Hello and welcome to Drinks at the Bar, a podcast where we
breakthrough the 4th wall and discuss everything about dance
and the theatre industry. My name is poor James Rooney, a
dancer, choreographer and dance teacher based in Copenhagen, and
I am your host of Drinks at the Bar.
Today I'm joined by my regular guest host, currently in the
middle of a lawsuit with Dan Levy over him stealing his
likeness for the creation of the character David Rose in Schitt's
Creek. It is Damian Lee stir.
For God's sake. Hi everybody.
I'm Damien Lester, director of the Dancers Studio London,
classical ballet teacher, actor with the Royal Ballet and star
of Schitt's Creek. Here we discuss everything from
hearing backstage stories, touring shenanigans, to deeper
issues like body image training, the reality of being a freelance
dancer, and much more. With guest professionals, we are
here to share our knowledge, experience, and help you with
any questions or problems you may have about dance and
navigating the dance world. Well, hello, Denise.
Hello my darling, how are you? I am stressed because we just
lost an entire episode. We had a little problem,
listeners. We did a whole episode of
recording and for some unknown reason, only Damien's side of
the conversation was recorded. Which we still may upload.
Just for shit and. After that episode of Just One
Side of the Conversation. But yes, I think we were being
far too clever trying to be weeks and weeks ahead of
ourselves and it didn't work out that way.
So now we have to record in real time.
It is currently What day is it? Sunday.
It's currently Sunday and this episode will be coming out on
Thursday. Absolutely.
And here we are. So we had a dress rehearsal, so.
This. Shouldn't be too difficult to
get through. Well darling, what do you have
to drink? I have myself in Edinburgh gin
and tonic. Lovely, very very nice Sunday
drink. I have pretty much the same.
I have a Marks and Sparks gin and tonic.
So chin, chin with the gin. Chin, chin with the gin.
Cheers. Cheers love.
Well, like with every episode, we always try to help our
listeners in tackling this industry.
And this week we are here to give you some quick points of
advice before throwing you into the deep end.
Yeah, I would say that not every subject is long enough to talk
about for a whole episode. However, I am sure you and I
could stretch any subject long enough to natter about for an
hour. Absolutely true, but this week
we are covering a few smaller points that we have thought
about and wanted to discuss and share.
Yes, can't do this today. It's I wasn't prepared on these.
This is I'm not in show mode. No, we're not in.
We're not. We're not here, no.
I'm not supposed to be recording today, so I'm not prepared.
OK, well let me start by mentioning a class that I taught
a couple of days ago, which is one of the inspirations for this
episode. So I taught a class I was asked
by Central, the musical theatre school over here in Copenhagen.
I was asked by them to teach AI think it was called Focus on
Choreography. And basically it was kind of
like a fake audition, but the focus of the class was helping
them pick up stuff, how to pick up repertoire and how to pick up
on shame ones and what have you. So let's just start with that
and what I taught there and some helpful hints about learning
steps because lots of people do struggle.
I myself have it's it's like the best thing in my arsenal that I
have. It's what I'm really good at is
picking up stuff. So I gave this class, we did one
routine, did it in groups, did it in smaller groups.
And then I sat everybody down and then I basically said what I
noticed in the in the room about how people were learning and how
people were picking stuff up and then gave them all those
pointers. And then we learnt another piece
of rap to see if they can then use those pointers to learn the
Anshre 1. So basically what I would say
straight away that I noticed from a lot of people in
auditions and as well in this class is people trying to do
everything all at once. People trying to do the first
step in the choreography full out with full out arms and also
the face and the personality and everything at the first go when
all I've gone is step will change, step kick and they'll do
a full out, step will change and a full on kick.
Guys, calm down. We're learning now.
Firstly, no one is watching you. You're not being watched by
anyone yet. You're you don't need to get it
into your body. You know what I mean?
You don't have to get feel what full out feels like right this
second. Concentrate on learning what it
is because that's what's going to help you.
Does that make sense? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
I'm just wondering if if you know those dancers going full
out from the get go, do you think it's to impress you or to
stand out or to show you that they can do it even though they
can't do it because they haven't absorbed what you're delivering?
But maybe is that a reason they're trying to be ahead of
the game almost? I don't know.
