dance 462 - features

7/30/2019 DANCE 462 - features

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dance-462-features 1/12

f e a

t u

r e

s

© P h o t o g r a P h b y J o r d a n M

a t t e r



34 issue no. 462

DANCE FEATURES

Dance for Parkinson’s Disease: a class with a difference

Teresa Hall shares her experience in New York

The beginning of an adventure that has no boundaries and

where dance helps transformation occur at every class.

Brooklyn (New York) 26th and 27th June 2012. A workshop

divided into eight modules, going from ‘what to expect’,

‘teaching techniques’, ‘differentiation’ and ‘class structure’ to

practicum with the class of dancers that regularly attend the

class at Brooklyn Parkinson Group, held at the Mark MorrisDance Group studios in Brooklyn.

Here the emphasis is taken away from posture and

technique to expand on the quality of movement,

socialisation, artistry, and musicality.

David Leventhal (Dance for PD® founding teacher) says,

“The fundamentals of dancing and dance training—things

like balance, movement sequencing, rhythm, spatial and

aesthetic awareness and dynamic coordination—seem to

address many of the things people with Parkinson’s want

to work on to maintain a sense of condence and grace in

their movements. Although participants from all over the

world tell us they nd elements of the class therapeutic, the

primary goal of our program is for people to enjoy dance fordancing’s sake in a group setting—and to explore the range

of physical, artistic and creative possibilities that are still very

much open to them.”

The Therapeutic Powers of DanceWe take a look at two uplifting ways in which dance can help

the body heal physically – as well as inspire the spirit

a M b e r S t a r M e r k e

n S



issue no. 462 35

DANCE FEATURES

With his expert guidance we were

accompanied through the ups and downs of

the illness and how to look beyond it to apply

what we have to offer as dance teachers to

our special students…and special they are.

To see people in all stages of the

disease (from barely perceivable to almost

completely doubled over by it) enter the

room with their partners/care workers

with various degrees of difculty, including

wheelchairs, and then watch them develop

through the class from centre work to barrework and then steps across the oor was, to

say the least, incredible. The most humbling,

inspiring and deeply moving experience of

my life – and as a dance teacher it opened a

whole new horizon.

The class is an aesthetic experience that

uses the elements of narrative, imagery, live

music and community to develop artistry

and grace while addressing such PD-specic

concerns as balance, exibility, coordination,

isolation and depression.

A post-class discussion with some of

the participants that were willing to give us

feedback brought forth comments like, “I

forget about the Parkinson’s during the class”and, “Here it’s not about what we can’t do, but

what we can do.”

Now, having brought home to Italy this

unique experience, along with my colleague,

Andrea Ingram, we hope to create awareness

and promote classes of our own where

the saying ‘Dance is Life’ will be rst and

foremost in our minds.

Teresa Hall

About Dance for PD®

Dance for PD® offers dance classes for people

with Parkinson’s disease in Brooklyn, New

York and, through a network of partners

and associates, in more than 75 othercommunities around the world. An on-

going non-prot collaboration between the

Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn

Parkinson Group, the Dance for PD® program

also provides teacher training and nurtures

relationships among other organizations so

that classes based on their model are widelyavailable. Visit http://danceforparkinsons.org

for more information.

Una lezione un po’ diversa

L’inizio di un’avventura senza conni dove la

danza crea trasformazioni ad ogni lezione.

Brooklyn (New York) 26 e 27 Giugno 2012.

Un corso diviso in 8 moduli che vanno da

‘cosa aspettarti’, ‘ tecniche d’insegnamento’,

‘differenziazione’ e ‘struttura della lezione’

a pratica con una classe di ‘danzatori’ che

frequentano regolarmente la lezione del

Brooklyn Parkinsons Group tenuto negli

studi della Mark Morris Dance Group a

Brooklyn.Qui l’enfasi è spostato dalla postura e la

tecnica per concentrarsi sulla qualità del

movimento, la socializzazione, l’artisticità e

la musicalità.

