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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Props, Wigs, & Notes

Most recently I judged the NADAA convention in CT. at the Sheraton Hotel in Bradly International Airport. i ALWAYS take notes during competition so I can answer the large amount of questions I get after any time I judge. I don’t want to repeat myself in this blog BUT I do want to expand on past posts to help teachers and students grow, improve themselves, and learn how to think more like judges do when viewing a competition.

Props - I love when a dance has props. Chairs, umbrellas, mirrors, coat racks, photos in a frame, benches, and plenty more. Props are fantastic BUT don’t forget about them. I see too many situations where a prop is introduced, used for 1 maybe 2 8 counts and then forgotten about entirely. Many dancers forget they even had a prop by the end of their performance and leave stage as if the prop never existed. If you introduce a prop be sure it is included in the performance more than once and not just sitting there to “set a mood”. When used properly a prop will enhance a dancer’s performance and not be a distraction from that performance. If you introduce a prop, use it!

Wigs - I have always said I LOVE the use of wigs. It really gets students/performers into a different mind set when performing. It typically enhances the performance and drastically helps dancers become the Character. “Perform as the Character would perform, do not perform as yourself”. The wigs help get that desired performance.

Hair - along with wigs is hair style. How many professional dancers, when performing, wear a Ballerina Bun all the time. Your hair needs to be right for each performance you give. Hair could be out and flying around when you do hip-hop or straighten when performing stylized jazz, etc…..Your hair can also be a prop when performing….So let down and let it out….No more Buns for every dance your perform in one competition.

Quick Changes - simple. If you have many numbers to perform in one day, this is the perfect time to practices “Quick Changes”. It should never take you more than 3 dances to change from one costume to the next. Don’t panic! If you rush and panic it takes longer to change costumes. Be sure costumes are pre-set. Breath. concentrate, and focus. Changing up to the last second before hitting the stage isn’t professional and doesn’t put you in the right mind-set just before you are about to dance. Take your time and you will become a master of the “Quick Change”. Oh, and it never hurts to ask a friend to help - BUT ask before you need the help NOT in a mound of sweat and craziness at the exact moment their help is required….

Hope that info is helpful….

Tw/uS, A.

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Zazzle! Razzle-Dazzle

Check out this new website I was informed about. How much does www.zazzle.com rock. It is the newest form of sites like www.cafepress.com.

This zazzle however is everything in one. On my first visit I created a tee shirt and posted it on thee zazzle site, my j4t blog, and my danceregister blog. Plus I registered for the site. This was in about 30 - 40 minutes - which is the most amazing part. It’s easy, fun, and you’ll be creating in no time at all….

This site is worth checking out and putting sometime into.

Tw/uS,

A.

Popularity: 56% [?]

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

Popularity: 63% [?]

Something Noteable….

Before Danceregister finally became a reality in March 2007 I watched the inter net for 6 years to see what kind of dance web sites I could find. Incredible what 6 years means on the inter net. When I started I could really find nothing significant. There was one site that has been there for the start and I still stop there time to time just to see what people are chatting about: www.dance.net. It is basically the Craig’s list of dance and worth stopping in. Be sure to mention danceregister when you are there! Thanks.

Tw/uS,

A.

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