The Dance Buzz

"Cleaning" Dance Routines

2012-03-05T23:05:00.000-05:00

Originally published February 25, 2011
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Polishing, cleaning, fine-tuning... whatever you call it, its necessary before a performance. I thought I'd share some of my favorite techniques that I've picked up over the years as a student and teacher.

The first key is making sure everyone knows the dance - break the routine into 8 counts, count by count and analyze and correct everything from the head placement, arms, feet, legs (bent or straight), and tempo. If you're low on time, start at the messiest part of the dance.

Once everyone knows the dance, repetition is key! One of my teachers would not move on until each section (usually 8 counts) had been performed correctly and cleanly three times... in a row. If we messed up on the third time, she started over. She called it her "Rule of Three's" and used it for only the messiest parts of dances because it can get very frustrating, but yields results.

Read more suggestions after the break!

Read more »

March Blog Challenge: Where Do You Dance?

2012-03-01T14:03:00.000-05:00

Right click + save as to grab this for
your blog!

This month's challenge is a PHOTO / VIDEO challenge:

Where do YOU dance?

Share a picture or video tour of where you dance on your blog and then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your post so we can all share!

Click here to see past blog challenges.

February 2012 Blog Challenge Update!

2012-02-28T07:10:00.000-05:00

February's Blog Challenge, A Day In The Life, was a little more intensive than January's photo challenge, but that's what makes it fun. Check out our participants so far:

So what are you waiting for? Add your blog to the list and share what your life is like! And remember, you can post any time (not just February).

Share your dance life with us!

Blog Challenge: Day In The Life

2012-02-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

For those who work in the arts, every day can be so different from the next, but that's part of what I love about my job and what makes it so much fun. It keeps me on my toes! (pun intended... groan.)

Here's one of my more 'typical' days:

7am - Wake up. Contemplate exercising or yoga before I shower, but not today.. the blankets and snooze button are calling my name. Shower, eat breakfast, remember that I am going to take pictures for "Day In The Life" post today!

9:30am - Drive to the studio - weather's looking a bit icy.. better keep an eye on it.

10:00 am - Admin time. Pretend to be Beyonce much to the chagrin of my office manager... "I'm all up in these costumes like my job... admin time". Follow up on some back-ordered costumes and work on handouts. Dance party in the office to the hold music (hey Weissmans, at least you have some good tunes!).

11:00am - UPS delivery - hooray! The first of our recital costumes have arrived! Unpack, sort and label costumes.

The Dance Things I Love...

2012-02-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

In no particular order, the dance things I love:

When my littles rush into class because they can't wait one more second to start dancing

Opening up the first costume shipping box of the season

The hush of the audience as the lights go down in the theater

Celebrating the small accomplishments

Warm-up camaraderie before a performance

Turns in tap shoes (picture is Ruby Keeler)

Combinations with pirouettes on the right side

Taking a master class and being a student again

By the end of the year, how each class feels like its own little family

The buzz backstage at a performance

Frappes

Clean mirrors

The moment before you step on stage from the wings

Perfectly worn-in shoes

Getting lost in the movement

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This is my take on Dance Advantage's February "Circle Time" post.

Share your favorite dance things below in the comments!

I'm Feelin' Lucky...

2012-02-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yippee!!

I'm super-excited because I was one of the three winners to get a Ballet Bundle from Dance Teacher Press via Nichelle's February LOVE Our Readers Give-A-Way. I can't wait to get it and I'll post a review for any of you who are interested in hearing more about it!

I'll be receiving Ballet Step By Step, The Ballet Combination Book and Ballet Words of the Week terminology booklet. I know my ballet classes will benefit from these new materials. I plan to share them at my studio with my other teachers as well, so they will be put to good use!

Don't feel left out - there's still some goodies left for you to get your hands on... get on over to Dance Advantage to enter! The last give-a-way closes at midnight on Thursday, February 23.

And thank you to Nichelle, Dance Advantage and her sponsors for being so generous - we LOVE you too!

How To Do A Simple Fade Using GarageBand

2012-02-20T10:45:00.000-05:00

The Dance Buzz debuts its first video!

If you've ever needed to fade a song to fit a time limit or your choreography, the OS X program GarageBand has some great features that make it really easy to do.

GarageBand's was made for recording music or making podcasts, but we are going to use it to end a song early and fade it out. This is one of the easiest and simplest edits to do.

For those who want technical nitty gritty: I'm using GarageBand '11 (version 6.0.4) on my MacBook Pro, which is running OS X Lion.

