Missing Link Ballet Class Series @ Ballet Arts with Richard Marsden

Class: The Missing Link Ballet Class Series

Instructor: Richard Marsden

Class Description: "This problem solving class will help transition from beginner to intermediate level by studying specific steps, jumps, and turns."

Studio: Ballet Arts

Time: Sundays 5:30-7:00pm

Often times when I take intermediate-advance-level dance classes, I feel that I don't really have time to focus on the placement of my body because the classes move at a faster pace and the combinations are more complex. That is why I find it useful to take a beginner-level class once in a while so I can polish my technique.

Originally, Marsden's "Missing Links" series was only supposed to be a 5 week long special workshop, but the class has gotten such positive feedback that Ballet Arts decided to continue the series. It is now in its 9th week. Although the class is aimed for beginners, it was evident that there were advanced students taking the class too. The class begins with a ballet barre, and although the combinations are pretty straightforward, one still gets the sense that they are training hard (closing in a perfect fifth position sixteen times in a row seemed harder than I had remembered!). At the center, Marsden gives an abbreviated adagio and then moves on to the core of the class--connecting the missing links.

Each class is focused on breaking down three steps: a tour (turns), a grand allegro, and a petite allegro (jumps). For example, one class Mardsen would teach pique tours, jete sur le coup de pieds, and tour jetes. Mardsen analyzes the movements and teaches the most simplified version first. He then gradually adds on different components such as where the head should spot and the position of the arms.

Again, this class is great for beginners because Marsden really dissects the movements. At the same time, advanced students can take this class to go slower and hone their technique!

I love going to Ballet Arts because the atmosphere there is very welcoming. Unlike at Steps on Broadway or Broadway Dance Center where there are many dance studios, Ballet Arts, located in City Center, only has one giant (and gorgeous) studio. The people who work or take dance at Ballet Arts are all very warm and friendly, and often times there are free healthy snacks to enjoy in the lounge area outside the studio!

Tamara Karsavina in class at the Kirov in 1920:

Ballet Arts

130 West 56th Street

6th Floor

Between 6th and 7th Avenues

New York, NY 10019

Tel. (212) 582-3350

Directions: Take the N, Q, R to 57th Street/7th Ave and walk towards City Center

Class Price:

Single Class--$15 (if you only take barre, it is $12)

*Single classes must be payed for in cash!

Pointe Class (1 hour long)--$12

[10 class cards also available]

Click Here for Full Class Schedule: http://www.balart.com/Fees_Office.htm

Beginner Pointe @ Steps with Kathryn Sullivan

Class: Beginner Pointe

Instructor: Kathryn Sullivan

Class Description: This class is suitable for beginning pointe students or students who have not been on pointe for a while and wish to rebuild strength.

At Prima Ballet, the studio where I studied in Taiwan, we had an hour of pointe after two hours of ballet on Saturdays and Sundays. I stopped pointe for half a year since coming to New York, but I recently bought a pair of Grishko Triumphs and started taking pointe again with Kathryn Sullivan every Friday at Steps on Broadway.

There are very few pointe technique classes offered at studios here in New York because dancers usually wear pointe shoes in ballet class (they either put them on after barre or some even wear pointe shoes through the entire class). For dancers like me who have not danced on pointe for half a year, it is very unwise to just start doing pirouettes on pointe without rebuilding ankle strength. Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and Ballet Arts are the three studio in New York that offer pointe technique classes (that I know of).

Kathryn Sullivan's Beginner Pointe class begins with a warm up and a few combinations at the barre. Then we go to the center and work on everything from échappés to piqué en arabesque. The class moves at a moderate pace and does not get very crowded (you usually get a barre to yourself!). My only problem with the class is that it is only half an hour long--by the time your are warmed up and you start to get into it, it is over.

I recommend taking a ballet class before this class to maximize your training! Kathryn Sullivan also teaches Advance Beginner Ballet before Beginner Pointe in the same studio, or check out the Steps on Broadway daily schedule online for more classes!

Beginner Pointe Class Schedule (with Kathryn Sullivan):

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

12:30-1:00pm

Studio: Steps on Broadway

2121 Broadway at 74th Street, New York

Tel. 212-874-2410

Class Price: $8.50

Video of Finis Jhung teaching Level 1 Pointework:

For more pointe classes in the city...

At Broadway Dance Center, Joy Karley teaches Beginner Pointe on Fridays from 2:00-3:00pm.

