A Blythe Coach

Menu

Simple Scrumptious Eating for Happy Healthy Dancers & Active People

Spring cleaning this month included the fridge, and it was high time! To entice myself to do that cleaning and improve the kitchen environment and my own nutrition this season, I bought some nice jars for my minimal “meal prep,” in order to have something good ready to snack on at all times.

My habits can tend to slide into eating more junk food and less fresh produce, especially in the winter, so I like to regularly revisit my healthy favorites to help me feel my best. 

[Photo depicts my refrigerator after Spring Cleaning, before shopping for fresh produce for the Jar Salads and such below…]

This time of year is a great opportunity to take stock and integrate new habits (or start old habits anew) to take us into the Summer and beyond. If you are into healthy habits, minimalism, or simple fitness (or you want to be), you may wish to check out my blogs on those topics as well:  Healthy Habit-Building, My Minimalism Memoir, and Move Your Body: Minimal Fitness for Maximal Well-Being.

I want lots of energy for dancing and learning and doing all the things I love to do, and I know (both from scientific research and my own lived experience) what I eat is an important factor. But I’m also more of an enthusiastic eater than cook and am not willing to put too much time and energy into preparing everyday meals.

You can call it lazy or efficient, but 5 ingredients or less is my general guideline for cooking, and I have learned to make the most of my time and use ingredients that make a difference in taste and well-being.

[Found these cute jars at our local drug store in Nippes]

I am no kind of purist at this point in my life, and fully admit that I do seek convenience along with variety and nutrition, so I use frozen fruits and vegetables as well as fresh; I consume eggs and cheese as well as vegetarian fare, and though I don’t cook with meat, at this stage in my life I do eat it.

I definitely have a sweet tooth, regularly enjoying snacks, treats, and dessert. Life is short and I’m just not about deprivation.

I also do NOT advocate weight loss, the pursuit of a particular “look,” shape, size, or any of that. What we eat is very personal, and my goal is to listen to my own body, prevent disease, be healthy and happy 🙂 Please listen to your own body and the advice of a trusted physician when choosing what works best for you.

I know lots of people struggle with specific and sometimes mysterious issues when it comes to eating and digestion, and I hope through good information and trial and error you can find flourishing good health and vitality.

In my youth in dance and in society in general, I have been surrounded by disordered eating and strayed toward obsession myself from time to time, but it’s no fun. Part of my current yoga and spiritual practice is self-love, and this includes the physical body.

As a younger person I was a vegetarian on ethical grounds for about 10 years, including practicing a vegan diet for around 7, which was great. Of course I’ve got stories about how I started as well as how I quit, but for now we’ll suffice it to say that I still love eating vegan and raw foods, but no longer adhere to any particular fixed diet.

Further, I have many positive associations with special meals spent with friends and family members, in unique locations, prepared with love, but all of these are fodder for future meditations. Today we’re looking at the normal, everyday choices that affect how we feel and function in the long run.

[The kind of salad I love to eat in Spring that’s easy to throw together, especially when prepped in jars beforehand: greens, carrots, cucumber, tomato, smoked tofu, tomatoes, lentil salad with cheese and raisins, and a creamy dressing]

Here’s what’s currently working for me to promote my body’s ability to heal and recover, to be energetic and enthusiastic, alert and able to perform, namely a simple, overall nutritious and balanced diet. 

Podcast 051: Simple Balanced Eating

Podcast 051: Simple balanced Eating for Healthy, Happy Dancers also linked here

I am not a nutritionist or any kind of an expert, so this is not advice, rather sharing what I enjoy and what works for me. I am a very busy and active person who loves to eat and feel good, so if you’re similar, you might find some ideas here that you like. Let’s begin with what some experts do have to say with regard to diet in the demanding practice of ballet and general guidelines for health:

Nutrition for Dancers

A couple of my favorite books about Ballet Technique and Pedagogy are Ballet Pedagogy by Rory Foster and The Ballet Companion by Eliza Gaynor Minden and they both contain practical advice for dancers on the subject of nutrition. Foster reminds us, “Many dancers, students and professionals, do not realize how necessary proper nutrition is to their physical development–the right balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates along with enough caloric intake and sufficient hydration. Inadequate nutrition can contribute to injuries, as bones and muscles must have the proper nutrients to initially grow and develop and then to maintain and repair themselves.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.127)

Gaynor Minden argues that, “Like all elite athletes, dancers need to look after their bodies in order to perform at their best and to avoid injury. Nutrition is fundamental. […] Rest is also essential for the healthy dancer, as is maintaining a sensible and consistent schedule. […]

This is all common sense, of course, but it’s easy to let things slide, especially when there are many demands on your time.” (The Ballet Companion  p.209) I especially agree with that last part: though we may have the best of intentions and plans, entropy can set in when we’ve got a lot on our plates and we can fall out of our good habits.

Gaynor Minden explains further: “Food is more than just fuel; it is the construction material with which our body builds and repairs itself. Sustained high-level athletic performance requires first-rate nutrition. It gives you the energy you need, and it helps protect your body from illness and injury. Humans are highly adaptable; you might survive on a diet of junk food, but you feel better and you dance better when you eat wisely.” (The Ballet Companion p.209-10)

The books listed at the end of this blog contain more information about nutrition, particularly for vegetarians and vegans, as does my friend Erin Whalen of The Kale Whale: https://www.thekalewhale.com/

Rufio the cat helping me gather favorite simple recipes

Yoga of Nutrition: Ayurveda

The course of my yoga study has included a bit of Ayurveda, the over 5,000 year old life science, and one of my favorite cookbooks happens to be The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amrita Sondhi. In fact, it was one of only 3 cookbooks I brought with me to Germany along with my box of precious recipe cards and a bunch of Evernote scans!

Sondhi says of Ayurveda: “At the heart of Ayurveda is our intimate connection to the elements of nature, and how they can help us to achieve a physical and spiritual balance in all aspects of our lives. For the sake of our health and well-being, this balance can be accomplished through a number of means, including diet and exercise.” (Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook p.9)

I will continue to learn more about the ayurvedic system and share about it in the future in pursuit of this healthy balance, but the key idea here is that we can approach what we eat mindfully, make our food choices with awareness, and promote healing and well-being. In fact, as Sondhi explains, “Ayurveda considers food an integral part of its healing system, it originated some of the oldest and most time-tested principles of nutrition.” (Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook p.10)

Healthy Eating Habits

You don’t have to be a dancer or a yogi to appreciate the benefits of introducing more nutritious food into your diet. As with adding any new habit, it has a better chance of succeeding by beginning small and easy as possible. Rather than deprivation and elimination, I prefer to add more nutritious ingredients, meals, and snacks. 

In her lifestyle book Three Black Skirts, Anna Johnson shares her strategies for incorporating healthy eating habits: “The trick to eating well is finding the foods that offer the feel-good factor yet are actually good for you. You can build healthy habits from there. If Mom baked muffins and their warm, earthy aroma delighted you as a child, then whip up your own batch with oat bran, walnuts, honey, and organic eggs. […] Improving your diet doesn’t mean eating less or eating more expensively; rather it is a matter of choosing foods that have the optimum levels of nutrients, flavor, and sensual appeal.” (p.18)

I think this approach is great, as it balances taking care of our needs both nutritionally and in terms of enjoyment. Including nourishment and delight (as well as convenience and flexibility) sounds like a sustainable approach!

Setting the Stage for Healthy Eating

Generally speaking, my approach to better nutrition is through endeavoring to eat a variety of healthy, whole, healing foods, or as The Kale Whale puts it, “Eating the rainbow.”

I try to pack in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains wherever I can, particularly in smoothies, overnight oats and parfaits, salads and stir-fries. Like everything, it is a balance, but having the right equipment (my trusty Vitamix blender, Jars, nice bowls for produce…) and ingredients (fresh and frozen fruit & veg, good bread, yogurt, cheese, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds, dips and sauces…) makes it easier to feel good and enjoy the experience of eating. 

Gaynor Minden explains a good strategy for dancers: “No one food or type of food has everything we need; it’s the sensible balance that makes the body run like a well-oiled machine. Many foods provide more than one type of nutrient…We also require water, fiber, and ‘micronutrients,’ the technical term for vitamins and minerals.” (The Ballet Companion p.210) So, by eating a variety of foods, we are already on the right track.

Kitchen as Playpen

Johnson provides a realistic way to set ourselves up for success with our healthy eating habits: “You can’t change what you eat overnight, but you can establish better habits over time. To do this you need to set up a kitchen that is a luscious playpen for you to work in–one strewn with hearty staple ingredients, clean implements, and vibrant color. Learn a little about the healing properties of food and gradually change your wanton ways.” (Three Black Skirts p.18)

Bringing attractive and nutritious ingredients into the kitchen is a good start! By appealing to our own preferences and tastes.

In her book Living a Beautiful Life, Alexandra Stoddard proffers advice for tailoring your cooking & meal prep environment to meet your needs: “Evaluate what kind of cook you are now, and what sort of cooking patterns you have. You can set up a simple system that will work uniquely for you if you are willing to part with things that don’t really function well for you any more. […] Personally I have passed through my gadget phase and I’m back to basics. I need a few really fine knives, a nest of frying pans, a nest of pots[…]I’m not Julia Child and I know it. A great deal of my delight in our kitchen is having my things well organized, handy and attractive–because when I cook, the implements, the shapes, the finish and the color are all a part of the ritual, and if they are appealing as well, they double my pleasure in the process.” (p.67)

Fresh and Seasonal Produce Where Possible

Nutrition recommendations for dancers, Ayurveda, and general healthy-eating guidelines all agree: fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables are ideal:

Gaynor Minden explains “Fresh fruits and vegetables are the best sources of many crucial micronutrients; moreover, they are fairly low in calories and high in fiber. Fiber helps your digestion. Foods high in fiber–whole-grain breads and cereals, fresh fruit, and vegetables–are processed more slowly, helping to regulate appetite and optimizing nutrient absorption by the body.” (The Ballet Companion p.211)

Sondhi describes to importance of fresh ingredients to the Ayurvedic approach: “Most recipes use whole grains and fresh foods rather than processed foods, which are considered toxic, or tamasic, in Ayurveda. Ayurveda stresses eating fresh foods, so I do not emphasize frozen, canned, or microwaveable foods (although I make reference to a few recipes that freeze well if desired).” (Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook p.12) I don’t follow this strictly, but do try to maximize intake of fresh ingredients where possible.

Stoddard extolls the joys of following the seasons in our eating choices: “Certain foods should be eaten at certain times of the year. Nothing is more disappointing than a tasteless plastic tomato in December. The best way to select fresh ingredients at the best price with the most flavor is to follow the seasons.” (Living a Beautiful Life p.67) This allows for exquisite simplicity: “Following the seasons with the best available produce and ingredients makes for ideal menus, and they are usually disarmingly simple. The panache is in the presentation.” (Living a Beautiful Life p.69)

Salad jars ready to dump in a bowl, dress, and eat
Soup, Salads, Smoothies…

Some of the easiest way to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables are of course salads, their warm counterpart soups, and as breakfast, smoothies or oats and parfaits. Johnson sings praises to the ease and flavor of salads: “Salad is anything you choose to toss in a bowl. Salade Nicoise (boiled egg, canned or fresh tuna, black olives, grilled onion, fresh greens, and baby potatoes) is a good protein and calcium hit. Chopped red cabbage, red bell pepper, corn, and cilantro tossed in tamari and lemon tastes amazing in a baked potato.” (Three Black Skirts p.19)

The key is to find a variety of ingredients that nourish you along with a mix of flavors that entice, and if you want further inspiration, just keep reading…

Favorite Easy Meals & Prep to maximize fruit, veg, and nutrients
  • Overnight Oats – these are great because they require no cooking time, just a little bit of prep. They include ideally steel-cut oats, flax/hemp/chia seeds of choice, & sliced almonds or other nuts covered with milk of choice, frozen blueberries, & yogurt.
  • Jar Salads – so easy to prepare in advance, with wetter ingredients at bottom, then drier toppings, then lettuce or greens on top. Just dump them into a bowl or onto a plate, dress, and eat!
  • Smoothies – banana, yogurt, chia, hemp, peanut butter, frozen fruit, frozen kale or spinach, protein powder (I love having a Vitamix again!) and ginger: got the ginger and cinnamon idea for smoothies originally from my friend Erin Whalen of The Kale Whale.
  • Stir Fry, Curry, or Fried Rice – frozen or fresh veggies, tofu, seasonings, rice (always have a rice cooker)
  • Yogurt Parfait or Açaí Bowl – yogurt, fresh and frozen fruit, nuts, seeds, honey
  • “Buddha” Bowls – somewhere between a stir-fry and a salad, start with a bed of rice or quinoa, making a nice catchall for veggies and protein with yummy sauce and toppings to taste

Simple Soups

In addition to fresh salads, Johnson encourages us to “Get into the soup! Healthful legumes, like lentils and split peas, make delectable soups that are rich in flavor and nutritional value–and they keep practically forever. Soups are also the perfect way to empty your crisper drawer of veggies and benefit from all their nutrients–you keep the skin and you don’t lose the water they were cooked in. For flavorful soups, make up big batches of vegetable, chicken, or fish stock and freeze them. They’ll be ready when you are for a stew, a risotto, or a light Asian broth.” (Three Black Skirts p.19) Here are a few of my personal very-simple and savory favorites:

  • Peanut Butter Curry Soup from Pick Up Limes in Fall & Winter or anytime
  • Carrot Ginger Soup from The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook, anytime
  • Green Pea Soup from Pick Up Limes, Spring & Summer or anytime
  • Peruvian Quinoa Soup with or without chicken
  • Summer Corn Soup: I’m going to try a recipe from The Minimalist Baker for this next, will keep you posted)

