Welcome to Dance 108!
Over the course of the semester, this blog will the place where we as a class will share our thoughts and reactions to the course. Assignments will be posted here and your responses will be submitted electronically as posts. Click on the comments link below.
As we begin our work in beginning ballet technique, it would help me to have an idea of your backgrounds in dance and your goals for this course. I was 6 years old when I started dancing. The photo above is from my very first ballet performance of the Nutcracker. Briefly, please describe your dance background. Why are you taking this course and what do you hope to gain from the study of ballet?
38 comments:
Louis,
I'm so looking forward to taking this ballet class. I started dancing just last year and it's so much fun.
I hope to become the most amazing ballet dancer ever and make ballet a new Olympic sport.
Cheers!
Hi Everyone,
This is Maria Cynthia writing to tell you and Louis how much I LOVE ballet! It is so hard, yet satisfying...
mca
Hello,
My name is Farah and it has been almost two years since I was first introduced to ballet. I am taking ballet because I love moving and seeing the new perspective that dance gives on the world around you. And it gives you warrior princess abs!
I hope to gain a better understanding of how my body naturally likes to move and adding expression to technique. I'm looking forward to this quarter!
Ta!
Hello,
My name is Mary Duong. I've always had a passion for dancing since I was about 10 years old. I am taking this course because I enjoy ballet. I want to work on/improve the basics of ballet. I hope gain a much better understanding,feeling and strenght needed in ballet as well as learning the terms and techniques.
Hi this is Kayleigh Stromgren. I danced ballet for many years when I was a little girl up until middle school, I even managed to make it to a few years on pointe. I stopped dancing to give myself the time to play other sports throughout middle school and high school and now that its been so long I want to get back into ballet. It feels like I have forgotten most of it and I know I have lost most of the strength and technique so here I am back at the beginning to see where it takes me this time. Looking forward to it!
Louis
I began dancing some Argentine tango about four years ago. I took dance 101 last fall and continued to take ballet and modern classes thereafter.
I would like to continue to improve as a dancer through taking this course. I have room to improve in all areas. So I will be absorbing as much as I can over the next ten weeks.
¡Ciao!
Hi, this is Tara Kessel. I began dancing when I was 8 and took tap, jazz, and ballet classes through age 14, and have taken a few random dance classes since then.
I have missed dancing terribly and am really excited to be taking this class. I would like to get back in touch with my inner-dancer and improve my ballet technique and coordination, as ballet was never a big focus for me when I was dancing before.
Hey everyone! :D
My first experience with dance dates back into my elementary days as a third grader. Although I struggled with coordination problems (namely confusing left with right and so on) a passion for dance was soon instilled within me. From that point on, I took more and more classes each year and eventually became involved with my studio's competition team. As a sophomore in high school, however, I quit the team and my studio with the hopes of taking pointe classes for recreational purposes. The last dance class I took was the beginning of senior year (over a year ago), however, I look forward to this opportunity to learn more and attain further appreciation for dance- traditional and non-traditional techniques alike!
-Danielle Hanssen
Hello,
My name is Raevynn. I began dancing when I was three years old. I took 8 years of ballet, 2 years of jazz, and 3 years of tap. I quit dancing when I was 11 because my teacher closed her studio and I wasn't motivated to continue. When I was 16 I started dancing again and picked up jazz and tap for musical theatre. I decided to take ballet again to help improve my dancing skills and help me be more flexible.
~Raevynn~
Hello, my name is Brittney Hayes and I began jazz dancing at the age of 4 and continued that until the age of 14. Then I was introduced to lyrical, hip-hop and some ballet (jazz remains my favorite). Now that I’m pursuing my dance career even further by dancing with the UW dance team I found that my technique is lacking (especially my vocabulary) compared to the other dancers that had training in ballet.
By taking this course I hope to improve my technique and expand my vocabulary which will hopefully help me transition easier into other dance styles.
