just dance

Just Dance

natepowersphotography.com

Nate PowersPHOTOGRAPHY

All images published in this book, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by Nate Powers Photography. Images may not be used, reproduced, altered, circulated or used in any way without explicit written permission from Nate Powers Photography © 2012.

For my family:

Who never pushed me to do anything but what made me happyWho were behind me 100% no matter how wild or crazy I got

Who taught me that doing the right thing was the only wayWho never stopped being my number one fans in my life

Who will always be in my life, no matter how far away.

Thank you

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Introduction What is it like to dance? How do these majestic humans float across the floor and then return backstage every night thinking its just another day at the office? I have seen normal everyday citizens become gods defying gravity and I think its time to discover the feelings, psychological and physical effects on dancing. When I was young, I was a member of a dance troop called Les

Dance Des Enfants, which translates as “The Dance of the Children”. It was a Franco-American Tap Dancing troop. We travelled all over the New England area performing. This really brought the passion behind dance that I bring to my shoots.

My passion for dance came in a round about way. In 6th grade, we were allowed to choose clubs. I wanted to be in the dance club for some reason, probably because of the girls. When the club lists came out as to who was

assigned to which club, I was not in the dance club. I approached the teacher asking why. She responded that I would be better off in another club, that it was all females. I was very stubborn about joining and so she gave in. I joined the dance club for two weeks before I had realized that the choreography was going to make me look bad and that it was all made for women.

Around this time, Martha Pellerin Drury came to our school. Her band played amazing music and told us about this dance troop called Les Danse De Enfants. I was interested and signed up. I started practicing in a small group with about 8 others from my towns area, including a girl from my school. We began learning how to tap dance and play the bones and spoons. We practiced weekly and I remember the joy practice day brought to me in the mornings. Each town group had its own performance characteristic, some danced with glasses of water on their heads, others acted a hunting scene or barber scene. It was part of a large act to entertain the audience, theatrical tap dancing kids.

We performed all over New England at local festivals and events. I remember that first time performing in front of a crowd. The jitters, the nerves going a million miles an hour. When I heard the music cue to start dancing, it all disappeared and I wanted to please my instructors. I wanted to put on a show. I became a character in a grand performance. After the performance I was so excited to be living on that stage.

On November 16th, 1998, Martha succumbed to Ovarian Cancer. She was one of my greatest inspirations and not until now do I realize how much dancing for her troop made an impact on my life and career. She was the one who told me I could dance for her, gave me a chance when others would not.

With so many people discovering that dance is the way to defy gravity and become truly in shape, I have often wondered what is the reason behind starting, and continuing to put their body sometimes through a living hell. What is it like on family members? Does dancing put a toll on relationships? Is it emotionally hard on the mind? What pushes them to push their bodies to the extremes with blisters, scars, sprains, broken bones, and career ending injuries?

I started reseaching photography projects, or photographers in general who cover this angle of dance, behind the curtain if you will. I

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Nate Powers, 12, before a show

St. Johnsbury, VT group of Les Danse De Enfants

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came upon Louis Guillaume’s work and found it amazing. The depth of which he dives into with his dancers through companies such as St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre, The Ukraine Ballet, The Lithuanian Ballet to name a few, is just amazing. He captures the behind the scenes of a dancers tour, routine, stretching, and learning stage cues.

What attracted me to this project were the raw captures he created. He was invisible to the dancers, the director and the company as whole. He was able to see a different side of the dance community. I wanted to see this world for myself.

Dancers create such amazing forms with their bodies and the amount of control they posses is truly amazing. They can create such stunning poses with what seems very little effort. However I often wonder about the effects of being a professional dancer. In Just Dance, I dig in through interviews and photography to really see what it’s like to become a professional and the wear and tear that they experience, both physically and mentally.

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Louis Guillaume - St Petesburg Ballet Theatre

Martha with her husband, John and son, Eric

Just Dance

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In 2009, Greer Reed recieved a fellowship for the 2009-2010 dance season through the August Wilson Center. Her project was to gather 10-12 dancers and schedule classes and arrange chorography for those dancers. Her project evolved over the year and now full-time as the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble. Bringing a collaboration of dancers together to perform various art forms, their performances are amazing. The August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble trains and performs at the center.

