An Introduction

When you meet someone new, how do you introduce yourself? Say your name, what you do, where you’re from, a bit of your history. Well, I’m new to blogging, this is the first I’ve written, so I guess I should introduce myself. Hi, my name is Jessica Houghton. I am currently in my fourth year at York University in the BFA Honours Dance Program. I am 21 years old, living and dancing in Toronto, and am proud to say that I am a part of that special community that is Pegasus Studios.

The Pegasus graduating class of 2008
Photo credit: Katherine Aczel

Growing up with a dance studio as your next door neighbour is something that few people can lay claim to, and I am one of those lucky few. I never used to get away with being late for class. What could I say? “The traffic on the sidewalk was terrible!” But who would want to be late anyway? Dance class was always the best part of my day. Starting dance classes at the age of three meant that as I grew up, my love of dance grew with me. It was nurtured by supportive teachers and family, tested during times of hardship, burnt out almost completely by broken dreams and injuries, and rekindled over and over by that undying desire to move and express. That is true love, a love that has lasted my whole life and a love that will never die. I would have never found that love without Pegasus.

Jessica Houghton - age 5
Photo credit: Katherine Aczel

At Pegasus there was never a question or a doubt about whether or not you would be accepted. Everyone was welcome and everyone felt they belonged there, and it is still the same today. The teachers are more than just teachers, they are friends and mentors. The students become a part of the family as well, knowing that they can turn to any family member in times of need and find solace. Everyone contributes to making the studio what it is, a home.

Jessica Houghton - age 20
Photo credit: Jay Crews

Since leaving Pegasus, I have spent the past three and a half years at York University, studying under amazing and inspiring teachers and learning as much as possible from them. I have performed and choreographed at York and have been performing with a community theatre company for three seasons. I have been accepted into the National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program, and will be starting there in the fall of 2012. No matter where I go though, I am always drawn back to my first dance home. I have choreographed for Pegasus’ Benefit Concert, Dances of Offering, for the past three years, and am choreographing another piece this year. I am also taking a more active role in the planning this year by organizing the social media aspects of the show. Moving forward, I know that wherever life takes me, Pegasus will always be a part of me, and I am glad to finally be able to give back and contribute to making this year’s Dances of Offering the best one yet. I look forward to sharing more with you in the future, goodbye for now!

Holiday Dance and Theatre Traditions in Toronto

Toronto’s winter holiday season brings a basket full of fun dance and theatre shows that are perfect for the whole family. Some of our favourite traditions are:

Bed and Breakfast by the PuppetMongers – this year the story of the Princess and the Pea at the Tarragon Theatre, Dec. 17, 18, 26-Jan. 1

Ross Petty Pantomime – this year, The Wizard of Oz, at the Elgin Theatre, running until Jan. 6

The National Ballet’s Nutcracker – at the Four Seasons Centre, running until Jan. 3

Pia Bouman School for Ballet and Creative Movement’s Nutcracker – Dec. 15-18 at Lismer Hall in the Humberside Collegiate Institute

Wishing you a happy and safe winter break!

Pegasus Studios will be closed from Dec. 18^th to Jan. 8^th. Classes resume Jan. 9^th.

Romeo and Juliet

On Friday I attended the National Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet... in the standing section! What an experience!  

But I promised to talk about theatre/literature and the ballet. This season the National Ballet has two Shakespeare plays and a Chekov play. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and the Seagull are all being adapted into ballets. This is an interesting thing for a dance company to do, especially since these three plays are considered classics in the theatre world and are often taught in high school english classes. The great part about seeing these stories in this format is that the story is distilled to it's basic plot and emotional content. No "to be or not to be" to contend with here! Language in classics like these can often be a big hurdle, especially if the story is a new one, which is why seeing the ballets can really help understanding. By getting simply the plot and an exagerated emotional portrayal the plays quickly open up to new readers and difficult language becomes a lesser issue.

Student Post - "The Studio"

Last month our student blogger, Dryden, went to see The Studio at the Young People's Theatre. This was an interesting show that used a contemporary dance style to explore the visual arts, inspired by the work of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Jean Dubuffet. The show used a variety of mediums, from traditionally structured dance pieces to pieces that intergrated puppetry and video technology to literally and figuratively paint a picture. Here is what Dryden had to say about the show:

I recommend “The Studio” with four stars for sure! It was an incredible performance! I absolutely loved it!
The show was mostly about dances that were completely based on pieces of art work! In the whole show there were only four dancers.
It was a great show, and I love how the choreographer combined dance and art to come up with this great show. It was incredible! I overly recommend it!
 
 
After seeing the show, Dryden and I discussed the use of Ballet technique that we saw in the dancers, even though it was not a strict Ballet show, the use of space they used - including the backstage space and the use of video to show different perspectives - and how nice it was to see a cast with boy dancers as opposed to all girl dancers.
 
YPT has some great shows this season, including Seusical starting next week.
 
Check back later in November for more discussion of using dance to explore and learn about other art forms. We will be talking about the National Ballet's new Romeo and Juliet.

Alumni Post - Molly

Hello there Pegasus!

