Calling all professional dancers

April 28th, 2010

From Sterling Media:

Saturday 17th April saw the launch of the Bollywood Dance Championships 2010, a UK wide talent contest in search for UK’s next Bollywood superstar and dancer in the making.

Over 800 people turned up to audition and wowed the Judges with their talent, from Belly Dancing to Bhangra, Hip-Hop to Salsa and Burlesque to Bollywood, all for one lucky finalist to win a role in a Bollywood film and premium toutelage from award winning Bollywood supremo Honey Kalaria. (10 awards will be announced at the finale covering solo and group performers).

Along with the auditionees an array of high end press attended to get a piece of the action! Take a look at the links below to see just what you missed!

For a one-off opportunity, the Bollywood Dance Championships committee are giving dance professionals the chance to FAST TRACK into the semi-finals on 21st and 23rd May 2010 for the Talent Show Heats. From the 300 hopefuls, 56 will be selected to participate in the finals at the O2 in July 2010.

This fantastic opportunity does not only give you the chance to win the overall prize; it also gives you priceless experience of performing in front of an esteemed judging panel, as well as a live audience and television crews. So even if you are not interested in winning the competition what better experience than to perform for some of the best in the business?


How to enter:
Entering is easy; all you have to do is send us a 1 minute video showcasing your talent for the chance to become part of this year’s growing phenomenon to press@sterlingmedia.co.uk. There is no entry fee for the FAST TRACK process and each participant will even be offered professional training in Bollywood dance if they wish – the information for which we can forward on.

 Should you wish for more information please contact Sterling Communications on 020 7801 0077.


Good Luck!

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Choosing your First Wedding Dance song

March 22nd, 2010

There are different aspects you should consider when deciding on your first wedding dance song. Of course you want it to be a song that you and your partner like but do bear in mind that you will need to be able to dance to it as well and then the tempo (not too slow, not too fast – have a look on Wedding dance -page for examples) and clear beat will carry more importance than you might have thought before.

You might be one of those couples who think that it’s their day and they get to enjoy it to the full. You might also consider the guests and whether the song would be something that everyone knows and can join in during the chorus, tap their feet and feel a warm glow while watching you dance.

One more thing to ponder about is the length of the song – will you dance the whole song through or have your relatives or all your guests join you after a while? 1 min 30 secs or so is a good time on the floor by yourselves.  Then you can invite the relatives / guests (as per your choice) to join you to finish off the song. Alternatively you can either fade out the song after the big finish (round that 1,5 min point) or if you have a band, have them wrap up the song from there – your guests will join in for the second song instead.

Happy listening while choosing your tune!

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What to wear for a first wedding dance lesson

March 16th, 2010

The most important factor when considering the clothing for your wedding dance lesson, is that you need to be comfortable. For some this means smart casual (dress, heels, shirt, tie etc) and for others jeans & T-shirt. As a teacher I don’t mind. It is a dance lesson so as long as you can move around, that’s fine.

Shoes are a bit different as the soles should be a little bit slippery so that you can swivel on the ball of the foot – very grippy / sticky trainers won’t work. The height of the heel for the ladies should be about the same as you will have on the wedding day; if you do this on one lesson then you’ll know what it feels like to dance in heels and if you should practice a bit more or if you are fine and can do the rest in flat shoes. Some dance studios have very nice wooden floors and they won’t allow you to wear spiky stiletto heels which might dig holes on the floor.

Enjoy your lessons!

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Dance Listings

September 15th, 2009

There are various dance listings out there in the web, some of them get updated, others not.

Is there a need for one more???

A listing that would be in a calendar format (instead of rows and rows of text), and you could choose which dance styles you want to see and which locations?

Comments appreciated :)

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What is a Blog and how can I follow it?

May 17th, 2009

Wikipedia describes blogs as:

“A blog (a contraction of the term weblog) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting), which are part of a wider network of social media” (Wikipedia: Blog”

And how do I follow all those interesting blogs?

You don’t really want to keep visiting blogs just to see if there’s anything new. That’s where various readers come in to the picture. You could use a Google Reader as I do: Google reader

It’s free and once you have subscribed to it, you can choose which blogs you’ll want it to follow up for you. When there are new posts in the blogs you have chosen, you can see them straight away in your reader. Very handy and saves you loads of time!

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How to dance a: Full Break

May 17th, 2009

Here’s another clip showing an Authentic Jazz Step! This one is called ‘Full Break’, which is part of a solo dance ‘Shim Sham’. Look at the slow motion parts, maybe a couple of times and you should get the hang of it :)

If you can’t see the embedded video above, click on the link view the video: How do you dance: Full Break

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THE ABC OF SHOOTING YOUR OWN DANCE VIDEO

May 15th, 2009

Originally created 17.8.1999

    I have collected some tips on how to shoot dance on a video camera, as I have noticed some mistakes in the dance videos and TV-programmes that I have seen. I hope that these tips will help you during your first attempts.

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Just in case…

1) Before you leave home: pick the media, on which you are going to shoot and write on each one and on each cover a simple description.

2) Before you leave home: Make sure that you’ll have everything you need  (extension lead and batteries as well).

3) Check that the media is at the right place.

4) When shooting on a Super tape, make sure that the camera is also shooting it as “super”.

5) Put the date in the beginning (for example when taking of shot of the venue where the dance event will be held).

6) Now take the date off!!! Otherwise it will only cover part of the screen.

7) The camera can not be on (full automated), because then the picture will pump back and forth.

8) Check “lights” / brightness. If there is too much light white clothes will shine through so much that you can’t see the moves.

9) Check colors. Everything should appear the same through the camera as in reality.