Give me a shoutout in the comments if you found this video helpful or informative - I'd like to do a series of videos showing more complicated edits. Would you be interested in that?

Video transcript and more tips (not included in the video) after the jump:

Valentine's Love Playlist Round-Up & Sponsor Shout-Out!

2012-02-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

I hope you've enjoyed our little series of playlists featuring songs about love!

Here are the links to each one in case you missed them:

Have a Happy Valentine's Day and now a few deals and coupons from our sponsors...

APY Yoga System: $10 off with code: TAKE10

Save 20% of Gaiam Yoga and Gaiam Fitness!

Shop the celebrity styles at Manhattanite at get 15% OFF! Enter code: NYC15 at checkout.

Barnes & Noble: 50% Off Hundreds of Kids DVDs!

Love Playlists for Jazz & Hip Hop

2012-02-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

And we have come upon our last Valentine's playlist! Click here for previous weeks (tap, children, lyrical).

This week's playlist is everything else I found that didn't fit under certain heading - mostly for jazz or hip hop, with a little classical ballet mixed in at the end!

I hope you've enjoyed this little series... have a great Valentine's Day!

Using a blog reader or can't see the playlist app? Click read more for the full playlists and suggested uses.

Read more »

February Pinspiration: Dance EVERYWHERE

2012-02-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

This month's Pinspiration is all about dancing everywhere... except the studio! I wish this would happen more often in real life.

Keep up with The Dance Buzz on Pinterest for more dance inspiration.

Paul Taylor Dance Company; Photographer: Jordan Matter Source: Acts of Flight

SOBuzz: Family & Friends Discount Dilemma

2012-02-08T07:32:00.000-05:00

Just watched a great video from Marie Forleo discussing the "friends and family discount" that could easily apply to any dance studio owner.

When you own your own business, your friends and family often want to support you, but sometimes they are looking for a discount in return. The message of the video below is whatever you choose, be clear and upfront about your policy.

If you can't afford to give discounts because you're just starting up or because you simply value your time, say so (in a polite way of course) and give them the opportunity to choose another dance studio.

Marie offers a script (around 2:14 in the video) to say to your family and friends when you don't have a discount and I've adapted it so it works for dance teachers and studio owners.

"I'm so excited Susie wants to take dance. Know that I'd never expect you to choose my dance studio because of our relationship. Before she registers, make sure that our studio is the right fit for you because I don't offer a friends and family discount. If you want to move ahead, here are the tuition rates and available classes."

This gives them an 'out' if they were only looking for a handout and let's you be clear in advance without all the uncomfortableness that would come if you let them know this AFTER she signed up for classes.

What's your policy for friends and family? Share in the comments!

Love Playlist for Tap Class

2012-02-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

Until Valentine's Day, I'll be doing a different "Love" themed playlist every Monday.

Check out the other playlists

This week's playlist is geared towards tap dancers.

Enjoy!

Using a blog reader or can't see the playlist app? Full playlist after the jump

Read more »

February Blog Challenge: A Day In The Life

2012-02-01T08:43:00.003-05:00

It's that time again... time for another Dance Blog Challenge! If you want to read more about why I'm doing this, read this post. Then come back and join the fun!

This month's blog challenge is "Day In The Life" post. Take one of your busiest dance days, bring your camera (or camera phone) and take lots of pictures from the moment you wake up until you return to bed. Or if you're an overachiever, make a video!

This month's challenge is a bit more involved than last month's, but that's what makes it fun. I will try to vary the 'involvement' of each post so if you're not feeling quite up to the challenge this month, do an easier one like January's photo challenge or wait to see what March brings.

Post your photos or video (with or without narration... its up to you) on your blog and leave a comment with the link here!

PARTICIPANTS (UPDATED 2/26/12)

I can't wait to see what everyone's studios and dance lives look like! And if you're not actively taking or teaching classes, you can participate too... I want to see what you do in your job or school everyday. And snap a quick picture of an arabesque in the hallway while you're at it... the point is to have fun!

Just make sure if you do take pictures of other people that they are ok with you putting their lovely faces on the internet. Or use photo editing software crop or blur their faces :)

Think your life is boring or need ideas of what to document? Keep reading after the jump for ideas.

Read more »

Monthly Recap

2012-01-31T10:44:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012! Here's our recap of the first month of 2012... it's been a busy one for me - how has your January been?

Make sure to check back tomorrow for February's "Blog Challenge"!

Link love:

Are you on Pinterest yet? If you were, you wouldn't have
missed this awesome picture!

