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MARCH/APRIL 2017
PICTURE PERFECT 12 Photo Feature: 63
SYTYCD Star Melanie Moore by Susan Stripling Grand Finale Photo: Presented by Showstopper
IN EVERY ISSUE 16 Publisher’s Page 18 Inside Dance Ambassadors 20 The Must List 23 New + Noteworthy 25 Scene + Social Media 29 Travis Talk 46 Noelle’s Notes 55 Dancing Mentally Tough 61 iD On the Scene
32 SWEET 16 BY CHRISTY SANDMAIER KAELI WARE
Inside Dance Ambassador Kaeli Ware on coming into her own, celebrating 16 and her journey (back) to ABT.
26 7 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT
24SEVEN CONVENTION -
24 SEVEN! BY ELLIE KOROTKY, JUNIOR CORRESPONDENT
39 (INTENSE) ADVENTURES
JILLIAN’S JAM – SUMMER
BY JILLIAN QUINER
Jillian Quiner shares her Summer Intensive experience at the famed Joffrey School
40 INTENSIVE LISTINGS AGENCY PREP 101 – ARE 43 YOU READY FOR YOUR DIRECTORY – SUMMER
AUDITION?
The best of the best in the industry tell it like it is in this everything-you-need-to-know guide to your agency audition.
50 BARRY KEROLLIS
TEACHER 4 TEACHER –
Finding Balance At the Barre, In Center, OnStage
52 BY CHRIS KOROTKY Chris Reilly
WHAT A GLORIOUS FEELING!
A Review of the timeless classic, Singin in the Rain
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DANCE FITNESS 101 BY GINA PONGETTI ANGELETTI, MPT
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FRESH FOOT FORWARD
Gearing up for Summer Intensives!
On The Cover: Kaeli Ware Photography by Jay Sullivan Special Thanks to Jo + Jax joandjax.com
MARCH/APRIL 2017
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INSIDEDANCE > > > >
AMBASSADORS
Each year, Inside Dance selects some of our favorite dancers from across the nation to serve as Ambassadors for the magazine. They have inspired us through their dance, personalities, work ethic and their pure talent. In each issue, we follow their journey in this beautiful world of dance!
This month, we asked them to share with us… “2017 has already made an impact on me as a person and performer because...”
MARI
JULIE 2017 has already made an impact on me as a person and performer because I have grown even more grateful for my ability to dance. Having recently undergone multiple injuries, I am reminded just how fortunate we dancers are for every single day we have the opportunity to dance. Don’t EVER take it for granted!
2017 has already made an impact on me as a dancer and a person. I just recently won the title of MISS SHOWBIZ at Showbiz Talent Competition and that was really exciting and encouraging going into the competition season! Winning this award was an absolute honor! As a dancer, I always give 110% to be my personal best every time I step on the stage!
RYAN Even though 2017 has just begun, it has already had a profound effect on me and my family. In January, we lost my grandfather. None of us were prepared for how we would feel, and we are still trying to adjust. He was an amazing man and a true blessing to all of us and everyone who knew him. Everything feels different now and finding a new normal is hard. It has definitely affected the depth of emotion in my dance performance.
ISABELLA 2017 has already made an impact on me as a dancer and performer because I am grateful to be performing in Winter Ball at New York City Ballet. It’s an amazing experience working with the choreographer Alec Knight because he is a NYCB company member. This piece is improving me as a dancer in different aspects of ballet, bringing me to a different level of training and performing, which is such a great opportunity. Starting 2017 off thankful and blessed!
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PAYTON 2017 has already made an impact on me as a performer and dancer as I audition for college dance programs. I’m hoping to find the school that fits me best allowing me to grow as an artist and find my place in the dance world. The process has been both exhilarating and stressful!! I’ve jumped around from the East Coast to the West Coast and back again, made it to the end of the audition for my “dream school,” reconnected with friends, found new teachers and dancers to admire, and learned a lot about me as a person. Everyone tells me I’ll end up where I’m meant to be, and I’m counting on that. Until then, I’ll trust in my training that got me to this point and I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
MACKENZIE
BRIGGS
This year has already made a huge impact on me as a person and a performer. I have been blessed with many new dance opportunities and I couldn’t feel more grateful. The biggest impact on me this year is the opportunity to assist Chebar Williams with Nuvo Dance Conventions. Having the chance to be around so many incredible and different mentors has had an amazing impact on me as a person. It has caused me to really appreciate who I am as a dancer and helped me not to compare myself to others. As a performer, this opportunity has caused me to grow immensely physically and emotionally. Being able to travel and see so many different places and people has changed the way I dance and caused my creativity to grow and develop into a more mature artist. The things I have experienced and the people I have gotten the chance to work with have really proved to me that hard work and determination does pay off.
