Rush, Bounce, Jab, Rotate - choreograph a dance and show me =)

With having over 30 classes to choreograph for I always try to find different ways to be unique and inspired. For example, for "Chorus Line" - "what I did for love" I took the words being yelled out at the audition in the movie, wrote them down and made movement from there. It turned out beautifully!

In rehearsal Kathleen had us make movement from 4 words - rush, bounce, jab, rotate. To remember what I did for next week I'm writing down my steps which is sometimes not helpful because you won't remember what a certain word translates to in movement. Dance is universal & art can be interpreted in a vast variety of ways. 

Here's a chance to make your own dance to your own music interpreting these steps! Feel free to post or send me a video! FB Page, Instagram, twitter, Any way & I'll post them all together on my youtube channel. Here are the steps!

Start on floor, facing front on your right side curled in. Quickly walk around to face the back while still staying in your side. Slap floor with left hand. Bicycle legs twice. Switch to face front again.

Push up on left elbow, up on hand, back down to elbow and all the way down. Jump feet in to face left twice. Jump up to standing.

Right elbow hits side, repeat w/ left, right elbow again into a right pencil turn. Arms up to jump vertically, drop, both arms back to come front & fall back

Take 2 steps back.

Step out on right, head roll right, body roll around keep legs straight, left had pushes right elbow up as right arm threads through and straight up. Drop left arm and bring feet together.

"Release your brilliantly creative self!"

Much Love, 

Lauren.

Jr. Company Rehearsal and Important Dates!

March - June 2014



MARCH:
Saturday, 03/29/2014, Master Class with Keila Cordova, 12:15pm - 2:15pm
Sunday, 03/30/2014, 1pm-3pm Rehearsal

APRIL:
Sunday, 04/06/2014, 1pm - 3pm Rehearsal (Yankee Candle Due!)
Friday, 04/11/2014, Master Class with Alie Vidich, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Sunday, 04/13/2014, 1pm - 3pm Rehearsal
Tuesday, 04/22/2014, Ronald McDonald House, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Sunday, 04/27/2014, World Dance Day, 12noon - 2pm

MAY
Sunday, 05/04/2014, 1pm - 3pm Rehearsal
Sunday, 05/18/2014, 1pm - 3pm Rehearsal
Friday, 05/30/2014, Relay for Life, 4pm - 10pm

JUNE
Monday, 06/23/2014, 9am - 12noon Full Company Rehearsal
Monday, 06/23/2014, 7pm: CoEXIST Celebrates Five!

Pink: Rehearsals
Orange: Performances
Blue/Grey: Master Class

Springing Into Full Bloom

It’s that time of year where we’re jumping for Springtime joy, leaping through allergy season, and making bounds through fields of flowers. 

Okay, so maybe that last one only happens during daydreaming, but you get the picture: warm weather is coming and the world is recovering from winter’s cabin fever.  With an overabundance of energy, dancers are channeling positive energy into a heavy performance season.  Unfortunately this energy can also twist ankles, sprain backs, and produce many other injuries which dancers tend to baby for a solid five minutes before prancing back into rehearsals.  This is the perfect way to re-injure or show loathing frustration towards our bodies.  Sara reminds us about being stubborn with injuries…

"Our body speaks to us, but not by words, by feeling. An injury or something hurting us is a way our body is telling us to S  L  O  W    D  O  W  N and take care of ourselves. We are dancers. Our body is the instrument. If the instrument does not get proper care, there can be no song!"

March Dancer of the Month: Kayla Munger

Name: Kayla Munger   Month: March

 

1.    What is one of your favorite dance memories?  I performed a dance competition number with a broken ankle and I did not even know it was broken! 

2.   Which genre of dance do you enjoy best? Why?  Musical Theatre; I like to portray a character and express it to the audience. 

3. What is one of your favorite songs to dance to?  Baby That's Rock-N-Roll. 

4. How do you feel before a performance? Do you have any pre-performance routines or traditions?  I get very nervous and I need to make sure my "barf bags" are available! I have been known to get sick during and after performances! 

5.   What is your favorite thing about CoEXISTdance?  Experiencing new teachers and dancing with girls from other dance studios. 

6.   What is the hardest challenge you have overcome as a dancer? That I do not give up and also my height and weight. 

7.   What is your absolute favorite dance step (or trick)? Leg Holds.

     8. Which dance accessory do you have to have for class?  My sports bra. 

     9. Which day of the week is your favorite? Why?  Friday - beacuse its the         only day I do not have dance class and it gives me a chance to hang out with my friends!  

   10. When is your birthday? May 30th

Great work, Kayla! Make sure to come back soon and check out our April Dancer of the Month! 

CoEXISTdance: A Glimpse of 2013

CoEXISTdance: 2013 In Review

Guest Artist Review: Leigha Adduci and Hip Hopping!