August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble

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Stretching is a huge health factor for dancers and athletes in general. What most people get confused is that stretching and warming-up are not the same. Warming-up is done to increase the body temperature and warm up body tissue. Prior to class or rehearsal / performances is not a time to increase flexibility but to warm-up. After a long rehearsal or class dancers should stretch while the muscles and fibers are warm if they are trying to increase their flexibility.

Dancers can hold a static stretch for 30 seconds to keep their range of motion and flexibility. Short term benefits occur from stretching lasting up to five minutes. However, research has shown that stretching from once a day to three or four times a day increased the flexibility of the dancer’s range of motion. Females tend to be more flexible then males, however, males need to be flexible to prevent injuries just the same.

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Stretching

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“My Closest freinds have been revealed to me through dance. It has been like that ever since I was growing up. If anything, dance has transformed once new acquaintances into life long friendships.”- Annalee

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“Dance has a major impact on your social life and relationships. I am fortunate because I am in a company where I am friends with the people I work with, so most social events I do with them.” ~ Naila

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“What inspires me to push my body through the pain are the people around me, as well as my personal goals of what I would like my body to do and what I would like to achieve in my career. When I feel like I can’t push anymore, I have to remind myself that everyone else around me is probably just as tired. So also out of respect for the effort and work of my fellow dancers, I have to find that second wind to keep going.” - Raymond

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“Dance is the language of the body. We are the only art form that has no tools other than when we possess naturally. I am not only a rep dancer, but also an improve artist. The energy that is used to move takes all circumstances into consideration. Sometimes I can feel myself telling my own story, and sometime I feel a story being told through me.” - Kaylin

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We are naturally visual creatures, we need to see what we are doing and how to do it. Dancers are no different, by using videos and choreography notes to study past performers, and new dance routines,, they can easily pick up a new piece of work. Writing down the step by step moves for a new piece will dramatically increase the dancers ability to understand what is going on in the choreography. As they rehearse the different numbers, the director is looking for things that need perfected or fixed that will make the dance piece the best it can be. That could be either spacing issues, forgetting movement, where the focus needs to be.

“When we have guest choreographers, they come in for a limited time and it is a lot of information to take for the dancers. It is nice to have something to go back and reference what the choreographer had in mind for certain movement and sections of the piece When it comes to watch video, it’s just like any other sport; watching film to see what can be perfected or what was done right. Sometimes you feel you are doing something right but then watching the video, you can see what the audience will see. Then you can take that information and correct yourself.” - Andrea, Assistant to the Director

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Notes and Video

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“In my head, knowing something is not perfect makes me want to make it perfect. I have grown up believing there is always someone better than you and they also work harder than you. We must work double and prove to be the best we can be. Being able to buckle down and just deal with the pain allows the most growth. Looking back at times that were the worst, were the times I remember growing the most. Dance is always self-expression. Our body is the instrument and it can never lie. Moving is the way I express myself and it is up to an audience member to interpret in the way they choose.” - James

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“I am sometimes unaware at how many times I check my phone throughout the day. I do it just out of habit. If I go get a drink of water and I see my phone flashing I check it without thinking. I do it out of boredom, stress or just nerves. I get fidgety so I’ll sometimes do it because it keeps me occupied. It’s pretty clear that social media has had a big impact on society. I’ll admit that 90 percent of my phone usage is social media. I check it sometimes because others are checking theirs, so I feel I must check mine as well. ” - Michael

According to Facebook, in December of 2011, there were over 425 million mobile users actively using the site. With applications for just about any smart phone or tablet, users literally have social media whenever or wherever there is 3G or WIFI. Some argue that these statics are a sign that the “social media” are making us, in fact, not social within society. With the ease of sending messages through a screen becoming more instant, users are spending more time behind cell phones, tablets and computers to converse and interact with people than talking in person.