Well, exactly. There's two things I can think
about in my head is that you know that they're trying to show
off. They're trying to do it fall out
and show you show my lovely kick or whatever it is, but I don't
know if it's also I need to see if I can do it.
I need to see if I can do it fall out like for themselves,
like can I do this repertoire? And it's more I'm here to tell
you, it's not helping you learn. Concentrate on the steps,
picking up what the steps are. Because we've just gone Butane's
kick, right? Everyone got that caught.
The next step is your brain and focus needs to be in the
learning and picking up mode and not a dancing mode.
Definitely. And I think, you know, from my
experience as a dancer, I like to watch what's happening first.
I almost need not to move just to go.
OK, let me just see what is being delivered in front of my
eyes in real time just to get my head around it and then right,
let's get stuck in so that I have a reference.
I need a visual reference because if you're, I'm torn
actually, because that's the way I like to learn.
I like to see what I'm about to get myself into and then go,
right, let's unravel this now and let's learn it.
You know, I want to learn it step by step, ideally with
counts, but in some instances it may just be musical.
You know, it may, there may not be any exact counts.
There may, there may be room for improvisation in terms of
accent, for example. But I definitely like to watch
it first. And I know that we all learn
things in different ways. Because when I teach a ballet
class, actually I do give some advice in that try and try and
learn the exercise as I'm delivering the exercise because
that's a way to get it into a muscle memory before you've done
the exercise. I always feel like it's an extra
couple of seconds where you get to you get to frame the exercise
even though you know, you don't know what's happening because I
haven't set the full exercise. But by following along with me,
you're already getting like a couple of extra seconds of of
Intel. Oh, like physically falling
following along with you? Yeah.
But those are very, very short exercises in terms of what
you're describing, which is a piece of choreography or a piece
of repertoire. So you know that that that's a
short burst. So I think that would work for a
class scenario, but as we're focusing on like an audition
scenario where there's a longer stretch of vocabulary, it's
probably better to see where that goes, how it's carried in a
sequence before you start to give.
Because also, and I know I'm babbling here, but also you
don't know where you'll need to pace yourself yet.
So actually that those first eight counts, you might need to
start, start off a little bit milder before you really go for
it halfway through or towards end of the sequence.
So just, yeah, I think just watch before we go, yeah.
But I mean, I would definitely agree with you with do it along
with me. But Mark, yeah, like, you know,
really, really the tiniest feat in the world, the tiniest Mark,
because your focus needs to be is this is advice for people who
have, who struggle picking up stuff.
So take it down, mark it so exactly what Damien is saying,
like so it is kind of already your body is getting it into its
muscle memory, but 99% of your brain needs to be going on
learning and picking up, not the brain power it takes to do
something full out. If you're doing something full
out, then you're needing to think about my stomach, thinking
about the turn out, thinking about doing a pure, thinking
about my balance with all of that focus needs to be on what
is this person giving me? Stepwise, That's where you need
to be focused on. And I know we all start doing
weird stuff when we're in an audition because we're nervous
and stuff. So we probably start trying to
show off or you also, your brain is half looking around being
like, oh, who else is in the room?
Oh, I'm nervous, oh, are they going to be better than me?
I know it's a very hard situation to be in.
Try and put your full focus on what is that person, dance
captain, rehearsal director? Whoever they are in this
audition, what steps are they conveying?
That's what you need to be. Yeah, that's where all your
brainpower needs to be. Yeah.
And moving on from that, also look at the intention.
How is that person showing you the repertoire or the sequence?
You know, try and pick up on some of their stylistic choices
because the way that they are giving that choreography, that
sequence is really the style that they're looking for from
you to replicate, certainly until you're hired.
And then maybe you can put a little bit of your own stamp on
it. You know, it depends on how much
freedom you you have within the choreography and with the
choreographer. But you can learn a lot from
watching. But that, yeah, like we've just
discussed, it doesn't mean you have to stand stationary, but
you certainly shouldn't be going 100% because you're just going
to miss all of those little clues and little gems of of what
you need to be picking up, really.
Yeah, 100% because it is not just the steps.
Yeah, firstly try and pick up what the steps are, but in in
real time at the same time, don't just focus on what that
step is already be looking at how they are doing that step,
the style of that step because there's no point just looking at
the choreography and going Oh yeah, it was a step dig and the
arm was in front. Look at what it specifically
was. No, it wasn't a step dig.
