1. teach-learn connection
tion. quot;It makes them wobble,quot; she says.
quot;You need to get to the position and hold
it.quot; This allows students to quickly find
their placement and fix it if necessary.
Some methods teach students to not
shift their weight at all when transferring
from two legs to one. However, most
teachers believe that in order to maintain
your alignment some shifting must occur,
especially when nsmg to demi- or full
pointe. A dancer's center needs to be
lined up over the standing foot. Ellison Candace Williams and
uses the metaphor of stacking boxes: quot;If Joseph Putnam in
the boxes arc not lined up, the .stack will Touch, choreographed
by Debra Knapp
not be stable.quot;
But when we are onstage, we must, of
course, dance and that means that the
ACROSS THE FLOOR
alignment gets thrown around. quot;You're
constantly relooking for it, reinventing it ACDFAinNYC
every day and every moment,quot; says Risa For the first time, the National College State University's Ivan Pulinkala. His cast
Steinberg, a Limón teacher at Juilliard. Dance Festival was held in NYC instead of seven men hung from and climbed on
The daily class is the place to regain the of the Kennedy Center in Washington, a giant trellis that was moveable in three
alignment. quot;It's potentially a very small DC. Last June, 217 college students parts (by Ming Chen). The piece was not
action, but the consequences are enor- {escorted by 95 faculty members) were let only ingenious but somehow heroic.
mous. It allows your body to function loose on the streets of Manhattan with Another exciting work was the rhythmi-
every moment at its best capacity.quot; And discount cards to seven dance studios. cally driving Grid by Cecil Slaughter of
as Hübbe says, quot;No matter what method They represented the more than 5,000 Washington University in St. Louis. A
you subscribe to, all methods are inher- students who attended the 10 regional complex, fun, and highly kinetic dance
ently about aligning the body.quot; American College Dance Festival for 16 students, it set the men (most of
Association conferences (see quot;Competing them beginners) sailing through the air to
in Creativity,quot; March). They performed land at the feet of the women, who were
TIPS FOR IMPROVING ALIGNMENT busy with more intricate movement.
in three nights of concerts at Columbia
• Think of stacking your skeleton like Watching it, one could only think,
University's Miller Theatre, co-sponsored
boxes, but keep a small space between quot;These kids can move!quot; —Wendy Perron
by Barnard College. As one of the adju-
them: Pelvis over the feet, rib cage over
dicators (along with choreographers Sara
hips, shoulders over ribs, and head on top.
Pearson and David Parker), I saw two of
• Keep the weight evenly distributed the three concens. Alcohol Awareness
throughout the foot with the fifth
metatarsal contacting the floor.
The student choreography emphati- Through the Arts
cally did not shy away from real life. One North Dakota's Dickinson State
• Remember opposition: Keep the shoul- piece squeezed humor out of the anxiety University has been fightmg an ongoing
ders down and keep pulled up through the of exam-taking. Another explored bi- battle against its binge-drinking culture.
hips; keep the feet rooted into the floor polar tendencies. The ACDFA/Dance But the school has a surprising ally in that
and the crown of the head lengthening up. Magazine award for Outstanding Student fight: eampus-based Form and Fusion
• Use the mirror. If you look crooked, you Choreographer went to Emily Wexler, a Dance Company, which started the uni-
probably are. graduate student at Hollins University, versity's student-run Alcohol Awareness
for her rebellious and absurdist Navy Through the Ans program. Pattie Carr,
• The muscles should be engaged but not Blue. Three dancers dashed up to the director of DSU's Wellness Program, and
gripped, so that at any moment you can stage from the audience, then scribbled head of Form and Fusion, says that the
move without having to release. on a blackboard and wrote on each other. alcohol awareness program began nearly
• Don't tuck the pelvis under, but think of The Outstanding Student Performer six years ago when, in one weekend, two
lengthening the taiibone down. Award went to Candace Williams of football players from a rival school died
• Practice alignment during the basics. New Mexico State University for her of alcohol-related causes. quot;Form and
Bennett says, quot;If you can't do it in tendu, heartfelt, sustained performance m the Fusion has always been a very diverse
you can't do it anywhere.quot; rapturous duet Touch, choreographed by group, and at the time we had six football
facult)-' member Debra Wright Knapp. players m the company,quot; she remembers.