“The class is an aesthetic experiencethat uses the elements of narrative,

imagery, live music and community todevelop artistry and grace”

a l l P h o t o S a M b e r S t a r M e r k e n S

Below: Dance for PD teacher, Misty

Owens leads a class at the Mark

Morris Dance Center


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dance-462-features 4/1236 issue no. 462

DANCE FEATURES

David Leventhal (Insegnante fondatore di Dance for PD®)dice “I fondamenti della danza e lo studio di esse – cose come

l’equilibrio, sequenze di movimenti, ritmo, la propriocezione,

il senso estetico e la coordinazione dinamica – sembra che

siano le cose sulle quali vogliono lavorare le persone con il

Parkinsons per mantenere un senso di sicurezza e grazia nei

movimenti. Anche se partecipanti di tutto il mondo ci dicono

che trovano alcuni elementi della classe terapeutici, lo scopo

principale del nostro programma è che le persone apprezzino

la danza per quello che è in una situazione di gruppo – ed

esplorare una vasta gamma di possibilità siche, artistiche e

creative che gli si presentano.”

Con la sua guida esperta ci ha illustrato la malattia e cosa

comporta, e come fare per guardare oltre per applicare quello

che abbiamo da offrire come insegnanti di danza a questi

“studenti speciali.” E sono davvero speciali.Vedere persone in varie fasi della malattia (da appena

percepibile a quasi completamente piegato in due), entrare

in sala con i loro compagni/aiutanti con vari livelli di

difcoltà compreso le sedie a rotelle, e guardarli mentre si

sviluppa la lezione dal centro alla sbarra e poi da un lato

della sala all’altra era a dir poco – incredibile. L’esperienza più

motivante, toccante e commovente della mia vita – e come

insegnante di danza ha aperto nuovi orizzonti.

La lezione è un’esperienza artistica che usa gli elementi

della narrativa, immagini gurative, musica dal vivo e lavoro

di gruppo per sviluppare il lato artistico e la grazia mentre si

affrontano problemi specici del Morbo di Parkinson come

l’equilibrio, la essibilità, la coordinazione, l’isolamento e la

depressione.

Nella discussione dopo la classe con alcuni studenti che

hanno offerto di darci feedback sono usciti commenti come

“Durante la lezione mi dimentico del Parkinsons” e “Quil’enfasi è su quello che riusciamo a fare, non su quello che

NON riusciamo a fare.”

Adesso che ho portato a casa in Italia questa nuova

esperienza, insieme alla mia collega Andrea Ingram speriamo

di diffondere la conoscenza e promuovere lezioni dove spicca

il detto “Danza è vita.”

Dance for PD®: cos’è?

Dance for PD ® offre corsi di danza per persone affette

dal morbo di Parkinson a Brooklyn, New York e attraverso

una rete di partners e collaboratori, in più di 75 comunità

di tutto il mondo. Nato dalla collaborazione non-prot

tra il Mark Morris Dance Group e il Brooklyn Parkinson

Group, il programma Dance for PD ® si occupa anche della

formazione degli insegnanti e di stabilire rapporti con altreorganizzazioni di modo che classi sullo stesso modello siano

sempre più ampiamente disponibili. Per saperne di più:

http://danceforparkinsons.org.

“La lezione è un’esperienzaartistica che usa gli elementidella narrativa, immagini

gurative, musica dal vivoe lavoro di gruppo persviluppare il lato artistico e lagrazia”

a M b e r S t a r M e r k e n S


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dance-462-features 5/12 issue no. 462 37

DANCE FEATURES

A Story of Renewal Through Dance

Pam Eddleson meets an inspiring young

dancer in Canada

It never ceases to intrigue me how diverse is

the use of our lovely Modern Theatre Dance

syllabus. On a recent examination tour to a

small town in the beautiful Kawartha Lakes

district in Ontario, Canada, I came across this

story of hope and spirit of Steve Buckingham,

a young man who had lost his right arm in a

road accident.Exercise is essential to rehabilitation, but

to be able to dance with expression, music

and style gives so much more. It heals the

soul as well as the body. I asked his dance

teacher, Lindsay Storms, if she and Steve

would pen a few lines to share with our

members globally. Here is their story.

“Over the past several years I have struggled

with co-ordination and above all with

balance. Before starting to dance, it was fairly

hard for me to walk upstairs without having

to maintain a tight grip on the railing, for fear

of falling. I decided that something needed tobe done and so I joined a dance class.

I immediately began to see improvements

in my balance, mood and health. Lindsay

has given me the key components of my life

back through the art of dance. Now, after

ve or six months, my physical, mental and

emotional life has nally returned to where

it was prior to my car accident. By having

dance in my life, I now nd something

to look forward to in my week! If it were

not for dance and for the motivation and

encouragement of Lindsay, I may still be

faced with past challenges.”