It was a step bevel and the arm was slightly bent in front.
It wasn't straight out. The wrist was slightly down,
whatever it was, because there's no point half learning it and
then learning the whole choreography and then going back
and trying to find the details, learn what it is exactly from
the get go. You know what I mean?
Like there's no point learning the wrong thing and putting the
wrong thing in your body. So when they say step dig, how
do they do that step dig straight away?
Yeah. And, and it's looking out for
those, you know, the nuance of certain parts because that is
what will make you stand out against the crowd because 300
people, let's say, in an open call can learn 4 counts, you
know, four sets of eight of repertoire.
However, if you're in the 2% that have really picked up on
those stylistic nuances, then you're really going to grab the
eye. And it's, it's having to deal
with that, isn't it? It's having to deal with that
plus the pressure, plus the stress, plus perhaps anxiety.
You know, under pressure in an audition, you have a lot to
consider. It's similar to to being in an
exam for those who have done kind of dance exams, you know
you have to, you have to keep it together and give what you've
been asked of and not panicking and not adding those extra
flourishes, be it adrenaline or you're distracted or you haven't
looked at the material in enough detail.
Focus on the steps and focus on listening again, it's still not
doing it full out. Focus on listening to what
they're saying when they're giving these new steps, how they
are being given, what the style is.
Because I would say 99% of the time the person showing you the
repertoire is either the dance captain, the rehearsal director,
the assistant choreographer, or the choreographer.
All of those people, maybe apart from the choreographer, all of
those people are kind of the choreographer's favorite.
So they are probably doing it most like the way the
choreographer wanted, if that makes sense.
You know what I mean. The choreographer has hired his
probably favorite most quickest dancer or whatever, or the
person who encapsulates his style best, his or her style
best as their assistant or as their dance captain.
So that person is showing you is actually gold dust that that you
know what I mean. That person who is probably
doing the best version of this choreography is right there in
front of you. So really, really hone in on how
it's done as well. Yeah, I think it's great advice.
Look, absorb, replicate, I think are all great keywords to think
of if you're in a panic situation within an audition and
you start to lose yourself. Look at the choreography, absorb
it, replicate in the style that's been shown in front of
you, and I think from there you stand a good chance of of moving
forwards. Because I do see a lot of, you
know, these, these, these people are in education.
So that's that's the point. I'm there to teach, make your
mistakes now so we can learn before we go out.
But I saw a lot of what's the word, an approximation of the
step. So like, kind of like I just
mentioned before a step dig. No, it was a step bevel with a
hip hop with a yeah, not not an approximation of the
choreography. Find out what the choreography
is. Yeah, use those observational
skills, Yeah, rather than be be too vague, because that could be
the difference between being hired and not hired.
And it is a big difference actually, because it shows that
you're you're in the room, you're switched on and you're
willing to take on more than just the average.
I would also say in the same breath that the performance that
you will put on, I don't like to say pulling faces, but you know
what I mean, The flourishes that the performance that you'll put
on the last time you do it in front of the panel, Don't worry
about putting on all those flourishes and the personality
in the face when we're doing the first, you know, it's like
saying about not doing it full out.
Also, don't put any character on, don't put any acting on,
don't put any faces on. Concentrate on learning the
choreography. Also, I wouldn't even put that
stuff on when we're starting doing it in the big groups
before we really go down because that's the time for you to get
it into your body. I know we want to see the whole
package in an audition, but use as much time as you can to get
that choreography into your body.
Then when you're at the side before your group comes in, when
you do it with your group, shove on your face, shove on your
personality because you don't. I'm sorry.
In my opinion, shoot me if I'm wrong.
I don't think you need to rehearse all of that.
You know those minutes that you have to learn that choreography,
Focus on learning the choreography.
Don't focus on how am I going to put my face in this section and
how do that as it comes. Get the steps.
It's like building blocks, isn't
it? It's certainly, you know, I know
you and I are similar. When we teach repertoire, block
it out, start to figure out where you need to be in the
space and you start to build. OK, this is kind of like a rough
cut of what we're about to learn, but still talking about
detail. It's not Blase, but it's rough
in that you need to allow time to build and grow with the
material, and then you can start to go into a little bit more
finer detail. If something's not quite right,
then you start to Polish those rough edges.
