Editor's Note

We couldn’t ask for a better cover subject for the health and wellness issue than the founder of Dance New Amsterdam, Lynn Simonson. Whenever I mention hername, I hear some variation of this statement: “I learned to take care of myself in Lynn...

Music for Class: Breaking Ballet Boundaries

From the moment Dwight Rhoden walks into the studio in sneakers and skinny jeans, students know this is no average ballet class. It may start at the barre like any other, but going off-center is encouraged, a plié combination full of deep contractions leaves dancers...

Books/DVDs: Dance as Fitness

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey, MD, with Eric Hagerman Little, Brown and Company In a nutshell: A valuable tool for educators looking to establish a dance or fitness program in an academic setting. To illuminate the...

High Five with Melissa Stokes

Melissa Stokes started out on the competition circuit 18 years ago with four dancers. Now she boasts a roster of more than 100. Last year her studio, Shooting Stars School of Performing Arts in Clermont, Florida, earned recognition when former student Jakob Karr was...

Sparking the Imagination

An image from Ghostcatching In the age of Pixar and Avatar, Ghostcatching, a computer-animated dance film created in 1999 by choreographer Bill T. Jones and digital artists Shelley Eshkar and Paul Kaiser, might at first seem quaint. In it, an abstract male figure...

The Clique Conundrum

Dealing with classroom conflicts Mary and Betty,* dance students at Howell High School in Howell, New Jersey, had been good friends for as long as they could remember. They stood next to each other at the barre every day, and Mary even chose Betty to be in her piece...

Act Locally

Dance studios, as a destination for both children and adults, are in a prime position to reach out to various segments of their local population by holding innovative events. Not only do these functions raise local visibility, they often raise much-needed funds for...

Books/DVDs: A Beautiful Mind

Beautiful Body, Beautiful Mind: The Power of Positive Imageryby Eric FranklinElysian EditionsIn a nutshell: Mobilizing the power of thought for a healthy lifestyle.In this guidebook, Eric Franklin illustrates more than 80 exercises for maintaining a healthy...

High Five with Christy Wolverton

Dance Industry won the New York City Dance Alliance 2009 Teen Critics’ Choice award for “Family.” “Before you can teach technique, you have to teach the love of dance,” says Christy Wolverton, owner and artistic director of Dance Industry Performing...

News: 2010 National Dance Week

April 23 to May 2 is National Dance Week. Sponsored by United Dance Merchants of America, the event raises awareness and appreciation across the country for all forms of dance.   “There are many open house events held at studios throughout America,” says Patricia...