At Ballet Arts, Anne-Sophie Rodriguez teaches Pointe & Variation (open level) on Tuesdays from 1:00-2:00pm, and from 7:00-8:30 Dawn Hillen teaches Beginner Ballet with Basic Pointe. On Thursdays, Richard Mardsen teaches Beginner/Intermediate Pointe & Pas de Deux Technique from 1:00-2:00pm.

Some places to buy pointe shoes...

Grishko

GaynorMinden

Freed/Chacott

Capezio

YUMIKO Dancewear nYc

I made a pact with myself: No, no, no. You cannot spend $57 on a leotard! But the minute I tried on Tamara, I knew I just had to own it.

You've probably seen Yumiko's designs on Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in the movie Black Swan. The brand made its debut in 2002, and YUMIKO handmade dancewear carries designs by Yumiko Takeshima, principle dancer with Dresden's SemperOper Ballett. YUMIKO Dance & Fitness Wear Boutique in New York City opened in 2007. In the nYc store, the colorful leotards juxtapose the clean white walls, giving the boutique a chic feeling. When I tried one of the leotards on, I immediately felt the difference in the material. It feels more "sturdy," but at the same time, it still feels very light. I just couldn't resist buying one.

In an interview with Pointe Magazine, the dancer-designer comments on what makes her leotards so special. "I have a dancer's eye, so I focus a lot on cut and proportion," she said.

(Dancer/Designer Yumiko Takeshima)

As an owner of a YUMIKO leotard, I have to say that it is very comfortable and very flattering. In addition to carrying dancewear for men and women, YUMIKO also sells tops & bottoms as well as beautifully tailored dance skirts for women. At their boutiques and retail stores, one can purchase "Ready To Wear" items or customize their own dancewear.

The customization process involves selecting a fabric type (in order of increasing price: nylon, techni, microfiber, or velvet), size (XS-XL), lining (no lining, bust panel, or front lining), fabric colors (trim & strap color and the actual leotard color). According to the YUMIKO website, because they receive so many orders, orders may take 6-8 weeks.

Price Range

Women's

Dancewear: $50+

Dance Tops: $45+

Dance Bottoms: $39+

Skirts: $50+

Men's: $39+

**The newest YUMIKO design--Alicia**

Yumiko nYc Boutique

Opening Times

Mon - Fri: 11am - 7pm

Sat & Sun: 11am - 5pm

451 W. 46th Street view map

New York, NY 10036

USA

Tel: 1 212 969 9400

Email: helpdesk@yumiko-world.com

Read Yumiko Takeshima's interview with The Ballet Bag!

Here are some FAQs regarding purchasing YUMIKO leotards:

http://global.yumiko-online.com/en/termsandconditions.php#faq

Like Yumiko on Facebook!

"Naked: A Living Installation"

March 29th-April 9th at the Baryshnikov Arts Center

(Eiko and Koma in "Naked", photo by Anna Lee Campbell)

As the elevator doors open to the sixth floor, silence greeted those who came to see Eiko and Koma in "Naked." One immediately gets the sense that they are in a special "place," a space with an energy that affects each viewer differently. The exhibition takes place in two rooms: Studio 6A (where Eiko and Koma are) and Studio 6B (where there are video boxes of five of their works).

When one enters Studio 6A, one is not immediately exposed to the performers, rather a huge curtain with burnt holes, feathers, and sea salt separately the viewer from the actual living installation. Through the random holes on the curtain, one can peep in at Eiko and Koma at different angles. The entire performance space is designed by Eiko and Koma, and opposite the curtain are three paintings done by Koma. There are low benches and cushions on the floor for viewers to sit on and watch the performers. Some viewers had sketch pads and notebooks in their hands, while others watched with extreme intensity--all were mesmerized by Eiko and Koma. They laid on a bed of soil and feathers, as if it were their nest. The lighting shifts from dim to nonexistent, and all one can hear is the drip drop of water from the ceiling and the slight shuffling of twigs and feathers beneath the performers' bodies.

The aesthetic tension that Eiko and Koma create with every subtle movement engages the audience's to the fullest. It was as if they were hibernating, moving ever so slightly. Sometimes they would touch, and it seemed to be the most delicate and gentle touch a human being could ever give to another. I wondered about what this space is that they are embodying. No doubt it means something different to each viewer, but to me it seemed like the safest, purest, and most peaceful place in the world. The sustained quality to their movements makes one feel like time is suspended. It seemed like Eiko and Koma are waiting, resting, and dreaming in this space. Watching them, I felt invited into their space.

I visited the exhibition two days in a row this past weekend, and I had completely different experiences each time. I viewed Eiko and Koma from a different angle on my second visit and noticed different details. However,one thing that was consistent was the feeling of peace.

