My name is Alexis Tompkins and I am 17 years old. I attend Cesar Chavez Public Charter School and am now a rising senior. Some of my long-term goals are to study technology and go to school for athletic training. I want to own three gyms with a small recreational center incorporated for adolescents ages 10-18. In addition, I would like to achieve my bachelors, masters, and PHD degree.

Dance to me is a chance for everyone to express themselves. It’s a relief, a step out of reality, and a chance to find yourself from within. This is what I like most about dance. My time here as an intern has helped me grow more in life. I have learned several different aspects of life because of the many different genres of dance that Joy of Motion Dance Center offers. Working here has been a pleasure for me because it is a luxury to work in a nice diverse atmosphere. We have had the opportunity to help out with different shows, make tickets, file papers, and work with different Microsoft Office programs.

Creating our own outreach program was very interesting because I was able to see how far my mind could open up to build a program just for youth. It wasn’t easy, but it was fun to see how creative you can be knowing that it is also for a good cause. My outreach program is called A.I.T which stands for (Adolescents.In.Training.). The mission of this program is to engage the young kids and teens into sharing their ideas through dance. It is a chance for kids to express themselves. The vision for A.I.T is to see young kids and teens work hard to achieve different aspects of their life with dance.

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My name is Jade Wright. I am 16 years old and attend Cesar Chavez PCS. I am currently a junior in high school. My goal is to graduate high school and attend a four-year college to study secondary education. With that I will plan on becoming a math teacher. While in college I would like to join the dance team. I dance because I find it very relaxing. When I dance, I feel like I’m in a comfortable place. To me, dance is being able to connect and perform to the different beats and measures of music.

Interning at Joy of Motion Dance Center has been great. It has given me a chance to see what really goes on in the organization. I noticed that you work at your own pace. Not everyone in the organization does the same thing as the other person. During our first week, we got to see Step Afrika! practice at JOMDC Atlas. It was very interesting because of the different moves that were being used. I never knew that there were so many types of dancing. So far, we have helped file and organize papers, mail tickets, and uploaded documents into Google drive. These tasks made me realize that you really have to manage your time. Also you need to try to make a “To Do List” at the beginning of the week.

In addition, I was asked to create my own outreach program. The name of my program is D.A.B. which stands for “dream and believe.” This program is designed for people who really have a passion for dance and who one day believe they will attend college to continue their dream. This program would serve roughly 100 kids from the age of 14-15. It will give them an opportunity to receive a scholarship to any college of their choice if they stay in the program the whole four years. Overall my experience here at the Joy of Motion Dance Center has been good and it makes me want to come back to learn more new things.

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So mark your calendar for June 6th and consider donating to Joy of Motion Dance Center. All the proceeds will go to Project Motion, our community outreach program that brings free dance education to children, teens, and seniors of limited means. Our goal: 100 individual donations (of any size!) in 24 hours.

Speaking of numbers, here are 12 good reasons to back Project Motion during Do More 24:

1. 23 young dancers advanced their education thanks to $19,200 in assistance from our Dance is for Everyone Youth Scholarship program.
2. Motion Express brought free, creative dance classes to more than 240 students at nine DC public and charter schools.
3. Over 400 students experienced our interactive Motion Expressions winter concert (“The heART of Hip Hop”) and spring concert (“Dance Around the World”).
4. Our free Seniors in Motion program, offered at senior and recreation centers around the city, experienced a 20% increase in participation.
5. The second annual Seniors in Motion concert, performed by seniors and for seniors, played to a full house at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.
6. In response to demand, we are extending Seniors in Motion into the summer, with 10 extra weeks at Bernice Fonteneau and Congress Heights Senior Wellness Centers.
7. This summer, 50 DC high school students will report to Step Ahead, our free dance training and job skills program at the Atlas.
8. Participants of Step Ahead are compensated through the Summer Youth Employment Program, enabling them to develop employment experience as well.
9. This year, nearly half of our Step Ahead students will be returning to the program for a second (or third!) time.
10. Joy of Motion Dance Center was just selected for the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington, which recognizes the best small nonprofits in the DC region.
11. You have been energized and moved by a Joy of Motion Dance Center class, teacher, concert, or event.
12. You are looking to share that energy and enjoyment with someone in need.

Remember, we are aiming for the largest number of donations on June 6th. So whether you can give $12, $24, $48, or more, your gift will make a great difference to JOMDC — and make a difference through dance in our community.

