New trends in training male dancers€¦ · dancers, and we push for that as teachers.” With the advent of pyrotechnical feats that male dancers toss off in bushels these days,

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Balanchine said “Ballet is woman,” but that opinion hasn’tdeterred men from pursuing their passion for dance training.Dance programs at the preprofessional and university levelshave ramped up their curricula in response to current expecta-tions for greater male prowess. Male students are hungry fortraining that meets their needs, so what are some new solutionsfor their development?

At schools across the country, men are benefiting from theirown separate technique classes, as teachers tailor these courses tothe current generation of students. In all-male settings, men canfocus on technical skills that often get overlooked in co-ed classes,like beats, turns, double tour en l’air, or advanced steps likerevoltades and barrel turns. “Just throwing in an entrechat sixcombination or à la seconde turns at the end of a class withoutreally teaching them is not development,” says Ethan Stiefel,American Ballet Theatre star and dean of the school of dance atthe University of North Carolina School of the Arts. “That’s justsink or swim. They need more nurturing than that.”

At UNCSA, boys from around age 14 attend four men’stechnique classes per week. Stiefel leads a men’s ballet classnicknamed the Stiefel Squadron and has also instituted a classcalled Men’s Training Camp. “This is not simply getting betterthrough repetition in the studio, which is the traditionalmethod,” says Stiefel. “We can focus on a male variation, or wecan go outside and do obstacle courses, run stairs, or play flagfootball.” Stiefel’s experience recovering from multiple kneesurgeries introduced him to plyometrics, a regimen used byprofessional athletes. This approach uses rapid muscle contrac-tion to improve speed, strength, and motor response throughexercises like quickly jumping on and off a box. Stiefel has

observed that a free-style environment encourages an open, cre-ative dialogue among the men.

Peter Boal, director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and thePNB School, has also experimented with unconventional teach-ing methods. In co-ed classes, he’s noticed differing areas offocus between young men and women. “During a 45-minutebarre, the boys seem to wander off a bit, while the girls aremore focused,” he says. “But when you get to larger, more full-bodied physical movement, the boys are amazing and theirattention is fully there.” In all-male classes, teachers can struc-ture the lesson differently to engage men’s attention from startto finish. “One time we brought a mini trampoline into the stu-dio to work on entrechats,” Boal says. “The boys were so excited, it was as if had we had turned on the TV.”

At the University of Minnesota, theatre arts and dance chairCarl Flink started a popular men’s modern dance class, whichwelcomed all levels. “It was aligned with the Montessorimodel,” says Flink, “where people at different stages of traininghave things to share with each other. A trained dancer has a lotof technical information, whereas the new male dancer is oftena reminder of the physical mover—the raw animal.” In a typicalclass, athletic floor work, like push-ups, segued into improvisa-tions based on walking and running, lifting each other, andjumping through space. Flink thinks that the attitude of givingmen permission to be men produced a buzz around campus.The class (now on hiatus as the department restructures its cur-riculum) started with five male students in 2001 and more thantripled that by 2007.

Over time, male dancers have gained more technical breadth,and current training methods need to reflect that. When Boal was

Men at WorkNew trends in training male dancers

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Jorge Esquivelworks with astudent in hismen’s class atSFB School.

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younger, he remembers, men weren’trequired to extend their legs more thanabout 90 degrees. “Now men are expectedto have as much flexibility as women andlift their legs as high,” he says. “The wholeconcept of stretching is essential for maledancers, and we push for that as teachers.”With the advent of pyrotechnical feats thatmale dancers toss off in bushels thesedays, Stiefel emphasizes doing those gym-nastic elements without straining. “Peopleget very caught up in numbers,” he says,“but clean never goes out of style.”

Strength training, including guidedweight training to augment pas de deuxwork, is now part of the regimen at manyschools, including UNCSA and SAB. Atthe San Francisco Ballet School, JorgeEsquivel requires boys to do 32 push-upsin his daily men’s class—an even coda-style number. Flink organized similiarathletic activities. For two years he tookhis students to a boxing gym directed bya female boxer, who would lead them in aworkout with punching pads. “Youcould see the impact on them through atask-driven physicality,” Flink says.

To create a men’s class, you needenough bodies in a classroom, andattracting boys to a dance programrequires some creative thinking. PNB’sDanceChance recruits and provides freetuition for students from 27 schools, inwhich a high percentage of studentsreceive free or reduced-price lunches, inthe greater Seattle area. More than athird of the 96 boys currently in thePNB school came from the Dance-Chance program. The boys, says Boal,seem to stick with it more than the girls.“Once boys cross that threshold of say-ing ‘I am a boy and I am a ballet dancer,’they have nothing to lose,” he says.“They fall in love with it.” At theUniversity of Minnesota, students canearn either a BFA or BA in dance. ManyBAs choose to double major, an optionthat can attract men who have foundtheir way to dance but are wrestling withcareer choices. And Stiefel at UNCSAhopes his star power will bring more tal-ented men into the program.

When it comes to encouraging men toto commit to a career in dance, oradvance their training, one word comes tomind: Bravissimo.

Joseph Carman is a contributing editor toDance Magazine.

