Grier Cooper's Blog, page 11

How Dancers Stay Fit

Look at any professional dancer and you’ll see someone at the top of their game. Since peak fitness is a major part of the job description it comes without saying that dancers know a thing or two about keeping in shape. And who wouldn’t want to look like that? (Those legs…)“Any woman can have that long, lean look – and the strength and posture of a ballerina,” says Mary Helen Bowers, who trained Natalie Portman for her Oscar-nominated role in “Black Swan.” In fact, 99% of Bowers’ clients are...

Goals and Why You Need Them

Every so often we need a change, a new pursuit, something to work towards that propels us ahead. In a word: we need goals. They can be little goals or big goals—size doesn’t matter. What does matter is having something to look forward to. Without goals life tends to get a little fuzzy around the edges, stagnant, we plod along putting one-foot-in-front-of-the-other. That gets old. Setting goals gives us a framework, a road map to the desired destination. Reaching toward any goal keeps inspirat...

Delicious, Healthy Cakes. Yum.

I’ve been thinking about cake a lot lately. I have a good excuse: it’s my birthday at the end of the month… plus my daughter and I share a birthday which means I have TWO cakes to think about. Cake is a lovely and delicious thing (particularly if it happens to be SuziecakesRed Velvet, like the one we served at our wedding, pictured above) but unfortunately it’s not something you can eat often. But what if cake could be healthy and still taste good? Wouldn’t that be a win-win for all you desse...

What I Would Say if I Could Talk to My Younger Self

© Grier Cooper 2014

The other night a friend posed this question: if you could talk to your younger what would you say? My answer was all about not taking things so seriously and believing that things would be okay. When I was in my teens I was a huge worrier and I usually walked around feeling uptight about school and otherresponsibilities. Today I have greater perspective simply because I’ve lived a lot of years (we won’t discuss exactly how many; it’s easier to recognize which things are li...

How a Mentor Changed My Life

Who are the people who have changed your life? Somewhere in the middle of celebrating Mother’s Day I thought about someone who was like a mother to me: my first ballet teacher, Irene Wiley Lander (referred to as “Miss Wiley” to her students). Even though she wasn’t my mother she was a very important part of my life. She was not only the person who shaped my dance technique, but the driving force that lead me to audition for the School of American Ballet, which eventually led to a professional...

Dance in May: What to Watch, Read and See

May is a month of celebrations… think May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mothers’ Day… it’s also my birthday month, so I feel extra celebratory. With that attitude in mind I put together a few of my favorite dance things for you to watch, read and enjoy for May.

WATCH: Photographer Jordan Matter has put dancers in the public eye by, well, putting them in public. As often as possible. Maybe you have already seen his book, Dancers Among Us, a photographic masterpiece that weaves dance into everyday life, w...

5 Reasons To Take a Vacation

**Warning** This post has nothing to do with dance. Although it does have to do with changing your rhythm.

I took a vacation this month – the first in quite a while – and it was a life-altering experience… enough that I wanted to share. There are good reasons to take a vacation. Here are my top 5 reasons why everyone needs a vacation (you do, don’t you?) and I promise to tempt you with captivating images, too.

©Grier Cooper 2014

We all work too much. If you are like most people your working life...

Bay Area National Dance Week: Your Chance to Dance

If you’ve ever wondered if tango really does live in your blood, you’ll want to attend the 16th annual Bay Area Dance Week to find out. Over the course of ten days, (Friday, April 25 through Sunday, May 4th) sample more than 600 free dance classes, workshops, performances, open rehearsals and lectures offered throughout the entire Bay Area. Whether your passion is hip-hop or hula, aerial or African, dance lovers of all ages, styles and experience can benefit.

“Bay Area Dance Week is a chance t...

New Perspectives on Dance

April has long been one of my favorite months because the entire Bay Area celebrates dance with National Dance Week(this year from April 25-May 4th). This month there will be dancing in the streets, tons of free dance classes and performances and open studio rehearsals. It’s a great month to share dance and explore new territory. Meanwhile, in the spirit of exploration, I’ve found some exciting ways dance is being promoted from new and different perspectives.

Recently there has been a flurry o...

Choreographers Discuss Their Inspirations

Have you ever wondered where choreographers find inspiration? How they keep coming up with new ideas and new work? Each of the creative people profiled here have a unique entry point, a personal process of keeping their creative fires alive. There are some common threads… and some surprising responses.

Val Canniperoli, Choreographer, San Francisco Ballet

Val Canniperolithe longtime and much-beloved resident choreographer forSan Francisco Ballethas choreographed ballets for many other companies...