound great to you and you're not dancing yet, now may be the perfect moment to start. In principle, all forms of dancing have positive mental benefits; however, some forms of dance will have more/different benefits than other types. For example, a slow dance may not burn many calories or release many endorphins, but may well contribute to long-term discipline and memory.

Likewise, a very fast dance could release lots of endorphins today, but not take much discipline or memory (for example a highly improvisational form of dance will help spark creativity, which is yet another mental benefit of dancing). Ultimately, it's all up to you to decide which dance form is most appealing to you for yourself. Then you can let whatever positive mental benefits that come be a nice bonus

For Parents

If these mental benefits from dancing sound like things you would like for your child, sign him/her up for a dance class soon. In addition to all the mental benefits, dancers tend to become serious students and do well in school, which is probably another good reason to have your child take dance classes. How does dancing affect the minds of children? Much the same way as adults - except that children learn even faster!

Conquering Stress With Dance Movement Therapy

We all deal with stress in our work, at home, at school, etc. There are so many different ways of managing stress today. Dance therapy is just one holistic approach worth considering. Looking back through history and across various cultures, people have always responded to certain problems by dancing and this, in essence, was a method of finding solutions and reducing stress in the process.

Dance and dance therapy can be extremely effective in terms of stress management; the benefits are wide ranging and the results can be profound. Therapy may be used in conjunction with many other approaches to stress reduction, such as herbal medicine, aromatherapy, counselling and hypnotherapy.

How Dance Can Reduce Stress

The fact that dance is a form of exercise is of great significance, in that regular physical activity is highly effective in terms of defending against the harmful effects of stress and building general resilience. Exercise offers benefits by means of...

Releasing opiate beta-endorphins into the system, which induce feelings of calm, satisfaction and euphoria (though some researchers will argue with this, saying that the endorphin molecules are too large to cross the blood-brain barriers and exert an influence on mood)

Strengthening defences against physiological stress responses. Over time, aerobic exercise leads to gains in stamina, endurance and cardiovascular health and the individual adapts to increases in heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones during exertion. When these same physiological changes occur during times of psychological strain the body's reaction is conditioned to react more calmly.

Focusing the mind and offering distraction from external and internal stressors. People with anxiety or depression are often more likely to ruminate on negative thoughts, so this type of distraction is excellent.

Raising the body temperature, increasing blood flow to the brain, relaxing the nervous and muscular systems and altering electrical patterns in the brain.

Providing an environment in which trusting and open relationships may be built.

These effects can help to:

Alter mood and improve general mental health
Relieve mild pain
Improve self-confidence and self-esteem, as both fitness and skill levels develop.

Maintaining a healthy level of physical activity is by far one of the best ways of coping with stress and preventing its onset in the first place. One study by the Johnson and Johnson Company demonstrated how the morale-boosting and productivity-enhancing effects of dance when they implemented a wellness programme involving regular participation in classes. As a consequence there was a marked reduction in employee hospitalization costs and a 13% decrease in sick days taken.

Basic Principles of Dance Therapy

Dance Therapy, or Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) as it is sometimes called, is a diverse and complex subject. It enables the individual to make contact with their physical, spiritual and emotional self, allows catharsis and offers relief from tension and anxiety. The following excerpt is taken from a definition used by The Association for Dance Movement Therapy and the Standing Committe for Arts Therapies Professions: DMT "is the use of expressive movement and dance as a vehicle through which an individual can engage in the process of personal integration and growth."

It goes on to introduce the existing relationship between motions and emotion and explains that the exploration of a more varied range of movement vocabulary enables the transition to a place of greater stability and liberation. "Through movement and dance each person's inner world becomes tangible, individuals share much of their personal symbolism and in dancing together relationships become visible". The dance movement therapist's role in this, it summarises, is to create a therapeutic environment, which is conducive of the safe expression, acknowledgement and communication of feelings.

DMT uses dance as an alternative method of communication to talking. Movement activity motivates both spontaneous conscious and unconscious expression and as the individual undergoes transformation unformed feelings are clarified and cognitive insight gained. The use of imagery, metaphor and visualisation techniques aid the therapeutic process and helps to bring about positive change.

Everybody Can Dance

It is a Jungian concept that within the self or body lies a healing function. Through dance it is possible to access this resource. One of the wonderful things about dancine for healing is that it is a therapeutic option for so many people from all walks of life. It is certainly not a prerequisite that someone has previous experience in dance or creative expression, or that he/she has a natural talent for rhythm or movement. Anyone can benefit from and should consider this creative ways of managing their stress.

