So You Think Can Dance Update !!

Tuesday night "So You Think You Can Dance" was on t.v. It is now down to sixteen dancers. They are paired up (one boy and one girl) and they each do a different style of dance. Each of these dances are choreographed by top choreographers. These choreographers include Brian Friedman (who has worked with stars like Hilary duff and Beyonce), Alax Da Silva (2002 and 2005 World Salsa Champion), Dan Karaty (appeared on the "MTV Awards"), Mia Michaels (worked with artists such as Madonna, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Prince), and Mary Murphy (founder of the Champion Ballroom Academy in San Diego, CA.) These choreographers have actually won wards for dances they have choreographed on the show. Last year a dance performed by Jeanine and Jason was a favorite among many. I have a link with the dance. I would love to hear what you think of it !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9LbkI4Pfuo&feature=related

The Importance of College

Many professional dancers start dancing in company's at a very young age. This means that the majority of them skip college. The dance world is extremely competitive, so the younger you are the better. But what happens if your in a company and you brake a foot or get seriously injured ? Your career is over !! Unless you have a college degree in something else. Many dance company's are now encouraging young dancers to get a college education. Its very important and a very smart decision. Just recently my dance partner got in a serious car accident. He dances for a ballet company for his career. Now he can no longer dance for a few months because he is injured. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a college education and can't find a job in the mean time. So now he is stuck at his parents house. As a dancer you are extremely likely to get injured at some point in time, so it is very beneficial to have a college education under your belt in case something like this ever happens. Also, like I said earlier the dance world is very competitive. You can get cut from a company just like that. If you have a degree in something else you can easily find a job. You may rather be dancing, but having a job is better then being jobless in this economy. Clearly, college is the way to go !

The Benefits of Classical Music

There are many benefits from listening to classical music. Soothing music like classical is known to reduce stress and anxiety. I listen to classical music everyday when I dance, and I must say it does calm you down and relaxes you. After a hard day at school, I go to dance and try to put everything aside. The classical music really helps sooth you and take away stress. Hospitals are actually exploring the use of classical music for patients, surgeons and visitors. Classical music is also said to reduce crime. In London, police piped classical music into underground stations in some of the most dangerous areas. After six months, crimes significantly decreased. Another surprising study showed that when classical music is being played in a store, you are more likely to spend more money. So next time you are having a stressful day listen to some classical music, it may make you fell a lot better.

The Nutcracker

The holidays are almost here ! One of the best ways to celebrate the holidays is to go see the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is a famous ballet with music by Tchaikovsky. It is the most popular ballet in Western Countries. This ballet originated in Russia, the first performance was held on December 18, 1892. The Nutcracker consists of two acts and three scenes. My dance studio puts this performance on every year in December. This year it will be held on December 12th. We do five shows at the "Coral Springs Center for the Performing Arts." It is a fun, exciting show and I recommend everyone to come and see it ! I have a link that will give a synopsis about the story of the Nutcracker.
http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/balletsynopses/a/thenutcracker.htm

Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders are a very common problem with dancers. Dancers are so pressured to have a perfect, slim body. When they don't feel they have this, they may turn to bad habits such as eating disorders. Anorexia and Bulimia are the most common eating disorder. Anorexia is an eating disorder in which the people literally starve themselves. People with anorexia continue to think they are overweight even after they become extremely thin, and are very ill or near death. Bulimia is when people have episodes where they binge eat. During an average binge, a bulimic consumes 3,000 to 5,000 calories in one short hour. After, they feel the need to undo what they just ate. They usually induce vomit, go for a ten-mile run, or take ex-lax. This is extremely bad for your body. If you are a dancer and do this to your body, eventually you will no longer be able to dance. Losing weight should be done in a healthy way such as a diet or exercise. It is so important to take care of your body no matter if you are a dancer or not, and eating disorders are not the way to do it.

Dancing with the Stars

Dancing with the Stars is one of the few reality dance shows on television. It takes popular celebrities and pairs them with professional dancers. Every week they learn new dance routines and the judges give them a final score. Each week one couple gets eliminated. The winner of "Dancing with the stars" in 2008 was Kristi Yamaguchi, a professional ice skater. This year some of the stars participating in the show are Aaron Carter, Mya, Kelly Osbourne, and Melissa Joan Hart (a.k.a. Sabrina the teenage witch.) You can watch "Dancing with the stars" every Monday 8/7c — results show Tuesday 9/8c. If any of you watch this show I would love to hear what you think of it, and who you would like to see win !