Let me count the ways…

When I started dancing at Pegasus in 1993 my 9 year-old self realized it loved to dance and it decided never to look back. I’m pretty proud of my 9 year-old self and I owe this wonderful place called Pegasus a lot for providing me with such an inspiring, warm and encouraging environment to move and grow in. I can easily say that I loved every minute of the time I spent being part of the Pegasus community and it definitely shaped the person I am today.

Now I am 27 years old and I work in arts education. I am a theatre artist and a teacher. I work at Soulpepper Theatre Company as their Education Coordinator where I support the running of all the theatre’s educational and outreach programming for youth. I love what I do because I see the value in providing opportunities for young people to freely explore and express themselves creatively. See how the Pegasus philosophy might have rubbed off? 


And just between you and me, I can’t seem to stop dancing… I take my tap shoes wherever I go! In 2008 I taught English in Japan and I incorporated tap dancing into all of my elementary school classes. It ended up being a pretty big hit and all of the students ended up tap dancing on the local news channel! It was great. This year I pulled out my tap shoes again and explored choreography with the youth in Soulpepper’s Summer programs.

So, thank you Pegasus, for encouraging and instilling a life-long love of dance in me and so many others. You’re a gem! Keep dancing all!

Molly

Free to be you and me

The dance world can be an intense place full of judgment and high physical and mental demands on youth. The pressures to have “the dancers body” or to be a “beautiful ballerina” are all over the place and can be quite hard for some young dancers to deal with… and rightly so.  

So what can be done to promote positive feelings and positive dancers?

Pegasus has long been on a mission to promote the healthy dancer. The healthy dancer respects and takes care of their body. We encourage our students to connect to their own body and to embrace the differences that make us all unique. Each of us can bring a different quality to our dancing because of these unique attributes and it is our goal at Pegasus to make sure students learn to cherish themselves for whom they are.

We should all feel free to be ourselves whether we are in the dance studio, in the dance school or out in the world! 

When to ditch the warm up gear

Ok, your dance uniform may not be the most exciting thing to wear. Plain leotard and tights, or black jazz pants. Warm up gear provides a fashionable variety… but dance teachers are not always one hundred percent behind it and inevitably they tell you to take it off long before the warm up is over. What’s the deal? When should it really come off and what kind of gear will teachers accept?

1)   If you are really using the warm up to it’s fullest potential (wink, wink) you should be almost sweating by the end of your plies! I know it sounds like you would have to do killer plies but it’s true. During a plie exercise practically every muscle in your body has to work, so if you put energy and focus into your plies it will warm up your muscles fast and furiously.

2)   That being said… sometimes dance studios are really cold, especially in winter, so it’s best to choose some warm up gear that teachers will accept. The main factor to look for is does it allow the teacher to clearly see what’s going on? The scary thing is that if a teacher cannot see what your muscles are doing you might be doing something that can cause serious harm to your body. So, choose gear that emulates your dance uniform only in heavier or knitted materials. Some classic options are below and often come in fun colours… however; most of your teachers will prefer a colour that matches your uniform.

 

 

Dusk Dances

Meet Ava, our student correspondent extraordinaire! Ava has been a Pegasus student for years and years. She brings joy to each and every dance class and we are so happy that she will be writing for our blog. Ava not only works hard in her dance classes but she is one of our dedicated Pegasus Performance Group dancers as well. Ava has a wonderful attitude and commitment in everything she does and we are excited to read her blog posts.

Dusk Dances 

By: Ava

The weather at Dusk Dances on Saturday night definitely DIDN’T put a damper on things. Even though it rained, many people came out to Withrow Park to watch 5 SPECTACULAR dance pieces.

The night started with music from contemporary string band “Moonshiner’s Daughter”.  The music got everyone on their feet, and grooving along. Lots of the little kids attending were running around, and dancing their hearts out.

After the music had finished up, our host Ryan Egan guided everyone to our first venue in the park to watch the world premiere of the piece “The Horlogium”. It consisted of a woman playing the accordion, dressed in a long, flowing white dress. Under the dress were four dancers who were actually ATTACHED to the dress. The concept of the piece was these four dancers trying to convince a businesswoman to join their dance. The piece had lots of humour, and the movements were staccato and jerky, which made you not know what was going to happen next.

The next piece was called “Strathcona High, Class of ‘56”. This piece was about three girls at their prom. At one point two girls grab two guys from the audience and dance with them as their dates. This leads to the other girl being upset that she doesn’t have a date. Overall, this piece was very comical and entertaining. This dance SCREAMED fun! The dancing and music were perfect! This dance was GREAT!

A piece called “Eugene Walks with Grace” was next. It was a reinvention of a piece from 1995. It was truly a BEAUTIFUL duet. I loved how the two dancers seamlessly moved from fluid to sharp movements. This piece was FANTASTIC!

The next piece was called “BoxSet”, and it was my personal favourite. The three dancers used 5 boxes of different sizes in their routine.  They had lots of acrobatic moves in the dance. For example, jumping off the top of one of the boxes! The thing I loved was that they were so in sync, and so rhythmical. It was WONDERFUL!

