The Dance Centre Presents Coppélia – the third novel in Chi’s series, The Dance Centre Presents, is AVAILABLE HERE!
Jack senses a growing lack of control as he grapples with an unreliable vehicle and conflicting emotions about girls while clinging to ballet-his anchor. Upon the arrival of a little sister, Julie withdraws into anime. As the studio rehearses Coppélia, the dancers find themselves mirroring the characters they play in their own lives. What will this mean-for each of them?
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The Dance Centre Presents The Nutcracker – the second novel in Chi’s series, The Dance Centre Presents, is AVAILABLE HERE!
Rehearsals have barely begun for The Nutcracker when the ballet mistress’s home is threatened by fire. Will her nature-loving daughter, Brindle, find happiness again if she loses the rugged sanctuary of their beloved canyon? Meanwhile, Paige develops peculiar stomach symptoms which leave doctors perplexed. Amidst escalating and uncontrollable circumstances, can the tight-knit ballet family at the Dance Centre be able to rally and stage The Nutcracker?
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The Dance Centre Presents Giselle – the first novel in Chi’s series, The Dance Centre Presents, is AVAILABLE HERE!
When the prima ballerina at The Dance Centre mysteriously vanishes, Randi unexpectedly lands the lead and learns that the world of ballet is not always as glamorous as it appears onstage. She harbors severe self-doubts about her abilities to rise to the honor of her new role. And when she begins her pas de deux training with a boy, new and conflicting feelings and emotions surface which send her spiraling into panic mode. All the while, Deanne seizes opportunities to undermine her at every pirouette. Randi struggles to maintain her crucial focus, but what will happen if she doesn’t?
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CLICK HERE to listen to Chi talk more about “The Dance Centre Presents: Giselle” on the San Diego Union Tribune Community Spotlight Podcast
WHY DO WE DANCE?
By Chi Varnado
Why do we dance? And why, specifically, ballet? Are we insane? We actually choose to force our bodies into supple submission even though it hurts, we get injured, other dancers get the parts WE want, and we’re never off the hook regarding what and when we eat. Talk about self-deprivation. But we still choose to dance. Is it because we can create lovely art with our own bodies? Or be able to stay in shape while learning grace at the same time? Or is it the satisfaction we feel when we move in sync with some of the most beautiful music the planet has ever known? Perhaps it’s all of these reasons combined, plus simply being hard-wired into this rigorous, self-disciplined world of beauty. We are a different breed. Dancers know how difficult and all-consuming it can be, while others are left in the audience. But we need them and they appreciate us. Both the ballerinas and the balletomanes are necessary for the success of our art form.
For me, it seemed a perfect fit. Having been a child with boundless energy, constantly ready to jump out of my own skin, and possessing a knack for music, I was fortunate that my mom and grandmother enrolled me in ballet. I feel bad for all those kids who don’t get a creative outlet for their exuberant energy. I was lucky. I also learned piano and guitar, and studied music theory in college. It didn’t hurt that I was decent at math either – because, like it or not, math is crucial to both music and ballet. It adds another dimension to the art form when applied to the tricky phrases of music. Classical music is riddled with changing meter and tempo and I find it helpful to be able to recognize these when they occur. I think it allows for a deeper understanding of what movements are possible within the context of a score. As we’ve heard, the fusion of art and science helps to provide a more balanced occupation. May it spill over into all segments of our lives, right?
While teaching ballet, modern dance and gymnastics for thirty-seven years, I formed a couple small dance companies for which I choreographed most of the pieces and danced in professionally myself. After growing up in the ballet world, as well as competing in gymnastics, I got my bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance and then two teaching credentials. Like in the novel, The Dance Centre Presents Giselle, my studio also staged many story ballets. The focus was to keep the love of dance alive, without the distraction of competitions, while strengthening technique and creating literature in action. It was magical.
And now, after letting the studio go, I’ve started this Dance Centre series. Everyone I talked to about books for ballet-obsessed readers, agreed that there was very little out there. They could only name a few. What a shame! There are plenty of books for horse-crazy kids, or babysitters, or soccer players. But why not dancers? I believe there is a huge need for this because, as we all know, dancers are very intelligent and usually can read quite well. Seriously! There’s no such thing as a dumb dancer. So, I’m taking on the job myself – to help fill the vast literary void for all those well-read ballerinas. I hope you will find enjoyment in my stories.