“On our breaks, I tend to look at my phone. It is not because I have a lot of texts or missed calls, or that I have to check Facebook, but a kind of stress relief. It is calming and it is something to look at. It takes me out of the environment for a few minutes, as opposed to expending energy looking around the room or talking to another co-worker, I choose to zone my focus down to my phone or the internet. This helps me calm my nerves from what was just completely blasted on the dance floor.” - Annalee

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Social Media

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It doesn’t matter where you live, what language you speak or your ethnicity, sexual orientation, or your gender, laughter effects all of us. Laughter is universal, and the effects of laughing have been subjected to numerous studies scientifically. Psychologist William Fry believes that laughing 100 times a day is consistent to a ten minute workout of strenuous rowing. Laughing actually is great for the body in many ways and it helps ease your anxieties as well.

While laughing air is rushed out of your mouth at 70mph by uncoordinated spasm by your throat and lungs causing mucus to be loosened and released. Laughing strengthens the heart by pumping adrenaline into the body, the heart rate increases, and the brain releases painkillers called endorphins and enkephalins making the body relax. We all laugh and make jokes during situations that may be uncomfortable for us to handle. Laughing is a way to relax, let things go and allow us to see things a little less seriously. Dance and laughter can be a powerful combination as well. Both release these endorphins and allow the body to relax providing a natural high for the body.

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Laughter

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Being a professional dancer has demands and these demands are hard on the body. In order to maintain a balanced amount of energy and concentration dancers must eat right. Being fueled for class, rehearsal and performances is a big deal. Lack of energy can result in low concentration, low intensity and ultimately injury. It is estimated that females need to consume 99 - 110 calories per pound of body weight and males need 110 - 121 calories per pound. By not consuming a suitable calorie amount in the diet, they are not only risking energy, but putting themselves at risk for under-ingestion of the many micronutrients that affect performance, growth and over all health.

A dancer’s diet should be roughly 55-60% carbs, 12-15% protein, and 20-30% fats. Carbs are important source of energy in the muscles. They are broken down into simple sugars and then stored in those muscles in the form of glycogen, or the main fuel for energy.

If the dancer is not consuming this amount of carbs, then the energy levels will di p and they will become fatigued during classes, rehearsals and performances. Bagels, cereal, bread, English muffins and rice are a good source of complex carbs.

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“I need lots of food throughout the day to keep me going and full of energy. I love grapefruit cut in half with honey! Lots of fresh veggie, Kale, jalepeno peppers, red and orange peppers, onions, potatoes. I don’t eat beef or pork so lots of chicken and fish. I keep my dairy limited, yogurt and cheese from time to time. Non-dairy creamer for my coffee and soy or almond milk. I try to keep it as healthy as possibly. I go with the things that are the most reasonable common sense wise. Not too much fried food or sugary items. Brown or cane sugar instead of granulated.” - Kendra

Diet

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A large part of allowing dancers to defy gravity and perform so effectively is the diet. Nutrition is a huge thing for dancers, providing them with the energy and the vitamins to prevent and help with any injuries. Dancers must watch what they eat because the amount of energy needed to perform daily is much more then the normal diet of all but extreme athletes.

One thing dancers tend to do is fast during the performance seasons and once the performance is done, dig into a huge diet. By not eating, they are depriving the body of nutrients and vitamins that effect their sleep, attitude, performance and overall health. If they shock the body with a large amount of food that was normally deprived they will hurt the body with the sudden amount of nutrients and vitamins that the body was not usually consuming.

Water and sports drinks are one of the most important nutrients for the workouts. When athletes train and compete, the body depends on the evaporation of sweat to cool off. Athletes and dancers can sweat upwards to 2 liters per hour. If dancers do not replenish this water source then the body becomes dehydrated. Eight ounces of water every 15 minutes is recommended by the International Association for Dance Medicine of Science. Drinking on breaks can help refuel the body of water and should be readily available.

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Nutrition

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The fact that dancers are constantly on their feet adds foot care to the list of health concerns. Watching if their feet are developing corns, calluses or bunions will help them overall perform. Calluses are the body’s way of protecting the feet. Generally these are formed on the bottom of the toes, heels and under the balls of the toes. These are a protective padding that the body creates due to wear on the feet. Calluses are a sign of a dancer earning their stri pes and spending a lot of time on bare feet to create dry tough skin. Dancers should not try to remove these natural pads but if they are getting too big to perform, a pumice stone after soaking the feet will gently remove the least amount until it begins to become comfortable again.