(Sketches I drew while watching Eiko and Koma)

Read the New York Times dance review of Eiko and Koma by Roslyn Sulca.

Go see Eiko and Koma in "Naked: A Living Installation":

Tuesday, March 29th, till Saturday, April 9th

Times: Tuesday-Friday: 6:00pm-10:00pm

Saturday: 3:00-9:00pm

At the Baryshnikov Arts Center:

Studio 6A

Baryshnikov Arts Center

450 West 37th Street

New York, NY

Reserve your ticket online now!

Pilates Mat Class @ Steps with Robin Powell

Studio: Steps on Broadway

2121 Broadway at 74^th Street, New York

212-874-2410

Directions: Take the 1, 2, 3 to 72^nd Street, and walk up to 74^th Street (Steps is on the third floor, above Fairway market)

Class Price: $17 ($16.50 for union or professionals with ID)

10-class and 20-class cards are also available

**One can also sign up for the Steps E-Card, an online account to purchase classes and secure one’s spot in class!

Class: Pilates Mat Class

Instructor: Robin Powell

Class Description (from Steps website):

"Strengthening and stretching exercises with emphasis on alignment, based on the Classical approach. Benefits from this class: Strengthen the core which helps alleviate back pain, enhance, lengthen and tone the muscles. Improve flexibility, posture, and over all body awareness. ‘Leave class felling 2” taller!’"

**One can bring their own mat, but Steps also provides Pilates mats.

Pilates is said to be excellent cross training for ballet dancers. The class helps one develop the core strength necessary for ballet. For those like me who don’t always use their turnout muscles correctly, the exercises in Pilates classes will isolate and help you feel those muscles working.

The Pilates class I took with Robin Powell that day was an open level class. The thing about open classes in New York City is that dancers of all abilities can attend—from beginners to professionals. The general atmosphere of the classes is relaxed, as each person doesn’t waste time comparing themselves with others. Everyone is solely focused on improving this own technique and body.

Art Work Talk with Eiko & Koma

“When you go see Eiko and Koma, you get the permission to be free. Your mind is rinsed. It is very slow, heightened melodrama. You are very free to not look. You are very free to think. [Watching them] becomes a time for you to be quiet with yourself,” said an audience member at the Art Work talk given by Eiko and Koma on March 8 at Eugene Lang College.

[Eiko and Koma at Art Work talk on March 8, 2011; photo by Emily Katz]

The artists spoke briefly about their partnership history and endorsed their “Retrospective Project” (2009-2012). Eiko clicked through their website http://eikoandkoma.org/home, showing the audience the resources available to them, which includes videos of all their works (either in their entireties or excerpts), photographs from original performances, articles written by or about the duo, and their teaching manifesto for the workshop I am taking—Delicious Movement. Their website embodies the “nakedness” in that exhibit in their work. Not many artists are as willing and open as Eiko and Koma in terms of sharing their work on the Internet. “I didn’t want to hide it,” said Eiko. I think it would be an interesting contrast, either seeing them perform live then revisiting their work online, or vice versa.

Here is a preview of "Naked" from the Walker Art Center:

According to Eiko, they have a very small pride of being naked in most of their works.“We’ve always liked to expose skin. I just became 59 and Koma became 63, not many couples have danced naked for 30 years.”

Their creative partnership seemed to stem out of the mutual desire to experiment and experience. Eiko and Koma insist on always appearing as a duo and also in making their own sets (or as they call it, “environment”). According to Koma, they set up the mood and the movement comes out of the mood rather than from choreography. The concept of a living installation is different from a performance (which has a prescribed starting and ending point), so each person is free to come and go as he wishes. Eiko and Koma have an interesting attitude on being the installation—they want the audience to sympathize and feel compassionate towards their work.

One could see how they feed off each other through the way they talk in “real life.” On stage, they seem so aware and trusting of each other, which reveals something about how their creative partnership has affected their work and, at the same time, how their work has affected them.

A recent article from the LA Times about Eiko & Koma:

Eiko and Koma share a lifetime of choreography

By Valerie Gladstone

Check out the new “Events to Attend” gadget on the upper right hand side of this page!!

