Meet & Greet

Tamsyn Dexter

“Don’t compare yourself to others. If you have a goal and great work ethic, you can get there in your own way. Everyone is different, carving a different path.”

Lauded for her flexibility and her acrobatic strength, South African born Tamsyn Dexter joined Chace Dance Company in 2014 after training with teachers such as Audrey Helberg, Fayme Hattingh, and many more. She took the directors breath away at such a young age she was admitted directly to corps dancer, surpassing any apprenticeship work. During her first season cast as a corps dancer in “Secret’s of a Family Portrait,” included the role of the youngest daughter, she now shines as soloist for the company’s upcoming performance, “Humanity.”

“I take big pride in being a CDC dancer,” says Dexter. “I know what it is like to work from the ground up and appreciate every step of the way.”

Dexter, a mere 16 years old, didn’t presume she would land the role of soloist in the second production (although she had the burning desire). But with support of her family, artistic director Tamra Chace, and her fellow coaches, Dexter can feel confident in the link between her soul to her roles. “I believe you can’t fake who you are on stage, you have to grow as a person, then everything else will fall into place for your performance.”

In 2015 Chace made her the soloist because “I can see she will be able to cope with the physical demands and maintain the mental challenge of comprehending choreography,” says Chace. “She really pushes herself to the limits!”

 

Carla Nel

“Work hard, but don’t lose who you are. Try to maintain balance in your life.”

One of CDC’s most expressive and radiant dancers, Carla Nel joined the company this current season in 2015. Having proved herself with other choreographers and performances in such diverse works, she has landed a spot with the ever-growing Chace Dance Company!

One obstacle for Nel and all dancers is performance nerves. “I am always on edge before a performance,” she says. Now she centers herself by focusing on why she dances. “It comes down to loving what you do, and having a lot of beautiful things in your life that you want to try to take on stage with you.”

CDC is one of Nel’s dance homes, with all of the dancers supporting and backing her in her performance career. She is happy that she has come so far at such a young age, “The people you grow up with and the people who support you are your family, and I am blessed to have that support system.”

Dancing with the company makes her have a responsibility to measure up to, dancing alongside such amazing dancers has been a great experience.

Kemelo Sehlapelo

 “Always approach your career with joy, it should be about doing what you love.”

“I think there is a great level of support from all the dancers when accepted in the company as a new dancer.” Says Sehlapelo, who is finishing up her first rookie year as a company member. “We are all rooting for each other!”

Sehlapelo exudes amplitude, and femininity with a natural sense of command in her dancing. She carries a great mix of strong and soft in her movement style. She now feels a sense of responsibility towards preparing herself for the “Humanity” production. “I definitely put in a lot of extra time in the studios on my own to review material. You have to prepare for your future and working extra hard does that. You have to show the director that you want it!” This performance could very well be a strong career impression for her as a dancer.

“Dancing with CDC is one of the most rewarding experiences, I feel that Tamra recognizes my individual qualities and knows how to highlight them.” says Sehlapelo. Savvy at self promotion through social media and websites, Sehlapelo has acquired numerous followers and engagements by herself.

 

 

Dancing Chace

It’s a captivating moment: All the dancers on stage chugging in a precise manner to Tankura, as they all merge into a perfect pyramid formation. They move their hips and bodies creating a visually stunning effect, you can literally see the music come to life. And it all happens in Chace Dance Company’s new production “Humanity.” 

Feeling molded to the music is one of the biggest perks of dancing a work choreographed by Tamra Chace. Her repertoire ranges from tutus and flowers, to body socks, and off-body positions with innovative concepts.

The Girl Behind The Moves

Born in Orlando, Florida, United States of America, Chace studied at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She trained and performed many works before moving to South Africa and focusing more on teaching and choreography. Six months after graduating with her BFA in Ballet and Dance Education, Chace moved to South Africa and opened Chace Dance Studio, a training facility and program for young aspiring dancers, and Chace Dance Company, a platform for all professional contemporary dancers from different places to come together and perform in productions and corporate entertainment.

Chace often spends many hours just listening to the music she is about to choreograph to, so by time it comes to set the piece, she knows the musics DNA. It is so important to try and shape the sound the audience is hearing. Chace creates her work very quickly, and quietly-never yelling, just focusing on the work. She always comes prepared to make sure the rehearsals flow seamlessly.

The Style

Chace has brought a new distinct technical style to South Africa, she stresses emphasized phrasing and syncopation in his classes. Similar to Balanchine, in her classes a fondu doesn’t have the same timing on the way down as on the way up, it goes down slower with the accent on coming up.

