Anthony LoCascio’s Blog

ASCAP & BMI

I am satrting a group on Danceregister.com for ASCAP & BMI discussion. I know there is many diffirent feelings on this topic with dance studio owners. The group will be private and invite only. This is so eveyone will feel comfortable saying whatever is on their mind in a private forum where it is limited to being viewed by other teachers, studio owners, and master teachers. The group will be called ASCAP_BMI. Come and put in your two cents and let’s share info and experiences.
Tap w/u Soon,
Anthony

Popularity: 92% [?]

Dancebutton.com

I love this idea and think EVERY studio should adopt it ASAP! If you are like me and want your students to watch others perform to increase their knowledge of themselves as a dancer? Then This is perfect for you…..it is a student to student “award” that your students can give to others they see and admire at conventions & competitions.

I got my dancebutton from Alison & Megan in North Carolina and it still sit on my cork board years later. My dancebutton is #584.

I highly recommend you introduce www.dancebutton.com to as many studios as you can!

Popularity: 86% [?]

Top 10 Performance (competition) Things to Remember!

1. Get off the floor when you hop, and PRESS into the balls of your feet (Forced Arch) TAP
2. Don’t dance; Perform
3. Straighten the supporting leg!
4. Spot eye level, on the accent to turn as a unit.
5. No Fouettes in Tap! Save them for your Jazz, Modern, Lyrical and Ballet - Use Tap Turns!
6. Don’t forget to Pointe` your feet - especially when going into & getting up from in floor sections!
7. Every transition is equally as important as each individual step!
8. Be sure to stretch before every performance.
9. Preview and discuss each stage, at each performance, for proper staging and spacing!
10. Express, Emote and SMILE!!!!

I choose these 10 because they apply to 90% of the the dances I adjudicate. They are here to help you avoid the most common pit falls I encounter. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is see ourselves - but when we do, we can become the person we want to be by working on what actually makes up who we are as a person. Then we love ourselves and have the ability to love others. It works that way with Critical Criticism! Listen to what everyone has to say, Take it all with a grain of salt, then place appropriate value to all you have heard and apply it properly to your life!

Popularity: 100% [?]

Lyrical Report for Lyrical Dances

Let talk about lyrical at competition…As a performer you need to express the lyrics of the artist you are dancing to with you face, body and movement. Your job is to connect the audience to the emotion of the song. Be aware of musical changes and DO A LYRICAL REPORT.

A lyrical report is a book report for a song….You should listen to the words and the way the artist’s voice changes during the song. What emotions are expressed? How do I express them properly? What are the right moments to express them? and so on….This will help you perform on stage rather than just “spit dance steps back” at your audience…..It is hard to put yourself out on the line emotionally in front of a wide variety of people BUT that is what we should do when performing a lyrical dance.

Age - I know lyrical is very enticing to all ages BUT remember a few things. For younger students I tend to introduce them to expression on stage with Theatre and Character dances. This teaches students that it is O.K. to dance with different expression and emotions on stage and to perform as a character and NOT dance like themselves….Plus it is hard to judge a lyrical dance when the student is 10 and she is smiling through a whole dance about being a battered wife…I see things like this every weekend when I judge and it happens ALL DAY, NOT JUST ONCE OR TWICE!

If you have younger students who really want to become great lyrical dancers, start with the theatre dance and easier character stuff when they are younger so they can get used to expressing themselves in front of an audience - This will make it easier to transition into heavier, deeper, and more mature emotions when they get older and tackle lyrical pieces.

O.K. - That is all for this topic at the moment…Hope this is helpful…..It seems like teachers really fine my lyrical report system useful and I hope you do to…

Tap w/u Soon,

Anthony

Popularity: 71% [?]

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: 57% [?]