M-Pulsive: Uncut
An insight into life at M-Pulsive Dance School
M-Pulsive: Uncut
Inspiring Creativity and Artistry... With Rosina Andrews
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We meet with renowned choroegrapher and dance educator Rosina Andrews to chat all things creative and hope to inspire our seniors to think deeper, tell more stories and be confident in their own style and creative journey.
Hi everyone and welcome back to Impulsive Uncut. We've had a little break from this podcast over the summer, but we're back and ready to hit the ground running with some new episodes with interviews, inspiration, and information. Our relaunch today is one with uh interview with Rosina Andrews. Rosina is a great inspiration to dancers up and down the country and has some great methods of teaching, as well as being a really strong advocate for creativity and artistry behind the dancer. This interview today is to help our seniors become inspired and confident in creating their own pieces, which is ideal timing for them putting together the final touches for their annual showcase choreographies, as well as those who have been putting together some pieces for choreo competitions. So we hope that you really enjoy this episode today and take something really useful out of it. Um before so lots of our dancers already have your pirouette and leap surgery books, so they'll be familiar with your name. Um but could you tell everybody a little bit more about you, what your background is, and just to so they can get to know you a little bit before we chat.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. So hi everyone, I'm Rosina, and yeah, if you have got my pirouette and leap surgery books, amazing. Um that is kind of what I guess I'm known for these days. And some people think, oh, she's the woman who just teaches pirouettes, but no, there's more to me. There is more to me than that, I promise. I always joke with like normal people that I spend my life, they're like, What do you do for a living? I teach people to stand on one leg, and they look at you and they're like and I'm like, Well, in essence, yes. Um, so I grew up in a dance studio, my mum was a dance teacher, headed off to dance college many moons ago, and then ended up working professionally but also moving to New York. Um, and that's and my kind of the way I teach came from. Um, I was just shocked at just how much not necessarily better, I don't like to use that word, but how much just different how different American dancing and dance teaching was. So then I came home and um started started the journey that I'm on now, which is my dance smarter uh brand, and I traveled all over the world really with that. Yeah. And then it led to my books, and now it leads me to here as a speaker on your podcast. So yeah, that's a very quick rundown.
SPEAKER_00It is, yeah. So I met Racina um and and Sam when I went to uh teaching camp last, was it January in Ireland? Um and I think that when yes, while I was there in January, well yeah, that was January. Um while while I was there and we watched um a couple of your demonstrators do some of their competition stuff, I was like quite taken, like I really enjoyed the creativity that was behind their dances, and that's why I thought we need to try and instill that in our senior dancers. It's not just about the tricks, like we want them to have the good tricks, the good technique, but we don't want their choreography to be all about that. So our seniors just now they're working on their own pieces for competition and for a showcase. And so I thought it'd be great for to get a little bit of an insight from you as to what you would look for um in their choreographies to help them out with getting that little bit of little bit more depth in what they do. Um so first I love that.
SPEAKER_01I look, can we can we shout can we shout that from rooftops? Like can we like yell it really loudly to everyone? Yeah, no. Because honestly, I when I judge competitions, I see so many phenomenal dancers that are so good at like leaps and turns and legs, and in a way, like uh like leaps and bounds, no pun intended, ahead of like my uh top-level students, and I'm like, yeah, oh my god, should we be doing this? But actually, there's so much more to it than just that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. So you're known for pushing dancers to think differently. So, what does creativity really mean to you when it comes to performance and and choreography? Oh, big question.