And I think in terms of performance value, some dancers,
some performers have very natural charisma.
And whatever way, whichever way they attack the choreography in
an audition scenario, they will just ooze charisma.
And in some cases it can be the charisma that carries them
through to the next round over the actual dancing, right?
Happens all the time. But I think, you know, like Paul
just mentioned, for those who maybe struggle, the learning
must come first, then get things polished and, and, and ready as
you go into those smaller groups.
But then I think you must attempt not putting on a face.
That's not what we're telling you, But you also need to engage
the panel. When you're doing it in the
groups, that's when it needs to become, you know, a performance
and not just steps, but talking about learning steps, that stuff
comes last physically. You can listen again, not all of
I think maybe there's a misconception of to learn dance,
I have to be physically moving all the time.
Like I could only learn by being a parrot, which is, yes, lots of
us do copy and learn and that's how you get it in your body.
But there's a lot of stuff that is actually standing there and
listening, standing there and looking.
It's also going in your body. So don't feel that you have to
be moving to get it into your body.
You can listen and you can watch somebody else do it full out to
the music and hit the accents and you can be feeling it in
your body while that music is playing.
That's also a way of picking up steps.
You don't have to physically be doing it all the time.
I'm smiling because it's It's interesting because when you
teach different levels of dancers, certainly in the
company scenario, it can be quite intimidating as a teacher.
Because actually I found that most professional dancers,
because their brains are so quick at picking up exercises,
they are often don't move. They just watch you do the
exercise and you just have you. Know stand there with arms
folded. Yeah, 30 to 50 people just
staring at you as you're delivering an exercise, which is
their way of learning. Of course, you'll always have
dancers that like to mark the exercise with their hands if
it's quick, let's say if it's a quick Glee, say exercise or
something. But it's very intimidating when
you're delivering an exercise and you have a a room full of
professional dancers just like arms crossed staring at you.
But that's the way they learn. I think most younger dancers
don't learn that way and I think it is a smart move to move in
some capacity. But watching is very valuable at
times as well. And I think that's what Paul's
getting at, is you have to watch.
You have to watch to be able to really fully take on what's been
shown in front of you, rather than just going for it and then
just distracting yourself, distracting the teacher, and
distracting the rest of the people in that room.
I would say the biggest pieces of advice that I gave and I
always give about picking up steps, learning the on shame on
learning the whatever it is, is the internal singing.
That for me is if you're slightly unsure or you thought
you had it and then suddenly your brain goes, Oh my God, what
was the step? The teacher of the
choreographer, the whoever has probably gone a part of Boray
and up and down and jump and jump and turn and down and flick
and flick. And having that internal
dialogue to the music is sometimes where you can a really
good way to pick up steps, like going a step board changer.
Step board changer, yeah, up and down and turn and turn and
flick, flick splits and flick. But having that, how did my
teacher sing the exercise? And when the music starts, if
you start singing that rhythm, that's a really good way to pick
up the steps because then. Yeah, it's more, it feels more
automatic in the body than thinking.
Now I put my right leg forward. I do this like.
But also, it's not just for, you know, giggles.
It's there are clues in the dynamic of the musical
expression from the teacher, right?
Because that's what they want. So it's, it's massively helpful.
And again, in class, you know, the best teachers teach
rhythmically because you're setting up an exercise or you're
setting up a sequence or repertoire.
So you know, So listen, listen, listen.
You should be listening. We spoke about a couple of weeks
ago, you know, experiencing teachers that just go a devil
pay to the front promenade around passe time to close and
you're like, OK, great. That was really helpful.
Thank you very much. Yeah, it means nothing.
Insert name here. What does help is happy double
front, double side and pity backman up the knee and Baba
Like that kind of stuff helps you learn the exercise.
So yeah, yeah, talking specifically about learning
exercises and picking up steps. Really sing what the teacher has
just sung in your head when you were doing it to the left after
just going to the right, just start on the other leg and start
going waltz 2-3, waltz 2. Like in your head while it's
going. Listen to the music, sing the
words, and it will just happen. And just a quick side note for
any teachers, whether you're newly teaching or you're an
experienced teacher, I can guarantee that your pianist, if
you're lucky to have a live pianist, will always welcome a
rhythmical explanation description when you're setting
an exercise because it gives them so much more information as
to what you want musically. And I know we're focusing on,
on, on, on, on and on audition. There's like three extra
syllabus. On and in, on and on.
