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Jan. 01, 2004 08:36PM EST
Mary Malleney, courtesy Osato
In most classes, dancers are encouraged to count the music, and dance with it—emphasizing accents and letting the rhythm of a song guide them.
But Marissa Osato likes to give her students an unexpected challenge: to resist hitting the beats.
In her contemporary class at EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles (which is now closed, until they find a new space), she would often play heavy trap music. She'd encourage her students to find the contrast by moving in slow, fluid, circular patterns, daring them to explore the unobvious interpretation of the steady rhythms.
<p>"I like to give dancers a phrase of music and choreography and have them reinterpret it," she says, "to be thinkers and creators and not just replicators."</p><p>Osato learned this approach—avoiding the natural temptation of the music always being the leader—while earning her MFA in choreography at California Institute of the Arts. "When I was collaborating with a composer for my thesis, he mentioned, 'You always count in eights. Why?'"</p><p>This forced Osato out of her creative comfort zone. "The choices I made, my use of music, and its correlation to the movement were put under a microscope," she says. "I learned to not always make the music the driving motive of my work," a habit she attributes to her competition studio training as a young dancer.</p>
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<p>While an undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine, Osato first encountered modern dance. That discovery, along with her experience dancing in Boogiezone Inc.'s off-campus hip-hop company, BREED, co-founded by Elm Pizarro, inspired her own, blended style, combining modern and hip hop with jazz. While still in college, she began working with fellow UCI student Will Johnston, and co-founded the Boogiezone Contemporary Class with Pizarro, an affordable series of classes that brought top choreographers from Los Angeles to Orange County.</p><p>"We were trying to bring the hip-hop and contemporary communities together and keep creating work for our friends," says Osato, who has taught for West Coast Dance Explosion and choreographed for studios across the country.</p><p>In 2009, Osato, Johnston and Pizarro launched Entity Contemporary Dance, which she and Johnston direct. The company, now based in Los Angeles, won the 2017 Capezio A.C.E. Awards, and, in 2019, Osato was chosen for two choreographic residencies (Joffrey Ballet's Winning Works and the USC Kaufman New Movement Residency), and became a full-time associate professor of dance at Santa Monica College.</p>
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<p>At SMC, Osato challenges her students—and herself—by incorporating a live percussionist, a luxury that's been on pause during the pandemic. She finds that live music brings a heightened sense of awareness to the room. "I didn't realize what I didn't have until I had it," Osato says. "Live music helps dancers embody weight and heaviness, being grounded into the floor." Instead of the music dictating the movement, they're a part of it.</p><p>Osato uses the musician as a collaborator who helps stir her creativity, in real time. "I'll say 'Give me something that's airy and ambient,' and the sounds inspire me," says Osato. She loves playing with tension and release dynamics, fall and recovery, and how those can enhance and digress from the sound.</p><p>"I can't wait to get back to the studio and have that again," she says.</p>
<p>Osato made <em>Dance Teacher</em> a<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7rDofako6DKiM3YT4TrNc4?si=oImGulAcSbGa7A4pqyfcFQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> </a><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7rDofako6DKiM3YT4TrNc4?si=oImGulAcSbGa7A4pqyfcFQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spotify</a><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7rDofako6DKiM3YT4TrNc4?si=oImGulAcSbGa7A4pqyfcFQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> playlis</a><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7rDofako6DKiM3YT4TrNc4?si=oImGulAcSbGa7A4pqyfcFQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">t</a> with some of her favorite songs for class—and told us about why she loves some of them.</p>
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"Get It Together," by India.Arie
<p>"Her voice and lyrics hit my soul and ground me every time. Dream artist. My go-to recorded music in class is soul R&B. There's simplicity about it that I really connect with."</p>"Turn Your Lights Down Low," by Bob Marley + The Wailers, Lauryn Hill
<p>"A classic. This song embodies that all-encompassing love and gets the whole room groovin'."</p>"Diamonds," by Johnnyswim
<p>"This song's uplifting energy and drive is infectious! So much vulnerability, honesty and joy in their voices and instrumentation."</p><div class="htl-ad"
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"There Will Be Time," by Mumford & Sons, Baaba Maal
<p>"Mumford & Sons' music has always struck a deep chord within me. Their songs are simultaneously stripped-down and complex and feel transcendent."</p>"With The Love In My Heart," by Jacob Collier, Metropole Orkest, Jules Buckley
<p>"Other than it being insanely energizing and cinematic, I love how challenging the irregular meter is!"</p>
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Darrell Grand Moultrie teaches at a past Jacob's Pillow summer intensive. Photo Christopher Duggan, courtesy Jacob's Pillow
In the past 10 months, we've grown accustomed to helping our dancers navigate virtual school, classes and performances. And while brighter, more in-person days may be around the corner—or at least on the horizon—parents may be facing yet another hurdle to help our dancers through: virtual summer-intensive auditions.