Quick Nutritious Snacks

Rather than try to stop eating less-healthful foods, my approach is make better choices abundantly available, such as:

  • Carrot sticks & hummus or other dip – I make carrot sticks ahead of time along with my jar salads to have them ready in the fridge
  • Apple slices & Peanut Butter
  • Baked Apples with raisins, nuts, maple syrup
  • Tofu Poke – great with rice and/or salad or as a snack with tortilla chips from The Kale Whale
  • Roasted Cauliflower – also makes a great salad or bowl topping
  • Tofu Dip from Simply Vegan
  • Tofu Jerky from How it All Vegan
  • Hard Boiled Eggs
  • Popcorn – I strongly prefer the stovetop version popped in peanut oil
  • Roasted Pumpkin Seeds in Autumn
  • Chickpea Nibbles from How it All Vegan
  • Nuts or trail mix
  • One-Bowl Peanut Butter & Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies from Pick Up Limes

Selected Online Resources

  • The Kale Whale (Especially Kale Smoothies with Ginger and Tofu Poke)
  • Pick Up Limes (Especially African Peanut Soup, Garden Green Pea Soup, One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies)
  • The Minimalist Baker (Once corn is in season, I’m going to give their Summer Corn Soup a try, and there are a host of easy recipes for both sweet and savory treats, including many vegan and gluten-free)

Cookbooks I love for simple, delicious nutrition

  • The Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook by Carole Raymond (especially Fluffy Vegan Pancakes and Moroccan Stew) 
  • Simply Vegan by Debra Wasserman (especially Tofu Dip)
  • How it all Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer (especially Chickpea Nibbles, Tofu Jerkys, Voracious Vegan Pate and Vegan Sloppy Joes! They introduced me to the idea of flax “eggs” for baking, a revelation!) 
  • Pop it in the Toaster Oven by Lois Dewitt (especially One-Step Classic Goulash)
  • Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen and Ani’s Raw Desserts by Ani Phyo (especially Japanese Miso Shiitake Soup)
  • The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amrita Sondhi (especially How to Start Your Day Lemon Drink, Autumn Tea, Spicy Hot & Extra Dark Chocolate, Carrot Ginger Soup, Dressing…) 

I hope this has given you some inspiration to revisit some of your favorite ways to bring more healthy and healing foods into your life, or possibly introduced a new idea, resource, or recipe 🙂

What healthy eating habits do you want to (re)incorporate into your life, and which recipes will you try next?

Send me a message, or hop over to the A Blythe Coach Facebook Page and let me know!

Blythe Stephens, MFA
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: Dance Education & Coaching 
move through life with balance, grace, & power

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Interview with Mentor Virginia Holte, bringing ballet to the Big Island of Hawaii -Podcast #50

For nearly a year, the A Blythe Coach podcast has consisted of weekly bite-sized insights on dance, yoga, well-being, creativity, and joy! But, to celebrate the 50th episode of my podcast, I’ve decided to share a special longer-form (1-hour) interview, kicking off a regular interview series to be interspersed with my solo episodes.

I’m so excited to introduce you to one of my mentors, the teacher who first taught me to dance and has inspired me in so many ways, Virginia Holte. In this conversation we discussed her history as a dancer and dance educator, current projects, teaching in pandemic, and her positive approach to life.

Virginia Holte is the Founder and Artistic Director of the West Hawaii Dance Theatre and recently founded a new, project-based outreach, Maui Ballet. A Graduate of the Academy of the Washington Ballet under the late Mary Day, Ms. Holte enjoyed a long professional dance career with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Chicago Ballet, Washington Ballet and various guest appearances with Ballet Internationale, New Jersey Ballet, and Indiana Ballet Theatre N.W. A Third Series practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga, certified in the Pilates Method, Mat and Equipment from the Physical Mind Institute, Ms. Holte is an International Certified GYROKINESIS® and GYROTONIC® Specialized Master Trainer. She has been sharing her love of ballet and movement with the Hawaii community since 1986.

Podcast 50 Interview on Spotify

(or wherever you listen to podcasts)

Podcast #50 is an interview with Virginia Holte, founder of West Hawai’i Dance Theatre

Podcast 50 Video on YouTube

We recorded the podcast on Zoom, so it is also available on video on YouTube 🙂

Topics & Video Time Stamps

:54 Ms. Virginia’s Bio
2:00 WHDT Mission
2:39 Guten Morgen! Time Zone fun, class with Hillary Cartwright of the Royal Ballet, co-creator of Gyrokinesis
3:55 Ballet as first and only career desire, growing up in the cornfields of Indiana, Cecchetti Ballet Technique is a great base, Ballet coloring books
5:45 “I can’t wait to go to ballet class!” Communicating through dance
6:35 Tutus & Pointe Shoes inspiring as a child
7:10 Wanda Tamasi trained her in Cecchetti Technique for 5 years
7:45 Boarding school for high school at Washington School of Ballet
7:52 “Expanding your spirit and really physically embodying ​the arts”
8:12 Ballet in Kona since 1986
First group of students: Miho & Maki Morinoe, Ellen Carlson, Maile Clark (Lit Candles), Graduate outcomes with Complexions, Boston Ballet, Recent student at Walnut Hill
9:55 My experience at NCSA
10:25 Conservatory vs. studio training
11:05 Gyrotonic Expansion System, international dance/movement community
11:37 What brought her to Hawai’i (weather in January after “Nutcracker” touring)
13:08 Dance scene on O’ahu, Ballet Hawai’i, Alaine Haubert, ABT
13:34 Life as a bus-touring ballet dancer
13:50 Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Chicago Ballet, Washington Ballet
14:05 Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo, pioneering efforts, hands-on stagecraft
15:50 Aloha Theatre
17:35 Opening WHDT
17:50 The beauty of ballet, “You gotta follow your heart, if you don’t do that then you’re not a happy person!”
18:40 Positive mindset
19:20 Dealing with roadblocks to creation, managing personal differences, Law of Attraction
20:40 “Make it up and don’t give up.” Funding and grant-writing.
23:55 Nonprofit status
25:00 Importance of a bookkeeper (Gudrun) and graphic designer (Joey) to business, professional presentation
26:25 Unchanging mission statement of WHDT
27:26 A Blythe Coach, interdisciplinary work
27:52 Focus on the whole person at WHDT, Yoga, Pilates Method
28:56 Gyrokinesis, Julio Horvath, importance of Breath
30:38 Lifelong learning, bringing more to the table, helping students find their own directions
32:36 Quinn Wharton, SF Ballet, Hubbard Street, photography, cinematography
33:45 “Jungle Book” Ballet choreographed by Timour Bourtasenkov, Cary Ballet, transition to video project at WHDT in 2021, mentoring students, underserved populations
35:48 Opening doors to careers in dance, weaving in Hawaiian mythology, Big Island ideal setting, bringing professional alumni back
37:13 Post:ballet contemporary ballet films: “Waltz of the Snowflakes,” “Swan Lake,” Whim W’him, new experiences in dance film
39:28 Maui Ballet, “Don Quixote,” Logo & Website by Joey Ann Marshall
44:20 Online teaching, Henry Berg, early webcams & Skype 
45:50 Teaching dance online during pandemic, Zoom & music set-up, live piano music
48:55 Sending out Marley flooring to students, portable dance flooring rolls
49:46 YAGP, access to ballet competitions during COVID, Prix de Lausanne
52:35 Hybrid teaching (online and in-person), serving students in remote areas
53:23 “Isn’t life always so exciting?” Learning experiences, it will always pass, positive mindset, don’t hold on to anything negative
55:26 Language learning, living long as a dancer, doing what you love

It was so delightful to catch up with Virginia, and I learned so much about interviewing for the podcast from this experience, thanks so much for taking the time and being willing to be the first 🙂

Ms. Virginia’s Current Projects

West Hawaii Dance Theatre https://whdt.org/ (“Jungle Book”)
Maui Ballet www.mauiballet.org (“Don Quixote”)

Dance Company names dropped (alphabetical)

American Ballet Theatre https://www.abt.org/
Boston Ballet https://www.bostonballet.org/home.aspx
Carolina Ballet https://www.carolinaballet.com/
Complexions Contemporary Ballet https://www.complexionsdance.org/
Hubbard Street Dance https://www.hubbardstreetdance.com/
Indianapolis Ballet Theatre company https://www.indyballet.org/
New Jersey Ballet https://www.njballet.org/
Post:ballet dance company https://www.postballet.org/
Royal Ballet https://www.roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet
San Francisco Ballet https://www.sfballet.org/
Washington Ballet https://www.washingtonballet.org/
Whim W’him dance company https://www.whimwhim.org/

Ballet Conservatories in conversation

The Washington School of Ballet https://www.washingtonballet.org/about-twsb/
North Carolina School of the Arts https://www.uncsa.edu/
Walnut Hill School for the Arts https://www.walnuthillarts.org/
Cary Ballet Conservatory https://www.caryballet.com/
Zurich Ballet https://www.opernhaus.ch/en/about-us/ballett-zuerich/ 

Dance Competitions discussed

Youth America Grand Prix dance competition https://yagp.org/
Prix de Lausanne https://www.prixdelausanne.org/

Other Movement Modalities mentioned

Pilates Method https://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/
Physical Mind Institute (Pilates) https://www.physicalmindinstitute.com/ 
Gyrotonic Expansion System https://whigyrotonic.com/
Ashtanga Yoga https://www.ashtangayoga.info/

Dancers, movers, and other people (in order of mention)

Hillary Cartwright
Wanda Tamasi
Alaine Haubert
Miho Morinoe
Maki Morinoe
Ellen Carlson
Maile Clark
Rene Damron
Quinn Wharton
Timour Bourtasenkov
Juliu Horvath
Marisa Montany
Joey Ann Marshall (Graphic Design)
Gudrun Baumgaertl, PhD
Henry Berg
Megumi Kopp
Twyla Tharp

What do you think of having interviews interspersed on the podcast to share their knowledge about dance, movement, and living a luscious life?

Blythe Stephens, MFA
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: Dance Education & Coaching 
move through life with balance, grace, & power

Approaches to Space: Qualities of Focus in Dance & Life

What qualities of focus are required to be a creative and effective person? How do dancers attend to the space within and around them, using focus to direct the viewer’s attention and to give shape to their environment?

Let’s start with four haiku poems I wrote to distill qualities of focus as introduction to the topic:

Direct focus, see
your object in space and aim,
going right for it

Indirect, scanning
among flexible foci,
roundabout array

Concentrate, engage
actively connect, convey,
guiding attention

Scattered, distracted,
spaced-out of this world, detached
passive, unthinking

Being able to direct or manipulate our focus and that of others enables us to understand, connect, express, create, and accomplish. Though related as elements of dance, working with the quality of focus as a spatial effort is distinct from shapes and shaping that move through dimensions and pathways in space (though I have lots more resources about that!), it is also distinct from detailed and specific traditions of meditative practice (though I do have yoga, pranayama, visualization and meditation content about that and it will continue to be fertile ground for future exploration), and it is different from the element of time: flow, management productivity,  and organization (though I love all that, too!). I will list resources about these related topics at the end of this blog post for further exploration.

Here I specifically want to explore here our ability to direct our focus and therefore form space in particular ways and how we are able to develop facility in doing so with precision and effectiveness for practical and expressive purposes in dance and in life.

Aim and focus are good for goal-oriented actions, such as the locomotor movements like walking, running, in addition to axial movements of reaching, pulling, and catching. Our ability to scan and precisely focus are important to our ability to hit the mark, catch and throw objects accurately, and thus potentially critical to our very survival. The quality of our focus in performance alters the audience’s viewpoint along with our own.

I’m discussing some of these points in the podcast this week as usual:

Analyzing How We Give Attention

Focus, or directing attention in the ways the Laban Movement Analysis system refers to as the Space Effort, has to do with translating our intent into action.

In her book Making Connections, Peggy Hackney explains that “The Space Effort deals with how you give attention, not the place in space. Both Direct and Indirect approaches to paying attention are active. Indirectness is not the same as being ‘spaced out’ or out of space; it is giving active attention to more than one thing at once. Both types of Space Effort relate to thinking.” (p.221, emphasis mine)

Hackney describes both types of active focus in the Space Effort:

  • Indirect: multi-focused, flexible attention, all-around awareness, all-encompassing
  • Direct: single-focused, channeled, pinpointed, lazer-like

In A Primer for Movement Description, Cecily Dell also provides succinct description of how we attend to space: “Movement in which spatial attention consists of overlapping shifts in the body among a number of foci, we call indirect. Movement in which spatial attention in the body is pinpointed, channelled, single focused, we call direct. Indirect and direct are the elements or qualities of the space factor.” (p.29)

LMA Space Factor in Dance

Dell elaborates that “The elements of indirectness and directness are often confused with certain aspects of movement shape, namely directional and shaping movement. While the effort qualities are concerned with the kind of concentration or focus in space, the shape aspects of movement are more related to pathways and forms the body parts create in space.” (A Primer for Movement Description p.30)

Dell continues to clarify The Space Factor, or “Changes in the Quality of Spatial Focus or Attention; Becoming Either Indirect or Direct:”

“You may have noticed at various times that when people interact with you they can focus attention on you in more than one way. In a discussion, say, when it is necessary for a person really to ‘take you in,’ to pay attention to you as you stand or sit before him, in order to communicate something to you, he might pinpoint or channel his attention on you directly, ‘zeroing in’ on you with a single focus. Or he might take you in from various angles, keeping his attention scanning around you, allowing his body to move among a number of spatial approaches to you, or foci that continuously overlap. Here, his spatial focus appears constantly flexible, sometimes ’roundabout’ – we call it indirect.” (A Primer for Movement Description p.28)

Dell provides a couple of other examples, including this one with which I can relate on a visceral level: “To get through a crowd of people, you might have to ease your way through by distributing yourself into many small available openings at once, using indirectness, or you may see a narrow lane where you can dash through quickly if you channel yourself with directness.” (A Primer for Movement Description p.30)

Beware that, “Visual contact with an object is not always an indication of indirectness and directness. You may occasionally see these qualities appear in a person when he is not attentive to the space around him, but is imagining, or remembering, or seeing something in his mind.” (A Primer for Movement Description p.29-30)

We need to be able to choose and execute these differing approaches quickly and with precision for pragmatic as well as artistic reasons. 