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Foot Care

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For anyone, sleep is essential, but when their job relies on listening to music for a living and being able to follow choreography and concentrating on what is going on around them, they need sleep more then anything. By getting a full eight-hours of sleep, they are allowing their body to properly make glucose which is basic energy stored in their muscles. Its said that the dancer might not be getting up to 40% of their glucose metabolism if not fully rested. Studies have shown that the body has a higher level of cortisol, which is a stress hormone, for those not getting enough sleep. Having increased levels of cortisol is linked to memory impairment, age- related insulin resistance and it also impairs the recovery stages for dancers after a long day of rehearsal.

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Sleep

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“Throughout college all whom I ever connected with were the dancers. I was in a bubble. I was craving to meet other people outside of the dance world. Don’t get me wrong, when I want to go clubbing I MUST be with a group of dancers. There is nothing better then getting together and letting it go on the floor. Once I moved to NYC I would limit myself to one or two wild nights of dancing or socializing. Other than that I was a grandpa and spent many nights by myself or with my room mate. As far as the relationship part goes, I can say that I am happy camper right now. You learn and grow everyday and I feel so blessed to share what I love to do with someone else. When it’s on, it’s on.” ~ Michael

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According to Psychology of Dance, dancers are the only profession that work everyday in front of a mirror. They are judged and looked at every minute of the work day by their director and peers. Worrying about self image is huge in the world of dance and can cause a lot of self-esteem issues as well. A recent experiment with professional dance company touring the US was conducted. They removed the mirrors from the dance rehearsals for a full year. They asked the dancers questions about self-image and self-esteem in the beginning and the end. Dancers who completed the study showed significant improvement in self-confidence and thought of their bodies in a better way.

“I do not have the typical body of dancer and have struggled with my weight for a while. After my Freshman year at college, I lost 35 pounds to positively affect my performance and health in general. Having to constantly prove someone wrong has become very annoying. I realize I still will not be the smallest dancer on stage, but I have come a long way and will continue to keep working.” - James

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Self-Image

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“The call came in from our touring manager, she delivered news that the company had a possible opportunity to perform in the middle east. We had just returned from APAP, a conference where performing companies learn about opportunities to perform in other cities and get new tours. Being a new company, we are thrilled to have the chance to share with the world our Pittsburgh dancers. The call was the beginning of that opportunity. “ - Greer Reed

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Ask any performing dancer, they all have a routine or ritual that pulls them together. Performance night is something that can cause even the most experienced dancers to have stage fright. These routines are done to keep the body loose, mind sharp and nerves at ease. Routines are things that are done to help the dancers feel a sense of familiarity, a sense of control over the situation.

These routines should be adaptable to specific performances but the goal is to allow the dancers to feel in control of themselves and their nerves. By developing a consistency of thoughts, actions and feelings, the dancers can feel more confident about the performance, thus increasing the odds of an amazing night on stage.

Dancers build routines because it allows them to condition their minds and body into thinking that this is just another performance and allow them to be at their best. As Paul Taylor, a modern dance legend, once said:

You psyche yourself up. You eliminate any distracting thoughtsfrom your mind. You do physical work too. I went to the theatervery early and did a very thorough warm-up and a rehearsal andput my costume and makeup on and then did another warm-up

and timed it all very carefully. I had a set preparatory routine.(Lyle, 1977, pg. 120)

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45 Minutes to Curtain

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It is performance night, the house is packed and the music is about to play, the curtains about to rise. Every dancer gets that jittery feeling, but some get an overwhelming sense of anxiety, causing stage fright. This is something that happens to a lot of people. Whether it is the pressure to perform the piece and make their director, choreographer and dance company proud or it is just the past failures causing memories to drain the confidence in the dancer.

For whatever reason, some dancers get stage fright while others are cool, calm and collected. Regardless of what the reason, dancers must realize this is part of the process. It is one of the things that is not just affecting dancers, but public speakers, and most everyone speaks in public forums in one way or another.

Routines and rituals help ease this fear and relaxes the mind and body to focus on whats ahead of them. Concentration is a huge factor in dance, listening to the music, remembering performance cues and watching the fellow dancers to be aware of any mistakes and helping them pick back up is huge.

