How to become a dance professor

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What do you need to do to become a winner?

Olga Viktorovna Yershova, well-known choreographer in ballroom dancing, candidate of pedagogical sciences, professor of Moscow State University of Culture and Arts, head of Olga Ershova's Dance Salon:

For many years I have been watching competitions in dance sports. I analyze the creative potential of dancers, the titanic work of coaches , dedication of parents.And every time I am convinced that the dance duet that is most sports-choreographically and emotionally-psychologically prepared comes to victory.0005

In sports ballroom dancing, in addition to excellent dance training, worked out schemes corresponding to the age category and class, set and trained by the leading coaches of the couple, there must be initial "data" for dancing: the abilities or capabilities of the athletes.

In the choreographic art there is such a concept as "data", that is, abilities given by nature. And then it is easier for an athlete-dancer to become a winner already in the children's age categories.

According to "data" children are selected for ballet, rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating and other sports, where coaches initially look for talented children, through selection, "weed out" children who are not suitable for a certain type of activity, and choose those lucky ones who are and their parents gave abilities.

There is no such strict selection in ballroom dancing. Parents come to dances themselves or bring their children to "correct posture", "improve health", so that the child goes in for sports, creativity, and does not "hang out idle".

Most often this is a studio or dance club at the school. And only when the child becomes a couple, when the first successes come, the sport begins. The first "charms" or "disappointments" come. Couples begin to enter competitions, reinforced by a lack of understanding "why do we do so much, but there is no result?" Or "why does Vanya, Ira, Sasha, Masha, etc. work less and judge them better?"

Yes, because they have natural abilities, or because they have developed their dancing abilities through their work.

There are fundamental physical data, that is, abilities for ballroom dancing: a strong elastic foot, which is the foundation of the whole body, on which balance, speed, and advancement in dancing depend; strong and elastic ankle, the “push” and advancement in St depend on it; "inserted" knee, on which the work of the hips in La depends, the clarity of the legs in cha-cha-cha, samba, the technique of performance in rumba; high instep, giving a beautiful line of legs; controlled muscles of the buttocks, abs, back, shoulders, arms; flexibility, plasticity, stretching of the whole body; expressive hands in La and strong in St; general physical training; artistry and emotionality, etc. etc.

Capabilities need to be maintained and developed. The child's body grows, its physical proportions and capabilities change.

If there are no data by nature, then if there are opportunities for parents and the desire of children-dancers, they can be formed.

And it often happens that a dancer who does not place very high in Children I-II or in Juniors I-II suddenly "shoots" in a higher category, because his parents organized for him the development of physical "capacities" for sports ballroom dancing .

What are "opportunities"?

First, the ability of parents: the desire to help their children acquire and develop their abilities. That is, take them to classes with specialists, pay for classes, control the exercise at home.

Secondly, the desire of children to work, to overcome pain, to work on acquiring abilities that are not given to them by nature.

Thirdly, to find professional, qualified specialists who will help form or develop abilities for dance sports. Teachers who care about you and your child.

Our center for ballroom dancers has developed unique programs aimed at improving athletic performance, developing abilities and creating opportunities for ballroom dancing.

A team of choreographers with a special higher education who understand the peculiarities of dancing a Latin American or European ballroom dance program, who know the specifics of teaching sports choreography, anatomy, biomechanics, the process of properly organizing a dancer's preparation for training and competitions - for many years they have been helping athletes in acquiring high choreographic and sports form.

Visit our website [URL='http://www.ershova.ru/']www.ershova.ru[/URL] and see what ballroom dance programs we offer.

To us in the dance and choreographic center on the street. Gross 19A, which is located on the Garden Ring, metro station Paveletskaya or metro station Serpukhovskaya, Dobryninskaya there are a lot of dancers: children, juniors, youth and adults. Some are sent by coaches, others find us through hard search on the Internet or through acquaintances.

