I know what you’re thinking – dance degrees are probably useless. There are many reasons: dance careers are short, it won’t be recognized by anyone but dance companies, etc. However, the situation is a bit more nuanced, and that’s what I’ll be looking at it in this article. To start with, I’ll talk about the…
Over the years there have been various dance fitness crazes. From Five Rhythms to Zumba, there’s always some new version of moving to music that the fitness world has picked up. It makes sense, after all, it’s lot more fun to jive to the beat than squats. Dance performance, on the other hand, seems to…
I’ve discussed solo dance performances in this blog before, focusing on how they work and the stories we can tell. Today, however, we’re looking more generally at characters in solo performances, whether it be dance, theatre, mime, film, or other performing arts. This is applicable for all kinds of situations, from creating or choosing monologues…
Have you ever been to a dance performance and left thinking, what was that all about? You aren’t alone – I’ve seen a lot of performances that are almost stubbornly obtuse. Sometimes that’s deliberate: the whole philosophy of post modern and contemporary dance was all about creating movement for movement’s sake. NO meaning should be…
When you are building characters for the stage or the screen, movement is hugely important. It’s probably more important for stage as the screen is more focused on the face and tighter frames, but nonetheless understanding how movement works for characters is a great skill to have for any actor. I also think it’s important…
Stage presence and stage persona are both terms used, sometimes interchangeably, in the performing arts. They don’t mean the same thing, however, and refer to different skills. Still, both are great assets for any performing artist, and indeed, having a strong stage presence is something that could be make or break for performers. While some…
When you enter the world of being a professional artist, you need to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Even if art remains a hobby, having a distinct artistic voice is something that people talk about a lot. But what is it? How do you get it or find it? How…
Solo performance can be a scary thing, but it has its advantages. I’ve been performing dance and dance theater solo for close to six years now and know from experience that preparing for solo performances requires its own storytelling techniques, and there are some things that work better than others. This article is a quick…
Improvisation is one of the best skills I ever learned in performing arts. And yes, I mean skill! It’s something that you can learn and get better at. As a performer, I use improvisation both in my studio practice and performance. There are some dance styles which are entirely based on improv, such as contact…
I have a new short story collection out! Crooked Paths to Home is a collection of seven short stories, ranging from twisted fairytales to sci fi. From the description: Crooked Paths to Home is an eclectic bunch of stories featuring a variety of colorful characters struggle to find their way in their surroundings, set in…