<B>tiff</B> posed the question in another thread: what jazz and tap syllabi do you use?<P>i don't teach either of these, so i'm not much help!<P>but, in australia, the main syllabus for these genres is commenwealth society of teachers of dancing (CSTD), which is now (i believe) known as comdance.<P>also, rabbit had alerted me to a canadian syllabus, called ADAPT - the have a website. i believe she uses this one....rabbit, please correct me if i am wrong, and maybe tell us about ADAPT? <p>[This message has been edited by grace (edited December 18, 2000).]

my daughter does the brian foley tap syllabus (ADAPT). <BR>He comes to their dance studio about once a year for a workshop.<BR>charlene

Hi Grace,<P>It's great to be here in this wonderful forum. <P>I'm from Holland and teaching (living) in Germany.<P>For the first time being here - I'll keep it short. Here in the school we are teaching the Matt Mattox Syllabus in Jazz and the Bob Audy System in tap. <P>I don't think there are so many Syllabi in Jazz or Tap. But I would love to be surprised.<P> <P>

berry - our first CD member from germany! great. and you're a teacher too. marvellous. <P>welcome to you!<P> <P>i see from your website that you teach jazz and modern yourself.<P>good heavens! and i see that you are male! how surprising! haha! isn't that odd, that i assumed i was speaking to a female!<BR> <A HREF="http://www.moderndancecenter.de/Dozenten/berry_erw.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.moderndancecenter.de/Dozenten/berry_erw.html</A> <P>and you teach tap too, i see. just curious, if you don't mind my asking, as you have apparently been in germany many years now, do you prefer germany to living in holland? or were you a child when you moved there? (from the photo/age, and the bio, i would guess that is it...) & PLEASE: ignore these personal questions, if you prefer! <P>getting back on topic, matt mattox is a pretty standard/popular jazz approach, all around the world, isn't it? do they have standardised examinations?<P>

Grace,<P>Cennet - the little girl you took from our site - would be very surprised to see herself here in Criticaldance. Isn't she cute? That's the way she is looking, when she is watching the other children in her class. Dance is really "asthonishment" for her, i think. <P>Please become "personal" if you like. That photo from me: all dancer are a little vain, aren't they? To be honest, now i'm almost 47 years old. The picture was taken 10 years ago. (Now i'm old and ugly) My wife is always making jokes about me and this photo.<P>So coming back to your question. I moved to Germany at the age of 24. (23 years ago) But Holland is only 1 hour driving by car. I worked a long time in Holland and Germany at the same time. In the meantime i prefer to live here in Germany. Holland is really smal. A lot of people in a really tiny country, with tiny houses. But i love that people and country, so i'm going back home at least twice a month.<P>Matt developed this Jazz system (originaly from Jack Cole) for the stage and primarily for professional dancers. He came to Europe somewhere in the 60th (or beginning 70th.). (I think he is not that well known in the states). <P>His system is very clear and perfect for several degrees. This is one of the reasons that this system is tought at all universities In Holland. As i told you before in this posting i worked in Holland at one of this universities. Jazz Dance is taken here very serious. I think it is the same in australien, isn't it? For us, it isn't just a way to have fun. It is fun - dance should always be fun - but it is also a theatre art form, with his own vocabulary. <P>We have divided this system in 5 degrees. To become a good jazz dancer you have to take 5 years 2/3 classes jazz a week. Beside classical ballet and modern classes of course! The Graham technique really helps you in the Mattox - system.<P>Are there standardised examinations? No, i don't think so. At least not in the field of amateur dancing. At the university, yes! But i think that's an other story. <P>I hope this information will do it for this time. Again, i appreciate it to be in this forum.<P>

berry, that was very interesting. i've studied the matt mattox technique with a protege of his in the usa and also was a dancer in an instructional video. it is an excellent technique, very technical and really makes one strong, but you are correct in stating that it is not a well known technique in the usa. i don't know why. i contribute it to my dancing successfully and uninjured. The younger people seem to think jazz is "funk" or "hip hop", they don't seem to acknowledge where it all started. I see lots of poor jazz dancers who think technique is not important.