We are always happy to cooperate with coaches: to listen to their wishes in working with dancers, to discuss a joint training program for athletes. After all, the work of a choreographer is a "dirty" job, we "clean" the legs and arms, stretch the body of the dancer, etc. And the coach does the main job - prepares for competitions and competitions, creates the image of a couple, teaches dance techniques, sets the main dance choreography.

Our center operates independently of dance organizations. We have dancers from STSR, RTS, MTS, MOTL, MFST, from the Pro-Am system, dancers from other cities come. Figure skaters, gymnasts, sports rock-n-rollers, divers, swimmers or athletes from synchronized swimming come. Anyone who needs sports choreography.

We have been helping dancers and coaches for over 15 years. I can proudly say that a huge number of athletes visited our walls, who later became champions of Russia and the World.

If you decide to come to our classes, or bring your children, then after consulting with your coach, you should identify the fundamental problem and get through by phone: +7 (499) 235-44-00 and +7 (925) 514 -61-74, sign up for a test lesson with me and determine what choreographic programs the athletes will do.

What does a choreographer do: advantages and disadvantages of the profession

Contents of the article

Dance numbers in theater productions, music videos, ice shows, at concerts are the work of a choreographer. This is a specialist who teaches dance art, comes up with choreography for events and works it out together with the dancers.

As a rule, dancers, ballet dancers, gymnasts, figure skaters who have a lot of experience behind them and can teach a lot can become a choreographer. Or young people who received a special education at a university. What tasks does a specialist perform:

• conducts dance and acting classes;
• is working on improving the technique of dancers, developing aesthetic and musical taste;
• puts on dance performances for both solo and collective performances;
• conducts rehearsals;
• picks up a stage look;
• comes up with a dance number according to the customer's requirements.

The choreographer creates the general picture of the production, then revives it with the help of dancers and music. In the course of work, she interacts with makeup artists, costume specialists, organizers, lighting and other people who are preparing the event.

What skills are needed for the job

A choreographer is a creative person who must have flexibility, endurance, be in good physical shape, have leadership skills, be able to convince and influence others. What other qualities are important:

• artistic taste,
• artistry,
• the ability to establish contact with people,
• ability to plan and organize training.

Where does the choreographer work

The specialist can work in art schools, theatres, circuses, dance studios, various troupes. The field of activity is very wide, so the choreographer will always be a sought-after specialist.

Advantages of the profession

1. Interesting creative tasks.
2. Regular physical activity.
3. Opportunity to travel.

Disadvantages

1. High risk of injury.
2. Irregular working hours.

We asked Anastasia Chalova, laureate of Russian competitions and festivals, choreographer of city and regional events with experience as a choreographer for ballet dancers and the troupe of the state ensemble Kuban Cossack Choir named after V.G. Zakharchenko, teacher of modern choreography.

“A choreographer is a very, very multifunctional person, but most importantly, a creative person. Just as there are no identical people, there is no generally accepted standard, a “recipe” for a good choreographer. What should and what is necessary for this person to work? Let's just say, nothing will be superfluous. In addition to high professional qualities directly related to the art of dance, it is also important - possession of the body, understanding of theoretical and practical skills for the development of physicality, fantasy, acting, knowledge of cultural heritage (which, by the way, is often neglected), the ability to build and communicate in the same language with as a light operator, to see the frame, if we are talking about a dance movie or video work, and much more.

My experience is that the more a person can do in related and even non-related areas, the better. Absolutely everything can be useful at work. Remembering outstanding choreographers, very often we see that their first profession was an activity completely unrelated to choreography: architects, mathematicians, biologists.

Why did they manage to "inherit"? I can assume that the most important element of success was the fact that they had different views on everyday things and a number of applied skills and knowledge obtained in their first profession, the use of which (in creating scenery, stage structures, feeling the power of color, music, multimedia accompaniment of the production, ideological solution) could distinguish them favorably among other choreographic works. I am also an example of this, my first profession is a biologist, a biochemist. And only then I received a classical academic education in the field of choreographic art.

