Dance Teacher Blog: Teaching Fosse

Pointe 5*6*7*8
Dance Teacher Blog
Teaching Fosse 
By Brandy Curry

A recent FB status prompted me to write this post.  My fellow dance teacher friend was teaching her normal weekday teenage jazz class and mentioned a move as being "Fosse" and the students had no clue to whom she was talking about.  WHAT!  All of comments to her FB status were from dance teachers all over the nation trying to come to understand how this Pipin-Chicago-Sweet Charity-Cabaret loving society can have dancers that do not know Bob Fosse.  When my fellow dance teacher friend began to name his famous Broadway productions they now connected and understood her very passionate demeanor.  She recommended they go do a little research and come back and show her a Fosse move...and not just from Chicago!

Coincidentally a Director friend of mine has decided to pay tribute to Mr. Bob Fosse by creating a live production of his work.  Making this a "teachable moment," he auditioned students from all over the southern California valley.  These young dancers, actors, and singers will have the opportunity to dance on Cal State Northridges' new multi-million dollar stage at the Valley Performing Arts Center.  I have been asked to be the Director of Choreography for this one night show in January-2014. We are putting together an amazing line up of Fosse-fied numbers from Pipin, Chicago, Sweet Charity, Cabaret, Damn Yankees, and more!

One of my favorite Fosse numbers that I'm setting on my students is the Manson Trio!  Remember this?  I love, love, love it.  It is sooo...totally... Fosse!  And, just so fun to teach.  I mean what was Bob thinking?  I don't know and it makes me love it every time I see it.  One of the great things about You Tube is that you can expose your students to any choreographer with a click of a mouse.  In five minutes you can select a clip and show your dancers the derivative and the origin of jazz, hip hop, ballet, or any type of movement or the intimate creative process of choreography from Twyla Tharp, to Alivin Ailey, to Martha Graham.  Change their world by showing them how, where, when all of this great work was in existence.  Connect it to today.  Did Manson Trio influence moves for Michael Jackson's Thriller?  What  inspired the choreography for Beyonce's Single Ladies...um...Mexican Breakfast...BOB FOSSE!

Gwen Verdon..Mexican Breakfast choreographed by Bob Fosse

More information on the Valley Performing Arts Center performance in January to come!

Dance Teacher Blog: Audition Process Part 1

POINTE 5*6*7*8
Dance Teacher Blog
Audition Process Part 1
By Brandy Curry

The TV show SMASH is an excellent resource for teaching the entertainment/performing arts process.  Minus the series mature content drama it's a nice, simi-accurate glimpse of the audition and rehearsal process.  When I taught 9-12 grade performing arts students wishing to enter college programs or wishing to pursue careers right after high school I found the topic of the audition process overwhelming for them and underwhelming for me.  

There are fantastic scenes to show your students what to wear to an audition, how to behave, and how to show off your talent while remaining humble.  While the musical theater audition process is different from a company audition seeing the actors on SMASH go through nervousness is all too familiar for myself and so heart warming for my students.  They love it!

SMASH courtesy of Wikimedia Common Images

Another great, great showing of the audition and rehearsal process is the documentary about the revival of A Chorus Line, Every Little Step (2008).  Talk about "heartwarming."  This is a powerful, and stylized-beautiful glimpse of the retelling about the origin of A Chorus Line, the audition process for the revival, and a look at the process through some familiar faces from the producers, writers, original actors, and famous dancers your students have even seen on So You Think You Can Dance.

Every Little Step (2008) Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Tip: I did a great JOURNAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT with this documentary. Although these questions seem trivial-you must see the film.  The journal entries were just brilliant from my students. They really connected, and they were so moved.  Lots, and lots of tear stains on their journals-so sweet! It even inspired one of my dancers to audition for a college program. I prompted the following three questions: 1.) Who, what dancer or actor, did you connect to the most and why?  Did you connect to the choreographer, director, producer or writer? 2.) Whom were you rooting for during the audition(s) and callbacks? 3.) Did any of the dancers you were hoping to make it, actually "make it" to the final production?  Were you surprised?  How did it make you feel?

Happy teaching!

