JEANNE TEACHES DANCE

 After a long hiatus from sharing my dance thoughts in writing, I am energized and enthused to be making the commitment to more intentional content creation both in the studio and here, with all of you. My little dance world has undergone a few changes since I last was active on the blog and I'm excited for the potential for growth within the walls of  Dixon Dance Studio , within myself, and to the greater world, should the ripple-effect do its thing (perhaps you can relate).  A year or two of restricted access to the dancers and the studio certainly made me think a lot about what I ultimately wanted to see for my dancers. We have some very talented young dancers at our studio who are at the perfect stage to solidify their foundational training and I've had the proverbial "bee in my bonnet" to make some changes for the betterment of the program. I'm thrilled that my students want tangible feedback and to take an active part in their improvement; I might be one of ...

Shortly after somewhat simultaneously delving into both Jennifer Homan's  Apollo's Angels and Christina Ezrahi's Swans of The Kremlin , I jokingly exclaimed, "ballet's been cheating death since it's inception!"  Despite any modern day chatter of it being a dying and irrelevant art (the reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated   since at least the fall of the Russian Empire), and that it is merely an activity for those who lack the Olympian athleticism and grit of competitive sports, the art form is, still very much alive and kicking. Dancers once again enjoy the pop culture spotlight and the art form has been given more athletic clout as is evidenced the ever popular debate question: "is dance a sport?"  By definition that dance is not a game that is regularly scored in some way (be it by points or time records), I prefer to refer to it as "an athletic art," but that's simply my feeling on the matter--the competition circ...

RT Doc meets some of the young hopefuls storming the doors of the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy to find out more about the dream they share, and to follow them on their first steps towards achieving it. https://rtd.rt.com/films/dance-of-the-little-swans/

As seen on the World Ballet Day Live : Royal Ballet Soloist Olivia Grace Cowley has created a fantastic website dedicated to ballet fashion on the stage and off! Check it out at www.ballet.style You can also follow Olivia's fashion-filled lifestyle on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube .

click image to visit worldballetday.com ONE DAY.  FIVE BALLET COMPANIES.  LIVE AND ONLINE.

Click image to read the article at DanceSpirit.com We’ve all heard it: the chorus of cracking joints that comes with the first plié of class. A lot of dancers treat barre as their daily warm-up, but a ballerina jumping into class cold is kind of like the Tin Man trying to move without his oil can. Conditioning expert and former professional ballet dancer Rachel Hamrick has four pre-barre exercises that will get your body ready for that aggressive dégagé combo.   You’ll need : an FLX ball or a medicine ball

TUNE-IN FOR TWENTY-THREE HOURS OF BALLET FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE! Following an unprecedented collaboration, in 2014, on the first broadcast of World Ballet Day LIVE, five of the world’s leading ballet companies once again streamed 23 hours of live, behind-the-scenes footage on Thursday, October 1, 2015.  The Australian Ballet ,  Bolshoi Ballet ,  The Royal Ballet ,  The National Ballet of Canada , and  San Francisco Ballet  partnered to provide viewers around the world with an inside look at professional ballet companies in the studio, on tour, and in performance. For more information, visit worldballetday.com

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This trail-blazing and spirited tribute to the life of an American icon, seamlessly weaves together the voices and musical vitality that created the Johnny Cash legacy.  American Legend will take you on a musical journey with icons that influenced Cash's writings and sound - songs from the Carter Family and Hank Williams; through the Sun Records hits of the 50s and early 60s , including I Walk the Line and Get Rhythm; to his last groundbreaking songs with American Recordings.  For one special two-night engagement, nearly twenty artists and musicians from around the Golden State will take the stage in Folsom to share the Man in Black's unforgettable story through music and movement. Produced by Theatre Ventures International in association with Sunny Mitchell Theatre Projects.  ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE   FOLSOM CASH ART TRAIL . ARTISTS FOR THIS PERFORMANCE INCLUDE: Lindsay Alhady Josh Bollen Kate Brugger Cory Coppin Kale Coppin Danielle Hanse...

