http://www.griercooper.com Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:27:14 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The short answer is yes. Dancers do eat dessert. However, as anyone could already guess, all dancers have to watch their weight. Ballet costumes and leotards are merciless and dancers need to stay slender. So what is a dancer to do? It's fine to indulge in the occasional treat. The ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/09/08/do-dancers-eat-dessert/ The body is our vehicle for this lifetime, and it requires responsible care. The practice of yoga provides a formula to follow so that the body remains strong, flexible and energetic throughout the years. Each asana serves a purpose (or several), helping us retain flexibility and fluidity in the spine ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/09/07/yoga-is-a-lifetime-prescription-for-optimum-health/ Twyla Tharp, world-famous choreographer, in her book The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it For Life shares an important ingredient of her method in the following words: I begin each day of my life with a ritual... First steps are hard... It's vital to establish some rituals-automatic but decisive patterns ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/09/03/twyla-tharps-creative-secret/ In the middle of the hum of everyday routine, it's easy to forget why you're doing what you're doing. Most of us have a never-ending list of have-to's or shoulds, and before you know it, you're on autopilot. The danger with this is that the original passionate impulse gets buried. ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/08/30/remember-why-youre-doing-what-youre-doing/ Discipline is a huge part of every dancer’s success. One dictionary definition states that discipline is orderly, prescribed conduct, or an orderly pattern of behavior. It’s what's known as self-control. Most things we do demand that we utilize self-control in our active, diligent participation. Work, school, even recreational pursuits move ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/08/25/use-discipline-to-succeed-in-everything-you-do/ There are days when every dancer needs a little helpful advice. There are other days when it's very difficult to keep your chin up. Advice and support are within reach, in Put Your Best Foot Forward, an inspirational book written by one of the master teachers of the School of ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/08/23/443/ There is something about the didgeridoo that makes my limbs itch to move. Add soulful lyrics and a well-choreographed melody, and you've got music to move to. Tina Malia's voice is rich amber honey, velvet seduction, otherworldly divinity. The first time I heard her music, I was laying in the ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/08/17/voice-of-an-angel/ If you feel sad, keep moving your feet. If you feel happy, keep moving your feet. Even if you feel tired, keep moving your feet. That is where the transformation occurs. Dance becomes both a meditation and a sanctuary. There was one day where I felt such an incredible level of ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/07/28/movement-therapy/ Author: Marilyn Nelson illustrator: Susan Kuklin Title: Beautiful Ballerina Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2009 Ages: 4-8 ISBN: 9780545089203 Written by Newberry Honor winner Marilyn Nelson, Beautiful Ballerina is a visual and lyrical celebration of ballerinas. Every page of Nelson's flowing poetry is accompanied by bright, colorful photographs of young ballerinas from the Dance Theater of Harlem's ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/07/26/beautiful-ballerina/ Life is a dynamic process. Things move and change constantly, and we do the same. Every so often along the way we are bound to trip up and make... a mistake. For some, the thought of making a mistake brings up a lot of fear: fear of looking bad or ... http://www.griercooper.com/2010/07/22/are-mistakes-a-good-thing/