SPEAKER_01How long you got? Um, so I think we forget that creativity is something that comes from within and something that's very, very unique to us. And I think we don't necessarily have the idea of creative as we hope. Um get older, you know, you've got work and you've got this. You know, you're not like a toddler who's you know always getting paper and paint out for and crayons and stickers, and they're being super creative. Um, the older we get, the less chance we have to be organically ourselves. Um, I always look at it like I look at how my daughter colours in, and I'm like, whoa, babe, let's stay inside the lines. She's too, she's never gonna stay inside the lines. And actually, I'm thinking to myself, why am I telling her that? Because actually, she's painting however she feels, and there's me being like, no, no, let's constrain to what society says, and it's just a picture of Peppa Pig or something. Yeah, which is like a very small but very obvious metaphor to the rest of it. We kind of look at creativity, especially in dance, and we don't necessarily go with what we feel, we see what's trending, or we see what's on social media, or we see what we've seen on the TV or on dance moms or whatever, even when it comes to like choosing music. I see people go, Oh, I found this song, it was on the um greatest dancer on the TV show. And I'm like, Oh, can we try and find something else? Because it's not necessarily organic to us. So, that to me is what creativity is it's that ability to create something that's unique to what we naturally do. And I think as teenagers, that's really hard because we are constantly. I say we, like I'm still a teenager. In my head, I am wish. I'm not teaching French, and it's that whole like you're constantly being bombarded by what people think you should be doing, whether it be in dance or in school or wherever. So I think for your students, it's about them maybe finding a piece of music and going, How does this make me feel? and I think once you can embody how it's making you feel naturally, that's when the magic happens. And actually, one of those girls that you watched in um Ireland had her the other day, and I said, Your competition report thing was one of the only ones that didn't say we need more storytelling, right? It was a competition where I felt like they just wrote that everyone, I'm not gonna lie, like it was like a carbon copy something. But hers didn't say it, and she is like really, really good. So I was not not surprised they didn't say it, but I was like, why is that? And she was like, you know what? The older I get, the more I don't just use my face to sell a story. I'm trying to embody the story and the creativity within my whole body, and because of the way my body moves, then my performance comes across more real and better. And I was like, geez, you're 15 and you've already grasped that. I mean, there's 25% I haven't grasped that, and I was like, that's amazing. That's exactly it. Like your whole body has to embody what you're trying to tell your audience for it to work.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. So, with that in mind, so if you were judging a competition, you're if you're at a competition, when for the girls who are creating and preparing their pieces, what makes a piece stand out for you at competition? What they know they get caught up, I think, in we need this trick and we need this trick. But what really stands out for a really strong piece of competition?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so it seems these days, and I don't like saying this because not everyone can, but nearly everyone can aerial. And it used to be this thing where it was like, oh my god, she just sort of flip with her hands. And now I'm like considering, should I try and do this? Because everyone else seems to be able to do it. So I like a trick, and I'm not saying that I don't, and obviously it would be really um kind of uh juxtaposed of me to say I don't like turns and leaps, because obviously I wrote books on them. But what I think stands out for me is someone who can blend those things within the choreography in ways that are a surprise, in ways that kind of make you go, oh, I didn't see that coming, or always the the tracks that the dances that very much connect with the music are the ones that stand out to me. If there's a crash in the music and you do a big crash in your movement, automatically there's a connection that some of them miss, especially if we're doing like lyrical choreography, um, because sometimes lyrical is very like and very like all the same, and they're not picking up any dynamics. So for me, blending of the tricks and finding dynamics is like yeah, also the track that the the one that's different to everyone else. Like, I'm just thinking like like it's take a modern section, and this was a few years ago, and I don't know if it's the same as Scotland, I'm sure it probably is. You are Scotland, aren't you? Yeah, yeah, we are Scotland. Yeah, are you Scotland? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, it's that uh kind of like everyone was wearing like cat suits or unitards, yeah. And my student was wearing stretchy jeans and a crop top, and it just I'm not suggesting everyone wear stretchy jeans and a crop top because it doesn't work for every dance, but her dance it really did. And before she'd even started moving, there was like, oh, who are you? This is different. Yeah, um, yeah, you're trying to find the stretchiest jeans was the challenge.
SPEAKER_00I can imagine, yeah. Um, what what advice would you have in that same sort of thing for girls and boys is like who don't have that strength in their tricks, who feel like they're almost lagging behind the ones that do the big acro stuff that feel like they can't put themselves out there at competition because they can't do that area. Don't need it.
