Author: Tammy Rhoades-Baldwin

Tammy Rhoades-Baldwin
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Super Stars Interview Helping Kids with Special Needs

 

Today we share an interview with Colby Nielson, a dance teacher in Palmer, Alaska. His family has started a wonderful project using dance as a means to touch the hearts of people with special needs.

Q. How did the Super Stars Begin?

A. The Super Stars came from an idea when my mom, Michelle Deemer, and my sister, Shanelle Gangstad, went down to speak at a national special needs convention. While there they saw a singing group that was made up of people with special needs. They liked the idea so much that when they returned home they wanted to start a dance team with special needs, dance being big in our background. They rented a small 12×12 space and Shanelle began teaching a few of her friends from the special needs program at the high school, which she was heavily involved in. From those original 5 we have grown to 25.

Q. Other than building and space limitations, what are some other
challenges you have faced?

A. Some other challenges include not being able to increase price above $5
a class due to low budgets of our students, not being able to change the
time/day of the class due to our special needs students being very
strict on their schedules and not doing well with change. We have to
deal with providers being the ones who take them to class so getting to
talk to their gardians or parents is almost always through third party.
Trying to schedule performances is tough because they often have special
olympics activities on the weekends and again with the having to stick
to a same schedule all the time.

Continue reading “Super Stars Interview Helping Kids with Special Needs“

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Rond de Jambe a terre 3/4

Begin 5th position R foot front

1               Tendu R to side
2-3           Temp lié onto R (stay in fondu) and tendu L, port de bras away from barre
4               Temp lié to point tendu R, arms 2nd
5-8           Rond de Jambe en dehors 4 times finishing point tendu front on count 8
1               Close 5th position plié
2-3           Releve passé to developpé derrière
4               Close sous-sus back
5               Plie 5th position
6-7           Relevé passé inside leg to developpé derrière
8               Close sous-sus back
1               Tendu front in fondu on supporting leg
2-4           Straighten and rond de jambe en dehors 3 times
5               Finish lifting leg to 90° front (arm to 5th en haut)
6-7           Grand rond de jambe en dehors to arabesque
8               Close 5th position back
1-4            Grand port de bras forward with inside leg front in 5th position
5-8           Grand port de bras back with inverted arm
1-24         Repeat all en dedans
25-32      Grand circular port de bras in sous-sus and balance arms 5th en haut

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Bilateral Cheilectomy Facing the fallout from years of dancing en pointe

One thing I never imagined when I was dancing were the effects it would have on my body later in life. At the peak of my dancing career, my chiropractor said he hoped I could walk when I was forty. I laughed. But it stuck in my head. And here I am on the other side of 40 and I know if he could see me now he’d be singing, “I told you so!”

Dancing was a most glorious part of my life, although it was short-lived. I was healthy and took care of myself, and mostly dealt with sore muscles and fatigue. But while practicing a lift with my partner I somehow came down and landed on his shoulder. The lift was a hard one, because my sense of where I was in space was totally off. He threw me up so I was horizontal to the floor and then I was supposed to twist 2 or 3 times coming down. This was right before my graduate concert in which I was dancing three different roles, including a modern solo that involved a lot of jumping and crouching and rolling on the floor (I was a “sprite” or “elfish creature”). Another piece was choreography by my partner and had some corps dancers, and the last was the bedroom scene in Romeo and Juliet. This choreography was pretty contemporary and also involved some unusual lifts that made my ribs hurt on a good day!

We patched up my ribs with bandages that matched my skin and wrapped it around a few times. It was tight but I could still breathe. No one could see it under my costumes. Still, it was probably foolhardy to go on with the show, but as dancers do, we went on with the show! It was the last step before I graduated and left Arizona, and it had to be done. The show went fine but my ribs were sore for a long time after that. Continue reading “Bilateral Cheilectomy Facing the fallout from years of dancing en pointe“

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Center Adagio 3/4 or 4/4

Ballet Combination

Center Adagio Combination

5th position R foot front croisé
1-4          Developpé to ecarté devant R leg
5-8          Carry R leg to croisé  devant in fondu supporting leg and change arms
1              Step forward onto R leg croisé
2              Lift to attitude croisé  derrière
3-6          Promenade in attitude to straighten to 1st arabesque in fondu
7-8          Pas de bourrée to 5th position croisé  L foot front
1-3          Developpé front foot (L) to 1st arabesque on R
4              Fondu on supporting leg
5-6          Pas de bourrée to 4th position croisé  in plié
7-8          Pirouette en dehors to finish in attitude croisé  derrière
1-4          Promenade en dehors in attitude with both arms 5th en haut
5              Developpé back leg thru to relevé croisé  devant
6              Tombé onto R leg croisé  devant
7&8        Contretemps, chassé pas de bourrée to the right finishing L foot front 5th croisé
1-32       Repeat all from other side

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Rond de Jambe

Begin 1st position, preparation 1st port de bras

1              Fondu on supporting leg, lift working leg to cou de pied at front of ankle
                (arm 5th en bas, low)
2              Retiré to front of knee, straighten supporting leg (arm 5th en avant, in front)
3              Fondu on supporting leg, place working leg to cou de pied at back of ankle
4              Retiré to front of knee, straighten supporting leg
5              Fondu on supporting leg, place working leg to cou de pied at front of ankle
6              Point tendu front, supporting leg still bent in fondu
7-8          Straighten supporting leg, rond de jambe en dehors to point tendu back
                 (arm opens to 2nd)
 1-4          4 rond de jambe en dehors
5              Lift working leg to attitude front (arm to 5th en haut)
6-8          Grand rond de jambe en l’air with straight legs to 2nd, carry back
                (arm 2nd, then to arabesque)
1-4          4 rond de jambe en dehors at 45° (arm in 2nd)
5              Lift working leg to attitude front (arm to 5th en haut)
6-8          Grand rond de jambe en l‘air with straight legs to 2nd, carry back and
                close in 5th position back
1-24       Repeat all from back
1-8          Circular port de bras (forward, toward barre, back, and recover)
1-8          Reverse circular port de bras (back, to barre, forward, recover)

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Center Pirouette Waltz

Begin 5th position R foot front, en face

1-2          Tombé R, pas de bourrée to 4th position (en face) preparation plié
3-4          Pirouette en dehors to cou de pied devant in fondu
5              Relevé and extend R leg 45° side (arms 2nd)
&             Fondu on supporting leg and cou de pied R foot back
6&a        Pas de bourrée en tournant to 4th position croisé  – lunge prep for pirouette en dedans
7-8          Pirouette en dedans on R to finish L foot front 5th en face
1              Balancé to R
2              Balancé to L
3-4          Soutenu turn to R finish 5th position croisé R foot front
5              Tendu R croisé devant
6              Lower to 4th lunge prep for pirouette en dedans
7-8          Pirouette en dedans to finish L foot front en face
1-16         Repeat all to L