I will bring a plate of Lamingtons.  Do we need a recipe?


 

KeepOnSinging wrote:

I have meant to post this for a very long time to our message board because it so aptly describes the Sisterhood of the Traveling Message Boards.   The quote is from his book, The Magnificent Defeat.


 

Thanks for posting this KOS....It has true meaning!!!

Good afternoon Sisters...I am a bit late this morning as I was trying to get a few much needed things out of the way.  Now I am starting to work on TAX stuff 

Hope you are all doing good today.  Thinking of all of you that are in the way of these winter storms...stay safe dear friends...

April hope our Niece is feeling better today.  Sending her and you a hug!!!

 1.8.16 - in Japan

Last edited by CEK40 (1/08/2016 12:42 pm)

web.icenetwork.com


U.S. ice dancers turn to Onik to get them in step
U.S. Figure Skating has brought respected ballroom dancer/instructor Serge Onik on board to help hone performance skills for its ice dance teams.
Expectations are high for U.S. ice dancers. With reigning Olympic gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White not competing, the spotlight is on the next generation. To help those skaters sustain international success, U.S. Figure Skating has brought respected ballroom dancer/instructor Serge Onik on board to help hone performance skills.

Onik, who appeared on Season 11 of So You Think You Can Dance and grew up training with Maksim and Valentin Chmerkovskiy, was introduced to U.S. Figure Skating by Davis. They met when Davis competed on Dancing with the Stars, and they also performed together in Sway.

Mitch Moyer, the senior director of athlete high performance for U.S. Figure Skating, asked Onik what he could do to help the organization.

“I found that to be a fascinating question,” Onik said. “I mentioned I can do a performance, if they’re just looking for some kind of inspiration. I can do master classes in various genres of dance, if they’re trying to learn and get a taste of things. Then I can also do individual lessons, if they want choreography or specialized attention.”

Coming from a ballroom background, the competitive nature of ice dancing feels very familiar to Onik. Last summer, he was invited to Champs Camp in Colorado Springs, where he met all the top U.S. dance teams as well as coaches, judges and officials. Initially, he was just supposed to teach a group class, for which he arrived a couple of days early.

“I wanted to see them at their best, so I can know how to gauge my class – on choreography, on ability – to know what to teach,” Onik said.

After the teams skated, Onik went into a room with the judges, who rewatched the programs on video and analyzed them.

“I thought that was brilliant because in ballroom we don’t have that opportunity; we just know what our coaches think,” he said. “I was listening to the judges, thinking all I was supposed to do was be a fly on the wall so I can learn. Everyone went around the room giving their opinions, and then they looked at me as if it was my turn to say something.

"I spoke as an artist about what I knew and what I saw,” he added. “I explained how I thought [something] could potentially be better. As soon as we were done, they asked me to go on the ice and work with the couples. Right then and there, I had to ‘hands-on’ do what I was saying. I got to do that one by one with each couple.”

Through that visit, Onik forged relationships, subsequently traveling to Michigan to work with teams at various rinks on everything from choreography to performance quality.

“Now, a few of the couples send me their videos after competitions,” Onik said.

He has also visited with junior teams in Michigan, and been to Maryland and worked with junior and novice teams. Going forward, Onik hopes he can also collaborate with singles skaters.

Onik admits that judges’ critiques can sometimes impact a team’s artistry. He said that by understanding the ice dancers’ feelings, he can help them figure out how to constructively use the feedback they receive while still maintaining the intent of a program.

“They have these moments within the routine; they’re telling a story. Even though it comes to the part (in the short dance) where they’re doing the waltz that everyone is doing, their intention behind it will make it look different,” he noted.

Onik hopes to attend the world championships in Boston so he can get an up-close look at how the top ice dancers in the world perform. He has already spoken to some coaches about beginning work for their teams on next year’s choreography as soon as this season concludes.

Onik said, “I didn’t think I’d be working with ice dancers, but the fact that I have something to give them makes me feel happy.”

Last edited by CEK40 (1/08/2016 12:46 pm)