YAY!

Ok, so I actually tried this whole blog thing again, and I actually figured it out!!! ( I am a bit technologically slow...) This post is from August;)


What up! I am Liz, a 3rd year Pre-Med Dance Major, Psychology/ Biology Double Minor here at Birmingham-Southern College. As you can see from where my life is taking me, BSC was the only school for me. I have great hopes for the future which include dancing professionally for a year following graduation, and after that attending medical school. I have had a fantastic experience thus far and am definitely anticipating what great things are to come from the last half of my education.So it's officially 30 minutes and counting to my first ballet class back at BSC for Fall 2008 and I am both nervous/ very excited. This is also my first blog ever (I didn't really know what exactly a blog entailed until now..)!I am suspecting that I am going to be sore, as we all probably will be after this audition class. This is the first of two audition classes we are having within the next week. This audition class is for the Winter Dance (Christmas) performance. I think this is one of our favorites because it's Christmas music (who doesn't love Christmas) and student led. I am particularly excited because I get to choreograph in this show; the last Winter dance show we had I was a freshman.. meaning I was clueless about the dance department and was in only one piece. Personally I really enjoy choregraphing because it's the more academic part of dance. Note, how I said more academic, because dance does take alot of brain power.. more than the average person would think! As I learned in the choreography class here at BSC it takes you to try different things and think outside of the box. I would say that probably half of us here at BSC dance dept. enjoy choreographing and the other half think they're "not good at it"... I used the quotation marks because it always turns out that they are much better than they think. Which brings me to the point: I have found that BSC Dance brings out the best in a dancer, not only the best you know you could do, but the best you didn't know you could do. This is something I think speaks volumes of our program.I am also excited about this audition because we get to meet the cute little freshman that are new to the dept. The dance dept. to all of us is like a big family. Because dance is so time consuming, we spend tons and tons of time together and usually have a great time. It's pretty much the equivalent to a sorority. We are always so excited to see the newbies come because it's an addition to our family! I'm off, I have to go warm-up for the class! Until next time...

TESTING

Mike Check Mike Check 1-2 1-2

For those interested in double majoring...READ THIS!

I am here to tell you that double majoring at BSC is feasible. I know many of you are thinking "How can this be possible? With so many daily dance classes, requirements, obligations, rehearsals, and commitments, I will NEVER sleep!" Well, that is completely false. I am a double major with dance and business administration and many of my dance major friends are also pursuing majors in areas such as Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, English, and Education. Although the thought of having two majors seems overwhelming, it will be worth it in the end.
The key is to plan out your course load for every semester for the upcoming four years your VERY FIRST semester at BSC. I can see your eyes widening in fear and I am sure you are feeling overwhelmed and maybe even sweating a little just by reading this, but I promise, Excel spreadsheets work wonders!
I had my college career planned out completely by my second week of school; this ensured that I would be able to fit in all of my classes for both of my majors (including taking additional jazz and modern classes that were beyondthe requirements of the dance major) and still graduate in four years. I am not going to sit here and tell you it was fun and easy, because it has been demanding, time consuming, and at times overwhelming. However,I am highly involved in many organizations outside of the dance department, and yes, I do manage to have a perfectly normal social life. It is all about time management. If you take advantage of every spare moment and stay on top of (or ahead of) your course work, you will be completely fine! I do not regret deciding to be a double major and I hope that this little blurb has inspired you to take on the challenge as well. If you have any more questions feel free to email me at esheflin@bsc.edu.

Until next time,

*Nell*

The beginning of the end....

Hello all!

It's been a while since my last post, so let me update you on life in the dance department. A few weeks ago three other dancers and myself were involved in the Linly Heflin Fashion Show. The proceeds of this fashion show go to the Linly Heflin Scholarship which has provided so many opportunities and opened so many doors for young women throughout Alabama. One of our dance professors, Ruth Henry, has been the choreographer for the fashion show for many years and each year she gives some of the dancers the opportunity to model or dance in the show with professional models. This is my second year to perform in it and it is always so much fun! This year was the 50th anniversary of the fashion show, so the dancers did a "Dancing through the Decades" theme. I did a little dance to the Beatles "Twist and Shout", Meredith did a dance to Michael Jackson's "Beat It", Jon did a John Travolta Dance, and Anais did a dance to Madonna's "Vogue." The clothes the models wore were predominantly designed by Gus Meyer and were breathtakingly beautiful. We also got to have our hair and makeup done by Bobbi Brown artists which made us feel like we were celebrities.