Last but not least, was the piece “Bao”. It was an African Rhythm dance that was full of energy. The four dancers were accompanied by African drummers, who were AMAZING! The choreography had lots of intricate hand and foot movements that were very intriguing. This was a GREAT dance to end the night.

Overall, Dusk Dances was FANTASTIC, and I highly recommend that everyone attends next year!

How to Prep for Fall Classes

Haven’t danced all summer? Haven’t used any of those muscles? Does September usually mean more than just going back to dance classes? Sore, tired, achy muscles that seem like they will never go away? Well… you’ve got time to prepare yourself!

September is still a few weeks away, which means this is the perfect time to start doing some exercises and stretching at home to help your body get back into the groove.  Here are some tips for slowly preparing yourself for the fall:

1.     Plies – the first exercise in most Ballet classes for a reason! Plies work all the muscles in the legs, including the muscles you use in dance but not really anywhere else. Do some simple demi-plies and grande-plies in each position and hold your arms in second position to get the arm and back muscles engaged as well.

2.     Stretch! How often we forget to stretch. START SLOW. If you haven’t stretched in a while you will not be as flexible as the last time… that’s the way it should be, so slowly work up to your previous abilities.  Stretching should always be done when the muscles are warm. The best time for this is after you’ve walked home from the subway (or any form of exercise), just had a warm shower or as soon as you wake up (that is unless you like to sleep in a freezer!).

3.     Once you start classes, if you’re muscles are sore, try an Epsom salt bath. It is the tried and true remedy for those achy muscles. 

Summer Camp

Meet one of our new student correspondents: Dryden!

Dryden is a 9 year old dedicated to his ballet, art and writing. Dryden has been at Pegasus from Kindermusik age (baby) and is a very hard working student of various art forms... and school of course! This summer, Dryden came to the last two weeks of our summer dance camp. Here is his blog post on the experience. Enjoy.

Summer Camp

By Dryden

　

I thought Pegasus summer camp was absolutely incredible, because I met new friend’s, I loved dancing, and thought art was great! My favourite class was drama, because I really had fun making up our own skit! Lyrical was fun too! We also had Jazz, Music, Modern, Ballet, Choreography, sports games and we went to the park. Friday was the best day of the week because we had pizza lunch and open house. I can’t wait for next year! 

We’ve been busy! Plus… win a pocket camera!

If you are coming back to Pegasus in September you might have noticed the addition of a new studio, the Stage Studio, on our schedule. June was a busy, busy month getting the new space ready for summer camp. At the back of Studio A was a stage that used to host the Pegasus recitals, but the floor was a bit run down and the backstage space was rather small for us, so we moved our recitals to an outside venue a few years back. In the mean time the stage became our costume storage space. We packed it full of racks and bins with over 20 years worth of costumes, props and accessories! It was full! What was also full last year was our schedule… so we moved the costumes to a new home and turned the stage into a shinny new studio! The space feels very new but our summer campers are working it in for us.

But that’s not all we’re doing… Right behind the new studio is a pocket of outside space that has been overgrown bushes for years. We’ve cleared it out and are in the process of turning it into a magical garden for our pre-school program to play, learn and create in! We have grand plans that may not get finished by September but the garden will be started and ready for some outdoor fun… with the finishing touches arriving in due course.

We’re saving the grand reveal for September… that is if you aren’t a summer camper, but we do have one problem that needs some help… we don’t know what to call these two new spaces. For now “Stage Studio” has been the name, but I’m sure with all the creativity at Pegasus we can find something more fun, and our magical, enchanted garden is in dire need of a fantastic title. So we’re holding a contest!!! The winner of the best name for one of the two spaces will win a Samsung Digital Camera so small it fits in your pocket!!! *  

To enter, write your suggestion in our comment section of this blog and make sure to include your name in the body of the comment (these comments will not get posted online). Then we will choose our top three and post them for everyone to vote on!

*Or a gift card for equivalent value

Congrats to our students!



Pegasus Performance Group

To begin our summer blogs we wanted to take one post to say congratulations to our dancers from 2010/2011! We are so proud of all of them for the hard work they put into to each and every dance class. We also are very proud of our dancers who participated in our annual benefit show, Dances of Offering, the RAD ballet exams, all of our recitals and the Pegasus Performance Group. This year the Pegasus Performance Group attended the Kiwanis Festival and yet again came out shinning! The piece “Between Lungs” choreographed by Sheri Kimura won a scholarship in the Lyrical Jazz category!

Pegasus Performance Group

Although we can never thank or acknowledge our fabulous faculty and staff enough for their commitment and talent, this month we want to send out a special thanks to the dancers at Pegasus. It is through the spirit that our students bring to the studio everyday that makes Pegasus the place it is. Thank you for your joy and dedication and congratulations on all that you’ve achieved this year!

