Dance Bookmarks

Dance Teacher Press now has a Tap Dance Bookmark and a Hip-Hop Bookmark in addition to the Five Ballet Postition Bookmark.  These are great for rewards, favors, and end of the year remembrances.

Tap Dance Flash Card Term contest

I am going to update the Tap Flashcards and have them professionally printed so they will be as nice as the ballet flashcards.  So here is your chance to tell me what steps you would like included. 

Currently the flash cards define:
Ball Change, Brush, Brush back/Pull/Spank, Cramproll, Dig, Flap/Slap, Heel Dig, Heel-Drop, Hop, Jump, Leap, Maxie Ford, Paradiddle, Scuff, Shim-Sham, Skip, Shuffle, Step /Touch, Time Step, Toe-back, Toe-Heel, Wing

What other terms would you consider essential or basic for TAP?  Please also include how you would define it.  Tap can be very diferent from one studio to another or in different parts of the country.

If I include your term and you were the first to submit I will send you a free set of flashcards!
Good Luck!

Janet

Happy Birthday Tchaikovsky

How fun that today is Tchaikovsky's birthday.  Today I am taking all my Sleeping Beauty variation notes and moving them into The Pointe Class Book.  I love all the different fairy variations, Aurora's and Bluebirds.  They are some of my favorite pointework so they will make The Pointe Class Book even better.  Then I will be ready to teach this summer.  Summer is a great time to teach short variations. Better start working.

Ballet Combination for April

Tired of all the same old turns?  By the time I finish all my recital dances there are a million soutenus and détournés. 

Here is a fun combination with a fun turn:

En face in 5th with L front - arms crossed and close to chest, palms up.

1            sauté with battement R a la seconde,
               arms go up the side to 5th elonge (V arms palms out)
2            close leg front, arms pulling back in across chest and détourné L
3-4         repeat
5+a 6     tombé R pas de bourrée
7-8        glissade R, another glissade R into développé  L a la seconde 
1+a2      tombé L ( from that développé) pas de bourrée
3-4        glissade L , assemble over,
5-8        slow détourné (arms up the front to 5th, open down the sides to low and then across chest)
1-16      repeat on the other side

Send a Waltz Combination - win a prize

The Ballet Combination Book has been such a success that I am working on a Ballet Waltz Book. It will illustrate several variations of waltz, balancé, and pas de basque; and then have many combinations. I thought it would be fun to put our heads together. Send me any of your favorite waltz combinations for possible inclusion in the book. I will choose at least one winner on February 28. The winner(s) will recieve a copy of the book,  Ballet Step by Step.

Rules:

1. Please include counts. It should be at least 8 counts long. (Each count being 3, or a balancé is 1 count)

2. Only send combinations that you have created. Please do not include one from another teacher's class or DVD.

3. Your entry is your permission to use it in The Ballet Waltz Book. (Your name will be credited.)

Good Luck!