YES about transitions! I get so annoyed when I see videos of students who really are sloppy dancers but people think they're amazing because their legs go behind their head and their jumps are high *sigh*
I'm so glad you point out that it isn't about high kicks and 100 consecutive pirouettes. The trend is all these amazing circus tricks, but that is NOT dancing. Students needs to get that.
Linda Harrison ALL.OF.THIS. I blame the competitive dance scene because it gives dancers a false sense of skill. In all the auditions I've been to, not once have I been asked to do 20 piroettes into an aerial. It's always about how you flow and emote.
But if someone wants those skills then they should train for them. Everyone has different goals and if they don't want to be a professional dancer than they can decide for themselves what the goal is.
@Linda Harrison -- High extensions and grand battements and an impressive number of consecutive pirouettes (these days doubles, triples and for the men on stage, often more) are essential for making it to the top of top ballet companies -- albeit, in both cases technique and placement must be correct. Ballet technique has moved ahead so much and the competition is so fierce that those teachers who do not insist on these attributes (taught properly with proper placement and turnout) are doing no favors to their students who have the right kind of bodies and potential to be professional dancers in top companies.
Wow, the one about confidence and being apologetic was a real wake up call. I do find that I say sorry every time I do something wrong and recently I've kind of hit a plateau so I've lost a lot of confidence. I will definitely start to prioritize those things!
Brooke Amundrud This is great advice to apply to life in general! I've seen so many women overly apologetic for things that don't require it. Another thing that helps confidence, watch the word 'just'. In any professional environment saying something to your boss like- "Do you have a minute? I'd like your opinion on..." Is much more confident than- "I'm sorry for interrupting but I'm just wondering what you think..."
So true. I love the quality of the movement vs. the spectacle. Rolling through that foot, the port de bras going all the way to the fingernail. I love a beautiful 10 o' clock kick vs. a flashy 6 o' clock. This reminds me of tap class, we have someone annoying who always wants us to go faster, practices it faster than the given tempo for the combo to show off. It's not now fast, but how accurate your rhythm and clean your sounds are. Feet do not dance - the body does.
I think your advice of pacing yourself, and being respectively pro-active (rehearsing during break/lunch, or learning choreography for a part even if your not assigned it) are truly VALUEABLE words of wisdom! Pacing is super important if you're doing Broadway or Off-Broadway, have two shows that day, and are wanting to take a class. Thank you for sharing of yourself! Could you do a video of tips and suggestions for learning choreography quickly, especially in audition situations? Ahead of time, thank you.
I'm so happy my old ballet teacher taught transitions in EVERYTHING, she was very strict about how we ended at the barre or across the floor center, all that. She also was strict about walks on stage and even just combos in class. So it's a habit of mine to transition nicely , I'm really grateful for her being hard on us about it. It makes everything feel smoother and prettier and now that I have a teacher that doesn't teach it when I watch other dancers it just looks so lazy without transitions. It's also helped a lot so you are in the habit of transitioning beautifully on stage and the teacher doesn't end up having to choreograph in a walk or something just to make it look better lol I've noticed that to.
This is so helpful to hear! I have written down each point you made to help with my goal setting for full time dance trainning this year. Thank you for what you do
the asking questions thing is so important im currently still a student and I always make sure that if something wasn't clear or the counting didn't make sense I ask the teacher cause I notice that some students would rather pretend that they got it and try to follow along and it doesn't work
i was never going to be on a pro level, but i did impress a teacher one time by actually having enough ballet knowledge to verbalize a question. She was new to us and came from a higher level studio than ours. In other areas of life I have tried to get better at asking. I have recently returned to adult tap in middle age and fortunately none of us are afraid to stop the teacher and ask questions!
Hi Kirsten, I love your channel and videos they're amazing! I was wondering if you could make a video about how to improve your technique or maybe how to improve as a dancer?Im having problems with this and I'd love to hear your tips 💕
Hi Kirsten! (I hope I spelled that correctly) I recently got cast in a role which involves a lot of acting. The director of my school has told me and the other girls doing the part that we need to really work on our facial expressions during the dance. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what we are supposed to be doing in terms of acting, but I am really scared to start adding that to my dancing. It is a step that I know I need to take, but it's just one of the first times I have done this kind of part, so I was wondering what you would suggest to get over that mentality? I know it probably has a lot to do with confidence (thank you for talking about that in this video, it was really helpful), but I was just wondering if you could give me a little bit more insight on how to perform well. Thanks!
