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f e a
t u
r e
s
© P h o t o g r a P h b y J o r d a n M
a t t e r
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34 issue no. 462
DANCE FEATURES
Dance for Parkinson’s Disease: a class with a difference
Teresa Hall shares her experience in New York
The beginning of an adventure that has no boundaries and
where dance helps transformation occur at every class.
Brooklyn (New York) 26th and 27th June 2012. A workshop
divided into eight modules, going from ‘what to expect’,
‘teaching techniques’, ‘differentiation’ and ‘class structure’ to
practicum with the class of dancers that regularly attend the
class at Brooklyn Parkinson Group, held at the Mark MorrisDance Group studios in Brooklyn.
Here the emphasis is taken away from posture and
technique to expand on the quality of movement,
socialisation, artistry, and musicality.
David Leventhal (Dance for PD® founding teacher) says,
“The fundamentals of dancing and dance training—things
like balance, movement sequencing, rhythm, spatial and
aesthetic awareness and dynamic coordination—seem to
address many of the things people with Parkinson’s want
to work on to maintain a sense of condence and grace in
their movements. Although participants from all over the
world tell us they nd elements of the class therapeutic, the
primary goal of our program is for people to enjoy dance fordancing’s sake in a group setting—and to explore the range
of physical, artistic and creative possibilities that are still very
much open to them.”
The Therapeutic Powers of DanceWe take a look at two uplifting ways in which dance can help
the body heal physically – as well as inspire the spirit
a M b e r S t a r M e r k e
n S
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issue no. 462 35
DANCE FEATURES
With his expert guidance we were
accompanied through the ups and downs of
the illness and how to look beyond it to apply
what we have to offer as dance teachers to
our special students…and special they are.
To see people in all stages of the
disease (from barely perceivable to almost
completely doubled over by it) enter the
room with their partners/care workers
with various degrees of difculty, including
wheelchairs, and then watch them develop
through the class from centre work to barrework and then steps across the oor was, to
say the least, incredible. The most humbling,
inspiring and deeply moving experience of
my life – and as a dance teacher it opened a
whole new horizon.
The class is an aesthetic experience that
uses the elements of narrative, imagery, live
music and community to develop artistry
and grace while addressing such PD-specic
concerns as balance, exibility, coordination,
isolation and depression.
A post-class discussion with some of
the participants that were willing to give us
feedback brought forth comments like, “I
forget about the Parkinson’s during the class”and, “Here it’s not about what we can’t do, but
what we can do.”
Now, having brought home to Italy this
unique experience, along with my colleague,
Andrea Ingram, we hope to create awareness
and promote classes of our own where
the saying ‘Dance is Life’ will be rst and
foremost in our minds.
Teresa Hall
About Dance for PD®
Dance for PD® offers dance classes for people
with Parkinson’s disease in Brooklyn, New
York and, through a network of partners
and associates, in more than 75 othercommunities around the world. An on-
going non-prot collaboration between the
Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn
Parkinson Group, the Dance for PD® program
also provides teacher training and nurtures
relationships among other organizations so
that classes based on their model are widelyavailable. Visit http://danceforparkinsons.org
for more information.
Una lezione un po’ diversa
L’inizio di un’avventura senza conni dove la
danza crea trasformazioni ad ogni lezione.
Brooklyn (New York) 26 e 27 Giugno 2012.
Un corso diviso in 8 moduli che vanno da
‘cosa aspettarti’, ‘ tecniche d’insegnamento’,
‘differenziazione’ e ‘struttura della lezione’
a pratica con una classe di ‘danzatori’ che
frequentano regolarmente la lezione del
Brooklyn Parkinsons Group tenuto negli
studi della Mark Morris Dance Group a
Brooklyn.Qui l’enfasi è spostato dalla postura e la
tecnica per concentrarsi sulla qualità del
movimento, la socializzazione, l’artisticità e
la musicalità.