Hi
My name is Erica Darmawan, and i actually have no experience in ballet up until almost 2 years ago , where i took ballet in BCC. At first, it was just to fill up the credits, but i completely fell in love with it ! then, i've been taking it every quarter.
i hope by taking this class, i can strengthen my basics and improve in skills and techniques. i have got so MUCH to learn!! :) :)
hi,
My name is Milana. I started dancing when i was ten. Since then i have been dancing mostly hip hop and some jazz. I have been dancing in a company for about a year where i do hip hop, jazz and some lyrical. I have taken some ballet classes but i hope to get better at it.
Hi!
I took some jazz dance in 2nd/3rd grade because it was paired with gymnastics. Then I was on a competitive drill team for 3 years in high school-that's when I fell in love with all kinds of dance. Since then I've just taken dance 102 and some casual ballet classes at Westlake but I hope to become a better dancer and to expand my vocabulary from this course!
Samantha
Hi, my name is Naghmeh. I love dancing and I started to improve my dance last quarter by taking Dance 101. Dance is fun.
Hello,
I took a couple years of ballet awhile ago, and then began getting more into other forms of dance (jazz, modern, social, others..).
I'm taking this class because I would like stronger technique to help me improve.
Hi Louis!
My name is Liz, and I'm super excited to get back into ballet! I have done about 6 years off and on since I was probably 5, and haven't done ballet since my sophomore year in HS. I absolutely love dancing (salsa is my current passion!) and would love to work towards a dance minor here at UW.
Thanks for a great first day in class!
Liz~
Greetings from Heather Rastovac...
I have been studying non-Western dance forms (mainly from Central Asia/Iran/Tajikistan) for ten years but have only been studying modern and ballet over the past two years that I have been a dance minor at the UW. Much of the technique in ballet is extremely complimentary to Central Asian dance, particularly technique pertaining to the upper body and arms. I enjoy the strength developed through ballet training. I enjoy the challenge (well, most of the time anyway!) I enjoy the emotion of ballet - so much so that performing certain movements to the right melody played by our wonderful pianists will even bring tears to my eyes. I look forward to improving my skills as a dancer and working on everything!!
My name is Marina Kubo. I did modern for 11 years since I was 5 years old, and ballet for 5 years after that. I am also in a hiphop/jazz dance club in my home university in Japan.(Yes, I am an exchange student for one year!)
I took this class because I was interested in how dance class is like. When I found this class, I was so excited that I had no choice but to register, since there had been no dance class in my college in Japan. Through this class, I hope I can learn the universality of dancing over the countries.
Hi,
This is Trevor. I started dancing roughly a year and a half ago. Although you may have noticed my natural grace and baryshnikov -like skills, I consider myself to be a pretty inexperienced dancer. I hope to improve enough in the time I have left @ the UW so that I may compete against Louis in Olympic Ballet...it's just a matter of time.
Hi guys!
My name is Megan Taylor...I actually started ballet back when I was a little girl - I was maybe six and have had a huge passion for dance ever since. In high school I was captain of a "street jazz" competitive dance team for 2 years, and also competed on a the Mercer Island Drill Team for 2 years. Since coming to the UW, I took a Samba class through the experimental college and spent last quarter in Dance 107 with Trevor, Ashley, Ceinwen, Tao, Genea, and a couple others.
This quarter, I hope to gain more physical strength and a greater confidence in my performing abilities.
CLASS OBSERVATION NOTES
Wed, Jan 9th
Oh no! Went snowboarding and sprained my ankle...just a little ice and I'll be better soon. In the mean time, here are my observation notes from class...
1. Posture - remember to hug your naval to your spine, shoulders back.
2. When there are long counts, like in the opening warm up, make sure to fill up that entire time space, don't finish the movement until count 8.
