PASA's Backstage Pass

Yesterday, Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, with the generosity of Capital One and Chevron, presented a daytime performance of Complexions Contemporary Ballet at Angelle Hall UL Lafayette. Louisiana students were entertained and educated during the hour long look into the life of this company and its dancers.

Students were shown a condensed version of a professional dancer’s day—from morning until night on the day of a performance. The glimpse lasting 60 minutes carried our students through morning warm up—consisting of barre and center work, on to the daytime rehearsals, and ending with the nighttime show. Complexions male dancers were greeted with hoots and snickers by our audience of middle school and high school students, but were soon awarded cheers and applause. The young audience quickly gained an appreciation for the skills and talents of these artistic athletes. The PASA daytime performance ended after a Q & A session between the Complexions dancers and the students.

“to dance is to move on a level far beyond athleticism. Yes, there are speed, power, balance, and endurance—all the things that define athlete. But then there are grace, beauty, form, emotion, and the power of communication. There is art.” __DanceMagazine, February 2002

Later that evening, UL Lafayette provided the location for a Complexions Dance master class taught by Assistant Ballet Mistress Sabra Perry. A master class provides ballet students with the opportunity to build their dance knowledge. 

The class of approximately 50 dancers was given a brief introduction of the company and its artistic staff then went straight into a barre warm up. Sabra was very personable and gave great analogies to help the dancers learn some of the movements from two of the company’s ballets. All the movements were ballet based, with the upper-body lines lengthened to create the contemporary style. After the class, Ms. Perry answered questions and visited with the dancers. Lake Charles Civic Ballet members in attendance included Elizabeth Gates, Drew Anderson, Ashley Eaves, and Katelyn Chargois.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet will be performing tonight at Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette at 7:30PM. From New York City, Complexions Contemporary Ballet is an artistic treat everyone must see.

Pictured in bottom photo left to right:

Katelyn Chargois, Sabra Perry, Ashley Eaves, Drew Anderson, Elizabeth Gates

The Test

                                                                                     Photo submitted by Katelyn Chargois

Guest Writer: Katelyn Chargois, LCCB Principal

One teacher and 15 minutes later everything I know about dancing changed.

As a dancer, I am told all the time: tighten the core, work the hamstrings not the quads, keep your weight in the balls of your feet, but it was never cut down into enough detail for my mind and body to actually comprehend. I didn't know that the very basics of my placement were all wrong. This is how one teacher explained it for me:

Stand in parallel 6th position and turn your feet out to 1st position. If you didn't fall on your face right then, it’s because you shifted all your weight. When you stand in parallel 6th position you are in your perfect ballet position—with your weight forward. Tighten your core and don't move anything, except your feet to 1st position. Keep your weight in the balls of your feet just like 6th position. You should feel your hamstrings and your bottom engage. This is your perfect ballet position. This information is the difference between a good dancer and a great dancer.

Just like Lady Holly says, ‘I’m giving you the answers to the test.’ All our lives we were given the answers to the test: tighten the core, work the hamstrings but not the quads, and keep your weight in the balls of your feet, but we were failing the test.