From Blog Director Jill Randall:

 

I am thrilled to launch another monthly column for the Life as a Modern Dancer Blog. Whether you are a college student or a professional dancer, we all need to keep developing our writing skills.

 

I want us to tackle the common misconception that dancers only need to communicate with our bodies and through our work, not with words and writing. Yes, I first and foremost believe in our work as kinesthetic artists, but we do live in a verbal and digital world. Words and text will articulate to others what our work is about, who we are, and why people should be a part of what we are working on – whether that be on stage, at a studio, or in a workshop.

 

Dance artists will write a wide range of text throughout their careers, including:

Over the next twelve months, I will post a writing exercise that all of us can try. These exercises are for you to reflect on your work and articulate the what, why, and how. Find yourself a beautiful journal to write in or start a Google Doc to write on your computer. Use whatever works best for you.

 

I am excited to have dance scholar Simar Belmar join me for the Virtual Writers’ Workshop. Sima will be contributing writing exercises and bibliographic references throughout the year. Sima is a longtime friend and colleague of mine. Her writing on dance has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including the San Francisco Bay Guardian and Dance Magazine, and she will complete her PhD in Performance Studies at the University of California at Berkeley in May 2015. Sima's profile on the Life as a Modern Dancer Blog appeared in December 2012. Click here to read her profile.

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Think about a dance you are in right now, or a dance you are choreographing right now.

 

Purpose: This simple exercise helps dancers with describing movement and articulating ideas. Many grant applications – and text needed for websites – must be succinct. 

 

1. Brainstorm descriptors of this dance – images, actions, use of space, etc. What is the theme? Music? Dynamic qualities? Write for about 5 minutes in words and phrases.

 

2. Let's use some of these words you just brainstormed. In only 3 sentences, write a description of this dance for someone who is completely unfamiliar with the project. 

 

3. Now, distill your ideas down to only 2 sentences. 

 

4. Last, distill your words down to only 1 sentence.

 

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