3. Remember that there should be a downward slope from shoulder to finger tips when in 2nd.
4. When in parallel position (6th?), your feet shouldn't be touching, they are actually 3-4 inches apart.
5. Plie alignment - Knees should be aligned over the feet when in plie (especially in 1st and 2nd)
6. Turn off your cell phone! :)
My parents couldn't afford to put me in dance classes when I was a young child, instead, I read a great deal about ballet and even practiced what I learned in books using my headboard as a bar. I became really interested in the performing arts in junior high, as I went from being very shy to realizing I have a loud voice and wanted to perform. I decided to start dance classes to support acting, and at almost 15 had my first ballet class. I took ballet, tap, and jazz classes, before trying out for my dance school's junior dance company my senior year of high school. To me, it was great because I didn't have stage parents or the pressure of getting the best parts, I was dancing corps roles in the Nutcracker and just fine with that. I was happy to be there, even if that was being 17 and dancing with 14 year olds who had been dancing since they were fetuses (a little joke I always had in my mind when girls argued about parts). I liked dance a great deal, and took Dance 101 my freshmen autumn quarter, and have tried to fit in more dance classes as I continue my college career. Goals for this class are to have a good workout, have a good time, and be able to destress from my crazy life.
Hey there... my name is Staci and I've been taking dance since I was about 8 or 9 years old. I've taken ballet, tap, and jazz and I wanted to continue taking dance classes throughout college. Dance is also a great way for me to let out stress so it kind of balances out the chem class I'm taking. :) Through this class I am hoping to learn more about ballet and improve my technique and vocabulary.
Hello Dancers,
My name is Thao Nguyen and I have been dancing since I was 5 (mainly traditional- Chinese and Vietnamese Folk dances). I've only began ballet here at UW in Dance 102, almost 2 years ago. And I absolutely LOVE it!
I will definitely gain more experience, skills and techniques in ballet for I am a BEGINNER.! =)
Thao
Hi, my name is Lisa Meyer and I have been dancing since I was two years old. I took around six years of ballet through elementary school and middle school. I have also taken many years of jazz and hip hop. I have taken fifteen years of tap, and if I had to choose tap is definately my favorite style of dance. I am really excited about taking ballet again, and relearning all of the skills that I have lost through high school. I plan on trying to take a dance class at UW almost every quarter, because dancing is my passion and it is also a great way to stay in shape. I am considering pursuing a minor in dance.
Hiya,
My name is Erika and i've been dancing on and off since i was just a wee lass but stopped all the time because my family moved so often during my childhood. I love the athletic nature of ballet because i'm interested in challenging the human body. I was a big long distance and cross country runner and triathlon athlete for a long time but have since burnt out. I took ballet 200 last quarter but felt i wasn't improving my technique at all, only going through the combinations with poor posture and whatnot. Anyway, i'm stoked to be here and dance in the swimming pool and experiment with contact dance and all that jazz. See you all in class!
Hi Louis,
I began dancing in high school on the color guard and cheer team very briefly, but never took dancing seriously. When I first came to UW, I decided to take a dance class and througout that quarter I somehow then realized how much I love to dance and learned to appreciate dance as an art form. Since then I have taken two quarters of ballet at UW, and hope to use this class to strengthen the skills I have learned in ballet and improve my mental stamina and physical awareness in my dancing. Welp, see ya later!
i am looking foward to dance, i am really working hard to get the little things right, like not tilting my hips!
Hi Louis!
This is Lindsay Clark (a little delayed, heh). My dance experience started when I was six, when I started ballet and tap lessons. That expanded later to include jazz, and I continued until I was thirteen. I hit high school, and took a detour through marching band haha. But I did some dancing in community theater productions, and then my freshman year here at UW I took a ballet class just for fun. I really enjoyed it and since then I've taken one or two technique classes a quarter till this, my last quarter! It's been awhile since I've done ballet (modern is my favorite) and I'm really happy to be back in this dance form. I'm basically taking this class because I wanted one last bit of exposure to ballet before I hit the real world and it gets harder to take classes. Plus I need it for my minor. So here's to refreshing my memory!
Lindsay Clark
Hey Everyone,
I started dancing when I was very young and then took a break around the age of 7 to become a ski racer. Sometime in Junior High I became facinated by ballet once again and started taking classes. I eventually stopped skiing at a competitive level and dedicated my time outside school completly to dance. I danced 5 days a week for 6-7 hours after school. As a senior now at UW I have not danced nearly as much as in high school but I am working to get my minor in dance. Unfortunatly my sophomore year I tore the labrum in my right hip and my body has never really been the same. I am having a long and slow healing period and am looking forward to another quarter of dance and ballet.
