The Dance Floor

* WARNING* Suicide is briefly mentioned in this episode. Guiding New Dance Teachers

Hosted by: Anna Harsh

Guest Debora Engerman shares her story of how and why she became a Ballet teacher. She offers tips and advice of how new teachers can be more confident and ways to cope with nervousness.

Deborah Engerman trained under Wally Saunders in Pikesville, Maryland, from 1977 to 1979, and with the Baltimore Ballet School (formerly the Maryland Ballet School) under the direction of Wendy Robinson from 1979 to 1985, in the RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) tradition. Her classical studies also included training with Petrus Bosman, David Keener, and Christine Hennessy at National Academy of the Arts and Virginia School of the Arts. While pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in International Policy and Management Studies at Dickinson College from 1986 to 1990, she continued her study of classical ballet with the teachers of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Her dance training includes Vaganova technique, French methodology, Martha Graham technique, and the Dance Education Program at Towson University. She has staged ballets including The Nutcracker and Swan Lake: Act II. For more than three decades, dancers under Engerman’s tutelage have gone on to earn professional contracts and danced with companies including American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Inc., Boston Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Nashville Ballet, Texture Ballet, Universal Ballet, the Vienna Opera Ballet, the Washington Ballet, and on Broadway. She has also coached dancers for numerous international competitions, such as the Prix de Lausanne, the Varna International Ballet Competition, and Youth America Grand Prix. Her student Adrienne Canterna took the Junior Gold Medal at the 1998 Jackson USA International Ballet Competition.

For most of 2010, Engerman toured Europe as ballet mistress for Rock the Ballet, of Sweetbird Productions.

Career * Confidence* Connections in Dance

Guest: Maria Caruso

Host: Anna Harsh

*Warning * There is a brief mention of eating disorders in this episode.

If you have an eating disorder please seek medical professional help.

*BONUS EPISODE *

5 Tips for College Dancers - short episode

Host Anna Harsh shares 5 dance tips for all you college-aged dancers to improve their dance journey.

Tips that cover mind, body and spirit. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned dancer, these tips are sure to help you improve and grow in your dance journey.

Grab a pen and paper and take notes!

Allegro Dance Company is hiring in the Pittsburgh, PA area. Tour with the company and get paid to perform!

Performers without a plan B

Host Anna Harsh speaks with New York triple threat actor, singer and dancer Sean Amato about living out the dream of performing without a plan B.

In this conversation is:

• His beginnings.
• Audition tips & advice.
• Making it work
• What to do when you get stressed.
• Writing a one man show and performing it.

Sean offers advice for the next generation as well as discussing his up and coming showcases he has written.

Instagram: @Seanamatoofficial

Dance & Dual Citizenship in Italy

Want to live in Italy? Want to study Italian dance?

Host Anna Harsh interviews guest Anthony Calvanese who is living in Italy and now helps others obtain dual citizenship.

He shares the steps to gain an Italian passport as well as a story about playing a little music with new friends in Italy.

Anna shares more about Italian folk dances in various regions of Italy and how you can learn more about the country by learning the dances.

Listen in on this adventurous conversation.

Like, Share, & Subscribe to: THE DANCE FLOOR PODCAST

#Italianpassport #ItalianDancewithAnna #TarantellawithAnna

#DUALCITIZENSHIP

THE POWER OF VISUALIZATION FOR DANCERS.

Host Anna Harsh shares how incorporating a vision board can be a powerful tool for dancers when goal planning. Listen in on this unique way to dream up your dance career.

Anna tells her story about how her dream board came true. Learn the 5 steps to making a powerful vision board as well as how to visualize before a show to make your performance successful. Show us your vision boards use #DanceFloorDreams

Navigating dance auditions

Host Anna Harsh speaks with her guest Caitlin about navigating dance auditions and how to be fully prepared and what to pack.

Guest Caitlin Sloan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri. 

She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance).

She founded The Brainy Ballerina® in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers.

