Ask Anything About Dance!

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[danced--all--night]

Hi! I'm currently doing a year of community college before transferring to an acting BFA. Since I can't take dance with my acting program, I'm taking as much dance as I can this year. My school offers ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary(with the technique base being modern). I've already taken 2 quarters of ballet, and 1 quarter of all the other styles. Next quarter I can fit in 2 more classes (tap not offered), but I'm wondering which do you recommend I take that will be most useful for MT?

I would do either ballet and jazz or jazz and modern/contemporary!

[danced--all--night]

Hi! I’m prepping for an audition for a dance heavy musical that I would love to be a part of, but I’m not super formally trained. Do you have any exercises or stretches that really help as a dancer?

I would say to warm up a little before the audition (jog in place for 30 seconds, do some releves and calf stretches), and other than that, don’t be afraid to ask questions and perform the combination, even if you don’t do it perfectly!

[danced--all--night]

hi! so i’m 18 (freshman in college, non dance major) and i’m currently taking about 5-6 hours of cecchetti technique (grades 3&4) and prepointe a week. i plan on adding grade 5 in january and maybe 6 in april. i danced baller & jazz for about 3-4 years before this year, but i’m finally taking it seriously lol. i want to hopefully audition for companies my last year of college, but is four years enough time to play catch up technique-wise at the level i’m currently at? i know how hard it’ll be1/2

2/2 but i also know how much work i have to put in if i want this. i know right now i’m not good enough to pass the auditions for the dance major at my school, which is why i take classes at a studio instead. i’m not on pointe yet which is definitely a big factor to this, but i’m hoping within the next year?? i know becoming a pro without starting at 3 years old is v unlikely, but i know it’s possible. i guess i’m wondering if i’m being too unrealistic and shouldn’t get my hopes up?

I’m not super familiar with the Cechetti grade system, but if you’re not on pointe yet, I wouldn’t count on being in a professional company. But don’t let that discourage you - there are many classes and other companies that exist just for fun that you can participate in! I would just stay in class and keep working hard. It’s great that you have a goal, and remember that goals are always adjustable depending on where you’re at. I know in my area, there are many ensembles and friends who take class together and perform just because they love it.

[danced--all--night]

do you think it would be wise to continue to do dance in college even if i’m not very good by the time i graduate? i’m just conflicted and i’ve always been terrified of holding a class back by not being able to keep up. i’ve been dancing since i was five but i’m only starting pointe now at 16

Yeah I definitely do! Taking dance class for fun is awesome. I love it when non dance majors take ballet just because they love it. And in my experience, a lot I college classes won’t include pointe. So go for it! If you find it too difficult, you can always drop the class, or keep it with it and work on improvement!

[danced--all--night]

So if you sit up with your legs straight out in front of you, feet pointed, you know how you can flex and point just your toes with the foot still pointed? This is often a theraband exercise recommended. Except in my left foot, when I do this, my Achilles feels fucking WEIRD. it feels like when you’re trying to crack your knuckles, and you know they’re going to crack, but they just won’t crack. It isn’t painful, it’s just so odd. This doesn’t happen on my right foot. Do you know what this is?

Hmm. I don’t. I would probably talk to a doctor or nurse about that!

[danced--all--night]

So I just got back into dancing on pointe after quite a few years off. I remember it not being pleasant, but I don’t remember it hurting *this much.* I can barely get through relevés before my toes are begging me to stop. Do I just need to get used to it or am I doing something wrong?

I think part of it is getting used to it! Are you in class? I wouldn’t go back to pointe if you’re not in class. If you are in class, ask your teacher for some help. I know when I do pointe after not doing it for a while, my toes hurt more. Also, were you refitted for a shoe? Your feet have probably changed so you might need a different shoe or padding!

[danced--all--night]

Freshmen year ✅

I can’t believe I finished my first year of college as a dance major! I learned so much... I can’t even list it all. This year in college has opened my eyes to so many things, both in life and in dance and in school... just so much knowledge!!