Nuvo Dance Convention, Hollywood Vibe, Chris Reilly, Jason Lavengood, Arleen Piper, KAR Productions
Happy Spring iD readers! 2017 has only just begun, and has already been a year to remember! I feel I have been pushed more than ever this semester as a student, creator, and performer. I am enjoying the process of learning from so many great teachers and choreographers, being a part of fellow peers’ works, as well as being pushed creatively in my own movement. The challenging yet encouraging start to the year makes me excited to see what is in store for the rest of 2017!
KAELI 2017 has already made an impact on me as a performer because I’ve enjoyed all of my summer intensive auditions and after looking at my options, I have decided to go to ABT New York! ABT was my first summer intensive, when I did their young dancers [program] at age 8. I’ve struggled for a few years, trying to decide if I wanted to go the classical ballet route and thinking that it wasn’t what I really wanted to do. But I’ve decided that is where my true passion is even though I wasn’t sure for a while. I feel like everything has come full circle and now that I’m in my last couple of years of school, I’m excited to go back to where it all began and I look forward to focusing even more on my classical training and hope for a career with a major company!
JADA
BROOKE 2017 has already started out busy, like always, however it has been a little challenging this year as I have been dealing with some health issues. Since last summer, my heart rate has been inconsistent and has, unfortunately, affected my ability to dance. This experience has been a struggle for me, as I have not been able to dance my usual amount of hours. While it has been a struggle, it has taught me not to take all the amazing things in my life for granted. Additionally, it has helped me grow as a performer because it has allowed me to be more in touch with my emotions. I hope you all have a healthy and amazing March!
2017 has already made an impact on me as a person and performer because of my experience modeling for Urban Dancewear in Los Angeles. This opportunity continues to influence my life today, as I have made friendships and connections that will last a lifetime. The professionals and other models I met on the trip have changed my life, and I know will continue to do so in years to come. I also learned what it’s like to be in a professional environment, which has since helped me in many ways. One is my dance classes. I know even more now when it’s appropriate to be serious and when I can let loose a little! The trip also helped me to realize I am right where I want to be in my life with dance, and I also found a new love for modeling! I am so grateful for any opportunity I am given to learn and grow as a person and performer. 2017 is off to a wonderful start, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come! MARCH/APRIL 2017
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Kaeli Ware 32
INSIDEDANCE.COM MARCH/APRIL 2017
sweet
16 By Christy Sandmaier
Kaeli Ware is part fireworks, part discipline, part soul. This sixteen-year-old is as bright as they come, funny, and is a fresh, focused and sought-after multi-talented dancer who also represents world famous modeling agency Wilhelmina International Inc., as well as Bloch® and Jo + Jax. Home base is Virginia’s Studio Bleu, one of the dance world’s biggest advocates for the iDance4aCURE program and she has also danced for Dancensations Dance Center, co-founded by her Mom.
Her journey to classical ballerina isn’t in the rear-view mirror, rather full speed ahead as she strives for a company spot someday, willing to do “whatever it takes.” A legend quite possibly in the making, she’s danced for Debbie Allen and met Misty Copeland, trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, appeared in commercials, racked up countless awards - all by the age of 16. MARCH/APRIL 2017
INSIDEDANCE.COM
Sharkcookie
Built for ballet, Ware studied at world famous American Ballet Theatre from age nine to 11. She has travelled the competition circuit, ventured across the reality television world appearing in Lifetime’s Dance Moms and just last month, walked her first red carpet at the World of Dance Industry Awards. Those steps, and all of those in between have landed her right back at the doorstep of ABT, where she’ll be headed on June 26 for Summer Intensive.
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agency Are
101
PREP
YOU Ready For Your Audition?
From research to warm-up to contract, hair ties, photos and everything in between, we bring you advice from the best of the best in the dance industry on nailing your agency audition. Remember, choosing dance as a profession means that you are your own business. Play to your market and dress the part, people will take notice!
Inside Dance caught up with top agencies who loved sharing their most prized pieces of advice!
