You may have seen a new TV advertisement for Graze boxes. If you have not ordered your free 1st box, do it now! They are incredibly tasty and extremely good for you. I have a couple of boxes posted to me every week and look forward to every one!

You choose when you want a box and then Graze post you four punnets of naturally healthy snacks. These snacks range from vanilla coated seeds, roasted nuts, home made flapjacks, crackers and dips, and my favourite – dried fruits and chocolate. In each box you get a small leaflet explaining the nutritional value of each punnet. Sometimes you also receive educational leaflets on healthy eating and food, however whatever they send you is interesting and informative.

Once you have eaten the box, you ‘rate or slate’ so if you do not like what they send you, you do not have to eat it again! The recipes are always evolving and they use good quality and interesting ingredients which you may not otherwise buy or eat.

I would strongly encourage any woman who likes their mid morning/afternoon snacks to order a Graze box now!

You will love them!

Bon appetite

If you are looking for a trainer at the moment please let me assure you that we are normal people and do not look as scary as they do!!

Last Thursday night at Sadlers Wells I went to the world premiere of UNDANCE, a collaboration of Mark-Anthony Turnage, Wayne McGregor and Mark Wallinger.

Absolutely brilliant!! The visuals, music and performance by both Sarah Connolly and Random Dance were exquisite. Even my husband was astounded by the intriguing pieces. Visually both performances were breathtaking and of course the extremely talented dancers from Random Dance performed with power and grace in the way that only they can.

I would absolutely recommend seeing this if you can, it will be one you remember for a long time! Seeing the physical prowess of the dancers from Random Dance may may also motivate you in your exercise sessions!!!

This one day symposium which was jointly organised by the Royal Society of Medicine and Dance UK, was held at the Royal Society of Medicine headquarters in London on Monday 4^th April 2011. The event was sold out and attended by a diverse range of dance teachers / educators, doctors / surgeons and medics involved in sport.

The aim of the day was ‘to provide practitioners with an opportunity to share knowledge and expertise’ addressing ‘the causes, impact, effective prevention and management of injuries in elite dance and sport’.

The day kicked off with an intriguingly honest account from Angela Towler (Dancer for Rambert Dance Company) who suffered a potentially career-threatening injury. Angela recounted not only how the injury affected her ability to perform, but how she had to mentally process the severity and the repercussions of her injury. This account truly highlighted how devastating injuries can be not just to the physical body of a dancer, but also to them as a person and human being. Angela finally discussed with the audience the importance of spotting weaknesses or injuries early so they can be dealt with efficiently by the right professionals and thus preventing injuries from getting unduly worse.

Dr John Brooks (Rugby Union and King’s College London) and Dr Colin Fuller (Research Consultant for FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre) explained how they investigate and collect information on injuries within professional football and rugby in order to help them manage and prevent injuries and increase the quality of performance, career length and playing time for their athletes. Although coming from quite a different field from dance, there seemed to be some basic principles which the dance industry could implement and benefit from.

There were also various presentations given by some of the top ankle and knee surgeons in the country who gave us very detailed and graphic insights (footage from inside the body itself!) into what procedures they perform on acute injuries found in elite athletes and dancers. Although the word ‘surgery’ sounds quite scary, they somehow managed to instil confidence in these procedures and although invasive, the results post rehabilitation were excellent. They advocated the importance of taking enough time out for physiotherapy and returning to activity in a gentle staged approach.

The overwhelming feeling from the day, which Denise Lewis OBE (Olympic Gold Medallist and Strictly Come Dancing star) emphasised in her presentation, was how vital it is to have a dedicated team around elite performers. Dancers and sports athletes alike need a professional team of experts around them who are able to support, advise and rehabilitate them when injuries are sustained with both the physical and mental repercussions. As heavily discussed throughout the day, the practical implication of creating this team of medics for dancers seems to be the next challenge, which is why it is so important that the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science is set into motion and eventually rolled out across the country for all dancers. The last point which Denise Lewis OBE emphasised was the importance of good communication within these medical teams as this can dramatically aid in the prevention of injuries, which is surely the future for dancer’s health and well-being.