Jordan Clark Me too!! Facial acting is becoming a bigger deal in younger girls for dance I never had to do more than smile so I don't know how to teach confidence to younger girls. A video from her one this would be great!
Hi Jordan! I'm not Kirsten but I hope I can help. The thing with dance acting is that the audience can tell when you're really invested in the emotion of the dance and when you're just pulling a face because you were told to. Something that helps me is making up an internal monologue for my character and allowing that to affect how I feel and show through me (it's like when you listen to a sad breakup song and mourn an imaginary relationship). You might still have to amp it up for stage, but your expressions will look and feel more genuine when you really put yourself inside the character. Hope this helps!
I am watching your videos and even though I am not professional dancer (just 23 yo dinosaur that decided to do what he loves), I am realizing that I was already thought almost the same skills in my profession (reliability, holistic approach, looking at the delivery of work, being confident of your skills) so basically not only focusing on great tricks. That is really wonderful to see, how dance is similar to engineering but also different in many matters. At the same time I know a plethora of people (I was one of them, environmental issue sorry :P ) that are unaware of what the dance really is and that a dancer is not only crazy spinning girl but also a serious employee that delivers work like in other professions!! Summing up, things what you are saying here and not only related to dance students and pros but they are rather universal. Even though neither dancers nor engineers doesn't trust me, I believe that both areas can benefit each other. :) However, the main point is that everybody is obligated to learn science at schools, but nobody says a word about ballet or dance in general. Sad but unfortunately true :/
Daaang lolol- I've got the "Not Shy" part, the confidence, I'll work on my transitions for sure. I definitely communicate... I'm practically professional! loolololololol! I believe in ME, too! Wonder if it shows...
not if you keep lolol-ing, that also weakens whatever it is you are trying to say. You are communicating that you should not be taken seriously at all. Not sure if you really meant to do that ...
Have you watched Wendy Whelan's documentary ("Restless Creature") yet (it is on Netflix now!)? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as it covers a lot of what you've featured o this channel (injuries, retirement, etc.). :)
do you have a video on being more self confident or letting go and showing more emotion through dance? I'm having trouble with that even though I know i can do it! thanks
Ariane Böer Practicing the basic common steps has helped me the most. Making sure I know all the fundamental blocks helps me learn new things earlier. Also doing workshops both in person and online works too. Getting used to the quickness of learning new things frequently.
I can relate to this challenge. I will say this is one of the several things that I always felt anxious about when going to auditions - - heck, I guess we're always anxious about the things that we think are our weaknesses, and for me it's the fear of memorizing choreography within 10 - 20 minutes. Ugh....
Nice points, what you're saying makes a lot of sense and gave me some new perspective and motivation :) and I think the length of your video is just great! Not too long at all :)
I’m not saying this to be critical I’m saying this because this is something that I want to raise awareness about, but I feel that saying “you have to be able to pick up choreography quickly” is ableist to people like me. I have ADHD and a slow processing speed so picking up choreography can be a challenge for me. I can do it and I can even do it quickly, but choreographers need to be patient. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act someone with ADHD has the right to discuss reasonable accommodations with their employer such as, providing them with videos of choreography if available, allowing for note taking, allowing to record choreography, and not yelling at them when they ask a question that had already been answered. I don’t feel like this is talked about in the dance industry, and I have a feeling when I get more work that it will become a problem. Just because this is show business doesn’t mean the ADA doesn’t apply to you.
YES about transitions! I get so annoyed when I see videos of students who really are sloppy dancers but people think they're amazing because their legs go behind their head and their jumps are high *sigh*
I'm so glad you point out that it isn't about high kicks and 100 consecutive pirouettes. The trend is all these amazing circus tricks, but that is NOT dancing. Students needs to get that.
Linda Harrison ALL.OF.THIS. I blame the competitive dance scene because it gives dancers a false sense of skill. In all the auditions I've been to, not once have I been asked to do 20 piroettes into an aerial. It's always about how you flow and emote.
But if someone wants those skills then they should train for them. Everyone has different goals and if they don't want to be a professional dancer than they can decide for themselves what the goal is.