Stylistic focus of the eyes, coordination with limbs in dance

There is a connection here between our focus, gaze, and how that is directed outwardly in space and time, as stated in the book Ear Training for the Body: “Be aware of how the eyes are focused. The expressive focusing of the eyes–or deliberate nonfocusing–is a major element in the creation of a style that means something. For instance, the late choreographer Alwin Nikolais stressed one possible style by discouraging students in his workshops from always allowing the eyes to follow the extended movements of their arms. In classical ballet, it is more usual for the focus of the eyes to coordinate closely with the impetus of the limbs. If you have achieved a perfect développé, for example, the conquest over gravity could be spoiled by looking down instead of boldly facing the audience. Similarly, the extended line of an arabesque can seem to be extended by a gaze that follows the angle of the arms, again coordinated with the music.” (p.10)

Focus & Creativity

In creativity, there is a balance to be struck between doing one thing at a time (direct), allowing the mind and focus to wander and make connections (indirect), and also to do nothing in silence (rest & expand awareness). Using our focus in different ways provides perspective helps us process and understand and interact with stimuli. As Questlove says in his book, Creative Quest, “think of creativity as functioning in the middle of a stream. Ideas are happening all around me, all the time, and I have had to learn how to process them all. […and] how to be a filter: informed, active, engaged, and motivated.” (Creative Quest Loc.78-9)

This doesn’t mean that for creativity we need to cultivate some sort of hyper-focused state of being. In fact, Questlove cites a couple of studies on brain function, in one of which Harvard psychologist Shelley Carson calls a lack of ordinary idea-filtering “cognitive disinhibition” theorizing that is what is at the heart of all creativity. (Creative Quest Loc. 247) Questlove points out that, “If we’re always discarding our thoughts to fit in with what’s acceptable, or correct, or accurate, we’re not going to have ideas that leap away from the ideas that are already there.” (Creative Quest Location: 248)            

Professor of psychology Mareike Wieth conducted a study of students’ alertness levels on analytical and problem-solving abilities in an exam: “Analysis was consistent whether the brains were tired or alert. […but with another type of problem-solving question, called ‘insight-based,’] students needed to put themselves in someone else’s place, or shift around inside some wordplay, or design and then untangle a puzzle [and] did better when they were less alert. […] Creative problem-solving improved by around 20 percent as a result of fatigue. […] Tiredness allows random thoughts in. (A similar study found that light levels of drinking achieve the same result.)” (Creative Quest Loc. 278-292)

Questlove’s somewhat surprising conclusion is that though we need to be alert and use direct focus for some types of thinking and performance (such as retaining new information), “the traditional sense of alertness is the enemy of what we think of as creativity.”

Tuning in, focusing on the signal

So what kind of focus can we effectively employ in order to be creative? “Creative things happen to creative people, especially when they let themselves go to the Zen of the moment, when they don’t allow themselves to be paralyzed either by overthinking or by laziness. They have to be in the sweet spot between the two.” (Creative Quest Loc. 426)

It is important to be able to skim past irrelevant input, as “There’s lots of noise all around, and as a creative person, you’re being asked to find the signal. But to truly find it, you need some sort of internal check or monitor. You need moments of silence where you can hear yourself.” (Creative Quest Loc. 436-8)

For this reason, Questlove’s daily schedule includes meditating for 30 minutes daily, but he asserts that less is required to facilitate the kind of perspective shift that enables creativity: “These are brief and intense phases of departure from the self […] into a different kind of moment, just for a moment, and then they return you to the exact same place you were before. Micro-meditations should last a minute at most, and sometimes they aren’t even that long. Sometimes they are thirty seconds, sometimes fifteen. They’re longer than a blink, but shorter than sleep.” (Creative Quest Loc. 451-2)

“They engage both parts of my brain, the part that’s right in the moment, pushing against a task, and the part that’s considering the moment from afar.” and serve as “tools you need to bring your own best ideas to the surface, to assess them, to discard the ones that aren’t working, to commit to the ones that might work.” (Creative Quest Loc. 456-8)

Become a Master at Focusing

Life Coach Laura Berman Fortgang devotes a whole chapter of her book, Living Your Best Life to guiding readers to “Become a Master at Focusing,” explaining that, “Mastering focus may sound like an action-oriented activity, but nothing could be further from the truth. Mastering focus depends on becoming still, something that defies most conventional wisdom on how to get what you want from life. […] Nothing is a better partner to taking action than being still. Stillness allows the most effective action to emerge, helping to settle the chaos and uncover the action and direction that will do the most good.” (p.143) Berman Fortgang describes “Three ways of mastering focus:

  1. Focusing through silence.
  2. Focusing through intention.
  3. Focusing on your own life, not on the lives of others.” (Living Your Best Life p.143)

Berman Fortgang asserts that practicing silence has cumulative clarifying effects over time: “Self-criticism ceases. The thought process becomes more orderly. True values emerge, and your own priorities come to the forefront and take precedence over those of the day’s schedule and the world around you […] Its cumulative effect adds up to less reliance on schedules and to-do lists and more understanding of the natural priority and order of things.” (Living Your Best Life p.144)

She also asserts that brain-science supports the beneficial results of spending time in silence: “Most of the time, the things we do require only one side (right or left) of our brain. Practicing silence yields a higher output of organization, clarity, and calm because it causes the two hemispheres of our brain to work together at the same time. The alpha state that this creates allows for the broader scope of awareness and the tapping our full potential.” (Living Your Best Life p.144-5)

Although I think meditation is great and will continue to share related resources, Berman Fortgang believes that people find the term intimidating, so uses focus, silence, and stillness instead: “People feel they must know how to meditate before trying to embrace silences as a daily practice in their life. However, although practicing silence is meditation, there is not one set way to do it. For instance, I was never formally taught any meditative techniques, but for years I have succeeded at quieting my mind. I still have no idea whether I meditate or not.” (Living Your Best Life p.145) Start practicing now, and don’t be overwhelmed by fancy techniques!

Focus on what is important, single-task

Although as I said, this blog is not focused on time-management or productivity as such, as it is relevant to focus and concentration, I wanted to share a couple of particularly relevant tips from the chapter called “Make Time When There Isn’t Any” from Talane Miedaner’s book Coach Yourself to Success“:

35. Ask Yourself, “What is Important about Today?” (p.91)

36. Do One Thing at a Time (p.93)

Miedaner summarizes that, “Rushing around trying to do ten things at once is not efficient. Give yourself permission to do one thing at a time. In reality, that’s all you can do. You might as well accept it and focus on doing one thing consciously and well. ” (Coach Yourself to Success p.93)

Single-tasking is also related to enforcing healthy boundaries with things which may distract us, such as social media, email, news and television, games, or whatever the diversion may be. It is critical to have clarity in terms of our purpose, mission, vision, values, projects, and goals so that we are aware of our priorities and how to make choices that are aligned with them. It is also valuable to have tools for clearing away the noise of preoccupation with the past and future, worry, stress, comparison, disempowering contexts, and so on such as therapy, coaching, reflective practices such as journaling and sitting in silence.

Deep work and clearing away the noise

Art of Improvement YouTube video on developing focus

I found the video above, discussing ways to develop focus and including references to Cal Newport’s book Deep Work, quite fascinating and as a result I have just downloaded the audio book 🙂 The video also covers strategies such as restoring and de-stimulating the brain daily (taking breaks and unplugging being important steps), sleep, exercise, eating well, and staying hydrated, as well as using the Pomodoro technique to help with ability to focus – all good tips!

Resources on Related Topics

For more on the Elements of Dance, including the body, action, and shapes and shaping that move through dimensions and pathways in space, check out my Elements of Dance Playlist on YouTube, which I continue to add to!

The Beautiful Breathing Playlist includes specific meditative practices to develop focus, the Yogalicious Playlist has embodied mindfulness practices, the Luscious Life Playlist features meditation, visualization, poetry, and other tools.

My Artful Archiving blog deals with how to catch, store, and retrieve creative ideas and the Attitudes to Time in Dance & Life blog covers the element of Time, which along with space is key to dance and our experience of daily living!

Summary & Questions for Reflection

When we are present to our purpose and priorities, that which truly deserves our focus, we are freed to act in ways that serve us, our communities, and the planet!

What is the quality of your focus?

What states of focus and approaches to space will enhance your dancing, creativity, and life experience?

Let me know, and stay tuned here and on my YouTube Channel for more! 

Blythe Stephens, MFA Dance
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: 
move through life with balance, grace, & power

Do the Locomotion OR Walk Like a Dancer: walking, running, & other techniques of travel

How I do love to travel! Sadly due to the global pandemic, I am not able to travel as far afield at present as I ordinarily like to do regularly. Thankfully, I am still able to walk around the city of Cologne, and also dance!

Walking, strutting, marching, sliding, under-curves, over-curves, crawling, turning, rolling, grapevines, triplets, gallops, skips, and many more movements take us from one place to another in dance. As Mary Joyce succinctly states in her book Dance Technique for Children: “‘Locomotor’ simply means going from one place to another as opposed to axial or ‘on the spot’ movement.” (p.155)

In dance, we use both axial and locomotor movements, with technique classes generally progressing from more in-place body-half, rising and lowering movements, and movements of the upper and/or lower body in-place which then expand to include traveling or locomotor movements which increase in size as the body is warmed and as skill advances. 

Last week I outlined various categories of allegro or jumps, and those steps and categories are a great way to get from place to place and describe the kind of footwork that we use along the way when it leaves the ground into a jump, which may travel to a new place or return to the same place.

Here we are going into the various forms of walking, running, and combination movements, which I have also done in Episode 48 of the Podcast, and in future videos I will break down each of these specific locomotor movements and provide an opportunity to practice them alone and in combination.

Walking: a highly complex coordinated event

Walking itself is an exceedingly complex activity coordinating movements of the whole body and all of it’s many systems and built on many basic developmental movement patterns.

As Peggy Hackney explains in her book, Making Connections: Total Body Integration through Bartenieff Fundamentals, “Even a simple walk or jog is a cross-lateral phenomenon (i.e., a highly complex coordination event) and requires support of all earlier patterns, including Breath, Core-Distal Connectivity, Head-Tail, Upper-Lower, and Body-Half. For simplicity’s sake, let’s focus on how a basic ability to push into the floor with the foot and sequence that into a reach with the opposite arm into space makes possible walking or running. The propulsion of the body weight through space can be most effectively accomplished through beginning the intent to forward action in the lowest part of the pelvis; supporting that intent with a push through the grounded leg, sequencing through the internal core, letting the arm get the message and providing counterbalance cross-laterally, while at the same time reaching forward with the free leg to accept the weight. (p.23)

Walk and run with the grace of a ballerina

My new video is “Winsome Walking: move gracefully as a ballet dancer“

Crawling & movement patterns for locomotion

Before we learn to walk, first we learn to crawl, as Hackney also details in the chapter on Body-Half Connectivity under Homolateral Yield & Push From the Lower– “Crawling” (p.168-9), developing important movement patterns in support of walking and other future locomotor movements. I’m looking forward to exploring crawling and dance in a future video 🙂

Another key to well-coordinated walking is Upper-Lower Connectivity under Use of the Iliopsoas in Walking (Weight Shift) p.128-9. You will hear references and learn more about the psoas muscle and movement patterning and how these ideas translate to dance in other blogs and videos.

Walk, March, Run, Skip, Gallop, Slide…

Joyce explains the range of locomotor steps clearly: “Locomotor steps are based on the ways we transfer weight on our feet. We transfer weight on the ground and through the air from one foot to the other, from one foot to the same foot, or we land on two feet simultaneously. 

Although all steps are built upon the step, hop, and jump, dancers have come to regard the following basic locomotor steps:

Walk, Step, March, Stamp: A transfer of weight from one too the other on the ground
Run, Toe Jog, Prance: A transfer of weight from one foot to the other in the air.
Leap: A run with more time in the air than on the ground
Hop: Taking off and landing on the same foot
Jump: Landing on two feet
Skip: A step-hop in uneven rhythm
Gallop: A step-leap in uneven rhythm, an overcurve
Slide: A step-leap in uneven rhythm, an undercurve.” 
(Dance Technique for Children p.156)

These basic steps can take myriad forms through level changes, different rhythms, sizes, shapes and spatial directions and orientations. I find it so fascinating to see the same basic patterns performed in wildly different ways, such as in ballet and hip hop. Indeed, the music, rhythm, and approach to space with which steps are performed greatly impact the form a step takes and how the audience perceives it.

As examples, take the steps of gallop and slide above, which are both performed to uneven rhythms but which take the form of an over-curving (as in glissade or pas de chat) path and under-curving path (as in chassé) through space respectively. Or look at types of skips or temps levé that take different shapes in the air or are danced to different rhythms, such as those Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis describe: “Skipping: as opposed to a ¾ undercurve, skipping can be a duple or a ⅜ rhythm with emphasis on the push off to upward instead of low transfer of weight.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique p.95)

There are endless variations on these basic locomotor movements, such as Grapevine, Pas de Bourrée, Triplet, Balancé, March; 3-Step Turn, Chainée Turn, & Chassé Turn; Tumbling & Rolling, performed in different ways depending on the style or technique of dance and the choreogapher’s intent. 