I was asked by Fitness Professionals aka Fitpro (worldwide fitness association), to write an article on my career journey within the dance and fitness industry. It was a really good opportunity to point out that dance and fitness can be a great combination and careers can be aided by studying and practising in both industries. It was an interesting article to write as it got me thinking how closely linked they can be in a practical sense, but yet the lack of academic or experience  recognition each one has for the other. I had to study, train and work separately to get to where I am now, and even now REP’s (Register of Exercise Professionals) do not recognise my MSc in Dance Science as an equal to anyother Sports Science MSc. The only difference is that we apply the sports science principles to dance!

You can read the full article on the following link:

The journey to becoming a dance instructor: Rebecca Dalby

If you are not sure where to start with all the safety and good dance practise advice, these three videos on You Tube produced by Power Dance System. They maybe the answer to your prayers if you want quick basic advice and ideas! Follow the links below and you have the basics covered – enjoy!

Warm Up and Cool Down in Dance Practice – Power Dance System

Relaxation Skills in Dance Practice – Power Dance System

Visualisation Skills in Dance Practice – Power Dance System

Pina Bausch sadly died on the 30th of June 2009 aged 63. I went to her sell out performance in  Sadlers Wells last year which was incredible. As all dance students I was taught about her work and the way she introduced the world to dance theatre, fusing humour and strong power messages. Unfortunately I did not get to see her company Tanztheatre Wuppertal (founded in 1973) until 2008. I am so glad I witnessed such an epic occasion. We were hoping that she would be there but could not make it in the end as she was unwell. Apparently she had only just hung up her dancing shoes two weeks before the stint at Sadlers Wells!

Seeing her company in the flesh was an amazing experience. With a standing applaud, looking around at the audience, there was not one person in the theatre who was not blown away by the two pieces (Cafe Muller and Rite of Spring).  My favourite was the Rite of Spring which totally blew me away. The power of the choreography and energy of the dancers was quite literally tangible! I have never felt that kind of all encompassing atmosphere in a theatre before and can still feel it now as I look back.

A great artistic mind, a great dancer, a great pioneer and a great lady. Her influence has shaped what we see at the theatre and I am very grateful for that! Watch the below videos on some of her most epic pieces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXVuVQuMvgA

www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/jul/01/pina-bausch-clip-dance-guide 

This year the Theatre Faculties Congress was held at Laban (London) which, following the success of last year, the ISTD felt it was a well suited venue and had great adaptability for the needs of this diverse and large scale Congress.

Once again the Congress was a huge success and the variety of the lectures, demonstrations and workshops were impressive. The day was run with a high level of professionalism but also offering a lovely open and personal approach as the presenters and lecturers created a fun and welcoming atmosphere to all.

I attended five sessions on the day which included:

Tap class by Douglas Mills – Excellent, great fun! Amazing tapper and choreographer. (Tap Faculty)

Classical Greek: A Musical Approach  – Ancient to Modern by Amanda Wilkins and Carol Vasko – Fantastic! Incredibly informative, well presented and beautiful dancing! (Classical Greek Faculty)

Classical Ballet: Demonstration Class Year 11 Girls from White Lodge with Diane Von Schoor – Talented young dancers taught by an incredible and entertaining teacher. An eye opener into the training of young ballet professionals. (Imperial Ballet and Cecchetti Faculty)

National Dance: A Polish Experience by Wlodek Lesiecki – Two words describe the presenter ….. interesting and crazy! This was a lot of fun to watch, mainly because of the way it was presented and taught. Not perhaps the most conventional way of teaching, but a nice change from the norm! (National Dance Faculty)

Kathak Workshop by Urja Desai Thakore  – Excellent as we got chance to have one on one tution with Urja Desai Thakore! She was also very articulate in answering the questions the audience threw at her. (South Asian Faculty)

Classical Greek

My personal favourite from the day was the Classical Greek lecture and demonstration.  I had never atcually seen any Classical Greek dance before then and was totally blown away! Four styles of Classical Greek was shown and explained. The first being Lyrical which was very exspressive, worshipful and elegant. The movements were heavily linked with the music and orginally back in Accient Greece, the dance would have been accompinied by live singers. The physicality was incredible. Clearly strength, balance and great flexibilty is needed to perform this style well. Alot of back work and spinal curves were involved in the chorerograhy. You could also see Balletic and Release style qualities (Release technique from the Contemporary Dance).