“The class is an aesthetic experiencethat uses the elements of narrative,
imagery, live music and community todevelop artistry and grace”
a l l P h o t o S a M b e r S t a r M e r k e n S
Below: Dance for PD teacher, Misty
Owens leads a class at the Mark
Morris Dance Center
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DANCE FEATURES
David Leventhal (Insegnante fondatore di Dance for PD®)dice “I fondamenti della danza e lo studio di esse – cose come
l’equilibrio, sequenze di movimenti, ritmo, la propriocezione,
il senso estetico e la coordinazione dinamica – sembra che
siano le cose sulle quali vogliono lavorare le persone con il
Parkinsons per mantenere un senso di sicurezza e grazia nei
movimenti. Anche se partecipanti di tutto il mondo ci dicono
che trovano alcuni elementi della classe terapeutici, lo scopo
principale del nostro programma è che le persone apprezzino
la danza per quello che è in una situazione di gruppo – ed
esplorare una vasta gamma di possibilità siche, artistiche e
creative che gli si presentano.”
Con la sua guida esperta ci ha illustrato la malattia e cosa
comporta, e come fare per guardare oltre per applicare quello
che abbiamo da offrire come insegnanti di danza a questi
“studenti speciali.” E sono davvero speciali.Vedere persone in varie fasi della malattia (da appena
percepibile a quasi completamente piegato in due), entrare
in sala con i loro compagni/aiutanti con vari livelli di
difcoltà compreso le sedie a rotelle, e guardarli mentre si
sviluppa la lezione dal centro alla sbarra e poi da un lato
della sala all’altra era a dir poco – incredibile. L’esperienza più
motivante, toccante e commovente della mia vita – e come
insegnante di danza ha aperto nuovi orizzonti.
La lezione è un’esperienza artistica che usa gli elementi
della narrativa, immagini gurative, musica dal vivo e lavoro
di gruppo per sviluppare il lato artistico e la grazia mentre si
affrontano problemi specici del Morbo di Parkinson come
l’equilibrio, la essibilità, la coordinazione, l’isolamento e la
depressione.
Nella discussione dopo la classe con alcuni studenti che
hanno offerto di darci feedback sono usciti commenti come
“Durante la lezione mi dimentico del Parkinsons” e “Quil’enfasi è su quello che riusciamo a fare, non su quello che
NON riusciamo a fare.”
Adesso che ho portato a casa in Italia questa nuova
esperienza, insieme alla mia collega Andrea Ingram speriamo
di diffondere la conoscenza e promuovere lezioni dove spicca
il detto “Danza è vita.”
Dance for PD®: cos’è?
Dance for PD ® offre corsi di danza per persone affette
dal morbo di Parkinson a Brooklyn, New York e attraverso
una rete di partners e collaboratori, in più di 75 comunità
di tutto il mondo. Nato dalla collaborazione non-prot
tra il Mark Morris Dance Group e il Brooklyn Parkinson
Group, il programma Dance for PD ® si occupa anche della
formazione degli insegnanti e di stabilire rapporti con altreorganizzazioni di modo che classi sullo stesso modello siano
sempre più ampiamente disponibili. Per saperne di più:
http://danceforparkinsons.org.
“La lezione è un’esperienzaartistica che usa gli elementidella narrativa, immagini
gurative, musica dal vivoe lavoro di gruppo persviluppare il lato artistico e lagrazia”
a M b e r S t a r M e r k e n S
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DANCE FEATURES
A Story of Renewal Through Dance
Pam Eddleson meets an inspiring young
dancer in Canada
It never ceases to intrigue me how diverse is
the use of our lovely Modern Theatre Dance
syllabus. On a recent examination tour to a
small town in the beautiful Kawartha Lakes
district in Ontario, Canada, I came across this
story of hope and spirit of Steve Buckingham,
a young man who had lost his right arm in a
road accident.Exercise is essential to rehabilitation, but
to be able to dance with expression, music
and style gives so much more. It heals the
soul as well as the body. I asked his dance
teacher, Lindsay Storms, if she and Steve
would pen a few lines to share with our
members globally. Here is their story.
“Over the past several years I have struggled
with co-ordination and above all with
balance. Before starting to dance, it was fairly
hard for me to walk upstairs without having
to maintain a tight grip on the railing, for fear
of falling. I decided that something needed tobe done and so I joined a dance class.
I immediately began to see improvements
in my balance, mood and health. Lindsay
has given me the key components of my life
back through the art of dance. Now, after
ve or six months, my physical, mental and
emotional life has nally returned to where
it was prior to my car accident. By having
dance in my life, I now nd something
to look forward to in my week! If it were
not for dance and for the motivation and
encouragement of Lindsay, I may still be
faced with past challenges.”