Hi my name is Sandra,
I am so excited for this class! I have been involved in some form of dancing ever since I was about six. I took ballet for about two years when I was really young, so I know that this class will be a bit of a challenge but I am excited for the challenge. I have been more involved with hip hop and modern styles of dancing however I love it all. I am facinated with the beauty and elegance of ballet and am eager to become better dancer.
I am taking a very full class load full of science related coarse, so I am glad that the two dance classes I am in can provide a fun and creative outlet.
Hi my name is Sandra,
I am so excited for this class! I have been involved in some form of dancing ever since I was about six. I took ballet for about two years when I was really young, so I know that this class will be a bit of a challenge but I am excited for the challenge. I have been more involved with hip hop and modern styles of dancing however I love it all. I am facinated with the beauty and elegance of ballet and am eager to become better dancer.
I am taking a very full class load full of science related coarse, so I am glad that the two dance classes I am in can provide a fun and creative outlet.
Hi,
This is my first blog, because I got a late entry into the class and had to create a gmail account.
My background is as a gymnast. I started gymnastics when I was 9 and was a high level gymnast until injury ended my career. Part of my gymnastics training included dance classes with some ballet work.
My first real ballet course was last semester, and I am having some difficulty with my rotators and my over-extended knees that are from my gymnastics coach stretching them for ten years by sitting on them.
I am very excited about being in this class. I was thrilled to hear that this class would be a mix of classical and free movement type ballet. I am enjoying the free movement portions of ballet a lot. It does help me relax, which is a good thing for me.
When taking ballet classes, I find that I concentrate so much on my technique that I sometimes get so tense I wonder if it is making me worse. I think having these small breaks to work more freely will help me be less stressed, and hopefully that will help my technique improve. I really enjoyed my first two classes, and am looking forward to the rest of the quarter. In the end, I hope to become a better all around dancer by taking ballet.
Jenea
Hi all,
I took a few dance classes (ballet, tap, and poms) when I was about 5 or 6, but my career came to an unexpected end when I refused to put on my seat belt one day on the way to class and my mom said that we weren't going anywhere unless I did... and then I didn't go back. I occupied myself by playing soccer for the next 9 years and cheerleading off and on, but always wanted to go back to dancing. When I was a sophomore in high school I decided that after soccer season I was going back to ballet, and from there on it became my life. I started taking ballet and jazz classes, and then eventually tap. By the end of my senior year I was dancing about 12 hours a week. My first year of college involved hardly any dancing, so last quarter I made an extreme effort to get into classes here at UW, and now I'm back again this quarter.
I find that the structure of ballet movements and classes really help me to organize my thoughts and relax. There is so much involved in the technique that there is always something to work on. You can always be improving. I love it.
hi Louis,
my name is Jennifer, I started learned ballet when i was 7 years old but i stoped dance ballet when i was 11 years old, because my parents decided to immigrat to United States. I am taking this ballet class is because i want to refrash my memory about ballet and how to becomig a better dancer in technique and the different types of balleft movement. I hope to gain a lot of knowledge about the technique in ballet in this ten weeks period. I hope by the time i leave this ballet class, i will be a better ballet dancer and my movement will look prettier.
Hi Louis,
My name is Juliana and I began dancing at age 4. I took ballet for 12 years and have dance experience with tap as well (6 years). I went up to three days a week for the final years but after obligation to jumping horses across the nation, I had to give it up unfortunatly. However, I am extremely rusty now that I have been out of it for so long and am excited to begin working on my technique again! Consequently, I chose to take Ballet to start dancing again! I Love Ballet and hope to gain better posture and correct technique!
Hi!
My name is Sara and I just found out that I've been dancing since before I could walk. Apparently my Mom took me to creative movement classes as a baby! :) I would love to study in depth ballet technique starting back at the beginning to unlearn some bad habits (like turning out with my feet instead of my hips, grrr...) and build a really strong movement foundation for other kinds of dance like modern, jazz, and partner dancing. I also like ballet because it can be soooo pretty. See you all in class!
--Sara
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