From the Faculty of Mill Ballet School:

The Importance of Training in Different Dance Styles

The diversification of dance styles in any dancer’s training can only make a young dancer stronger, both mentally & physically. The addition of any dance style other than ballet is recommended! Tap for a young dancer can help them immensely with their sense of rhythm & musicality. Contemporary can help one to better understand transitions between movements & how to connect with one self & others. Jazz & hip hop can help one develop their sense of style & enhance performance quality. In addition, life skills such as commitment, punctuality, & preparedness are also embedded within any dance class!

Exploring other dance styles allows dancers to grow deeper in their understanding & appreciation of the abilities & capabilities of their own body & it creates a more balanced and versatile dancer!

Alumni News

Danny Rocha, Mill Ballet Alumni, current dancer & teaching artist with Roxey Ballet traveled to Berlin, Germany to participate in the b12 Summer Workshop. Read about his experience below!

"If I could describe the b12 Summer workshop in a phrase, it would probably read something like this: An eclectic month-long convention of movement craftspeople from the four corners of the Earth, occupying an expansive oasis of grand dance studios among trees, foxes, dragonflies, and cascading sunbeams.

At least, that was my experience at the Dock 11 Eden Studios in Pankow, Berlin. Choreographers and dancemakers from countries on nearly all continents curating and participating in workshops from 9 AM until 10 PM, with events discussions, and performances taking place after long, hot days in the studios.

I took part in a 10-day-long research workshop, headed by Maria Campos and Guy Nader, experts in the mechanical principles of generating movement with multiple bodies, creating surprising and efficient partnered motion with atypical suspensions and counter-balances. Their company, GN|MC in Barcelona, Spain, travels abroad frequently to teach and share these principles of movement.

A few of the key ideas I've drawn out of their workshop, and meeting/dancing with endlessly diverse artists in Berlin, are to be available, bold, and generous. Available in my own body to new coordinations, and available for others to create and explore uncharted territory in art, and specifically in partnered movement. Bold in all said explorations, and bold to share discoveries with anyone to more deeply investigate what was thought to be impossible. Generous to give time and energy to other people's creative processes, to support learning as an individual, and as a group.

I am immensely grateful to have met such a lovely collective of dancers and dance-makers, and the memories and lessons from my time in this internationally connected city will last lifetimes."

Danny will be dancing with Roxey Ballet this season, teaching residencies & the Boys Dance class at Mill Ballet. The first day of the Boys Dance class is Saturday September 17th. If your child is interested in taking a trial class, please email Melissa at [email protected].

Click here to View the More Information About En Pointe Newsletter: August 18, 2022