we see you! 1. DO - Your research. Whether you are auditioning for representation by an agency or for a professional job, be sure to do your research. Know the people you are seeking representation from, their backgrounds, their areas of representation and what the company represents within the entertainment industry. When attending an open audition, be sure to research the choreographer’s body of work or class style as well. You may not always know who these people are in advance, but if you do, it is certainly to your advantage to familiarize yourself with their movement. 2. DO – Dress the part. Remember that this is not just a class you are attending. An audition for an agency is essentially a job interview. You want to show the people on the other side of the table that you are not only an amazing dancer but a prepared professional that we can trust to represent the agency positively throughout the industry. 3. DON’T – Be a Distraction. One of the worst things you can do in an audition setting is to become a distraction. Remember to show up on time (and on time means early). Bring your headshot, resume and clothing options with you. Remember to be courteous and respectful of your fellow dancers. We see when you are marking on the side when a choreographer asks you not to. There is a difference between showing off and standing out. We want to notice a stand out. 4. DO - Have fun! That is why you are here in the first place. We all work in this amazing industry because it is something that we love and because it is fun for us. Never forget why you began dancing and what drives you to push and become a professional dancer. Let that passion continually feed your desire to achieve greatness and hopefully BRANDON SIERRA DIRECTOR | DANCE Clear Talent Group (CTG) cleartalentgroup.com MARCH/APRIL 2017
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TEACHER4TEACHER Barry Kerollis
Finding Balance At the Barre, In Center, OnStage
Performer, choreographer, blogger, Barry Kerollis says teaching has made him a better dancer and person. In this candid interview, Kerollis offers perspective on his craft, the industry and honing his balance.
You’re dancing, teaching, traveling, blogging, podcasting - how are you balancing it all and staying healthy? I have been very lucky lately, as I have been given a handful of fantastic choreographic, teaching, and media-related opportunities. Finding balance in my career is just as tricky as finding my balance at barre, in center, and onstage. It requires lots of practice and, even if I feel like everything is perfectly aligned, I still sometimes fail at maintaining it. Where is home base? At the moment, I am teaching at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center. And in recent months, I have been brought in to teach master classes at the School of Pennsylvania Ballet and for the Second Avenue Dance Company at NYU’s Tisch school. I’m also choreographing for Columbia Ballet Collaborative’s 10th anniversary production and just received a commission for a work at Uptown Dance Company in Houston. Most of my current work is in NYC, but home is Philadelphia. So, always multitasking? I find balance in my workload by doing most of my blogging, podcasting, and admin work from the convenience of my bus seat. I also make sure to take class four to five times per week and head to the gym on the same schedule to balance out my body. The most important parts of maintaining a healthy balance in my life are taking one day completely off a week, seeing my husband as often as possible, and finding time each day to feel like I am not on the job. But much like balance itself, I feel like I am always pushing back and forth from an unbalanced place that only hits a perfect center for a few beautiful moments at a time.
What is the greatest challenge and greatest reward of being a freelance dancer? Freelancing is not for the faint of heart. For me, the hardest part of freelancing was not sleeping in my own bed. I love traveling and I love meeting new people. But not getting to sleep in my own bed meant not seeing my husband or my cats - it meant I was always out of my comfort zone. On the flip side, I get to share my art with people across the globe. During my four years performing on stages nationally, I danced in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anchorage, Fort Wayne, and many more places. I met so many people that were so inspired by our art form and gave me a vast perspective of experiences to pull from as I transitioned into full-time teaching and choreographing. Are you refreshed and reinvigorated by teaching? I am so in love with teaching. I didn’t realize that this part of my career could potentially be more fulfilling than my performance career. One unexpected thing as an educator that really caught me by surprise was how much better of a dancer I have become since I began sharing my art form with others. As an instructor, I try to provide detailed imagery alongside physically showing movement to appeal to all types of learners in the classroom. Having to digest information and find a way to verbalize muscle engagement, coordination, and alignment have helped me clarify a great deal in my own dancing.
FRESH FOOT FORWARD>>>
Gearing Up for Summer Intensives!
Training never ceases for a dancer! It’s a job, it’s a lifestyle. It’s your love. As dancers, we are aware of the importance to stay healthy, strong, flexible and focused during the winter months, especially after weeks and weeks of Nutcracker performances!!! Recitals and competitions are just as frequent in the winter as they are in the spring and summer. So, as we move from winter to spring and those summer nights, here are some pointers to help you gear up for the months ahead and keep you front and center in the studio.
Clean Diet - The holidays will tempt us with tons of
sweets and incredible treats! It’s time to refocus on what is clean for our bodies and to keep those nutrients strong in our diet!
Hydration - Water, water and MORE WATER.
Hydration is just as important in between activities. Maintain a high level of water intake to keep bodies nourished and protected from injury.
Stretch before and after rehearsals - All
dancers know they need to stretch before jumping into long hours of classes. It is just as important to remember the cool down and stretch session after class too! Especially our younger dancers. Younger dancers your bodies may bounce back now, but trust us, as you get older stretching will become a major part of your regimen! Take care of your bodies now and develop lifelong healthy habits!
Bundle up! - Even though your body temperature is high after class or rehearsal, you never want to walk out in the cold (or even cool spring nights) without proper attire. Be sure to bundle up and keep those muscles warm!
Recovery and rest - We’ve heard this a million
times and it will continue to stand true! Your body can’t recover if you don’t give it the opportunity to do so. Therefore, rest is a must! Always try to make time for it in your schedule. Afterall, we all want to look our best on stage. Only with proper rest can our superstar souls truly glow!
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