Places Please

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Name: Kendra DennardAge: 23Hometown: Southfield, MIAttended: Point Park UniversityYears dancing: 19 YearsLength at AWCDE: 3 yearsFavorite style of dance: Contemporary

Name: Raymond EjioforAge: 23Hometown: Alexandria, VAGraduate from: Carnegie Mellon UniversityYears dancing: 13 YearsLength at AWCDE: 3 YearsFavorite style of dance: Contemporary

Name: Annalee TraylorAge: 24Hometown: Huntsville, ALGraduate from: Point Park UniversityYears dancing: 19 YearsLength at AWCDE: 3 YearsFavorite style of dance: Modern Contemporary

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Name: Naila AnsariAge: 22 Hometown: Buffalo, NYGradutae from: Point Park UniversityYears dancing: 20 YearsLength at AWCDE: 3 YearsFavorite style of dance: Modern Contemporary

Name: James WashingtonAge: 22Hometown: Rochester, NYGraduate from: Point Park UniversityYears dancing: 20 YearsLength at AWCDE: 3 YearsFavorite style of dance: Ballet, Contemporary

Name: Michael BagneAge: 24Hometown: Rochester, NYGraduate from: Point Park UniversityYears dancing: 20 YearsLength at AWCDE: 1 SeasonFavorite style of dance: Modern

Name: Kaylin HorganAge: 22Hometown: Pittsburgh, PAGraduate from: Point Park UniversityYears dancing: 20 YearsLength at AWCDE: 3 YearsFavorite style of dance: Improve

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I met Greer Reed through her pupils Kendra, Naila, Kaylinn, and Annalee, dancers who were part of one of my photo projects earlier in the year. After talking to these dancers, I knew that the company they worked with must be amazing. I wondered what it would be like to see Greer work her magic for just one day. I learned: “one day” became a three month experience that would forever change my perspective of dance.

One thing that many people do not get to witness is the amount of effort that the director puts into a performance. I am one of the lucky few to witness Greer’s passion, her love for this company and what she does. It takes a lot of courage to allow a photographer to witness the work one cares so much about, let alone document it and reveal it to the world.

Greer has an impressive track record and great career herself, but the company she has put together is filled with amazing talents of all backgrounds and training. One day I was sitting in the studio with my camera in my lap, and I caught myself just observing and smiling. For me, as a photographer, it takes a lot to distract me from the fact that I should be shooting the moment rather than enjoying it, and I’ll never get over how profound it is that Greer and her dancers caused this to take place.

This project has opened my eyes to dance AND photography in ways I never would have imagined it could. For this I would like to personally thank Greer Reed and the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble for allowing me to come into your lives and capture the experiences that most are not privileged to witness. You’re an amazing company and I truly am blessed to have worked with every single one of you.

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Work Cited

1. Hanna, Judith Lynne., and Judith Lynne. Hanna. Dancing for Health: Conquering and Preventing Stress. Lanham, MD: AltaMira, 2006. Print.

2. Kessel, Kristin. Dance Performance: From Rehearsal to Opening Night. New York: Rosen Central, 2004. Print.

3. “Nutrition Fact Sheet - Fueling the Dancer.” International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://www.iadms.org/ associations/2991/files/info/dance_nutrition.pdf>.

4. Peterson, Judith R. Dance Medicine: Head to Toe : A Dancer’s Guide to Health. Hightstown, NJ: Princeton Book, 2011. Print.

5. Radell, Sally A., Daniel D. Adame, and Steven P. Cole. “The Impact of Mirrors on Body Image and Classroom Performance in Female College Ballet Dancers.” CBS Interactive. CBS Interactive Business Network, 01 Apr. 2004. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/ mi_6827/is_2_8/ai_n28246682/>.

6. “Sleep Deprivation Can Hinder Sports Performance.” About.com Sports Medicine. 18 June 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. <http:// sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa062800a.htm>.

7. “Stretching for Dancers.” International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://www.iadms.org/associations/2991/files/info/ stretching.pdf>.

8. Taylor, Jim, and Ceci Taylor. Psychology of Dance. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 1995. Print.

just dance

Documents

dance club

crazy i gotwho

dance troop

dance des enfants

club lists

theatrical tap dancing

nate powers photography

performance characteristic