This week the dance world lost the great jazz dance master Eugene Louis “Luigi” Faccuito. He was extremely influential in the style of many performers and an innovative dance educator telling students to understand movement by “feeling from the inside”.
After suffering from a car accident that left him paralyzed, he developed techniques and exercises to help him recover and become a world renowned jazz dance teacher, including coining the phase “5,6,7,8” to start counting off routines.
I am adopting his motto “never stop moving” to get me through my surgery and motivate me during my recovery.
Luigi’s mentors – Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd, Hermes Pan.
Luigi’s students – Donna McKechnie, Alvin Ailey, Jacques d’Amboise.
Mentors help students to become mentors to new students. Let us keep the cycle of inspiring new artists going. Teachers give all you know to your students and students get all can from you teachers.

Thank you,

dancedocent

Jazz Dance Masters: Luigi, Matt Mattox, Gus Giordano, Joe Tremaine, Frank Hatchett.

Photo courtesy of Amy Giordano via Facebook

4.7.15 – As artists who create beauty, meaning and story through stylized movement dancers and choreographers do some of  the most amazing, exciting and memorable work in the performing arts. Choreography expresses a language that is often groundbreaking. Great choreography can encompass surprising whimsy, inventive geometry, and shimmering clarity. In dance, more than any other art form there is the potential to creating something extraordinary from nothing.

Tomorrow I go into pre-op for a replacement hip. I’m optimistic because of the feedback I’m been getting from others who have survived the procedure and happily share their success stories. I’ve been reluctant to speak out loud about what I am going through for reasons I now know are frivolous excuses. Putting up a brave front(dumb cliché), Don’t burden and depress people with bad news, You won’t get hired! You see, I am a choreographer. I love every aspect of dancing. The training, the sweat, the closeness of our community, the expression of movement, the visceral exchange with an audience.

And now in one week I will need to recalibrate who I am personally and professionally. This blog begins so confessional because I want to emerge from this stage in my life as an unabashed advocate for dance. The art of dance has given me so much financially, emotionally, and with passionate determination I will share my enthusiasm in the hope that others benefit from more exposure to dancing in all forms. Dance can be illuminating and revolutionary in a variety of genres in both quiet and dramatic ways. Dance enthusiasts, novice and pro students, teachers, working dancers, emerging artist, and established industry veterans, I want to hear from you. Share your moments of movement that impacted you and join me on

The Next Stage.

dancedocent