just dance! | Summer 2012 | Sneak Preview

Summer 2012 | Sneak Preview

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Local Dancers Share their summer activities

Dancing with a Spanish Flair!

The summer spotlight is shining

on Kaylyn Leavold-Wall

In This Issue...

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In the Spotlight:

Kaylyn Leavold-Wall

By Racquel Foran

Dancing in the Big Apple

By Andrea Albanese

The History of Dance: Flamenco & Beyond

By Andrea Albanese & Leigh-Ann Cohen-Hafford

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34A - 2755 Lougheed Hwy Suite 212 Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 5Y9 justdancemagazine.com facebook.com/jdmagazinebc General Inquiries: info@justdancemagazine.com Co-publisher & Managing Editor Racquel Foran racquel@justdancemagazine.com Co-publisher & Editor

just dance! Wants to Know...

How Do You Stay in Dance Form Over the Summer

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Andrea Albanese andrea@justdancemagazine.com Sales info@justdancemagazine.com Brittany Leavold brittany@justdancemagazine.com Christine Bradley-Tse christine@justdancemagazine.com

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Art Director (Ad production, layout and image submission guidelines) Laura Bellis laura@justdancemagazine.com just dance! magazine is available for $24 per year (6 issues).

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By Racquel Foran

Kaylyn’s Vegas Performances & Medals

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t only eight years old Kaylyn Leavold-Wall is already a seasoned dancer. She slipped on her first pair of ballet shoes at the age of two and has been pirouetting and tapping her way through her days ever since. This summer her fancy footwork took her all the way to Las Vegas.

Dan Legris Copyright © 2012 Thunderstruck Canada

To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, Dance Power moved their final event of the year to the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas and Kaylyn was determined to be there to represent her studio K&S Dance Productions. Kaylyn’s mom Brittany noted that Kaylyn was one of the youngest dancers from K&S to attend, “probably one of the youngest dancers in the competition.”

The total cost of the trip for Kaylyn including her airfare, hotel, meals and competition fees was more than $1500; and she paid the bill.

“We didn’t have the extra money in our household budget to cover the cost of the trip,” explained mom, “so I told Kay if she wanted to go she had to work to pay for it.” And work she did.

It took Kaylyn almost a full year but she managed to earn $1400 by selling chocolates and collecting pop bottles. She admitted that it wasn’t easy “I hated sorting the pop bottles – they were sticky and sometimes there were lots of

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Tap Solo: A Little Less Conversation – Silver

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Tap Group: Cat in the Hat – Silver

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Tap Duo: Shake Your Tail Feather – Silver

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Hip Hop Group: Deceptions – High Gold and 2nd place

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Hip Hop Company: Jackson’s Medley – Gold

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Jazz Group: Pop, Drop & Roll – Silver

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Musical Theatre: Seussical “Green Eggs and Ham” – Silver

bugs.” But when asked if it was worth it a huge grin spread across her face and her bright blue eyes lit up, “oh yeah, I’m going again.”

Her choice to compete in Vegas didn’t come without sacrifice.

Although Kaylyn paid her own way, mom still had to come up with the money for the cost of her own trip as well as that of little brother Lincoln “that meant fewer intensive summer camps this year for Kay.” But that doesn’t mean that Kaylyn isn’t busy over the summer.

In addition to taking tumbling classes with G-force Gym, participating in a oneweek ballet camp, and taking advantage of drop-in acro classes at her studio,

she also plays softball.

Although this may be Kaylyn’s first appearance “In the Spotlight” for just dance!, after getting to know her and seeing all the medals she brought home (see list) we are confident that she will be in many spotlights in the future.

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I n T h e S p o t l i g ht

In The Spotlight: Kaylyn Leavold-Wall

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Rachel Withers has taken a bite out the Big Apple…at the ripe old age of thirteen.

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achel Withers lives in North Vancouver but dances at Danzemode Productions in Burnaby. As a senior company member she dedicates 20 to 23 hours per week to dance. Her focus and hard work secured her a spot at the New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA) Finals.

Rachel’s journey to New York started at the NYCDA regional competition in Portland, Oregon this past January where she competed her studio numbers in addition to taking the jazz and ballet audition classes where she won a scholarship as a runner up for Outstanding Dancer, Junior Division. Winning this scholarship is what brought her to the finals (for the second year in a row!) in New York City at the end of June.

