by shannondoolingdances | Jan 16, 2021 | Dancers' Wisdom
We are 15 days into the new year, and I’ve already found my mantra for 2021: “The only way to do it, is to do it.” This quote from Merce Cunningham has been on my mind often in the last two weeks …. When I sat down to write lesson plans, and...
by shannondoolingdances | Jan 30, 2019 | Dancers' Wisdom
As a dance educator and choreographer, I’m always thinking about transitions. Dance technique is full of transitional movements that make all the difference: that perfect preparation before the pirouette, that luxurious undercurve in the triplet, that sublime...
by shannondoolingdances | Dec 24, 2018 | Dancers' Wisdom
Christmas is a time of anticipation: For the kiddos, it’s the excitement of Santa’s impending arrival; for us older folk, it’s looking forward to time with family and friends and a bit of respite from the day-to-day. For Christians, the four weeks...
by shannondoolingdances | Nov 22, 2018 | Dancers' Wisdom
Oh, man. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. The world just feels heavy with suffering, from Yemen to California to Syria to the Florida Panhandle. Almost daily, it seems I learn of another friend or acquaintance who is facing their own personal sufferings, small...
by shannondoolingdances | Oct 29, 2018 | Dancers' Wisdom
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about productivity. The dance world is fueled by over-productive people whose genuine passion for their work leads them to accomplish a Herculean list of feats on a daily basis. I’m used to this dance-related pressure to do...
by shannondoolingdances | Oct 2, 2018 | Dancers' Wisdom
As dancers, we tend to love routines. Plie, tendu, degagge. Warm-up, progressions, combo. Pre-show rituals. Post-performance commemorations – mine was always a cheeseburger and Coke! Routines are necessary to our dance training and can make performances special....