Jumping and Traveling Steps Resources

Last week’s Arts of Allegro blog, Arts of Allegro Podcast, and Types of Jumps YouTube Video are a nice general introduction to the various types of jumps that exist in dance.

The “The 7 Movements of Ballet” YouTube Video, 7 Movements of Ballet YouTube Playlist, and Sauter (jump), Glisser (glide), and Tourner (turn) videos from that series cover a few of the most common locomotor movements in ballet, and I have also taught more complex traveling steps such as Balancé or waltzing and Pas de Bourée. 

Still to come: March & Prance, Skip & Pas de Chat, Chassé, further jumps such as Changements & Soubresaut, Sissonne and many more.

We may not be able to visit other cities or countries right now, but thank goodness we’re still able to explore different types of movement, develop dance technique, improvise, choreograph, even “travel” through diverse styles and movement qualities! I look forward to exploring these with you in the future!

Blythe Stephens, MFA
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach:
move through life with balance, grace, & power

Arts of Allegro – Types of Jumps in Ballet, Modern Dance, & other forms

Given that I’ve been thinking and researching about this blog for a while, it’s serendipitous that I also just learned a new German saying: “Gehüpft wie gesprungen.”

It means literally “Hopped as jumped,” or more-or-less “It doesn’t matter if you hop or jump to get there.” Sort of like the English “six of one, half dozen of the other” phrase, or in other words, it’s all the same.

Sure, for your average citizen, the distinction between jumping and hopping may be insignificant, but to a dancer of any style it is indeed critical! Here I am defining various forms of jumping in order to help you more easily learn and brilliantly perform jumping steps and combinations in ballet, modern, jazz, tap… really any technique where we leave the ground!

Video with description and demonstration of basic jump types

In Episode 047 of the Podcast, linked below, we are exploring ways to understand various types of jumps in ballet, modern dance, and other techniques and I seek to synthesize a categorization system to help dancers learn steps and sequences with ease and pleasure.

Classifying Jumps to learn steps & choreography

These classifications are applicable to all dance styles that change feet or leave the floor with a spring regardless of velocity or amplitude with which they do so. Here I’m taking the definition of the categories which I use in live classes from both ballet text and a modern texts, but have been taught these concepts in jazz and tap contexts as well. 

Students report it to be a useful tool to analyze and learn new steps as well as elaborate petit allegro choreography, which is also a wonderful training in musicality (check out my rhythm and musicality for dancers blog for more on that)! 🙂

Jumps which fly and those which barely leave the ground

Ballet Pedagogy diva Vaganova begins by grouping jumps into two large categories, those which just leave the ground and those which soar with ballon: “Jumps in classical ballet are highly diversified. In further study we will see that they are divided into two basic groups. In the first group are the aerial jumps. For these jumps the dancer must impart a great force to the movement, must stop in the air. In the second group are the movements which, without a literal jump, cannot be made without tearing oneself away from the ground. These movements, however, are not directed up into the air; they are done close to the ground.” (Basic Principles of Classical Ballet* p.68)

We use all sorts of small jumps as transition steps in ballet, and they form an important glue or connection between our showier feats, be they languidly suspended extensions or powerful expressions of passion.

Such “Jumps which are not directed into the air but are parallel to the floor,” according to Vaganova, include: “pas glissade, pas de basque, and jeté en tournant (in the execution of the first part of the movement).” (Basic Principles of Classical Ballet* p.68) Although not normally featured prominently, if these connecting steps are not performed well, the whole dance will appear disjointed. 

Small & Medium Allegro Tempo

In the book Ballet Pedagogy*, Rory Foster provides a helpful introduction to allegro, or jumping, in the context of ballet. The language of classical music is Italian, while the language of ballet is French, and increasingly the international language of dance teaching is English, so these descriptions get delightfully multilingual!

Foster explains: “Allegro steps are divided into three basic categories: petit or small, medium, and grand allegro. Tempo, more than the individual step itself, plays the defining role for small and medium jumps. Petit allegro includes jumps terre à terre where the feet barely leave the ground, along with small quick jumps without a lot of elevation. Medium allegro consists of the same steps as petit allegro, but is done to a slower tempo or a different rhythm or meter, which allows time for more sustained dynamics and elevation.” (p.48)

Finding the Downbeat

The concept of allegro or “jumps” in dancing is relevant to all dancers, including those who do not jump in the sense of leaving the ground entirely, as it pertains to the dancer’s approach to the rhythm or music. 

I learned more about this in a recent presentation by the National Dance Education Organization and the dance company Dancing Wheels on the topic of physically integrated dance. In the session the leaders described and demonstrated a variety of types of translations of movement, focusing on the MEANING of movement and evaluating the execution of said intent in sit-down and stand-up dancers.

Such choreographic translations include direct and indirect translation of movements, temporal translation, spatial translation (such as leap + port de bras), rhythmic translation, relevé/rise/wheelie, tendu/stretch/articulate a limb, and jumps as finding and landing on the down beat. In the demonstration of jumping by a sit-down dancer, the dancer rose up into a wheelie, and bounced her wheels down in the rhythm of the jumping sequence.

[I also appreciated how Dancing Wheels started by breathing together and pointing out that this is one way we ALL can move together, regardless of ability.]

Repertoire of Allegro in Ballet Pedagogy

Next I’d like to talk about the repertoire of jumps specifically in ballet pedagogy, and then I’d like to broaden the categories to include modern, jazz, and all dance styles.

Foster describes the range of types of allegro movements in classical ballet like so: “The repertoire of jumps falls into certain descriptive categories depending on the takeoff and landing of the step. The following are the various categories of jumps along with a few examples:

  1. Two feet to two feet (sauté, changement, échappé)
  2. One foot to one foot (jeté, glissade, temps levé)
  3. One foot to two feet (assemblé, brisé)
  4. Two feet to one foot (sissonne)” (Ballet Pedagogy p.48)

In the air, one might make a variety of shapes and perform beats or switches with the legs, leading to other specific French terms for steps, but generally jumps can be helpfully grouped into these categories. I do think a couple of other distinctions are also useful, indicating whether the “one foot to one foot” (#2 above) is landing on the same foot that was departed from, or the other one, but we’ll get more into that in a minute. 

Vaganova’s Aerial Allegro Categories

Vaganova’s groupings are a bit more complicated, but she includes more detail and nuance, and she provides more examples. She instructs that, “Aerial jumps are divided into four kinds:

  1. Jumps from both feet to both feet which are subdivided into: (a) those done directly from 5th position, as changement de pieds, echappé, soubresaut; (b) done with a movement of one foot from 5th position to the side, as assemblé, sissonne fermée, sissonne fondue, sissonne tombée, pas de chat, failli, chassé, cabriole fermée, jeté fermé fondu.
  2. Jumps from both feet to one foot, which have the following subdivisions: (a) when at the beginning the dancer tears himself away from the floor with both feet and finishes the movement on one foot (in a pose), as sissonne ouverte, sissonne soubresaut, ballonné, ballotté, rond de jambe en l’air sauté; (b) when the movement begins with a thrusting out of the leg (a take off) and ends with a stop on the same foot in a pose, as jeté from 5th position, grand jeté from 5th position, jete with a movement in a half-turn, emboîté.
  3. Jumps from one foot to the other, as jeté entrelacé, saut de basque, jeté passé, jeté in attitude (when it is done from a preparation in 4th position croisé).
  4. Combination jumps, the structure of which embodies several elements, such as jeté renversé, sissonne renversée, grand pas de basque, double rond de jambe, pas ciseaux, balancé, jeté en tournant and grand fouetté.” (Basic Principles of Classical Ballet* p.68)

In providing all of these classifications and definitions here, I realize they include considerable complexity. Don’t fret, I have existing tutorials and upcoming lessons on all of this available on YouTube (with suggested places to start listed later in this blog) and live in Balletlicious classes on Zoom.

Repertory of Jumps in Modern Dance

In the section of their book on modern dance technique that covers basic locomotor steps (those which travel from one place to another in contrast to axial movements, which remain in one place), Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis also describe these movements in terms of weight transfer, using mostly plain English and some musical terminology: 

“Walking: transferring weight evenly from leg to leg on a level path.
Hopping: locomotion on the same leg, transferring the weight in the air to the same leg. Transferring the weight through an undercurve or overcurve.
Jumping: locomotion on two legs. Transferring weight to both legs. Full turns in the air, landing and pushing off from both legs.
Leaping: transferring the weight from leg to leg in the air. Creating a long, horizontally level path as opposed to an overcurve. The different leaps vary in their character of traveling through the air.”
Skipping: as opposed to a ¾ undercurve, skipping can be a duple or a ⅜ rhythm with emphasis on the push off to upward instead of low transfer of weight.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* p.95)

Leaping, or jumping off from one leg and landing on the other, is certainly a different type of jump than a hop from one foot to the same foot. “Hop” can be a confusing term, as in general usage that word can mean a small jump 2:2 feet, or a spring on one foot landing on the same. Using ballet terminology can help clarify, or one may also specify in English when “hop” indicates 1:1 (same) or small 2:2 jumps. 

In Dance Technique for Children*, Mary Joyce provides definitions of basic locomotor movements as well, some of which I’ll cite in my future blog/podcast on locomotor basics, but which include allegro of the type we’re discussing today:

“Leap: a run with more time in the air than on the ground.
Hop: Taking off and landing on the same foot.
Jump: landing on two feet.” (p.156)

I would argue that skipping is a combination or compound step of repeating “step, hop” or “slide, hop” rather than its own type of jump, though the term “skip” is certainly helpful in describing this sort of locomotor travel. As I said, more on common locomotor movements in dance coming soon!

Consolidating Allegro/Jump Categories

So, let’s digest all of those ideas so we can use them in class, shall we?Here I’m integrating Foster, Vaganova, Joyce, and Nikolais/Louis’ categories, thus separating jumps from one foot to one foot (1:1) into hops, or those which do not change from one foot to the other, and leaps, or those which spring off from one foot and land on the other foot. The categories I have found most practical to use in teaching are:

  • 2:2 (both) / jump / sauté, changement, échappé, soubresaut
  • 1:1 (same) / hop / temps levé
  • 1:1 (other, switch) / leap / jeté, glissade, pas de chat, saut de chat
  • 1:2 (one to both) / assemblé, brisé
  • 2:1 (both to one) / sissonne
Strong Feet and Jumping

Nikolais and Louis note the importance of developing strength, sensitivity, and articulation in the feet to the quality of our jumps and dancing in general: “Stopping and starting need tactile feet that can touch, land on, and grip the floor to move quickly and accurately and hold a movement. Weight is always forward so that there is an immediacy of movement.” (Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* p.172)

Allegro Technique

Vaganova provides technical pointers on executing sparkling ballet allegro:

  1. “Every jump begins with demi plié. Since the main factor in imparting force at the moment of leaving the floor is the heel, it is necessary, at the development of the jump, to pay special attention to the correctness of demi plie, i.e. one must see to it that the heels are not lifted from the floor in demi plié.
  2. If the jump is done on both legs, the legs must be forcefully extended in the knees, arches and toes at the moment of the jump. If the jump is done on one leg, the other assumes the position required by the pose. […]
  3. After the jump the feet must touch the floor first with the toe, then softly with the heel, then lowered into demi plié. After this the knees should be straightened.” (Basic Principles of Classical Ballet* p.69)
“Saucy Prances & Sautes” video on my YouTube Channel
Expanding Jumping Repertoire

In classical ballet, beats or batterie can be added to all jumps (Vaganova has a whole chapter on beats!), creating virtuosity and greater vocabulary for dancing. As other elements of dance are integrated into allegro in various ways–such as spatial levels, facings & changes of direction, time factors, energy and so forth–further expressive and artistic possibilities emerge. 

This is true of all styles of dance including ballet, modern dance, jazz and other styles. In tap, the movements of jumping are also heard! 

Jumping & Allegro Resources

To learn more about jumping and practice basic jumping techniques, I’ve created a variety of other resources on the blog, podcast, and on video. 

YouTube Channel
“Saucy Prances & Sautés,” “Glissade & Assemble Jumps,” & “Frothy Frappé & Jeté” videos, as well as the playlists: 
“Legs, Legs, Legs,” “Foot & Ankle Conditioning,” & “Ballet Barre” for training and technique basics. 

Podcast 
Episode 014: Powerful Pliés, 020: Sauter, Jumping & Leaps of Faith, 021: Glisser – Smoothly Gliding, & 022: Élancer – Swiftly Darting

Blog
Sauter, Jumping, & Leaps of Faith, Glisser – Smoothly Gliding into Autumn, & Élancer – Swiftly Darting

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of jumping categories in ballet and modern dance and find them applicable to other styles of dance you may practice. Keep your eyes peeled for more on locomotion, focus, other elements of dance and life coming soon, and let me know what you’d like to see from me in the future!

Blythe Stephens, MFA 
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: 
move with balance, grace, & power

** This blog is not sponsored. Amazon Affiliate links potentially give me a percentage of the purchase price.

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Artful Archiving, Paper Purging, & Minsgame March

As I mentioned in the “My Minimalism Memoir” Blog and Podcast 041, having first played in 2019 in preparation to move to Cologne, I played the 30-Day Minimalist Game (or “Minsgame”) again this March, in order to curb encroaching clutter so that I have more space for what is most important. Now this round of the Minsgame is done, and I won!!! 

I still have so much paperwork that I want to cull, namely financial documents, old student work samples, client notes, and coaching notes, teaching notes…then finally the sentimental stuff. But, I kept taming my paper tiger all 30 days–totaling 465 pieces of paper!–and also held in there for 14 days clearing bathroom and wardrobe clutter for a total of 105 additional items! 