Chace wants dancers to move drastically along the space, wants longer lines, and deeper lunges. She also disguises all of her preparations, having a leap and pirouette come from an element of surprise. Chace wants to make the in between stuff just as fantastic as all of the leaps and tricks, there are no boundaries with her technique, everything must be stretched to the max!

How To Dance It 

Speed and musicality are the hardest elements to master when working with Chace. Being in time together and on time are the most important thing. There is no time for her dancers to keep their weight in their heels, they must be forward on their toes, ready to transfer weight in an instant.

Grasping the style of Chace Dance Company’s dancers and the choreography from Tamra Chace takes time, and constant training. It is a process, you have to develop the specific muscle groups that her technique requires. Most importantly, don’t forget to listen, as every step has a purpose in the musicality, if you dive into the music, the dance will just flow naturally through your veins.

Train with Tamra this weekend at Collaboration! 

Info & Registration:  https://fs30.formsite.com/TamraLChace/form6/index.html

Competing Against Your Best Friend

You have been practicing your solos for months, and on the day of the event who takes the title? Your best friend. Next you’re up for the big role in your studio’s recital, who gets it? She does. You may find your feelings changing and becoming less friendly with her lately. Now you don’t want to talk to, or even watch her perform and support her. How can you manage and change these feelings? Or even eliminate them entirely?

 

The dance world is very tight knit and connected, its common to compete against someone you know very well at a dance competition, for a scholarship, or a role in an upcoming show. Try these tasks below to help keep your relationship on track.

Put Your Friendship First 

Never sacrifice a good friendship for the sake of winning something, you have to think about what is more important in life, and which will last longer… a title for the year, or a friend for life? Be sure to talk about the priority you are placing on your friendship or relationship to the other person involved in it to know you are both on the same page. Friendships can withstand challenges if both parties are committed to each other, you both must be honest, sharing, and communicate your feelings of dance.

 

Focus On Doing Your Best 

When you start to feel anxiety about competing against your best friend, remember that you are actually competing against yourself first! It will be more productive to focus on yourself and your own goals, rather than thinking about what your friend is doing. Learn to aim for your personal best. If you are confident you have given your best performance, than you have done your best. And maybe you won’t feel as badly if the reward goes to your friend, because you did all you could.

Push Each Other To Improve 

If you both go to the same studio, you are most likely seeing each other’s growth first hand. Having a friend that is super hardworking, may be a factor that keeps you on your toes! They will push you throughout your dance career. Surrounding yourself by excellent people will help you improve and become a better dancer, try to learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You should aspire to be like your friend, you’ll be better off in the long run by having each other.

Respect Each Other’s Feelings 

Losing hurts, whether it is from your friend or from anyone else. While it is important to still congratulate your friend, your friendship should also mean being able to share your own pain and sorrow back with her as well. If you are the one ending up on the losing side, be patient and kind to yourself, your time will come. If you sit and let those pain feelings fester, it will only be harder to move past them, and create resentment.

If you are on the winning side, try to understand how your friend must be feeling. She many need you to comfort her, or she may need some space. Just be prepared for an emotional reaction and know she will come back around. Always think about how it would be if the roles were reversed. Treat her as you would like to be treated if placed on the other end of the table.

Step Outside The Studio 

Onstage and off stage, dancers are competitive. Get away from that atmosphere and spend some quality time outside of dance with your friend, reach beyond the dance setting. Go to lunch, the movies, shopping, usual girl things to break the mold.

Even the most talented dancer won’t always win. Disappointments will come, it is part of the industry, and becomes easier to handle when you are older if you start learning how to now. In life you will face losses, but you have to remain positive. Be grateful for what you have, there is always somebody better than you, perfect is imaginary.

One Sided Dancers

You’re doing a pirouette exercise in class, and whipping out triples and quads on the right side. It feels easier to control, and sort of fun! But we were made with two sides to our bodies and what we do on the right we must do on the left to keep balance. All of a sudden, you are an uncoordinated mess.

One sidedness happens to every dancer in the business. Whether you jump higher on the one leg, or your right leg can touch your nose but your left can barely reach 90 degrees. It can be extremely frustrating, but there are things you can do to work on that other side and become more comfortable using it.

It’s Natural  

All people are one-sided for something, dancers and non-dancers alike. Consider the way your body is structured. If one of your hips are tighter, you will have less flexibility on that side. If your ankle is hypermoible it will seem weaker than the other.

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable 

Dancers enjoy working on things that feel good, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect the other side. As you get older you realize the importance of balance in your dancing, especially as a professional. In rehearsals or choreography you are constantly working that good side, you have to manage to find time to work the bad side too. When you get to the studio, try working on your bad side first, before going to the right (or your good side).