In 2020, we learned that there are some unique advantages of virtual summer programs: the lack of travel (and therefore the reduced cost) and the increased access to classes led by top artists and teachers among them. And while summer 2021 may end up looking more familiar with in-person intensives, audition season will likely remain remote and over Zoom.
Of course, summer 2021 may not be back to in-person, and that uncertainty can be a hard pill to swallow. Here, Kate Linsley, a mom and academy principal of Nashville Ballet, as well as "J.R." Glover, The Dan & Carole Burack Director of The School at Jacob's Pillow, share their advice for this complicated process.
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Pre-audition planning
<p>In normal seasons, dancers are often limited to auditioning for programs that are nearby or those that tour to nearby cities. With virtual auditions, however, your dancer may be faced with an abundance of options, which could prove overwhelming.</p><p>To help ground your teen, set some boundaries. For instance, if it's an in-person faraway summer intensive, will you be comfortable with your dancer traveling that distance? When deciding how many programs to allow your dancer to audition for, remember that even virtual and video auditions usually charge fees, ranging from around $25 to $55.</p><p>To create the list of programs for which to audition, "dancers should think about what they want to get out of the program, just like in years past," says School of Nashville Ballet's Linsley. Do research about the program's mission and faculty—don't only look at the biggest-name intensives or those that friends are interested in. Instead, consider your teen's career aspirations and make sure the intensives she's choosing to audition for align. Linsley also advises parents to look at a program's faculty and the exposure to company directors or artistic staff it may offer.</p><p>If your dancer is at home this summer, it could be tempting to overload a daily or weekly schedule. But summer intensives are, well, intense. Long hours during the day should be paired with constructive rest in the evening, not more training. "At Jacob's Pillow, in addition to the studio classes, rehearsals and discussion sessions, we expect dancers at home to put in an additional two hours of their own time," says Glover. "That's at least six hours a day. How much more can a dancer feasibly do, especially if she's taking up the living room?" Augmenting a virtual intensive with a completely different style or focus can be beneficial—but make sure to strategize with your dancer and home studio teachers to create a schedule that is age and level appropriate.</p><p>Similarly, Linsley recommends students (who have this option) attend one program for more weeks instead of signing up for two-week sessions here and there. "The goal is to develop relationships with the teachers, so they know you and know how you move," she says. "It takes time to get the nuances of what the teachers are saying, and even six weeks is a short time. The longer you're able to spend at a program, the more you'll get out of it."</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ0OTM2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDAzNTMxMn0.YDJNhIif-Sv4iqfPIApbZpD-t3VFheMok6riO8dw2HA/img.jpg?width=980" id="706ea" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2f62ba844ad1780bc944a66b634e70e6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Michelle Dorrance, wearing silver tap shoes, black leggings and shirt and large hoop earrings, teaches a tap class of dozens of teenagers in a light-filled barn studio" />
Michelle Dorrance teaching at a past Jacob's Pillow intensive. Photo Grace Kathryn Landefeld, courtesy Jacob's Pillow
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Auditions gone digital
<p>While School of Nashville Ballet is currently planning for an in-person summer intensive—but may include an option for admitted dancers to participate remotely, depending on the circumstances—the program's auditions will be held virtually, via Zoom. If it's safe and feasible, some dancers may consider asking to rent dance studio space where they can take their live auditions or create a video application. But that could be cost-prohibitive, and, as Linsley says, not necessary, as teachers will modify audition classes to fit dancers' surroundings.</p><p>If your dancer is taking a live audition from home, "dedicate an hour and a half to it, and allow your dancer to have a quiet space," Linsley advises. "Our teachers are accustomed to seeing a cat wandering through the video on a daily basis. But for an audition, it helps the dancer feel really good and focused if she knows she's the sole sibling who gets to use the internet or the good computer or iPad."</p><p>It's also a good idea to do a run-through beforehand to make sure your dancer's full body is in view of the camera, the volume works, and your dancer doesn't have to worry about any tech logistics in the moment. Pro tip: Ask a dance teacher to join a Zoom tech-rehearsal of sorts to double-check the set-up if you're not sure.</p><p>Your room's interior design isn't going to make or break an audition, says Glover, but it's still a smart idea to remove knickknacks and move furniture to create a clear space. She also stresses that fancy video equipment isn't necessary: A smartphone will suffice to film a video audition, and a computer will work for a live Zoom audition. What is necessary is enough lighting. "You might need to grab some lights from other parts of the house and set them up in front of your dancer to make sure they're really illuminated," says Glover.</p><div id="a095d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e6ff17968133d4da2bb830c73efef1a7"><blockquote class="instagram-media"
