Volume 4 of the LCDS Class Pass
Submitted by CAR_Rachel on Fri, 10/10/2008 - 12:48pm.
October 2008
Class Pass
In This Issue
"What is?"
This week’s question is:
What is the appropriate class level for me?
Basic - Basic level classes are designed for students who have had no previous training or experience. Basic level classes are progressive from class-to-class. You will learn a little bit more with each class in the session.
Beginning - Beginning levels are best suited for students who have had some prior experience in the given dance discipline. If you took dance when you were younger, but haven't been to a class in years, this is the level for you. Beginning/Intermediate levels will move at a slightly quicker pace than Beginning.
Intermediate - Intermediate levels are for students who have had at least a few years of consistent training and are comfortable with the given dance discipline. Intermediate/Advanced levels will move at a slightly quicker pace than Intermediate.
Advanced/Professional - Advanced/Professional is the most advanced level offered at LCDS. Students taking classes within this level should have many years of experience. Many dancers within this level are currently performing with professional companies.
You are welcome to observe classes through the studio windows if you are unsure as to which level to take, or just give one a try! You do not have to remain in any one level and can move up or down as needed.
Try out a class today - find a class SEVEN days a week at LCDS!
hubbardstreetdance.com.
Have a general dance question? E- mail us.
Welcome to Volume 4 of the LCDS Class Pass, the
gateway to inside information about your
studio.
Let us know what you think about LCDS CP!
Email us with feedback, comments, questions,
and suggestion about what you would like to
see here.
LCDS CP wants to keep you connected!
News and Events
▪ Don't miss out! HSDC's 2008 Fall
Series is right around the
corner...
October 9-12 -- 4 performances only!
Featuring Fold, a new work by Toru Shimazaki, as well as audience favorite Minus 16.
Tickets start at $25!
Buy your tickets now! hubbardstreetdance.com or 312-850-9744 for more information.
▪ Thanks to all who attended the LCDS Open House on September 14! Over 175 attendees enjoyed a day of free dance classes, HSDC2 showings, and special offers.
▪ Don't miss out! HSDC's 2008 Fall
Series is right around the
corner...October 9-12 -- 4 performances only!
Featuring Fold, a new work by Toru Shimazaki, as well as audience favorite Minus 16.
Tickets start at $25!
Buy your tickets now! hubbardstreetdance.com or 312-850-9744 for more information.
▪ Thanks to all who attended the LCDS Open House on September 14! Over 175 attendees enjoyed a day of free dance classes, HSDC2 showings, and special offers.
Coming Soon to LCDS
SUNDAY CLASSES!
Beginning October 12, Lou Conte Dance Studio will be open on Sundays! Join us each week for the following classes:
9:45am-11:00am Yoga
11:00am-12:30pm Intermediate Jazz
12:30pm-1:45pm Beginning Hip-Hop
Pay per class or purchase a class card for the entire session. See you on Sunday!
SUNDAY CLASSES!
Beginning October 12, Lou Conte Dance Studio will be open on Sundays! Join us each week for the following classes:
9:45am-11:00am Yoga
11:00am-12:30pm Intermediate Jazz
12:30pm-1:45pm Beginning Hip-Hop
Pay per class or purchase a class card for the entire session. See you on Sunday!
Meet and Greet
LCDS Accompanist: Tyrone S. Boyle
Tell us about your background as a musician and how you got started accompanying ballet classes.
I started teaching myself piano my Junior year in high school. I started taking formal lessons the summer before my Senior year. When I got to college, not knowing exactly what I wanted to study, I decided on a Piano Performance degree since I enjoyed it so much. I studied for 2 years at Huntington College in Indiana where I got the opportunity to travel the U.S. and abroad, (Finland, Sweden, Soviet Union), playing the piano for a group of musicians under the guise of Goodwill Ambassadors.