What You Missed From The Dance Buzz

Results of Top Dance Blog 2011!
Dance pinspiration over at my pinterest page
Things I tweeted
Music inspiration
January's Dance Blog Challenge and all the awesome participants: Personal Dance Firsts
We joined in on Dance Advantage's January "Circle Time" post about setting goals.
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC? Music Licensing Break Down

Dance Happenings Around The Internet

How To Date A Dancer (Tights & Tiaras)
How to build sound-absorbing acoustic tiles for your dance studio (Squirrel Trench Audio)
If Your Boys Wore Tutus (Marias Movers)
Combining Dance With Poetry (Dancepulse.org)

Love Playlist for Children & Tweens

2012-01-30T10:03:00.000-05:00

This playlist is super sweet!

Until Valentine's Day, I'll be doing a different "Love" themed playlist every Monday. (See previous here).

This week's playlist is for children and tween classes.

Enjoy!

Tween songs are further down on the playlist.

Using a blog reader and can't see the playlist app? Click the "read more link" to see the full playlist

Read more »

SOBuzz: 1099-K, What the wha??

2012-01-25T22:44:00.001-05:00

Do you accept credit cards? You may be receiving
a 1099-K this year.

If you're a business owner who accepts credit cards or PayPal at your studio, you might have received (or soon will) a new document for your taxes this year, the 1099-K.

You may be asking yourself, "why am I getting this and what the heck do I do with it?" while subconsciously rubbing your temples from the tax headache that's starting to form.

Don't fret! It's actually not a big deal! (Unlike the Dance Buzz, who is most definitely a big deal... I'm going to pull on my tax smarty-pants and see if I can shed some light on what is up with 1099-Ks)

WHY DID I GET A 1099-K?
A new law was passed that requires businesses who process payments (like PayPal or your credit card merchant) to report the amount of sales they processed and for whom it was processed (you). They filed a 1099-K to the IRS reporting the sales they processed for your business. That means that the government knows how much sales you did through credit cards. And you will report this amount on your tax return as part of your gross sales.

It is a way for the government to make sure everyone is playing fair and reporting all of their sales. In my opinion, I think it is in result of the major growth of online businesses. This new law will help the IRS ensure that people who do a lot of business online are reporting their sales. In the past, the IRS had no way of knowing how much income you received from credit card sales, which is an online business' primary method of receiving income. Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. Back to the subject at hand.

Read what the IRS has to say

Did you receive a 1099-K for your studio?

I ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS BUT DIDN'T GET A 1099-K. WHAA?
You might actually not have to worry about it - you will only receive one if you had more than 200 transactions this year and more than $20,000 in gross sales.

OK, NOW WHAT DO I DO WITH IT?
If you have an accountant, give it to him or her. They will need it to prepare your taxes.

If you do your own taxes, you are going to use this number to breakdown your sales income.

I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND, SHOW ME AN EXAMPLE

Read more »

Love Playlist for Lyrical / Contemporary Class

2012-01-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

Until Valentine's Day, I'll be doing a different "Love" themed playlist every Monday. This week's playlist is geared towards lyrical or contemporary dancers. After I made the playlist, I realized it tended to go to the darker side of love - the heartache or wanting. All the better to 'emote' with, I guess! As my students would say, "this song needs an angsty lyrical face."

[Links open up in iTunes]

Love Remains The Same - Gavin Rossdale - an uplifting song
My Love - Sia - hauntingly beautiful
She Is Love - Parachute - simple and soft acoustic guitar
A Little More of You - Ashley Chambliss - mellow
Like You Do - Angel Taylor - very "pop" and bubbly
I Will Show You Love - Kendall Payne - updated love ballad
Be Be Your Love - Rachael Yamagata - 3/4 rhythm, bluesy
The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel - beautiful song for all ages
Thinking About You - The Big Scary - slow and steadily tugging on your heartstrings
Fools In Love - Inara George - another 3/4 time! Lamenting about fools in love
Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri - no need for description, there's a reason it's overplayed...
Piece of My Heart - Keri Noble - song about leaving a piece of yourself behind - I used this as a duet for sisters when one of them was a high school senior

Setting Goals: One Step At A Time

2012-01-22T14:57:00.002-05:00

One step at a time... like learning
ballet positions.

Want to read more about setting goals, specifically for dancers and dance teachers? Check out "Circle Time" at Dance Advantage. January 2012's topic is "Setting Goals".

January is the perfect time of year to talk about setting goals for the New Year.

As a person who wears "many hats" (dance teacher, studio owner, blogger, wife), its important to set goals in each area of your life.

And what's even more important than setting goals is figuring out how to accomplish them!

Are you serious about wanting to accomplish your goals?

