Hi, my name is Salem and I'm a devoted ballet dancer from New Zealand.
I am a freelance dancer and dance teacher.
This is my journey to have a career in the profession that I am so passionate about, and I have done it my way.
Salem debuted "Cold" his new neo-classical dance at the DanceArt comps on the 11th April 2014.
It went really well and really surprised everyone. No one expected a dance like this and everyone was dead silent when Salem was dancing it.
When he had finished dancing he had a lot of applause and his first ever bravo, and it was from one of the dad's in the audience. Salem was thrilled.
He was awarded 2nd place.
We had a bit of fun with the costume, originally thinking a light blue colour and then decided on silver. I even found silver ballet shoes.
I thought silver leggings and a silver top would be a bit too much so we thought a white leotard would be better with white braces on the leggings.
It did look good from in the audience. The silver leggings really showed off Salem's leg muscles.
You can't see that in the video very well though.
This is one of Salem's favourite dances at the moment.
If you live out Kapiti way, I am teaching a boy's only ballet class out in Waikanae for the Waikanae Dance School this Wednesday from 9 am til 10 am. If you know of any boys, any age, who would be interested in giving ballet a try, get them to get in touch. No experience necessary!!! It will be lots of fun!!!!!!! www.waikanaedance.org.nz
Salem
won the Lauren McMillian Cup for the Highest mark in Restricted
National Character Dance 12 years and over.
And
the Palmerston North Dance Association Throphy for the Most Promising
Senior
Dancer.
Krakowiak
Salem
did extremely well at the PNDA Restricted and Impromptu Competitions
over the weekend. It was his first lot of competitions this year so
it was a nice way to get back into it.
It was a long weekend and Salem was very tired by the end as he had seven dances on Sunday, the final day.
Robin Hood
He had entered the impromptu dances along with many of his own dances, all
of which he had choreographed himself.
He
also debuted his new demi-character dance “Robin Hood” which was
well received and got a first placing.
This
dance is absolutely hilarious and I think it took everyone by
surprise.
Ballet Impromptu
Salem
also was awarded first place for his Krakowiak national character
dance and the trophy also for highest marks for national character.
He was thrilled as he had spent a lot of time researching and then choreographing this dance.
Getting ready for the Jazz Impromptu.
The
results from the weekend are:
1st Place – National Character
Demi-character
2nd Place – Barefoot
Modern
Jazz
3rd Place – Variation
Lyrical
Impromptu Modern
Jazz
Impromptu Ballet
VHC– Impromptu Barefoot
HC
– Impromptu Contemporary
C
– Impromptu Lyrical
Salem and Della - Waikanae Dance School
Salem really enjoyed having other dancers from his dance school there and being able to watch them perform, some for the first time on a big stage.
He
has more competitions coming up, Rosewood next weekend and then DanceArt the weekend after that. Then he has a short break with lots more planned.
Well it's off to Palmerston North tomorrow for the Palmerston North Dance Associations competitions tomorrow.
Salem had his last practice today going over all his dances that he will be doing and had some impromptu practice which is always lots of fun.
Over the last few weeks Salem has been practicing his James variation from La Sylphide Act II wearing a kilt. It is a very heavy man's kilt, all wool tartan, very hot to dance in.
So Salem has gotten used to dancing in it and for the last couple of practices, he has been wearing the heavy woolen jacket as well. Poor boy is covered in sweat after doing this short dance.
He will be performing this variation up at Palmerston North this weekend.
He has had a lot of fun dancing in the kilt, loves doing pirouettes and chaines in it!!!!!
Should be a great weekend competing against new people and making new friends.
Wish us luck!!!!
Yep, it's that time of the year when competitions start up again.
Salem has been busy choreographing more dances which brings his total up to 11 dances which are choreographed by himself.
He will be debuting his new demi-character dance "Robin Hood" this weekend at at Palmerston North Dance Association Competitions at the Regent Theatre, Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North. He will be up there with other dancers from Waikanae Dance School.
Salem will be performing on all three days so if you are up that way, check him out.
Robin Hood riding through the glen......
I have made him a Robin Hood costume including green tights and his horse which we call "Truffles" ;-)
Actually he had grown out of all his costumes except for his Krakowiak costume so all costumes are new and look fantastic!!!!!!!!
I still have to sew up some more tights/leggings for him though.
It will be interesting to see what people think of this new dance, Jonty keeps laughing every time Salem practices it in front of him. It is a very funny dance.
We will put it up on You Tube when we get back from Palmerston as we want it to be a surprise up there.
We need your help to get the name and composer if possible for the music of Salem's Krakowiak character dance.
The Hutt Valley Performing Arts Competition Society's comps in July require that all the dances entered have to have the song name and composer on the entry form. I have had the music for years as it was from a group dance that Salem's older brother had done.
So please take a look at this video and if you can help we would be very grateful!!!!
UPDATE:
A big "THANK YOU" to everyone who has replied to our request for help, especially Alan, Felix and Benni. We are able to fill out the entry form and will be sending it off soon.
We have decided that it is "Krakowiaczek jenden" by Anonymous.
Yay, Salem's tap shoes arrived this afternoon but of course after he had already left for today's lessons. So I made sure that I got them to him before his tap class. He was thrilled and they were a perfect fit. Sorry I forgot to take a photo of him wearing them.
Today he had his Intermediate lesson, and then instead of going to the performance troupe's practice, he stayed at the studio and worked on his twelve competition dances. Only one of the dances isn't his own choreography. He has been a busy boy creating more of his own dances.
So far this term he has choreographed a contemporary dance - "In the Shadows", a demi-character - "Robin Hood" and a neo-classical - "Cold". He has been doing Siegfried's variation from Swan Lake Act III for a while but felt it was too rigid so has done his own choreography for it which is really great. It is part of his BTDA dance journal work to look at a ballet, he chose Swan Lake, study it, it's history, the story and look at the choreography and suggest changes. Well, he wrote down the whole choreography of the variation which was taught to him by Shannon Dawson at one of the Boy's Ballet Classes with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Created his own version and wrote the whole choreography for that. It was very impressive.
This is his new contemporary dance "In the Shadows", it is very different to his old contemporary dance "Du Hast" when he was with KDC. He has worked on it a lot since this was filmed.
He didn't go to troupe practice as the others were working on their older dances as they are off to comps in two weeks time.
Yes, it's comp time again. Salem will be doing six of of his solos and five impromptus.
And it will be his first time at comps out of the Wellington region.
We are off to the Palmerston North Dance Association'sRestricted and Open Impromptu Competition which will be held at the Regent Theatre in Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North on Friday 28th - Sunday 30th March 2014.
He is dancing on all three days so we will be staying up there in a hotel and making it a bit of a holiday. Salem has never been to Palmerston North.
Looking forward to it!!!!!!!