I know we're focusing on auditions right now, but it was
just a little quick sidebar whilst we're discussing, you
know, rhythm and and musicality. The mirror.
Now we have talked about the mirror a couple of times before
regarding body image and having a healthy relationship with the
mirror and being able to look at corrections because your teacher
can't always have their eyes on you.
You need self correct and all that kind of stuff.
Just another little narrow on a new piece of advice.
I would say something that's quite important is to use the
mirror to see what looks good on you.
Meaning standing in quasi with doing a developed Devon with the
quasi leg right? What looks good on your body?
The amount of quasi is going to be different on every single
bodies body. Like everybody is built
differently. So if you've got some people are
slightly longer legs shortly, whatever, look at yourself in
the mirror and work out your angles.
It's so important. It's kind of what if you are
millennial and you grow up watching America's Next Top
Model? Tyra would always say stare at
your face in the mirror and do very slight adjustments of
angles and see where you look good from what angle you look
good from. I would say it's exactly the
same. Stare in that mirror and move
your foot, move your ankle, move your leg, move your arm like
millimeters. Just move them around and just
find out what looks good on you. Yeah, I think it's important to
also realise is that we're not encouraging compromising
technique. However, if you're standing in a
very technical arabesque in your dance studio and your teacher is
saying hip square and pulled up and lovely long muscles and
right behind you and make sure that foot's not open, too open,
you know, check your alignment. Jessica.
Jessica, when you're on stage, however, because you're
performing to a live audience, that arabesque from the studio
sometimes may need need to be crossed ever so slightly, or it
may even need to be open, depending on the type of costume
that you're wearing. And it's really important to
understand those differences and why you execute those
differences without compromising your technique.
Because actually, without good technique and solid technique,
you can't and don't have the capacity to make those
tweakments. Those tweakments, because you
know, it's it's not changing the choreography, it's making sure
what looks good on you. And then then if you finally get
that solo or whatever, there's no one to compare yourself to.
You know, in 1/4 ballet, obviously we all have to be
quasi, but even then, what looks good on you like which I'm
talking milli milli milli milli milli milli millimeters stare in
the mirror. See how see how good you look.
And that will come with experience, but it's the work
starts in the studio, right? Or if you're lucky enough to
have a home studio or even a full length mirror, you know
it's good homework because I always tell my dancers in class,
you have to imagine that one, you're on stage and two, you're
being photographed. I say exactly the same thing.
You could be photographed at any moment, so even that transfer
through 4th on bent knees before you pull up into a position, it
has to be beautiful and it has to be presented in a way that if
you were unlucky enough to be photographed even in a
transitional step, which are just as important than the big
flashy moments. It's all about understanding
what looks good on your body for public consumption, which is the
audience or the camera lens, isn't it?
So it's great home. And that's how I always say when
I'm teaching, I always tell them that I tell my students that the
human eye is like a camera lens. You know, treat the firstly,
treat the audience's eyes as a camera from yourself, like your
angles know where the audience is looking at you from.
So no, have A, an outside eye looking at yourself from where
the audience's perspective and B, and it's not changing the
choreography, it's not changing anything, but just having that
awareness of what do I look like from that person in seat #27 in
the stalls. Like just being aware of your
angles. And what I always say about the
camera, the camera thing in class is always have that
feeling of a split second longer in the air.
Imagine that, you know, the audience's eye is an old lady
getting her camera out of her bag and taking, oh, I didn't
take the cap off taking ages to get that picture.
So whatever you're doing in the air that extra bit longer, try
and stay there because that's what the you want the audience's
eye to capture and remember. Yeah, that's good advice.
That's great advice and again, it comes with experience,
doesn't it? But that's why we're here to
share little tips and tricks that we know we've learnt along
the way through our long and prosperous careers.
That's why we're here, because we know everything.
We know everything there is to know about show business.
So literally in the same literally, so literally in the
same breath about looking at yourself in the mirror and, you
know, checking your ankles. I would also say regarding
clothes and what you wear, find out what looks good on your
body. Again, we don't all have the
same body. We also have different tastes
and it kind of goes back to what we spoke about with your with
auditions. You know, one of the girls
actually in my class asked me, So what should I wear in an
audition? Know what looks good on
yourself. Look in the mirror.