@Linda Harrison -- High extensions and grand battements and an impressive number of consecutive pirouettes (these days doubles, triples and for the men on stage, often more) are essential for making it to the top of top ballet companies -- albeit, in both cases technique and placement must be correct. Ballet technique has moved ahead so much and the competition is so fierce that those teachers who do not insist on these attributes (taught properly with proper placement and turnout) are doing no favors to their students who have the right kind of bodies and potential to be professional dancers in top companies.
Wow, the one about confidence and being apologetic was a real wake up call. I do find that I say sorry every time I do something wrong and recently I've kind of hit a plateau so I've lost a lot of confidence. I will definitely start to prioritize those things!
Brooke Amundrud This is great advice to apply to life in general! I've seen so many women overly apologetic for things that don't require it. Another thing that helps confidence, watch the word 'just'. In any professional environment saying something to your boss like- "Do you have a minute? I'd like your opinion on..." Is much more confident than- "I'm sorry for interrupting but I'm just wondering what you think..."
So true. I love the quality of the movement vs. the spectacle. Rolling through that foot, the port de bras going all the way to the fingernail. I love a beautiful 10 o' clock kick vs. a flashy 6 o' clock. This reminds me of tap class, we have someone annoying who always wants us to go faster, practices it faster than the given tempo for the combo to show off. It's not now fast, but how accurate your rhythm and clean your sounds are. Feet do not dance - the body does.
Wow, I thought this would be some kind of comedy thing. This video just blew my mind! This is useful advice in pretty much all areas of life.
I think your advice of pacing yourself, and being respectively pro-active (rehearsing during break/lunch, or learning choreography for a part even if your not assigned it) are truly VALUEABLE words of wisdom! Pacing is super important if you're doing Broadway or Off-Broadway, have two shows that day, and are wanting to take a class. Thank you for sharing of yourself! Could you do a video of tips and suggestions for learning choreography quickly, especially in audition situations? Ahead of time, thank you.
I'm so happy my old ballet teacher taught transitions in EVERYTHING, she was very strict about how we ended at the barre or across the floor center, all that. She also was strict about walks on stage and even just combos in class. So it's a habit of mine to transition nicely , I'm really grateful for her being hard on us about it. It makes everything feel smoother and prettier and now that I have a teacher that doesn't teach it when I watch other dancers it just looks so lazy without transitions. It's also helped a lot so you are in the habit of transitioning beautifully on stage and the teacher doesn't end up having to choreograph in a walk or something just to make it look better lol I've noticed that to.
can i just say you have really nice brows
+iluvsharks100 yes, you can 😂 thanks!
This is so helpful to hear! I have written down each point you made to help with my goal setting for full time dance trainning this year. Thank you for what you do
the asking questions thing is so important im currently still a student and I always make sure that if something wasn't clear or the counting didn't make sense I ask the teacher cause I notice that some students would rather pretend that they got it and try to follow along and it doesn't work
i was never going to be on a pro level, but i did impress a teacher one time by actually having enough ballet knowledge to verbalize a question. She was new to us and came from a higher level studio than ours. In other areas of life I have tried to get better at asking. I have recently returned to adult tap in middle age and fortunately none of us are afraid to stop the teacher and ask questions!
I love thia video so much its very helpful especially when there is not many dance videos on youtube.
This is a very helpful video. Important life lessons. Thank you very much!
Hi Kirsten, I love your channel and videos they're amazing! I was wondering if you could make a video about how to improve your technique or maybe how to improve as a dancer?Im having problems with this and I'd love to hear your tips 💕
Hi Kirsten! (I hope I spelled that correctly)
I recently got cast in a role which involves a lot of acting. The director of my school has told me and the other girls doing the part that we need to really work on our facial expressions during the dance. I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what we are supposed to be doing in terms of acting, but I am really scared to start adding that to my dancing. It is a step that I know I need to take, but it's just one of the first times I have done this kind of part, so I was wondering what you would suggest to get over that mentality? I know it probably has a lot to do with confidence (thank you for talking about that in this video, it was really helpful), but I was just wondering if you could give me a little bit more insight on how to perform well. Thanks!
Jordan Clark Me too!! Facial acting is becoming a bigger deal in younger girls for dance I never had to do more than smile so I don't know how to teach confidence to younger girls. A video from her one this would be great!