Me and my pile of 465 pieces of paper I let go while playing the Minsgame in March

Reflecting on March 2021 Minimalism Game

I admit it is still very tedious and difficult for me to sort and dispose of items–I do want to keep and be able to use that which is of value, to be able to refer back to my work and favorite resources over time and have a reliable and efficient system for doing so. I am both an aspiring minimalist and honestly a bit of a paper packrat.

I keep playing the Minsgame and making an effort to simplify because I do love feeling unburdened by meaningless or unnecessary clutter that obscures the things I really want to have access to. It’s freeing to let go of what no longer serves me and has gotten caught up in the mix.

Listen to the Podcast version of this blog here

I finished the game with a bunch of research articles and notes from graduate school that I still find interesting, such as theory, ideas about change processes,  pedagogy and so forth. I decided although the content is relevant to me still, I do not need to keep hard copies of these documents as they should be accessible in other forms. To make it easier than ever to use the information, I made sure to scan them and put in keywords that will be helpful later when I revisit these topics.

That’s been a good result from the Minsgame last time and this–better organization and easier retrieval of relevant information, as well as letting go of things I won’t need or want to access again. 

Clearing clutter, making ideas easily retrievable

I sorted out a lot of good stuff that will be easier to find as it is now organized in binders (for those things which I do need a hard copy for) and into the Evernote App (to back up hard copies of critical documents, and as a replacement to hard copies of things for which I don’t need an original) and therefore searchable.

My work always requires research, and then having the results at my fingertips for inspiration and citation this is a system that is ever-evolving.

Keeping track of your creative ideas

Choreographer Twyla Tharp favors an analog system for storing creative ideas, and shares her system in her book The Creative Habit*: “Everyone has his or her own organizational system. Mine is a box, the kind you can buy at Office Depot for transferring files. I start every dance with a box. I write the project name on the box, and as the piece progresses I fill it up with every item that went into the making of the dance. This means notebooks, news clippings, CDs, videotapes of me working alone in my studio, videos of the dancers rehearsing, books and photographs and pieces of art that may have inspired me. The box documents the active research on every project.” (p.80)

Tharp’s boxes serve psychological as well as pragmatic purposes in support of her creative process: “The box makes me feel organized, that I have my act together even when I don’t know where I’m going yet. It also represents a commitment. The simple act of writing a project name on the box means I’ve started work. The box makes me feel connected to a project. It is my soil. I feel this even when I’ve back-burnered a project: I may have put the box away on a shelf, But I know it’s there. The bold black lettering is a constant reminder that I had an idea once and may come back to it very soon.” (The Creative Habit p.81)

I absolutely resonate with Tharp’s fears of forgetting ideas and memories, as she explains the most important feature of the box system: “The box means I never have to worry about forgetting. One of the biggest fears for a creative person is that some brilliant idea will get lost because you didn’t write it down and put it in a safe place. I don’t have to worry about that because I know where to find it. It’s all in the box.” (The Creative Habit p.81) 

The “boxes” don’t have to be literal boxes though, they can take whatever shape best suits you, as Tharp explains: “The more technological among us put it all on a computer. There’s no single correct system. Anything can work, so long as it lets you store and retrieve your ideas–and never lose them.” (The Creative Habit p.82)

The pain of data loss

The loss of a particular notebook is to this day one of the things I am saddest to have misplaced over the years and my many moves. It was my notebook of corrections and choreography notes from NCSA, inspired by the notebooks the modern dancers were required to keep for their composition class. Ballet students didn’t have to keep such notes, but I’ve always tried to record and archive my work and learnings, so I got myself a small blue spiral-bound notebook and glued a postcard from the Kona Village Hotel in my hometown to customize the cover, and kept notes and corrections from my classes and conferences with Fanchon Cordell, Gina Vidal, Gyulia Pandi, Frank Smith, Duncan Noble, etc. in there, as well as scribbles about the choreography that we were learning and creating, from classical ballets to contemporary collaborations with fellow students.

I’m not sure when I misplaced that notebook, but it still breaks my heart. I have also lost plenty of data over the years due to failed computers, drives, and every possible technical malfunction. Although I do what I can to hold on to important information and records, ultimately it’s best that I not be too attached and realize that much of it is available through other sources in the modern age. It’s a good yogic exercise to let go! But it’s not a natural impulse for me. 

Evolution of organization systems

The origins of my organization/filing systems started with my family of course. My Mom’s address book is kept scrupulously up-to-date and my Dad keeps a pocket notebook to capture thoughts, lists, project lists, measurements…a whole Captain’s Log. I consulted guides for students to help me succeed in college, and after graduating balanced my working and personal lives with a planner.

After reading Living a Beautiful Life* as a young professional just out of college, I started using a proper paper Filofax, but I had always endeavored to keep a calendar and journal (with mixed consistency and results). Some of my favorite fictional characters kept diaries or notebooks, and I was also inspired by Anne Frank and other famous diarists to record my reflections. 

Note-keeping like Beethoven

My academic and creative research will always be a part of my work, so it is important that I maintain a good working archive system and that it evolves with my needs over time. Through trial and error and good advice, I have refined my system over the years. As Tharp points out, a writer or creator can work more efficiently with an organizational system in place: 

“A writer with a good storage and retrieval system can write faster. He isn’t spending a lot of time looking things up, scouring his papers, and patrolling other rooms at home wondering where he left the perfect quote. It’s in the box.” (The Creative Habit p.82)

Everyone can benefit from refining their archiving skills, but especially creatives. Tharp explains the system that Beethoven used in developing his works: “A perfect archive also gives you more material to call on, to use as a spark for invention. Beethoven, despite his unruly reputation and wild romantic image, was well organized. He saved everything in a series of notebooks that were organized according to the level of development of the idea. […] He would scribble his rough, unformed ideas in his pocket notebook and then leave them there, unused, in a state of suspension, but at least captured with pencil on paper. A few months later, in a bigger, more permanent notebook, you can find him picking up the idea again, but he’s not just copying the musical idea into another book. You can see him developing it, tormenting it, improving it in the new notebook. […]

The notebooks are remarkable for many reasons. Beethoven was a volatile and restless personality, always demanding a change of scene. In the thirty-two years he lived in and around Vienna, he never bought a home and moved more than forty times. I suspect that’s why he needed the elaborate system of notebooks. With all the turmoil of his personal life, the notebooks anchored the one part of his life that mattered: composing.” (The Creative Habit  p.83)

I may not be a Beethoven-caliber genius, but I too work with a similar notebook system to anchor me in the midst of whatever chaos may come in life. No matter how much I digitize, I find for me much creative work must exist, at least at some stages of its development, in analog. So I have a daily diary, a bigger bullet journal of weekly, monthly, and longer-term planning, notes, and brainstorming, and yet another notebook of various ongoing professional projects and notes. At some point, the most important projects then are archived as Evernote notes, with photos, music, articles, and other relevant links attached. 

If you want to take a peek at the current state of my idea-recording system, I recorded a video paging through the setup of my 2021 Bullet Journal at the beginning of the year.  

Archiving acorns like a poet

Each person must consider what type of system serves their creative process best, and I found Sage Cohen’s ideas in the book Writing the Life Poetic* about storing and accessing ideas very helpful to my poetry practice as well as other areas of creativity, particularly the tips in the chapter called “Save Acorns: Keeping Track of Your Great Ideas.”

Cohen describes how this system of archiving and retrieval works:
“What happens when you sit down to write and no bolt of lightning strikes you? When it comes to inspiration, I say there’s no offense like a great defense. Squirrels use their feasts to prepare for the famine, and so can you. When your mind is alert to the acorns of inspiration–and you have a good system for saving those acorns–you can build up a surplus. This secret stash of great ideas can keep the pilot light of inspiration going, and get you through the harshest winters of creative dormancy.” (Writing the Life Poetic p.200)

Cohen shares a variety of strategies for catching these acorns as soon as they arrive:

  • Post-it notes. “When sitting at my desk doing other work, this is the fastest, easiest way to capture a poetic thought the moment it arrives. By strategically placing Post-it note pads where you’re likely to need them most, you can ensure that every good idea that flits through is assured a safe landing.” 
  • Index cards. “When inspiration strikes, I can get the idea down fast and then move on with whatever I’m doing. Index cards are light, easy to transport, and disposable as soon as I’ve transferred a good idea to one of my idea-saving systems.” 
  • Notebooks. “Kim Stafford, the person who taught me this fabulous acorn metaphor, carries a beautiful, handmade (by him) notebook in his pocket at all times; he records his acorns there. A notebook or notepad can be a receptacle in which to capture, save, and admire acorns over a period of time. Each collection becomes its own masterpiece of possibility–so you can see what you were thinking during that period of time.” 
  • Recording devices. “Not everyone enjoys or has the time to capture his moments of fleeting genius in writing. Also, for people who are more verbal than visual, speaking poetry might feel like a better fit than writing it down. Sometimes it is best to have both options. I have had contexts where writing was preferable, and others where voice recordings worked better, depending on my mode of transportation, ability to have hands free, etc.” (Writing the Life Poetic p.200-1)

“Once you’ve scribbled down the fragment of overheard dialogue or captured the moment of grace before it melted away like a snowflake, what do you do with it next?” (Writing the Life Poetic p.201) First the acorns are caught, and then like Tharp’s boxes and Beethoven’s notebooks, they need to be organized, with Cohen offering multiple possible solutions:

  • Tubs, baskets, and bins. “Create an acorn holding bin where you can deposit your Post-it notes, index cards, cassettes, and notebooks until you’re ready to use them. […] The next time you decide to write a poem and don’t know how to begin, you can cull through your acorn bin as though you’re on a treasure hunt.” 
  • Bulletin boards and whiteboards. “Sometimes it helps to have your ideas right in front of you, in your line of sight, to keep you on track, or to see how a concept is developing. Post them on a bulletin board or write them on dry-erase whiteboards. I like to collect quotes and inspiration on my bulletin board; on a whiteboard I write my latest goals and aspirations.”
  • Paper file folders. “If you have a file drawer or metal stand, paper files can be a simple solution for collecting loose acorn scraps in a way that’s easy to access.”
  • Computer files. “I have a single document in my computer titled ‘Acorns’ into which I enter in consecutive order all of my scribbled-on-paper ideas. After a handful of index cards and sticky notes collects on my desk, I transcribe these into the acorn document, date each entry, and then recycle the paper. I like having this ever-expanding record of my creative process at my fingertips when my inspiration well is running dry. At the very least, it reminds me at one time in recent history I did have an interesting idea!” (Writing the Life Poetic p.201-2)
Developing your own system for creative productivity

“Once you start experimenting with acorns, you’ll find a system of recording and retrieving your ideas that works for you. You may be surprised at how much inspiration your mind serves up once it knows that you’re paying attention.”  (Writing the Life Poetic p.202) It is true that when we create space in our lives, as well as a readiness to receive and process ideas as they occur, it opens a rich path of possibility. 

For now, I’m super satisfied to have a big stack of paper that is officially cleared, and to support you in playing the Minsgame and whatever simple and creative living projects you’re up to. Next I will turn my focus to a new game: April is Letter-Writing Month for me, and I’m continuing to write poetry as well as create choreography, so I’m excited to use the fresh space I have made for more creativity! 

What ideas will you capture and act on this week?

Stay tuned on my YouTube Channel and join my email newsletter for more about living a luscious life!! 

Blythe Stephens, MFA
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: Dance Education & Coaching 
move through life with balance, grace, & power

* This blog is not sponsored. Amazon Affiliate links potentially give me a percentage of the purchase price if you buy a book using the link.

Developing Rhythm & Musicality for Dance

In her introduction to the book Hip Hop Speaks to Children: a celebration of poetry with a beat*, Nikki Giovanni explains the genesis of rhythm in language, music, and ultimately hip hop: “When humans were beginning to develop our own language, separate from the growls and howls, separate from the buzz and the birdsongs, we used rhythms: a sound and a silence. With no silence, the sound is cacophonous. With no sound, the silence is a lonely owl flapping her wings against the midnight sun seeking a careless mouse.”

In my last installment of the blog, we explored Attitudes to Time from the perspectives of yogic philosophy, as a coaching concept and as an element of dance. Today we’re getting into more detail about rhythmic and musical expressions of the element of time in dance, which you can also enjoy in Podcast form here:

Musicality

In the book Ballet Pedagogy, Rory Foster defines the relationship we call “musicality” like this: “Musicality in dance means that an integral relationship exists between music and movement. It can be simple and literal or, in the case of certain choreographic performances, sophisticated and abstract. By utilizing the subtlety of nuance in phrasing and counterpoint, this partnership offers many possibilities in movement qualities and textures. This applies not just to the creator (choreographer) but also to the dancer who executes and interprets the choreography.” (p.80)

Although not always performed with, or to, music, choosing to dance with music is a critical choreographic decision that fundamentally impacts our experience of the dance as dancers and how the audience experiences and interprets our composition as well. Being “on-time” and “musical” are key skills for dancers, but what does that mean, and how can we develop our relationship to and facility with music?

The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique describes how “In dance, the most experience one has with time is musical time: pulse, rhythm, syncopation, rest in place, diminuendo, accelerando, and so on. […] How fast, how slow, when to do the next movement, how long to wait, how long to continue. All of these sensed decisions, plus their combination with musical time, give performance and composition a compelling range of play.”  (p.171)

Stack of books and notes from my education and teaching, for researching this blog

I’m no expert: my musical education

First, let’s disavow ourselves of two ideas: one, that this, or any of my writings or teaching on the topic can be exhaustive, and second, that I am “expert” in the area of music.

My hope is that what I share here inspires people’s interest and encourages you to explore the concepts and bring greater awareness to listening and dancing to music.