This semester we have also had the privilege of having some wonderful guest teachers in for ballet class. Roger Van Fleteren, from Alabama Ballet, came in the first week of school to teach class and also choreographed and set a piece for us for the show in March. Roger will also be back next semester to teach a tap class on Monday, Wednesday, Fridays. I am really excited about that opportunity! Tracy Alvey, the Artistic Director at Alabama Ballet, came in last week and gave a wonderful class and for the past few weeks we have been working on a challenging Paquita variation in variations class on Mondays with Pam from Alabama Dance Academy. Having guest teachers throughout the year helps keep all of us on our toes and does not let us become complacent or stuck in a rut.

Currently everyone in the department is fervidly rehearsing for the upcoming Christmas Dance Performance on November 22. All of the pieces in the show are student choreographed and we have a wide variety of ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, and jazz pieces. It should be an exciting and inspiring show that will put the audience in the Christmas spirit.

Chicago!!

My trip to Chicago was absolutely phenomenal! I did not have any time for sight-seeing due to my intensive daily schedule (dance classes from 10 am - 5 pm), but that was completely fine with me due the excitement of the classes and my exhaustion at the end of the day. This year's River North intensive was smaller than last year (we only had twenty girls in my class), but I enjoyed it so much more since there was more space to move and we all got more individual corrections.

Every day we took a ballet technique class, a jazz technique class, and a River North Repertoire class. We learned one of their hardest pieces "Temporal Trance." After doing that piece, you feel like you just ran a marathon, but wonderful at the same time. One day, some of the company members came into the theater to watch us and stood up and clapped for us when we finished. That was an exhilarating feeling. We also had a time block for "Artistic Style and Expression Class". In this class we learned Fosse combinations, Hip Hop combinations, and musical theater combinations. In addition, we also took pilates and yoga classes. The intensive was an unbelievable experience; truly inspiring and re-awakened my passion for dancing.

Here is the link so that you can watch some River North Repertoire clips:
http://www.rivernorthchicago.com/dancers.asp

Until next time,

*Nell*

Welcome!

Welcome to the Dance Department Blog! After reading this, you should get a better understanding of the daily life of a Dance Major/Minor. My name is Nell and I am a rising senior double major in Dance and Business Administration. I have absolutely loved my three years in the Dance Department at BSC; the dance classes, my fellow dancers, and my dance teachers have made Birmingham-Southern a choice I would make over and over again if given the opportunity. I remember looking for schools that offered both the dance training and the academic rigor that I needed; I found this perfect balance at BSC. It is not always easy meeting all your obligations, keeping your G.P.A. up, and dancing for five to six hours a day, but it is definitely possible! Hopefully by reading my entries you can get a sense of how the members of the Dance Department manage their time and manage to keep smiling despite the stress.

So, here it goes...my first Blog entry….

As I type this, I am in the midst of packing…I am not quite sure if I will be able to fit into my small suitcase…leotards take up more room than you would ever imagine! I am leaving for Chicago tomorrow to attend the River North Dance Company’s Summer Intensive. I went last year and absolutely loved it, so I decided to send in an audition tape and attend the Intensive once again. I fell in love with River North in grade school when a company member came to my studio to choreograph a piece for our performance and my love for their movement and choreography was rekindled my Sophomore year when a group of Dance Majors and I attended the Alabama Dance Festival. River North was the main attraction that year, so they held a performance and master classes at the Dance Festival. After the class, I asked the company member who had taught how I could continue working with their company (since it is very small with six boys and six girls). She told me about their Summer Intensive and suggested that I send in an audition tape. So I did, and here I am attending it for the second year in a row. I will keep you all updated on my experiences and adventures in Chicago!

*Nell*