Best Known Dance Films

Ever since Al Jolson spoke the first words on screen in 1927’s The Jazz Singer, singing and dancing have been a big part of the movies. Here are some of the best-known films involving dancing over the years:

Saturday Night Fever (1977): John Travolta became an icon in this tale of a working-class Brooklyn guy who comes alive when he hits the dance floor each night. The Bee Gees-saturated soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums of all time, and Travolta’s white disco suit was later purchased by film critic Gene Siskel. Travolta has since become known for dancing in many of his biggest hits, including Grease and Pulp Fiction. A sequel to this film, Stayin’ Alive, was directed by Sylvester Stallone, though it proved unsuccessful with critics and audiences.

Flashdance (1983): Jennifer Beals became a star in this story of welder who burns off steam as an exotic dancer by night, all while dreaming of becoming a ballerina. Ironically, Beals didn’t do her own dancing in this film; clever editing and photography let several doubles, including a gymnast and a man, perform her most complicated moves. Like Fever, this had a hit soundtrack, highlighted by the Oscar-winning “What a Feeling.”

Footloose (1984): Though Kevin Bacon has gone on to play many other types of roles (and starred with nearly every other actor in Hollywood in the process), for many fans, he’ll be best-known for this peppy tale of a teen who finds himself in a small town where a zealous reverend (John Lithgow) has outlawed dancing. This had yet another hit soundtrack, which spawned two number-one hits and sold 15 million copies.

Dirty Dancing (1987): This surprise hit about a young woman (Jennifer Grey) who finds love on the dance floor with a fleet-footed dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) while on vacation also won an Oscar for best song (“I’ve Had the Time of My Life”) and became a sensation, inspiring a short-lived TV series and a live stage show. It was also responsible for boosting attendance in dance classes across the country. Ironically, Grey and Swayze had worked together before on the action film Red Dawn – and couldn’t stand each other.

Save the Last Dance (2001): Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas star in this tale of a former ballerina who gains the inspiration to dance again when learning the style of a local dance club. The film became a huge hit with fans of MTV, which produced the film. It wound up grossing nearly 10 times its budget in the U.S. alone.

Step Up (2006): Despite little advance hype, this story of a dancer (Jenna Dewan) who becomes involved with a street tough sentenced to do community service at the Maryland School of the Arts, became a surprise hit, grossing almost double its budget in its first weekend. A sequel, Step Up 2 the Streets, was released in early 2008, featuring different characters but set against the same backdrop. It’s enjoyed similar success so far – meaning that more Step Up films might be on their way soon.

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How Do I Become A Dancer in Music Videos?

You see the dancers on TV dancing behind Britney or Justin Timberlake. You're inspired to take up dancing so that you can become just like your idols. And you find that pretty soon, you wouldn't mind being up there yourself dancing with your very idols.

Sounds cool doesn't it? Dancing in music videos or doing backing dancing is the dream of most aspiring dancers and if you're reading this probably yours as well. After all when you've danced in a music video, that's when you know you've made it, right? But how do you actually do it and find yourself on TV screens across the country?

Well there are a variety of ways. Some of them super glamorous such as being spotted by a very intelligent scout who obviously knows talent when they see it and says that’s you.

If this happens to you, congratulations, you've truly had it made. But for the rest of the people out there, there are ways to appear in a music video that are within your control. Being scouted is generally the exception rather than the rule.

The most common route is to go and find a good agent or agency who will find dance auditions for you. Most top dance jobs come through agencies who will put you forward for jobs that match your skills and attributes.

The first rule of thumb when applying for dance agencies is to make sure you're good enough. There is no point in auditioning for agencies if you've just stumbled into the industry and just picked up 1 or 2 dance moves from a dance class. Auditions are tough and you'll need to be good to go through.

Different agencies work differently. Most will ask you to send through your CV and professional pictures. If they like the look of you and what you have to offer they may offer you a place on their agency immediately. Especially if you've done a lot of high-profile work or are otherwise a well-known dancer.

It's more than likely though that most agencies will invite you to an audition to become represented by their agency. There are often many dancers at these auditions, especially for the well known agencies where it's not unusual to have several hundred auditionees.

If you do well at the audition they may then decide to take you on. And then they'll start putting you forward for work and sending you to auditions where you're auditioning for specific jobs such as music videos.