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Bracing for change
<p>Summer intensives are big investments of time and money. And while your dancer may have her sights set on a summer program away from home, there is a reality in which plans will change, perhaps due to a surge in COVID-19 cases or a positive test result. It's also important to realize that in-person class sizes will be limited, and some dancers who audition for an in-person intensive may end up being accepted to the school's virtual program if there's a hybrid model. Make sure your dancer is on board for any scenario.</p><p>If they're not posted on the website, ask a school about its protocols—and what happens if in-person classes need to pivot online. At Nashville Ballet, for instance, students who are required to quarantine or who miss classes due to illness will be given access to virtual content but will not be given a refund. For classes that move online due to government closure (like a stay-at-home order), the school will offer prorated refunds of classes. Money aside, it's smart to ask about COVID protocols to be sure the school is keeping dancers safe and has organized plans for any possible situation.</p><p>"As a parent myself, I know the commitment it takes to support our students, whether academically or for extracurricular activities," says Linsley. "This may not be the summer to try dance camp and soccer camp and cheer camp if you're just trying everything on for size. But at Nashville Ballet, we'll move mountains to help dancers find a space to train and grow and be part of this community."</p><div class="htl-ad"
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From left: Anthony Crickmay, Courtesy Dance Theatre of Harlem Archives; Courtesy Ballethnic
It is the urgency of going in a week or two before opening night that Lydia Abarca Mitchell loves most about coaching. But in her role as Ballethnic Dance Company's rehearsal director, she's not just getting the troupe ready for the stage. Abarca Mitchell—no relation to Arthur Mitchell—was Mitchell's first prima ballerina when he founded Dance Theatre of Harlem with Karel Shook; through her coaching, Abarca Mitchell works to pass her mentor's legacy to the next generation.
"She has the same sensibility" as Arthur Mitchell, says Ballethnic co-artistic director Nena Gilreath. "She's very direct, all about the mission and the excellence, but very caring."
Ballethnic is based in East Point, a suburban city bordering Atlanta. In a metropolitan area with a history of racism and where funding is hard-won, it is crucial for the Black-led ballet company to present polished, professional productions. "Ms. Lydia" provides the "hard last eye" before the curtain opens in front of an audience.
<p>For more than 25 years, coaching at Ballethnic has been a lifeline back to Abarca Mitchell's days with DTH. She had a stellar career, both with the company and beyond, but left the stage at age 30 after an injury sustained performing in <em>Dancin'</em> on Broadway. Her husband's job transferred them to Atlanta, where she transitioned to a full-time job as a medical transcriptionist while raising a family. Now retired from her second career, Abarca Mitchell continues to forward Arthur Mitchell's legacy, not only through coaching but also by building community among DTH alumni and writing her memoirs—a fairy-tale story of a child who came from the Harlem public-housing projects and became a trailblazing Black ballerina.</p>
<p>Abarca Mitchell grew up during the 1950s and '60s, the oldest of seven in a tight-knit family. She always danced, taking cues from Hollywood figures until a fourth-grade teacher saw her talent and encouraged her to seek formal training. The family couldn't afford ballet lessons, but Abarca Mitchell earned a scholarship to attend The Juilliard School's Saturday youth program, and later the Harkness Ballet's professional training program. But for all of those ballet classes, Abarca Mitchell never had the opportunity to see or perform in a ballet production. She didn't understand the purpose behind ballet's tedious class exercises.</p><p>When the fast-growing Harkness Ballet moved its scholarship students to the June Taylor Studio on Broadway, Abarca Mitchell remembers hearing live drumming, clapping and laughter coming from the studio across the hall. It was a jazz class taught by Jaime Rogers, who'd played Loco in the <em>West Side Story</em> movie. Abarca Mitchell started sneaking into Rogers' classes.</p><p>When Harkness informed her that her scholarship was exclusively for ballet, Abarca Mitchell left the program. She saw no future for herself in the white-dominated ballet world, and focused on academics during her last two years of high school.</p>
<p>At 17, Abarca Mitchell met Arthur Mitchell. He had made history as the first Black principal dancer with New York City Ballet, which he had joined in 1955, and had just begun to shape what would become Dance Theatre of Harlem when he hired Abarca Mitchell in 1968. Within a month, she was back on pointe. Within two months, she was performing in Arthur Mitchell's <em>Tones</em>. "I didn't even know what ballet was until I was onstage," Abarca Mitchell says. "All of a sudden, it was my heart and soul."</p><p>Arthur Mitchell made sure his dancers saw NYCB perform, and subsequently brought Balanchine's <em>Agon,</em> <em>Concerto Barocco</em> and other NYCB works into the DTH repertoire. "Physically and emotionally, I felt the connection of jazz in Balanchine's choreography," Abarca Mitchell says. "His neoclassical style was just funky to me. I could totally relate."</p><p>For the first time, Abarca Mitchell danced with people who looked like her and shared the same aspirations, she says, with a leader who "saw us through his eyes of love and achievement."</p>