I took, as I recall, less than a year of piano lessons as a kid (my teacher was nice, but I found practicing awful and of course, later I wished I had stuck it out long enough to become adept at reading music and plunking out a few tunes). I did perform in a bunch of musicals at the Aloha Theatre before going off to ballet school, where I was lucky to enjoy lots of live music for free and consort with musician friends at UNCSA.

At Whitman College, too, I continued to enjoy experiences listening to live music, expanded my musical tastes as I met new people and enjoyed concerts and collaborated with musicians in improvisation and performance. 

In Portland, I was fortunate to sing in a choir with the First Unitarian Church and also take my first sight-reading course, which was helpful, if a bit over my head, as well as continue to expand my musical experiences and tastes. 

During my MFA, I received specific training in Music Theory for Dancers and Dance Improvisation and Composition classes with an emphasis on music. Study of ballet and modern dance pedagogy as well as study Okinawan Dance, work with the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble and exposure to other world dance and music forms, as well as collaborating with live accompanists as a teacher and performer and having musicians explain music and how best to work with them to me have all been most instructive.

That said, there is a LOT to know about music, and I have much yet to learn. I can only hope to point the way for further exploration. Luckily, it’s a joyful pursuit, and I am so grateful for how music enriches my daily life. 

The value of music in storytelling and daily life

Music helps me feel and process emotion. In fact, while in therapy during my divorce, my therapist encouraged me to use music for the healing tool that it is in my life. It moves me, provides catharsis and connection, and recalls memories. It builds anticipation and aids storytelling. I can sing the scores of ballets I have performed from start to finish! 

My daily life resembles a constant musical theatre production, punctuated with outbursts of song and dance. I use music to set the mood for yoga or work or dance brainstorming; I create ever-evolving playlists for the dance classes I teach and just for fun to suit every mood; I seek to hear new music and different styles, continue to learn its history and theory, and recently took up the harmonica to enhance my understanding of music.

I admire conductor and musician friends who have a deeper knowledge and intelligence in the area of music. But as with the other practices I engage with, it’s mostly about experiencing the process of learning and how my horizons of growth expand from there. Our appreciation and enjoyment of various artforms is enhanced by study.

Importance of Musicality for Dancers

As dancers, we are well-served by learning to hear and analyze music at a basic level, and to develop a close relationship to the music we dance with. Choreographers must have a bird’s-eye view of the music and dancing and also an intimate familiarity with and ability to interpret the fine details. As Katherine Teck states in Ear Training for the Body: A Dancer’s Guide to Music*, “The most obvious reasons for dancers to develop a keen awareness of specific musical events is so that they can recognize aural cues during onstage performances. To put it bluntly: If performers cannot quickly sense and remember what they should be doing in relation to the music, they will have a rough time making it in the dance world.” (p.3) 

Teck continues on to describe the difficulty and importance of musical calibration and responsiveness: “It is not something that can be measured precisely, like the angle of turnout or the height of a jump. But it is there to various degrees, or else is conspicuously lacking, in all dancing.” (Ear Training for the Body p.3-4) 

Further underscoring the potential complexity of interpreting music as dancers, Teck clarifies: “It is not enough for people to say, ‘Dance with the music,’ or, ‘You are not with the music.’ If you are supposed to be with the music, you might ask, ‘To which aspect am I relating? Is it the timing, the melody, the articulations, the patterns of the underlying accompaniment texture, the structure, the nuances, or the expressive nature? And how am I to be with it? Or what if my movement is supposed to be a contrast to the music?’” (Ear Training for the Body p.5)

There is so much to think about when it comes to musicality. So let’s start by discussing what dance teachers and choreographers do to understand the music they work with better. 

Rhythm & Musical Time

Although not all dance is performed with music, and they argue for a distinct definition of “dancer’s time,” Murray Louis and Alwin Nikolais do concede that, “Generally the time that is taught and used in class is musical time, with all the strict disciplines of music such as beats and their organization in twos and threes, fast and slow. This is the major use of time in dance, and as a result should be mastered first. Most choreography is set to this organization of time.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique p.172)

Nikolais and Louis describe rhythm this way: “Long ago, musical tradition and the use of musical notation set a system of time analysis and writing, on which dance relied heavily. This became firmly embedded in dance because of the interrelationship between the two arts. […] In musical terms, rhythm implies the regular recurrence of an emphasis during a succession of pulses or beats.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique p.178)

The Western Classical Music Tradition

I want to be clear that we are talking here primarily about concert dance (ballet, modern dance, etc.) performed on the proscenium stage to music from the Western classical music tradition. Most of my discussion today on rhythm, meter, and the Tempo of music comes from this specific musical lineage. Since my primary training is in classical ballet and modern dance, this is the music I have worked with the most, and for today it’s where we will focus, but I would like in the future to talk more about world music, hip hop, and other fascinating musical and cultural topics. 

Fundamental Concepts of Musical Form & Structure

In Ballet Pedagogy: The Art of Teaching* Rory Foster outlines some music essentials for teachers of dance work with:  “It is not imperative for a ballet teacher to have formal training in music, but it is reasonable to assume that any understanding of music fundamentals, its form and structure, will broaden and enrich one’s teaching capabilities and effectiveness. Ballet is performed to music, and its kinesis and aesthetics work with many of the same components of music such as meter, tempo, rhythm, accent, phrasing, and dynamics.” (p.79)

Foster says of choreographers, “A choreographer chooses music that fits his concept or simply chooses to use a piece of music that inspires him to create movement that will interpret the score. The chosen music will often influence or even dictate how movements are constructed based on the various qualities and characteristics of the musical structure: rhythm, tempo, dynamics, mood, and melody. Linking and integrating the continuous musical and movement phrases establishes musicality in dance.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.81) We can see that awareness of musical structure is a very important skill for dancers to learn, so let’s dig into some of the basic concepts. 

Music Essentials from Ballet & Modern Dance Pedagogy 

The fundamental musical time distinctions dancers need to learn first include the concept of beat, meter, tempo, and phrasing. 

Beat & Meter

According to Foster, “The beat is the feeling of pulse in the music. Musical notes and silent rests are each given a beat, or partial beat, with a specified time value and organized into bars. The total number of whole beats within a bar is called the meter. Beats are normally grouped into the following: 2’s (duple meter–2/4), 3’s (triple meter–3/4), or 4’s (quadruple meter–4/4) with a certain beat being given the primary accent (usually the first beat) and sometimes secondary accents.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.82)

Meter, Tempo & Time Signatures in Music

As Foster explains, “Meter is the timing of music; it is the particular grouping together of beats. Tempo is the speed at which the music moves. Meter and tempo are an integral part of every ballet combination and exercise. It takes knowledge, experience, practice, and rhythmic sensitivity to know which meter and tempo will work best for each exercise. These elements, more than any other, will affect the dynamics and accurate technical execution of a ballet combination.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.79-80) In this way, teachers can help students better learn dance technique through their choice of music.

We can identify the meter and tempo of a piece of music by looking at how it is notated on sheet music. Foster explains: “Time signatures identify the meter. The time signature is stated at the beginning of the measure. Most recorded music for ballet class will specify the meter for each piece of music on the CD or its back cover and will often identify the rhythm, such as a waltz, polka, tango, adage, etc. The top number of a time signature denotes the number of beats in the measure. The bottom number denotes which note in each measure gets one full beat. The bottom number, however, is not something that we are immediately concerned with in working with class music. It does have relevance, though, once we become more sophisticated in using music.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.82)

Phrasing in Music and Dance

Foster explains the concept of musical phrasing as follows: “We express ideas through our speech and writing by combining words, forming phrases, and creating sentences. Sentences are linked together into paragraphs, which collectively communicate a story, concept, or emotion. It can be literal or abstract. Music and dance do that same thing through sound and visual expressions.” (Ballet Pedagogy p. 80) Now, I will say that when comparing music to language in this way, I have had musicians take issue, so while I think this metaphor can be helpful for dancers, it isn’t meant to precisely describe how form works in music.

That said, Foster continues to describe how phrasing is recorded as musical notes organized into bars or measures: “Musical notes having various time values are grouped together with a given rhythmical pattern and are divided into sections called bars or measures. A measure or groups of measures create a musical phrase. A complete musical movement or composition features sections consisting of many connected phrases. The defining characteristic of a phrase is the brief rest or sense of resolution at the end, which is called cadence. It is similar to the pauses we hear when someone speaks. Cadence enables us to hear phrasing easily.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.81) 

Identifying phrasing in movement

Phrasing may be easy to hear in musical compositions, but a little trickier to pick out in dance. As Foster explains, “A movement phrase, like a musical one, will have cadence–a pause, rest, or resolution–before beginning the next phrase. Movement phrases are not as easily identifiable as musical cadences because they are often visually quite subtle, with their execution dynamically internal. However, since they are integrated with the musical structure, they usually coincide with musical phrasing that is quite literal, particularly with studio teaching combinations.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.81)

In a studio or educational environment, we are trying to make these concepts very clear to help students become more aware of the music and how they are moving in relationship to it, so it is helpful if the phrasing is quite literal and simple to begin with. 

We can also think of movement phrasing in terms of how movement patterns occur in the body, as Peggy Hackney describes in Making Connections*: “Movement happens in phrases. The preparation and initiation determine the entire course of action for the phrase. Kinetic chains of muscular action are set up in the moment of the initiation which sequence and follow-through to complete the phrase.” (p.47) 

As dancers, I think these meaningful units of movement are interesting to look at from the perspective of both music and movement! 

Responding to Musical Form in Choreography

As choreographers we apply both definitions of phrasing, musical and physical, in our creations. As Foster describes: “When choreographing, we are creating movement phrases. Classical steps, stylized choreographic movements, and gestures are arranged with connecting steps to form combinations, or movement phrases that integrate in various ways with the music. And, as in music, many connecting phrases make up a complete dance.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.81)

Choreographer Twyla Tharp describes her work with music in her book The Creative Habit*: “Sometimes the spine of a piece comes from the music I’ve chosen. For example, I love to create dances in the form of theme and variations. In many ways, this genre is a perfect blueprint for organizing a dance: Each new variation is my cue to change dancers or groupings or steps. It makes my job a lot easier if the music tells me where to end one section and begin another. (Can you blame me for picking a form that gives me one less variable to worry about?) As a result, I have gladly tackled the behemoths of form: Brahms’s Handel Variations, and his Haydn Variations and Paganini Variations, too, and the most intimidating set of all, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations.” (p.149)

Music Analysis for Dancers

Foster provides a helpful step-by-step description of how dancers can begin to analyze musical structure to improve their musicality in performance: “Dancers first listen for the pulses in music and assign a count to some or all of those beats. They then identify where the cadence is so that phrasing can be recognized. Accents are also identified as part of the dynamics, for example, a 3/4 waltz has the first beat accented–1 2 3/ 1 2 3; in most mazurkas the end of the second beat has the accent: 1 2 3/ 1 2 3. Dancers also listen for the mood of the music through its feelings of texture along with dynamics: lyrical, percussive, syncopated, crescendo, rubato, etc.” (Ballet Pedagogy p.82)

Coming soon…

In the future I will discuss other forms of music outside the classical western tradition such as world music and the liberating tradition of hip hop, and more exercises and resources to develop your own musical sensitivity and dancing musicality, and we’ll practice rhythm through walking, jumping, and manipulating our focus soon.

What are your struggles and triumphs in working with music as a dancer, or in understanding it as a musician or audience member? Send me a message to let me know, or to join my email newsletter and receive my handout of “Music Basics for Dancers” for free!

Blythe Stephens, MFA Dance
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: Dance Education & Coaching 
move through life with balance, grace, & power

* This is not sponsored. Amazon Affiliate links potentially give me a percentage of the purchase price.

Attitudes to Time in Dance & Life: relating to and transforming conceptions of time

“Time is a matter of how long the duration between two events takes to achieve itself.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* p.176)

In “real time,” we have just had St. Patrick’s Day, are looking ahead at the end of March and Lent, and here in Cologne it is very much spring. Daylight savings has already sprung forward in North America, and shortly will here in Germany as well.

All manner of friends report that quarantining during a global pandemic has done weird things to their sense of time, and the topic is very much on our minds. How can we alter our perception of time in dance and life?

Recently in the “Roses Have Thorns” Sleeping Beauty/Hamilton/Shakespeare blog and Podcast 39, I talked about the poignant finitude of time in life given our human mortality.

In Podcast episode 44 and below, I discuss Time’s potential expansiveness, abundance, and richness, from the perspectives of yogic philosophy, as a coaching concept and as an element of dance. Next time we’ll get into more detail about musical concepts around time.

Attitudes toward Time Podcast

Time is an immensely important topic for growth, yoga, and dance, so it’s a theme I’ll return to again and again.

In awe to witness time in all its manifestations

Contrary to how we sometimes try to define time, our experience of it is NOT really linear. Some describe it as spiralic, others as only existing in this present moment. Scientists use the term “spacetime” due to the inseparability of these linked concepts. 

The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* book, a wonderful resource of philosophy and technique for modern dance, says: “Time is much more abstract than shape or motion. Time in its essence is invisible until it is related to something. Examples: one speed against another, repetition against sudden pauses, slow motion against fast, pendulum action in time versus out of time. Time can be absurd, surreal, and rhythmic; it can accelerate and decelerate. […] Time is closely related to space (but we don’t know how); time is like space in that it doesn’t exist until you put boundaries on it.” (p.174-175)

It’s fun to let the mind be boggled a little bit with awe at the enormity of the universe(s), to marvel at the incomprehensible complexity and beauty of nature and the nature(s) of reality through different perspectives. 