After spending 2 years at Huntington, I then transferred to Cornerstone College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was in Grand Rapids where I received my first exposure to ballet by playing for the Grand Rapids Ballet for 3 months. While also in Grand Rapids, I won The Alma James Perry Music Competition that allowed me to give my first recital as well as play with the Grand Rapids Symphony.
After leaving Grand Rapids, I moved to Dayton, Ohio where I really started to explore the possibilities of "life as a working musician". Even though I worked for a bank during the day, I "moonlighted" doing many professional gigs which included playing piano for Dayton Ballet, being music director of a small theater company in Dayton (The Dayton Playhouse), being a church pianist, and becoming a private piano instructor.
After living in Dayton for 4 years, I moved to Columbus, Ohio where I decided to make a living exclusively as a musician. I was offered a contract at Ballet Met in Columbus which allowed me to focus exclusively on playing piano. I also took up various other performing gigs in the city. I lived and worked as a musician in Columbus for 10 years.
What brought you to LCDS?
I decided to move to Chicago in June of '07. It was through the Artistic Director's wife at Ballet Met that I heard about the Lou Conte Dance Studio and Hubbard Street Dance Company. She knew Claire Bataille and that was how I "got my foot in the door" here in Chicago. After playing a couple of classes, Claire offered me an opportunity to play for the Lou Conte Dance Studio and she also introduced me to Anne Grove - Company Manager of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. I was then given the opportunity to play for the company.
Where else in Chicago can we find you playing piano?
Chicago is the first city where I have exclusively focused on being a dance accompanist. Since moving to Chicago, I have had the opportunity to play for pretty much every major dance company including Hubbard Street, Luna Negra, Chicago Civic Ballet, Danceworks Chicago, and the River North Dance Company. I have also had the opportunity to play for other companies that have come to perform in Chicago including The Mark Morris Dance Company and American Ballet Theater. As of this season, I'm playing for Hubbard Street (company class on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday), Lou Conte Dance Studio (the Professional Class on Friday) and The Joffrey Ballet.
What do you enjoy most about accompanying a dance class?
Being capable of playing for a dance class is truly a unique skill for a pianist. One of the main things I enjoy is the fact that I am given pretty much "carte blanche" what pieces of music I am allowed to play for class. While there have been certain teachers who have said "I don't like such-and-such music," I am free to play whatever music I like that works for a given combination. As I go throughout my day listening to music, in the back of my mind I'm also hearing little "snippets" of something that might work for a ballet class. It can be something as diverse as a "Top 40" tune I hear or a musical phrase from a composer's symphony or a piece from a Broadway musical or a piece of choral music. The fun thing for me is that I can get inspiration from pretty much any genre of music and use it in ballet class.
What do you find the most challenging about accompanying a dance class?
A) As an accompanist, I have to be able to navigate the ability to be able to judge what music actually works best for certain types of combinations - and not only that, but also just being aware of where to put a certain piece of music in the class structure. That in itself can be a whole other "art form within an art form!!!"
B) I feel that sometimes dance accompanists in general are either not aware of or not given the respect as to the power they have to set a tone for the class. As an accompanist, I feel part of my "sensitivity" is to be able to judge where the energy level of the dancers is and then to be able to adjust my music selections accordingly. This can be a tricky thing to navigate as not everyone always has the same "musical taste".
C) No two instructors are the same and everyone has their own little "nuances" in terms of their teaching style. Another one of the challenges I face is when an instructor doesn't set a combination in the tempo that they actually would like it danced to. This is always a challenge as an accompanist because not only do I have to figure out what tempo they actually would like it danced to but also what piece/type/style of music would actually work best......and I have exactly "0.5 seconds" to figure it out!!!!
LCDS Accompanist: Tyrone S. Boyle
Tell us about your background as a musician and how you got started accompanying ballet classes.
I started teaching myself piano my Junior year in high school. I started taking formal lessons the summer before my Senior year. When I got to college, not knowing exactly what I wanted to study, I decided on a Piano Performance degree since I enjoyed it so much. I studied for 2 years at Huntington College in Indiana where I got the opportunity to travel the U.S. and abroad, (Finland, Sweden, Soviet Union), playing the piano for a group of musicians under the guise of Goodwill Ambassadors.