Please feel free to ask any questions you have about dance or college or anything honestly!

[danced--all--night]

Hello! I just hear that you have to be of a certain weight and height to go on point. Is this true and if so what is the criteria? Thank you!

Sorry I answered this late!I would say no. I don’t think there is a certain height or weight. I think what matters more is your muscular strength. If you weigh more, it may be harder to hold yourself up on pointe. But I think a lot of that depends more on your carriage of the body, and how you hold yourself, not on your weight. For example, if someone weighed 110 lb, but had not a lot of muscle, I would never put them on pointe, as opposed to someone who weighed 150+ but had lots of muscle. Those are just random numbers. So no, I definitely think that how you carry the upper body, and your ankle and foot strength is much more important than numbers on a scale or tape measure.

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

What style of dance would you classify the dancing in Newsies as? I can't pinpoint it

Hm…There’s a lot of styles involved, including tap, but I’d sort of  categorize it as simply a musical theatre dance style.  Followers, what do you think?

[danced--all--night]

I would categorize it as musical theatre jazz, with a tap number. Both are basic musical theatre dance styles!

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

I’m home from theatre school for the summer for four months and what I’m most worried about right now is keeping up my dance! I don’t really have any drop-in lessons accessible to me and my work schedule doesn’t allow me to sign up for regular lessons. I don’t have a ton of space to practice at home or access to a studio. Do you have any suggestions for how I can maintain the level of dance ability I reached this year with these constraints? Thank you for anything you might be able to suggest!

Beyond trying out combinations you find online and perhaps picking up something like yoga to keep your body active and working on coordination and balance, I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of insight!  BUT, @amandaleighcorbett, @twospoony, @meggiry, or @danced–all–night might have some ideas!

[danced--all--night]

I would give yourself a ballet barre about once a week, and if you feel so inclined, you can also practice combinations from your different classes over the summer just to keep yourself challenged and moving. And yes to yoga! Yoga is amazing and changed the way I danced in just one semester. You can also try Pilates if you want to build your core strength, and also cardio at the gym or just going for a jog around your neighborhood is helpful!

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Hey Christine! Do you or any of your followers know much about University of Illinois Urbana Champagne’s theater program?

I went to school about an hour away, but I don’t know much about their program. Followers?

[danced--all--night]

I go to UIUC as a dance major! Honestly, the university as a whole is a great school, and the College of Fine & Applied Arts is also great. One of the things that drew me to attend here was that they said “Our department is small, so you get lots of individual attention, but we have all the resources of a large university.” I would definitely recommend visiting at the very least! Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is where the shows for the Music, Dance, Lyric Theatre, and Theatre departments are held, as well as most of those classes! It’s gorgeous, so defintely worth checking out! Feel free to shoot me more questions!

[danced--all--night]

Helpful article from Pointe!

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Hi Christine! So I’m taking up tap lessons and am soon moving houses. There’s a reasonably sized room that I’m going to be using for practice, and am wondering what flooring I should put down. The room is concrete, but I’ve heard concrete ruins tap shoes and is risky for your feet. Would putting some hard wood floors or linoleum down over the concrete be a good idea? I’m not sure if you’re a tapper, but if you or any of your followers could help me out I’d really appreciate it! Thank you!

I might get one of those tap dance mats–they come in all sorts of sizes, from 3x3 to 8x8, for whatever your needs might be.  It’s portable too, which is helpful, and doesn’t require redoing all the floors!  I’m not a tapper, though–I just know friends who have those–but if any followers have any insight that would be helpful!  @danced–all–night, @amandaleighcorbett, @meggiry, @twospoony

[danced--all--night]

Yeah I know there are a few places online where you can buy some marley that you can lay down to use! Or you could even just try going to your local hardware store and see if they have any linoleum mats, or some plywood.

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Any blogs similar to yours that you can suggest for your followers to read?