I am not Jasmine -  I am Aladdin!

On Monday, February 17^th, CoEXISTdance was thrilled to have Ms. Leigha Adduci teach our very frist HIP HOP master class! Leigha has a Bachelor of Arts in dance from DeSales University; she is the marketing coordinator and hip hop instructor at the Institute of Dance Artistry.

The dancers benefitted from a very thorough two-hour class with Leigha. The class warmed up with an intense round of jumping jacks, push ups, crunches, jumping rope, and planking. Needless to say, the room heated up quickly! Leigha then led dancers across the floor, focusing on fast, intricate footwork, body circles, and turns. The dancers loved the upbeat music! They were challenged to pick up new material and reverse traveling combinations to the left side with very little time.

Next came every dancer’s favorite part: learning center combinations. The class learned not just one big combination, but two! The first combination was fast, fun, and sassy! Leigha challenged the dancers to blend sharp staccato movements with smooth body rolls and suspensions. The dancers also loved the part where they got to dance like Beyonce in “All the Single Ladies”! 

The second combination, choreographed to Nicki Minaj’s “Roman Revenge” was surely a challenge. Each movement was brilliantly choreographed to a specific word in the song, making the combination beyond fast and detailed! The combination was fun and edgy. Dancers looked like they were actually singing, or portraying, the song based on the mirrored movements to the words.

One of our Jr. CoEXISTdancers had great things to say about her experience…

“This was all new for me since I have never taken Hip Hop before.  I really enjoyed it!  It was challenging for me when the Hip Hop Combinations got faster. I was inspired by my friends supporting me on trying something new and helping me out.” – Abigail Miller

We cannot wait to have Leigha back again!

2014: The Year of the Blog Makeover!

Happy 2014 to our CoEXISTdance Family and Friends! One of our New Years Resolutions this year: blog, blog, blog!!! Our blog will be broken down into four major categories:

 Take 5! : This section will feature thoughts and reflections from our professional company. The CoEXISTdancers "take 5!" at rehearsal to check in with themselves, their dancing, and life!

Guest Artist Reflections (GAR) : Here we will feature our monthly Master Class teachers and guest artists. Each month, CoEXISTdance hosts a different genre of a master class for the Jr. Dance Company. In GAR we will recap the entire class experience and collect feedback from the Jr. Dancers. 

 Review: Our Review section will include audience reflections, critiques, and feedback of our performances. At our larger performances, audience members will receive a brief worksheet and/or prompt to fill out. We will use our review section to organize that information and to use it to grow artistically and professionally. 

Dancer of the Month: Each month, CoEXISTdance will highlight one Jr. CoEXISTdancer who is doing an exceptional job. The Dancer of the Month will be chosen based on rehearsal and master class attendance, taking initiative, professionalism, and clear improvement. We will publish a brief interview and picture each month of our featured dancer. 

We are so excited for all of these changes and we hope to expand our following as these four sections start to publish. We welcome any comments, likes, sharing, or feedback at any time! You will see blogs from us weekly so keep checking back often! 

While I am writing, I also wanted to let everyone know about our ...
Upcoming Spring Events!

1. World Dance Day: Sunday, April 27th 

@ The Piazza at Schmidt's in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, PA

FREE EVENT!!

2. Relay for Life: Friday, May 30th

@ Amosland Park in Norwood, PA

Another FREE Event to benefit the American Cancer Society

3. CoEXIST Celebrates Five: A Performance Celebration of our 5th Anniversary

@ Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA

Admission: $20.00

So, in the spirit of starting new and challenging things, the professional dancers used their "Take 5!" to reflect on their hopes, resolutions, and goals for 2014 :) Enjoy some of their thoughts below....

"The last thing I made was very personal-I made myself be brave. I’ve been wanting to try to apply the concepts from that to a group but I have no…and I mean zero…idea what that looks like.

I’m trying to follow my instinct."

 - Megan

"A tree grows in all directions: widening, losing limbs, changing leaves, intertwining with vines and branches, deepening roots into the ground. I’m looking for new ways of expanding and refining the smaller details that can get lost in the growth of the entire forest."

-Whitney 

"Nothing made me feel more like a dancer than being in class and just wanting to learn everything from the person who inspired me. I may not find out exactly who I am, but this should bring me closer to becoming more comfortable in my own skin."

- Kelsey

"I am excited about dancing with CoEXIST for my 1^st season. I really want to enjoy moving for myself."

- Sam

"Another year older, another year wiser. During dance I do not feel my age, dance has no age to it."

- Sean

"If the opportunity is available, try dancing in a different location. Introducing ourselves to new styles, classes, auditions, dancers, and choreographers from all types of locations helps us to shape ourselves into smart, diverse dancers."

- Sara