Steve Buckingham
“Working with Steve has been a wonderful
and rewarding experience for me on
both a personal and professional level.
Approximately one year ago, I was rst
approached by his occupational therapist,
Anne Kennedy, who was looking for a fun and
exciting form of therapy for a young man
who had had an arm amputated due to a car
accident. I agreed immediately to take him
on. I was very excited to open the door to
the wonderful world of dance for someone
new and I was also very nervous; would I be
able to provide for him what he needed, both
physically and psychologically?Since Steve lost his right and dominant
arm, in the beginning months our focus
was to strengthen and retrain his left side to
become his dominant side, using exercises
that would incorporate rolling and falling
to the left. In class we spent a lot of time on
core work, borrowing from syllabus exercises
to improve balance and stability. Some
exercises Steve had begun at the barre and
he has since gained the condence and the
strength to let go and perform in the centre.
Steve has really come a long way in a short
time with regards to control, stability and
co-ordination and this is largely due to his
determination and to his positive “can-do”
attitude. We are now able to shift our focus to
more complex movement and to patterning.
He has certainly taught this dance teacher
about the resilience of the human spirit, andis an inspiration to those around him.”
Lindsay Storms
Steve executing the Boys’ Knee
Drop exercise
“Exercise is essential
to rehabilitation, butto be able to dancewith expression,music and style givesso much more”
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The Fluidity of Dance
Photographer Robin Conway
discusses how he captures
dancers underwater to create hisstunning images
DANCE FEATURES
38 issue no. 462
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DANCE FEATURES
The art of underwater photography
has certainly evolved since 1856 when
Englishman William Thompson
lowered his housed plate camera to the
seabed in Weymouth Bay to take the rst
known underwater pictures. With a range
of specialist equipment now available, the
subject matter tends to consist mainly of
the natural world, sea life and underwater
landscapes, although some photographers
take a more artistic approach.
Underwater photographer Robin Conwayhas undertaken a number of shoots with
dancers. He was inspired to pursue this
artistic direction after meeting Ksenia
Ovsyanick and seeing her perform with the
English National Ballet. Following his initial
collaboration with Ksenia, he has also worked
with other dancers from the ENB, including
Ruth Brill, Barry Drummond, Anton Lukovkin
and Laurretta Summerscales.
Robin discusses the art of underwater
photography and why dancers make
such great subjects
In my work the subject is submerged in an
environment, which is ever changing andin a constant state of ux. The subject is
consumed by the underwater environment,
which means they cannot stay submerged for
great amounts of time. All the senses of the
photographer and the subject are numbed
and, through this, the subject experiences
a feeling of timelessness within the short
amount of time they are submerged as well
as a connection with the environment itself.
Historically, the body has always
fascinated artists. Equally, artists have
always been inuenced by the elements,
water being one of the most inuential.
While the underwater environment has
been used for the purposes of documentaryor as a backdrop within the context of
commercial development, few artists,
except within their imagination, have
literally ventured under water. While there
are practicing photographers working
underwater in the commercial sector, there
are few artists working within this particular
genre.
By looking at the way the body responds
to the challenge of being taken out of
context of its natural environment, my
intention is to dene the genre within the
context of art practice.
My interest in observing body movement
in water began 10 years ago through aninterest in scuba diving. Consequently I
spent many hours watching the human
form engage with water as an environment
while undertaking photo shoots.
“I found the experience of the
underwater shoot amazing! It was very
hard to get across the position I wanted to
make as the water is so strong. It made me
understand my body more and to really
use my muscles to get what I want. Then on
“I found theexperience
of theunderwatershootamazing! Itwas very hard
to get acrossthe positionI wanted tomake as thewater is so
strong”Below: Ksenia Ovsyanick
Opposite: Laurretta Summerscales
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DANCE FEATURES
top of that you have to look calm and make
sure your hair isn’t in your face! It was very
challenging but I enjoyed it so much,” said
Laurretta Summerscales.