Steve Buckingham

“Working with Steve has been a wonderful

and rewarding experience for me on

both a personal and professional level.

Approximately one year ago, I was rst

approached by his occupational therapist,

Anne Kennedy, who was looking for a fun and

exciting form of therapy for a young man

who had had an arm amputated due to a car

accident. I agreed immediately to take him

on. I was very excited to open the door to

the wonderful world of dance for someone

new and I was also very nervous; would I be

able to provide for him what he needed, both

physically and psychologically?Since Steve lost his right and dominant

arm, in the beginning months our focus

was to strengthen and retrain his left side to

become his dominant side, using exercises

that would incorporate rolling and falling

to the left. In class we spent a lot of time on

core work, borrowing from syllabus exercises

to improve balance and stability. Some

exercises Steve had begun at the barre and

he has since gained the condence and the

strength to let go and perform in the centre.

Steve has really come a long way in a short

time with regards to control, stability and

co-ordination and this is largely due to his

determination and to his positive “can-do”

attitude. We are now able to shift our focus to

more complex movement and to patterning.

He has certainly taught this dance teacher

about the resilience of the human spirit, andis an inspiration to those around him.”

Lindsay Storms

Steve executing the Boys’ Knee

Drop exercise

“Exercise is essential

to rehabilitation, butto be able to dancewith expression,music and style givesso much more”



The Fluidity of Dance

Photographer Robin Conway

discusses how he captures

dancers underwater to create hisstunning images

DANCE FEATURES

38 issue no. 462

r o b i n C o n w a y


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dance-462-features 7/12 issue no. 462 39

DANCE FEATURES

The art of underwater photography

has certainly evolved since 1856 when

Englishman William Thompson

lowered his housed plate camera to the

seabed in Weymouth Bay to take the rst

known underwater pictures. With a range

of specialist equipment now available, the

subject matter tends to consist mainly of

the natural world, sea life and underwater

landscapes, although some photographers

take a more artistic approach.

Underwater photographer Robin Conwayhas undertaken a number of shoots with

dancers. He was inspired to pursue this

artistic direction after meeting Ksenia

Ovsyanick and seeing her perform with the

English National Ballet. Following his initial

collaboration with Ksenia, he has also worked

with other dancers from the ENB, including

Ruth Brill, Barry Drummond, Anton Lukovkin

and Laurretta Summerscales.

Robin discusses the art of underwater

photography and why dancers make

such great subjects

In my work the subject is submerged in an

environment, which is ever changing andin a constant state of ux. The subject is

consumed by the underwater environment,

which means they cannot stay submerged for

great amounts of time. All the senses of the

photographer and the subject are numbed

and, through this, the subject experiences

a feeling of timelessness within the short

amount of time they are submerged as well

as a connection with the environment itself.

Historically, the body has always

fascinated artists. Equally, artists have

always been inuenced by the elements,

water being one of the most inuential.

While the underwater environment has

been used for the purposes of documentaryor as a backdrop within the context of

commercial development, few artists,

except within their imagination, have

literally ventured under water. While there

are practicing photographers working

underwater in the commercial sector, there

are few artists working within this particular

genre.

By looking at the way the body responds

to the challenge of being taken out of

context of its natural environment, my

intention is to dene the genre within the

context of art practice.

My interest in observing body movement

in water began 10 years ago through aninterest in scuba diving. Consequently I

spent many hours watching the human

form engage with water as an environment

while undertaking photo shoots.

“I found the experience of the

underwater shoot amazing! It was very

hard to get across the position I wanted to

make as the water is so strong. It made me

understand my body more and to really

use my muscles to get what I want. Then on

“I found theexperience

of theunderwatershootamazing! Itwas very hard

to get acrossthe positionI wanted tomake as thewater is so

strong”Below: Ksenia Ovsyanick

Opposite: Laurretta Summerscales

r o b i n C o n w a y


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/dance-462-features 8/1240 issue no. 462

DANCE FEATURES

top of that you have to look calm and make

sure your hair isn’t in your face! It was very

challenging but I enjoyed it so much,” said

Laurretta Summerscales.

In developing my art practice, I have

connected with my lifelong interest in dance

by particularly seeking out dancers as asubject because they are dened through

their rigorous and relentless training in

perfecting their art form. Dancers have

a heightened spatial awareness which

is challenged by this particular unique

environment culminating in achieving

perfection within the nal image. By

photographing dancers who have the grace

and freedom of expression in movement

and placing them in an environment that

enhances yet hinders their art practice,

the nal result culminates in a unique

collaboration with breathtaking results.