Try, you've got to try and flatter yourself firstly for
yourself in rehearsals and in classes.
When you're looking at yourself in the mirror, you don't want
that kind of distraction of, oh God, I look like shit today.
If you have your little uniform of your long sleeve, turtleneck,
black, whatever, and your hot pants and that's what looks good
on you, that automatically is kind of like a worry out of your
head, you know that. Oh yeah, I'll look good.
But it takes a while to to find out what suits your body and
what looks good on you. So yeah, I think it's quite
important to to to also look in the mirror and find out what
clothing suits you. Yeah, I think because when you
feel good, like you've just said, it's, it's less of a
distraction. I think you will dance.
I certainly dance. I feel like I dance better.
I know that's mad to say because technique is technique and
you're you're doing what you normally do, but I feel like I
dance better if I'm feeling good about what I'm wearing.
Oh yeah. And and it can.
All it can take is the wrong pair of joggers or the wrong
fabric of T-shirt that I've grabbed to derail an entire
class like. Oh my God, if I don't have my
flesh sancha 11 W flatties and I've had to, I don't know,
borrow the theatres black other brand shoes, Oh my whole day is
ruined. Yeah, I'm pretty certain most
dancers feel that way. Regardless of ballet, musical
theatre, tap, jazz, flamenco, whatever it is, if you're not in
the right gear, it can derail that class or that rehearsal.
And I think, you know, Paul's absolutely right.
Finding what works for your body is really essential,
particularly as young dancers, you know, attending lots of
different auditions, because you need to flatter yourself.
You need to present yourself in the best way possible.
And also sometimes what we feel best in is not necessarily what
looks best on us. So I think it's also quite savvy
to get an objective point of view.
So not your best friend who's just going to be say, you know,
who's just going to say, Oh yeah, you look gorgeous, you
know, because your your besties. But try and get some advice.
Because you really don't. That flesh coloured leotard
makes you look like you're anemic, Like you know.
You need to know your colours, you need to know the cut of a
leotard, you need to know the length of a track suit bottom.
If you've got short legs, you know if you're wearing.
If you have short legs and you're wearing 3 Bermuda short
length shorts, you're going to make your legs look even
shorter. You know, if you've got
extremely long legs and you're wearing a really high cut
leotard, you know, you're going to look at out of proportion,
your legs going to look even longer, you know, and it's also
dressing for the job that you want, right?
So, you know, maybe if you, if you're auditioning for the
Rockettes or Moulin Rouge, you're going to wear that high
cut leotard and show off those lovely long legs, you know, so
it, it's understanding the body and it, and it transitions into
regular life as well, doesn't it?
You know what, what works best on you outside of the studio,
but in particular, dressing for a class, A rehearsal, a master
class, whatever it is, even teachers, we need to understand
what to wear because we've gone through that transformation of
dancer to teacher. And there are some signature
pieces like the, you know, the chunky jazz sneaker or the boot
cut trouser. You know, there are standardized
classics of, of uniform, but that doesn't mean, you know, you
don't exactly the Grecian sandal.
You don't have to follow suit. But you know, dressing for the
occasion can really, really help not only support you, but
support the environment that you're you're stepping into, IE
an audition. I think for me it's, it's mainly
it takes one thing out of my mind or kind of gives me the
opportunity, not gives me the opportunity to concentrate more.
But like, it's not going to be a distraction because I know,
look, we're standing in front of a mirror all bloody day.
And if out of the corner of your eye you keep on looking at
yourself, like aesthetically looking like crap because you
don't like your shorts or you don't like your jump or
whatever, it is a distraction because the mirror is in front
of you for six hours that day. And all you're doing is keep on
saying, Oh my God, I also look like crap.
So if you can learn what looks good on you and kind of have a
uniform, I imagine it kind of like, you know, Homer Simpson or
Peter Griffin, like where you're open the cupboard and
everything's exactly the same. It's that whole kind of thing.
Have a little, I don't know, a uniform like a tank top and your
hot pants or whatever it is that suits your body so that, you
know, you don't have to worry about what you look like.
You can concentrate on your job, indeed, the audition or
whatever. Listen, you don't need to preach
to me. You're talking to the dancer.
