Musings
“Hiplet” Hits the Mainstream
If you follow any social media related to ballet, or perhaps even just have a Facebook account, it is possible that over the past few weeks you have encountered a viral video coming out of the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center. Through Instagram, Homer Hans Bryant chronicles his students’ training in a new form of dance he has created, “Hiplet,” a hybrid of ballet and hip hop (see video below). This morning Mr. Bryant brought some of his students to “Good Morning America” for a demonstration and discussion. A video posted by @homerhansbryant on May 31, 2016 at 7:23am PDT “Good Morning America”...
Read MoreNew England Patriot Rob Gronkowski Gives Ballet a Try
Ballet continues to make it’s way into the mainstream. Today’s tidbit is brought to you by Miami City Ballet dancer Nathalia Arja, who caught up with NFL superstar, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots when he was in Miami. Ms. Arja gives his a little ballet tutorial then tests his skills at the end. Check out the adorable video below which hit GQ and The Scene today. It’s harder than it looks, huh...
Read MoreJon Taylor: Capturing Dance In Unexpected Places
Last month while visiting New York City for Miami City Ballet’s spring tour, I received a Facebook message from a local dance photographer, Jon Taylor, asking if I would be interested in doing a photoshoot with him. By exploring his social media accounts, I discovered gorgeous photos of dancers surrounded by cityscapes and other outdoor venues. You may say, sure, but many photographers capture dancers in settings other than the stage. And to that I say, no one is doing it quite like Jon. The day we met for my shoot, we went in search of a backdrop by exploring a rather quiet part of town. It was fascinating to watch him scoping different locations. It wasn’t...
Read MoreNew York, New York
As I sit at my computer, another season of ballet has come and gone and I can hardly believe it. Next year will be my 10th as a professional dancer: my 10th with Miami City Ballet. As I look back over the year I see struggles, especially with injuries, but mostly I see triumphs, specifically those from our Spring Tour. Going on tour has always been exciting for our company. Because we are separated geographically from the rest of the ballet world in this country, touring allows us to reach out to a whole new group of audience members. This year we got to again visit the most educated (and picky) dance fans in America, New Yorkers. Last time we visited the Big...
Read MoreA New Year for New and Improved Technique
It’s January. A new year. A time for new beginnings. A time to commit to new resolutions. We are a few weeks into 2016. How are your resolutions going? More importantly, how are your ballet resolutions coming along? If you have already given up on these resolutions, here is a reminder not to. Setting ballet goals for your year is very important. Unlike a resolution to hit the gym more often, you already know that you will be in the ballet studio on a regular basis during the year, so why not give yourself a few things to focus on that will benefit your technique? First, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Creating a manageable list of items to focus...
Read MoreThe Injured Dancer: The Benefits of Yoga
Over the course of my injury journey my motto towards healing has been: “I will try anything.” A few weeks ago, when I had some down time from teaching, I decided that I wanted to take a yoga class. When you are injured it is easy to give all of your time and energy to one part of your body, while neglecting the rest. And the rest of my body was working tirelessly to compensate for my injury as I started back to dancing again. So it felt right to treat myself. I have taken yoga many times before, but only practiced regularly when I was in high school. I think this is partly because I have never really been able to find a studio/teacher that made me feel like it was...
Read More