Planning and Tracking your Progress

This is part 5 of a 5 part series to help you reset your new year.

How are you doing with your new goals for the year?

Are you seeing progress? Are you tracking your progress?

Host Anna Harsh offers ways to track your progress and see them visually.

Listen to the full episode for the opportunity that awaits you!

Embracing Challenges and Staying Motivation part 4

This is part 4 of the 5 part series to reset your new year.

Host Anna Harsh offers unique ways to stay motivated and over come challenges throughout the year to stay on track. She includes paths to gain community support.

Grab paper and pen to write down these tips and ideas to get on a great path for your new year. Listen all the way to the end!

Setting Goals for the new year

This is part 2 of a 5 part series to reset your new year.

Host Anna Harsh offers a system to set your goals. D.A.N.C.E.

Listen in and take notes to help you set new goals for the year and achieve more this year.

Ready to reset your new year? Listen in to this episode to help you find your focus for the year.

This is part 2 of a 5 part series for dancers to restart their new year!

Define your focus is the topic for this episode.

Host Anna Harsh offers you ways to help you choose your focus for the year.

Anna covers these topics in this episode:

• Setting clear goals
• Identify your strengths and weaknesses
• Choose a style or genre
• Find master classes
• Finding performance opportunities

Like share and subscribe to THE DANCE FLOOR.

Reflect and Learn - PART 1

Host Anna Harsh offers the listener ways to start the new year off on the right foot.

This is a 5 part series to give you the steps to take to stay on track to achieve your goals this year.

Part 1 talks about reflecting and asking yourself the 5 questions that will lead you on a better path. Reflecting back and learning from the past.

Curtain Call for 2023

As we bid farewell to this year we reflect on what a great year it has been and offer hopes for the new year.

A deep gratitude to all the listeners that enjoy this podcast.

Host Anna Harsh shares a special message, holiday wishes and gives you a sneak peek of what's to come in 2024!

Aging with Dance with host Anna Harsh

Is your dance career over at age 18 because you graduate and leave your local dance studio? The answer is NO!

Anna offers perspective for younger dancers and aging dancers.

As dancers age we still want to perform. Anna offers tips and advice on how to keep dancing and staying vibrant on stage.

Host Anna Harsh offers 10 gift ideas for dancers plus a few bonus gift ideas!

The gifts range from just a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.

Being thankful can be challenging in the arts. Host Anna Harsh offers ways to find gratitude everyday especially in the art of dance.

Listen until the end to do a free gratitude exercise.

Plus a special announcement show for Allegro Dance Company

Nov 25 Washington PA 11:30am performance at 19 North.

Host Anna Harsh interviews musician & composer Chris Aquavella in his home in Germany.

Chris Acquavella is a classical mandolinist & educator from San Diego, California, who currently lives in Mainz, Germany. He graduated First Class Honors from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London, England. Chris studied under the instruction of Alison Stephens, as well as composition with Andrew Poppy. His inspiring composition is haunting and inspiring.

Listen in as Chris offers advice to new artists and insight into what inspires his music.

Meditation for Dancers

Find a quiet space where you can be still and breathe.

Enjoy this relaxing and inspirational meditation for dancers to feel empowered and refreshed to perform again.

Host Anna Harsh guides you through this meditation with soft music composed and played by Anna herself.

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Excuses that are ruining your dance career!

Host Anna Harsh reveals the various excuses dancers are making to avoid performing, auditioning and more! #NoMoreExcuses #dancers

She offers the truth behind these excuses and ways to combat making them. Advice and inspiring stories are told in this episode. Five major excuses are explored that everyone has heard.

Listen to the very end -- Anna offers a great opportunity!

Communication is the key to success.

Host Anna Harsh offers tips on how to be a better communicator with yourself as a dancer, performer, with other performers and the audience.

Anna offers ways to improve your communication skills.

There is also a bonus tip for organizations on how to achieve success with hiring dance companies.