There are some agencies which will insist that you do not need any experience. You should be cautious with these agencies. By all means have a look to see what they have to offer, but exercise special caution. Many operate on the basis that you give them some money to get a place on their agency books, and then they won't send you on any auditions at all. Generally you should not pay to join an agency, if you do make sure they have a good record and send their people to good auditions.

There will also sometimes be open auditions and castings which means that you do not need to be with any agency and anyone is free to attend the audition. Open auditions can be very packed, but if you don't have an agent yet then you'll have to go to these auditions to start building up your CV and if you want to find work. They can be advertised in newspapers, websites and notice boards.

So all in all, it is possible to succeed and get work without being represented by an agent or agency, but a good agency can help your career tremendously by sending you out on a lot of quality music video auditions which can only be attended via an agency.

Ryan Heddik has enjoyed a successful dance career dancing on TV numerous times and is the author of the groundbreaking e-book' Dance In A Pop Video.' The book teaches aspiring dancers the exact process they can follow to find work in music videos with tried and tested principles that actually work. Find out more about it at http://www.boxdancer.com

Build Strength For Long and Lean Ballet Muscles - Highly Effective Tips

To build strength for the long and lean muscles every dance student wants, here are some highly effective tips to achieve optimum results. The finer details are both physical and conceptual, and will improve all your ballet exercises. These tips will also help your pre-pointe homework exercises.

Length is the goal in ballet, and here are some ways to think of it as a realistic goal.

For example, when you start a demi plie, you pull up. But to make that an extra pulled up strength, think of bending your knees, maximum turnout, and not lowering your body for a second. That's right, pull up the lower abs so that your belly button moves up your torso and stays there!

This is different from pulling in your stomach into a bundled knot. Whether or not you succeed in bending your knees and staying up, you will stretch your lower abs long and flat. To practice, open and close your knees a little several times and try to stay up at the same level. Then, when you sink down into that plie, keep the lower torso long and flat, still pulling up and away from the motion, still letting your calves relax, turnout held, and your feet flat on the floor, heels firm. If you do this every time you do a plie, it will make a huge difference in the lengthening feeling.

Another place to feel a lengthening is from the top of a press up. You've reached the top of your demi pointe or full pointe. As you lower the heels, pretend you are not lowering. You pull the heels down, away from your hips and torso. Your thighs stretch out long, in your mental image, like a stretchy band (which they are). You keep trying to stay up even as your heels touch the floor.

At this moment, if you are continuing into a demi plie, you again hold the lower abs long and up, as you open the knees, as if you are not lowering.

Here are just two places that will make a tremendous difference, if you do the lengthening technique every time you do a plie or pull down from a press up.

This helps control the pelvis, posture, and turnout, and you'll get the best you can in developing long and lean muscles and build strength.

At The Ballet Store you'll find more articles on technique with the finer details, The Perfect Pointe Book, The Ballet Bible and much more information.

How to Dance Salsa

Salsa is now wide spread, and everywhere around the globe it continues to gain popularity by the droves. If someone wishes to learn and to attain a degree of expertise in salsa, then lot of hard work is required. For a beginner level salsa dancer, and also for experienced people a good recommendation would be to keep improvising on it. The regular intake of lessons will help us to improve our dancing and be admired by all our friends.

Salsa basically has origins in Cuba and consists of combinations, turns and patterns. This though can be learned in the privacy of our home, but requires dedication. With no regards to our age, shape or size of our physique, dancing is a best way to burn calories and keep you healthy The Miami style of salsa dancing consists of the basic dance steps including the salsa stance, side and back rocks, small quick turns, cross body leadings, what is popularly called The Adios, then outside turns, the enchufla y dame or instead simply An enchufla and more.

Small Stepwise descriptions: 1. Get into a position where you are facing your facing. Now placing the right hand on your partners waist, around the back, grasping the partner's right hand. 2. According to beats step forward starting with left foot, with your partner mirroring your steps backward. 3. For second beat repeat with right foot. 4. Now mirror same steps like the above but backwards. 5. Now it's such that after 6th step, the seventh step you will be in now in starting position. This is a very basic description of how to do jazz. Hope you enjoy learning more. Jack Dalton is a writer for Monster Guide. You can find more information on How to Dance at Monster Guide.