 









Performance as an important learning tool

Every year at Pegasus we do a recital to finish off our season. It is a big event for us with hundreds of costumes, professional photographers and lots of parents, grandparents, friends and family in the audience watching out talented students showcase the choreography they have been preparing in the previous months. It is an exciting time but it can also be rather stressful, which may raise the question; what is this experience giving to my child?
Pegasus is built on careful philosophies that are focused on encouraging each student's self-esteem and developing life skills through the tools of dance arts. We strive for this everyday in our classes and the recitals are no different. To us a recital is a chance to celebrate (and show off a bit) the amazing progress that students have made during the year. It is also a time to develop the skills needed to stand in front of a group of people and perform, present, demonstrate, etc. What we hope our students take from recitals is the feeling that they should take pride in their hard work and feel confident to show it to a large group of people.
We know that this task is a hard one to achieve in our society that is continuously judging even our youth, so we appreciate all the work that our faculty, staff, volunteers and, of course, parents contribute to endorsing these lessons. Recital is our time to celebrate the Pegasus community! We can't wait to see you all in the next weeks as we prepare for our Junior and Senior Recitals. 

The Parent Toolbox: What you should ask when choosing a dance school

• What is the philosophy or mandate – Many schools focus on competitions, which endorses competitiveness amongst students, places a lot of pressure on younger dancers and often encourages provocative dancing in inappropriate costumes. Make sure the values you have in raising your children match the values of the school.
• Quality of studio – Sprung dance floors are crucial in preventing injuries in dancers. So when assessing the studio’s facilities make sure to ask if they have proper dance flooring. Change rooms, waiting rooms are other areas to look for.
• Staff – what qualifications do the teachers have? Do they make sure their staff is trained in first aid and CPR? Do they have a front desk employee during all classes in case of emergency?
• Hidden costs - The price of classes is one thing, make sure to ask about other costs such as recital costumes/tickets, exam fees and extra classes, uniform cost, etc.
• Trial class – always try a class before signing up, make sure that you and your child feels comfortable with the studio, staff and the class. Ask about the refund policy before signing up as well, sometimes kids change their minds. 

Health Smart! Caring for Injuries

The majority of dance related injuries are soft tissue injuries – being muscle, ligament or tendon damage. First and foremost, always get a professional opinion. What may appear to be a slight muscle strain could in fact be something more serious. But… in the event that you are dealing with a basic soft tissue injury the best treatment is R.I.C.E.

Rest

You know when you are at the beginning of a cold and you take a day off to stay in bed with chicken noodle soup? Often you get over the cold within a day or two and are back at it functioning at 100%. But, if you push through the cold and don’t take that one day off, the cold often lingers for weeks leaving you at maybe 80% for a long time. Injuries are the same. Rest is important to allow the injury time to heal, pushing through could end up doing more damage than sitting out for one or two dance classes, which can mean you are back on your feet sooner.

Ice

Applying ice to an injury helps to decrease pain and swelling while increasing the healing process. The best ice treatment is 15-20 minutes on once an hour. Always wrap the ice pack or frozen vegi’s in a towel so it does not have direct contact with skin.

Compression

Compression of the area using a tensor bandage can help to keep contain the swelling.

Elevation

Elevating the area that is injured can help to get the blood back into circulation rather than pooling at the injury. Gravity can be in your favour. 

Spotlight: Recital Costuming

Recital time is coming up and we’ve got costume fever at Pegasus! Ever wonder how we get all those costumes together or why we handle costumes the way we do? Here it is… the cat is out of the box! All our secrets.

Secret number one: Hanna – Hanna is kind of like the fairy god-mother of costumes. We recycle costumes at Pegasus to try to keep costs down for parents. An average dance costume costs about $60-150 and many of our students need more than one costume! Parents, are the dollar signs starting to ring in your head yet? So instead of adding this extra cost, we invest in new costumes each year but always see what previous costumes we can reuse. But that means a lot of things. Cleaning, organizing and storage facilities – Hanna takes care of all of this. But most of all is the issue of fitting. When we reuse a costume we often find that we have to alter it for certain dancers or even that we have to re-create one or two because we have 12 dancers to 10 costumes. Hanna is the queen!

Secret number two: Missy – Missy is a seamstress that we’ve been working with for years now. Like Hanna, Missy can alter and re-create any costume we need, on top of designing and building wonderful costumes for our dancers. Without Missy… well, let’s not even think about that.

Secret number three: Embrace chaos while being extremely organized! This one is not as easy as it sounds.  The hardest part of this whole thing… making sure each and every student has a costume… that fits! Once that’s taken care of (a process that usually takes about 4 months) we have to make sure each student’s costume makes it to the theatre and in perfect shape.

Secret number four: Make sure you have some relaxation method in mind for directly after the evening of the recital… because the next day the cleaning, re-organizing and move to storage begins.

The best part of this whole process: Seeing the faces of the dancers when they first try on their costumes – it’s usually pretty exciting! 

Inspirations: Twyla Tharp

If you go to Twyla Tharp’s website, her bio begins with a list of accomplishments that is immense, to say the least. Tharp has been choreographing since 1963 and has to date created over 135 dances, 5 movies and 4 Broadway shows (add director to those credits). Want to hear what honours she’s received? Try a Tony, a couple Emmy’s, 19 honourary doctorates, and on and on and on. This woman has been creating, performing, dancing, directing and inspiring to infinite and beyond! After studying with legends like Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham, Tharp created her own company, Twyla Tharp Dance, in 1965. Her style is a mixture of all things great, classical traditions with pop music, techniques from Graham and Cunningham with jazz.