Host Anna Harsh offers a packing list of items to survive dancing on tour.

Everything that Anna takes on the road with her when she is performing.

Great tips and and advice are offered while on the road to stay safe and look your best.

#DanceBag #dancing #touring #packingList

Host and professional dancer Anna Harsh shares five ways to be a better dance audience member. Whether you're attending a dance performance inside a theater or watching a show at an outdoor festival, these tips will help you make the most out of your experience and offer support to the dance company.

#Allegro1994 #Podcast #WomenSpeakers #Audience #DanceCommunity #Dancers #Tips #Advice

Find more about Anna on her websites:

Host and professional dancer Anna Harsh offers 10 tips and advice in this episode for new dancers.

• What to expect
• What to think about
• How to improve as a dancer

Festival Organizer's Guide to Hosting a Dance Company:

Do's and Don'ts

It's festival season and dance company's do a summer tour but often run into various problems.

Host Anna Harsh offers the do's and don'ts for festival organizers when hosting a dance company at their event.

From what to say when the dancers arrive to offering ample time on the stage to rehearse and set up this episode gives organizers a good understanding of what to expect.

Anna also offers ways to have a great marketing plan to advertise the dancers coming to your event.

Allegro Dance Company website

Host Anna Harsh offers a huge list of events in the WV and Pa area for families to enjoy from book signings to performances and even a musical to see.

Anna has written two books La Danza & The Italian Dance Quest. You can join her on her book tour and see the dances she writes about in her book.

Anna also offers advice about touring and the life lesson that she has learned while dancing on tour with her company.

Grab your calendars and save the dates to these fun events.

Host Anna Harsh interviews Dina Gregory from NYC who is a teacher, puppeteer and creative soul about forming a creative community.

Dina shares advice for the next generation on ways to not stifle their creative journey. Ways are discussed on how to form more opportunities for a community to gather together and be creative.

Host Anna Harsh offers her top ten tips to elevating your dance skills. From practicing each day to dancing with unusual props, there is something here for everyone to try and better their skills.

Listen in and take notes.

In honor of World Meditation Day host Anna Harsh is offering a meditation to boost your confidence.

Learn the square breathing technique and how to shift your negative thoughts to positive ones.

This meditation is great to build your confidence before performing.

Take a break - find a comfortable seat and listen in to this meditation.

Host: Anna Harsh

Got 5 minutes?

Take a break and meditate with this body scan mediation that helps you by releasing different parts of the body.

Feel more refreshed and aware after this meditation.

Relax and take 5 from your daily chores, rehearsals and stress in life.

Find a quiet space to listen and take a break. #Meditation #Yoga #Wellness

Host Anna Harsh interviews Dr. Sally Sherman about breaking down the many barriers of dance and yoga. They offer solutions and ways for the community as well as instructors of dance and yoga to make classes and information become more accessible. They also discuss the ups and downs of teaching.

Anna Harsh holds a M.A Degree in Communication, B.A degree in Dance, RYT200 in yoga and is a Pilates certified instructor. With over 30 years of teaching experience and choreography, Anna is the founder and director of Allegro Dance Company which tours the United States and Europe performing authentic Italian dances as well as other styles.

Hello and welcome to THE DANCE FLOOR PODCAST!

Host and dance expert Anna Harsh offers 5 unique habits that every dancer or creative artist should have to improv their work and gain more gigs.

Anna gives ways to work in these 5 habits in your daily routine and why they are important to have.

Grab a pen and paper and take notes!

Remember you can come back and listen to this episode again.

Anna also invites the listening audience to see two musicals in WV that she has choreographed.

• Mamma Mia at John Marshall High School in Moundsville, WV March 31 -April 2 and
• Mean Girls the musical at Wheeling Park High School in Wheeling, WV May 5-7, 2023.
• Buy your tickets at the door! Bring your friends and family to see these amazing shows that feature talented students.