Here are some blogs that do similar things to me: 

@mtsheetmusic 

@amandaleighcorbett

@danced–all–night

And here are some blogs I just love, many of whom have offered to answer questions on specific aspects of theatre:

@mlleempsychora

@braveasabadger

@reystars​

@lovethybooty​

@mellifluamusic​

@thefairyslayer

@rosemarycountess

@elfinmirror

@thescarlettdetective

@muirin007​

@la-reine-de-coeur​

@twospoony​

@rutherites​

@gabriel-c-media​

@hepburnincouture​

@wizardsopranophanofloki

@elanchana​

@musicaltheatreismyaesthetic​

@meggiry​

@fdelopera

@operafantomet

@br0adwayblues

@broadwayz

@glassprism

@hopsjollyhigh

@rumpelstiltskinned

@rosy-dandelions​

If you are a blog like mine, feel free to reblog and make yourself known as well!

[danced--all--night]

Due to many years as a competitive athlete in a sport similar to dance in many ways (synchronized swimming), I have the flexibility, extension, strength, etc at the level of a competitive dancer (not like, professional or anything but competitive). I haven't learned much pure dance technique and thus don't feel up to a more advanced class, but due to my preexisting skills I worry that i may quickly become unchallenged by a beginner class. What do you think?

hi im the same anon who asked about what level to enroll in yesterday, and i just wanted to make sure my ask didn't sound snobby or anything! I didn't mean it that way at all i just was close to hitting the character limit and had to cut out words.... I totally didn't mean to make it sound like I think im better than beginner dancers, I just am starting dance late to begin with and want to get the best benefit from my classes. Would a mixed level class be ideal?

Yeah don’t worry about it! Honestly, here’s my opinion. Just having flexibility and extensions doesn’t automatically mean = technique, and I realize that you know that. But I think depending on the type of dance class you’re enrolling in, a beginners or mixed class would be appropriate. And if it’s just for fun, then it’s even less of a deal. It also depends on what school of dance you’re going to, since it’s more fun and comfortable (for me) to be in a class with people around your age. Also, some other disciplines (ice skating and gymnastics come into my mind often) use dance-esque movements that translate differently once you’re on the ground and not in the water/ice etc. In addition, people learn differently, so some people need things broken down slowly and some people prefer to just jump into new things! That’s a totally independant and personal learning style.

 I think probably the smartest thing to do is call the studio, and ask if you can take a beginners class or a more intermediate level class, and see if you can keep up/what the teacher thinks. Sometimes it can be tedious to move slowly, but for some people just starting ballet, it’s important to move slow since there is lots of technique that needs to be learned slowly before you can do harder steps. For other styles, like jazz or lyrical or contemporary, that’s not as big a deal. So I would recommend taking a trial class in either level and seeing what’s more up your alley, and don’t be afraid to ask the teacher if you’re not sure!

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

hiya christine! I'm hoping you can help with something. I'm starting tap lessons on Wednesday in a mixed ability class and I'm a bit worried about being out of my depth because there are advanced dancers there too. I was wondering if you had any tips on how to prepare and get the most out of the lessons. thank you so much!!

I’m actually going to tag a few dancers to see what their input is— @amandaleighcorbett, @meggiry, @twospoony, @danced–all–night

Generally my advice in situations like this is that if it’s a mixed abilities class, then they are aware that there may be beginners in the class. You’re all allowed to be there, and you have as much of a right as they do to be learning in that class. You don’t need to be as good as them—you’re there to grow from where YOU started. Don’t worry about their skill!

[danced--all--night]

I agree - have fun and try your best to just pick up what you can. Don't be afraid to ask questions! Taking class isn't about being the best in the class, it's about improving and learning!

[danced--all--night]

I won't have access to any dance classes until next year, would you recommend trying to self-teach until then or just working on strength, flexibility, etc? Are there skills that can be safely mastered at home?

Yes! You can take class by following along with a class online, and you can stretch and do some conditioning, as long as you listen to your body and don’t push yourself too much. I would definitely keep stretching at least to keep your current flexibility, and you can also create your own “class” by combining parts of classes you’ve taken with your own routines, and do it once or more each week to keep yourself up to speed.