Neon green sprays of early-spring willow leaves in Cologne, Germany

The “Myths, Mirages, and Measuring Time” podcast by Rev Dr. Carl Gregg of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick blew my mind by introducing me to the idea that time passes at different speeds, measurable by modern technology, depending on one’s elevation/relative distance from the center of the earth (affecting the speed of our rotation). 

What? My minutes pass faster on mountaintops or in an airplane than they do at sea level? Then how do clocks work exactly and how can we agree on what time it “is?” I remember learning about how measures of weight/mass are similarly problematic to standardize and having difficulty wrapping my head around those ideas too…and am glad that there are people who better understand these areas expertise to serve as engineers and the like!

Meanwhile I get to play in creative and spiritual ideas of time, such as:

Time in Yogic Philosophy

Writings on yogic philosophy have much to contribute to the conversation about time. As just one example, in his translation of the Bhagavad Gita*, Satchidanana explains how time is a matter of perspective, and that the lived experience of time helps us better see certain elements of reality: “Past, present and future are just relative. It all depends on where you stand and how you see. Space and time are unlimited. Thus, you more readily see God’s manifestation, in space and time.” (The Living Gita* p.159)

Chapter 10 of the Gita in particular contains insights on the nature of time that echo in other sources I share below: 
10:30 “Of all that measures, I am time itself.” (The Living Gita* p.157)
10:33 “I am the first letter: A. I am the combining word: “and” (dvandva). Actually I am time eternal. Thus I am the one facing all directions (Brahma). I sustain everyone as I dispense the fruits of all actions.” (The Living Gita* p.158)

“Although we say A (rhyming with bay) in English,” Satchidananda explains, “the most natural sound of the letter is ah. All you need is to open your mouth: ah, the very first letter. This is how sound begins.” (The Living Gita* p.158)

Satchidananda elaborates on the infinite nature of consciousness, and therefore also time: “Of course, words and sounds have beginnings, but there is no beginning for consciousness. Consciousness is eternal: no beginning, no end, always there. Just as the audible ah sound has a beginning. Beneath the audible is the inaudible ah sound, which you didn’t create. It’s already there. But you brought it out. […] Time also never ends or begins. Time itself is timeless and comes from the timeless one. We create so-called sections of time and call those the present, past or future. But strictly speaking there’s no past, present, or future. They are our conceptions.” (The Living Gita* p.158)

We can learn to distinguish our conceptions about time from universal truths.

Using Time to Accomplish Our Aims

James Flaherty reflects on time in Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others*: “It’s always the case that we are fulfilling what was begun in the past by taking action in the present to bring about an outcome in the future. In a way, this may be unique to human beings; we exist simultaneously in these three openings in time.” (p.26)

On a practical level, coaching resources offer to shift our relationship to time and create a more empowering relationship with the distinction. In the ontological coaching that I do, examining and transforming our relationship to time (and all the relevant contexts we operate within) is key.

Flaherty describes the supportive structures of a time frame and network of support for coaching: “A time frame puts sufficient structure and rigor in your program so that you can have a sense of forward movement. At the outset of your program give your best estimation of how long it will take. If necessary, correct your time frame by speaking to your network of support: people who have committed themselves to your success in the program. These people will make it more difficult for you to fool yourself or endlessly postpone.”  (Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others*, emphasis mine)

There is always a time frame associated with intended outcomes in coaching, as well as the coaching relationship itself, stated in the contract.

Indeed, in the book Coach Anyone About Anything*, the authors speak of time as the duration of play or time frame during which the payers act:  “Measurable outcomes (results) to be produced by the player and by what specific dates they are to be accomplished […] Timeframe for the coaching engagement.” (p.24) 

They also provide useful tools for coaches and “players” or clients, including the “Futurability for Objectives Checklist”  (p.30, and which I will share more about in the future) and guidance for “When Players Aren’t Taking Action” (p.70), in which they describe the “Top five reasons why players don’t take action,” which, “You may want to share this with your players because we’ve found even players themselves need to know and understand why they’re not motivated to move.” (p.70) The reasons which pertain to time are: “a. Player has no time available, b. or not enough time, c. or something isn’t worth the time investment required.” (Coach Anyone About Anything* p.71)

Coach Yourself to Success* by Talane Miedaner has a whole chapter on finding time to accomplish what is important to you, “IV. Make Time When There Isn’t Any,” and she has some great ideas for places to look to get integrity with your time, including reflective practice, time tracking, and priority-setting, such as “Take twenty minutes every morning to plan the day and reflect (Tip 35). And make a firm rule to arrive at every appointment ten minutes early.” (p.82)

Another key insight that I took away was: “Everyone complains that there isn’t enough time. We act as though time were a fixed quantity, and it isn’t. Time expands and contracts depending on what we are doing. The irony is that being overly busy makes time seem to go even faster. If you want to feel like you have more time, do less.” (Coach Yourself to Success* p.81)

Ontological Coaching Tools on Time

Of course I have a whole slew of tools about time from my training with Accomplishment Coaching. Some key distinctions that I work with in my coaching work include that time is a conversation (and as such, we decide what we want to make up about time) and that time management as an attempt to control every moment is a fallacy. What we can control is our energy and focus.

If time is defined as every moment that has ever been, is or ever will be, we see that there is plenty of time, but as with other resources available to us, we may operate in a context of abundance or scarcity. We do best to remember that satisfaction and fulfillment live in the present moment and that it is empowering to deal with time as an integrity item.

There are a variety of specific tools that I use to support clients in empowering their relationship to time and getting in integrity in this area, such as the “Context Exercise,” “Time Generator Checklist,””Top Six Checklist” and many others. I’d be happy to share these time tools with you and help you get new perspective on your time in a free 60-minute coaching session, which you can schedule by following the link here.

This concept of our being able to relate to time in different ways is connected with the topic of focus, another topic for a future blog 🙂

Describing Time in Movement and Dance

Now let’s look at how time is portrayed and described in movement. In A Primer for Movement Description*, Cecily Dell clarifies how we can describe the experience of time in dance, or “The Time Factor,” as “Changes in the quality of time in movement, becoming either sustained or quick.” Dell compares the two attitudes to time coexisting in one scene:

“Scene: gangster movie. Rich industrialist whose daughter has been kidnapped confronting mobster he knows is responsible. Where is his daughter — he wants to know now. Well . . . mobster isn’t quite sure, is stalling for time to make sure his plans have been carried out. Industrialist’s movements are punctuated with quick, nervous jerks and starts. Mobster smokes his cigar with long sustained gestures, stretching out every second as much as he can.

The dynamic in this scene consists of two opposing attitudes toward time. The two men share the same duration in their exchange; they exist and interact with the same amount of time. But the one acts from a sense of urgency, of wanting to hurry time, which the other indulges in time, as if prolonging its passage. The quality of prolonging or stretching time out, we call sustainment the quality of urgency or quickening in time we call quick. Sustained and quick are the elements or qualities of the time factor.

The qualities of sustainment and quickness differ from quantitative speed as measured by a clock, or pace or tempo as marked by a metronome. In ballet, or more extremely in Spanish dance, the legs and feet may be moving in response to very fast-paced music, while in the arms and upper body, the quality of sustainment in time may appear.” (A Primer for Movement Description Using Effort Shape and Supplementary Concepts p.24-5)

Such a vivid portrayal of these varied and relative attitudes to time!

The Nikolais-Louis approach, dancer’s time

Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis have many relevant points regarding time in dance, so I did my best to pull out just a couple passages relevant to today’s topic. One point is time’s inseparability from other ideas: “We cannot attach time exclusively to sound or motion or space; rather, it is an integral component of all of them. Its presence cannot be eliminated. Time flows continuously, and because it has no substance we cannot alter its speed or presence. Time is relentless. It cannot be stopped. The only way to deal with time is to go with it.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* p.178)

However we may try to box in the concept, they assert that, “There is no precise definition of time. We understand time mainly through a recurrent pattern of happenings. Natural and artificial structures exist for its measurement. In artifice, we have the clock and yard-stick. In nature, we have the rising and the setting of the sun. We have our own recurrent breath and heart-beat and the live presence of the body experiencing its existence.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* p.178)

We move through different experiences of time, including artificially measured, sensed, and musical/rhythmic, as well as lack-of-awareness:

“Without a clock or some equivalent timepiece, time can also be determined by attention. One senses or feels the presence of time–moving fast, slow, or standing still. In dance, this awareness is abetted by musical pulse and rhythm, In addition to this awareness, the dancer can also step out of time consciousness and into a pedestrian state of unawareness.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* p.173) So we see that time and perception are inextricably linked, such that:

“Time, for the artist, is basically a sense and perception of change. When there are no sensations or realizations of change, there is a sense of monotony and the feeling that time is passing too slowly. At the opposite pole, perception of quick change can also alter our perception of time.” (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique* p.178) I am so fascinated by how yogic, philosophical, pragmatic, and creative ideas about time intersect!

Coming Soon: Time & Music in Dance

I plan in my next installment to delve further into the nitty gritty of Time as an Element of Dance as it relates to music theory and ways to play with time and music in technique and choreography. In live classes we will explore manipulating time, as well as recorded classes online, so we can relate theory to practical experiences in movement.

Stay tuned on my YouTube Channel and Blog for more about the Element of Time and many more related topics!

What is the conversation that you have with time?

Blythe Stephens, MFA
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: Dance Education & Coaching 
move through life with balance, grace, & power

*This blog is not sponsored. Amazon Affiliate links potentially give me a percentage of the purchase price.

Embracing Ballet Balancé – Classical Waltzing Theory & Practice

According to Agrippina Vaganova in Basic Principles of Classical Ballet**, Pas Balancé “Is one of the simple pas allegro, which is easily done even by children. In classical dancing it is often used in waltz tempo.” (p.99)

I love to waltz alone or as a pair, in ballet, ballroom and other styles, and find it’s swingy rhythms intoxicating, much as its early fans and critics did! This blog brings weekly insights on dance, yoga, well-being, creativity, and joy and today I’m talking about my love of balletic waltzing and the origins of this elegant dance, and I did in the companion YouTube Video and Podcast:

In podcast Episode “043: Waltzing into Spring with Ballet Balancé” I provide an audio version of this discussion about Balancé and the Waltz.

History of the Waltz

Although the Waltz has become a beloved ballroom and social dance as well as inspiration for balletic movement performed in concert dance, at first it caused a scandal. As Wikipedia relates:

“There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the waltz that date from 16th century Europe, [and] Around 1750, the peasants of Bavaria, Tyrol, and Styria began dancing a dance called Walzer, a dance for couples. The Ländler, also known as the Schleifer, a country dance in 34 time, was popular in Bohemia, Austria, and Bavaria, and spread from the countryside to the suburbs of the city. While the eighteenth century upper classes continued to dance the minuets (such as those by Mozart, Haydn and Handel), bored noblemen slipped away to the balls of their servants.

In the 1771 German novel Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim by Sophie von La Roche, a high-minded character complains about the newly introduced waltz among aristocrats thus: ‘But when he put his arm around her, pressed her to his breast, cavorted with her in the shameless, indecent whirling-dance of the Germans and engaged in a familiarity that broke all the bounds of good breeding—then my silent misery turned into burning rage.'[…]

Shocking many when it was first introduced, the waltz became fashionable in Vienna around the 1780s, spreading to many other countries in the years to follow. […] The waltz, especially its closed position, became the example for the creation of many other ballroom dances. Subsequently, new types of waltz have developed, including many folk and several ballroom dances.”

When Americans got ahold of the waltz, they of course had their way with it, including delightful movie musical versions such as this one with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, “Waltz in Swing Time” from Swing Time (1936):

“Waltz in Swing Time” with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, from “Swing Time” (1936)

Waltzing through the Classical Ballets

There are many famous waltzes in classical ballets, including “Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella” as well as more modern pieces such as Balanchine’s “Vienna Waltzes” to music by Richard Strauss. Since it was St. Patrick’s Day this week, I’ve been sharing Irish folk music in dance classes all month, including a lovely Irish Waltz that makes me want to dance!

Waltzing in Classical Ballet Technique

In the Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet**,  Gail Grant describes Balancé as a “Rocking step. This step is very much like a pas de valse and is an alternation of balance, shifting the weight from one foot to the other. Balancé may be done crossing the foot either front or back. […] Balancé may also be done en avant or en arrière facing croisé or effacé and en tournant.” (p.11)

Vaganova describes the performance of a basic ballet balancé: “Stand in 5th position, right foot front. From demi-plié, do a light jeté with the right foot to the side, and then draw left foot back (on count one). On count two change to the left foot on half toe, and on three lower yourself again on the right foot in demi-plié, and raise the left one sur le cou-de-pied back. The next balancé will be to the left, i.e. jeté left, etc.” (Basic Principles of Classical Ballet** p.99-100)

I find in describing a balletic waltzing step to dancers of other forms, it compares well with modern dance’s “Triplets,” or “The Pony” of the 1960’s. 

What is a Waltz Rhythm?

In a blog and podcast coming soon, I will discuss musical meter, ¾ time, and so forth, but for now it is helpful to think of counting a waltz step as “one and uh two and uh three and uh four and uh…” or “one two three, two two three, three two three, four two three…” Unlike other even meters such as marching rhythms, you’ll notice is has a distinct up-and-down, lending a swingy feeling. T

he accent or emphasis in a waltz rhythm is usually on the first beat, unlike other rhythms in 3, for example the mazurka, where the accent is on the second beat.

Balancé in Ballet Class

“A balancé in ballet is a step where a dancer moves while alternating balance between their feet.  The rhythm is usually in three counts like a waltz and has the motion of going “down, up, down” with their legs. […] Balancé is often taught to young ages and in beginning ballet classes.  The ease of the step combined with the feeling of movement and ‘dancing’ makes it an enjoyable step at these levels and further into advanced levels.  Like many beginning ballet steps, balancé is used often in advanced classes and through professional levels. Dancers will often be given combinations with balancés in center combinations, such as pirouettes or adagio.  A balancé en tournant is common in pirouette combinations because this has the dancer turning in a waltz-style movement.” (ballethub.com)

Such a versatile rhythmic pattern and dance technique spans many schools and styles of dance, so practicing balancé will pay off in technical gains as well as the pure joy of moving!