berry - fascinating post on a number of levels - <P>1. i had no idea holland and germany were quite that close and accessible! wow - visiting twice a month...working in both countries!<P>2. i'm the same about my pic - now old and fat! - and wouldn't be seen dead in a tutu!<P>3. interesting that you say mattox system is not well-known in US - (i believe you, of course, but...) the people i knew who taught it, or who WERE taught it, had had that experience in the states, so i thought USA was its main base of popularity (WRONG! )<P>4. don't know anyone who teaches it, now. yes - hip-hop is popular here for recreational classes, but jazz as a dance genre IS taken seriously in good studios and in dance programs at universities - though never AS seriously, as contmporary and ballet.....in my experience.<P>5. the little girl is gorgeous - perhaps you should show her the photo here? - and your description of her 'astonishment' is delightful.<P>6. j - you were a dancer in an instructional video for this? i'm impressed! <P>7. will all please all excuse the list? - its the christmas crazies - trying to keep control of a zillion things.....maybe lists will help! ('tearing hair out but also resigned' smiley...goes here)<P>

j, nice to meet someone in the US, who is familiar with the work of matt mattox. I think matt tought only 4 - 5 times overthere after he left NYC. As far as i know with Gus Giordano in Chicago, at Steps (NY) and at Dance Space (with Lynn Simonson).<P>The classes were overcrowded at that time (beginning 90)<P>But every time i was in NYC nobody knew him. (I will be in New York next week and will ask some of the younger dancers!)<P>For all who don't know: Mattox is almost 70 years old (in August 2001), he lives in the south of France and is still teaching (like a young dog )<P>Grace, i will give more information about the Syllabus next time. Do you know the website from rabbits ADAPT? I would be very interested to learn (read) more about that.<P>O yes, before i forget: Holland is as big as a sheep farm in Australien and has the same amount of inhabitants as whole Australien! (That was told at the olympics) It takes me 1,5 hour to drive from the east to the west and 3 hours from N > S. <P>And thats what i'm going to do now: i'm going to Amsterdam. Bye<BR>

I'm back and i have to correct myself. Matt is already 80 years old (born at 1921)an not 70

welcome back berry - that was quick! i think no-one posted because we knew you were away.....strange, isn't it?<P>is the studio you teach at 'your' studio? it looks like there is a team of teachers...but maybe you made the site?

here is the ADAPT site:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.adaptsyllabus.com/pages/home.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.adaptsyllabus.com/pages/home.htm</A>

Berry, Frank Pietri teaches Mattox technique at NEW DANCE GROUP on w47th and 8th st in NYC in the heart of broadway. He is an older man also, a wonderful kind teacher. I believe he was personal friends with Matt. It would be great if you could take a class and give feedback at to what is being taught

Grace, thank you for the ADAP site. I was already looking for this site longer, but frankly spoken: i'd expect more information about the syllabus. Or didn't i found the right page?<P>I know how hard it is to make a website and to keep it up2date. As you asked for: i'm one of the founder of the Modern Dance Center in 1980. Now it's more like a foundation (Verein) - and i'm the artistic director. I developed the website, but it's still incomplete. I've to work on it the next days.<P>Look at my link site! Critical dance is in "Fragen und Foren": <A HREF="http://www.moderndancecenter.de/Rahmen/links1.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.moderndancecenter.de/Rahmen/links1.html</A> <P>Grace: i'm the same about my pic - now old and fat! - and wouldn't be seen dead in a tutu!<P>I'm not sure - my english is not that good - but does this mean you want to be laid in state in a tutu. For a dancer it must be fantastic to lay in a tutu in her dead bed. But it seems a little "macabre" to me. <P>Haha, i'm sure it's just a saying.<P>Hi J., i'll try to go to Frank Pietri when i'm in NYC next week. I have heard his name before, but never met him. I personally know matt mattox very well. (He is even one of my best friends). As a was an activ dancer he made a wondefull "pas de deux" for me and my wife. (i think that was 1985)<P>I found a website with a picture from him:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.x-trem.nu/danse200.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.x-trem.nu/danse200.html</A> <P>But Grace, your first question was: what syllabi is used in Jazz (and tap)? <BR>There are some other syllabi, aren't there?<P><BR>

Thank you for posting the picture, I wish i could have experienced a class w/him. If you do decide to take Frank's class do not hesitate to converse w/him about your background as he would be delighted and he also has an appreciation for "adult" dancers.<BR>I guess you can tell from my postings that i have a huge affection for him.Plus, jazz turned out to be my thing so to speak and i found that people take me more seriously in the USA when i preface it by saying "i'm classically trained in ballet, but choose to concentrate on jazz". I'm excited to here that someone like you understands and appreciates the technical skills that are required to master the form

just a note re the original topic. With the exception of RAD, i have never taught or taken in a studio in the NJ/NY area that followed a strict syllabi. I've seen teachers use some Al Gilbert for tap, but never the complete program. I don't know of a graded jazz program. Even the large company schools in my area do not stick to a strict method, except for ballet. In the smaller schools i credit it to the lack of discipline in general with regards to our children and the up and coming teachers (do i sound old?). Part of it may be that studios are BIG business, and i speak solely from my experience, in my area. I teach a mix, mattox, luigi, michael owens. I can't get the commitment from my students to teach a complete techinque and have to much respect for my instructors to ever claim to be able to do so. I wouldn't make the claim unless i could teach it clean and unaltered