The word “design” implies both planning and execution.

Many people think lighting design is created in the technical rehearsal. This is not so. Others see the myriad pieces of arcane drawings and paperwork that surround the professional designer and think that they constitute the design. Again, not so.

The lighting design is created in the designer’s head over the course of several weeks before the production loads into the theater. Read on for a perspective on working with lighting designers.

[Read more →]

As I obtain more experience and knowledge in the field of dance, I hope that someday I will be able to be a mentor to a young artist like myself. I feel organizations like Dance/USA and programs like the Institute for Leadership Training are vital for the future of dance.

[Read more →]

“Dance is a handed-down art form. We almost take this for granted in the studio, and don’t even think about it as it is occurring. It is how young dancers become seasoned and powerful performers; and how experienced dancers absorb the craft of creating dance work on their paths to becoming choreographers. But there is a world of opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience outside of the studio as well, and this has more to do with opening someone to the possibilities in front of them – be that artistic or intensely practical.”

[Read more →]

Selecting new choreographers for a program or a season seems a straightforward enough process at first glance. Read on to find out how artistic directors seek out new works for their companies sifting the choreographic gold from the dross. 

[Read more →]

Dance has always been there and humanity and the tiny musical strands of which it is made have been vibrating in one way or another since the beginning of known history.

[Read more →]

It’s been said that the university ranks as one of the chief supporters of the arts in the United States. With the migration of more and more working choreographers into university environments, it’s clear that artists are able to continue to create both inside and outside of these institutions. While the halls of academia offer some distinct advantages, most particularly to oft-itinerant and nearly always-struggling dance artists, other challenges and demands can sap their time and energy in their new environment.

[Read more →]

American Ballet Theatre soloist Daniil Simkin examines individual branding and marketing: “I am branding myself. No, I am not applying a hot iron to my buttocks as cowboys do with steers. But I am doing something that, at least among some of my colleagues, is equally as controversial. I am attempting to make myself into a ballet product.”

[Read more →]

Few choreographers have the power to effect life-altering changes the way Pina Bausch did over the course of her 50-year career, and, even now, three years after her untimely death. That is what Pina does. She changes your life. She changed mine.

[Read more →]

In the dance class of the future every student gets documented feedback on everything she does using the same technology found in today’s video games. The implications for the game-ification of dance are exciting and offer a glimpse of a future that marries artistry, gaming, and digital communication together.

[Read more →]

Can you be still? I mean really still. For just 5 minutes. No scratching or fidgeting. Quiet the mind. Focus on the breath.

You might be saying that’s impossible, your day is already full with early morning planning and development meetings; answering emails and responding to social media; fundraising appointments; marketing strategy sessions; budget reviews; artistic decisions; production issues; and that grant application, it’s due by 5:00 p.m.

[Read more →]