In developing my art practice, I have
connected with my lifelong interest in dance
by particularly seeking out dancers as asubject because they are dened through
their rigorous and relentless training in
perfecting their art form. Dancers have
a heightened spatial awareness which
is challenged by this particular unique
environment culminating in achieving
perfection within the nal image. By
photographing dancers who have the grace
and freedom of expression in movement
and placing them in an environment that
enhances yet hinders their art practice,
the nal result culminates in a unique
collaboration with breathtaking results.
The lens captures the individuality of
each subject as they overcome and conquerthe power of the environment in which
they perform. I hope that my art work will
inspire the viewer by celebrating the grace,
vulnerability and resilience of the human
body whilst celebrating the art form of dance.
“It was great and a very interesting
experience. It took me a certain time to
be comfortable under water, but I reallyenjoyed exploring. The body feels very
different in the water. It is much lighter
and very hard to control (which being a
Ballet dancer I am not used to at all). From
trying to hold a certain position, I had to
keep moving, even start almost dancing,
trying to make every shape suitable for a
photograph,” said Ksenia Ovsyanick.
The dancers also gain a unique professional
development experience, enriching their
technical skills and building their physical
capabilities. The dancers that I have
collaborated with to date have observed how
the experience of adapting and performingBallet under water is providing them with a
new approach to technical training and body
conditioning, helping to build their physical
precision and stamina.
For me, dance is by far the truest artistic
form of expression and one where the dancer
is the embodiment of the art form. I alsobelieve that the nature of the underwater
environment and the grace of Ballet dancers
go hand-in-hand to create and evolve into
something truly magical.
Robin Conway
“The bodyfeels verydifferent inthe water. It ismuch lighterand very hardto control(which being a
ballet dancer I
am not used toat all)”
a l l P h o t o S r o b i n C o n w a y
robin Conway is an independen poogape, wi
specialis expeience and inees in undewae
poogapy and moving image wo. having
compleed a Poogapy and M in Fine s a
Cambewell College, Univesiy of e s, e as been
developing is pacice fo ove eig yeas, exploing
e aisic poenial of capuing bodies in e
undewae envionmen, oug e use of e laes
ecnology in undewae poogapy, in collaboaion
wi dances.robin is een o wo wi all genes wiin dance
and coeogapes o ceae a new body of wo using
sills and moving image. Visi www.obinconway.co.u
fo moe images and infomaion abou is wo.
a l l P h o t o S r o b i n C o n w a y
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issue no. 462 41
DANCE FEATURES
Have you ever wondered howeveryday situations could be
transformed by a little bit of dance
creativity? Photographer Jordan Matter has
taken the ordinary and made it extraordinary,
with Dancers Among Us, a project that
documents dancers leaping, spinning, lifting
and kicking – in the midst of daily life,
whether on the beach, at a construction site,
in a library, at a restaurant, or in a park.
Amazingly, no trampolines or wires were
used in the taking of the photographs and
the dancers’ poses have not been digitally
enhanced or altered.
A portrait photographer, Jordan started
his Dancers Among Us project by asking amember of the Paul Taylor Dance Company,
based in New York, to pose for him in a place
where dance is unexpected. So, dressed in
a commuter’s suit and tie, the dancer ew
across a Times Square subway platform. And
in that image Jordan found what he’d beensearching for: a way to express the feeling
of being fully alive in the moment, unself-
conscious, present.
Dancers Among Us
How photographer Jordan
Matter creates a celebration
of joy in the everyday
© Photographs by Jordan Matter.
Extracted from Dancers Among Us: A
Celebration of Joy in the Everyday by
Jordan Matter (Workman, £12.99).
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Organised around themes of dreaming,
loving, playing, exploring, grieving, working
and living Dancers Among Us celebrates life
in a way that’s fresh, surprising, original and
universal.
They might inspire you to dance in
unusual places, try a new style, or just put a
smile on your face, but the photos in Dancers
Among Us will certainly make you think of
your surroundings in a new way.
Visit www.dancersamongus.com to see
more of Jordan’s images and see page 9 fordetails on how to win a copy of Dancers
Among Us!
Sarah Clarke
“The photos in Dancers Among Us
will certainly make you think of yoursurroundings in a new way”
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issue no. 462 43
DANCE FEATURES
A
nyone who creates something original – whether it
be a painting, a literary work, a piece of music or a
choreographic work – quite naturally expects to beidentied as the author of the work and to be compensated
for his or her creativity.
