Welcome to Part 1 of my mini-series on Dancing Body Acceptance! Today I'm so excited to welcome Dietician Fumi Somehara to the A Blythe Coach Podcast.   

Fumi shares practical ideas for dancers, dance educators, and community members to foster a nurturing approach to body image and well-being. I was so refreshed by Fumi's compassionate and intersectional approach and hope you find value in our conversation.  

Resources and key takeaways from our conversation will also be up on the blog at ablythecoach.com/abc-blog

Resource links:

Blythe Stephens, MFA she/her or they/them

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

“Anticipation–or apprehension–of a challenging featured step can make it easy to overlook the simpler step leading into it. Glissade, coupé, pas de bourré, chassé, balancé, failli, pas couru, and tombé often precede something flashier. Done neatly and correctly, connecting steps add elegance to your dancing and provide the preparation you need to launch what comes next; done carelessly they dull your polish and undermine the propulsion needed for elevation and ballon. Imagine trying to perform grand jeté from a stationary position. The successful timing and coordination of grand jeté or any difficult jump depends on the rhythm, the momentum, and especially the final plié of the connecting step that comes first.” Eliza Gaynor Minden on Connecting Steps (The Ballet Companion p.169)

Satisfying Connecting Steps in Ballet Technique YouTube Playlist

Thanks for listening! I'll share these and even more resources on the companion blog at ablythecoach.com/blog

Please tell me about your experience and challenges with connecting steps and what you’d like to see more of in the future. 

Blythe Stephens, MFA

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Moving into the chilly and dark time of year here in the northern hemisphere, I like to get cozy and comfy, and also to bring some wonderful warmth from the inside out with yummy dance and movement warm-up exercises.

As I age, it becomes more and more important to properly prepare for dancing and teaching, and it takes a little time and loving care to find ease and range of movement, as well as manage pain and stiffness.

At any age, it is critical to properly warm up before we undertake larger movements and stretches in order to prevent injury.

In this podcast and in the accompanying blog on ablythecoach.com (which will also include all of the links to videos and articles mentioned here!), I'll start with a couple of precautions, and then describe a healthy approach to warming up by warming bigger to smaller muscle groups, gradually building range of motion to promote the flow of synovial fluid, breathing and circulation, specifically targeting muscles for the type of movement we will be performing, and focusing our concentration.

I hope you luxuriate in all of these wonderful warm-ups that are appropriate for you! Please tell me about your experience and personal challenges by email or a DM on social media, @ablythecoach on FB & IG.

Blythe Stephens, MFA

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

"What's going to give you your life force, that energy, that mindset to be able to Be in life, embracing things like pain, circumstances, and events?" - Jolynne Anderson

Welcome to the A Blythe Coach Podcast Episode 71! I am so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Jolynne Anderson, who was my original life coach and continues to be an inspiring person of possibility.

Jolynne is Power, Play, Compassion, Joy, Wisdom, and Leader!  She is a BREAKTHROUGH coach who is a Personal Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation since 2009.  She is passionate about supporting people who want to make a difference in the world to reclaim their personal power to give them access to TRUE fulfillment, joy, and adventure. She supports people to be passionate creators and leaders in their own lives and relationships. 

She is a leader coach and trainer at Accomplishment Coaching, which is accredited by the International Coach Federation and has a reputation for being one of the finest coach training programs in the world, you can find them at www.accomplishmentcoaching.com

Jolynne is Certified in Conversational Intelligence™, which is based in Neuro-Science, a method that supports individuals and organizations by teaching and coaching on how to have difficult conversations, create trust and evoke innovation with amazing relationships and exponential growth.

She has coached and trained many clients and organizations, including: the United Nations (UN) World Population Fund, Microsoft, Nike, Canadian government, Cayman Island Government , State government, Professional Golfers, Stay at Home Moms.

“Each person’s music is different.” - Jolynne Anderson

In this podcast and in the companion YouTube Video (which includes chapter time stamps if you want to find particular topics in our conversation) and Blog, Jolynne and I discuss coaching creatives, transformation, daily rituals that set us up to win, joyful movement and how music feeds her soul, recovering from perfectionism, dancing with life, tapping into the wisdom within, true potential, advising versus transformation, relationship coaching, compassionate communication, expectations, trusting intuition, listening...and more! Jolynne shares her own experience hiring a coach, dealing with mysterious illness, and coaching clients with Fibromyalgia and other health challenges.

"If it's not your own creation and your own exploration and expanding your thinking and possibility... you're just going for the next thing, the next person to give advice, like external people have all the answers." - Jolynne Anderson

Jolynne also recommends how to find the right coach for you:

"We have the power to create what we want." - Jolynne Anderson

Blythe Stephens, MFA

Practicing the fluid upper body movements of ballet and creating lines with the arms, head, and body to beautiful music is one of my favorite elements of classical dancing. The way arm and upper body movements harmonize with those of the legs, the relationship to spatial geometry, and the range of expression available makes my heart sing.

This article and video series is focused on descriptions of the Port de Bras (“carriage of the arms” or arm movement exercises) of the Cecchetti Technique of Classical Ballet, and I have an upcoming series on Port de Bras from the Russian Technique as well, plus lots more fun with arm movements, ballet steps and choreography to come.

All of the videos I mention, as well as future Port de Bras and upper-body movements, are included in my Arm Artistry Playlist on YouTube.