Try Something New

If you have been practicing your bad side, well done. But if you have practiced all you can and are not seeing in progression or improvement, teachers will often recommend taking a class outside your genre and comfort zone. Taking a different style class for your body could really help with your coordination.

Cross training can also help to strengthen and equalize your body sides. In sports or weight training you learn to  balance everything out, the repetitive simple notion helps a lot.

Remember that dance is partly an art of illusion, like a magician! Every single dancer has a weakness, no one is perfect, the professionals just learn how to hide them well. To disguise a troublesome step or trick, play with the musicality, and really perform so people are focused on your face rather than what you are actually doing. Also keep your eyes open and watch other dancers that have mastered your problem step, see if you can find something that they are doing and you’re not.

In the end remember your best weapon against ‘one-sidedness’ is confidence and performance. Your leg might not hit above 90 all the time, but at least do it with a big smile on your face!

 

Company Auditions!

COMPANY AUDITIONS! Looking for strong technical contemporary dancers for our next upcoming production along with corporate events.

Offering an (optional) open class from 1-2pm for R60. And the audition from 2-3pm (no fee).

Open class is open to all advance dancers 13 and up. Audition is strictly 16 and up only. Class is not required, though recommended.

Taking place at: Limitless Dance Academy in Morleta Lifestyle Center (Spes Bona Street, Moreleta Park PTA)

Rehearsal locations vary, so calling Jburg & Pta dancers!!

Please Register Here: https://fs30.formsite.com/TamraLChace/form7/index.html

Are You Stretching Correctly?

There are many common mistakes that continue to go un-noticed by dancers…

Dancers are continuously on a tiresomequest for elastic hamstrings… Until most experience a sharp shooting pain on the backs of their knees. What few dancer realize is intense over stretching of their hamstrings can actually over stretch your knee-joint.

Unfortunately this mistake is not un-usual, but fairly common. With their constant pursuit of greater flexibility, dancers have a tendency  to favor extreme, dangerous stretching techniques. This impulse stems from many misconceptions, often ingrained at an early age by well-meaning teachers. It usually takes a painful visit to the physio before dancers learn that their stretches are actually creating weaknesses in their bodies. The first step to switching over to a safer regimen (to increase muscle flexibility (without the sacrifice of stability for balance and power needed for jumps) – is losing these bad habits.

Don’t Hold Static Stretches Before Warming Up!

Static stretching means holding a stretch position for more than 30 seconds is definitely one way to increase your flexibility; but it only works if you are warmed up! stretching while you’re cold often leads to over stretching ligaments and tendons increasing instability but not the right flexibility. This also decreases the muscles ability to contract, resulting low power and weakened strength when you start dancing. According to The New York Times, scientists have found that static stretching before exercise can reduce strength in your muscles by 5.5%. This is something a dancer definitely does not want to do before class or performance. So really make sure you have a proper warm up before jumping into those splits!

Take It Easy On Your Hammys!

To achieve a beautiful high grand battlement or develope’, you need more flexibility, but you also need strength and stability to perform such. Look at your body as a system of checks and balances: You need to build strength in the muscle that’s assisting in the action of lifting and holding the leg (deep hip flexors, quadriceps, and your core muscles) just as much as you increase the flexibility of your hamstrings. A tree can only grow taller when the roots grow the same length in the ground to support it.

Skip The Stretch, Grab a Roller! 

When dancers feel tight their automatic response is to stretch it out. But stretching alone won’t head out that tightness in the body, which is caused by tension in your fascia (connective tissue).  “This soft tissue can become restricted, resulting in muscle tension and sometimes pain,” says Candice Thompson (former Milwaukee Ballet dancer). In this case you should actually be reaching for your foam roller to release that extra tension.

The key to stretching effectively is to be incredibly warm, by activating your muscles and generating blood flow throughout the body. Do this all beforehand to increase your range of motion in stretching for flexibility. For dancers stretching should no longer be about working towards greater flexibility, but achieving a more balanced body.

Who to Watch

ALLAN BOTHA

There’s no wonder why Allan Botha has a lead role in Chace Dance Company’s upcoming production, “Secrets of a Family Portrait,” not even a year after he has joined the company. Watching him in rehearsal, you can’t miss her incredible lightness or his energetic smile.  After his performance in Telkom’s Sales South African Conference, Botha has been classified as the next big thing! Botha started his dance training at the age of nine with Amber Pamp. He started training in Latin American and later pursued various other forms ad styles which has led him to becoming a prime dancer in South Africa’s latest contemporary company “Chace Dance Company.”

