New Term... New Team

Hi guys!
With the start of school also comes the start of the new extra-curricular dance timetable at school. At my school, we have dance clubs for years 7-10, junior and senior advanced groups and the chance to participate in the annual Rock Challenge dance competition.

Although I have been part of my dance club each year (which ranged from a rather sloppy contemporary dance in year 7 to an elegant and "pretty" dance last year) I have never had the courage to audition for any of the advanced groups.

So I did.

It is safe to say that no audition is ever easy, unless of course your that one annoying person that just seems to be able to do everything beautifully (there is always one). So naturally I messed up a little here and there but overall, it wasn't too bad. Now you may be thinking, that's nice but why are you making this blog post. Well, the real reason I made this was so I could compile a list of audition tips and techniques I think (and hope) you may find useful.
So without further ado, here we go :)

1. Stand at the front- It doesn't matter if you know your not the best or if you think standing at th front will make everyone think your over-confident and trying to show off. Standing at the front will let the person holding the audition see you better, so they can assess your potential. It will also make it soooo much easier to see what the steps are that she is teaching you, which gives you a much better chance of getting the steps right.

2. Ask questions- I'm not saying you need to ask her a question about every single move she does, and definitely don't ask her about her life (because that would be weird), but if you don't understand something, your probably not the only one. So go on, be the brave one who asks for help, the teacher won't mind.


3. Be confident, but not too confident- From when you walk in to when you walk out, you have to give everything your all. The last thing you want is to come out of that audition with regrets or thinking "Oh, I wish I'd done that". However, don't go crazy, there i a thin line between being confident and cocky in dance. Don' cross it.

4. Have fun- I know it is hard but try not to treat it as an audition, and more of a workshop. The word audition has some scary connotations, so whatever you do just try and relax yourself as much as possible. This will really help your moves flow better and you will just have a better time!

I hope this helped, and if you do have any auditions I wish you the best of luck!

Tips for dance shows

Hi guys xx
Last week I was part of my school dance show, and I know this is only a small scale show but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. However, as will all shows not everything went according to plan, so I have come up with a few tips to help you make sure your shows don't include any last minute panics!

1. Be organised- it is sooooo important to make sure that you have everything you need before you leave the house to go to a show. You don't want to be forgetting any pieces of your costume or makeup as this can ruin the night. You also need to remember the little things, like mirrors and makeup wipes because these are essentials that sometimes go forgotten.

2. Stretch- dance is very demanding on your muscles and most dances contain boatloads of kicks, leaps and tricks that require your muscles to be stretched and warm. I would recommend stretching before the show and then doing little stretches in between dances, as I know that I can get stiff pretty quickly!

3. Check the schedule for quick changes- This year was the first year I have had a quick change in my school dance show, with my solo being the 3rd last dance, then having one dance to change before the big finale. It is essential to check for quick changes, otherwise there will be huge amounts of panic and running backwards and forwards to your dressing room because your next costume isn't back stage waiting for you. It is also important, particularly if you are in a mixed show, that you have some friends to stand around you as it is pretty hard to do a quick change without having to stand in your underwear for a bit.

4. Be confident- Even if you are terrified whilst on stage, be confident. If you walk onto the stage and perform like your a professional dancer, you will feel so much more confident and the audience/ judges will feel it too. I found it very daunting to perform my solo this year as I had my parents and friends in the audience, some of which had never seen me dance solo before. But the key to a great performance is confidence.

Hope you found these useful, and I can't wait till next week where I will be telling you about what's in my dance bag!

*Photo Credits to the Jackie Palmer Stage School*

The Dancer Tag

Hi guys xx Sorry for the late post, I have been really busy with tests, rehearsals e.t.c. But I'm back today and I've decided to do the dance tag for you guys so you can learn a little bit more about my dance likes and hobbies. I hope you enjoy :)

