Friday 30 November 2012
Video Vault: Benji & Torri's new showcase routine
Sunday 25 November 2012
Reflections: My First Tap Jam
It's been a week since my first tap jam, and I must say that it's still an unforgettable experience. Tappers of all levels went in and felt the music that was playing, and basically improvised on rhythms that came as we played to the music.
I love that no matter what your skill level is in tap, you're still able to draw inspiration from each person in the circle. Sometimes during your turn to tap, you may run out of ideas on which technique to employ. But the less experienced one next to you can suddenly come up with a sweet riff that you just have to continue the beat and then add your flair to those steps. I've been inspired by Bryan's syncopated beats - his experimental style and sharp skill makes me want to push my tapping to the next level. My next aim would be to dance "out of beat" and then hit the down beat again at an unpredictable moment.
Tapping is also a dance that I feel is really versatile like West Coast Swing, maybe even more versatile than WCS because there's no restriction on tappers to do only 4/4 songs. I remember my old tap syllabus from ISTD had waltz, 7/4, and even the current Al Gilbert syllabus I'm in has 5/4 time. As long as you're able to count the beats of the song, you're good to go.
All in all, I can't wait till someone plans out another tap jam session - I could really work more on experimenting with syncopation. I found out that my favourite moves were flash steps and toe stands (like en pointe.) Yeah, I'm a flashy showoff. I should tone that down a bit so I don't scare off newcomers!
I love that no matter what your skill level is in tap, you're still able to draw inspiration from each person in the circle. Sometimes during your turn to tap, you may run out of ideas on which technique to employ. But the less experienced one next to you can suddenly come up with a sweet riff that you just have to continue the beat and then add your flair to those steps. I've been inspired by Bryan's syncopated beats - his experimental style and sharp skill makes me want to push my tapping to the next level. My next aim would be to dance "out of beat" and then hit the down beat again at an unpredictable moment.
Tapping is also a dance that I feel is really versatile like West Coast Swing, maybe even more versatile than WCS because there's no restriction on tappers to do only 4/4 songs. I remember my old tap syllabus from ISTD had waltz, 7/4, and even the current Al Gilbert syllabus I'm in has 5/4 time. As long as you're able to count the beats of the song, you're good to go.
All in all, I can't wait till someone plans out another tap jam session - I could really work more on experimenting with syncopation. I found out that my favourite moves were flash steps and toe stands (like en pointe.) Yeah, I'm a flashy showoff. I should tone that down a bit so I don't scare off newcomers!
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Exciting Events: Swingvitation 2013
Swingvitation 2013 - The Asian West Coast Swing Open is happening soon in Singapore!
Last year's Swingvitation took Singapore by storm with WCS champions Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollman-Bennett leading the workshops and Chuck Brown guest judging for Jack & Jill competitions.
Next year would be bigger and better. Chuck, Jordan and Tatiana are returning to Singapore, along with Jessica Cox and Ben Morris, both of them WCS champions as well! Guest artistes from Australia, Brady & Libby, will be joining this event too.
From 25th to 28th April, there will be 20+ workshops and non-stop West Coast Swing parties all around. The J&J categories now feature points from the World Swing Dance Council, the first to happen in Asia, which means you can use these points to participate in international swing events with your accumulated points!
Early bird ticket price is at $390 SGD for a full pass, which will end at December 31. From then on, it's $435 SGD after the new year. You can get these tickets at Jitterbugs Swingapore or Mosaic Dance. But hurry! The studios close near the end of December and won't open again till the new year.
Last year's Swingvitation took Singapore by storm with WCS champions Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollman-Bennett leading the workshops and Chuck Brown guest judging for Jack & Jill competitions.
Next year would be bigger and better. Chuck, Jordan and Tatiana are returning to Singapore, along with Jessica Cox and Ben Morris, both of them WCS champions as well! Guest artistes from Australia, Brady & Libby, will be joining this event too.
From 25th to 28th April, there will be 20+ workshops and non-stop West Coast Swing parties all around. The J&J categories now feature points from the World Swing Dance Council, the first to happen in Asia, which means you can use these points to participate in international swing events with your accumulated points!