Dance as Therapy
By Chi Varnado
Back when I was a dance major at San Diego State University, I didn’t always feel like going to that morning modern dance class with other dancers who hadn’t danced nearly as long as I had. My training had begun as a young child and I had been working on technique for most of my life. I was a trained classical dancer and felt held back by the lack of experience which surrounded me at the university. By the time that class would begin I had already taken an advanced ballet class over at American Ballet in San Diego and driven like a mad person to get here in time for a much more basic class, which was required for my degree. What got me about the place was that there was a mindset against ballet. And I represented that world to the establishment. Anyway, enough of my past bitterness.
I had to find a way to survive this in as positive of fashion as possible. That is: if I wanted to graduate with a degree in dance. So I looked upwards – toward the wall of windows above the mirrors in the front of the studio. The light coming in was beautiful, so much so that I was transported to a more uplifted state. I’d watch the clouds float by, or see rivulets of rain running down the panes of glass reflecting different hues of the gardens outside. We were in a beautiful old building with creaky wood floors. The place had soul.
My attitude improved and I found that I liked most of the people there. I worked on embracing the experience by using this morning class as a therapy session for myself. I pulled the skills necessary to channel my energy into flopping around like a rag doll, trying very hard to minimize my turnout, and learning Martha Graham contortions… I actually began to look forward to my “sessions.” That is, until my senior year when they told me that I couldn’t graduate without taking beginning ballet. Really? Anyway, they finally let me teach the class to get my beginning ballet class requirement satisfied. Go figure.
Sometimes we just have to figure out a different way to look at the issue at hand, huh?
No Such Thing as a Dumb Dancer
By Chi Varnado
There’s no such thing as a dumb dancer. At least, that’s what my ballet teacher told us when I was an aspiring ballerina. And she should know. She was a principal ballerina in the New York City Ballet and danced major roles under George Balanchine. Most of my more advanced training was in the Balanchine style of dance known for its long reaching line and quick athleticism.
Later, as a performer, choreographer, teacher, and artistic director; I found this statement to be quite true. Good dancers must be able to learn very difficult techniques, pick up steps and phrases quickly, remember these steps in the right sequence at the correct time in the music… It’s not easy and it demands extreme focus, perseverance and brains!
So, if you’re ever down in the dumps about your intelligence as a dancer, take heart that you are in good company with other smart people. And as with any challenging endeavor, there are bound to be those times when we screw up and can’t seem to get it. Just take a deep breath and shake it off. You’re a smart cookie and you got this!
Free Dance
By Chi Varnado
“Let it go, let it go -” These are the lyrics Elsa sings in the movie Frozen which can benefit us at times as well. If we keep our feelings bottled up inside of us, and continue to let them fester, chances are we’ll end up blowing up to some innocent bystander or make ourselves sick with the poison this creates. Exercise, I believe, is one of the best medicines we have and often just what the doctor orders. Ha ha. No, really! So, if you’re having a bad day, or hey – even if you’re having a great day: Put on your favorite music and dance it out. That’s right, shake your booty a little. Feel those negative thoughts spin away with each twirl, strike them out with a forceful frappé, sail above them with every leap… You get the picture. Dance, dance, dance and let it go!
Breathe!
By Chi Varnado
Are you getting tired too early in your workout? Do your muscles feel tense even when you’re not exercising? Is your mind over stimulated with uncontrollable thoughts? Welcome to the club. We all have these issues. But wait – there’s hope! Just BREATHE. I know, you’re rolling your eyes disbelievingly even though I’d already given you a hint in the title. Or, more likely, because I gave you the answer and it sounds ridiculous. But there actually is a lot of truth to this simple tool. For instance, when you stretch, try breathing slowly and deeply. You’ll probably find that your muscles will give a little bit more. By breathing you feed your body oxygen which allows it to do what it’s supposed to do: live. And when we breathe more consciously (on purpose) there are a multitude of other things that can happen too. We become more aware of the present moment which can dispel those random thoughts and allow us to concentrate on what’s important right now, such as the pirouette or the tour jeté or the test at school. A win/win, right? So – let’s do it. When in doubt, BREATHE! You’ll be glad you did.
Breathe!
By Chi Varnado
As ballet dancers we’re constantly told to, “Pull-up, pull-up!” But in reality this mindset is counter-productive. As dancers, we must learn to use the floor to our advantage. So, if you find yourself consistently falling out of your pirouettes try a different approach. When you prepare for an outside pirouette do a nice, even plié in fourth position and fix your eyes on the object that you’re going to spot – whether it’s your face in the mirror or the red lamp on the table – whatever it is. Now, when you take off for the turn, “Pressdown into the floor with your support leg as you relevé” This can have a much more solid effect than imagining “rising” for the tour. And continue to concentrate on this to avoid spinning out of control. End your rotation by stopping and holding your spot on the same object that you used before the turn. Use the floor! Push down into the floor! Use the floor! And good luck with your pirouettes!
Love, Miss Chi