Link Archives - The Dapper Dancer

April 13, 2015

‘Mananayaw’ explores why men dance

I only just recently heard about Mananayaw (Tagalog for dancer), a Filipino documentary that focuses on four male ballet dancers associated with Ballet Philippines. I hope to get to see it someday! (And I’m especially interested as my ethnic heritage is Filipino, and I’m fascinated to see ballet in the homeland.)

Four danseurs, one passion: Zooming in on the narratives of four male dancers, who were produced by Ballet Philippines, one of the country’s top professional ballet companies, Mananayaw teases out the dance careers of four generations of Filipino male ballet dancers: Nonoy Froilan, JM Cordero, Biag Gaongen, and Victor Maguad.

Dance away your workplace stress

Karis Scarlette writes in the Guardian Women in Leadership blog that “classical ballet is coming to your workplace”:

The past couple of years has seen an influx of traditional ballet and ballet-based classes, squarely aimed at the busy office worker. It might not seem an obvious combination, but pure classical ballet technique is the ultimate antidote to a high pressured, stressful working environment.

I work from home and use a standing desk… so I get to dance all the time. And I can definitely attest to its stress-relieving properties. Even if you don’t have the space or freedom to do full-out ballet at your desk or office, definitely take the time periodically during the workday to get up and stretch. Great for body and mind!

(Though I do wish they hadn’t used a stock photo of pointe shoes for the post. Dancing en pointe is not necessarily a goal among many adult ballet dancers, and only then it comes after years of training, which seems like a distraction from the post’s pitching of ballet to the casual office-worker.)

April 2, 2015April 2, 2015

Ballet San Jose dancer spotlight: Joshua Seibel

Alexsandra Meijer and Joshua Seibel, Ballet San Jose. Photo by Quinn Wharton.

Ballet San Jose’s Joshua Seibel has some strong advice for young dancers: never let anyone tell you what you can’t do. Seibel should know. Years of ear trouble—and multiple surgeries—have left Seibel mostly deaf. ‘People probably don’t realize I should technically be wearing hearing aids,’ he says. But Seibel’s partial deafness hasn’t stopped him from dancing. This season, he was even promoted to soloist at Ballet San Jose.

High pointe: ballet-inspired menswear

I picked up the March 2015 issue of Details a while back for the ballet fashion spread including some of my favorite danseurs, and am remiss in sharing it only just now. Enjoy!

Calvin Royal III, American Ballet Theatre. Photo by Mark Seliger.

“This season, it wasn’t a stretch for designers to find inspiration in the dance world. The result is a fresh take on tees, tanks, and crisp white button-downs—layered or worn separately, with ultralight trousers—that truly raises the barre.”