The lens captures the individuality of

each subject as they overcome and conquerthe power of the environment in which

they perform. I hope that my art work will

inspire the viewer by celebrating the grace,

vulnerability and resilience of the human

body whilst celebrating the art form of dance.

“It was great and a very interesting

experience. It took me a certain time to

be comfortable under water, but I reallyenjoyed exploring. The body feels very

different in the water. It is much lighter

and very hard to control (which being a

Ballet dancer I am not used to at all). From

trying to hold a certain position, I had to

keep moving, even start almost dancing,

trying to make every shape suitable for a

photograph,” said Ksenia Ovsyanick.

The dancers also gain a unique professional

development experience, enriching their

technical skills and building their physical

capabilities. The dancers that I have

collaborated with to date have observed how

the experience of adapting and performingBallet under water is providing them with a

new approach to technical training and body

conditioning, helping to build their physical

precision and stamina.

For me, dance is by far the truest artistic

form of expression and one where the dancer

is the embodiment of the art form. I alsobelieve that the nature of the underwater

environment and the grace of Ballet dancers

go hand-in-hand to create and evolve into

something truly magical.

Robin Conway

“The bodyfeels verydifferent inthe water. It ismuch lighterand very hardto control(which being a

ballet dancer I

am not used toat all)”

a l l P h o t o S r o b i n C o n w a y

robin Conway is an independen poogape, wi

specialis expeience and inees in undewae

poogapy and moving image wo. having

compleed a Poogapy and M in Fine s a

Cambewell College, Univesiy of e s, e as been

developing is pacice fo ove eig yeas, exploing

e aisic poenial of capuing bodies in e

undewae envionmen, oug e use of e laes

ecnology in undewae poogapy, in collaboaion

wi dances.robin is een o wo wi all genes wiin dance

and coeogapes o ceae a new body of wo using

sills and moving image. Visi www.obinconway.co.u

fo moe images and infomaion abou is wo.

a l l P h o t o S r o b i n C o n w a y



issue no. 462 41

DANCE FEATURES

Have you ever wondered howeveryday situations could be

transformed by a little bit of dance

creativity? Photographer Jordan Matter has

taken the ordinary and made it extraordinary,

with Dancers Among Us, a project that

documents dancers leaping, spinning, lifting

and kicking – in the midst of daily life,

whether on the beach, at a construction site,

in a library, at a restaurant, or in a park.

Amazingly, no trampolines or wires were

used in the taking of the photographs and

the dancers’ poses have not been digitally

enhanced or altered.

A portrait photographer, Jordan started

his Dancers Among Us project by asking amember of the Paul Taylor Dance Company,

based in New York, to pose for him in a place

where dance is unexpected. So, dressed in

a commuter’s suit and tie, the dancer ew

across a Times Square subway platform. And

in that image Jordan found what he’d beensearching for: a way to express the feeling

of being fully alive in the moment, unself-

conscious, present.

Dancers Among Us

How photographer Jordan

Matter creates a celebration

of joy in the everyday

© Photographs by Jordan Matter.

Extracted from Dancers Among Us: A

Celebration of Joy in the Everyday by

Jordan Matter (Workman, £12.99).



Organised around themes of dreaming,

loving, playing, exploring, grieving, working

and living Dancers Among Us celebrates life

in a way that’s fresh, surprising, original and

universal.

They might inspire you to dance in

unusual places, try a new style, or just put a

smile on your face, but the photos in Dancers

Among Us will certainly make you think of

your surroundings in a new way.

Visit www.dancersamongus.com to see

more of Jordan’s images and see page 9 fordetails on how to win a copy of Dancers

Among Us!

Sarah Clarke

“The photos in Dancers Among Us

will certainly make you think of yoursurroundings in a new way”

DANCE FEATURES



issue no. 462 43

DANCE FEATURES

A

nyone who creates something original – whether it

be a painting, a literary work, a piece of music or a

choreographic work – quite naturally expects to beidentied as the author of the work and to be compensated

for his or her creativity.

So it is with choreography, which can be dened as ‘the

composition and arrangement of dance movements intended

to be accompanied by music’. Dance and mime are protected

as dramatic works; those that have movement, a storyline or

action.