The second style was Bacchic. This style represents the extremes of human nature. The movements looked animal-esque! The dancers were transformed through the movements into dark and grotesque looking creatures!

The Tragic style was very emotional and perhaps a more maturer way of moving as the dancers had to really engage in what they are dancing for and the story that they were trying to portray.

Last of all was the Piric style. This movement vocabulary is drawn from the days of war and battle. Props such as swords and sheilds were used to convey the intensity and the physicality of battle.

It is easy to see how Classical Greek can enhance a dancer’s way of movement and control. The technique encompeses many qualities and skills which are crucial for many forms of dance inculding Ballet and Contempory. The performances which were shown were beautiful and totally engaged / connected with the audience throughout.

If you have not seen any Classical Greek  or would like to know more about it then visit the ISTD Classical Greek’s website and have a read. There are many ISTD schools which offer lessons in Classical Greek and I would definatly recommend having ago!

Overview

The day was set in the Royal Society of Medicine which was a fantastic back drop. The building and the conference room was laid out beautifully with fantastic portraits of the great figures in medicine. The food was great and refreshments served throughout the day. There was a lovely atmosphere where around 80 people involved or interested in the Dance Science and Medicine industries gathered. I saw some old friends and tutors there which was lovely and met a handful of new experts who hopefully I will be working with at some point.

I thought it would be easier to split this review into seperate posts. So this is the first one ! This first post is a review on the talk by Wayne McGregor (Wayne McGregor / Random Dance and The Royal Ballet). Personally I found the talks from him and Rachel Peppin (Former principle dancer for the Birmingham Royal Ballet) perhaps the most interesting as they were personal accounts of their engagement with dance medicine and science as dance professionals.

Wayne McGregor -  Artistic Director of Wayne McGregor / Random Dance and Resident Choreographer of the The Royal Ballet amoungst many other artistic projects and companies.

Wayne is clearly very intelligent and absolutely passionate about what he does. Ever carefully selected word he spoke was said with real authority and demonstrated his wealth of experience and wisdom. As a speaker he was engaging, humorous and you literally had to keep your full attention on him as he spoke pretty fast!

I was very impressed with Wayne’s approach to working with dancers. The focus of his talk was on what is expected from a dancer. His expectation was that dancers have to be ready to work with a good approach and attitude - a “can do” attitude. His creative process demands the dancers to be responsive to his instructions and that requires a “healthy state of mind and body”.If a dancer is not properly taking care of themselves, this can affect the development of the piece. He wants his dancers to walk into the studio prepared and ready to work with him.  

What was great to hear was that when his dancers get injured,  he works around this and adapts to their current capabilities. This is a great attitude as many dancers continue on through injury as they worry they won’t get paid or they are letting the choreographer/company down.  This perhaps is a good time to point out that many artistic directors or choreographers do not have a good appreciation of how injury can affect a dancer and therefore their injury/sick policies and attitudes drive dancers to physical and often mental breakdown. Wayne McGregor is really a role model for these people and I hope that they hear this message in some way!

Wayne looks for dancers who have excellent cognitive and creative capabilities, not just physical. However, flexibility with strength and control is essential in performing his movement vocabulary. He also looks for individual style and signature, ability to distinguish movement between bones and muscles and developed proprioception in motion through time. 

It was good to hear that Wayne ensures that his dancers get breaks in schedules, training plans and regular screenings. However Wayne also believes it is down to the  dancer to take responsibility for their own bodies and communicate their boundaries to choreographers. He appreciates this is not always easy, however if you don’t you will only get worse and then be injured for a longer period of time.

I felt that Wayne had a great approach and attitude to what he expects from dancers and how he provides “open communication” with dancers. This has many advantages but most importantly for me, a safe environment for dancers to be honest about their physical limitations and feel properly supported both physically and emotionally.

Random Dance are performing at Sadlers Wells from the 4-6 June 2009. Try and go to see them, they are excellent, have a look at this video (just click on the link) and see for yourself !

 Random Dance – Entity