Dancing On Ice - How Judging is Similar to Ballroom Dance

At Right - Nutcracker on Ice

Exactly what are the judges looking for when evaluating a dance competition? The judges usually consist of former dance professionals and/or current choreographers. They are chosen to showcase their expertise in analyzing, evaluating and scoring, much like judges of Ice Dance. If you watch Dancing With the Stars or Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing On Ice appears different. After all, skating on ice requires certain technical elements all its own. But when the judges evaluate the presentation or artistry of a performance there are some dancing parallels.

The judges’ evaluation of performance is based on originality of the particular genre. Did the couple execute the dance and make it their own? Did they sell it? Was there chemistry between them? Were their respective personalities highlighted during the performance, along with their skills? Did they exude emotion? Was the performance real? Was it believable?

Posture
One of the most important aspects. Good posture makes you look elegant and exude confidence. It improves balance and control, and allows your partner to connect well to your body in the smooth dances. One’s competition result is often directly proportional to one’s postural correctness.

Timing
If a couple is not dancing on time with the music, no amount of proficiency in any other aspect can overcome this. The music is boss.

Movement
If the couple executed and coordinated the movements of the Feet, Legs, Body and Arms based on the Characteristic Style of the Dance in question.

Styling
This involves the dancers’ lines which include posture, full graceful extension of their legs, arms, center balance and fluid continuity, giving the look of big, yet flawless and seamless. Evaluation also includes the couple’s individual and combined strengths as supporting partners. Did they hold their own on the dance floor, yet dance as a unit?

Musicality and Expression
The basic characterization of the dance to the particular music being played and the choreographic adherence to musical phrasings and accents. The connection that dancers have to each other and to the music.

Foot and Leg Positions
The stroking of feet across the floor in foxtrot to achieve smoothness and softness; the deliberate lifting and placing of the feet in tango to achieve a staccato action; the correct bending and straightening of the knees in rumba to create hip motion; the extension of the ankles and the pointing of the toes of the non- supporting foot to enhance the line of a figure; the sequential use of the four joints (hip, knee, ankle, and toes) to achieve fullness of action and optimal power; the bending and straightening of knees and ankles in waltz to create rise and fall; the use of inside and outside edges of feet to create style and line all fall under this most important of categories.

Intangibles
Things such as how a couple “look” together, whether they “fit” emotionally, their neatness of appearance, costuming, the flow of their choreography; all have an affect on a judge’s perception and therefore on his/her markings.

Here is Jorgie Porter on Dancing On Ice. Notice her posture, lines, arm positions, all much like a dancer and that the judges take note of these elements.

Smart Goal Setting For Dance and Life

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." Antoine de Saint-Exupery


For dancers, goals can be anything from nailing a new "trick", to perfecting a technique, to getting a role, or advancing in class levels. In life, creating goals is a process that requires much thought and motivation. In your life, work and relationships, it is not only an opportunity to take a closer, more in-depth look, into what you want to achieve, but even more,goals require constant attention and action.

To borrow a concept from the business world, a dancer's goals or any life goals should be "SMART" - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time framed.

GOAL SETTING TIPS

1. Your goals should reflect your dreams, values and passions.
2. Identify goals that you truly want to accomplish (not what you think will sound good to others).
3. Goal setting is for you. Share it only with family or friends you know will be supportive and encouraging.
4. You can have as many goals as you want.
5. Goals should be specific and measurable so you will know when you accomplish them.
6. Dreams and goals should be reviewed often.
7. Dreams and goals may change so adjust them over time.
8. The secret to accomplishing your goals is to write them down and review often.


The Specific Purpose of the Goal

First, your goals should be specific. This means, rather than saying "I want to get better at pirouettes," start your goal with "I want to achieve a clean, triple pirouette." By using specific terms (clean, triple), the goal becomes something tangible. Simply saying you want to get better at something does not constitute a goal, since getting better is objective and isn't easily determined to be achieved.

Setting goals helps keep life in balance, but one really important question to ask yourself is: Why do I want to make this my goal? Goals create momentum and when achieved, they give us a great sense of accomplishment. However, not all goals are good goals. The selection process in goal setting is an important one. A goal is good if it is the right fit. Finding the reasons behind the goals is just as important as creating the goal itself. In his book,"How Do I Set Goals That Work?"Tim Brownson suggests that intrinsic motivation is better for goal setting than extrinsic. Finding what is important and what will bring a greater sense of joy rather than what other people expect. Tim mentions the following as being good reasons for setting goals: "I want to leave a legacy, I want the world to be a better place for me having been here, I want to set a great example for my kids, I want to be able to leave my 9 to 5 job to spend more time with my family, and lastly I want to align with my own core values. These are all great reasons to set a goal." To get a clearer sense of what you hope to obtain from goal setting, make a list of the values that are important to you. This will set the stage for goal setting.

Measurable Goal

In the example above, a triple pirouette is measurable  Losing 10 pounds is measurable. Saving $5 a month so that you can purchase a certain dress or pair of shoes is measurable. Having a set goal that you can measure in steps makes it easier to achieve.


