The first word that comes my mind with Gen as a dancer and as a person is "energetic." I don't necessarily mean energetic in the sense that she always does her footwork a hundred miles an hour--but she can if she wants to. Thing is she dances with 100% effort emotionally and physically or at least makes me think she does. Regardless, I can feel some kind of energy in Gen's movement which really inspires me to play. The students seemed to enjoy her teaching and were obviously inspired by her dancing too.

March 5, 2006 5:31pm

She explained to the class that she never has a set choreography so she came up with a routine on the spot--a lot of teachers do this. Could've been something spontaneous or maybe a variation of something she already uses in her performances. But still it was musically and choreographically stimulating. She admits not having ballet training but she still has come up with her own workarounds to beautifully execute movements that ballet-trained dancers naturally do. I love the fact that she doesn't pretend to know it all in the formal academic sense, but manages to find a "street-smart" solution anyway.

She begins the class with exercises for footwork that challenges the students' sense of compas and physical endurance. Quick water break and then into the choreographic routine. She prefers to feel the rhythm instead of counting. And as she goes through the routine gives all kinds of useful little tips along the way. One thing she kept repeating was to stiffen your legs to stop at the end of a turn. And her turns look very very sharp. I like her analogy of there being a magnet in the mirror and when you do a turn your head should snap back to face the mirror again. She had the students cracking up when she did a slow turn without spotting and wandered across the studio aimlessly saying, "Hmmmm, I think I'll go here." That was Gen's hilarious impersonation to make her point and it worked. My overall assessment: her classes are challenging and fun. Don't miss this opportunity!

March 5, 2006 5:20pm

Not sure how long Gen will be in DC, so I highly recommend getting out to see her perform this Tuesday at Las Tapas or coming to DC Dance Collective this Sunday March 12th either at 4:00pm or 5:30pm (subbing for Anna Menendez). If you want to schedule a private lesson, her contact info is on my teachers page.

March 5, 2006 5:27pm

It's midnight, technically Monday morning now. My eyes are dry and my body's aching--not so much from sitting in front of the computer but more from lack of sleep. I'm going to bed early this time I promise and getting a full eight hours! Tonight I plan to stay out at Citron after my gig until closing time (2am) assuming I can find a friend to give me a ride home or a place to crash. Wish me luck!