Yoga For The Dancer
I would love for you to meet a breath of fresh air, Cornelius Carter. Cornelius is an associate Professor of Dance at the University of Alabama. But he's not just any professor. He was awarded the National Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor of the year. The award is by the Council of Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This is a very big deal. Each president of each University can nominate one professor of any teaching field. A big committee in California narrows the nominees to 30. Next, a committee in Washington narrowed the selection to 4 and finally picked Cornelius as their honoree. The foundation flew not only him, but also his parents and Alabama's first lady, Lori Siegelman, to the National Press Club and ceremony honoring Cornelius. He has given an interview every weekend since the honor. When the Carnegie Foundation first contacted him on winning, he thought it was a joke and promptly hung up the phone. They finally convinced him it was true and it's been such a wonderful honor for Cornelius.
A former member of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Cornelius has been a faculty member at American Ballet Theater, American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, and the Harvard Dance Program. He taught and choreographed for the Alvin Ailey 2001 Summer Intensive Program in New York. Cornelius holds an MFA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He always knew he wanted to be a teacher more than anything. He says you have one opportunity to change someone's life forever and he loves that challenge. He doesn't play games with his students because they come into the studio with enough of their on personal baggage that they don't need more dumped on them. He is indeed a wonderful teacher.
Cornelius says choreography is a gift that you work on for the rest of your life. After 15 years of choreographing, he's just beginning to get it and understand what it's all about. And boy does he get it........every piece of his work I have had the privilege of viewing has been phenomenal. In May of 1999, he attended the American Choreographers Showcase where he presented and performed his choreography in France, Holland, Austria, Vienna, and Lithuania. Cornelius has set over 36 works for student companies, professional companies, and other university dance programs in the United States, France, Russia, and Iceland in which he spent 3 years upon graduation.
I asked Cornelius where he found his inspiration for his choreography and he replied his Southern roots (he's from Greenville, Mississippi) and his European education in dance. He has a great sense of family as most southerners do and typically in the South most women influence how men turn out because they are usually the strongest dominant family member. Even though Cornelius has a wonderful father, he finds that women tend to dominate the power of his work------it's not the typical male/female partnering but is more centered on the female power which comes from earthiness, and not to use sex appeal, but rather woman's strength.
Cornelius serves as the president of the Alabama Dance Council (ADC). We both marveled at the variety and strength of the dance community in Alabama. He's happy to see ADC continuing to find the best opportunities for the dancers. He feels dancers and educators should not be in competition because you can't ever get enough network and help for the dancers. He says the university could never be in competition with studios, it's just an outlet for further training.
I asked Cornelius if he wanted to express himself......"As a male dancer in America I feel it is the proudest and most honorable thing I can do. I'm proud that I've been able to participate as an artist and that I've been able to bring dignity to our country. I've gotten to travel so much and I've been able to serve as an Ambassador for the country." I first met Cornelius a couple of years ago when we taught at ADC's Dance Summit. Cornelius said he was glad people are finally realizing the power of Yoga and especially the dance community. He wanted to stretch the middle of his back for his Yoga exercise. The twists are always great for that, but I decided to use the Rabbit since many people aren't that familiar with it. Here's To Your Dancing Health!