iOS In The Studio

Apple Devices Make the Leap into the Ballet World

Some things about a ballet studio never change: the wall length mirrors the danc­ers rely on to check every angle, hone each position, and catch every misstep; the rows of wooden barres along the perimeter, used to support the dancers during the first half of every class; the endless hours of rehearsing, pushing past what seems humanly possible in order to achieve the unachievable yet ever-sought-after goal of perfection. It's an art steeped in tradition, one of centuries old stories and classroom etiquette, not likely to be changed anytime soon.

Yet modernity creeps in. Set against the timeless backdrop are unmistakable elements of change cutting edge technological advances, to be precise and with them, a glimpse into a world that was once shrouded in mystery. More and more dancers are using iOS devices, inside the studio and out, not only to help them organize their professional lives, but also to connect with their audiences in a way that was never before possible.

More and more dancers are using iOS devices, inside the studio and out

 

The Faces of Change

Daniil Simkln is considered by many to have led the way in the "social media meets dance" movement. A soloist with American Ballet Theatre, one of the top companies in the United States, the Russian-born Simkin has made it a personal mis­sion to reach out to audiences in a fresh new way. He explains, "Dance has so much potential to appeal to a wider audience and I find it a pity that, especially In the U.S., it tends to have an Image of unapproachable mystique."

He continues," Ballet tends to have this stale, untouchable, and elitist image, which I am trying to soften. Nowadays, many people would like to attain information about our lives and routines as dancers and artists, which I am willing to give to them, to a certain degree. In [these] times of transparency and openness, I find it essential to provide the audience with interesting information and shots, not only to refresh the image of the dance world, but also to attract new audience members to the art form."

Through Twitter and Instagram, Simkin is doing just that and he's not the only one; dancers from major companies all across the country are hopping on the social media bandwagon in an effort to shed some light on their elusive art. Wendy Whelan and Ashley Bouder of New York City Ballet, Maria Kochetkova of San Francisco Ballet, and Marcelo Gomes of American Ballet Theatre, all principal dancers with their respective companies, are avid Instagrammers, as is Drew Jacoby, who recently joined Nederlands Dans Theater, a highly acclaimed contemporary ballet company in Europe.

Jacoby, dubbed the "It Girl" by Dance Magazine in 2006, made her way into the spotlight by joining Alonzo King's LINES Ballet at age 17, after training at the acclaimed Pacific Northwest Ballet School. After four years with LINES, Jacoby pursued a freelance career — traditionally a difficult path for a dancer and earned accolades for her impossibly long, supple lines, strength, and stylistic versatility, eliciting the title "guest dance goddess" from Ballet Dance Magazine.

She then went on to form a successful touring duo with fel­low former Complexions dancer Rubinald Pronk called Jacoby and Pronk, which she's been focused on for the last five years. Jacoby also created a website with her husband during that period called Dance Pulp (dancepulp.com), which features video interviews with leading players in the dance world. "The idea was to be sort of like Inside the Actors Studio for dance, but with more of a peer-to-peer feel," she says. "When I'm talking to these people, they're really relaxed. It's not your typical inter­view; it's more of a candid conversation with two professionals."

She, like Simkin, makes an effort to connect with fans and potential audience members via social media. "I think it's really important, because it's free publicity," Jacoby explains. "I have 2,000 dance fans as friends on Facebook, so I have a whole market right there. Also, because I travel so much, I'll tweet where I'm performing and then I'll get people [coming to the show that wouldn't have otherwise]. It's like I have a dialogue with all these fans and friends from all over."

Just as Jacoby didn't follow the conventional dance career path, Simkin didn't move up the ballet ranks in the typical fash­ion, either. Rather than training at a company-associated ballet school or conservatory, he was coached privately by his mother for 10 years, attending a regular academic school all the while. He then gained exposure by winning medals in international bal­let competitions and posting videos of his dancing on YouTube, garnering followers from around the world, including nearly 13,000 fans on Facebook. He is revered for his youthful exu­berance, brilliant technique, and charismatic stage presence that transcends his slight build, and has drawn frequent comparisons to the legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Using social media apps on his iPhone to promote himself and shed light on the ballet world came naturally to Simkin, who has had a particular interest in technology since childhood. "I've always felt drawn towards the combination of aesthetics and technology," Simkin relates. "I get satisfaction from utilizing aes­thetically pleasing and, most importantly, functioning devices. The iPhone changed the way a phone works for me."

