Turns, Leaps & Bounds with David Howard
Bob Rizzo's Riz-Biz Productions has produced yet another excellent product for the ballet dancer and teacher. One can always count on anything associated with David Howard to be of superior quality. Mr. Howard is in demand, not just in the U.S., but all over the world as a teacher to the world's finest dancers.
In his latest DVD, "Turns, Leaps and Bounds with David Howard" David has four professional dancers demonstrate a total of 31 exercises. They are at first marked with the dancers' backs to the camera to enable the viewer to more easily comprehend the combination. To Steven Mitchell's music, they are then danced 'fully out' facing the audience.
The class starts with three difference adages, moves on to Center Practice, Traveling Center Practice, Pirouettes, Petite Allegro/Warm Up Jumps, Allegro, Grand Allegro, Turns and Jumping Combinations and ends with a Reverence which has the three young ladies sequentially being partnered by the young man. Prior to the Grand Allegro section, David creates four ways to combine jeté, sissonne, assemblé and pas de bourrée into different combinations.
Also helpful to the viewer, some combinations are demonstrated both en pointe and in ballet shoes. In addition, there are men's combinations which include entrechat six, temps ciseaux and turns in 2nd. Be sure to keep it running after the credits, or you'll miss a very interesting biography of Mr. Howard. www.bobrizzo.com
Janice Barringer is a ballet teacher and writer. She is the author of The Pointe Book and En Pointe, both published by Princeton Book Company.