I don’t know about you but cake is one of my favorite things about birthdays. There’s something about the candles…and all that icing.   I’m writing today to let you know about a different kind of birthday. Specifically, a book birthday (sorry, no cake). HOPE, book #2 of the Indigo Ballet Series has been officially released today! I’m…

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The post HOPE: Indigo Ballet Series, book #2 New Book Release appeared first on Grier Cooper.

Diablo Ballet has a lot to celebrate: This year the company marked twenty-two successful seasons (with a gala evening that opened with moving speeches by City Councilwoman Cindy Silva, and co-founder/Artistic Director Lauren Jonas) and the company has never looked better. While many San Francisco Bay Area dance companies are struggling to stay afloat, this…

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The post Diablo Ballet: Why They’re Still Going Strong After 22 Years appeared first on Grier Cooper.

Like a scary shadow, self-doubt has haunted dancers of all ages and abilities. Ballet dancers, in particular, tend to grapple with feelings of inadequacy. But take heart. Whether you’re a seasoned professional, or absolute novice, there are things you can do to increase your self-esteem and enjoy dancing again. Consider five ways dancers can combat…

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Hi Folks! Happy Tutu Tuesday to you! On this super–special ballet-ish day I’m so excited to share the cover for Hope: Indigo Ballet Series (book#2) with you! Also, I need to stop using so many exclamation points. But I am really, really excited, can you tell? I’m positive most of you will agree that a…

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I was speaking with a friend the other day and after we finished sharing all the things that were keeping us busy I said, “What are you doing for fun?” There was a long pause. “I’m not really doing anything for fun right now,” she admitted. This response bothered me. First, because I know my friend…

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During the month of January most people set out to create new habits with the best intentions. However, recent University of Scranton research suggests that just 8% of people achieve their New Year’s goals. Oops. Talk about a dismal rate of return. Here’s how to make those new habits stick securely: 1. Habits have greater sticking power when you…

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Ballet dancers are supposed to be perfect all the time, but the problem is we’re human…slip-ups happen from time to time. No one wants to admit they slid across stage, fell on their butt or smacked a fellow dancer in the face. So embarrassing! But every dancer has at least one of these stories to…

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It’s the time of year when most people are searching for the perfect holiday gift,  but finding the perfect gift for dancers isn’t easy. If you’re looking for gifts for dancers (particularly those who love to read) then have I got a list for you! Nova Ren Suma’s supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence. On…

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Today is a day where people across the country take time to express gratitude for the blessings in their lives; yet ballet dancers have a very different list than most. Maybe you’re grateful for that perfectly-broken-in pair of pointe shoes or the uplifting comment you received in class the other day…there’s always something to be…

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During the time I was a ballet student at the School of American Ballet falling in class was one of my greatest fears. While the fear wasn’t necessarily rational (I never did fall in class) it lurked like a shadowy predator that I couldn’t shake off. The irony was that class was the place I should…

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If you’ve seen the opening credits for Flesh & Bone you already know they are nothing short of stunning– and they do exactly what they are supposed to: Leave you wanting more. Here it is if you haven’t yet seen it: I’m sure I’m not the only one who tuned in for the premiere episode…

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Whenever I meet someone for the first time, one of their first questions is, “What was it like to be a professional ballet dancer?” Ballet is in the public eye like never before, yet movies like Black Swan and shows like Breaking Pointe tend to focus on the gritty side of dance, and are at…

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Halloween is just around the corner, which usually makes me think about dark, scary things, but then I realized these things are only real in our minds. Our minds are really good at conjuring up dark, scary things. All too often they are negative thoughts about ourselves…because, aren’t we all our own worst critics? Think…

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It's a Thursday evening and Post:Ballet's Robert Dekkers in is five places at once. He's in discussion with his lighting designer, conferring with dancers, and bringing me up to speed about some of the collaborators he's working with this season. He cues the music with his phone and the dancers run through DoBe:Family Sing-a-Long and Game Night, Dekkers' newest work, (which is due to premier at the end of July), bodies playing off each other in a tangle. There's humor, exaggerated facial expressions, even partnering role reversal, with the women doing the heavy lifting.The choreography includes elements of games like charades and red light/green light set to a score that revisits singing and nursery rhymes.