Tools of the Trade

Simkin, with his iPhone 4 and iPad 2, and Jacoby, with her iPhone 4S, do more than just post Instagram photos depicting the behind-the-scenes world of dancers' lives; they both rely heavily on their iDevices for a wide spectrum of daily tasks, from recording rehearsals to organizing their schedules.

"It definitely makes my life easier," Jacoby says of her iPhone, then laughs and confesses that she's obsessed with Siri. "[When I first got my phone,] I was like, this is going to change my life! I can say 'put this in my calendar' and I don't have to open up my calendar... I mean, it's not like it's that inconvenient to open it up and type it in, but [it's] so amazing just to tell [Siri] to open up my calendar and put in an appointment.”

Simkin, with his iPhone 4 and iPad 2, and Jacoby, with her iPhone 4S, do more than just post Instagram photos depicting the behind-the-scenes world of dancers' lives

Jacoby also uses her iPhone during the rehearsal process, by docking it to a speaker to play music, or to film rehearsals so she can watch the footage for corrections or send it to the choreographer for feedback. "Sometimes we'll [use my phone to] go on YouTube in the middle of rehearsal and watch ourselves to remember choreography," she adds.

Simkin uses his phone similarly. "The camera of the iPhone 4 was a revelation for me," he confides. "Besides the immediate feedback of a teacher in the studio and the mirror in front of you, it is essential to have the feedback from watching yourself on camera." He bought a wide-angle lens from Photojojo ($20, photojojo.com/store) and a Gorilla Mobile tripod mount ($39.95, joby.com) to film himself dancing in the studio. "The wide-angle lens allows me to see the full studio, and I can analyze my danc­ing on the big screen in HD on my computer later on," Simkin explains. He also uses his iPad to learn choreography, watching video that he's encoded from DVDs on his computer into an iPad-compatible format.

"I am addicted to the constant flow of information," Simkin ad­mits, "[so] my iPhone tends to be always on me." Apps that he uses regularly, besides Instagram (free, app2.me/3183), Face- book (free, app2.me/260), and Twitter (free, app2.me/102), are Snapseed ($4.99, app2.me/4057), for photo corrections; Instapaper ($2.99, app2.me/117), for reading material while he's on the subway; Evernote (free, app2.me/130); and Draw Something ($2.99, app2.me/4982).

"I am addicted to the constant flow of information," Simkin ad­mits, "[so] my iPhone tends to be always on me."

Jacoby calls her iPhone "a one-stop shop for my tech, social media, and promotion needs." Her favorite app of all? Instagram. "I love it so much," she shares, "and there are a lot of dancers who use it, so it's fun to see where my friends and colleagues are and what they're up to." Besides Twitter and Facebook, Ja­coby also regularly uses Pose (free, app2.me/5110), a fashion trends app, and Scrabble ($1.99, app2.me/402); in fact, she confesses to being "a hard-core Scrabble player," having played it all the time on her 40-minute commute from Brooklyn to Man­hattan before moving to the Netherlands. She also frequently uses the Maps app (free, built-in) "to get directions to castings, auditions, and venues."

A Peek Behind the Curtain

For these dancers and others, offering a glimpse into the ballet world through social media isn't just about branding themselves or gaining followers; it's a way of boosting the awareness of a seasoned art form in a fresh and appealing way. As Simkin sees it, "Providing a glimpse of my life and the things I do is my way of giving back to an audience that comes to see us dancers do our job... I find that every ticket sold for a ballet performance through exposure of social media does not only benefit me, but the art form in general."

He continues, "I grew up in a ballet family... sometimes, I tend to take my life for granted. Providing people a virtual backstage tour refreshes my view the same way it does when I [give a tour] in real life. When I take [my friends] around the theater, their eyes glow and it makes me notice the little, mundane things that make my life so special once again in full light.”