Blogs
Gillian as Pierrot leaping in the air with a grin and the words how to choose the right music for dance

How to Choose the Right Music for Dance

ByGillianRhodesApr 27, 2024

Almost any choreographer will tell you that finding the right music for dance is the hardest part. Unless you have the great fortune to work with a composer or are creating for a specific song, finding that exact piece of…

Gillian in a red dress in a dynamic posture with head down and arms back like wings and the title text overlaid

5 Tips to Get Great Dance Photographs

ByGillianRhodesApr 9, 2024

We’ve all seen those amazing dance photographs – high extensions, flowing clothes, unreal shapes as they jump. But then you go to the studio to take your own pictures, and somehow, it’s not at all the same. The postures aren’t…

Gillian upside down in a small box looking at the audience with the title text overlaid

Best Practices for Filming Dance and Dance Videos

ByGillianRhodesApr 2, 2024

Since the pandemic, more and more performing arts are going online. However, filming dance requires a fundamentally different approach than performing it live. I would even suggest that dance films are almost a whole other medium, as it requires thinking…

Gillian held by a dancer in a wheelchair with other dancer behind looking on

Dos and Don’ts of Working With Disabled Dancers

ByGillianRhodesMar 26, 2024

When I lived in Seoul, I trained and performed with a company that regularly worked with disabled dancers, and helped coordinate one of their initiatives, the Korea International Accessible Dance Festival. Here in Pakistan, I’ve done a few projects with…

Three copies of Gillian in a row covered by a thin veil with the title text overlaid

5 Ways that Dance Can Be More Inclusive

ByGillianRhodesMar 19, 2024

In a few past blogs I’ve pointed fingers at the more disappointing areas of the dance industry. It’s a bit strange that dance, unlike other art industries, has sort of avoided deeper scrutiny into its more unjust and discriminatory practices.…

Gillian in a front lunge with head down and arms up to the side as if carrying a heavy load with the title text overlaid

5 Ways to Combat Artistic Existential Dread: Mental Health for Artists

ByGillianRhodesMar 12, 2024

I used to joke that if you are an artist, you’ll have an existential crisis at least once every six months. It’s not really that funny, though, because it’s so true, and depending on how things are going I might…

Gillian in a white shirt and suspenders with a black fedora covering her eyes and the title text overlaid

How to Brand Yourself as an Artist

ByGillianRhodesMar 5, 2024

Once you start working professionally you’ll start hearing about the branding. You need to have a brand, be a brand, brand yourself, blah blah blah. If you’re not tired of it already, you will be soon! It can be very…

Gillian as Monster with infinite copies with the title text overlaid

Performance Art vs Performing Arts

ByGillianRhodesFeb 20, 2024

I’m sure there are many people who are a bit confused by the genre of performance art, which can range from the baffling to the bizarre and everything in between. Sometimes it seems to overlap with performing arts in some…

A silhouette of two dancers holding a third dancer up over their hands with orange backlight and the title text overlaid

Why Contemporary Dance is Colonial

ByGillianRhodesFeb 13, 2024

It should not come as a surprise that dance and contemporary dance, while often seen or celebrated as a connecting feature of humanity, has been used for colonial purposes. Whether that’s controlling who dances and why in colonized countries or…

Gillian doing a grand jete with arms up and the title text overlaid

How to Make a Training Plan for Dance

ByGillianRhodesFeb 6, 2024

They say the hardest part is getting started. While having a training plan for dance doesn’t completely solve the problem, developing a routine and a consistent plan that you can follow does help. That’s what I’m here to help you…