Nutcracker's Tips and Tricks

Hi my lovely dancers!  Today I'm going to talk about a famous contemporary choreographer, especially in my region, the south of France, but not only, he's a world-famous dancer and an undisputed GENIUS ! 😍 ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ, 2019, PHOTO BY JÖRG LETZ It all starts with a picture of Nureyev Angelin Prejlocaj was born in 1957, in the Paris suburbs, to an Albanian family who had immigrated to France. He discovers the dance thanks to a friend who lends him a book with a picture of Nureyev in full jump. As a caption, the young boy can read "Rudolf Nureyev transfigured by dance". "Transfigured? I didn't know what it meant, but if dancing was that thing that could make you so beautiful, so happy, then I wanted to do that too!". In spite of his family's opposition, he decided to study classical dance and then went on to study contemporary dance with Karin Waehner. In 1980, he flew to New York and was introduced to the Cuningham techni

Hi my lovely dancers!  Today, I'm going to talk about a daily good diet. To be in top shape and dance well, you need to take care of your diet 😉 Balanced meals will provide you with the calories you need. The rule of three For a good dietary balance, you should eat three meals a day, to which you can add a snack in the afternoon. Avoid snacking outside of these fixed appointments. 1) Breakfast: it must be copious. It should combine a cereal product (bread, cereals, rusks...), a lipid (butter, sunflower margarine...), a protein rich in calcium (milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese...), a fruit and a drink (tea, coffee, water...). PHOTO BY  FEMMES D'AUJOURD'HUI 2) Lunch and dinner: they must include a protein (fish, poultry, white meat, egg, ham...once a day only), a vegetable (green or dry), possibly a dairy product and a fruit. You can add a raw vegetable or soup.  PHOTO BY  FEMME ACTUELLE LE MAG 3) A healthy snack: in case o

Hi my lovely dancers! Today I'm going to tell you about a dance that I personally love to dance: African dance! This dance accompanies the happy or unhappy moments of life. Exuberant, energetic, it is practiced barefoot to the rhythm of the djembe, a percussion instrument.  Inspired by folk dances The African dance classes are inspired by the traditional dances of Cameroon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal... That is to say the diversity and richness of this dance! Very energetic, the African dance demands the whole body and requires a great mobility of the hips and the bust. Relaxed pelvis and back (spine), legs spread apart, feet well anchored in the ground, chest (sternum) open to the sky: these are the essential bases to enter this dance.  FOLK DANCE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO A dance that feels good  Practicing African dance is very playful and invigorating. You let yourself be carried away by the rhythm of the percussions and you come out of

Hi my lovely dancers! Today I'm going to talk about an icon of contemporary dance: Carolyn Carlson! Its longiline silhouette has a unique gracefulness over the years. Known throughout the world, this American dancer and choreographer of Finnish origin chose France as her adopted country. She has drawn her inspiration from France for more than thirty years.  CAROLYN CARLSON, 70 YEARS OLD An American in Paris  Born in 1943 to Finnish parents, Carolyn Carlson studied dance at the San Francisco Ballet School and the University of Utah. She met choreographer Alwin Nikolais and became the star soloist of his company in New York for seven years. She danced all over the world. In 1968, she won the Best Dancer Award at the Paris International Dance Festival. She created her first piece, Rituel pour un rêve mort , which she performed in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes in Avignon in 1972. Choreographer-star at the Paris Opera In 1974, she met the composer Rolf Li

Hi my lovely dancers!  Today I'm going to share with you some tips and tricks to stretch as well as possible and avoid painful aches and pains in just 6 steps 😉 It will only take you 15 minutes of your time.  That's right! Who hasn't experienced those terrible aches and pains that make us unable to move and make us moan like a 99 year old senior? I can already hear you nodding.  Aches and pains often appear twenty-four hours after physical exertion and generally "reassure" us because if they are there it means that we've done a good job!  In short, it is FUNDAMENTAL to stretch well after a class or a dance performance. Don't neglect stretching because it allows you to amplify your movements and progress more easily in your sports activity by reducing muscle stiffness. When done properly, they promote muscle flexibility, improve posture and balance, prevent injury and increase body awareness.  Are you ready and willing? Let's get started!