French author Charles Perrault was born 388 years ago on January 12, and has become immortalised as the father of the fairy tale as we know it (Re-published from  The Telegraph ) By  Rhiannon Williams 10:00PM GMT 12 Jan 2016 Charles Perrault: fairy tale visionary Charles Perrault,  author of Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella  was born 388 years ago, and  has been commemorated with a Google Doodle . Perrault was born in Paris in 1628, and was a lawyer before turning his hand to the written word. While the Brothers Grimm are widely credited with creating the fairy tale as we know it, Perrault actually wrote stories called  Le Petit Chaperon Rouge ,  La Belle au bois dormant  and  Cendrillon  a full 200 years before. Charles Perrault (1628-1703) In 1695, aged 67, he wrote  Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals , a series of moral tales designed to prompt the reader to re...

I had the pleasure of attending last year's Master Class offerings at San Francisco Ballet, and, not surprisingly, found them to be utterly delightful.  Admittedly, it was a bit fun to be back in the studios as a grown-up, rather than a shy teenage student.  The instruction was invaluable, and I'm encouraging my students to go with me to as many of these classes as they can manage this year.  It's a wonderful opportunity for them to see if taking their training to the next level is something that interests them, while getting a marvelous class. 10/25/2015   Clean, Classical Technique 1/10/2016   Ballet's Gem: "Rubies" 2/28/2016   Getting Into Character * (please read attire requirements) 4/10/2016   Neo-Classical Ballet 5/8/2016   Unveiling Onegin Spots are open to both student participants (ages 15-25) as well as observers. Registration Information All Participants and Observers must register in advance through SF Ballet School’s websi...

I am so incredibly honored to be taking the stage with The Walking Phoenixes for their July 26th show at The Old Sugarmill! Tickets and More Information

With recitals and showcases upon us, the topic I am most asked about is makeup.  Stage makeup differs than street makeup, in that it's main purpose is to add the natural contours and features of your face back in, after the brightness of the stage lights have washed out most performer's features. David H. Koch Theater, New York City Former New York City Ballet Soloist Kathryn Morgan has created a lovely step-by-step video for creating a basic stage makeup look for a big theater.  Keep in mind, Kathryn's look is intended for an audience held by a building such as the David H. Koch Theater in New York City, and most students won't be performing in a space nearly this large. For this reason, students will want to apply a toned-down version of the makeup shown in this video.  I find that in smaller auditoriums, blush can easily be used to contour and that false eyelashes--and even undereye liner can be abandoned, so that the students maintain a fresh, youthful look. ...

Shared from Dance Informa: Digital Dance Magazine #1. To understand your body better No matter what your dance focus, you need to know your body. The structured, methodical approach of ballet training encourages you to learn about anatomy and your own strengths and weaknesses. This wisdom will stand you in good steed for other dance styles, sports and life in general. #2. For excellent posture and grace Ballet dancers are known for their graceful presence and fabulous posture. Even if you stopped doing ballet years ago you probably still get strangers asking if you’re a dancer – and who doesn’t like that? And grace isn’t just a physical attribute – it is can also be a facet of your personality and demeanour. #3. To build strong, lean muscles Training correctly in ballet can help you develop lean, non-bulky muscles. You’ll develop strength which will stand you in good stead for other dance styles and sports, even if ballet isn’t your number one focus. #4. To g...

Photo, courtesey: Southeastern Reporter Injury – it's a dirty word for dancers of all levels. With it, we associate a diminished existence—where we are stripped of the very thing that gives us joy—they ability to express ourselves without limits, both in class and in performance. At once, you feel useless, devoid of identity, left out, and the fear of being forgotten starts to take hold—these thoughts, as we later learn, are counterproductive to the healing process. Instead, we need to take the opportunity for our body to be heard, to take a rest, and to flesh out the other parts of us that make us the individual and special artists that we are. The views of injuries as “death sentences” for a dancer's career are outdated and old-fashioned. I have countless colleagues who speak of their injuries as positive, mind-set changing experiences—when they used the time to actually heal. I broke my foot twice while dancing with The Sacramento Ballet, and it only made me a s...

I'll be performing works by Sunny Staton Mitchell on Saturday April 11th and Sunday April 12th in the Dancespace theater in Solano Hall 1010 at Sacramento State University. Dancers from many local and Bay Area dance companies will offer a sampling of their work as part of the University's Festival of the Arts . More information Buy tickets

See  Calendar  for more details.