Chosing a dance training style….

Posted on Nov 15, 2012 | 0 comments

From time to time I get an email similar to the one below. This email contains a very important question and one that needs a careful answer.   “Dear Mrs. Holt, My daughter enjoys your ballet classes tremendously, and she says they are really helping her. But I have a concern: My daughter is hoping to get into the intermediate dance level at her high school next year as a freshman.  She wants to continue taking your class throughout the spring, but some people have mentioned that Jazz classes would better prepare her for the high school audition than ballet classes. Maybe both would be best, but sometimes class times conflict. …..what is your opinion on this?”   I am an expert on public school dance programs.  I created and developed outstanding programs at three comprehensive high schools. For nearly 30 years I helped students aged 14 though 18 work towards making their dance dreams come true.  If a dream is modest, and only entails being part of a beginning level quality high school program, or at best an intermediate level program, then basic ballet and a good dash of jazz (contemporary, fusion) spiced with some hip hop from a credible jazz based community dance studio might do the job.  If the dream is ambitious, and entails competing for entrance into state and national critically acclaimed universities with a major in dance, or entrance into a pre professional or professional ballet or modern academy, then outstanding classical ballet training from a talented and experienced teacher must be the foundation and continued focus of study.   O.K. Now to the email and its question:  What is your daughter’s dream? How big is your daughter’s talent? Are you ready to “set that course” now or do you want to “buy some more time?”   I opened up a classical ballet conservatory because as a high school teacher I saw too many dance dreams destroyed. Students were lead to believe that recreational ballet or jazz and hip hop were all they needed to “be a dancer.” Even in an average quality high school dance program, the best-trained dancers will always be the ones who “get used” or get featured.  And if the program is jazz based and doesn’t focus on ballet, then it’s a dead end for dance dreams beyond high school.   Classical ballet is the foundation for building the dancer’s body. Jazz will give the dancer aggression, hip-hop is great for rhythm, but ballet builds the muscle structures that create line, strength, flexibility, musicality, and artistry.   Since I am a professional classical ballet instructor, I will always advise a dancer to keep up the quality ballet lessons.  But if your dream is to “just have fun,” then by all means, give up the ballet and focus on the jazz. But be prepared to see the more serious dancers get front and center every time a new dance is...

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Advice for Summer Intensives

Posted on Jun 2, 2012 | 0 comments

Summer intensives are about networking and building a resume as well as having new experiences and getting comfortable with competing in the the larger world of ballet . If  you are getting ready to go away for a summer program soon, you will want to take as much away from that summer intensive as possible and come back a new and improved dancer in the fall! So what can you do to maximize your ballet summer intensive experience? 1.) Listen– It may sound simple, but you must listen and absorb everything that the instructors are saying. Most ballet summer intensive programs have guest teachers like Gelsey Kirkland or David Howard who are fountains of knowledge and experience. You don’t want to miss a word that they are saying as one small correction could make a world of a difference in your dancing! 2.) Write it Down– Keep a “dance journal”  to write down all of your corrections. Later you can look back at all of your corrections and see how much progress you have made. 3.) Focus– Remember that you are going to your summer intensive to dance. Have fun, and make friends with the fellow dancers but don’t let it get in the way of your education. Remember, you are there to dance! 4.) Embrace Change– Sometimes a summer program is not the perfect fit and you may find that you don’t like the technique or the teachers. In this case, do your best to stay positive and learn what you can from the experience. Sometimes it is beneficial to learn other styles or techniques to make you stronger in the technique that you do best. (example: classical dancer going to a Balanchine summer intensive) 5.) Make Connections – Remember to always try to look your best.  You not only had to audition to get into your summer intensive, you need to think of your time spent with your intensive teachers as a kind of audition in itself.  Show your openness to learn, your willingness to work hard, your strengths as a technical and musical dancer, and your ability to be a leader or a team player.  Your future boss could be in the room! Absorb everything you can from the new teachers you will be meeting and learning from this summer! 6.) Take Care of  Your Body – No sense working all day in class and not eating right or not hydrating during the day or staying up late at night.  You won’t perform well the next day.  Make sure you are confident about how to execute a step you may not have learned yet at home.  Especially if it is a jump or turn, take your time and slowly break it down before you try it full out.  No sense spraining your ankle on day one — it won’t heal before the workshop is over! 7. ) Keep a Positive Attitude – Remember why you dance! Don’t be too hard on yourself if you make a mistake or have a bad class (or day)! Part of your learning experience is to see if you like dancing six hours a day. Are you still fascinated with learning all that you can learn about ballet! Come back confident that you have worked hard to be the the best dancer that you can be, and then put your new skills to work in the technique classes and performances that are coming up, “back at...

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Photo Shoot With Kristin Oliver

Posted on Dec 7, 2011 | 0 comments

A recent article, from photographer Kristin Oliver, entitled An Afternoon With Ballet displays the final composition of her work with the dancers of Holt Ballet Conservatory and Director Yelena Holt. In the article, Kristin elaborates on her experience of the project, stating “In my conversations with Yelena, I was fascinated with her process … her thoughts on ballet as the foundation in dance training, developing dancers, the importance of an education in dance and the benefits of patience, tenacity, hard work, humility and celebration.” The recent collaboration between HBC and Kristin Oliver involved photographing dancers during rehearsals for an upcoming performance, for final display in Oliver’s gallery. Oliver interviewed Mrs. Holt after the shoot and merged words from the interview with the final work. The resulting art speaks eloquently on the subject of becoming a...

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