Eiko & Koma: Delicious Movement (Part 1)

Eiko (left) and Koma, by David Fullard (Photo Credits: Eiko & Koma http://eikoandkoma.org/index.php?p=ek&t=images&id=2355)

DELICIOUS MOVEMENT: CLASS WITH EIKO

BACKGROUND

Students of Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno, pioneers of Japanese butoh, as well as Manja Chmiel (disciple of Mary Wigman, German Expressionist dancer), Eiko & Koma produce works containing movements that are raw, simple yet extremely powerful. The slowness and sustained qualities of their movement helps portray the natural landscape they paint with their bodies. In terms of set and costume design, Eiko and Koma use a lot of earth tones, and they also use the pale makeup that resembles those characteristics of butoh performers. Their work can be described by the words such as “elemental”, “archaic”, “un-materialistic”, “raw”, and perhaps “grotesque”. What is interesting to me is how they arrest the audience aesthetically.

The artists are famous for performing in outdoor venues and in living installations. Eiko and Koma have transcended boundaries to the level of visual art in that they, the performers, are the exhibited art. The duo adopt roles as directors, performers, choreographers, and set/costume designers--which goes to show how meticulous and sincere they are towards their work.

Here is a video about Eiko and Koma from their official website:

My Parents from Eiko and Koma on Vimeo.

MY FIRST CLASS WITH EIKO

I am very fortunate to be enrolled in a course taught be Eiko herself called "Delicious Movement." It is an one-credit movement class that only meets four times this Spring semester. In our first class on February 4, we learned to move while being “rested” and “accepting”. Now I am a classically trained ballet dancer who strives for perfection and technical virtuosity. Surprisingly, however, I fell in love with Eiko's movement style.

When Eiko demonstrated, she would lay down on the floor, close her eyes and begin to move very slow and subtly. It was as if she was moving her muscles a centimeter at a time, and her body was so in sync with her breath. The sequation of the movements was stunning. Honestly, how many ways CAN you move on the floor? But every time she would demonstrate, it looked completely different and most of all, effortless. I wonder whether her ability to move so slowly stems from having total control or from relaxation.

While we moved, Eiko would tell us to be open to "the butterfly that could land on our bodies" and "the dream." We were supposed to move restfully, waiting for this butterfly or this dream that is could come to us like an epiphany any minute and be gone the next. Sounds a lot like instructions for an improvisation exercise doesn't it? But no, this was different somehow. There was a delicate balance to be achieved. You are supposed to move "restfully," with the least amount of effort yet be in total control of your body. When your body finally registers this effortless movement and your breath is in control--almost like you are going to drift off into a dream.

It was a marvelous experience, and I look forward to the next three classes AND the Art Work talk given by both Eiko and Koma on Tuesday, March 8:

Art Work Series: Eiko & Koma

Tuesday, March 8, 6:00 p.m.

The New School—Wollman Hall

65 West 11^th Street, 5^th Floor

Admission is FREE and open to the public. Seating is limited.

Choreographer-dancers EIKO & KOMA are famous for groundbreaking performances and site-specific works that stretch the boundaries of the art. At The New School, they discuss their Retrospective Project (2009–2012), which highlights works created over several decades, and show documentary videos created for the project. Their newest work, Naked, a living installation, will be at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, March 29–April 9. For more information, visit www.eikoandkoma.org.

IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS WITH EIKO & KOMA:

DELICIOUS MOVEMENT WORKSHOP

March 15-16, 2011

Baryshnikov Arts Center, NYC

Delicious Movement Workshop


Tue & Wed 7-9:30pm
Baryshnikov Arts Center, Studio 6A


$65, pre-register online at www.movementresearch.org



Grounded in Eiko & Koma's movement vocabulary, the Delicious Movement Workshop is emphatically noncompetitive and appropriate for all levels of ability and training. We will move/dance to actively forget the clutter of our lives so as to fully “taste” body and mind.

Delicious Movement is presented by Movement Research and Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC), and is offered in conjunction with Eiko & Koma’s living installation Naked at BAC, March 29 - April 9. For more information on Naked, visit www.bacnyc.org.

NAKED AT BARYSHNIKOV ARTS CENTER

New York, NY

March 29-April 9, 2011

Tuesday-Friday/ 6 PM - 10 PM


Saturday/ 3 PM - 9 PM

Tickets: FREE

(Reservations may be made in advanced at www.smarttix.com)

Baryshnikov Arts Center
 Studio 6A


450 W. 37th Street

New York, NY 10018

212-868-4444


This two-week-long movement/visual art installation features Eiko & Koma’s exploration of nakedness, desire, and the elasticity of time. Eiko & Koma will be on continual view in a hand-crafted environment of their design, in closer proximity to the audience than ever before. Audiences may come and go as they wish – or stay all evening.
 Naked was commissioned by the Walker Art Center and premiered there in November 2010. This event is part of Carnegie Hall’s citywide Japan NYC Festival and is presented in partnership with Asia Society and Danspace Project.