Early bird ticket price is at $390 SGD for a full pass, which will end at December 31. From then on, it's $435 SGD after the new year. You can get these tickets at Jitterbugs Swingapore or Mosaic Dance. But hurry! The studios close near the end of December and won't open again till the new year.
Sunday 18 November 2012
Trite Trivia: Dancing Makes You Smarter!
Upon unleashing my curiousity on the google search bar, I managed to come across an article written by a member of Stanford's social dance club.
You can read the article here
For those who don't know, dementia is the loss of thinking, memorising, and attentive ability as a person ages, and Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.
Social partner dancing requires you to think on your feet, and that's how one can continue to use their brains and reduce the risk of getting dementia. While the article argues that the follows benefit the most from social dancing, I must say that this doesn't mean the leads don't benefit as much as the follows. In fact, in my opinion, leads benefit more, because they have to be able to adapt into the follow's position and movement, and whatever move they had in mind may have to be changed suddenly to ensure that the follow can get into a different position that the lead wants. Follows can also "switch off" their brain while dancing, if they aren't willing to play to the music and just stick to the basics (which is a personal problem when I dance West Coast Swing.) Therefore, in order to reap the benefits of maintaining a healthy brain, experiment more!
I must also say that tap jamming is also a great dance to keep your brains thinking. Some rapid fire decision making scenarios in tap jams include coming up with what technique to implement to the music, what to do in case there's less or extra sounds, and how to save your face in case you trip midway through a flash step. So, the benefits aren't just limited to partner work.
You can read the article here
For those who don't know, dementia is the loss of thinking, memorising, and attentive ability as a person ages, and Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.
Social partner dancing requires you to think on your feet, and that's how one can continue to use their brains and reduce the risk of getting dementia. While the article argues that the follows benefit the most from social dancing, I must say that this doesn't mean the leads don't benefit as much as the follows. In fact, in my opinion, leads benefit more, because they have to be able to adapt into the follow's position and movement, and whatever move they had in mind may have to be changed suddenly to ensure that the follow can get into a different position that the lead wants. Follows can also "switch off" their brain while dancing, if they aren't willing to play to the music and just stick to the basics (which is a personal problem when I dance West Coast Swing.) Therefore, in order to reap the benefits of maintaining a healthy brain, experiment more!
I must also say that tap jamming is also a great dance to keep your brains thinking. Some rapid fire decision making scenarios in tap jams include coming up with what technique to implement to the music, what to do in case there's less or extra sounds, and how to save your face in case you trip midway through a flash step. So, the benefits aren't just limited to partner work.
Sunday 11 November 2012
Reflections: Progress Report
The first ever dance technique class happened today as part of the Developing Artistes Programme requirement. My inner thigh muscles hurt like mad, but hey, it's part and parcel of important ballet technique, along with any other dance for that matter, because spins and turns are featured prominently across all dance genres, and it requires tons of control.
Now that Salsa Swingapore is going to be a part of my dancing regime *fingers crossed on survival aka time management skills* I hope this means that my follow can be leveled up better too! For now, it's working on the isolations and making sure they glide along smoothly.
One tip though, if you want to work on inner thigh muscle strength, clamp something in between your thighs, turn out, and go up on releves. It's a great workout. You may or may not have a phantom object sensation later, but yeah, you've been warned :P
Now that Salsa Swingapore is going to be a part of my dancing regime *fingers crossed on survival aka time management skills* I hope this means that my follow can be leveled up better too! For now, it's working on the isolations and making sure they glide along smoothly.
One tip though, if you want to work on inner thigh muscle strength, clamp something in between your thighs, turn out, and go up on releves. It's a great workout. You may or may not have a phantom object sensation later, but yeah, you've been warned :P
Sunday 4 November 2012
Reflections: Live, Love, Laugh...Dance!