Why is Twyla Tharp inspiring? Well… not only has she proven her abilities to choreograph stunning pieces that touch an audience, she has also proven she can cross genres from classical to Broadway to film, and above all else… she’s still going!

Interested in Twyla Tharp’s choreography? Check out her piece The Upper Room at the National Ballet of Canada this summer, June 15-19.

Check out Twyla Tharp's website, where we got this information, for more great photos like the one above. http://www.twylatharp.org/home.shtml

                                    

A Look Ahead

Here is what we have up our sleeves for April blogs:

Inspirations: Twyla Tharp
Spotlight: Recital Costuming
Health Smart!: Caring for Injuries
The Parent Toolbox: What to ask when shopping for a dance school

Hope you enjoy!

Parent Toolbox: Everything you will need on exam day

Although most of this checklist is specifically for the exam candidates and not the parents, we’ve made sure to include a few things you might want to pack along with the list of what your child needs to have on the big day.

In the dance bag:

·         Uniform – everything washed, ironed, polished. New tights (or somewhat new) are good as they will be clean with no chance of runs.

o   Leotard

o   Tights or socks

o   Waistband

o   Ballet slippers

o   Character shoes (Grade 1+)

o   Character skirt (Grade 1+)

·         Hair Kit

o   Elastics

o   Pins

o   Hair net

o   Brush

o   Hair spray

·         Water bottle

·         A snack for after the exam – they take a lot of energy so a granola bar or piece of fruit is really nice for after

For Parents:

·         Camera

·         Coffee and book – once you arrive at the studio and the preparations begin it can be a lot of sitting and waiting

Health Smart! Remaining Focused on personal goals rather than competition

One of our core values at Pegasus is that each person that comes through our door should be valued for their unique qualities. We’ve built our dance program off this principle and it is one of the reasons we rarely participate in competitions. We try to focus on what each student’s personal best is and encourage them to reach it… and hopefully going far beyond it.

This month’s blogs are focused on ballet exams and we wanted to take this health section to talk about the mental health that surrounds a high stress situation for children. Last month we talked about how to encourage children through tough times and one of the suggestions from the experts was to help them focus on their personal goals. A ballet exam, dance competition, recital or even just day to day class, is the perfect forum for setting personal goals. In each situation a dancer will be surrounded by number of other people who all have their own talents and challenges. In our society we are encouraged to compare ourselves to those around us and in the dance world this is very prominent - those mirrors don’t help at all. Comparison can be very intimidating and in the end can turn out to be very harmful. So this month… try setting goals for just you. Are you going to work towards relaxing your hands during ballet class, landing the double pirouette in jazz, get all the sounds in a delayed wing in tap class, or be able to run through the entire routine without forgetting what comes next in modern?

What is always helpful in reaching personal goals is to tell someone what they are. Teachers are a great person because they can they help you stay focused on your goals in class and they can guide you towards reaching them. So… why are YOU doing a ballet exam this year? Or, taking musical theatre for the first time? 

Spotlight: A Day in the Life of an Exam Candidate - by someone who did a few!

Although most days would be spent going to school during the day and spending the evenings in ballet class learning and perfecting exam material, this spotlight will jump to the most important day… the exam day!

I remember the night before was always the most scary. Of course everyone, teachers, parents, friends, all said, “Get a good night’s sleep.” But that never happened. Before bed I would always double check my bag. ‘Do I have my uniform? Are they all in good shape? Do I have my hair kit? My good luck charm?

I’m reassured that my bag it ready, so now time to try to fall asleep. Snuggle into bed, turn off the light, shut my eyes… fall asleep… fall asleep… go to sleep… GO TO SLEEP! But all that is going through my mind is the exercises. Plie on one, rise on two, arm to second on three, head turn on four, and on and on and on. I play the entire exam in my head as I lie in bed. I can hear the music; see the examiner and my friends in my group.  My partner for the character dance and I have been in total sync for the past week. We’ve got that down. I’m sure of it. But what about the study I do alone? What if I forget what comes next. ‘Just breathe and try to sleep,’ I tell myself in between the exercises happening in my head. And eventually I do drift into sleep.

In the morning the panic sets in. This is it. The day. I carry my bag downstairs and leave it by the front door. It’s ready to go. Breakfast is eaten but it doesn’t taste quite as good because of the nerves. I pack a bottle of water and get ready to go to the studio. Butterflies fly through me, but I try to appear cool on the outside.

At the studio I find all my friends in the same state as me. We have got to breathe and relax a bit if we are going to enjoy this at all. After our hair is finished – a very tight bun that doesn’t let any little piece of hair get loose – we start to warm up together. Over the past few weeks, we’ve learned to support each other, to work together, to calm each other. I know that I will have friends to my left and right that will always smile back even if the examiner isn’t.