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Amazing Friends, Great Director and Incredible Opportunities: Meg DiRuggiero

Soles of Steel perform part of their joint medley with Groove Elements. (Photo Credit: Cecily Lo)

Being in Soles of Steel has been one of the best experiences of my life. The mixture of amazing friends, a great director and all of the incredible opportunities we have had combine perfectly. Tap is an interesting style because it combines many other styles to create something that always makes the audience want to see more. Even those who do not tap are drawn to the style because of its energy and sounds. Soles is great because we always bring so much energy to each performance, so much that it can fill any room! Vikki Weinberger constantly pushes us to be better and she is the reason we are where we are today. She always has new ideas and venues for us to perform in which expand our horizons enormously. We have performed on FOX 5 news, in Disney World, at the Cherry Blossom Festival and at the NBC 4 Health and Fitness Expo to name a few. Every time we perform somewhere new, we are met with new challenges that make us better each time.

This year has been especially fun because we joined JOMDC’s youth hip hop company Groove Elements in a 25-minute long medley that we performed in Disney World and then again at our company showcase. Their company has just as much, if not more energy than Soles does, so that medley was a blast to dance in. I loved every single one of their pieces as well as ours, and I definitely did not want that medley to ever end. The showcase was bittersweet because it was the last time we danced all together with the two seniors as well as with Groove in that specific medley, so we gave it our all and made it a very special performance.

I will never forget these girls for as long as I live. They are all like my sisters and I do not think I could ever live without them. We have all been through so much together and I think that makes us bonded forever.

From the Library of Congress to the White House Lawn: Caroline Jarcho

Soles of Steel seniors Jackie Bowes and Caroline Jarcho perform at the spring showcase. (Photo Credit: Cecily Lo)

Over my six years as a company member and captain of Soles of Steel, I have had some of the most amazing performance opportunities from community outreach to shows at the Library of Congress and the White House lawn. I have had invaluable experiences sharing my passion for dance and its culture with many audiences. Of all the concerts in which I have performed, the Soles of Steel Spring Showcase has continuously been the most stressful, inspiring and exciting performance of the year.

I love the youth company showcase because it is the culmination of everything the company has worked so hard on all year long. While preparation and extra rehearsals leading up to the big day may take a lot of time, sweat and energy, the end result is always a beautiful montage of the year’s products.

This year, Soles turned out many more finished pieces than in previous years. At times, the amount of choreography we had to review and the number of quick costume changes we had to memorize in order for the show to run seamlessly and smoothly each night seemed overwhelming. But looking back at the entire weekend, I could not have asked for a better culmination to my career as a member of such a talented and zealous company.

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What you’ll get:

• Tips and ideas for teaching
• New ways to think about movement
• Inspiration for choreography
• Clarity about beat, rhythm, and meter
• Exercises you can practice
• Introduction to pieces of music to use
• Handout including music, resources, and more

What it is:

As a young professor at the Geneva Conservatory of Music in Switzerland, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze shocked music academia by having his students perform exercises in movement — without shoes or corsets! — to develop musicianship. His method soon attracted actors, playwrights, conductors, designers, and of course, dancers.

Jaques-Dalcroze’s work was at the very root of modern dance. Mary Wigman, Hanya Holm and Doris Humphrey were credentialed in the method, impacting modern dance’s development in Germany and America. Denishawn included Eurhythmics in their schools; Kurt Jooss, Rudolph von Laban, Marie Rambert, Eleanor King and many other dancers studied Eurhythmics.

Although they used their experience in their craft, these dancers weren’t able to train others as Eurhythmics teachers. So while their work carried various ideas and principles to future generations (Graham, Limon, etc.), the method itself faded from dance education.

Today, teachers of the Dalcroze approach are scarce. There are only a few training centers in America, and the music skills required for Dalcroze credentials are difficult to master. Very few who earn the credentials are also dancers. (In fact, the Dalcroze method itself needs musical movement teachers who’ve studied Eurhythmics – but that’s another story!)

The biggest challenge: it can only be understood by experiencing it. Venerable dance musician and Eurhythmician John Colman once said, “Describing Eurhythmics to dancers is like trying to describe the color blue to someone who’s never seen it.”

What happens in the workshop:

• Individual, partner, and group exercises
• “Games” in movement and improvisation
• Listening, and moving according to what you hear
• Exercises in quick reactions
• Coordination exercises
• Music such as Bach, Mompou, Copland, Beethoven, Bartok, and world music
• Applications for teaching all ages, if participants would like; Q/A

What music/movement concepts we’ll explore:

1. Beat: simple exercises in internalizing a steady beat are harder than they seem.
2. Division and multiple: dividing the beat (twice as fast) and multiplying it (twice as slow) can affect movement’s speed OR space.
3. Polyrhythm: dissociation exercises coordinate beat, division and multiple simultaneously (helping to combine slow ports-de-bras with quick leg movements, for example).
4. Duration and Phrase: Sustained durations combine multiple skills, helping dancers perceive and remember lengthy phrases.
5. Meter: Dalcroze’s arm exercises bring clarity to “counting.” We’ll discover the energy of lifting the “downbeat” and how it affects dance vocabulary, and explore changing meter as an element of composition.
6. Rhythmic Patterns: We’ll identify two Greek rhythmic modes, combine them into rhythmic phrases, notate them spatially, and discover their occurrence in basic dance steps.
7. Form and Choreography: A piece of music incorporating these concepts forms the basis for the group to create simple choreography.
8. More examples: Going beyond the specific concepts in the workshop, you’ll hear a few pieces that may call to mind images, characters, or even narrative “stories” you can use in teaching or choreography.