My senior cohort of the Developing Artiste Programme (DAP) just graduated yesterday by putting up their show "Live, Love, Laugh...Dance!"and it was awe inspiring to say the least. I had the privilege of being a stage helper for them (as part of the programme attachment) and see them in action backstage. Not the best view to see a performance since the projection and blocking is usually directed outwards, but it's still awe-inspiring enough to make me want to push myself further.
It's something to think about - how the dancers have to juggle with stress about how to plan their performance, yet at the same time, during the tech runs, they actually enjoy themselves and goof around at appropriate times. If the positives outweigh the bad, then definitely the entire journey will be a rewarding one, as seen with the performance. But at the same time, I'm venturing out of my comfort zone and into something new - juggling 2 commitments at one go, and it can get lonely upon overanalysing it - no one else is studying at Nanyang Technological University and doing the DAP programme concurrently. It's scary, but I shouldn't let pessimistic thoughts take over my vision of wanting to be a great dancer and to teach dance too.
During the tech runs and performance, it also made me realise that working backstage is equally crucial for the success of a show. Those little hilarious moments that happened during rehearsals & showtime were a good example. If it hadn't been for a naggy crew on stage props, scoldings on looking really slack with the white screen, dragging your performers out from staring at themselves in the mirror too long, along with improvising what materials to use for wiping sweat (this part being the disgustingly funny one, LOL!), the show wouldn't have ran smoothly.
All in all, this should mean I should start setting goals for myself, in class, short term, and long term, in order to make the most out of this journey. DAPees 2012/13, let's go!
It's something to think about - how the dancers have to juggle with stress about how to plan their performance, yet at the same time, during the tech runs, they actually enjoy themselves and goof around at appropriate times. If the positives outweigh the bad, then definitely the entire journey will be a rewarding one, as seen with the performance. But at the same time, I'm venturing out of my comfort zone and into something new - juggling 2 commitments at one go, and it can get lonely upon overanalysing it - no one else is studying at Nanyang Technological University and doing the DAP programme concurrently. It's scary, but I shouldn't let pessimistic thoughts take over my vision of wanting to be a great dancer and to teach dance too.
During the tech runs and performance, it also made me realise that working backstage is equally crucial for the success of a show. Those little hilarious moments that happened during rehearsals & showtime were a good example. If it hadn't been for a naggy crew on stage props, scoldings on looking really slack with the white screen, dragging your performers out from staring at themselves in the mirror too long, along with improvising what materials to use for wiping sweat (this part being the disgustingly funny one, LOL!), the show wouldn't have ran smoothly.
All in all, this should mean I should start setting goals for myself, in class, short term, and long term, in order to make the most out of this journey. DAPees 2012/13, let's go!
Friday 26 October 2012
Video Vault: Double Split Slide in WCS
Interesting move I came across on the web while browsing. This isn't something that I've been taught in class, but it's great if one could grab a partner and figure out the feel, lead and follow for the moves in this video.
Thursday 18 October 2012
5 Techniques to Refine in Dancing
Have you ever looked into the social dance floor and wondered, "Why do they look so elegant when they're dancing? How do they do that?" While there's always the option of constant practicing in the social dance floor, most of the partner dance classes and workshops I've encountered doesn't teach you the basic dance techniques that gives you graceful lines that you may observe from those with a ballet or jazz background. So here's a list of techniques for you to try out.
1. Chaine turns
Squaring off, keeping your toes pointed, spotting - these are the important things that you should keep in mind when executing this move. This can help ease any form of dizziness from spinning for beginners. But do keep in mind that not all partner dances wants you to keep your legs extended out when you're turning. This move also requires your arms to look like they're holding a large beach ball, these are first position arms.
2. Pirouettes
Like the Chaines, you also have to spot in pirouettes. There's also the added challenge of spinning on one foot while doing this move, so it'll help with your balance immensely. Your entire body has to be held like a plank throughout the move so you can achieve multiple turns. As an added bonus, you might feel more comfortable with doing one legged spins on the social dance floor too!
3. Isolations
This is especially important in latin dances like salsa. A lot of styling comes from isolating your body parts. For example: the shoulder shimmy, body wave, hip rolls, etc. Knowing which body to isolate can help you look good, and gives an extra oomph to the moves you execute.
