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Log on to www.dance media.com and enter to WIN the Dance Teacher Video of the Month Contest!

>Congratulations to January’s winner for DT Video of the Month, Finis Jhung. The excerpt from Jhung’s 1999 instructional video, “Partnering Techniques: ,” features Griff Braun and Johanna Snyder, formerly of American Theatre. After demonstrating the grand pas de deux from The Nutcracker, they break it down, step by step, and explain the specifics of making the movement work, from where Braun Finis Jhung works with Letter to the Editor dancer Saige Miller. places his hand on Dear Dance Teacher, Snyder’s hip during a Your article [“How I Teach a turn, to how to avoid Contraction,” February 2010] made the pinching her skin in a contraction/release look and feel like lift. Jhung stands by to a simple extension of its natural origin offer insight throughout. DPMC in breath . . . just what I have been After a professional QC trying to teach for all these 50 some dance career with the odd years (!), and you included the San Francisco, Joffrey important fact that the contraction is and Harkness ballet an “action” not a “position.” Thank you, companies, Jhung has as well, for clarifying that all of us devoted himself to teach differently. It helps other teaching throughout teachers validate their own approach New York City and is as a part of what we all have to offer currently working on from Graham’s vocabulary. Broadway training the Gratefully, boys of Billy Elliott: The Marni Thomas Musical (see March, Face to Face). He also has his own line of THIS MONTH ON www.dance-teacher.com instructional CDs and DVDs, useful to both 7 Watch footage of Rhapsody teaching an dancers and teachers, energy-packed street-jazz class at Broadway including the one Dance Center. (“Rhapsody in Rhythm,” pg. 28) excerpted here. 100 7 See a video of Darla Hoover teaching Jhung compares watching his videos to following a recipe. “If you do every- 96 arabesque. (Technique, pg. 40) thing the recipe says, you end up being a fabulous cook,” he explains. “It’s the 7 Hula teacher Hokulani Holt-Padilla describes same with partnering. If you do everything in this order with the right 75 her remounting of Kahekili: Maui’s Paramount ingredients and follow the instructions, you’ll have a beautiful pas de deux.” 50 Chief, a National Endowment for the Arts/Ameri- For more info on Finis Jhung go to www.finisjhung.com. can Masterpiece Dance production. 25 (Music, pg. 52) ––Rachel Zar 15 What city inspired Peter Gennaro’s love of 7 Want to build buzz about your studio, workshop or class? Posting 5 jazz? Test your students’ knowledge of the Broadway choreographer with a history quiz. videos to the Dance Teacher Video of the Month Contest is quick, easy and (History, pg. 58) free—and it’s a great way to get noticed. If your video is selected as Editors’ Choice, you’ll be featured on this page! Don’t miss out on a great opportunity 7 Enter our online giveaway contest and win two DVDs and a book about teaching K–12 students. —visit www.dancemedia.com, share your videos and vote for your favorites.

(Resources, pg. 26) Any and all kinds of dance are welcome. Jhung Finis of courtesy Launitz, der von Stephen by photo ©iStockphoto.com; left: From

Stay in touch! Visit www.dance-teacher.com or e-mail letters to the editor to [email protected].

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chat room Ask the Experts 9gZVbW^\# How can I help and advise my stu- very structured, and there are tasks. A task 9gZVbcdl# Q:dents as they prepare for college might be as simple as to make your way dance auditions? ––via Twitter across the floor with no more than three parts of your body ever touching the floor. www.dancespirit.com/o er Students are often out of their Students often do too much. They want to A:comfort zone in college auditions, show every move that they’ve ever especially those who are ballet- and jazz- learned, which is exactly what we’re trying trained. To them, contemporary or modern to get away from. We’re looking at a dance can look like a foreign language. student’s imagination and at how Help them prepare by giving them unfamil- comfortable she is in her body. iar material in class. Students who have a Similarly, the function of solos is to see diverse training experience often fare quite a student’s natural movement language, well in auditions. not to see a bunch of steps that she’s

Dance majors in class at The Ohio State University

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I think dancers get worried that they’re learned in a studio strung together. Sets of making mistakes, so their bodies get tight codified vocabulary can hide who she is. and they don’t show their musicality. Let Instead of pas de bourrée, kick ball them know we realize they aren’t going to change, prepare, pirouette, encourage get every beat of the combination. We’re students to use original movement in a looking for how a dancer inhabits her body, solo. But, most importantly, they should and we’re trying to get at something deeper dance their hearts out. through the combination. The improvisation section can be the Susan Hadley is chair of undergraduate scariest for students, but we don’t ask studies and professor in the department of them to just get up and dance around. It’s dance at The Ohio State University.

100 Are your students Why can’t we be 96 Chelsea Hightower photographed Kahns by Kristie thinking about friends? COLLEGE? Dance Teacher is now on Facebook! 75 Become a fan to chat with us on our page, 50 post questions and letters to the DT editors, DanceU101.com has everything for 25 the college-bound dancer, her and stay up-to-date on articles, videos, parents and her teachers: career contests and more! 15 advice, admissions strategies, 5 videos, discussion forums—plus Follow DT on up-to-date information on more Twitter! than 600 college dance programs. We’ll be tweeting with tons of updates, tips We’ve compiled all the authoritative and links, and we want to hear from you, articles and resources from Dance too. Don’t have a Twitter account yet? Teacher, Dance Magazine, Dance Signing up is free and easy, and it’s a great Spirit and Pointe into one conven- way to stay in touch with the dance com- ient site. Check it out and share it munity. Follow us at Dance_Teacher, and Get a free bonus issue with your students. we’ll look for you! University State Ohio The of courtesy Bontempo, Melissa by Photo when you subscribe today!

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