The Best Dance in This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Films
With the 96th Academy Awards coming our way on March 10, we’re taking a moment to acknowledge the most prominent dance in the films nominated for Oscars this year, as well as those movies’ choreographers. The Oscars and dancemakers don’t have the easiest relationship. Although many of the films nominated inevitably include dancing, there’s no…
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Ballet and fitness – and friends – merge in Grace & Form Studio
It all started with a bag of Hello Kitty candy. When Saskia Gregson-Williams moved to Los Angeles from the UK, and was searching for a ballet school to attend, her dad’s friend suggested Yuri Grigoriev School of Ballet. That friend was the stepfather of then-11-year-old Indiana Woodward, who trained at the school. So, off went…
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Whistle releases free online toolkit aimed at disrupting harm in dance
Whistle has announced the launch of Disrupting Harm In Dance, a free online toolkit designed to support dancers and dance institutions in addressing sexism, exploitation, abuse, ableism, white supremacy, toxic capitalism and more in the workplace. Whistle (formerly known as Whistle While You Work) is an international platform created by dancer Frances Chiaverini and activist Robyn Doty…
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Real Dancers, Really Dancing: The Making of Just Dance 2024
When you imagine a video game studio, you probably think of rows of programmers at rows of computers and a fleet of gaming consoles, rather than mirrored dance studios. But at Ubisoft Paris, there are both: The Paris branch of the video game company leads the creation and development of Just Dance, a game in which…
Read MoreTop 10 holiday dos and don’ts for keeping the body healthy
With the holidays just around the corner, Dance Informa wanted to give the gift of health advice for the body, mind and soul. Read on for our 10 holiday dos and don’ts for keeping yourself healthy over the holiday break. #1. Do be kind and gentle with yourself, and allow time to breathe, to enjoy…
Read MoreQueer Women Are Disconcertingly Absent From the Pages of Dance History. Where Are They?
It’s 2009, and my high school self is in the studio choreographing a new duet with my best friend to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” The company director pokes her head in and disparagingly tells us the song and movement choice makes us look like “a couple of lesbians.” We stand in stunned silence.…
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Fighting stage fright: How to spot and soothe performance anxiety
Let’s talk about stage fright. Whether you’re new to performing or you’ve been in front of audiences for years, everybody can admit it’s at least a little nerve-wracking. And yet, it’s the culmination of all the work dancers do! So, as a teacher or studio owner who teaches your dancers all about technique and artistry,…
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How dance can make us better people
Often times in dance, we can be very goal-oriented. We’re perfectionists, always striving for a better line, one more turn, a little longer of a balance. And sometimes we get frustrated when it feels like we aren’t achieving those things. Studios can get a bit insular when your day is spent studying yourself in the…
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The Rise of Pole Dancing in Egypt
Malak Shoeira went to her first pole dance class half-jokingly, after a friend’s suggestion. At the time she was a ninth-grader in Egypt, and almost everything she knew of pole came from American TV. But that was in 2017, when pole dancing was relatively new to Egyptian gyms and dance studios. She ended up…
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Dance committees: How community commitment can make a difference
With the recent SAG-AFTRA strike, we checked in with our neighbors north of the border, who are voting on a strike of their own. What do unions look like in Canada? Well, Canadian dancers now have a stronger voice in the British Columbia region, thanks to a recently formed Dance Committee under the established Film and TV union there, UBCP-ACTRA. We sat down with Louise Hradsky in…
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