10) Windcut. If you have this option on your camera, you should use it. Otherwise you’ll get only sounds of the wind on tape.

11) ALWAYS: before you turn off the camera you should shoot some extra because the camera will rewind the tape a bit. If you take the cassette from the camera you should shoot quite a bit extra.

12) When you put a new cassette in the camera, check that it is at the right place to avoid shooting over something importan.

13) You do have a zoom in the camera, which you will have to use.

14) If you are shooting with a strange camera (not your own), do have a complete test drive first.

WHEN SHOOTING DANCE:

1) You must shoot the dancers from head to toe. The dancer fills about 3/5 of the middle of the screen. Don’t get confused about the texts that can be seen on the viewer.

2) If there are aerials / airsteps you should open the zoom so that both the man and the woman can be seen all the time. If you don’t have time to zoom you should follow the woman / flyer (and not the man / base who is just standing there…)

AT THE COMPETITION/SHOW, WHEN THERE ARE 1-3 COUPLES ON THE FLOOR AT THE TIME:

0) Choose own cassette for each class. This way the editing will be a lot easier.

1) Shoot from front on because it is the main direction where people aim the presentation.

2) The recording begins before the announcement of the couple, lasts during the dance and ends when the couple has made a bow and is leaving the floor. So you should get the complete event on the tape.

3) You should shoot all couples ALL THE TIME unless you have two cameras. Ie do not change from one couple to another.

4) If possible avoid shooting in parts of the room where people clap a lot (please do not clap yourself…), because the music won’t be audible at all.

AT THE COMPETITION/SHOW WHEN THERE ARE MORE THAN 3 COUPLES ON THE FLOOR:

1) When you are shooting competitions where there are lots of couples on the floor, pick one whom you will follow up during one or two rounds (about 20-30 seconds.)

Taina Kortelainen

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Dance Clip: Half Break

March 19th, 2009

This is the first one of  my  dance clips showing you how to do different steps.

This clip shows an Authentic Jazz Step called ‘Half Break’, which is also part of a solo dance ‘Shim Sham’. After the demonstration, you will get detailed instructions on how to do the step.

If you can’t see the embedded video above, click on the link view the video: How do you dance: Half Break

Happy viewing
Taina

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West Coast Swing Weekend in Zurich

March 16th, 2009

West Coast Swing

Weekend in

Zurich

The Event

Ben Morris & Melina Ramirez were teaching in the  West Coast Swing weekend 7.-8. March 2009 in Zurich – great teachers, lovely personalities and of course amazing dancers.

The event is run by Melanie Stocker Bucher, who is a many times World Champion in Boogie-Woogie, an extremely good teacher in various dance styles, a coach to many dance teams, judge and organiser. Melanie teaches West Coast Swing and Boogie-Woogie practically every weekend in different countries around Europe and Russia, therefore it’s no wonder that her own event runs smoothly and there is that extra ingredient to make it something special.

Lessons

The advanced level learned to speed up and slow down moves and ladies had the chance to give the slow versions a lovely stretch from the body. The combination of having to follow the speed changes in freestyle and to add your own technically quite demanding use of body to those slow parts slotted in by your leader, makes the dance more varied and interesting for the follow.

The second day gave more challenges as leaders looked for ways to make the lady duck under in different patterns and ladies practiced travelling spins while ducking under AND doing rapid changes of direction.

You could feel the concentration and motivation in the class – just what a great dance weekend is about!

Evening Dance

The evening dance was great with different DJs taking care of the music and Ben & Melina were there dancing with us. The show consisted of 9 different numbers in numerous styles: West Coast Swing, Charleston, Lindy Hop, Boogie Woogie, Jazz, Balboa and Adagio – Lionel Giannone et Amandine Principe in slow music with superb dancing, almost balletic, with lifts and splits; absolutely amazing, true Dancers!!!

Next Year

All in all the weekend was great and I’m looking forward to next year: the dates are 6.-7. March 2010!

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First Wedding Dance -tips

March 3rd, 2009

The two of you dancing together for the first time as a married couple – what kind of an image do you have of that moment?

The choices couples make nowadays are more and more varied. Some people have the approach of dancing a Waltz and then asking the parents to join them on the floor. But there are plenty of first dance Cha cha’s, Foxtrots and combinations of different dances being done – even a first tap dance. And not everybody asks the parents to join them, instead they get all the guests on the floor.

Choreography or lead & follow
I would recommend considering what the guests would enjoy as well as what the two of you really want and are comfortable doing. A ‘three and a half minute’ set choreography might be the right option if you are good at remembering routines and have the time to put the practice in. On the other hand a more loosely structured dance is easier and takes the extra pressure away.

Song options
Discuss the different options with your dance teacher and get her/his feedback on songs before making your mind up. The teacher will be able to tell you about the tempos and what dance style or styles will fit the songs on your shortlist and how easy it will be to learn to dance to each song. Consider the lyrics of the songs as well – plenty of beautiful songs are about break-up instead of lifelong commitment.

Band vs recording
If you have a band playing in your wedding, check if they can learn the same arrangement as you will be practicing to. If possible, have a run through with the band on the day to check the tempo, intros and endings, and to give yourself a chance to dance through once more before the actual thing.

When the music is pre-recorded, make sure that the volume levels are high enough so that you can hear the first notes.

The announcement
Making sure that the MC gets the guests up and around the dance floor does create a lovely atmosphere for the wedding dance and you’ll have great pictures where your friends and family are gathered in the background.

And…
Learning to dance for your wedding is something you two will have to work on together, as a team. Some areas are your strong points, others will be your partner’s – respect and patience and a lot of practice go a long way. You will want the first dance and all the preparation to be a happy memory!

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