SPEAKER_01Don't need it. Like, my theory is unless it's like I see some people put tricks in routines, and I'm like, whoa, that's probably what you're working on in class, but that should not be in your routine. Yeah, like it's like let's showcase what we can do and not worry about what we can't do. I did get told off once by a college I work at for saying that their like technical skill set was peaking, which I wasn't trying to miss anyone off. I was just trying to say, like, if you're 22 and you aren't able to do a round of back handspring, back layout, don't worry about it. Let's sell what we have. Yes. Um, but yeah, like they took that as don't aspire to be anything, which was just a whole controversial stuff. Okay. Um, you're just like, I didn't mean it. I was trying to do it. Yeah, yeah. Um, so I would say those kids that can't do that, forget it. Like, don't worry about it. And actually, sometimes in a world where a lot of people say say there's someone that does step, kick, it bounces off their face, step, turn, leap, and four of them do that, and it all looks really good. And then someone else comes on and tells a story with their movement, their eyes, their hands. They still do the turn, but they don't do the kick. Maybe they do the lead, but it doesn't look the same. It actually can hit and make more of an impact so when it's surrounded by difference, if you know what I mean. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that's really important for those kids to hear because I think some of them are put off by putting together their own choreographies or by putting themselves out there to perform by themselves just because they're like, I can't do that thing, so I don't want to show off. But actually, it's so nice to hear it being more about the storytelling and oh yeah, creative and performing over the top of doing set tricks, which I think is really important for them. Um, what about where how would you what advice would you give to your dancers when they're struggling to find that creative voice? Like, do you do you have any tips for finding that like where they start storytelling? I know that like a lot of them go it's hard, I can't think of anything to dance about. Like, is there is there a magic formula?
SPEAKER_01Um I feel like maybe that's what I could sell for Christmas, new product. Yeah, um the magic formula juice. Um I think what it is is it's hard to create something when you're telling yourself you have to. So if you set yourself an hour in the afternoon to find music for, say, a lyrical solo, you're probably not gonna find the music. You're gonna be so like narrowed to finding that music that extrinsic factors and life and all that is not gonna affect what you're listening for. So I always say don't set yourself a time to find the music. Obviously, if you know you've got to do the competition in two weeks' time, you've got to find it within the next week, but don't set it as like this is what I'm gonna do when I get home from school at 7 p.m. Yeah. Um, instead, like play music in the car. Uh, you like watch like your favorite film or your TV show and have a look at what the music is going on behind it, because that's the kind of thing that if it is your favorite film or it is your favorite TV show, you're already inspired by what the story is telling. You like it, so therefore the music will have a positive affirmation towards how you're dancing. Um, the other thing is I would say just get in a space and improv, dance, do something. There's this um, there's a book called War of Art, and one of the quotes in it is like, just get started. Like if you want to write a book, just start the first paragraph because then you'll get into a flow of it. Um, if it's like paint a picture, so like get the paint out, like things like that. So I think with dance, we've got to get in the room, we've got to play some music, even if it's not the music you've chosen, and start to move. I think at that point, once you start to move, you'll be like, Oh, actually, I quite enjoy this. It's that whole starting thing. Um, and one final thing with that is if you're really stuck and you're like, I have no idea where to start, I can't think. Put the music on, improv and film yourself improvising because there'll be something that goes, Oh, I really like that bit, and then you can build on it. I also find that eradicates usually the worry of putting tricks in because as we improv, if you can't aerial, you don't usually, yeah. Like I mean, there is the odd person that's like, oh, bring it on, let's see what happens. But then you move, yeah. So then you're using like natural movement for yourself that then you can build on. I find that that works a lot for me when I'm in like well, nothing left.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, because I think that's the stuff that we tend to struggle to add in, is the the stuff that's unique to your dance rather than it, you know, I'm gonna put a turn there and I'm gonna put that turn. And you often find that they start to pull out the exercises that we're doing in class and forget on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, exactly. And when you do improv, that doesn't happen because sometimes that's when you do the pirouette and you do something else, whereas usually you do pirouette and a stepboard change or something. So, yeah, yeah, that would be my advice, like improvise a lot.
SPEAKER_00I think also, I don't know if you ever get this from your girls, but um what do you ever say to them if they come up and say, uh, I did my whole routine and I didn't like it, I've scrapped it and I'm starting again. What would your advice be to that that initial thing that they don't like, but yeah, try not to get them to start again?