B. Curry

Dance Teacher Blog: Funding Your School's Dance Program

Pointe 5*6*7*8
Dance Teacher Blog
Funding Your School's Dance Program


Not every school has the time to fundraise for their dance teams, dance companies, or dance academies.  There are many opportunities for a dance program to raise money that are quick, easy, fun, safe and not a burden on your students' parents.  I recommend each dance teacher joining the following organizations to help open up the possibilities of fundraising for their programs.

DonorsChoose: This site allows you to create a wish list for your students and parents to view and donate funds.  Donors Choose will even match funds and ship the items to your school at no cost.

Discount Dance: Discount Dance offers a Teachers Program that allows studio and school dance faculty to register their school for costumes discounts, dancewear discounts, and teacher dancewear discounts.  When you register you receive a Teacher Program # that you give to your students so that when they purchase their dancewear online your school gets points and the dancer gets up to 10% off of their items.  Each teacher can set up 1.) A Wish list for the redeemable points and, 2.) Teacher Approved lists of dancewear so your students/parents can shop easily.

It's hard to be a department, the Performing Arts department, that demands so much outside time and money to keep the program thriving and the administration gleaming that you came under budget.  With the amount of money parents spend on tights, ballet shoes, tap shoes, jazz shoes, leggings, warm-ups, leotards, dance bags it's no wonder parents are exhausted of being asked to pitch in and donate again....and again.

Parent Volunteers are a huge resource for dance programs in education.  Parent volunteers can be utilized for performances, field trips, competitions, and other dance program events.  Their help saves the school time, money, and faculty effort.  Parent volunteers can sign up at Back-to-School Night and volunteer to help well in advanced.  This allows the teacher to plan for assistance well in advance.

My parent volunteers help me out with the following:

1. Set-up/Clean-Up before and after shows
2. Hair and Makeup (for the chignon challenged)
3. Transportation to and from events, performances, competitions, field trips
4. Backstage help-Dressers, Check-In,
5. Stage-Load In/Strike (breaking down the show afterwards-ask the Dance Daddy's)
6. Building props, building sets
7. Food & Water!! (Picking up, making, and/or dropping off)
8. Photography & Videography
9. Purchasing of production items (Be sure to check with your Dept. Chair and Principal first)
10. Flower sales (my parents love this one)

Volunteers can help save a program over $10, 000 a year.  Give incentives! VIP seating for one show a year, and give each parent volunteer two free tickets.  Also have all of your dancers sign cards for your parent volunteers, the parents get a battement out of this one! (Get it!)  At the end-of-the year show have the parent volunteers stand up to a loud round of applause and then have the students of the parent volunteers give their parents a flower and the card.  Super sweet gestures like this increase your chances for more volunteers year, after year.  

Check out this website for a great tool for keeping track of your volunteers:  Volunteer Spot 

Happy Fundraising!

B. Curry 

Dance Teacher Blog: Teaching Movement to Boys Grades K-3

Dance Teacher Blog
Pointe 5*6*7*8
Teaching Movement to Boys Grades K-3
By Brandy Curry

I love teaching dance to anyone age 18 months to 99, male or female, beginner to professional.  One of the most challenging assignments I've encountered over my years was getting my 2nd and 3rd grade boys to enjoy their time with me in the dance studio for Movement class.  They do well during the warm-up, during across-the-floor even, but when it comes to learning a combo they wouldn't have it-they wouldn't move!  I remember trying to figure out what was missing: were the moves too feminine, was the music too girly?  So, as an inclusive teacher  I decided to just ask them.  Sure enough it was the music they didn't connect to...  I took out a sheet of large adhesive poster paper and for a week I asked everyone in my classes to write down their favorite songs, favorite bands, etc.  The catch was that it had to be a song that we could dance to in Movement class, and a song that was age-appropriate.
 

"They were empowered.  I was inspired."

Then I took out another piece of paper and had them write down their favorite sports drills.  THEY LOVED THIS! From this I showed them how "quick feet" is really a chassé or gallop, how simple basketball, soccer and football practice drills are just like dance moves.  They were empowered.  I was inspired.  From then class was exciting for them and fun.  It's not my job to entertain them and make them have fun; I want them to learn about dance in the historic, societal and cultural sense, as a form of exercise, and as a performing art.  Keeping kids engaged and wanting to learn more should be every teachers' goal.