Who direct messaged the owner, creator of Ware Moi asking why I
couldn't get my, you know, usual polar fleece.
Why is my uniform out of stock? Why can I not restock my
teaching uniform? So it's really it's I, I haven't
given up yet. So if Elizabeth Miege, if you're
listening, I still want access to the Ware Moi polar fleece.
Mercy, before we end this episode, I just want to continue
our conversation as we started about watching.
We spoke about watching the person teaching the rap because
we started off this discussion about helpful hints on how to
learn repertoire. What's the best way to pick up?
I think it's also important to bring those hints, clues that we
just mentioned into the classroom, not to pick up steps.
I mean, yes, you can use them to pick up steps as well, but it's
not just an audition where you need to pick up the intentions
and listen to more than just what the step is.
It's also class. Watch that teacher.
And yes, I was taught by teachers who weren't doing it
full out. Bill Glassman, for example, was
not dancing full out. He was, I think in his mid 50s
when he was teaching or whatever and had bad knees, but he could
get across what he meant through vocal cues doing it with his
hands. Like watch how the step is being
done also in class because it's going to give you tips on
technique. It's not just on, you know, like
in the auditions we were saying it's going to teach you how he
wants the steps done in class. Watching your teacher, you can,
you can see how they're doing it technically as well instead of
just, oh, we're now doing a ton of a into this.
Watch the teachers, you can see that, you know what I mean?
You can see the technique that they're using to do that step as
well. And we're not just talking about
now choreographic intentions, talking about, oh, what?
He actually holds this spot longer or he's actually spotting
with his back instead of thinking of his head or he's
actually doing this, or he actually doesn't do a full big
Demi plier. Every time he jumps, he does a
shorter Balon kind of plier or all these kind of little hints.
You can learn from looking at your teachers as well.
Not just about taking up steps and learning the choreography,
but it's also about the technique.
Not every piece of technique is going to be said to you.
Even the best teachers of the world can't think of everything.
And looking at how Damien does his one verse, looking at how
Bill Glassman dad did his assemblies and Jetes and all of
his petty and echo, like that's where a lot of the clues are.
I think within the Studio environment, IE in a class
scenario, it can be quite easy and certainly not on purpose.
But I think some dancers can switch off quite easily.
Because for example, if I'm delivering OK adage at the bar,
develop a Duvall in four counts. Now I'm saying the likelihood is
that I'm saying rhythmically develop a Duvall in four counts,
one and A and a two and A and a three and A and a four.
However, like Paul's just mentioned, what I'm not saying
I'm showing. So I'm showing the peel of that
foot into CUDA PA into a retiree, presenting the heel on
top to a beautifully stretched leg.
Duval slightly over crossed because that's my mind, put down
toes back to close back into fifth.
Now, I'm not actually, the likelihood is that I'm saying
quite a lot of that. I'm quite a vocal teacher, but
some cases you don't have the opportunity or the time to
discuss every single detail. But I'm certainly showing you
as, to the best of my ability, every single detail.
On your left foot. The the more the sprained
multiple sprained foot which has more range, less string I.
Mean it's true because even if you're not doing a devil pay up
to 90 up to 180 wherever it is you you doing that Kuda PA and
out to like I don't know 10° off the floor you're still teaching
me a hell of a lot yeah that you're not saying and yeah
completely. So it's, it's the communication
and the watching and the observation and it's all
interlinked. And if you can, if you can
manage to be a part of all those skills whilst you're trying to
pick up the exercise, then by the time you get to the
audition, the work's already done.
Because you're going to be, you're going to be looking,
watching, listening, feeling, absorbing without panicking and
without, you know, throwing yourself under because of the of
the anxiety that some auditions can can provoke in a, in a
person. So watching is really, really,
really important. Like we said earlier with the
auditions, don't be doing stuff all the time.
You can learn a lot from from watching class.
I'm talking about here, you, you can also, instead of standing
there talking to Jessica in the corner when the other groups are
going, you can also watch. You can also watch the other
students, the other dancers, the other professionals, the other
whomever is in that classroom, because that's also going to
teach you a lot. It can teach, it can teach you
as a as a future teacher. For example, you can look at
people and start in your head, like in a positive way, you
know, correcting and thinking, Oh, if she did this, I think
that would help her good. Like watching in that sense.