About four hundred Mini, Junior, Teen and Senior scholarship winners

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from all over the US were invited to New York (NY)to take part in a eight-day program consisting of competition and adjudication for scholarships; rehearsals and costume fittings for the Gala performances at the end of the week; and master classes including advanced jazz and ballet. Classes were taught by a roster of fabulous and inspiring teachers and the Gala boasted the cast of the Broadway musical, Newsies, as well as Vancouver’s own Alex Wong!

planning her next solo, choosing music and thinking about choreography. She was just so excited about dance.”

Rachel’s mom, Laura, has nothing but positive things to say about their trip to New York. She feels the experience was well worth it; the event is well-organized and professionally done with great faculty and first class presentation. She says Rachel was “…motivated and inspired. She was up until 2am one night

Rachel really enjoyed the camaraderie of other dancers her age because most of the time she is in class with 15 to 17 year olds. She found meeting new kids was not difficult particularly when approached with a smile and a positive comment. At the NYCDA finals, she also met up with some friends she made last year from Portland, Texas and Atlanta.

Overall, Rachel found it motivating and inspiring to be in class and on stage with other dancers who love dance just as much as she does!

Rachel’s specialities are jazz, tap and musical theatre and her mom feels that the vibe in NY is a perfect fit—vibrant and focused on Broadway and live theatre—as opposed to the Los Angeles dance scene which is based on film and video production and tends to favour hip hop and street jazz.

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Photos: Laura Withers, GTFoto FX , Laura Zeke and Jennifer Strang Photography.

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H ist o r y o f D a n c e

HISTORY OF DANCE:

Flamenco & Beyond

By Andrea Albanese & Leigh-Ann Cohen-Hafford

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wirling ruffles. Clicking castanets. Strumming guitars.

There are a variety of dance styles in Spain…many more than the popular flamenco that first comes to mind. Dance forms and styles in Spain range from lively regional folkdances such as the Jota Aragonesa, to formal, almost balletic, courtship dances like the Escuela Bolero. Historically, dance in Spain was inspired by a number of sources including the Moors, the gypsies, the Spanish Royal Court and the regional inhabitants of Spain.

iStock Photo, Andrea Albanese

To simplify, Spanish dance can be roughly divided into six groups or categories. The one we all recognize, flamenco, was brought to Spain in the 1600s by migrating gypsies and it quickly became an integral part of Spanish dance history, ultimately becoming far more popular than the country’s traditional folkdances. Flamenco as an art form is made up of three distinct parts: the song cante, the playing of the guitar toque, and the dance baile.

Popular flamenco dances include Malaquena, Alegrias and Bulerias.

Classical Spanish dance can be seen as a blend of flamenco, folklore, and classical ballet and is choreographed to the music of great Spanish composers like Albéniz and Granados.

Folklore or folkdances express the diverse culture of the Spanish people; the Jota Aragonesa is

a fast-tempo dance featuring couples with their hands raised above their heads using castanets.

The Muñeira is danced in twos or alone accompanied by bagpipe music while the Fandango, (the most famous dance of Spain prior to flamenco) is a lively dance celebrating courtship.

Ravel’s Bolero was composed in 1928 for Russian ballerina, Ida Rubenstein, and was inspired by the Escuela Bolero an eighteenth century dance. The Bolero is now a standard style in ballroom dance.

Ballet refers to classical ballet as the Spaniards also believe it is the basis of all dance. Castanets are a small, hand-held instrument used in many Spanish dances. The study and mastery of both ballet and castanets is so important that they are in dance categories of their own!

The Spanish Dance Society is a non-profit organisation that pioneered a codified and structured syllabus (with exams!) in order to preserve and teach Spanish dance. The syllabus consists of arm movement, footwork, castanet playing, turns, Sevillana, and dances. Students are graded in seven junior levels and three senior levels. There is also a separate syllabus that focuses entirely on flamenco which is customarily taught to the older students as it requires more maturity.

Did you know?

In addition to guitars and castanets, you can also find Spanish dances accompanied by bagpipes!

Proper flamenco shoes have metal tips and heels but not solid metal like tap shoes; the sounds are made by hundreds of tiny nail heads!