Hi my lovely dancers!  Today I'm going to talk about this sensual and provocative couple's dance that appeared in Argentina at the end of the 19th century: the Tango. This dance has never ceased to be a sensation.  Born in the working-class neighborhoods We don't know the exact origins of tango. Probably a mix of Spanish flamenco, African rhythms and milonga, an Argentinean dance with melancholic but catchy accents. In any case, it made its appearance at the end of the 19th century, in the popular districts of Buenos Aires in Argentina and Montevideo in Uruguay. PROFESSIONAL DANCERS, IN BUENOS AIRES STREETS, 2016 Between men  Due to the lack of women, Argentines and European immigrants are getting into the habit of dancing with men. The La Boca district of Buenos Aires, frequented by thugs and prostitutes, became the meeting place for tangueros. They meet there to devote themselves to this dance that the bourgeoisie finds indecent. The first themes

Hi my lovely dancers!  Today, I'm going to talk about a dancer who's not to be missed: Fred Astaire, of course! And yes, I couldn't pass him up.  He's the biggest star in the Hollywood musical. Prince of elegance and lightness, everyone agrees to see in him the best dancer of all time in cinema.  In duet with his sister If Frederick Austerlitz (better known as Fred Astaire) started dancing at a very young age, it was to please his mother and imitate his sister Adele . In 1907, barely eight years old, he started with her in cabarets. For ten years, their duet was a great success which led them to Broadway. To reach the level of Adele, a particularly gifted dancer, Fred worked his heart out and worked until exhaustion. In 1932, Adele married Charles Cavendish , an English lord, and left the stage...and her brother Fred found himself beginning a solo career at the age of thirty-three.  ADELE ASTAIRE AND FRED ASTAIRE BY KATHLEEN RILEY, THE NEW YORK TIMES, 19

Hi my lovely dancers!  Today I'm going to share with you some good tips in order to maintain a good back and hand positions.  How do you recognize the look of a dancer? The incomparable support due to a muscular and supple back but also  the dance up to the fingertips which enhances the movements.  Dancing can help you to develop good habits at an early age.  4 tips to protect your back   Outside of dance classes, here are a few daily tips for maintaining good posture. Avoid breaking your back when lacing your shoes. Put your foot on a chair or put one knee on the ground.  Avoid the handbag and prefer the backpack in the upper back and pressed against your spine. Always bend your knees when you pick something up off the ground, especially if it is heavy.  When you sit down, sit at the bottom of your chair with your back against the backrest on both your buttocks and both shoulders at the same height. Stretch yourself regularly at home.  PHOTO BY STUDIO

Hi my lovely dancers! Today, I am going to talk about   the pillar of the dance. Do you have an idea? Classical dance of course ! "Old" of more than four centuries, it is the heir to the court dance practiced by the kings and queens of France and Italy. The great ballet masters gradually established its vocabulary. It will be enriched through contact with different generations of choreographers.  The favourite activity of crowned heads From the Renaissance onwards, the European royal courts began to dance. Italy is a pioneer in the art of dance. Dance masters codified the steps and wrote the first treaties on dance teaching. In France, François I introduced dance to the court. Increasingly complex ballets were choreographed. These were balls in which each participant performed very elaborate geometric figures.  LA RÉPÉTITION GÉNÉRALE DU BALLET (THE BALLET DRESS REHEARSAL) BY EDGAR DEGAS, 1874, MUSÉE D'ORSAY, PARIS The Triumph of Romanticism   R

Hi my lovely dancers!  Today I'm going to introduce you a big name in the world of dance: Rose Repetto. What a delight it is to slip your toes into a pair of Repetto...! Seventy-three years after its creation, today it is the reference brand in dance. Its city ballerinas have also become a cult.  Start in maid's room In 1947, Rose Repetto, mother of dancer and choreographer Roland Petit, made her first pair of ballet shoes at her son's request. She set up in a small workshop on rue de la Paix, a stone's throw from the Garnier Opera. The ballet shoes are sewn inside out and then turned inside out for more comfort and aesthetics. She quickly became a great success and dancers from all over the world ordered her ballet shoes.  And Brigitte Bardot created the ballerina... In 1956, a rising star in the film industry came to Rose Repetto. A dancer turned actress, the young Brigitte Bardot dreams of a city shoe as supple and comfortable as a ballet shoe. For he