But you could also, which happened to me a lot through
watching Charlie Broom. Shout out to Charlie Broom in
class when we were when we were doing the Olympics and Pinocchio
and Wind in the Willows and I was doing class with her.
We were doing ballet class, but the way she does a ballet class,
the movement, the artistry, that's something that I learned
from just watching her, just for watching how physical she is in
a ballet class, and I think it's from watching her, to be honest.
That's where I learnt my daily ballet class can be my artistic
escapism. If I'm in a contract where I'm
just doing the same shit different day, you know what I
mean? I'm doing the same show every
single day. Love my job, don't get me wrong,
but artistically, you're kind of a little bit stuck.
You're doing the same thing everyday.
I think watching Charlie Broome gave me taught me how to yeah,
be an artist in class, do it for my technique, for keeping in
shape, blah blah, blah, but also dance.
So open your eyes in class and watch people.
They even even the worst person in the class can teach you
something by watching them, whether it's a what not to do
but. No, it's true that we never
stopped learning. And I think, you know, we need
to be open and, and watching, observing is a great tool
because we never stop learning. And I think we need to make sure
that we understand that we never stop learning.
Even as professional dancers, there's always something to
learn from a colleague. Like, oh, wow, that's how you've
stayed up in that extra turn. I didn't really consider that.
Oh my God. You know, this also helps in
that Gondalegro step. You know, coming out of that
step, your weight's just a little bit shifted here.
Whatever it may be, you know, it's and it's a joy to learn
from each other, I think. But you have to be open for
that. You have to be ready to receive
that. And it's also the inspiration
where you get to, I don't know, you can also you also do when
you're doing a run through and maybe you have a little bit of
spare time when you're doing a run through of the show, the
ballet, the whatever. Sit down and watch how that lead
person or that soloist or whoever are doing their solo or
their song or their dance or whatever it is.
Maybe you don't like their presentation.
Maybe you do like their presentation.
I assure you, you can learn something from watching them.
Instead of just going to your water bottle and having a drink
and then looking on Instagram while you're off or in the
wings, use the opportunity to actually watch that person doing
that solo and it will. I'm not, I'm not telling you
off. I'm not sound like I'm telling
you off. I'm going to get off Instagram
or whatever, but don't forget to watch.
Don't forget to have. You were surrounded by artists
and talented people all the time.
So don't forget to actually have a have a peek and have a look
and learn something. Yeah, be present because, you
know, it is a beautiful art form to be a part of.
And we do choose to be in this profession because we love it.
And that's a really important thing to remember, Paul, is, you
know, we're surrounded by such art and artists and creation and
creatives. It's, it's a joy to to be a part
of, isn't it? And of course, we have to switch
off and we have to, you know, escape from, you know, a
profession that is exceptionally difficult and disciplined and
requires a lot of focus. But you might as well just go
for it whilst you're in it, you know, and, and take, take the
bull by the horns and just embrace all parts of it because
as we know, this career is very, very short.
And if you're in that room with these people, like I'm not
saying you have to use all your free time to go on YouTube and
watch Darci Buster do a solo. But if you're in the room and
you know you've just done your Shardash, you sit at the side
and now it's something else, you may as well watch.
You're there. So get off your phone, Jessica.
Jessica's actually not allowed to have her.
Jessica's phone is in my office, top drawer locked.
Oh no, but she has her her Apple Watch on and it's constantly
going did did in in rehearsals and I can see her looking at her
watch. Firstly she should be wearing a
watch in rehearsal. She could have someone to sign
out. Exactly, and she can take those
hoops out as well because they're also dangerous.
It should be studs or nothing. Well, I believe our young
dancers are now ready to fly the nest after all this fantastic
advice that has been given to them.
Absolutely, and our advice is nearly as valuable as strong
technique and good feat. Nearly.
All right, babes.
Well, it's been lovely chatting to you again, and I'm glad we
could make this work. Let's see if it can upload and
maybe there'll be an episode on Thursday.
Here's hoping. Thank you all for listening.
This is the second time we've gone through this scenario, so I
don't know whether I'm just repeating myself or
hallucinating, but I hope there's been some value from
what's come out of our mouths. But thanks for listening.
We hope to have you all back next week.
Denise, it's been a pleasure. Thank you again and thank you
all for listening. Bye.
Bye darling, bye.