Spanish dance was first organized and codified in South Africa in 1965 by a group of senior teachers who created the Spanish Dance Society.

Traditional folklore says that a pretty girl dancing the Jota Aragonesa will send an arrow through the heart with her every movement.

There are 6 Types of Spanish Dance: Flamenco, Classical Spanish Dance, Folklore, Eighteenth Century Dance, Ballet, and Castanets.

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just dance! wants to know…

How do you stay in dance form over the summer?

Grace Wallace Age: 9

Studio: Defy Gravity Dance Company, Richmond

Grace keeps in shape in the summer by chasing her brother Jack around the backyard and doing the Grouse Grind with her sister Emma. Grace plays lots of road hockey in the summer; dance and hockey are both about balance and flexibility. She also enjoys summer activities such as swimming and bike riding too.

Kaylyn Leavold-Wall Age: 8

Studio: K&S Dance, Port Coquitlam

Nellie & Brenna Hagel and Bridget Crawford

Maintaining a competitive edge is important to Kaylyn so she takes extra classes and attends intensive camps over the summer. This year she is taking a gymnastic class, “I know it will help with acro and dance if my tumbling improves.” As much as she loves dance, it isn’t all Kaylyn does, every spring she also picks up her baseball bat and glove to play a little softball in a community league.

Ages: 11,6,10

Studio: Defy Gravity Dance Company, Richmond “We live on a quiet street so we get lots of chances to play tag and kick the can. We love making up dances together anywhere as long as we have music; we use old costumes and film our dances. We also enjoy lots of outside activities like playing at the playground, soccer, gymnastics or sliding on our slip ‘n slide.

Emma Wallace Age: 11

Studio: Defy Gravity Dance Company, Richmond

“During the summer I like to keep active by swimming, biking, doing the Grouse Grind and just running around outside with my friends.” Emma also tries to stretch at least twice a week or else she finds it hard to learn new and more difficult choreography in the upcoming year. “My friends and I love to practice and think of new acro tricks too,” Emma added enthusiastically.

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Alex & Jessie Shigetomi Ages: 15 & 13

Studio: the Dance Lab, Coquitlam

Both sisters agree that the most important thing to do over the summer is keep up with regular stretching exercises and try and attend local drop in dance programs. Jessie learned a lot and had a great time at “Fusion Dance Camp” this July while Alex enjoyed hanging out the Coquitlam Aquatic centre doing laps and socializing with friends. And the girls also point out that Greater Vancouver is full of fabulous places to go hiking.

Meagan O’Connor Age: 13

Studio: CAPA, Coquitlam In the summer Meagan likes to take a break from the routine and enjoy everything the nice weather has to offer. She stays in shape by jumping on her trampoline and swimming in her good friend’s pool. Walking her dog and hiking in the many trails around her house are other ways she likes to spend her summer days. “I also stick to a regular sleep routine when school is out. I know that if I sleep in too late I feel crummy all day.”

Karis Dawson Age: 13

Studio: DNC/Debbie Lee Dance at Scotia Dance Centre, Vancouver

Zakia Karmal Age: 14 Studio: Shift Dance Academy, North Vancouver

Zakia has good habits over the summer months and keeps up with dance. “I always try to have a good breakfast usually a protein smoothie with berries and bananas, pro-biotic yogurt, omega 3 oils and fibre...or eggs. I also take Bar Method classes with my mom, stretch everyday, do one hundred sit ups at night and I try to go for a run or a power walk a few times a week.” She also loves the summer intensive classes at Harbour Dance and she will also be doing drop in dance classes with Shift Dance Academy. She also wanted everyone to know that she has learned to windsurf.

This summer Karis went to Harbour Dance where she took a week-long contemporary class taught by Tara Jean Popowich “which had a KILLER warm-up.” She also did Josh Beamish’s summer intensive for two weeks, six days a week for seven hours each day in addition to two 2-hour private ballet classes every week in July. “I also do exercises at home to keep my technique strong and ab work every day when I’m not dancing.” Karis also makes sure her parents aren’t left out For October just dance! wants to know... what is your favourite costume of the scene, “I do strength training of all time and why? Send us your response along with a picture of you in with my dad and I might try a ‘Bar your costume to info@justdancemagazine.com before September 7 and Method’ class with my mum.” maybe you will appear in our Premier Issue.

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