First Dance Research Paper

“I remember going there to my sister’s classes every day and I was like ‘I want to dance to mom! I really want to dance’ and I always liked to dance so she finally got me in it. I was like ‘I like this!’ and I’ve been there ever since” she said.

Those girls were a division higher than my team; so, as I watched their arms gracefully swing from side to side; their legs kicking into the air in a beautiful battement; and, the nearly flawless transitions, I wondered how much hard work and how many rehearsal hours they put in to achieve those movements with such ease. The spotlight highlighting their every move had me in awe. The song slowly started to fade out and the loud, obnoxious thumping in my chest resurfaced. With shaky legs and uneven breathing I hesitantly made my way onto the stage and got into position. Looking into the crowd, I could see hundreds of faces staring back at me; some familiar, some I had never seen in my life. This gave me a feeling of nostalgia taking me back to that first day of dance class when all eyes were on me. I could not hear anything around me except my heartbeat in my chest. I remembered how aesthetically pleasing the dancers prior presented themselves on stage and told myself to get it together. I had to give it my all and not let my team down, but most importantly I could not let myself down. I looked at my friend, who posed just to the left of me, for reassurance and she gave me such a genuine smile. I could see it in her eyes that she believed in me. I looked at my surrounding and thought “This is what I’ve been working towards. This is where I want to be.” All the negative thoughts that previously invaded my mind faded. My breathing began to even out as the lights dim signaling that the song would start any

On Wednesday, November 18th, I had the pleasure to attend and watch the Dance Plus’s Fall show. The Dance Plus was performed at the Douglass Theatre, Victoria Mastrobuno Theater. When I entered the show the theatre seemed a little small for such big crowed. I immediately thought there would not be enough seats for all the audience, but somehow it fitted everyone. As everyone got settled down, the dance performance had started. I chose to write about the first performance that was choreographed by the amazing director, Jessica Lange her work was simply wonderful! I loved every little piece of the play. It put a smile on my face watching this amazing work of art. So with that said, I would now like to talk about the dance performance. There were

Whenever I walk into the dance studio at my high school, there is always a certain smell. There is always a slight smell of sweat, passion and a hint of baby powder. Sweat for working hard, passion for loving what they are doing and baby powder to help with turning.

Chip was back in town for the occasion, nostalgia brought me to the day I applied. However, this time I dragged everyone to seats around the stage. Again, the night was for making memories, and embarrassing the birthday boy was on the agenda. We paid two dancers to restrain Zack on stage in order to publicly haze and dance on him. Eagerly I had an idea, asked the DJ, my old friend, if I could jump on stage and contribute to the act. Still laughing, about to jump off stage, the DJ announces I was the next dancer. Between confusion, and all my friends encouragement to dance, I gave in. Nerves had me shaking in my skin as I tried recreating what I’ve seen the strippers do, then got down to my underwear while my friends and customers

She stares at her old first place dance plagues. She stares at the scar on her larynx. In her pocket is a flyer for the Winter Showcase of Contemporary Dance luring her to fall in love with dance again.

Exploring dance as a career is a challenging, but rewarding career in the long run. It takes years of dedication, and countless hours of training to perfect technique, and gain the needed endurance, strength, and agility, but it is a passion that brings joy to the multitude. Throughout the short lived career of a dancer, they will endure many auditions, rehearsals, and performances, if the dancer can make it through an audition and gain a role. Even though the wages may not be the best, and the hours are long, a true dancer will be able to overlook this all in pursuit of their passion. Where did the career, of being a professional dancer come from? What does this career look like? Is there necessary education

Dance instruction will be conducted by Walter Pérez, dancer and instructor dedicated to teaching and promoting tango and other Latin social dances among diverse audiences, including schoolchildren, seniors, and people with physical and psychological challenges. He is currently offering classes at several senior centers in addition to dance residencies in New York City public schools. As a performer and dance teacher with over 20 years of experience, he has witnessed the trans-formative power of social dancing and its unexpected physical and mental health benefits.

“But I don’t want to go!” I remember screaming as my mom put my new ballet shoes on my feet; and I guess my first grade self didn’t make a reasonable enough argument because there I was at my first dance lesson. I peeked nervously into the dance studio and saw girls much older than I moving their arms gracefully with the music as they lifted their legs into an attitude. I remember noticing that their shoes were different than mine, still the pretty pink color that I loved so much, but they were standing on them. They had lacey ribbons tied all the way up their calves and beautiful material surrounded the shoes. Another first grader next to me was quick to boast that she knew what they were called, they were called pointe shoes and as I continued

Dancing, in the simplest terms, can be defined as rhythmical movement to music. For me, however, it has held a far greater significance in my life that goes beyond any physical means. For as long as I can remember, dance has served as my escape — a way to momentarily proceed from reality, and become in touch with my mind, body, and soul. It is a freedom of expression; an art

Dancing is a beautiful language. Dancing was invented to express how we felt, how we wanted to be perceived and to find purpose with each movement. There are different styles of dancing. Each one as wonderful as the other. Ballet and Jazz might be two different types of dance but they are ways to dance.

On February 6, my boyfriend and I attended the So-Cal Dance Invitational. Going into the theatre, I was expecting a performance similar to ones I have done in the past. I was unaware that it would be a dance concert revolved around the modern dance style. Once we found our seats, I began thumbing through the playbill. My boyfriend is a total stranger to the dance world so naturally, he was asking me questions about what it was going to be like and simple questions regarding dance that anyone might ask. We didn’t wait long until the show finally began. The director of the show came on stage first to introduce the production as well as the opening number.

Today’s the opening day of the new club in town., I’m so nervous. The owner wants us to do some type of audition to get the position, so here I am, waiting in line to perform. A couple people have already gone, and they seemed somewhat happy, so it looks like I might not get a place here, or if I do, I’ll be a janitor or something.

She encouraged us to ask questions if we needed to, something that eased my mind slightly, but as she outlined the course of the class for the next month and the rigor of the technique and choreography we’d learn, that glimmer of hope soon went down the toilet. We went around the seated circle, playing the generally awkward, yet apparently obligatory game of introductions as the eight girls surrounding me talked about their twelve years of prestigious studios and teachers. The most socially mortifying moment of my life had to be when it was my turn, as I stumbled out the fact that I had taken one year of Jazz, a generous description for the six-month class I had taken on Basic Dance Fundamentals. The second the last word left my mouth, a quick shared look among the other dancers confirmed how they all felt about me: I was the weak link, that one person in every dance class who struggles and gets put in the back at the

The lights are on me and the other performers on stage. The crowd is cheering so loud the music can’t even be heard. Hearing them cheer made me push myself harder than I already was. I can hear the crowd screaming my name and which made me feel confident in my dancing. The whole first floor of the auditorium was filled with people shouting at their top of their lungs. Performing in front of a crowd just fills me with adrenaline and makes me forget about the world. It's almost as if I’m free even though I have a choreography to follow.