Finding Your Path

“Everybody has their own path. I just believe that with conviction and discipline you can make anything happen.” – Sonya Tayeh

Hands down, Sonya Tayeh is one of my favorite choreographers.  Not just because we share the same awesome name but because she is a remarkable choreographer that always pushes the boundaries of dance and inspires me to think outside the box. I admire her creativity and ability to draw you into her story immediately,  taking you on a journey. That is a true gift of a choreographer! Her dance pieces are full of technical mastery and true connection to the movement, musicality and phrasing. Talent that takes years of hard work to finesse. She has a true gift.

Recently, I have been working too hard to feel inspired and ventured into the world of google search to find a needed creative spark. Instead, I discovered a life changing article.

The article, listed below, interviews Sonya Tayeh. She shares that she just completed a project choreographing the musical, Spring Awakening, at the San Jose Repertory Theater in California. I had heard her choreography for this production was amazing, so opened the link with enthusiasm. I read the first paragraph and stopped…. frozen.  I read that she was only 18 when she first studied dance seriously.  I was shocked. With all her mastery and technical perfection, I had always assumed that she had trained her entire childhood life to be a dancer.  This information took me by surprise.  In a great way. It was inspiring news that brought a giant smile to my face from ear to ear!

Why?  This is a fantastic reminder that it is never too late to follow your dreams.  The dance world tends to place intense pressure on dancers to achieve technical perfection in their teen years.  It is often whispered that you have limited years to be a dancer and your youth is it.  During my years as a dance teacher and mentor, I often share the speech with my students that it is never too late to push yourself, work harder, set new goals, take care of your body or advance yourself to the technical level that you dream about. With a little hard work and dedication, anything is possible. BUT, you have to want it and be willing to work hard for it.

I often come across talented dancers who have that magical dance gift and passion for the art of dance but never believe in themselves.  I see dancers discredit their dreams or get discouraged when they see more talented dancers. I see parents placing unreasonable pressures on their young dancers to be the best at thirteen. I see our lovely dance world lose great talents when the journey gets too difficult.

I want to empower dancers.  I want them to push past those negative thoughts.  I want to inspire them to know what they want and work hard to achieve it!  I truly believe that you can achieve anything with a little hard work. Simply said… might be a little cheesy, yet holds a wealth of inspiration. I’m willing to be cheesy to prove a point.  Especially this one.

I have been thinking in-depth lately about my own dreams and goals, and this article helped me stop and think.  Reevaluate my mind-set. Give myself a needed pep talk. So I share with you today these words of inspiration and hope that it helps you stop for a few minutes and think.  What is holding you back from your dreams?

Maybe I should also remind you of a few others with inspirational stories! Cris Judd, became interested in dance at the age of 21, and a few years later was hired to back up dance for Michael Jackson. Two-time MVP and Super Bowl champion, Kurt Warner, entered the NFL at age 28. An age that many retire. Dara Torres, at the age of 41, was not only the oldest swimmer to ever to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team, but also inspired a nation as she won three silver medals in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

This inspirational advice lends itself beyond the dance world too.

So I leave you with this article of inspiration today and a reminder that:

It is never too late to follow your dreams…

Enjoy!

http://www.sanjose.com/ae/articles/2011/09/08/in_depth_with_sonya_tayeh

A few of my all time favorite Sonya Tayeh pieces created for So You Think You Can Dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QArNu9Xq6dU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEhYAteVBDE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdsTQoN4WcQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03TjhI40aQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVEiaT4PAY 

Happy dancing!

Sonya

Lets further the art of dance together… ASK MS. SONYA, I want to help!
askmssonya@gmail.com

What is the Difference?

What is the difference between Modern Dance, Contemporary Dance and Lyrical Dance?
Sydney, Age 14,  from Washington 

This frequently asked question is one that is heavily debated currently among our industry and it’s professionals.  I don’t blame you for being confused,  it is a tough distinction!

I think that in order to define these styles one must look at their rich history.  This is a quick history lesson that I believe will help define these styles and help you gain a better understanding of what they encompass.  Of course, if you would like to delve further, there is a wealth of dance history to research and learn about!

Ballet is the foundation of all concert dance and dates back to the 1600‘s.  It should always be studied and is crucial to your strength building and control.