At the beginning of my journey, I kept wondering how it is possible to combine these two areas of knowledge, and is it possible? It turned out that there are many points of contact, ranging from physiology, anatomy of a dancer and ending with ideas, themes of possible productions. The deeper you look at the root of the issue, the more you can catch the nuances. And even more so, remembering that all modern dance gravitates towards the naturalness of movement, its anatomical freedom, a deep understanding of intra-corporeal connections, work with the subconscious, dance and movement therapy. It is enough to recall the Gaga dance technique, originally conceived by Ohad Naharin as a kind of act of emotional and bodily emancipation of a person, to understand how much physiology, namely the neurohumoral regulation of internal processes, affects the way a person moves and behaves in space. Therefore, try to develop in several areas of knowledge that interest you.

Undoubtedly, all modern choreography is an ode to the intellectual, conceptual, innovative thinking of the choreographer. However, in pursuit of unusual, media, the desire to produce a fleeting "wow" effect often begins to prevail over the content of the dance, do not forget about this fine line.

Turning to the choreographic heritage of classical, folk, modern dance, one may wonder why we admire some choreographic works and find them relevant after decades, and sometimes even centuries? In my opinion, in the rationality and internal interconnection of everything that happens on the stage. And most importantly, their dance is a movement born specifically to solve a specific idea, the nature of the production. It is the uniqueness of the lexical material, the conversation of the mind of the dancer and the choreographer through the bodily embodiment that gives rise to that spiritual and emotional catharsis in the viewer, after which the viewer himself does not remain the same. Do not forget that the most important thing in choreographic art is the idea, the goal and the intellectual way of its realization. The highest goal of a choreographer is not to be a craftsman, but an artist whose paintings will be recognizable by brush strokes. Therefore, look for yourself and your own style of artistic expression.

How to search for dance vocabulary? There are many approaches. I can give an example of one of the ways in which Hofesh Schechter, one of the most sought-after European contemporary dance choreographers in the world, does it. According to him, a choreographer needs to be able to “jump off a cliff”, as he explained to us one of the tasks set within the framework of the “Body in the Leading Role” laboratory for modern dance with the support of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia. The essence is in the correlation of the character of the hero and the conditions of his stage existence with the bodily embodiment of this movement. Do not control the movement, do not prepare to execute it, but let it happen. Through such a search, “dig up” the author's movements and, on the basis of this, add up the further puzzle of the production.

Go your own intellectual way. I'll be honest, it's not easy, but the more difficult, the more interesting it will be, the more it will be yours. Develop intellectually, surround yourself with highly educated and cultured people, do not go into handicrafts and copying.

I can say from my own experience that no choreography will be good if it does not correspond with the inner world of the dancer. That is why I always calculate and listen to how much a person understands what he is dancing about, how much the psychotype of the hero of the work suits him, how my movements fall on his body. Therefore, you need to be flexible in many matters, but also firm, because as soon as the choreographer sees the ultimate goal, he must find ways to achieve it. And the success of the final product depends only on his efforts and skills.

Now let's talk about important skills. The choreographer is the artist, his canvas is the stage. Even outside of it, he must be able to pay attention to the entire “canvas”, that's what I would like to say in more detail.

The activity of a choreographer depends on a huge number of people, from dancers to technical service. There is only one chance to present your work, for this you need to give clear tasks, instructions and check their implementation. Increasingly, the choreographer's activity does not end at the stage of working with the troupe, the specialist needs to think over the stage costume (fabric, color, texture, heaviness), the lighting score of the work, very often text or other leads to the number/dance fragment in the performance/show/clip. Often, the activity is associated with self-producing or producing a product, poster, content preparation is also on the choreographer. As a result, it turns out that the choreographer is also a director, he is also a director, he is also a producer. And if you are a producer, then at some point your actions cease to be intuitive, but turn into a certain kind of calculation: for whom the event is, what atmosphere you need to create, what you want or what you need to give to the viewer.

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