One of our favourite accessories to dance with is the veil, the theme of our A and A/M choreographies in our next course period (KP2) starting March 4th 2024. Veils can be used to frame movements or become an extension of the dancer’s body. Dynamic, dramatic or dreamy, the movement fills the space around the dancer in colour and shape, as the veil adds a new dimension to the performance.
HOW TO LOSE THE MIRROR AND DANCE BETTER
A mirror has many uses in the dance studio, for teacher and student alike. It provides immediate visual feedback for dance students to evaluate their movement and check their alignment. It’s also helpful for teachers to be able to see as many dancers in the room as possible so becomes a valuable teaching tool.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But there can be negative aspects to dancing with a mirror such as lack of internal body awareness if you rely only on your reflection. Read on to learn how best to use the mirror as a tool and not as a crutch for learning combinations or finding your balance.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
ITS ALL IN THE HIPS (AND THE MIND!)
“How do you do that?” “It must have taken years to learn how to dance!” “i’m just not coordinated or flexible or…” We all have our ‘excuses’ for not being able to do something but how much of our ability to dance is really based on our talent, coordination or fitness? And how much by what we are telling ourselves? Read on to find out about the importance of practice, attention and mindset in dance.
5 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR DANCE TECHNIQUE IMMEDIATELY!
A FRESH LOOK AT VEIL TECHNIQUE PART 3
THE VEIL AS PARTNER
Through spending time alone with your veil you will discover some new and original ways to use the veil when you dance. This time we are going to inject some life into the veil by imagining it as a dancing partner, discovering how to use the veil in a playful or theatrical way. How does it feel to dance together?
ZEOT NEWSLETTER // WINTER WARMERS // (DE)
Der Winter hat uns erreicht und bei diesen kalten Temperaturen fällt es vielen schwer aus dem Haus zu gehen. Doch genau aus diesem Grund solltest Du in die Tanzstunde kommen. Das Tanzen macht Dich nicht nur glücklich, sondern hält Dich bei diesem kalten Wetter auch noch gesund und fit! Forschungen haben gezeigt, dass körperliche Bewegung unser Immunsystem stärkt und es so Infektionen leichter bekämpfen kann. Zusätzlich werden Glückshormone freigesetzt, welche zu mehr Wohlbefinden führen. Um längerfristig Wohlbefinden und Gesundheit zu erzielen, braucht der Körper jedoch regelmässiges Training. Also keine Ausreden, sondern drauflos tanzen was das Zeug hält um Erkältungen und den Winter Blues zu vertreiben!
In diesem Newsletter geben wir Dir ein paar Tipps wie Du im Winter warm und gesund bleiben kannst, und informieren Dich über unsere Highlights im 2017.
ZEOT NEWSLETTER // WINTER WARMERS // (EN)
It’s winter, and in Switzerland that means cold weather. You might not feel like unwrapping all your layers of clothing and coming to class, but that’s exactly what you should do in order to stay happy, healthy and fit! Research has shown time and again that regular exercise strengthens your immune system so it can fight off infections plus providing a good dose of the “feel-good” chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which can help to reduce anxiety and depression while boosting wellbeing. When you exercise and get your blood pumping, immune cells circulate through your body more quickly helping them fight infections. But this boost only lasts for a few hours, so exercise needs to be regular for long-term effects. So no excuses, get shimmying and help stave off colds and the winter blues! In our newsletter we share a few tips on how to stay warm this winter plus read about some of the highlights in our calendar as we dive into 2017!
A FRESH LOOK AT VEIL TECHNIQUE PART 2
THE VEIL AS A SECOND SKIN
Through spending some time alone with your veil you will discover some new and original techniques or ways to use the veil when you dance. ALIA has developed many exercises for fostering creativity, taking elements from theatrical training or contemporary dance, which she has used successfully in many performance based projects such as the Phoenix Performance Project. Here we discover how to use the veil in a deeper, more emotional way.
A FRESH LOOK AT VEIL TECHNIQUE
Dancing with a veil has become an essential element of oriental dance, whether as a short and spectacular burst of colour and movement during the entrance of the dancer or as the main player in a double veil fantasy piece.
But maybe its time to look again at how we use the veil and why, in order to create a dance far removed from cliché, a dance that is really DANCE, not just one that relies on the 'wow moments' of veil tricks and effects.
In this series of blogs we will try to answer the question, Why dance with a veil at all? Is it to cover or to reveal, to fill space, create impact, add colour, lightness or drama? By focusing on techniques to achieve a more profound use of the veil we will also include a few exercises for you to expand on your creativity.