B Y F R E N C H C L E M E N T S

For full versatility as a dancer, a strongupper body is key. When a teacher orchoreographer throws you a high-impactlift, sustained handstand, or swoopinginversion, you need to be prepared withenough power and stability to getthrough it. While hitting the weightmachines at the gym is one way to getstronger, improper training can causemuscle tears and that dreaded “bulkingup,” which decreases mobility and dis-rupts your long line. Rocky Bornstein, aphysical therapist at Westside DancePhysical Therapy in NYC, says there areplenty of ways to build the strength youneed without bulk. Here are some tipsfor working toward a stronger upperbody and effectively using what youalready have.

� Do include push-ups in yourregular warm-up. If the traditional kindis tough at first, start by doing just a fewwith your weight on bent knees, thenadd more each day. Fabio Tavares, whoperforms with the highly athletic

STREB, takes a more advancedapproach, keeping the legs extended,upper arms parallel to the spine, andelbows just below his torso throughout.On the way up, he says, “It helps tothink about pushing down into my handsinstead of pushing up into nowhere.”

Whatever style you choose, remember tomaintain a long, straight back, keepingyour head in line with the spine to avoidstraining the neck.

� Do build strength and length at thesame time. Long muscles tend to bestronger, less bulky, and less easilystrained. For long, strong triceps, trythis exercise: Holding a 3–10-lb. weightin your right hand, raise your right armbehind your neck with your elbowsharply bent, as if to scratch the back ofthe left shoulder. Keeping your upperarm in place, straighten the elbow (beingsure not to lock it), then lower slowlyand evenly down. Do 10–20 reps oneach side. If that feels like a cinch, domore reps with the same amount ofweight, which increases tone withoutincreasing bulk.

� Do spend some time at the poolthis summer. Former ABT dancerCharles Maple, who directs the MapleConservatory of Dance in Irvine, CA,and works closely with assistantdirector Chris Martin on conditioning,

suggests swimming as one of the safestand most effective ways to bothstrengthen and lengthen the upperbody. It’s also a great way to stay inshape over summer vacation. Duringthe winter months, find an indoor poolin your neighborhood or at school, and

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Strengthening Your Upper Body

Do: Include push-ups in yourregular warm-up.

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add a few laps to your weekly cross-training routine.

� Do think about how, not just howmuch. Even if your muscles aren’t hardas steel, you can still use the strengthyou have to your best advantage. Forinstance, when lifting another dancer,remember that every lift has two parts,the up and the down. For each, keepyour partner’s weight close to yourcenter, absorbing the lift with yourentire body.

� Don’tmistake overusingyour upper body for making it stronger.Excess tension only makes things harder.Tavares says that for especiallychallenging moments onstage (or highabove it), he asks himself, “Can I breathehere? Is there anything I could relax atthis moment that would make my life alittle easier?”

� Don’t play the superhero! If you’reone of only a few guys in a partneringclass with 20 girls, make sure you’re notbeing overworked, and talk with yourteacher if you feel you are.

� Don’t force your shoulders downwhen working at the barre. Manydancers, says Bornstein, do this toachieve more height or a longer neck. Butit puts undue strain on the pectorals andlats—the broad, winglike musclesrunning from the spine to underneath thearmpits—causing fatigue and tightness inthe upper body. (If you actually want toget “taller,” imagine broadening the spacebetween the shoulder blades. Or, asMaple tells his dancers, think of reachingyour arms down and then out beforeraising them into second position oroverhead.)

� Don’t assume you’re weak justbecause you can’t do a lift or tricky stepright away. Young dancers must realizethe power of coordination, says Tavares,integrating all parts of the body formaximum strength. “If you learn how touse your arms and legs together, you’llget much stronger. You won’t need towork so hard.”

French Clements is a writer and balletteacher based in Cambridge, MA.

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health

tap dancer and athletic trainer forCirque du Soleil’s KOOZA. The con-stant pounding of the foot and ankle, thetype of footwear and poor technique areall factors that can contribute to anklesprains. Be aware of sharp pain, notice-able swelling and difficulty continuingactivity. Advise students to take the sameprecautions as with any muscle injury.Some treatments may call for crutches,stabilizing braces and professionalmedical assistance. Take extra time forankle-strengthening exercises, and payspecial attention to body alignment,especially when the student is wearingheeled tap shoes.

Stress FracturesTappers are prone to metatarsal stressfractures, because they jump, pound andstomp their feet in shoes that lack shockabsorption. “At first, the muscles absorbthe vibration of the floor, then thebones,” says Richardson. “Wear andtear of that nature can give tappers stressfractures.” These fractures can be trickyto spot, but if a student complains ofconstant pain that doesn’t go away andworsens with weight-bearing activities,look for swelling and point tenderness asa sure indicator. Sometimes these injuriesare better diagnosed with an X-ray orMRI. Rest, ice and NSAIDs will helpease the pain, but a walking boot withcrutches may be needed, depending on severity.

Ingrown ToenailsTight or poorly fitted shoes that allowthe foot to slip and slide can causeingrown toenails (as will toenails thatare too long). Along with discomfort,tappers might notice redness and swellingaround the affected area, typically in thebig toe. Soak feet in a tub of warm,salty water two to three times per dayand pad the toe for relief. Have studentssee a doctor if there is an infection.Keeping toenails trimmed and wearingthe right shoes (or at least padding) canalleviate the pressure. DT

Nina Amir is currently writing a bookabout mentoring boys who want tobecome professional dancers.

www.dance-teacher.com • May 200966

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New trends in training male dancers€¦ · dancers, and we push for that as teachers.” With the advent of pyrotechnical feats that male dancers toss off in bushels these days,