AUDREY HELBERG

If you have seen recent photographs of Chace Dance Company you have definitely seen Audrey Helberg. From audience spectators of past shows Helberg is the girl stealing the show, with her flawless flips and tricks with legs extended far beyond anyone else’s.  Helberg continues to flourish in the spotlight one performance after the next.

Helberg grew up dancing at a competition studio known as Vanzyl Kroon for eleven years. She has competed in the American Dance Awards regional in South Africa and Nationals in the USA!

 

EVAN VAN SOEST

In his signature contemporary red shorts, Evan van Soest plants his feet onstage during the intermission before Tamra Chace’s “Moments” production. His arms crossed, he scans the audience. But he can’t stand still. Sudden impulses coming from deep inside sends him into unpredictable steps, tricks, leaps, and unforgettable tilts! With suppleness and precise timing, Soest ceases to surprise everyone!

The 22-year old from Hartbeespoort South Africa joined Chace Dance Company in 2013. He couldn’t have for seen the epic role he would play in the company’s debut production, “taking on such choreography takes depth, gravatas, confidence, and risk,” says artistic director Tamra Chace. “Soest falls into the company’s work like he was born for it.”

FAYME HATTINGH 

When Fayme Hattigh began taking classes with Tamra Chace at various studios in Pretoria, after such a short time she stood out from the rest of the dancers.  “She has such an intense drive to be the best,” says Chace. “How engaged she was in learning as much as she could.”

Now 26 and steadily engaged in Chace Dance Company as a professional dancer, Hattinghs appetite for dance knowledge is no less voracious. Her performance quality is astounding and brings such intensity to the table, this girl is one to watch!

JOANNE LIEBENBERG

One of the most captivating new faces on the Gauteng’s dance scene, Joanne Liebenberg offers a fresh take on grace. Using her long limbs with a studied precision, she is not afraid to let stillness, tension, and the quieter part of dance have a role in her work. Today she is carving her own path as an independent dancer and company member of Chace Dance Company.

KAYLEE MCGINN

 

For such a tiny little dancer Kaylee Mcginn packs a punch on stage! Her explorations of stillness and  transformation pulse with ferocious intensity. South African born and raised, she skilfully blends her backgrounds in ballet, acrobatics, and contemporary dance. This benefits her greatly in Chace Dance Company, with choreography that is once meticulous, primal, and physically demanding. Currently Mcginn is on her way to the USA for an international dance competition.

MICHELLE VAN DER NEST 

She may be from Pretoria, but there is a delicate refinement to Michelle Van der Nest. With her stong features and soulful eyes, she projects the calm poise often associated with Russian Ballerinas, There’s a legato beauty in her movement and steps. Her breakthrough was a long time coming, it took a dance company that challenged her to blossom. With her clean ease of technique, Van der Nest can suspend in the air, or twist or turn in any direction! But what sets the Chace Dance Company dancer apart is her willingness to open herself up emotionally to creative experiences onstage.

SAMANTHA DE CHAVES

Samantha de Chaves gives Chace Dance Company’s eclectic repetory both elegance and pizzazz: Her innate musicality can transform any movement into kinetic storytelling. De chaves never lets the “wow” factor of her expressions get in the way of telling a good story on the stage. In the company’s lastest showcase at Roodepoort Theatre she created enough fireworks in her solo performance (regarding multiple personality disorder), that it brought tears to audience members eyes. It has been awhile since South Africa has seens this much virtuosity with such substinance.

TAMSYN DEXTER

 

It’s rare to find a beautifully classical dancer who can also, well… ‘get down.’ Throughout Chace Dance Company’s triumphant 2014 season, 14-year old Tamsyn Dexter impressed with her crisp, elegant lines.

Dexter began dancing at age 7 in Acrobatic Dance. She later went on to train in Ballet and Contemporary. She has won various awards at American Dance Awards, and Dance Star South African competitions. Dexter joined Chace Dance Company in 2014, she has realized the full force of this company and the importance of the legacy we are all building together as dancers, and Tamsyn Dexter is a major part of it.

TAMRA CHACE

Chace Dance Company’s artistic director Tamra Chace is flying high this season not only onstage, but behind the scenes growth as well. Graduating from The University of the Arts, five years later the 26-year old American is choreographing and dancing feature roles in the company. Not because of her high kicks, but because of her creativity, speed, and thrilling stamina.  Even when she was a student she showed an unusual intensity and maturity in pieces by Scott Jovovich (Fosse), Brian Sanders (Junk), Ronen Koresh (Koresh Dance) and Christine Cox (Ballet X).

 

Read more about these dancers in our company bio tab in the menu bar above (www.ChaceDance.com).