![\"Martin](\"http:\/\/thetravelingyogi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Martin-Harvey-at-Dance-Teacher-Summit.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMartin Harvey at Dance Teacher Summit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Martin Harvey, former principal with The Royal Ballet, who is also an actor and Broadway performer, says, \u201cOn the surface, there is definitely a gap. However, underneath, we\u2019re all going for the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commercial dancer Teddy Forance, who hails from a competition dance background, shares the same sentiment, saying, \u201cI think there is still a gap, but it’s definitely closing more and more. I think University of Southern California was massive for the dance world to see. This college is built upon showing different ideas and concepts. You\u2019ve got Forsythe, but then you also have commercial people coming in and teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emmy-nominated choreographer Al Blackstone also feels like the gap is \u201cabsolutely closing\u201d, adding, \u201cI feel like I thrive in that gap! I enjoy adapting to the kind of audience that my work will have and figuring out how to connect with them most effectively. I try not to worry about which areas of the industry I fit into because ultimately, it\u2019s all dancing, and that is the language that I feel most comfortable speaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harvey, Blackstone and Forance have all very successfully navigated that gap, enjoying exciting, varied and ever-evolving careers in many areas of the dance industry.<\/p>\n
Forance speaks fondly of his recent work in the concert dance sphere with Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago. \u201cIt was really cool that they opened up the doors, were so generous and so kind, and really enjoyed my work. It was a really interesting collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Teddy](\"http:\/\/thetravelingyogi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Teddy-Forrance-for-Dance-Teacher-Summit.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTeddy Forance. Photo by Katie Goughan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Blackstone, who seems to jet\u00e9 effortlessly across many spectrums of dance, is excited about the merging of different dance worlds, sharing that \u201cdancers now have more access to information and training than ever before, and it means that dancers are able to be more versatile than ever. In New York, there are company dancers dancing on Broadway and ballet dancers doing music videos! Different communities are feeding off one another in order to evolve, and it means that the lines are increasingly being blurred.\u201d<\/p>\n
With these lines blurred, how can dance educators equip their students to bridge the gap so they, too, can achieve successful and fulfilling careers in any area, or multiple areas, of the industry?<\/p>\n
Harvey tells educators to \u201cencourage open-mindedness and provide\/lobby for diverse and balanced training at their studios.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forance shares practical advice saying, \u201cI think it’s about being informed. Map out on paper all the different options for colleges and the choices you can make. There are so many different things to research out there \u2014 for example, Arts Umbrella in Canada, has a way to do a year training program without an academic\u00a0program.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds, \u201cGive them all the tools you can, and really be knowledgeable yourself across not only the competition convention scene but also the collegiate level, companies, what’s happening in LA. Talk about getting an agent and the process for that. I think there are so many things that go in to preparing someone to be a professional dancer, more than just how to move!\u201d<\/p>\n
Blackstone adds an emphasis on broad training. \u201cI think that solid training and encouraging our students to have an open mind will always be the key to versatility. If we can encourage our dancers to be curious and try new things, then they will have a better chance of branching out in to different areas of the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Forance agrees. \u201cIt\u2019s about being someone in the room who is just agile with anything that comes at them \u2014 words, or movement or energy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Al](\"http:\/\/thetravelingyogi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Al-Blackstone-Teacher-Summit.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAl Blackstone at Dance Teacher Summit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cHold your students accountable,\u201d stresses Blackstone. \u201cAs a convention teacher, I see kids skipping classes all the time because they \u2018don\u2019t like\u2019 or \u2018don\u2019t do\u2019 that style. It breaks my heart because they are so young and already boxing themselves in and setting limits on what they think they are capable of!\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, \u201cAsk the students to invest in finding out who they really are,\u201d digs Harvey. \u201cSpend a little less time on \u2018what\u2019 is happening and more on \u2018why\u2019 and \u2018how\u2019 it\u2019s happening. Suggest that the students might start thinking as if they were a director or a choreographer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blackstone, who will be teaching at this summer\u2019s Dance Teacher Summit<\/a> (DTS) aims to help educators have these discussions so they can assist students to best navigate the industry. \u201cDance Teacher Summit connects the people who are responsible for fostering the next generation of dancers in this country. We come together to share ideas, try new things, have conversations and dance together. Regardless of what part of the industry we inhabit, it is the kind of place where you immediately realize how connected we really are.\u201d<\/p>\n With leading educators and professional dancers and choreographers from across the commercial, concert and collage scenes speaking and instructing, DTS brings these worlds together in one place.<\/p>\n Harvey says, \u201cI think DTS does a marvelous job of making an energetic fact into a tangible reality. We are all connected, and we do all care, so bringing us together to help further sculpt ourselves can only be good news for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n And as Forance stresses, it\u2019s all about being \u201cinformed\u201d. We can\u2019t all know everything happening in the industry, but when we come together, we can learn, grow and, very importantly, be re-inspired for the new teaching year.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to fill your cup back up before you let people drink from your inspiration,\u201d says Forance.<\/p>\n Join Harvey, Forance and Blackstone at Dance Teacher Summit this July and August. For more information, visit <\/em>www.danceteachersummit.com<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n By Deborah Searle of Dance Informa<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post What should students choose? College, concert or commercial dance?<\/a> appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As dancers chass\u00e9 toward their senior year of school, they begin to decide where dance will take them. Where will they take<\/p>\n