Blythe Stephens, MFA

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

In October around Halloween time, I like to teach the story of “Hansel and Gretel” in my dance classes, or as I like to think of it, “Gretel and Hansel.” Alphabetically it follows and arguably, Gretel is the real hero of the tale since she uses her wits and bravery to save them from the witch.  

Including a range of expression and emotional content, beautiful music, natural and supernatural characters, it is rich with possibilities for dance improvisation, choreography, and education.

This story fits in well with witch dances and other spooky themes like ghosts, bats, cats, etc. and can be related to dreaming and courage in "Cinderella" (for which I also have a podcast, video, and blog), the Land of Sweets and Clara/Marie’s bravery in “The Nutcracker" (coming soon!) and tie in music appreciation from the opera and other sources.

Send me a message with your responses on social media @ablythecoach, I would love to hear from you :)

Blythe Stephens, MFA she/her or they/them

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

I’m bringing you a ballet concept today that is so fun to watch and also to do, batterie or beats of the legs in classical ballet, which we do as we advance our jumping technique and performance practice. Batterie is a fun and exciting addition to our ballet variations, petit, and grand allegro. It captures the exuberance, joy, and power of certain characters and situations and celebrates the balletic love of flight and virtuosity.

“Beats, the general French for which is batterie, are steps in which one leg is beaten against the other. Beats bring into ballet the element of brilliance, virtuosity, and therefore the execution of them does not allow any carelessness, approximation or simplification, or they would lose their raison d'être." - Russian ballet pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova

Building on a foundation of ballet jumping technique (including foot and leg strengthening, core work, Dance Warmup, Ballet Barre training, and basic beats like Plucky Petit Battement and jumps like Saucy Prances & Sautés), today we're breaking down airborne balletic beats, such as changement, royale, échappé, jeté, and assemblé battu, and entrechats trois (3), quatre (4), cinq (5), six, etc.

I reference the books _Basic Principles of Classical Ballet_ by Agrippina Vaganova, _The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet: Theory and Technique_ by Cyril W. Beaumont & Stanislas Idzikowski, & _The Ballet Companion_ by Eliza Gaynor Minden.

Stay tuned on the blog for the companion article, video, and more resources!

Blythe Stephens, MFA

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

"Do not fear mistakes--there are none." - Miles Davis

Let’s talk about failure, yay! Myself, I have faced many situations that could be treated as failures in my life: jobs I wanted and didn’t get, unsuccessful business endeavors, and two divorces! There have definitely been discouraging times and big obstacles, mistakes and accidents. Just the other week I fell in ballet class (thankfully this time, it didn’t hurt at all)!

Of course, I’ve had lots of successes, brilliant triumphs, and have experienced tons of love and support and abundance in my life, too, but that’s not what we’re talking about today. No, here I want to get into how to deal with making mistakes, facing failure, embarrassment, and discouragement, and finding the courage to keep on with our dancing, learning and growing, creative practice, professional dreams, and quest for a happy, fulfilled life!

What follows here can’t possibly be exhaustive, but comprises some of the best resources I know to help with frustration at our human mistakes and imperfections. I hope you have compassion for your failings and others', jump up, brush yourself off, and keep creating!

Some suggested structures for overcoming fear of failure and mistake-making include:

Looking for more from me on related topics? Listen to Podcasts 009: Resilience and 008: Persistence or the following blogs:

Blythe C. Stephens, MFA

“How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air and over the wall,

Till I look down on the garden green,

"There are swings that are released down into gravity and swings that are released outward into centripetal and centrifugal trajectories. Gravity is a natural force, as is one of its outcomes: momentum. Gravity is in constant operation. The dancer must practice restraint rather than effort when he deals with this principle. In swings he sends the effort downward by releasing it. Gravity creates the downward pull. The resulting energy is the momentum derived from the release. One releases into gravity and one rides the momentum." (The Nikolais/Louis Dance Technique p.144)

Imagery, the Physical Forces involved, and Dance Movement Techniques of SWINGING! That’s what we’re exploring today in episode 66!

You can try a few types of legs swings with me in the videos “Sweet Leg Swings” (reclining on the floor) & “Sizzling Standing Leg Swings” and I'll be including many more resources in the blog at ablythecoach.com

Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Cinderella be

One of the world’s most classic, iconic and ubiquitous tales, the “Cinderella” ballet can provide an entrée to universal themes and concepts useful in life and interdisciplinary topics within and beyond dance.

I especially enjoy teaching and revisiting “Cinderella” in the fall, what with the theme of harvesting the fruits of her actions, the supernatural elements, and the presence of pumpkins with which to make a magical coach in some versions of the story.

Teaching fairytales in ballet classes with all ages teaches virtues, storytelling and expression, musicality, technique, movement skills, and choreographic repertory, ballet history, appreciation, and criticism. They are a rich source of exploration and learning!

In this episode I experimented with recording it as a video (as I did for my interview in Podcast 50), then editing as audio for the pod and video (with illustrations) on YouTube. Further resources will be included in the companion blog article on ablythecoach.com 

Books

Website: Comparison of Grimm and Perrault versions of Cinderella

Music Playlists

YouTube Playlist: Ballet Stories

Blogs

Questions for Reflection

Stay tuned on my YouTube Channel and Blog for more about living a luscious life!!

Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst