DrumnDance

  "IDEAL" Weight, Myth NOT Fact! The number on the scale has nothing to do with dancing. Striving for unrealistic low weight while dancing which builds muscle is unrealistic. Not going to happen. The more you attempt to have low weight will only deter your love for dance. When you engage in strength training activities like dance, your weight will naturally be a little higher. It is impossible to build strength while dancing. Muscle weighs more than fat. The number on the scale has nothing to do with your dancing. Body shape and size are very much apparent in the dance art form. Do not let it dictate you. Be realistic. When food is used only for achieving weight goals and you will lose the experience of eating delicious food. Body fat regulates hormones which support the brain health, skin elasticity, and bone strength. Despite these realities. Yes, the scale offers a measurable outcome. But, it is unhealthy and not a positive solution. The body is wired to survive famine t

  DANCE WITHOUT STRESS The missing ingredient in most dancer's optimal performance is the lack of rest. As many dancers know, repetitive strain on muscles can lead to minor tears in the muscle tissue. If the body does not get a chance to heal, an overuse injury can occur. Rest gives muscles a chance to repair themselves. Most dancers but most dancers do not allow for this in their schedules. Active relaxation is the tool all dancers need to recover both physically and mentally. Find a way to soften and move with ease is actually calming for our nervous system. Using a set of physical and mental techniques through progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, visualization, and a combination of all of these can help. These can be done as you ready for bed or just grabbing 10 minutes anytime. This prevents soreness, enhances flexibility, reduces stress and boosts immune system. You Have to Breathe : You cannot dance and just be a chest breather. Breathe into the belly and allow

FALL 2020

  FACE THE MUSIC As s instructors we have to help students to hear, understand and show the music when dancing. What does that all mean? Not all dancers are musically inclined. Some dancers even have trouble keeping or even hearing the beat. They need basic training in the music. Most of us did not grow up with an education in Arabic music and dance so we all have to learn. Without a basic understanding of the music those dancers will never understand the what and why of their dancing. But, they can can develop musicality. There are strategies to help students find the beat, recognize the rhythms, and better reflect their dancing. Teach them how to count the music and where the accents are. This is a basic understanding. Most Arabic music at a student level is counted in 8s. Learn to recognize what a beledi, masmoudi etc rhythms are. There is only so many rhythms we use to dance. Start at the beginning. Always make sure your movements are centered. Always step on the down beat of 1.

  PRACTICE PERFECTION? DANCERS: They spend their whole life aiming for perfection. Now, there is no problem with aiming for perfection as it keeps your ideals at a high standard. Will you ever reach that goal? NO! But, it gives you power to be be better all the time. We all want to have, perfect feet, the perfect body etc. But dance like life is a questionable thing. We fully desire to conquer space and time. We want our dance to be perfect. We are humans after all. The unending refinement of our dance ability is through sustained training and exploration. This is where vitality comes in. It provides us with the opportunity to feed our need for discovery and humility. CLASS : The real goal is to arrive early for class being prepared to learn. Class is a joy. View in your mind the treasure trove of what you learn Savor the intricacies of each movement. Every gesture is is worthy of your attention. Feel you are getting closer to perfection every day. TEACHING : Even as an instr

FALL 2020

  USING COACHING TO IMPROVE YOUR DANCE Some dancers seem to stand out beyond the others. They have it all. They have mastered what is needed to be a great dancer. What is this? How do you get it? No, it does not happen overnight. It is hard work. Getting someone to coach you is so very important. You need someone to guide you. A general studio teacher can give you a head start but is not necessarily the one who can make your rise to the top. Find a dance coach to help you be it in the studio or as so many are doing today find someone virtually. Do not stop your regular classes as they are important. Invest the time and the money into something special which is you. Here are some hints to help you until you find that special person Dance Outside Your Comfort Zone: If you love Orientale, fine! Now work on Folklore. Folklore is people. There are so many different styles. You might find you like it. It will had depth and distinction to your dance. Pick dances you find difficult. Learn

  WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR DANCE Here it is autumn again! A new season for your dance classes. Here are 6 ways to improve your dance as you get back into the studio, be it in person or online. These are corrections teachers give the most, or should be. They are basic things. Set realistic goals and fix them. Make your dance come alive not matter the level of dancer you are. These seven things will at least get you off on the right foot. USE YOUR EYES: Do not get stuck in the mirror. Utilize the mirror when you need to. The head is the heaviest part of the body, so if you direct your eyes your body position will be corrected. Utilize your eyes when using your arms. This helps relate to what happens when you dance. ENGAGE YOUR CORE: Having a strong core helps you move with more stability and faster. Keep it together. Remember the core in Oriental Dance is the solar plexus area of the body. Other dance forms it can be a little lower in the body. DO NOT CHEAT ON TURN PREP

  BECOME MUSICAL AND GET RHYTHM This piece is written to help the average dancer at any level understand the use of rhythm and musicality in the dance. Today more than before most dancers learn choreography. But you have to be able to make it yours. You are not a puppet on a string. If you are lucky enough to be able to work with musicians or even work in a club doing long solo shows then you might be doing improvisation. Either way you need this information. RHYTHM : You have to listen to a piece over and over again before you can choreograph or improvise to it. Absorb every piece you want to dance to so you can translate it. Sit sown and let the music be your focus. Try to open a sense of awareness to the sound. Study, the different rhythms that are used and the instrumentation. Is it a keyboard, derbecki, tambourine , tar or tubl beledi giving you the rhythm? If you are unsure of the instrument etc try the following ideas. GET THE RHYTHM 1. Find a role model: Look for some