What’s in it for you:

• Dancers, from beginners through professionals, will find a new perspective on the music in movement.
• Musicians, amateur and professional, will discover the embodiment of musical principles in movement.
• Teachers of music and dance will be inspired with new ideas they can implement right away.
• Anyone interested in the method of Jaques-Dalcroze will get a comprehensive introduction.
• Everyone will enjoy it!

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Rachel celebrating at the gala!

Hello 30.

I can’t believe it. Today is the day, May 8th, 2013 – my 30th freaking birthday. This is a huge milestone in my health and career. I feel like I’m being catapulted forward whizzing past: massive concerts, events, auditions, design meetings, rehearsals and everything in between. I wanted to get in the best shape of my life so I could keep up with the most exhilarating job of my life. It’s a thrill to report that I’ve lost a total of 25 pounds! I’m giving myself until the end of the month to shred these last 5 and then I have a fair amount of toning left to do after that.

I was also heavily motivated to get healthy after observing JOMDC faculty over the years. Vanessa Carmichael dances circles around her students and Vincent Williams, with a perma-smile, appears to have tireless energy. Their vitality and strength is undeniable and one day, with just enough months in between me and a milestone birthday, I said to myself, I want to look and feel like our faculty!

I’ll go ahead and say now I wish I went to more dance classes and ate less chocolate. I really thought blabbing my story to the public would keep me on the straight and narrow. I’ll just say I had more time to think, leading me to discover this final list of wisdom.

1. It’s all about TECHNIQUE. Sure, you can always fake it, but if you’re looking for progress, evolution and overall improvement – find a professional to teach you the proper technique. Are you getting lost in a jazz class? Register for an Intro to Dance class and give yourself the gift of technique.

Young At Heart performs at the Seniors in Motion Concert.

2. It is truly never too late to start dancing. I directed the JOMDC Seniors in Motion concert April 30 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center with my jaw wide open. I was blown away. Women well into their 70’s were turning and floating across the floor, under the glory of stage lights. The audience was a mass of seniors swelling with pride and hope. That show encapsulates our namesake, apparent on all their faces: joy of motion.

3. If not now, when? I say this in my head a lot now. Try it and see how far you get. Might I suggest again that you turn off your TV. We’ve gotten rid of ours all together and we’re much better for it.

4. Make time. Yes, I said it. The biggest complaint I hear is that no one has time. Why wouldn’t you make time for the thing you know is best for you? Are you saying that you’re not worth 2 hours a week? Everyone out there deserves 2 dance classes a week and JOMDC makes it accessible, affordable and of the highest quality. Bring a friend too. If you’re so busy, then you must miss all your girlfriends – invite them to class! Go to a MOVE dance and fitness class, they are for everyone or just come see a show! This stuff makes you feel better by just being in the same room as it.

5. This is going to last forever. It has to. I rolled my eyes every time I heard, “It’s a lifestyle change.” I really cringed. But they are right. They are right when they say eat fruits, veggies, beans, nuts and limit sugar, meat and alcohol. They are right when they say drinks lots of water and sweat vigorously a few hours every week. Tammy Hurt is right when she says turn out and lift up to go back! I guess I’m saying it’s time to do things the right way. I guess it’s time to be an adult. My mom’s gonna love this.

Thanks for joining me on this journey. See you in class.

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Youth Dance Ensemble student Sofia Ballance performs a solo at The Jack Guidone Theater.

The Youth Dance Ensemble Program is Joy of Motion Dance Center’s elite program for the developing young dancer. Directed by Helen Hayes, this pre-collegiate program, with core classes in ballet, jazz, and modern, provides an experience that inspires excellence in dance, education, and life. In addition to core classes, the YDE program incorporates supplemental study in additional dance forms, dance history, improvisation, and composition, as well as artist residencies and numerous performance opportunities. The Ensemble has performed at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, and at special events such as the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Auditions for the Youth Dance Ensemble Program will take place Sunday, April 28, 2013 at JOMDC Friendship Heights, 5207 Wisconsin Avenue NW. Auditions for dancers grades 1-7 take place 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Dancers in grades 8-12 audition 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Please visit the Youth Dance Ensemble Program page to register your child for auditions. Want to learn more about the program and find out how you can prepare for auditions? Read the following from YDE student Sofia Ballance and YDE Director Helen Hayes:

