What My Teacher Taught Me
Boston Ballet's Whitney Jensen | |
Whitney Jensen's career is advancing at light speed. She first entered Boston Ballet's corps de ballet in 2009 and just this month she was promoted to first soloist. "I'm most looking forward to performing my dream ballets," says Jensen, whose 2011-12 season includes Romeo and Juliet, Les Sylphides and Don Quixote.
Jensen credits her crisp technique to Valentina Kozlova, who she trained with since age 12 at the Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory of New York City.
"Valentina and I had an immediate connection. We were a team and fed off each other's hard work. She taught me how to move simply and showed me that clarity is the most beautiful expression. I'm a visual learner so I try to watch exactly how she dances and follow her movements. She's the picture of perfection in my mind.
It was hard transitioning from school to company life. Different styles and directors demand different things. It's about adapting while keeping true to your foundation. When people stage work on the company, I physically mimic their motions like I did with Valentina. I still go back during the summer to train with her to get her style back into my body and remember where my roots are."
Click here to read more about Kozlova and how she continues to pass down classical Vaganova tradition.
Photo of Whitney Jensen in George Balanchine's Tarantella, by Gene Schiavone courtesy of Boston Ballet.
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Tutu Practice
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 You never want to send your dancers on stage in a tutu without letting them get used to all those layers of tulle. Investing in practice tutus for your studio could be beneficial to your students. Use Sansha's "Teodora" semi-professional tutu (DF0702) in rehearsal so dancers can practice dancing and partnering. And it's pretty enough to use on stage! For other ballet styles and shoes, check out the August 2011 issue of Dance Teacher.
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Lim�n Fundamentals
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 Are your students executing the Lim �n basics correctly? Click on the video to see Juilliard faculty member Risa Steinberg teach Lim �n foundations: The curving of the spine forward, sideways and to the high arch. Recent Juilliard grad Chuck Jones demonstrates. And click here to read about why these movements are fundamental to the technique and Steinberg's approach to modern dance. Do you have a video you'd like to share with our readers? Enter our Video of the Month Contest! Each month, DT editors pick one winner to be featured in the magazine and receive a year subscription. The viewers' choice video will win a mention in our e-newsletter. Enter here for a chance in the spotlight!
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Job Opportunities
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American Musical and Dramatic Academy, NY
Position: Post-secondary Director of Education/Academic Dean
Deadline: Until position is filled More info: www.amda.edu
Amherst College, MA
Position: Assistant Professor of contemporary dance, Department of Theatre and Dance
Deadline: December 1, 2011
More info: www.amherts.edu
Cortines High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, CA
Position: Secondary Principal
Deadline: Until position is filled
More info: www.lausd.k12.ca.us
Dean College, MA
Position: Program Director-Assistant/Associate Professor of Dance, Department of Theatre and Dance Deadline: Until position is filled More info: www.dean.eduMiddlebury College, VT
Position: Visiting Assistant Professor in contemporary dance/choreography, Department of Theatre and Dance Deadline: October 3, 2011 More info: www.middlebury.eduThe University of the Arts, PA
Position: Dean, College of Performing Arts Deadline: October 1, 2011
More info: www.uarts.edu
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Win it: Urban Bush Women book
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Inspire your students to use dance as a creative outlet with Urban Bush Women: Twenty Year of African American Dance Theater, Community Engagement, and Working It Out by Nadine George-Graves. The Brooklyn-based troupe has been creating post-modern dance for 20 years, using it as a political platform for social change. The book tracks the company's history through its repertoire.
Add this book to your library! Click here to enter to win one of two copies.
And to learn more about the book and why we recommend it, click here.
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| Contact us |
DT e-newsletter staff:
Editor: Kristin Schwab
Producer: Jenny Dalzell
Contact Us
web: www.dance-teacher.com
e-mail: kschwab@dancemedia.com
 
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In the Magazine This Month
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2011 Music & Media Guide
Debbie Allen in the studio and on stage
An essential guide to building a hip-hop curriculum
Help your dancers improve their musicality
Are your students prepared for pointe? |
Up Next: September
| 2011 Higher Ed Guide
Jill Johnson: Forsythe ballerina leads Harvard dance
How Chase Brock saved Spider-Man
Ways to engage contemporary dancers in ballet class
Tips for starting a successful school year
...and more! |
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