  CONSISTENCY IN ADULT LEARNING Part 2 Consistency is key for building knowledge and improvement in any activity. Encouraging your adult students to be consistent across all aspects of their classes will set them on the path to success. Consistency In Effort Consistency in effort can also be very dependent on the emotions of the day, and life outside the studio heavily influences this. It can be great one week and feel less so the next. It can even swing between the two within a single class. So how do you encourage consistency in effort during class? Ballet is truly an ‘in the moment’ experience, and when the dancing stops, that moment has passed. Ask your students to approach each enchaînement with renewed effort every time, not allowing what has gone before to color their view. Of course it’s important to hold on to the corrections and instructions that you give them, but if something doesn’t work, it’s important they learn from it, and then let it go. This is one of the most

FALL 2020

CONSISTENCY IN ADULT LEARNING PART 1 Consistency is key for building knowledge and improvement in any activity you undertake. All adult students, and we are all students of something, across all aspects of classes. This will set them apart and put them on a success path. In this article I am referring to dance or movement classes but can be used for anything you are interested in. ATTENDANCE : - Attendance is the most obvious way that consistency will make a difference in your work. Turning up every day is so important for learning and retaining knowledge. It also means that skills can be continued and be honed, which means you will enjoy your classes or practices so much more.. Being consistent means there is more opportunity for self expression and less scrambling to keep up. Now I am speaking of just dance technique as technique is the basis for dance quality. Having consistency means your technique is constantly being refined. It gives you the freedom to dance your heart out.

The Mirror Image

ELEMENTS OF DANCE / FUNDAMENTALS OF MOVEMENT Part 2 Here is Part 2 as promised. I hope these articles are of help to you. They are the basis of all great dancing. You need all of them to be a good dancer. Do not leave any out. Be the best you can be. While we are all on this lockdown called COVID-19 spend your time wisely. These are the building blocks of dance. 5. BALANCE: Balance is concerned with more than balancing on one leg. Your aim is to achieve and constantly maintain an inner balance of the whole body. It is tension of mutual support among all parts that bring the whole together in a new way. It is an inner relationship between all the points of your body which you hold your awareness. It is not something you do once in a while. It is constant. A sense of balance whether you are moving or standing. In the actual act of balancing, if you can find inner balance, you are nearly there. If you are aware internally of the need for the sensation o

The Mirror Image

THE ELEMENTS OF DANCE/FUNDAMENTALS AND MOVEMENT Part 1 Based on works by Robert Cohan "The Dance Workshop" Part 1 This is a multiple part article to help you while in the doldrums of COVID-19.  Digest these four and next time, the 3rd week in July, we will give you the next four. Hope this gives you something to think about and digest. Here is to a better dance in the down days of 2020. When you start dancing, it is important to recognize the tools a dancer needs. There are eight (8) elements in dance that are most vital. As you progress your understanding will change as you discover what they mean to your body. The total sum of these elements is what is meant by your body. The total sum of these elements is what is meant by technique.  1. CENTERING: This is fundamental to your ability to dance well. This is maintaining a sense of your own body center that holds you together as you move. It allows you to move gracefully and freely. This means y

Cedar Productions 2020

News From ADA

Spring2020

No matter what your situation or your level of dance, this is inevitable at any stage of your career. Maybe you just got a job? It has been fine so far but you do not feel like you are growing as an artist. You are in a rut! These slumps hit hard no matter at what level you are. They are difficult to shake but with the correct mindset, you can and will find your love for dance again. The way of a dancer’s life Why does this happen? Maybe you are focusing on the things you have given up for dance and not focusing on your accomplishments. At first you are really excited, then at some point, you lose momentum. You start looking at what you left behind and not on what you have accomplished. It can be frustrating. You feel stagnant. You are in a motivational hole. Initially, you are grateful but then the excitement wears off. The mindset changes. You want more out of this life. It is a natural part of the developmental process. Dancers need the tools but also the strengt

News From ADA

In San Diego, it was an annual event that every Christmas Eve we would have an open house and invite any and all involved with the dance studio etcetera. People were invited to come to our house. Basically, the idea was to invite everyone who had migrated to Southern CA and had no family with which to celebrate Christmas. We became a family. We did that for 17 years and loved every minute of it. Then, we moved to Eastern TN. There was no need for this event as everyone had family locally. This worked well till this last Christmas-2019. This was the year we had sickness and there was no real celebrating. Health was getting better but no one had the energy to plan, cook or celebrate. So many people just wanted to relax. In January 2019 we had invited a couple we consider close friends with a friend we had met through them and their son. The date happened to be "The 12th Night of Christmas which fell on Jan 6th. The Feast of the Epiphany. No one here celebrates 12th Nig

What a beautiful name for an absolutely fabulous place. As I was perusing my emails back in the week before Christmas, I came across an advertisement for a FREE concert. This sparked my interest. I had no idea what to expect. We decided to go as we live in an area where the arts and culture are next to nothing. The Rose Center is located in Morristown, TN about 15 miles from where we live. The function was called "Java Jive". We got there at about 6:30. Found our way to the theater which is actually a dual- purpose room. It was set up banquet style. A beautiful room that was decorated for Christmas. At 7pm sharp the musicians entered the room. We were in for a treat. The show was called "Christmas With the Collective" The leader of the group was Antonio Gomez. There was an excellent guitarist, drummer, and a female singer. They were a jazz group. Now, Jazz is not my favorite thing but they were so good and so professional that we enjoyed the whole thing. I