Dancing for the Gold

I first started competing when I was about seven years old. I was only in four dance numbers, but at the time I didn't care I was just happy that I was finallky in the company class and I got to go away with all of my friends. Well it was an experience. There was definitely more pressure than the recital because everyone wants to be the best and everyone wanted the gold ribbon, that was the highest ribbon at this particular competition. So when it my my turn to dance I stage I had major butterflies in my stomach. I felt like I was going to get so nervous and just blank out and forget the dance, but then my teacher came up to me and said, "Dance like your having fun and like your're at the recital don't worry about what other people tell you just do your best." So I did what she said, I did my best and by the time it was ready to do my other dances I wasn't nervous at all. Well I guess the dances were performed well because in the end we did recieve gold ribbons for all of our dances. I will never forget it. I was so excited that my class did so well in our first dance competition. Everyone was so proud of us because at that time we were considered to be "the babies" and that just made the gold ribbon mean so much more to me and everyone else in the dance class.

Starpower!

Starpower is the name of a national dance competition. This company travels all over the country to different states in order for different dance studios to have the opportunity to compete against each other. First, they start off with regionals. Regionals isn't that big of a competition, since there usually are about twenty dance studios there, but that doesn't mean things don't get heated up because believe they do. These girls are out there to compete for their chance to win the Platinum, First Place, or even High Score Award! No one wants to get anything less that is why these dancers perform to the best of their ability. Regionals is like a ticket to nationals. You have to take part in a regional competition in order to be in the Starpower's national competition, which is usually held in about four locations, two being Florida and Maryland and if I am not mistaken i think there is also one in Las Vegas. When the studios finally arrive at the location they chose for nationals, they see that there are schools here from all over! California, Maryland, Georgia, Missouri, I could keep on going but that would make this list just too long to read. Everyone comes here to compete against the schools they haven't went up against yet and then on the last day of the competition is the "BATTLE." This part of the competition is not only the most exciting, but also the most imporant to most dance studios. This is where the best high scoring dances from each studio get the chance to perform against the other high scoring dances and then whoever gets the highest score wins The Battle of the Stars. It is so exciting to see the girls get so exicted when they win because it really does make them feel like all of the practice they put into the dances really paid off. Starpower is good competition to get involved with because not only is the there good competition, but the staff makes it fun for the dancers as well.

All About Jazz

Jazz dance can express the beat of the song while expressing the emotions of an individual. It has undergon changes throughout its short existence, evolving a variety of techniques to express many moods in a wide range of styles. Jazz is a feeling, Jazz is a skillful combination of both rhythm and design. Jazz dance involves different ranges of different styles. The songs could be slow, they could be fast, but a jazz song will al;ways have that distinct beat behind it that the dancer can perform to. Jazz dance and music originated at the beginning of the century, in a lower-class neighborhood around the 1920s. This time period was the highlight for the jazz age, but now it is different. In dance class we considered jazz to be fast pace song that we could dance to and actually move to. Not like ballet or the old jazz music where it was very slow and peaceful but now most studios dance to exciting songs to get the crowd excited and involved and to get the dancers excited to perform. The rhythmic punch of jazz music and dance provided the perfect pace for the performers, but no matter what style of dance it is the dancers must continue to focus on their technique because good technique always helps the dance look a lot neater and a lot better as a whole.

First Live Performance

When I was little, my mother registered me for dance classes at a dance studio in Staten Island. I was around four years old when I started to learn my first dance steps. The teacher placed me in a class with a bunch of five and six year olds that had more experience than me. At first I was a little nervous because I new that i was going to be the only one that didn't know much, but after each week i realized that I had been getting a lot better from the first day I started. I mean I wasn't amazing, but I think that by the second month of dancing with the class I felt more comfortable because I actually learned some of the steps. It was around the point of time that the teacher had mentioned a dance recital. Now I was only four years old so I didn't really know what everything was going to be like, but the teacher told us that if we practiced we would be fine. So week after week, month after month, my class practiced our routine over and over. It wasn't perfect because we were only babies, but I think it was good enough for me being a beginner and all. Well the day finally came and it was time to get ready for the show. I got my costume on, mom did my makeup, and I gathered all my dance stuff and then I was on my way to the place. I rememebr this like it was yesterday. I arrived into a big theater where hundreds of people were going to sit to watch the show. Then as the show was about to begin they borught us backstage and we has to wait there until it was our turn to perform. Finally, they called out our song and we ran on stage. Some of us froze for a second or two, but overall everyone thought that we were the cutest performance and they gave us a lot of credit for everything we did at a young age and till day I always remember my first live performance and how much I enjoy the art of dance.