4. Rotating kicks
For an extra challenge to add to your WCS styling, try perfecting this move. It can look fierce or soft, depending on the way you play to the music and whether you're being accelerated or decelerated.
5. Spins
This is definitely a move that you've gotta be comfortable with doing before any more of the advanced accelerating moves can be done. As an added challenge for yourself, try to not push off the ground to balance yourself when making multiple spins.
Take note that you should refine your body movements from the tips of your arms all the way to your toes. I also encourage you to take ballet or jazz classes, as those will help you see the placement of your muscles better. Happy dancing!
1. Chaine turns
Squaring off, keeping your toes pointed, spotting - these are the important things that you should keep in mind when executing this move. This can help ease any form of dizziness from spinning for beginners. But do keep in mind that not all partner dances wants you to keep your legs extended out when you're turning. This move also requires your arms to look like they're holding a large beach ball, these are first position arms.
2. Pirouettes
Like the Chaines, you also have to spot in pirouettes. There's also the added challenge of spinning on one foot while doing this move, so it'll help with your balance immensely. Your entire body has to be held like a plank throughout the move so you can achieve multiple turns. As an added bonus, you might feel more comfortable with doing one legged spins on the social dance floor too!
3. Isolations
This is especially important in latin dances like salsa. A lot of styling comes from isolating your body parts. For example: the shoulder shimmy, body wave, hip rolls, etc. Knowing which body to isolate can help you look good, and gives an extra oomph to the moves you execute.
4. Rotating kicks
For an extra challenge to add to your WCS styling, try perfecting this move. It can look fierce or soft, depending on the way you play to the music and whether you're being accelerated or decelerated.
5. Spins
This is definitely a move that you've gotta be comfortable with doing before any more of the advanced accelerating moves can be done. As an added challenge for yourself, try to not push off the ground to balance yourself when making multiple spins.
Take note that you should refine your body movements from the tips of your arms all the way to your toes. I also encourage you to take ballet or jazz classes, as those will help you see the placement of your muscles better. Happy dancing!
Sunday 7 October 2012
Video Vault: Stop-Spin in ECS
I remember this move being a part of my tap dance choreography two years ago, except it was in an 8-count variation to fast paced music from Hairspray.
I couldn't really note the intricacies in executing this move at that point in time (as a leader) because tap dance, being a solo dance, conditioned us to move on our own all the time. So, even though our instructor told the follows to only allow the guy or leader to spin them, more often than not they were auto-piloting.
I didn't notice that there had to be a twisting motion as seen in 0:55 in the video. This should build up the momentum needed to do the stop-spin motion. If you're parallel to your partner, you're more likely to use force to spin the follow (or they're auto piloting to make you look good in a performance.) I'm also beginning to notice that this twisting motion is quite common in other partner dances that requires spinning like a salsa combo that I learnt & followed the past 3 weeks.
Sunday 30 September 2012
An Announcement
I've decided to stop my Entries on Socials series, not because I don't want to reflect on my progress anymore, but it seems that I'm running out of content to talk about and that I'm shifting my focus on technique rather than variation now.
Since I have got into Jitterbugs' Developing Artiste Programme (DAP), they're more focused on the three core dance styles Jazz, Hip Hop and Ballet, there'll be less time for me to look out for socials to go to and practice my salsa and west coast swing. So I might do a different series to reflect on my progress, but that's just tentative.
Keep in mind that I'm still accepting guest posts, so you can check out the details on how you can write your own entry to this website on the tabs above. I can't wait to hear people's thoughts!
Since I have got into Jitterbugs' Developing Artiste Programme (DAP), they're more focused on the three core dance styles Jazz, Hip Hop and Ballet, there'll be less time for me to look out for socials to go to and practice my salsa and west coast swing. So I might do a different series to reflect on my progress, but that's just tentative.
Keep in mind that I'm still accepting guest posts, so you can check out the details on how you can write your own entry to this website on the tabs above. I can't wait to hear people's thoughts!
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