Well, here's an exercise you can do to help SET and ACCOMPLISH your goals for 2012. You will need at least 30 minutes to an hour, so set aside some time for yourself. This is time for you. It is important. Do it.

Take out a piece of paper and label columns with all the different areas of your life - don't forget to include a column for personal goals or family!

Here's an example of what your column heading might be

Ballroom Dance In School

2012-01-19T10:26:00.000-05:00

Just read a great little story about fifth-graders learning swing dancing in schools.

"...the classroom teachers tell us there is such a change in their behavior," Suzie Henneman [ballroom instructor] said on the increased level of respect teachers said their pupils show for each other.

"The swing is their favorite," she said. "But it's interesting how much they take to the tango. It's such a serious dance. But they love the dance."

Check it out: Catonsville fifth-graders step out of comfort zone, on to dance floor [Baltimore Sun]

SOBuzz: Music Licensing Break-Down

2012-01-18T00:45:00.000-05:00

I will dance to a different drum...
unless that drum beat is owned by BMI.

It's that time of year again... music licensing! If you're like my dance studio, you may have recently gotten an invoice from ASCAP and are contemplating hiring a band of musicians just so you don't have to pay the necessary evil that is music license fees every year.

(Dear ASCAP, BMI & SESAC... just kidding - I will still be paying you this year!)

I get many requests for what I actually pay for my studio's music license, so I thought why not do a post now?

Before you scroll down further, if you're a new dance studio owner, fitness instructor or dance teacher and want more information about WHY we you may need to pay music license fees, check out my previous posts on music licensing:

FAQ's about Music Licensing for Dance Studio - this is the most popular post on The Dance Buzz. Great discussion in the comments as well.

License-Free Alternatives - really don't want to pay BMI, SESAC or ASCAP? Use only live musicians or license-free music. Check out the pro's and cons here.

Ok. All studied up? Alright, let's move on to the money.

January Blog Challenge Posts!

2012-01-14T22:52:00.001-05:00

Woohoo! Check out all the blog challenge participants so far:

Answer this month's Blog Challenge: Personal "Dance Firsts" and add yours to the list!

Pinspiration: Athletic Dancers

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you Pinterest for finding some dancers who are graceful athletes (or is it athletes who are beautiful dancers?).

Enjoy.

Photo by: Howard Schatz

I know I've posted this dude before, but come on - how awesome is he?

Peddecord Photo

P.S. Discovered these on Pinterest (follow me!), I have tried to find credit for as many as possible - if you know the source, photographer or dancer, please leave a comment so I can add the credit.

NMM: Katie Herzig - Lost & Found

2012-01-09T10:36:00.000-05:00

I love this song - I heard it on Grey's Anatomy a few months ago and needed to have it immediately! I finally found out that it is Katie Herzig's "Lost and Found" from her album "The Waking Sleep" that came out in September 2011. Grab the song on iTunes here:

I've been using it in my jazz & contemporary warm-ups and cool downs. The beginning starts off slowly, but make sure you listen through until about 2:10 when the chorus starts in and the song really starts to take off... it has such an uplifting feeling! My teens really enjoyed this song and the lyrics are PG enough to use for younger students as well.

DB is Editor's Choice!

2012-01-06T10:57:00.003-05:00

Editor's Choice, baby!

Who me?
Yay! The Dance Buzz was chosen by Nichelle at Dance Advantage as "Editor's Choice" for the Top Blogs of 2011. Thank you, Nichelle - I was completely surprised and humbled to be chosen! I hope to keep bringing good stuff to my readers in 2012.

Check out what Nichelle wrote:

"In the end, I went with a blog that I feel has consistently shown a clear focus, delivering material that is valuable to its readers in a fun but thoughtful way. I’ve enjoyed watching this blog develop and wish for its longevity."

Awww shucks :)

Be sure to check out all the dance blogs that entered the contest - there are some really great ones in there to add you to your blog roll.

Yay! Thanks again!

January Blog Challenge: Personal Dance Firsts

2012-01-02T12:35:00.000-05:00

Snag this bad boy badge for your own blog if you choose!
Right click + save as!

Attention all dance bloggers, here is your January Blog Challenge - we're starting off with a fun, personal one.

Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to share a picture and story of one of your "dance firsts". First class, first show, first shoes... whatever inspires you!

The Details

Choose one picture that represents your dance first
Share your story
Include a link back to this post (Permalink: )

If you participate, leave a comment below with the link to your post so we can share in the fun!

UPDATED JAN. 29, 2012 - Here are all the participants so far:

And with that, here's my dance first....

My first dance performance!