It’s time. We line up at the door, our character skirts folded neatly over our arms, our shoes in hand. We have perfect uniforms, perfect hair and perfect smiles. We’ve practiced the examiner’s name over and over again. We are ready. The bell rings. The door opens. And…

About an hour later we emerge. Life is back to normal, relaxed. “How was it?” someone asks. “Great!” I say, “so much fun!” Fun? Not often a word one hears alongside “exam”. But, this exam was fun. It was a chance to be in front of an audience, even if only an audience of one. I performed with my friends, we showed off the skills we’ve been working on all year and most of all we got to dance, dance, dance! No stopping for corrections from teachers, no pausing to ask a question, just straight dancing!  

Dance as Inspiration

Famous dance quotes can be found from sources as varied as dancers, philosophers, and ancient proverbs. Some of the most frequent themes in these quotes is a spiritual connection that dance brings as well as dance as a form of poetry. What is great about the quotes that we’ve put below is that in a short sentence or two the emotional aspects and benefits of dance is expressed. 

So… here is a dash of inspiration in the form of quotes:

Let us first teach little children to breathe, to vibrate, to feel and to become one with the general harmony and movement of nature.  Let us first produce a beautiful human being, a dancing child. - Isadora Duncan

Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances. - Maya Angelou

Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! – Constanze

The truest expression of a people is in its dance and its music. Bodies never lie. – Agnes de Mille

You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart. – Unknown

There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them. – Vicki Baum

Dance is the hidden language of the soul. – Martha Graham

To watch is dance is to hear our hearts speak. – Hopi Indian Saying

Dancing is the poetry of the foot. – John Dryden

We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance. – Japanese proverb

The Month Ahead...

Here is a look at the posts we are planning for March:

Inspirations: Inspiring Dance Quotes
Spotlight: A day in the life of an exam candidate
Health Smart!: Remaining focused on personal goals rather than competition
Parent Toolbox: The exam Toolbox - everything you will need on the big day

Parent Toolbox: The Tough Get Going: How to motivate your child when the going gets tough

Motivating children is one thing… keeping them motivated during the rough times or when they are deep in the middle of a project, like preparing for a ballet exam, is another thing. So, how do you help your child get through that dip, the rough patch in the middle, to keep working hard and push through to the other side? We’ve compiled some resources and tips from various places for this blog entry for you – they’ve been helpful to the teachers here at Pegasus and we hope that you may find a little nugget that can be helpful to you as well.

To begin with, these are the two main types of motivation:

·         Intrinsically motivated “for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provides, the learning it permits or the feelings of accomplishment it evokes”. (Mark Lepper 1988)*

·         Extrinsically motivated – “in order to obtain some reward or avoid some punishment external to the activity itself”. (grades, stickers, teacher approval (Lepper).

*The first one, intrinsically, is much more beneficial in the long run as it will give them the skills to become motivated in any situation.

According to Jere Brophy (1987) motivation to learn is a competence acquired through general experience but stimulated through modeling, communication of expectations and direct instruction or socialization by significant others (parents and teacher).

Home environment shapes the initial attitudes they develop toward learning. When parents nurture their children’s natural curiosity about the world, welcoming their questions, encouraging exploration and familiarizing them with resources that can enlarge their world – the message is that learning is worthwhile and fun and satisfying. (www.kidsource.com)

One of the most important aspects of keeping children (or anyone for that matter) motivated is the ability to set personal goals. Sure, your child may be working towards a ballet exam, but if you can help them set up their own goals within that – for example: working towards a specific exercise that is challenging for them, using the exam as a way to practice performance skills for the upcoming recital, practicing the ability to learn and remember choreography, etc. – goals that speak directly to their own personal bests, their own personal desires to be in that situation and their own personal strengths. This process not only makes the larger goal seem more achievable but it also helps to keep the larger goal in focus as sometimes it can get lost because of its size. For a child, being able to clearly see how their activities are applicable to their life is key. (parentingideas.com.au)

Strategies parents can use to help children remain more fully intrinsically motivated.

·         Provide environment that allows children to freely explore and to see the effect of their actions.

·         Allow children ample time when working to allow for persistence. When children are deeply involved with an activity, make sure that they can finish without interruption.  Resist the natural urge to help

·         Provide many opportunities for children and adults to explore together and interact directly. This lets you observe, model and encourage your child.

·         Provides situations that give children an acceptable challenge.  Activities that are slightly difficult for the child will be more motivating and provide for stronger feelings of success when accomplished.

·         Give children opportunities to evaluate their own accomplishments. Rather than stating that you think they have done a good job, ask them what they think of their work. “What do you think?”  (www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/earlychildmotiv_ho.aspx)

For the older child, this is an excerpt from a great book:

From the book; Dr. Karyn’s Guide to the Teen Years.  By Dr. Karyn Gordon

How to Help your teen be a motivated student;

Modeling is very important – if you love to learn, they are likely to as well;

o   How to help; focus on their efforts, not on the end results.

o   Praise and affirm their effort when you see it.

o   Don’t over function.  If parents are highly anxious about their teen’s school work and performance, there is a strong chance your teen will under function in reaction. Let them own their school experience.

o   Ask what they are learning and studying.  Invite them to discuss some of the things that have interested them

o   Ask if they need any help Let them know you are available if they need any support.

o   If they show an interest in a career choice, do activities with them that might further excite them about that field.

o   Look for everyday events and family trips to inspire a love of learning.

o   Get solution-focused and brainstorm with them about what has worked in the past regarding their motivation

-          The Key is to partner with your teens and not micromanage them.  You want to help your teen discover the unique equation that helps them be focused and efficient.