Ironically I spent the 4th of July in London this year, and while I didn’t celebrate (for obvious reasons), I did spend time thinking about freedom and independence. The two words are often paired together but they’re really quite different. We can be free but not independent, independent but not free, but there’s real power when we are able to achieve both. How do we embody them, make them a part of life?

Some of the cooler dreams I've ever had were flying dreams, but the best were when I could dance weightless way up in the air, high above the treetops. For me this was just a dream, but for some it's a real-life, working day reality. How cool would it be to have these jobs?

When you think about dance, where do you picture it happening? Likely you conjure up images of a Zen-like studio setting or an air-coniditioned theater...settings far from the origins of dance: The Earth. Most indigenous cultures still maintain this connection, unlike most modern, Western cultures. Luckily there are some exceptions because there's nothing like changing things up and getting back to putting our feet back on the ground.

In the never-ending quest for new ideas, sometimes it makes sense to return to simple things. The posts in Dance & The Elements, an ongoing series for the month of June, take a look at how dance companies have used the elements to create some extraordinary work. This week, just days before Summer Solstice, when many of us are already thinking about ways to beat the summer heat, it's all about water.

Dance today is changing in so many exciting ways, through new ideas, new choreography and even new venues. Directors and choreographers continue to search for ways to create work that takes dance to another level and appeals to a wider audience, especially young people. This month's posts, Dance and the Elements, will look at ways that companies have used the elements of light, water and earth to create something extraordinary.

Murals: colorful, magical cultural storytelling at its best. Word on the street is there's a new mural in town, right in the heart of Oakland. The Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP)’s Alice Street Mural Project has been two years in the making and will be officially commemorated this weekend with a diverse lineup of dancers and other local luminaries. A cool new mural and live dance? What more do you need?

One of the first questions people ask in a discussion about ballet is: what's up with the men? There are those who assume that if a man puts on tights he must be gay. But if that were true, why are droves of football players signing up for ballet? Regardless of the choices they make for their private lives, ballet men are some of the strongest, most athletic and graceful beings on the planet. As headliner Steve McLendon of the Pittsburgh Steelers says, “ballet is harder than anything else I do”. To quote a recent tweet (a Jane Austen spoof) from the Ballet Boyz: “It's a truth universally acknowledged that real men wear tights.” Check out this list of Top 10 Swoon-Worthy Ballet Boys and see for yourself.

If you are one of those people who feels a flutter in their heart when a new book is released–especially if it's a book about ballet–then you're in the right place. I'm pleased to share the news of the brand-new, hot-off-the-press novel from Terez Mertes Rose: OFF BALANCE.

This recipe will make one perfect ballerina.

It’s finally acting like summer in Northern California so I am taking some vacation time. See you in September!

Today is our final day of vacation, a bittersweet time alive with opposing forces: the pull to return home and settle into the familiar and comfortable battles the desire to make the most of the remaining precious hours where we are, visiting with family.

We are at the beach, where we have spent much of our vacation, beginning in Key West and ending in Cape Cod, logging in more hours wet than dry, now dangerously close to sprouting webbed toes.

Summer is a time of impossibly long, luxurious, sun-filled days. Except on the East Coast. This side of the country is nothing like the rain-free summers in Northern California. Over here, anything can happen: intense heat (think 107), thunderstorms, torrential bouts of rain…. We’ve seen it all in the past few weeks.

The ever-shifting skies remind me to seize the moment; grab that sunny day and make the most of it. Tomorrow it may rain. And the next day. And the next. Jump off that bridge at the local swimming hole, even if it’s overcast. Eat that ice cream sandwich. Get on a bike moments after you roll out of bed. Why wait? Do what you want to while you can or the moment may pass you by for good.