Ah, December. It’s around this time we’re usually surrounded by dance performances—“The Nutcracker” and its many, many interpretations, the Radio City Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular, and countless stage productions that celebrate the season. This year, however, it’s a little different. While there are still efforts to bring stages into people’s homes as the pandemic continues, the robust live performance offering will have to wait until next year. That doesn’t mean there isn’t news and more coming out of the dance world. Between awards, advice, and more, here’s what you need to know about dance in December.
Dance Magazine’s 2020 awards honorees are here!
Dance Magazine continues its more than half a century of celebrating those rising above in dance with their Dance Magazine Awards. After an audit of the demographic of past awards honorees during a year where racial disparities in the arts (and beyond) have come to light once again, the magazine is honoring a group of Black artists at their virtual awards ceremony on Dec. 7. Honorees include dancer, choreographer, and art director Carlos Acosta, director, choreographer, teacher, dancer, and actor Debbie Allen, choreographer, artistic director, and dancer Camille A. Brown, choreographer, artistic director, and dancer Laurieann Gibson, and choreographer and dancer Alonzo King. Darren Walker, a philanthropist who has supported the arts with an eye towards social justice, will receive the Chairman’s Award. Young choreographers Kyle Marshall and Marjani Forté-Sanders will receive the Harkness Promise Awards and its accompanying grant money, rehearsal space and time, and mentorship. Learn more about each of these artists on Dance Magazine’s website here, and find ticket information for Monday’s awards ceremony here.
Are social media platforms censoring artists’ promotions?
The short answer is yes. This story uses just two examples of ways social media giants like Facebook and Instagram have made it more difficult to advertise, even if the content of the shows and ads aren’t violating any rules. When computers are in charge of approvals, it’s harder to get something like a mesh bodysuit that appears at first glance like possible nudity, or language that might be harsh out of context approved for social media promotion. Learn how the creators of these two shows worked around their inability to advertise on social media, and use their experiences as a lesson in what to expect when it’s time to get the word out about your project on a major platform. Read the full article here.
Learn something new or strengthen your side hustle with a free online course.
It’s been a difficult year for performers. Both main and side gigs have been taken away from a whole industry of workers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still make the most of your talent and be ready for when productions and more open back up for good. There are plenty of places online where you can learn a new skill or add to your existing skills for free, and the upside of a production pause is that you have more time to work on those things you always wished to have time for during your normal busy life. Learn about what’s available and where to find these courses in the full article here.
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Can you book a gig on Broadway without any vocal training?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but the short answer is, yes it’s possible. If you are a strong dancer and have other on-stage strengths, there are roles where your lack of proper or sustained vocal training won’t necessarily impact your chances of booking the job. If it’s a dance-heavy show and the choreographer wants you in the cast, you have a good chance of booking it, and if it’s only essential that a few lead characters have strong voices, your odds increase. Plus, casting directors see performers all day, if they see potential and a good work ethic, don’t discount how far that might go in winning over the creative team. That being said, even if you don’t have all the time and money available for intense regular training, if your goal is to be in a Broadway musical, you should probably try to train in some way. Find out more details about how you can book the job without professional-level training, and where you can find training that fits into your budget and schedule in the full article here.
How “Hadestown” actor Patrick Page overcame his greatest fear: dancing.
It might be a surprise to hear that Tony nominee Patrick Page has any fears on stage. After all, he was nominated for Broadways’s biggest award! The actor, who plays Hades in Broadway’s “Hadestown” shares a dance with his wife Persephone (played by Amber Gray) in the second act of the Tony-award winning musical. It wasn’t his first on-stage dance challenge. That dates back to his days in “Beauty and the Beast” when he played Lumière, when in the face of having to dance on stage, he worried he was going to be fired. Even so, returning to the art in “Hadestown” resurrected some of those nerves. However, he didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to dig into the show’s rich material over concerns about dancing. “You grab, and you hold on through whatever your terror is, whether your terror is dancing, or singing, or being up in front of people, because you get to work on this incredible material that’s going to keep feeding you.” He embraces the challenge of dancing, and even though he says he worries every night, he focuses on what doesn’t scare him so much to get through it seamlessly. “Since the movement itself terrifies me,” he says, “I think about what I’m saying with each movement—and then I can forget that I’m frightened.” Read the whole article here!
What’s it actually like to dance a solo on Broadway?
Broadway dreams might seem far away right now, both because maybe you’re early in your training or career and because Broadway remains dark during the pandemic. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn and prepare for what it might be like when you get there one day. Performers imagine all sorts of milestones in the dream of performing on a Broadway stage, but what’s it actually like? Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, an ensemble member in the jukebox musical “The Cher Show” explains how she booked the role, what it was like working with choreographer Christopher Gatelli, and how it feels to step out of the ensemble for a solo. She takes you through her pre-show ritual and more, and you can visualize what it’s like to step on stage, as well as get some advice from Fitzgerald herself all at the full article here.
Check out Backstage’s dance audition listings!