Hi Jordan! I'm not Kirsten but I hope I can help. The thing with dance acting is that the audience can tell when you're really invested in the emotion of the dance and when you're just pulling a face because you were told to. Something that helps me is making up an internal monologue for my character and allowing that to affect how I feel and show through me (it's like when you listen to a sad breakup song and mourn an imaginary relationship). You might still have to amp it up for stage, but your expressions will look and feel more genuine when you really put yourself inside the character. Hope this helps!
I am watching your videos and even though I am not professional dancer (just 23 yo dinosaur that decided to do what he loves), I am realizing that I was already thought almost the same skills in my profession (reliability, holistic approach, looking at the delivery of work, being confident of your skills) so basically not only focusing on great tricks. That is really wonderful to see, how dance is similar to engineering but also different in many matters.
At the same time I know a plethora of people (I was one of them, environmental issue sorry :P ) that are unaware of what the dance really is and that a dancer is not only crazy spinning girl but also a serious employee that delivers work like in other professions!!
Summing up, things what you are saying here and not only related to dance students and pros but they are rather universal. Even though neither dancers nor engineers doesn't trust me, I believe that both areas can benefit each other. :) However, the main point is that everybody is obligated to learn science at schools, but nobody says a word about ballet or dance in general. Sad but unfortunately true :/
Daaang lolol- I've got the "Not Shy" part, the confidence, I'll work on my transitions for sure. I definitely communicate... I'm practically professional! loolololololol! I believe in ME, too! Wonder if it shows...
not if you keep lolol-ing, that also weakens whatever it is you are trying to say. You are communicating that you should not be taken seriously at all. Not sure if you really meant to do that ...
oh good Lord, are you actually serious, here? :'D
Yup, sorry ...
I just wanted to say that your channel is really inspiring for me.
Thank you so much! I’m glad I can do something to help 😊
Have you watched Wendy Whelan's documentary ("Restless Creature") yet (it is on Netflix now!)? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as it covers a lot of what you've featured o this channel (injuries, retirement, etc.). :)
do you have a video on being more self confident or letting go and showing more emotion through dance? I'm having trouble with that even though I know i can do it! thanks
Your video is truly inspiring. Thank you for upload!
Can someone give me a tip to improve memorising choreography fast? I always struggled and still struggle with that
Ariane Böer Practicing the basic common steps has helped me the most. Making sure I know all the fundamental blocks helps me learn new things earlier. Also doing workshops both in person and online works too. Getting used to the quickness of learning new things frequently.
Tabitha Wheeler
Oh thank you so much :) do you know any specific (online) workshops that you can recommend?
I find it really helpful to humm the music whilst picking up its slightly strange but it works for me and might be something to try
Melissa Riggs oh thanks I will definitely give it a try
I can relate to this challenge. I will say this is one of the several things that I always felt anxious about when going to auditions - - heck, I guess we're always anxious about the things that we think are our weaknesses, and for me it's the fear of memorizing choreography within 10 - 20 minutes. Ugh....
Nice points, what you're saying makes a lot of sense and gave me some new perspective and motivation :) and I think the length of your video is just great! Not too long at all :)
Wow, incredibly amazing and effective tips 😍
This video is so helpfull to all dancers.
Really useful advice. Thank u so much!!
You are so precise. This is very helpfull
I’m not saying this to be critical I’m saying this because this is something that I want to raise awareness about, but I feel that saying “you have to be able to pick up choreography quickly” is ableist to people like me. I have ADHD and a slow processing speed so picking up choreography can be a challenge for me. I can do it and I can even do it quickly, but choreographers need to be patient. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act someone with ADHD has the right to discuss reasonable accommodations with their employer such as, providing them with videos of choreography if available, allowing for note taking, allowing to record choreography, and not yelling at them when they ask a question that had already been answered. I don’t feel like this is talked about in the dance industry, and I have a feeling when I get more work that it will become a problem. Just because this is show business doesn’t mean the ADA doesn’t apply to you.
This is completely unrelated but I'm in love with the lipstick you have on - please tell me what it is??
can you do habits that Professional Ballet Dancers Do That Students Don't
great video
thats not really a professional thing.. more of an age and maturity thing