So it is with choreography, which can be dened as ‘the
composition and arrangement of dance movements intended
to be accompanied by music’. Dance and mime are protected
as dramatic works; those that have movement, a storyline or
action.
Choreography has been protected by UK copyright law
since 1911 (although, surprisingly, protection in the USA
only began in 1976). This meant that the composers, Rogers
and Hammerstein, received substantial payment for their
1943 musical and literary copyrights in Oklahoma! but that
Agnes de Mille received no ongoing royalty payments for her
choreography.
The UK Copyright Act, 1988 gives the owner of thecopyright in a work certain rights in relation to it, including
the right to make copies of the work and to broadcast and
adapt it. If the copyright owner does not wish to directly
exercise one or more of these rights he or she may
permit others to do so in return for either a royaltyor a one-off (‘buy-out’) payment.
Who is the author of a work and, therefore, the
rst owner is not always straightforward. If one person
alone creates a work then he or she is clearly the sole author.
But where people collaborate they may be co-authors. So
choreographers who work with dancers to develop a dance
routine or Ballet should come to a clear understanding in
advance as to who owns the copyright.
There is no such thing as ‘copyright in an idea’. So if a
number of photographers each take a similar photograph or
if different individuals independently produce recordings
which are similar, then a separate copyright will subsist in
each of those photographs or recordings. They have not
‘copied’ each other. This principle is also important in dance;
anyone seeking copyright law protection will have to show
that his or her choreography is more than just an ‘idea’.
For a choreographic work to be entitled to copyright
protection, it needs to be ‘xed’ or recorded in some
permanent form. It will not be protected if it is merely
publicly performed. To x a set of lyrics or a piece of music
is relatively straightforward; they can be written down orrecorded and thereby xed.
Not so with a series of performance movements.
Historically, the difculty in xing dance in a permanent
Making the Right Moves – Choreographyand Copyright
Media Lawyer Irving David, a partner at DWFM Beckman
Solicitors, explains about copyright and choreography
“For a choreographic workto be entitled to copyrightprotection, it needs to be‘xed’ or recorded in somepermanent form”
P i e r l U i g i a b b o n d a n z
a
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44 issue no. 462
DANCE FEATURES
form has led to choreography being marginalised in
copyright law. The lack, until recently, of an accessible and
reliable system of dance notation has made it difcult for
some choreographers to protect their copyrights.
Fortunately, the law now permits dance to be recorded in
‘writing or otherwise’. Video cameras have made it a lot easier
for choreographers to x their works and other methods
of xation now include notation, pictorial or narrative
description, lm or videotape and even computer animation.
These can all be used by a choreographer to protect or enforce
his or her copyright.
Provided that choreography is original, is capable of physical performance, and can be xed, it will be protected as
a dramatic work from the date of xation until 70 years after
the death of the choreographer; or if there are co-authors,
then until 70 years after the death of the last survivor.
In the case of a stage musical, the choreography will
usually only be one of many copyrights involved; there will
be musical copyrights, a dramatic copyright in any ‘book’ or
script, and artistic copyrights in the sets and costumes.
There will also be a separate copyright in any lm, audio-
visual recording or broadcast made of a dance or Ballet so a
lmmaker or TV producer will need permission from all the
copyright owners, including the owner of the choreography,
before he or she can exploit the lm or recording.
Irving David
Please note that ISTD teachers may use ISTD syllabus
exercises as part of their ISTD teaching, although the work
remains copyright of the ISTD.
FM ecman offes expe legal advice fo all involved in dance. ving
avid as advised Scois alle and e iis alle ganizaion; is a
boad membe of e inenaionally-acclaimed cesa of e Swan; a
full voing membe of Ft, e iis cademy of Film and television
s; gives fequen Mase Classes fo e Music Manages Foum and
e Music Publises ssociaion; and conibues egulaly o vaious
ade publicaions suc as ance Uk ews on legal and commecial issues
elevan o music and dance. Fo moe infomaion on is opic, please
conac ving avid, Pane a FM ecman on 020 7872 0023 o email
We know that there are many people who liketo stay connected to the ISTD but may not be an
ISTD teacher or member. Now everyone has the
opportunity to enjoy DANCE magazine by becoming
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