The resources in this article are a great source of information, much more than we’ve provided here. Check them out for more detailed information on this subject.

Health Smart! Heart Health!

Keeping your heart healthy is not only about eating right. Regular exercise that has a variety of qualities to it can be extremely beneficial in preventing illness or failure of the heart. This may seem like a topic for a fitness blog, or even for a blog dedicated to a more senior reader… but, old or young keeping the heart healthy is crucial and dance is just the way to do it. Doctors are advocating, not just physical activity, but dance as a good form of exercise to promote a healthy heart. Exercise increases the functioning of the heart and the healthy flow of blood and the great thing about dance is that it includes a variety of types of exercise. Unlike running on the treadmill, dance allows for various tempos and rhythms of movement, it includes cardio work as well as muscle resistance training and on top of that you always get a great stretch! But, most of all, dance provides that added something for the health of the heart – joy! Some good music, friends and fun! What more can a heart ask for? 

Spotlight on the Dances of Offering guest artists

Each year for the benefit show, Dances of Offering, we invite guest artists to perform and/or choreograph pieces on our students. This year is very exciting as we have everything from Flamenco to Hip Hop! Below is a list of the artists that are volunteering their time to this wonderful cause. I’ve posted a link to their website or some brief info so you can have a better sense of what to expect from our show.  

Confirmed Guests

1.  COBA  (youth ensemble)  (www.cobainc.com)

2.  Carmen Romero Flamenco Co   (www.carmenromero.ca)                          

3.  Apolonia Velasquez          (www.gadfly2.com)

4.  Meagan O¹Shea     (www.standupdance.com or www.meaganoshea.ca)

5.  Puja Amin Sanskriti    www.sanskritiarts.ca                                     

6.  Jessica Houghton  - Jessica is a Pegasus alumni who went on to study dance at York University. She has been developing her choreography talents over the past few years and we are glad that she is back again this year with another stunning contemporary piece!

7.  City Dance Corps Salsa - Estelle and Cornell (www.citydancecorps.com)

8.  City Dance Corps Youth ensemble ­–Hip Hop Shavar

9.Melissa Nascimento-So – Melissa is not only a renowned performer of various dance styles but she is also a Pegasus teacher! Melissa has been doing amazing work with her organization, Women in Dance, who showcase female choreographers and performers. Women in Dance takes great pride in the work they do to give back to their community. (http://www.womenindance.com/)

10.Georgia Leung – Georgia, one of our fabulous Ballet teachers, is a classically trained performer in Chinese dance and her performances are always a stunning spectacle. We are excited to have her back again this year with another beautiful performance.

  So… there you have it! Another year of great guests to the Pegasus family! We hope that you will have the chance to come see the show. For more information check out our website, http://www.pegasusdance.com/AnnualEvents.asp  

Inspirations - Margot Fonteyn

Margot Fonteyn is considered to be one of the best classical ballet dancers in history. That’s a big claim to make and is purely subjective to your own perspective. However, what cannot be denied is that she greatly impacted not only her colleagues but her audiences. Inspiring many young dancers to follow in her footsteps, many choreographers to create new works and even the unique inspiration she had over her long time dance partner Nureyev are the testaments to her skill as a performer. In our examination of inspirations, Fonteyn was one of the first names to come up. Why? Well, Fonteyn was a British dancer who stayed at one company, the Royal Ballet, her entire career. Eventually she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II. But, one of the most inspiring things about Fonteyn was her longevity as a ballet dancer. Although many professional ballet dancers retire somewhere between 30 and 40 years old, at least from the prima ballerina role in a classically based company, Fonteyn danced until she was 60. Her famous partnership with Rudolph Nureyev did not even begin until she was in her 40’s! 

What can we take away from Margot Fonteyn’s influence as a dancer? It’s not so much about her technical precision but perhaps more of her philosophy that can inspire us. Fonteyn said, "The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous." Taking your work in the dance studio seriously can mean great achievement in the form of technical abilities and physical care. Perhaps her longevity as a dancer came from this serious approach to her work in rehearsal halls, classes and performances. However, Fonteyn continues, taking yourself seriously can cause disaster! Maybe it is in this sense that she was able to connect with through her work. Allowing for a freedom, for pleasure and joy in her performances and her relationships, on and off stage, is perhaps why she affected so many dancers, audience members and colleagues.

Check out this video of Fonteyn and Nureyev: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLItQ3vFUZk

Coming Up in February

Hello again! This month we are are preparing for our annual benefit show, Dances of Offering, in support of World Vision. The show takes place on February 26th at the Al Green Theatre. Check out our Facebook event page for all the details http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188722941152182.