Achievable  and Realistic Goals

Your goals should be achievable and realistic, in that they should coincide with your abilities and current class levels.  If you're a dance beginner, set a goal to master one of the new skills you are learning, such as a time step in tap or a tendu sequence  in ballet.  Don't try to aim for unrealistic goals outside of your skill and level range. It is better to set a goal that you can realistically achieve, but one that will take hard work and determination in order to reach.

For life goals, Robert Choat suggests. "Once you have the end in mind, then plan backwards."An important rule in goal setting is to make goals that can be reached as well as important to you. It is great to dream big, but if that seems too daunting, try to set smaller goals that are achievable. For long-term goals, use the system of breaking them down into smaller steps to make them more achievable. Being able to reach a goal is a huge accomplishment that can give great satisfaction. However, don't be afraid to make mistakes along the way. Mistakes can be great catalysts for finding a new way of thinking. They can help reveal answers that weren't present before. Tim Brownson said, "“The surest way to fail is to adopt the belief that it isn’t ok to fail.” Failing and taking risks is a part of life and goal setting.

Time Framed Goals And One at a Time

The final component of your goal is a time frame.  For example, you could say "I want to achieve a clean, triple pirouette by April 1st," or "I want to achieve a clean, triple pirouette before my summer intensive audition." This goal is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time framed. It gives a specific end date, and puts a timeline on your preparation.



Write down your goal in a place that you can refer to it often. It can be in a journal, in a notebook where you take notes for classes or write down choreography, on a piece of paper tucked into your dance bag, or on the mirror in your bedroom where you get ready for dance class. This will help you to keep sight of your goal or goals as you go through the dance season.
In life, set time frames.  Be aware of the time and effort it will take to reach a specific objective, and include this in the description of the goal.

A long-term checklist is a great tool for keeping goals in perspective and keeping efforts moderate and realistic. Work on accomplishing major objectives in a realistic time period, and ensure that each goal gets the amount of attention it needs to be reached successfully. Check off each step that you complete to reach your ultimate goal.

When you achieve your long-term goal, you can set one for the next year. It is important not to get discouraged if you do not meet your goal in the time frame you set. Examine the goal again, and determine how to make it better. Maybe you need a longer time frame, or maybe you need to adjust your expectations a bit. Either way, discussing your goals with your instructor can help you to make sure your goals fit the SMART criteria, and press you to work hard during the dance season. 


Reviewing Goals

Review your goal(s) After you have decided on your goal and written it down, tell your teachers and classmates. This helps you to be accountable for your goals, but it also gives you a support system. If you are working on a particular technique or step, your teacher can give you pointers and guide you to achieve it.

Be careful not to overload yourself with numerous goals. Set at least 2 goals for yourself: something you want to achieve by the end of the year (or end of the dance season, or at your annual recital), and then set a goal that you want to achieve in the next 1-2 months. Once you achieve your short-term goal, you can set another one and continue to update your goals every month.

In life, review a plan for reaching a goal every so often. See if the plan is on schedule, or if the plan needs to be reevaluated to take new situations into account. Looking at the steps of a plan can alert individuals to any problems in the plan, as well as any areas of a plan that have been neglected.

Choose a small reward for each completed step of a goal, such as a spa day, a trip to the movies or a fancy dinner. Rewards are a great tool for keeping motivation strong and improve the odds of successfully reaching an goal.

Setting and reaching goals can be a big challenge for many people. However, ensuring that goals are reasonable, well planned and specific can make the challenge manageable. Know what skills are needed and reward each success along the way to help make reaching any goal easier.

Staying Motivated

As you continue your journey with goal setting use this visualization exercise provided by Tim Brownson, "Sit in your favorite chair and take several deep breaths. Make sure the exhale is about 50% longer than the inhale and allow yourself to relax, When you are well chilled  really imagine with all your senses. the more you visualize success, the more progress you will make.

Preparing for Setbacks

Small failures, roadblocks and setbacks are part of working on a goal. Errors and delays are common and can be frustrating for individuals. However, anticipating setbacks and coming up with alternate plans can help individuals deal with achievement problems. For example, prepare for a week of vacation by planning meals in advance to avoid over-eating when trying to lose weight.

Avoid feeling as though a temporary failure or setback makes any goal unreachable. Roadblocks on the path to reaching a goal can test an individual’s resilience, creativity and ability to cope with disappointment; learning these skills can also help individuals as they strive to reach other objectives in the future.

Overall, goals can lead to many great things in your llife as a dancer, in relationships, at school. etc. More importantly, these great things are set in motion by you.

Sources

Brownson, Tim, "How Do I Set Goals That Work?"
Choat, Robert, "New Year's Resolutions Are Simply an Illusion and What Really Works"