Archive for magazine
July 10, 2008 at 9:29 pm · Filed under dance, magazine, magazines, dance photography, MADISON, cpyb, sanf francisco ballet, dance spirit, madison keesler
Hello again everyone!
First I just wanted to thank everyone for the many congratulations about Hamburg. As the time comes closer it is becoming more and more real, I don’t think it will fully hit me until I actually arrive though.
Ok now for the main reason of this post…..
A couple of months ago I was contacted by Dance Spirit Magazine and was informed that I was a finalist in their Cover Model Search contest. I would have to leave San Francisco for a week and go to NYC with the other contestants where we would stay in a hotel, take classes at STEPS and Broadway Dance Center, have a professional photo shoot, see some shows, and have fun. Once I got the OK from my artistic director it was not a hard decision to go. The entire trip was a really good experience. I also learned that if I ever need photos Eduardo Patino is the man to go to. He is an incredible photographer and I loved working with him. It was really great to make the connection with not only Dance Spirit but the other contestants as well. Amanda was a tapper, and Lee does contemporary dance. They are both wonderful people and very talented in their field of dance, as well as other styles, so I knew that I had some tough competition. Even though the entire trip was technically for a competition there was nothing competative about it. We were all supportive of each other and appreciated what the others could do so it was a very relaxed atmosphere which made the trip much more enjoyable.
The magazine finally came out this past month (the July/August edition) and it was exhilarating to see it all put together. If you wanted to check out the magazine i know you can find Dance Spirit at book stores sometimes. Otherwise you can check out the website at www.dancespirit.com/cms . Here you will be able to see videos and a little information about all of us who are up for the cover. After you look at everything you can vote as many times as you want for your favorite.
Recent Posts by Madison Keesler
October 22, 2007 at 9:03 pm · Filed under dance, media, magazine, school, TAYLOR, college, dance spirit
After the September issue of Dance Spirit Magazine came out, focused largely on balancing college with a dance career, I thought it necessary to share my side of the story. Today there is so much of a pressure on young dancers graduating from high school: do we follow our dream and attempt to make a career from ballet, or do we follow a more conventional path to college, perhaps setting a dance career to the side or deferring it to a later date.
When I was at this point in my life (not long ago), nobody told me it was possible to have both. I had to find that out on my own the hard way. It’s been worth the effort, though, and I decided to share my story with the editors at Dance Spirit Magazine.
They printed a portion of my letter in the new November issue of the magazine. Buy it and turn to page 38…I’m there!
The part about Ajkun Ballet Theater is no longer valid (it was the plan at the time I wrote this, though), but many other things have taken the place of that (internship at Quick & Simple, Nutcracker with the company in CT…).
Anyways, I thought I’d share that. I’m off to do lots of work for midterms this week….
Recent Posts by taylor gordon
October 15, 2007 at 4:15 am · Filed under dance, rehearsal, Nutcracker, magazine, TAYLOR
I don’t know how things can get increasingly busy week to week. When I think I can’t possible add something else to my schedule I end up squeezing in a ton more things! Ahh. Anyways…
As a follow-up to my last post I should mention that my performance at New Dance Group went well and received a nice audience response, and my dropping the position as trainee with Ajkun Ballet Theater hasn’t caused any significant consequences to date.
Nutcracker rehearsals are going quite well. The way we work in these rehearsals is very different from any way I’ve worked in the past. The director goes through steps extremely meticulously, explaining each detail thoroughly where many people would simply ignore or overlook. It takes a long time to finally get through a sequence, but once we do it’s all “cleaned up” right away. It’s an interesting method that I’m not used to but that I’m starting to really appreciate. It’s equally as challenging mentally as it is physically, which adds an interesting layer that, being an avid student, I like. It’s a very different frame of mind I have to get in.
It’s been a lot of work, and the long commute is rough, but overall I’m really looking forward to performing. Nutcracker is such a staple in my life…the one real tradition that remains constant each year. So many dancers can’t stand the sound of Nutcracker music, but for me it brings back sooo many memories and childhood dreams. Ah how I love to reminisce…
Besides that I’ve been doing a lot of work for school since midterms are fast approaching. Because it’s my last semester (!) I have to write a long senior thesis. As a Communications major, our basic assignment for the thesis is to discuss some aspect of new media and communication and the future. Being an aspiring dance critic, I am focusing on how dance journalism/criticism/writing is largely making a shift from print to online media. I’m specifically discussing how blogs are now becoming an integral part of the discourse on dance and the benefits of that. If anyone has any thoughts on that I’d love to hear them so I can consider them in my paper!
Anyway, the other half of my life has been busy as well. I’ve now been at my internship in the Home Editorial department of Quick and Simple Magazine for a little over a week and I’m really enjoying it. My 2 bosses are super nice, and I get my own little desk in the intern cubicle. Similar to when I interned at Pointe Magazine, I get to work pretty much independently and at my own pace, which I love love love. At another previous internship it was more of a collaborative environment, which definitely had its plusses, but I had to wait to find out my next task minute to minute. The way I work now, I can get much more done and have more creative freedom.
To that effect, the other day I got to start researching for the first story I’ll be helping with. Though it’s a weekly magazine, they work really far ahead in order to get issues out on time, so we’re working on the Jan. 1 issue right now. Because it’s the home and crafts section I really get to think outside the box. Good stuff.
Getting to know the magazine is a really interesting process and it’s kind of fun to be in an office environment (how much of a dork am I?). 180 degrees the opposite of a ballet studio environment, I like that it totally takes my mind off class and technique for a bit.
Ballet used to be my mental escape from homework, but now work seems to be my mental escape from ballet!
Recent Posts by taylor gordon
March 16, 2007 at 7:43 pm · Filed under SLOAN, dancers, pdf, magazine, interviews, life, careers
Posted by Sloan
Thought you might find this interesting… because I did.
It’s a PDF supplement to Dance Magazine, which can be found on their website, that is a collection of articles on dancers and what they’ve done as their second careers.
The clip above is from an article about Damian Woetzel by Emily Coates. (Click Emily’s name for a really interesting interview of her by Finis Jung)
Recent Posts by kristin sloan