-How long have you been dancing?
I started ballet when I was 4, but quit after a few months because I didn't like it. I joined a local dance school and stayed there for 2 years, before I decided I wanted to go somewhere a bit more professional, so moved to my current dance school , where I have been dancing for just over 6 years.
-What are your favourite styles of dance?
Lyrical  and acro. If you want to see why I love lyrical then click here to see last weeks post on it. I was born with hyper mobility in my back, so have always loved trying out and learning new acro tricks and routines.
-Are you a competitive dancer?
I am not a competitive soloist. However I competed at the Rock Challenge school dance competition, which we won and will be competing at the Southern Regional Finals in a few months,
-What is one dance flaw that you have that you would change, or a flaw on your body that would help you with dance?
I have twisted hips which really restricts turnout in ballet which is very annoying. My hyper mobility also stops me from standing straight so posture in ballet is a huge problem.
-What is your favourite dance step?
I love turns, a la secondes, fouettes but my favourite moves are my needle and layout.
-What do you want to improve on?
I would love to improve on my overall technique as there are a few issues with pointed toes, straight legs and turnout that I would love to fix.
-Barefoot or dance shoes?
Dance shoes, but I prefer foot thongs over everything!
-Tights or no tights?
I like to wear stirrup tights to avoid the awkward skin colour change line, but I don't slip and my legs look nice :)
-What is your favourite dance brand to wear?
I love Capezio, but my split soles are Freed and they are amazing!!
-Is dance your favourite sport?
It's a close one between dance and gym, but I think dance wins :)
-What dancer do you look up to?
There are so many!! But mainly Sophia Lucia and Autumn Miller.
-What style of dance do you find most difficult?
Probably urban as I find it hard to get into the mood and make the moves flow, but ballet is also difficult because of my bone problems.
-What are your least favourite styles of dance?
I'm not really a fan of street. I love to watch others do it, but I'm not very good!!
-What styles of dance do you currently do?
I do contemporary, acrobatic dance, modern, tap, jazz, ballet and a bit of commercial.
-Why do you love dance?
I love being able to learn a combination or sequence and be able to make the moves my own and see them turn from just moves to a piece of art. I also love to use emotions and performance in a creative way.

So I hope you found that interesting and if you answer the questions then please let us know in the comments below and I will see you next Tuesday xx 

Lyrical

Hi guys xx
Our posts this week were based on our favourite dance style, and I found it soooooo hard to pick whether mine was acro or lyrical, but you can probably guess by the title which one I went for!
One of the things I love about lyrical is I can fuse together my love for contemporary, acro and movement within this style, and I love the way the moves flow and the use of expression.

In my opinion one of the things that separates someone who dances from a true dancer is the use of expression, in both the movements and facial expressions. I feel that lyrical gives me the opportunity to enhance my facials, whilst using movements that are complimentary to my music. Lyrical dance has been a love of mine right from when I discovered it whilst watching solos on YouTube. From there, I was led to a dance channel called KBM Talent, which is run by Krista Miller and the amazing Autumn Miller. They posted tutorials on lyrical and contemporary moves, which enabled me to piece together my own solos to share with my family and friends at my dance school.

Throughout the years it is safe to say I have improved dramatically, from my turns and leaps to my ability to pick up the choreography from online lessons easily. I am currently putting together a solo hopefully for display at my school dance show, which would be a huge opportunity for me to show a style most people haven't seen me perform before, which would be extremely exciting.

If you are interested in starting to learn lyrical, I have linked a few dance channels for tutorials and inspiration.

KBM Talent - https://www.youtube.com/user/KBMTALENT
Mather Dance Company - https://www.youtube.com/user/matherdancecompany

Ballet

My favourite type of dance is ballet. I just love being able to express my feelings at the same time as being graceful. I started ballet at the age of three and at first I hated it, I had bad feet, bad posture and I thought I couldn't be a 'pretty ballerina'. However, I persevered and after three grades, I realised that I just needed to relax, listen to the music and have fun. I became more and more fond of the dance and started making up solos and entering competitions. Lots of people think that ballet is easier than tap and jazz, since all you have to do is 'point your feet and move your arms', but there is so much more to it, you have to find your inner emotions and show it to the audience at the same time as maintaining your flawless technique. My next aim is to get onto pointe and continue with perfecting and enjoying the dance.

The Beginning of The Bunheads

Hello and welcome to The Bunheads blog! It is run by myself, Sophie and my friend Zoe. We both love dance, drama and the performing arts.
We will be posting about our hobbies, lives and sometimes random posts about anything we like!
But first let's introduce ourselves:

Hi, my name is Sophie and I'm 14! I love reading and watching a lot of YouTube, but my favourite hobbies are dance, drama and musical theatre. I love watching shows in the West End with my mum and performing on the stage. I have been dancing since I was seven and have loved it since :).

Hi, my name Zoe and I'm 15! I love swimming and netball, but my main hobbies are dance, acting and trampolining. I started dancing and acting at the age of three and since then I have been in many theatre productions and competitions.

We will blog twice a week, Zoe on Saturdays and Sophie on Tuesdays. We hope you enjoy our blog!!







*The photo used in this post was provided by Google Images*