Anthony LoCascio’s Blog

Recent General Competition Notes

What a great few days this has been. Teaching at a NADAA event is always a treat and I get to see so many people I enjoy. I love working with the students and the teacher’s dedication to reach positive goals for their dancers is fantastic.

Classes were great and everyone was wonderfully attentive. Competition was excellent and for the first time Bethany and I were inspired to create a new scholarship because of Leah Woodward’s excellent performance and consistance over a two day Competition. Congrats Leah, we wish you nothing but success.

Every competition I make general notes that seem to pop up more than once during the event.four or five things stuck in my head….work on these and always give great attention to detail…….

1) (tap) press into the ball of the feet and dace in “pop”

2) (jazz, lyrical, contemporary) elongate and connect transitions. Treat every transition with equal importance and as if they were an individual step.

3) (all styles) careful on flashy entrances and exits. You are the major focus at that point, there is no other distractions. We SEE & HEAR everything. If you are going to dance on or off the stage w/o music for an entrance, you better make sure it is perfect!!!!!

4) No matter how many dances you do in one day, you can NOT look tired on stage when you are performing…Fight for every step, detail and movement!

5) Though most were pretty good at this, remember. It is called a QUICK change because you need to be FAST. However, breath, don’t rush, and keep calm. Breaking those general rules will actually make your change into a longer process….Also, be sure to utilize pre-sets.

6) (jazz, lyrical, ballet, modern, contemporary) When you do any type of leap or jete - lift and float!!! I do NOT want to hear you land!!!! Period!!!

O.K. hope this helps everyone out there in competition land….Break a leg. As always…..

Tap w/u Soon,

Anthony

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Dance Shoes

I get tons a questions about dance shoes. I have addressed TAP shoes before in my blog and it really comes down to 4 syllables - Miller & Ben -or- for students Bloch. After the “which shoes do I tap in?” questions It stops there for the most part. However, there is more to unveil.

I see all students going from their “dolly dinkle” patten leathers to flat taps. I think this creates a problem with lifting heels when Tapping. Ideally I would like to see students n a small heel until they are about 12 years of age. I do not like to see Tap Dancers in a flat tap shoe until they have a greater understanding of technique. It isn’t until about 13 years of age that i move them to a flat tap shoe. This means the shoe choice actually aids in the learning curve of the dancer/student. I keep them in Blochs until their foot stops it’s quick growth spurts and then move them into a Miller & Ben shoe - Where they Tap happily ever after.

On a different dance shoe note. Remember the shoe is part of the leg line when you dance any style. Don’t forget about your Character shoes when performing a Theatre piece, a stylized jazz dance, or any other dance mood where a heel is more fitting for the performance than a flat shoe. Much to often I see the wrong choice of footwear on dancer’s feet when performing/competing.

Hope this helps - and as always

Tw/uS, A.

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What Tap Shoes am I wearing?

When I was I kid I forever wore Capezio. The Last Pair I put on my feet was k360s after T-Dogs. I tore through the seem in 2 1/2 weeks and Capezio said they couldn’t do anything about it. Thanks.For a While I thought my Boots for T-Dogs would be the only thing I could wear. Then I discovered Miller & Ben. The Best Tap shoes I put on my feet since I was just a kid learning how to tap dance and Capezio was the tap shoe king!

Anyway you should check these shoes out. I use the jazz tap master. I have own 3 pairs so far. 10 months, TEN, after I used the shoes for regular class I noticed a small tear near a seam. I told Ben about the rip. He was so sorry - mean while I couldn’t believe how well they stood up to my pounding for so long. He proceeded to give me a new pair of shoes and 5 months later I loved my second pair so much I bought my third pair! If you perform, Teach, or your foot has fully grown get a pair NOW! The first week or so they are tight. That is because the leather is of excellent quality and they stretch out. I notice a small amount of baseball glove oil speeds up the process.

Anyway, It comes down to my Blundstones or my B & Ms. However, if you want shoes for your students and price is an issue ( when isn’t it?) get Bloch techno taps. They last, they have a good all around sole, they sound excellent, and they don’t strip (the screws) as easy as Capezios.

Tw/uS,

Anthony

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