Naturally the faculty pieces (not for quot;Those deaths sent shock waves through
Peter Brandenhoff is ballet master at
adjudication) were more finished and the group—-they realized it could have
Ballet San Jose School and a former San
well crafted than the student pieces. Two been one of them.quot; Carr and her students
Francisco Ballet soloist. He currently
standouts were Incubus by Kennesaw decided to address the problem them-
performs as a guest artist.
98 SEPTEMBER 2008

2. teach-learn connection
selves, creating dances that communicated
their concerns about binge drinking.
Their first Alcohol Awareness Through
the Arts performance stunned
Dickinson students, who were over-
whelmed by the power of the student-
to-student message. quot;It's not a poster,
it's not a TV ad, it's not a teacher or par-
ent lecturing you,quot; says Bradley Auch,
one of the current student directors of
the program. quot;It's actual students on a
stage, throwing themselves out there.quot;
Alcohol Awareness Through the Arts
became an annual tradition, growing to
include one-act plays, poetry, animated
videos, and visual art exhibits. However,
Form and Fusion's dances quot;continue to
be the hub of it,quot; says Carr. This year, the
program will be held Oct. 6-11 to coin-
cide with National Collegiate Alcohol
Awareness Week. quot;It's a beautiful use of
the arts,quot; Carr says. quot;Using dance to
make a difference in some young person's
life. That's really powerful.quot;
^^ Cheasapake Ave.
—Margaret Fuhrer
Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034
New Programs
Building on their partnership started in
2005, American Dance Festival and
Hollins University now offer a combined
THE AILEY SCHOOL BA/BFA degree as well as a post-bac-
calaureate diploma program in dance. See
www.hollinsdance.org. • York University
OFFICIAL SCHOOL OF ALVIN AILEY. AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
in Toronto launches a Ph.D. in dance
studies, focusing on dance ethnology and
JUDITH JAMISON, Artistic Director 2008-2009 history. York now also offers an MFA in
Alvin Aiiey, Founder AUDITIONS choreography and dance dramaturgy. See
Denise Jefferson, Director
PROFESSIONAL DIVISION www.yorku.ca. • The Chhandam School
Ages 16 to 25 of Kathak, directed by international
Certificate Program kathak master Pandit Chitresh Das,
Independent Study Program opened a branch in Northridge, CA, in
Summer Intensive Program June. »The new Taos Academy of Dance
Kansas City, MO Arts opens this fall in Taos, NM, led by
date TBA in Sept. 2008 renowned flamenco dancer and teacher
National audition tour Teodoro Morca.
beginsin Jan. 2009
PRE-PROFESSIONAL
PROGRAM Class Notes
Fellowship Program ODC/Dance artistic director Brenda Way
Fall 2008 Term will be in residency at the American
AUDITION & PROGRAM INFORMATION Ages 15 to 17 Academy in Rome for the 2008-2009
Visit www.theaileyschool.edu, call 212-405-9513 or Thurs., Sept. 4 - 5pm
academic year. During her time there,
email admissions@alvinailey.org. 2008-2009 School Year she will serve as a senior advisor to the
Sat., Sept. 6 winners of the Rome Prize and initiate a
GROUP VISITS & PRIVATE CLASSES AVAILABLE ll:30am-;lges 7to9 choreographic collaboration between a
1pm- Ages 10 to 13
Email groupvisits@alvinailey.org or call 212-405-9023 group of Italian dancers and her San
3pm- ^ges 14 to 17
Francisco-based troupe. • Hubbard
Street Dance Chicago has received
The Ailey School | The Joan Weill Center for Dance | 405 W. 55th Street | New York, NY 10019
The Ailey, School is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools
of Dance and is accredited under federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students.