SPEAKER_01It's that's a really tricky one, isn't it? Because if you look if you think of like cartoons and like films, they if someone's writing something and they don't like it, they screw it up and they throw it for them. Like, yeah, it's a weird one. I would say if that is the case, then just literally start again. Yeah, obviously that's weird because then you've got like you spent all this time on it. I would say make sure before they scrap it completely, they film it. Yeah, um, they have some sort of kind of like footage of it. Yeah, bank stuff their next one is as bad and they don't like that either. And then they hindsight makes them think, oh, the first one wasn't so bad, but they've forgotten it. Yeah. Um, that would be one thing. The other thing I'd say is look at so take the piece, have videoing it as well, is always good because then you can sort of watch it back and you can decide if you like what's going on or what doesn't feel good sometimes looks good. Yeah. Work out what it is exactly that's wrong with it that they don't like. It might be the music, of which case, depending on if it's if it's like a neoclassical contemporary, it might fit to something else if you change the dynamics, so then change the music. Um, it might be they didn't like their costume, like change what they're wearing, it might be that they just didn't like a section of it, but because they saw that section first, that's put them off. So working out exactly what it is they don't like about it, and also checking that nobody said they don't like it. Right, especially teenagers. Yeah, if mum says, Oh, it's interesting, straight away they're like, No, not doing it. Yeah, it's like when you're like someone said you you put a dress on and they go, Oh, it's different. And you go, I'm changing, even though it's just a slight choice of word, like yeah, okay. If my mum said, Oh, it's different, I'd know she hated it, but like I'm now 35, not like 15. Yeah, uh, I think it's just checking that no one else has given an opinion on it or finding out why they suddenly hate it. Yeah, spend the time to work on all the way through and get it because they can't hate it that way.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that that's what I always think. I always think like you've spent a lot of time on it, so see part of it through.
SPEAKER_01And also you could look at it in the sense of like it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be the best thing you've ever done. Like you look at some people that have like I know it's different, but let's say Steve Jobs, he worked, he created numerous products before he created the iPhone and the Apple and like the iMac and things like that. Yeah, I think that's it. They still put them out there and they still okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I think they've got they put quite a lot of pressure on themselves for that one piece to be absolutely perfect when they're maybe doing it for a show and maybe they don't know when their next show is gonna be. It's like that pressure, they're not churning them out every week, sort of thing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I feel like Steve Jobs with a teenager is probably not a great example to be like what like Tate McRae's first songs were like.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's probably more relevant, yeah. Excellent. Steve Jobs.
SPEAKER_00So, last question: if you could give our dancers one piece of advice in choreographing and preparing their next solo to make it really memorable, what would that one piece be?
SPEAKER_01I really want to see these pieces by the way. Um silence. Don't underestimate the value of silence and stillness. Um, obviously, if you're giving it a jazz solo to like disco inferno, there's not a ton of silence in there. But instead of hitting constant, you could walk half the time and just trying to make in that impact of like the stillness. I always say it's a bit like in the in like films when the main character is walking towards you, and then there's a ton of other people walking like the other way, um that they're working at normal speed, but the the character's in slow motion and the impact is on them. Obviously, don't make the whole dance slow motion, but if there is time for some stillness or there is time for just a stand, a look, and a breathe, that's gonna one help you find flow in your movement and the stamina to get all the way through it, but also just draw that attention from the audience to you. It is hard and you've got to be super courageous to stand there and what looks like do nothing and then move into something else, but it will make an impact. That'll be my thing. Don't underestimate silence in life.
SPEAKER_00I think they'll find that really good advice because there is that thing where you feel like you just have to keep going, keep going, keep going. Oh, what have I not put in?
SPEAKER_01Oh, there's a gap. Oh, the music's slowing down, but I still got six moves to do. No, the music's slowing down, so you need to slow down too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, amazing. Thank you so much for that today. Um if our dancers want to know anything more about you, listen to you, see your stuff, where can they find you?
SPEAKER_01You can find me on Instagram, you know, the place to be. Um it's at Rosini Ballerini. And my name is not Rosini, but there's a story behind that. Um, I also have a podcast. Um, there's a few episodes that are suitable for like teens and seniors that might inspire them. Or um, you can just head to my website, drop me an email, and I'll reach out to them. I'm not scary, like some people are like, oh, so you never reply. I'm like, yeah, I will. Yeah, yeah, I will. I do reply. Yeah. I'm pretty real. Like I'm not I'm not Tech McRae or Steve Jobs.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much for chatting today. It's been Fab, and I hope our seniors really find that interest and get stuck into their choreographies this week. Brilliant. Thank you. Thank you so much. Speak soon.