We have some good blog posts for you this month. Here are the headlines!
Inspirations: Margot Fonteyn
Spotlight: The guest artists involved with the benefit
Health Smart!: Heart Health!
Parent Toolbox: The Tough Get Going: How to motivate your child when the going gets tough

Hope you enjoy this month! Feel free to add some comments to any of the posts you see - we are always welcome to having discussions when it comes to dance, art, health, education... the works!

The Parent Toolbox: What you need to know about Pointe shoes

Here it is... our last January post... in February! 

Pointe shoes are an inevitable part of a young ballet dancers training. Some dancers will be given the “okay” by their teachers and some dancers may never reach the stage of getting pointe shoes. Either way, this time in the ballet class is one of change. As a parent of a ballet dancer, pointe shoes may be something completely new to you, or perhaps you have experienced this process before. This article is designed to give you some basic information, all of which the students will be learning in class, to help give you a greater understanding of this process.

To begin with, some students will be selected to begin training on pointe while others are not. This is due to several factors. Age is a big one. As the process of dancing on pointe is very impactful on bones, students are not given permission until they reach an age where their bones are fully formed and less likely to damage. This is around 11-14 years. The second reason is due to strength. Dancing on pointe requires a very specific set of muscles in the feet, these muscles most work in conjunction with the legs and abs, among others. At Pegasus, we require dancers who are interested in going on pointe to take a preparation class. This class is spent doing simple exercises such as a basic rise and lower. Although it may seem like your 12 year old is going back to the 4 year old class, they are actually articulating and building strength in the muscles needed for pointe work. Until these muscles are at a certain level it is dangerous for a dancer to attempt pointe work. The assessment of the teacher of who is ready is perhaps the most important part to keeping dancers safe in the beginning of training on pointe.

The next step will be to purchase a pair of shoes. The fitting of pointe shoes is the second most important part to keeping dancers safe. A shoe that does not fit properly can cause significant damage to the foot. The key to getting the right shoe is going to the right people. Your teacher can point you to the right place and if possible it is ideal that they attend the fitting as well. Shoes should never be too big, growing room means room for the foot to slide around. The reason that a shoe must fit so precisely is that the shoe in fact does quite a bit of the work for the dancer. The box of the shoe (the area that incases the toes) is designed to protect as well as support the toes. This area provides added strength to the toes through its material and tight fit. The shank is another important area. The shank runs along the length of the foot, mirroring the sole on the inside of the shoe. The shank supports the arch of the foot which actually carries a significant part of the weight of the dancer, thus making it a vital part of the shoe. If these, or any of the other features of the shoe, do not fit like a glove, their benefits will be lost, leaving the dancers foot without support.

The decision and opportunity to train on pointe is a big one. It will be a new and often difficult technique for dancers. Remember, what will make a ballet class on pointe a good experience is if the dancer is the right age, they have the proper strength and the right shoe. Pointe shoes are an inevitable part of a young ballet dancers training. Some dancers will be given the “okay” by their teachers and some dancers may never reach the stage of getting pointe shoes. Either way, this time in the ballet class is one of change. As a parent of a ballet dancer, pointe shoes may be something completely new to you, or perhaps you have experienced this process before. This article is designed to give you some basic information, all of which the students will be learning in class, to help give you a greater understanding of this process.

To begin with, some students will be selected to begin training on pointe while others are not. This is due to several factors. Age is a big one. As the process of dancing on pointe is very impactful on bones, students are not given permission until they reach an age where their bones are fully formed and less likely to damage. This is around 11-14 years. The second reason is due to strength. Dancing on pointe requires a very specific set of muscles in the feet, these muscles most work in conjunction with the legs and abs, among others. At Pegasus, we require dancers who are interested in going on pointe to take a preparation class. This class is spent doing simple exercises such as a basic rise and lower. Although it may seem like your 12 year old is going back to the 4 year old class, they are actually articulating and building strength in the muscles needed for pointe work. Until these muscles are at a certain level it is dangerous for a dancer to attempt pointe work. The assessment of the teacher of who is ready is perhaps the most important part to keeping dancers safe in the beginning of training on pointe.

The next step will be to purchase a pair of shoes. The fitting of pointe shoes is the second most important part to keeping dancers safe. A shoe that does not fit properly can cause significant damage to the foot. The key to getting the right shoe is going to the right people. Your teacher can point you to the right place and if possible it is ideal that they attend the fitting as well. Shoes should never be too big, growing room means room for the foot to slide around. The reason that a shoe must fit so precisely is that the shoe in fact does quite a bit of the work for the dancer. The box of the shoe (the area that incases the toes) is designed to protect as well as support the toes. This area provides added strength to the toes through its material and tight fit. The shank is another important area. The shank runs along the length of the foot, mirroring the sole on the inside of the shoe. The shank supports the arch of the foot which actually carries a significant part of the weight of the dancer, thus making it a vital part of the shoe. If these, or any of the other features of the shoe, do not fit like a glove, their benefits will be lost, leaving the dancers foot without support.

The decision and opportunity to train on pointe is a big one. It will be a new and often difficult technique for dancers. Remember, what will make a ballet class on pointe a good experience is if the dancer is the right age, they have the proper strength and the right shoe.