Thursday, July 9, 2009

Guest Blogger--Trey Baldwin!


Meet Trey Baldwin, who comes to us from Sequim High School in Sequim, Washington. He has this to say about Next Step Prep:

"At Next Step Prep, I'm getting the opportunity of a lifetime, I believe that this will truly help other students who love performing arts, and it really is a next step for our future careers.

The teachers at Next Step Prep treat us not like students, but like professional performers, showing us how our lives will be in a few years. Next Step Prep teachers the students to be what everyone in the performing business calls a "triple threat": Acting, Singing, and Dancing.

The dance teacher, Tezz Yancey, teaches us the proper technique and passion that we need to become successful dancers. He helps us with the four most important techniques of being a professional dancer: flexibility, strength, coordination, and endurance. These lessons will help us reach the professional level that companies are looking for in a dancer.

The vocal teacher, Tanja King, assigns us songs every week to learn and perform in front of the class. The reason for this is because in the professional career that's what directors will do--give us music we don't know and expect us to be able to perform it within a matter of days. Ms. King shows us how to land auditions at the professional level. She is teaching us to have perfect breath control, and to have a strong focus, how to carry our voices for longer periods of time, and how to control the octaves of our voices.

The acting teacher, Dane Madsen, taught us "neutral position", which is connecting with our breath and making our minds completely clear so we are ready to perform. He's taught us the different positions of the stage, and he has had us memorize lines from monologues every week. He has been showing us the professional level of having to develop amazing memories. To be able to memorize a page of Shakesperian language in a matter of days is a professional level that directors are looking for in actors on the stage."

Great points, Trey! Thanks for jumping in and helping us understand the day-to-day work you all are doing and the lessons you are learning!

1 comment:

  1. way to go trey. u are an awsome dancer. keep up the good work and i hope to see u again someday. good luck from sequim

    ReplyDelete