Are You Ready to See What These Dance Crews Can Do?

The judge on American Idol, Randy Jackson, begins to produse a new TV show on MTV called Americas Best Dance Crew. The competiton begins with eight dance crews and each week instead of someone teaching the dance to them, they have to make it up themselves. This is one way the show is different from other dance shows that are filemd on TV. The fact that the dancers have to choreograph their own routines becomes a challenge because each week it has to be different and get harder. If it looks the same every week the judges are just going to get bored and not want to see this group on the show anymore. This show is a good way for dancers to get the experience of what it is like to be a choreographer and a performer all at once. The job isn't easy and the practices sure do become more intense as the weeks go on. If you keep up with the show, you will see whos left on next weeks Americas Best Dance Crew.

So You Think You Can Dance?

If you think you have the talent, the attitude, and the personality then this show is the way to go. It all begins with an audition in a selected state near you. These auditions are usually judged by a two to three minute dance piece and then if you fit the criteria for the show you get a ticket to Las Vegas. There are usually hundreds of dancers that make it to Vegas but in the end only the top twenty end up making it to Hollywood. The competition is very intense on the show and everyone competes for one of these twenty spots. There are many arguments and many fights but no matter what the yall have to come together to work as a group if they all want to make it. Once the top twenty is picked for the show, they are all apired of with dance partners. These partnerships usually consists of one boy and one girl. Each week these dancers are assigned to peform a specific technique of dance. One week it could be the waltz, the next week jazz, hip hop, and so on. It is all so exciting to see what these dancers can learn in the matter of week especially because they have never worked with each other before. Not only is the show about a competition for the number one dancer, but what I have noticed is these dancers form a bond while they continue to work toegther week after week and since all of them become so close with each other it is very hard to see one leave the show. This show is a great way for dancers to get jobs and for many choreographers to notice them this way one day they will for contracts get scholarhsips and many other opportunities to become a successful dancer as well as pursue a career in the future. However, each week it has to happen in order to see who Americas top dancer turned out to be.

A Chorus Line

A Chorus Line begins with nineteen main characters auditioning in a broadway theater to become memebers of a chorus line. The show expresses the personalities of the performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers. During the play, these dancers take workshop lessons. These lessons are divided up into different sessions and as the sessions conitnues to go on, the characters chosen in the end would be the ones who got the job. The song that they danced to at this time was called "I Hope I Get It." This song symbolized how much these characters wanted to fit the part the producers were looking for. The whole play is mostly based on this audition and the setting takes place is this broadway theater where these characters come together and work to compete with each other for the part.

Dance to the Music

Dance is something that can be a hobbie, but it can also be shown as a meaning behind a story. All of these broadway shows and dance performances tell a story in a different form of expressing what is actually happening. This technique is what makes the art of dance unique. If you ever go to see a live performance you will realize the passion the people have for dance just by the way they dance to the music. Music is the key source to a dancer , just like a bat is needed to play the sport of baseball. Without the right music the dance could not be completed. The sound of the music and the beat helps these performers really get into what they do and just makes the show more fun and better for those who are watching it because if the music was boring and had nothing to do with the piece the audience wouldn't want to sit through something that is not relevant to the storyline; therefore, I am going to keep you updated on what goes on the world of broadway shows and dance performances. This will help you, as spectators, understand the meaning of dance and hopefully you will be able to appreciate these pieces as more than just a show you want to see.