After spending 2 years at Huntington, I then transferred to Cornerstone College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was in Grand Rapids where I received my first exposure to ballet by playing for the Grand Rapids Ballet for 3 months. While also in Grand Rapids, I won The Alma James Perry Music Competition that allowed me to give my first recital as well as play with the Grand Rapids Symphony.
After leaving Grand Rapids, I moved to Dayton, Ohio where I really started to explore the possibilities of "life as a working musician". Even though I worked for a bank during the day, I "moonlighted" doing many professional gigs which included playing piano for Dayton Ballet, being music director of a small theater company in Dayton (The Dayton Playhouse), being a church pianist, and becoming a private piano instructor.
After living in Dayton for 4 years, I moved to Columbus, Ohio where I decided to make a living exclusively as a musician. I was offered a contract at Ballet Met in Columbus which allowed me to focus exclusively on playing piano. I also took up various other performing gigs in the city. I lived and worked as a musician in Columbus for 10 years.
What brought you to LCDS?
I decided to move to Chicago in June of '07. It was through the Artistic Director's wife at Ballet Met that I heard about the Lou Conte Dance Studio and Hubbard Street Dance Company. She knew Claire Bataille and that was how I "got my foot in the door" here in Chicago. After playing a couple of classes, Claire offered me an opportunity to play for the Lou Conte Dance Studio and she also introduced me to Anne Grove - Company Manager of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. I was then given the opportunity to play for the company.
Where else in Chicago can we find you playing piano?
Chicago is the first city where I have exclusively focused on being a dance accompanist. Since moving to Chicago, I have had the opportunity to play for pretty much every major dance company including Hubbard Street, Luna Negra, Chicago Civic Ballet, Danceworks Chicago, and the River North Dance Company. I have also had the opportunity to play for other companies that have come to perform in Chicago including The Mark Morris Dance Company and American Ballet Theater. As of this season, I'm playing for Hubbard Street (company class on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday), Lou Conte Dance Studio (the Professional Class on Friday) and The Joffrey Ballet.
What do you enjoy most about accompanying a dance class?
Being capable of playing for a dance class is truly a unique skill for a pianist. One of the main things I enjoy is the fact that I am given pretty much "carte blanche" what pieces of music I am allowed to play for class. While there have been certain teachers who have said "I don't like such-and-such music," I am free to play whatever music I like that works for a given combination. As I go throughout my day listening to music, in the back of my mind I'm also hearing little "snippets" of something that might work for a ballet class. It can be something as diverse as a "Top 40" tune I hear or a musical phrase from a composer's symphony or a piece from a Broadway musical or a piece of choral music. The fun thing for me is that I can get inspiration from pretty much any genre of music and use it in ballet class.
What do you find the most challenging about accompanying a dance class?
A) As an accompanist, I have to be able to navigate the ability to be able to judge what music actually works best for certain types of combinations - and not only that, but also just being aware of where to put a certain piece of music in the class structure. That in itself can be a whole other "art form within an art form!!!"
B) I feel that sometimes dance accompanists in general are either not aware of or not given the respect as to the power they have to set a tone for the class. As an accompanist, I feel part of my "sensitivity" is to be able to judge where the energy level of the dancers is and then to be able to adjust my music selections accordingly. This can be a tricky thing to navigate as not everyone always has the same "musical taste".
C) No two instructors are the same and everyone has their own little "nuances" in terms of their teaching style. Another one of the challenges I face is when an instructor doesn't set a combination in the tempo that they actually would like it danced to. This is always a challenge as an accompanist because not only do I have to figure out what tempo they actually would like it danced to but also what piece/type/style of music would actually work best......and I have exactly "0.5 seconds" to figure it out!!!!
Discipline:
Dance