Thoughts from Sofia Ballance, Youth Dance Ensemble Student
My name is Sofia Nicole Ballance and I am 11 years old and this is my first year in YDE. I like YDE for many reasons. I have made many friends. I enjoy my teachers and have learned a lot about dance such as technique and dance vocabulary. Dancing makes me happier and is great exercise. It has been fun to experience different types of dance. I like to perform in the dances that my teachers choreograph. I have become more mature being in YDE. Every time I do a performance, I am more confident. When I dance, I express myself without using words. Being in YDE is very important to me!

Audition Tips from Helen Hayes, Youth Dance Ensemble Program Director

• Present yourself in a polished, professional manner. Solid leotard, clean tights with no runs or holes, hair completely up, ballet slippers that have elastics sewn properly and wear your SMILE! You never get a second chance to make a first impression!
• Go for everything! Don’t be tentative in your approach to the audition class, even if you are unsure and make a mistake. We are more interested in a committed, invested dancer who takes chances than always getting the steps correctly.
• Try not to look down, but push your energy out through space and remember that your focus is a part of your dancing.
• Think about being expressive in each exercise, even while at the ballet barre. Most importantly, show how much you LOVE dance by dancing fully and with your heart.

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By Joe Duffey, Percussive Dance Project Audience Favorite Award Winner

A few weeks ago, I spent a beautiful spring morning with Joy of Motion Dance Center’s Director of Production Rachel Pearl down in the Atlas district, where we explored interesting backdrops to be featured in my photo shoot, as part of the prize package I received last year for winning JOMDC’s Percussive Dance Project audience favorite award. Our adventure took us through various streets and alleys off of H Street, and over to a nearby school, all of which provided us a great mix of color and texture.

Per Rachel’s artistic ambition, our shoot culminated with an Irish step dance across H Street, during the brief moments when cars were not whizzing past. This ended up being my favorite assortment of photos from the shoot. Hey, why walk when you can dance across the street? There is also something distinctively DC about the perspective looking down one of the most dynamic streets in the city.

It was such a treat to spend time with Rachel, who offered me some valuable advice about how to make ends meet being an artist in the District. Joy of Motion Dance Center is a great resource for dancers and an integral part of the blossoming arts community in the DC area. I am excited to see their Dance Project series grow and present even more undiscovered dance talent!

This May, I will complete my BA from George Washington University and plan to pursue dance full-time. Currently, I teach and choreograph for the Teelin Irish Dance Company, based in Columbia, MD. We just presented our hit show “StepDance” at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. I am excited about the prospect of working on innovative new projects, and I am confident that my work will lead me to collaborate with a diverse range of artists and creative minds.

I recently submitted my video audition for an online talent search hosted by the producers of Riverdance for their new show “Heartbeat of Home.” The 10 entries with the top votes will get to go on to the final audition, and the judges will select another 10 entries. Please take a minute to check out and consider voting for my entry – a 90-second Irish dance/tap acapella piece I choreographed exclusively for the talent search. The search ends April 26th!

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Students of Tyrone Murray rehearse for the upcoming Seniors in Motion Concert at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

Tyrone Murray, who teaches AfroJazz classes at JOMDC’s Friendship Heights studio location, is also one of the program’s dance instructors. According to Tyrone, the seniors are not the only people who learn from the program. He also has gained a lot from his work with the community. “For me personally, working with seniors gave me a sense of humility. Most artists have egos, but the older folks have kept me in line,” he said.

More importantly, the seniors he has worked with have seen a number of benefits from their dance classes with Tyrone. These benefits include improvements in flexibility, coordination, balance and endurance. “One student had a stroke a couple of years back. When she doesn’t take class, she has more pain. Taking class alleviates the pain somewhat. It makes her feel better mentally, physically and spiritually,” he said. “Dance brings happiness to the seniors’ lives. They come to the center and learn how to socialize once again. Half of them, their partners are very ill or the partners have passed. When they come to the center, they get to fill that void at least for a few hours a day.”

Several students from Tyrone Murray’s Seniors in Motion classes will be performing at JOMDC’s upcoming Seniors in Motion Concert on Tuesday, April 30. The concert begins at 11:00 a.m. at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. Please call 202.399.6764 X163 or e-mail outreach@joyofmotion.org to reserve your seat. Seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

Donate today, bid on an online auction item through Wednesday, April 24 or join us Saturday, April 27 for our Annual Dance Party Gala to support Seniors in Motion and our additional Project Motion Community Outreach Programs. Together, we can make a difference through dance!

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