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<p>In Abarca Mitchell's 30s, after a performing career that took her from DTH to the film version of <em>The Wiz</em> to Bob Fosse's <em>Dancin'</em> and beyond, her husband's job took their family to Atlanta. She soon connected with Gilreath and Waverly Lucas. The couple, also DTH alumni, were influenced by Arthur Mitchell's model when they founded Ballethnic, seeking to create access for dancers of all backgrounds to develop as classical dancers and perform a repertoire that represents the company's culturally diverse home city. Over time, Abarca Mitchell became a trusted advisor.</p><p>Abarca Mitchell goes in at least twice a year to coach Ballethnic's productions—such as <em>Urban Nutcracker</em>, set in Atlanta's historically Black Sweet Auburn neighborhood, and <em>The Leopard Tale</em>, which features the company's signature blend of classical pointe work with polyrhythmic dance forms of the African diaspora. These final rehearsals give Abarca Mitchell a way to fast-track the transfer of her mentor's values.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ0NDY2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTMwOTQyNH0.ci3dgUPRFrzVbp9tRPsrZAch_DIKusSAqxuf519icck/img.jpg?width=980" id="a00e1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e845bfbd9a21888e64bd6e9998bf331f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Two dancers in blue and black practice clothes and face masks, the woman in pointe shoes, pose together in a first arabesque tendu. Abarca Mitchell steps out of a mirrored pose as she adjusts the fingertips of the male dancer." />
Lydia Abarca Mitchell works with Ballethnic's Calvin Gentry and Karla Tyson.
Courtesy Ballethnic Dance Company
<p>She recalls that Arthur Mitchell taught his dancers to present themselves at their finest—to enter a room with their heads held high and shoulders back—and to dress, speak and walk with dignity and self-respect. He reminded them that they were pioneers and ambassadors for Blacks in ballet. As the company gained international stature—Abarca Mitchell was the first Black female ballerina to appear on the cover of <em>Dance Magazine</em>, in 1975—he insisted the dancers remain humble and in service to the greater mission. But he was also a taskmaster. "No nonsense, no excuses," Abarca Mitchell says. "There was no slack. If he was rehearsing something that you're not in, you'd better be on the side learning it."</p><p>"He didn't throw compliments around at all. You had to really kill yourself to get a smile from him." After a run-through, she says, "you didn't want to be singled out."</p>
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<p>Abarca Mitchell takes a slightly different approach, though she doesn't compromise on the values her mentor instilled. When coaching large casts of all ages and different levels for Ballethnic, she has found ways to inspire people without tearing them down. She calls it a "tough love" approach.</p><p>"I've got to make them <em>want</em> to do it. I don't want to beat them into doing it," Abarca Mitchell says. "I tell them, 'You're here because you want to be, and because you auditioned and were accepted. Now, show me why I should keep you here.'"</p><p>"I tell them, 'I'm here to make sure you'll look good—you know: 'That looks fake. Let's make it look real. Think about what you're doing, so that it's not just a gesture.'"</p><p>Arthur Mitchell instilled this level of emotional honesty in his dancers, and it was key to the company's quick success. "We were bringing a thought forward," says Abarca Mitchell. "We were bringing a feeling forward, so that the audience could connect with us."</p>
<p>In addition to her position as rehearsal director for Ballethnic, Abarca Mitchell is today part of 152nd Street Black Ballet Legacy, a group of DTH alumni who seek to give voice to people responsible for the company's success in its early years. "It's incredible," she says, "how many people took something from DTH and applied it to their lives."</p><p>As Ballethnic prepares to co-host the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference and Festival in January 2022, Abarca Mitchell hopes to help strengthen the network of dance companies associated with Ballethnic, such as Memphis' Collage Dance Collective. "The dream is for all of us to collaborate with each other," she says, "so that it becomes more normal to see a Black ballerina, so it's not just a token appearance."</p><p>Today's young dancers face different challenges from what Abarca Mitchell faced. She finds that they're more easily distracted, and sometimes act entitled, because they don't know or appreciate how hard earlier Black ballerinas like herself worked to clear a path for them. But what she's passing on will benefit them, whether they choose to pursue dance careers or become doctors, lawyers, professors or something else entirely. "The principles are the same," she says. "Work for what you want, and you will achieve it."</p>
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