More Music for Balancé & Waltzing

For more free-wheeling triplet-ing waltzy musical fun, check out my “Waltzing into Spring” playlist or Spotify’s “Strauss II Waltzes and Polkas” playlists:

Send me a message, or hop over to the A Blythe Coach Facebook Page and tell me about your waltzing experience and favorite steps!

Blythe Stephens, MFA
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach:
move through life with balance, grace, & power

** This blog is not sponsored. Amazon Affiliate links potentially give me a percentage of the purchase price.

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Move Your Body: Minimalist Fitness for Maximal Well-Being

I am realizing that there are two ways to look at my approach to achieving my goals, especially when it comes to today’s topic of physical fitness and training: there is the positive interpretation, or “efficient,” and the negative way, or “lazy.” 

But it doesn’t matter how my behavior is interpreted, as long as it is getting me the results that I seek! In order to achieve my most important goals, I need to prioritize, and along the way I have learned to find the least amount of effort to accomplish what I desire. Even big goals begin with these small steps!

Here I’m sharing my current minimalist workout or cross-training regimen, future fitness goals, and ideas for creating your own custom plan, and you can also check it out in audio format on my Podcast 042: Lazy Minimal Fitness – Cross-training for dance and overall well-being.

What makes you feel good?

That’s right, we’re talking about exercise and working out, and I want to be clear that I am not not necessarily recommending that you exercise like me, or suggesting that the way you appear, function, move your body should in any way resemble the way I do. You are beautiful as you are, there is nothing wrong with you, and I just want to share tools that have helped create better balance and well-being in my life. Body positivity all the way! 

What I want to encourage is your own discovery of what brings you joy in movement, what makes you feel good and capable, and what expands what your body can do, in the ways you want to. 

Taking control of your movement, your yoga practice, and your dancing can be incredibly liberating and can ripple out to the rest of your life. Maybe for you, minimal movement involves doing a favorite stretch each morning, a walk around the block on your break, or another action you will enjoy and that cumulatively, will make you feel good!

For myself, I currently enjoy a combination of daily short yoga sessions, weekly longer practices, short physical therapy and callisthenic/cardio bursts, teaching ballet and yoga, and other leisurely activities to complement, like walks, hikes, bicycle rides, or swimming as well as plenty of rest, massage, and the like.

Squeezing in well-being

Back in my Whitman College Admissions days, I had the least amount of time to exercise in my life so far, and so cherished very occasional visit to the yoga studio, but more often turned to my Crunch Fitness “Pick Your Spot” Pilates workout DVD. With it, I could choose what area to focus on (I believe it was belly, buns, thighs, or full-body), and in only 15 minutes get a decent workout that helped me deal with tons of time spent at the computer, desk, airplane, and car.

Working as a life coach, many of my clients have had physical well-being goals, as well as facing real health challenges, and I have supported them in creating habits that transformed their life experience, such as in the case of one client, whose results including having, “[…] begun a simple exercise routine and have completely changed the way that I eat and cook — I’ve even lost weight without once experiencing hunger.  My pain levels have decreased, I have more energy and I can sleep through the night…” 

Choosing from the cross-training menu

I have collected many exercises over the years from dance, yoga and Pilates classes as well as physical therapy from a variety of practitioners, and have developed a minimal and evolving plan that allows me to do what I need to do (teach ballet and yoga, bicycle, walk, sit to create content, coach, and study on the computer), feel able, minimize my stress, and care for my nervous system. I do have lingering pain from accidents and injuries of the past, so there is a certain amount of maintenance I require to minimize the effects of old whiplash and other injuries.

To my students and dancer friends who struggle to participate in other kinds of activity aside from dancing, I share Eliza Gaynor Minden’s words from The Ballet Companion** section on Cross-Training: 

“It may be that all you want to do is dance, but the well-rounded dancer can benefit from a variety of training tools. Pilates, resistance training, the ancient practice of yoga, along with thoroughly modern forms of exercise such as Gyrotonic and Floor-Barre can improve overall strength and stamina, help overcome specific weaknesses, and generally complement a dancer’s regime. You can become a better, stronger, more capable dancer by doing more than just dancing.”

So how do we get the benefits of a variety of cross-training exercises or workouts, with the least expenditure of time and effort?

Consider starting with short and simple yoga

Yoga makes me feel good, and I finally developed a consistent personal practice starting three years ago with the Yoga with Adriene YouTube Channel 30-Day Challenge and monthly calendars.

I found that doing short, 15-30 minute practices daily, in addition to weekly full-length in-person classes at local studios, made me feel amazing! It manages my pain, balances my strength, and gives me time for self-study and relaxation.  Over time, my own personal practice has grown, and I continue to learn more through teaching others. 

I agree with yoga teacher Georgina Berbari, in the article “How Long Should a Yoga Session Be? A yoga teacher shares some thoughtful insight:” “The beauty of being a yogi who practices at home is that some days, your practice is five minutes long, and others, it’s nearly an hour — and that’s totally cool. When you’re not in an actual studio, and you’re flowing freely without instruction, there’s a lot more flexibility in terms of how long you remain on your mat.”

In the same article, Sara DiVello, a nationally recognized yoga and meditation teacher shares that, “Though there’s no yogic handbook detailing the designated length you should make your practice in order for it to “work” (whatever that means), she’s no stranger to feeling obligated to remain on her mat for a certain amount of time.” But obligation and long duration do not a happy practitioner make.

Indeed, rather than starting with an hour or more of yoga every day, what worked for me was to practice consistently at least 5 minutes a day, focusing on specific areas of the body or themes that are relevant to me that particular day (quick wins, reinforcing the practice with how great it could make me feel in minimal time), and that once I was doing so regularly, it became easier to add in more.  

The “Yogalicious” playlist on YouTube includes practices 5-60 minutes in length

This insight that I was more likely to practice more often if it were for less time per session, I then applied to my meditation, physical therapy and cross-training. 

Minimalist approaches to fitness

Last year, I added a little cardio/full-body workout to my habits, inspired by reading The Minimalists’ book Essential**, of which Joshua Fields Millburn’s essay “18-Minute Minimalist Exercises” was a part. I appreciated his applying a minimalist and enjoyable philosophy to fitness, and the example of committing to only 18 minutes daily of exercises he enjoys, outside in the park, to get great results!

Fields Millburn recommends doing exercises you like, using movement to de-stress, and building in variety. For example, “I do only exercises I enjoy. I don’t enjoy running, so I don’t do it. I attempted it for six months and discovered it wasn’t for me. If you see me running, call the police—someone is chasing me. Instead, I find other ways to do cardio: I walk, I get on the elliptical machine at the gym, I do bodyweight exercises that incorporate cardio.” I laughed at that description, as I feel quite the same way about running, but also need to keep my endurance up in order to be able to demonstrate dance and yoga as well as speak in class. 

Continues Fields Millburn: “Variety keeps exercise fresh. When I first started exercising, I used to hit the gym three times per week, which was certainly better than not exercising at all. Then, as I got more serious, I started going to the gym daily. This routine became time-consuming, and doing the same thing over and over eventually caused me to plateau. These days I mix it up: I walk every day, and I still hit the gym occasionally, but the thing that has made the biggest, most noticeable difference has been the variety of daily eighteen-minute bodyweight exercises.”

I really got jazzed by their podcast “Ep 174 Minimalist Fitness.(with Ben Greenfield),” and subsequently adapting my own minimalist fitness regimen. I learned the details of the “10-Minute Workout” from the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter of the Optimal Living Daily podcast by Justin Malik in February 2020, and it is also featured in the article, “Study Finds 10 Minutes of Exercise is All You Need.”  

The article states, “There is an ongoing debate on the effectiveness of short workouts and whether or not longer is better. We do know that short bursts of high intensity interval training can be more effective than 45 minutes of moderate cardio, but longer workouts can help us build endurance. Ideally, we could do both — a couple of lengthy sweat sessions every week mixed in with a couple of short workouts leads to long-term fitness.”

Sounds like a manageable combination for me- regular, short bursts of activity, whether they be yoga, walking, resistance training, or other cardio, mixed with longer sessions when possible. 

My current “Micro-Workout”

The minimal program described is designed to be simple, minimal, and adaptable, and as the research found, “Not only are 10 minute workouts effective, but in some cases, you don’t need any equipment or room to complete them. Ben Greenfield, fitness and triathlon expert, recommends completing these moves three times:

  • 50 jumping jacks
  • 15 body weight squats
  • 15 push-ups (on your knees is fine)
  • 15 reverse lunges per side
  • 15 tricep dips (using a chair or bench)

Try doing this workout every morning and see if you notice a difference in a couple of weeks. Your results might surprise you.” 

Last year, I chose versions of each of the basic exercises that suited me at that time, and also recorded videos for each element with a variety of fun variations and modifications to try. Maybe you don’t feel up to jumping today (or ever), then consider my side-lying jumping jacks. Or perhaps your aversion to push ups could become delight with the right variation.

“Micro-Workout” YouTube Playlist: 

[Side note: how can it be nearly a year since I created these videos? That was before my website and blog were yet up, and they were among the first I shared on my new A Blythe Coach Channel! I can see in these videos the difference improvements to my camera, microphone, editing, and more have made! But I think the message and variations in each are still worthwhile, keeping in mind that I’ve brought the quality of my videos up a lot since then and seek continual improvement with each one that I make.]

Full disclosure, though I tried to do the workout daily at first, it was certainly correct to say that it yields results! I was super sore after just one round (not the recommended three) in the beginning, and after nearly a year now, I have worked my way up and settled into doing the workout the recommended three times through, but only 2-3 times per week. I saw results right away, particularly in my arm strength, and am much fitter than if I didn’t do it, with a minimal expenditure of time! As I plateau, I’ll keep trying new variations of the movements to add challenge, but not increase the time spent.

On a weekly basis, I also do my mini physical therapy practice (distilled down to two exercises) about twice, and you can see me doing both workouts live from time to time on my Instagram and Facebook Lives as accountability and inspiration 🙂 

More movement motivations

Or maybe none of these exercises is right for you, but the idea of coming up with your own edited capsule or micro-workout inspires you! There are other fun ideas to move your body on my “Wonderful Dance Warmup” playlist, “Ballet Barre” playlist, “Sumptuous Stretching,” and “Concentrated Core Conditioning,” “Arm Artistry,” “Foot & Ankle,” “Legs, Legs, Legs” specific groupings. Or maybe a focus on your breathing through yoga pranayama practices from the “Beautiful Breathing” playlist is something you want to add to the mix.

My “Wonderful Dance Warmup” Playlist contains more favorites for dance conditioning

In the spring/summer/fall I do more bicycle riding and I enjoy long walks and hikes all year round and swimming when I can get it. My next goal is to be able to do a pull-up, and perhaps to work in a minimal jump rope regimen at the park (like Fields Millburn, I hate running, but used to enjoy skipping rope), will keep you posted on my progress! 

Tips to customize your fitness fun

Make it minimal with “atomic” habits

Want to create your own minimal routine to achieve well-being, physical or dance technique goals? I’ve benefited greatly from reading the book Atomic Habits** last year and a couple particularly valuable takeaways for me were to make the habits truly manageable and small (“Atomic”), and to make sure they are relevant to your identity (an enjoyable expression of who you are!), or that which you are wanting to manifest.

Thus, I recommend making your new habit as tiny as possible at first, so light and low-commitment that you can find no excuse to wiggle out of doing it and can build a regular practice to see results.

You could commit to five minutes of yoga or stretching daily, a walk around the block, or take the stairs when you see them…so that it’s downright silly to skip it no matter how busy you are. If you skip a day, you genuinely miss it, and you just might get carried away and want to do more! 

Don’t skip more than one day in a row

I really like Matt D’Avella’s “The Two Day Rule” rule of not skipping more than one day of a habit. This way it’s not perfectionistic 100-percent-ism or failure, rather you can take breaks when needed, but it still creates that consistency and results that will keep you going. 

Habit tracking and giving yourself credit

As I shared in my “Healthy Habit Building” Blog, I learned to track my habits while training with Accomplishment Coaching, and in recent years I have established new habits, stacking them, and tracking them. I’ve become a consistent journaling, gratitude, and meditation, German language learning, a short sequence of Physical Therapy exercises for my knee, a minimal full-body workout, and more. 

For me, it is important to give myself “credit,” preferably colorful, playful, celebratory credit, to track the new habit(s) visually and with analytics over time. It is so satisfying to color in squares or check off boxes, or even use stickers, it makes me want to leave no empty boxes in the row!

I have enjoyed the Atiliay.com Monthly Mindset + Goals Sheet and monthly Habit Tracker as well as creating a similar setup in a notebook or bullet journal, and electronically on apps like the Today Habit Tracker App which lives on my phone’s home screen. I have also enjoyed working with an accountability partner and briefly reporting to each other daily on our performing our promised habits and actions. What appeals to you?

What will your own minimal cross-training plan look like?

Is it irresistible and in small enough increments where I can find no good excuse to skip it?

Does it feel good, make you feel stronger (or more flexible or more relaxed…) and encourage you to keep going?

What structures of support and accountability do you need in place to guarantee consistent practice for guaranteed results?

Go ahead and tell me at the A Blythe Coach Facebook Page or on my website, ablythecoach.com

Blythe Stephens, MFA
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach:
move through life with balance, grace, & power

WordPress Cookie Notice by Real Cookie Banner