Modern Dance began in the early 1900‘s as a rebellion towards all things ballet.  It’s pioneers rejected the strict rules of ballet and believed that dance should express or communicate their inner feelings and be free from the strict rules and upright rigidness of ballet.  Instead of the upright torso, light and lifted center, and precise lines, Modern dance was more relaxed.  It used your body with gravity and danced into the ground.  It’s pioneers built their own techniques which utilized contraction and release, fall and recovery, improvisation, moving through the spine, floor work, contact improvisation and everyday gestures to communicate their feelings or desired expression with their audience. For many years Contemporary and Modern Dance were synonymous with each other.  However,  in recent years, Contemporary has evolved into its own style and Modern dance is used primarily to refer to the techniques developed by the pioneers. Some great Modern Dance pioneers include:  Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Lester Horton, Doris Humphrey to name a quick few. Here is a great example from a legendary pioneer of Modern dance, Alvin Ailey, Revelations.  Also a great video example of the Lester Horton Technique of Modern Dance taught in the classroom.

During the 1930’s and 1940’s, dance was influenced by a public that loved dancing to the popular music of the time,  Jazz Music. Jazz and Tap dance developed during this time period and therefore share much of the same terminology, foundations and roots.  Jazz Dance quickly moved from a social dance form into the Broadway world and has been evolving and fusing with other styles of dance ever since.  Jazz Dance is deeply rooted in the technique, strength and lines of ballet, which must be studied to execute the style correctly.  Jazz Dance also has been heavily influenced by the grounded nature of hip hop and african dance and it’s showy Broadway Dance roots!

Lyrical Dance has always been described to me as the expression of the lyrics of the song to the audience using a fusion of Ballet and Jazz styles.  This style requires the dancer to master both Ballet and Jazz techniques and then use that movement to express the lyrics and musicality of the song.  A lyrical dancer must  master the ability to connect each movement to the next, transition seamlessly by sustaining a movement for as long as musically relevant and flow effortlessly into the next movement all while expressing their emotions to the audience through their movement.  Which definitely requires maturity, finesse, musicality and many years at the ballet barre!

Contemporary Dance has become extremely popular over the last ten years.  It is strongly rooted in the fundamentals of modern dance but it has evolved over the years to pull from every style of dance to express the dancers own interpretation to the audience.  Contemporary has the  same ideals and foundations as modern dance. The movement should communicate or express something to the audience, be open to the dancer’s interpretation and reject the rules of ballet.  However, there is no limit to the styles at which you may draw upon to communicate to your audience.  This style is characterized by it’s versatility and limitless boundaries.  There is a complete and limitless freedom to Contemporary movement!  Contemporary can be conceptual,  which tells the audience a story.  It can be pedestrian, which shares a moment or experience from real life.   It can even be technical, taking ballet lines and breaking the rules! It could include elements from all kinds of dance including,  but not limited to: african, ballet, jazz, acro, modern, hip hop, miming, you get the idea etc…  This particular style is so hard to describe as it is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of dance!  In recent years it has been heavily influenced by lyrical dance and therefore the styles can be hard to differentiate.

It is important to note that although Modern and Contemporary Dance have been rebellions from the ballet rules, the freedom still requires that dancers train heavily in the technique of ballet in order to properly and skillfully then execute the movements that “break the rules”.    A dancer must still have a mastery of both turn-out and parallel, strength in their feet and ankles as well as complete mastery of their center.  This is why Modern and Contemporary dance is typically not introduced to a dancer until later in their training and education.  It requires a certain maturity and strength to perform properly!  I would say that a dancer should train in ballet for at least 4 or 5 years before they begin to explore the fundamentals of Contemporary.  That being said,  with all its influence, a great contemporary dancer will also be an expert in the Jazz, Hip Hop and Lyrical styles of dance…  so study it all my friends!

My hope is that with this little history lesson you can start to think more about how much dance has evolved, how much each style has influenced each other and how important it is to understand it’s rich history.  The trained eye can see the difference between the three, recognize the modern dance foundations and appreciate differences.

Personally, I love that dance styles are blurring. I enjoy watching movement that pushes the boundaries and breaks all the rules! The fusion is beautiful.  Here is a recent example of a brilliant piece from So You Think You Can Dance 2014, choreographed by Mandy Moore.  This piece contains many wonderful textbook examples of Modern, Lyrical, Contemporary and Ballet dance. It is difficult to define the piece into one style particular style. Together it is just exquisite!

Hope this helped!

Happy dancing!

Sonya

Lets further the art of dance together… ASK MS. SONYA, I want to help!
askmssonya@gmail.com