Choreography has been protected by UK copyright law

since 1911 (although, surprisingly, protection in the USA

only began in 1976). This meant that the composers, Rogers

and Hammerstein, received substantial payment for their

1943 musical and literary copyrights in Oklahoma! but that

Agnes de Mille received no ongoing royalty payments for her

choreography.

The UK Copyright Act, 1988 gives the owner of thecopyright in a work certain rights in relation to it, including

the right to make copies of the work and to broadcast and

adapt it. If the copyright owner does not wish to directly

exercise one or more of these rights he or she may

permit others to do so in return for either a royaltyor a one-off (‘buy-out’) payment.

Who is the author of a work and, therefore, the

rst owner is not always straightforward. If one person

alone creates a work then he or she is clearly the sole author.

But where people collaborate they may be co-authors. So

choreographers who work with dancers to develop a dance

routine or Ballet should come to a clear understanding in

advance as to who owns the copyright.

There is no such thing as ‘copyright in an idea’. So if a

number of photographers each take a similar photograph or

if different individuals independently produce recordings

which are similar, then a separate copyright will subsist in

each of those photographs or recordings. They have not

‘copied’ each other. This principle is also important in dance;

anyone seeking copyright law protection will have to show

that his or her choreography is more than just an ‘idea’.

For a choreographic work to be entitled to copyright

protection, it needs to be ‘xed’ or recorded in some

permanent form. It will not be protected if it is merely

publicly performed. To x a set of lyrics or a piece of music

is relatively straightforward; they can be written down orrecorded and thereby xed.

Not so with a series of performance movements.

Historically, the difculty in xing dance in a permanent

Making the Right Moves – Choreographyand Copyright

Media Lawyer Irving David, a partner at DWFM Beckman

Solicitors, explains about copyright and choreography

“For a choreographic workto be entitled to copyrightprotection, it needs to be‘xed’ or recorded in somepermanent form”

P i e r l U i g i a b b o n d a n z

a

DANCE FEATURES



44 issue no. 462

DANCE FEATURES

form has led to choreography being marginalised in

copyright law. The lack, until recently, of an accessible and

reliable system of dance notation has made it difcult for

some choreographers to protect their copyrights.

Fortunately, the law now permits dance to be recorded in

‘writing or otherwise’. Video cameras have made it a lot easier

for choreographers to x their works and other methods

of xation now include notation, pictorial or narrative

description, lm or videotape and even computer animation.

These can all be used by a choreographer to protect or enforce

his or her copyright.

Provided that choreography is original, is capable of physical performance, and can be xed, it will be protected as

a dramatic work from the date of xation until 70 years after

the death of the choreographer; or if there are co-authors,

then until 70 years after the death of the last survivor.

In the case of a stage musical, the choreography will

usually only be one of many copyrights involved; there will

be musical copyrights, a dramatic copyright in any ‘book’ or

script, and artistic copyrights in the sets and costumes.

There will also be a separate copyright in any lm, audio-

visual recording or broadcast made of a dance or Ballet so a

lmmaker or TV producer will need permission from all the

copyright owners, including the owner of the choreography,

before he or she can exploit the lm or recording.

Irving David

Please note that ISTD teachers may use ISTD syllabus

exercises as part of their ISTD teaching, although the work

remains copyright of the ISTD.

FM ecman offes expe legal advice fo all involved in dance. ving

avid as advised Scois alle and e iis alle ganizaion; is a

boad membe of e inenaionally-acclaimed cesa of e Swan; a

full voing membe of Ft, e iis cademy of Film and television

s; gives fequen Mase Classes fo e Music Manages Foum and

e Music Publises ssociaion; and conibues egulaly o vaious

ade publicaions suc as ance Uk ews on legal and commecial issues

elevan o music and dance. Fo moe infomaion on is opic, please

conac ving avid, Pane a FM ecman on 020 7872 0023 o email

[email protected]

We know that there are many people who liketo stay connected to the ISTD but may not be an

ISTD teacher or member. Now everyone has the

opportunity to enjoy DANCE magazine by becoming

a Friend of the ISTD, with the added advantage of

receiving a 5% discount in the ISTD shop!

ISTD FRIENDS

If you know any parents at your school or

other dance lovers who would be interested in

becoming a Friend of the ISTD, please ask them tocall us on +44 (0)20 7377 1577 ext. 823 or email

[email protected]

dance 462 - features

Documents