Follow Anna on social media, Twitter and Instagram @TambourineChronicles

Host Anna Harsh explains what it is like touring with her dance company called Allegro Dance Company. 

She explains what the process is like once the dancers arrive to a venue to perform. 

She also shares what happens when weather becomes a factor. 

You don't want to miss this episode! Like, share and subscribe to the podcast!

Host Anna Harsh gives you an inside look to what dance rehearsals are like for her company and the life lessons that are learned in the process.

Gain tips and a backstage pass to what the process is like and what is expected.

Step inside the studio and listen in! 

Host Anna Harsh offers tips and the back stage pass to how to audition for her dance company called Allegro. 

Plus some sample interview questions to be prepared for when you are auditioning.  

Anna talks about the beginning of the process for being a company member. 

This is part 1 to a 3 part series of owning your own dance company. Part 1 is auditions! 

Allegro Dance Company is located in the Pittsburgh, PA area and is hiring dancers with various skills and talents. 

Take a 5 min break and listen in to a meditation with soft music to work on focus. 

Use a soft blanket or your favorite photo for this meditation. Find a quiet space and enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Ready to start a fresh new year? Don't know where to start?

 Anna Harsh offers 10 ways to realign and reset yourself. It's time to make small changes to reach your big goals.  

Grab a pen and paper and take notes! Taking care of your mind, body and spirit to level up your creative self! 

Host Anna Harsh offers her top ten sweet gift ideas for dancers and dance lovers! 

All roads lead to Pittsburgh as entrepreneur Viviana Altieri explains. She left Rome, Italy and took a $100 bet to come to America. Find out what she left behind and what she gained by taking that bet.  Host Anna Harsh discusses betting on yourself in life when you want to achieve your goals. 

Vivana speaks about her school she started, language classes she teaches along with the many life lessons and advice to young budding artists entrepreneurs that are first starting out.

Host Anna Harsh offers 10 touring tips for dancers. Taking a show on the road can be challenging and these ten tips can prepare any dancer or artist to take their show on the road with ease. Learn what to pack and how to dress along with performance tips and ways to save money in this episode. Anna will make your tour go smooth and give you expectations so that you are not disappointed. 

Ciao! 

Celebrate Italian Heritage Month with Anna Harsh.  You don't have to be Italian to celebrate this exciting culture. 

Anna offers 5 creative and artistic ways to dive into the Italian culture, history through the arts to have a better understanding of the heritage. These are just a few quick ideas to help you get started with learning about the Italian culture. 

Get your family together or a group of friends and try these activities out! 

Does your choreography feel kind of blah? Use these 10 tips to improve your choreography, win competitions and have a professional and polished look on stage. Anna Harsh offers her advice that has helped her win various dance competitions, create artistic work in theaters and festivals. 

Host: Anna Harsh offers 10 tips to level up your choreography that involves everything from changing directions to lighting.
Grab some paper and pen to take notes! 

Host Anna Harsh interviews an up and coming dancer/ photographer about advice on the latest tips for dancers head shots.

Marcella Galvan from San Antonio Texas gives great advice on how to get the best dance head shot along with what to wear, make up and how to pose. Marcella Galvan is an intuitive artist with a passion of movement, performing, and choreography. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Marcella is recognized for her versatility in performance and choreography. She is currently pursuing her BFA in dance with a concentration in ballet at Point Park University. Marcella has attended summer intensives at Perry Mansfield, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Broadway Dance Center. She has been taking photos since 2016 of dancers and other subjects that have gotten her noticed by various dance companies. 

Host Anna Harsh speaks with Rossilynne Culgan about her new book 100 Things to do in Pittsburgh before You Die. 

She gives great suggestions for dance and theater lovers to explore in the city. Rossilynne also offers advice and life lesson to live by to be more creative. 

So get out there and explore the city you live in! Listen in and get your calendars out to enjoy some great events! 

Director Anna Harsh offers 10 ways to improve your dance performance on stage. From Breathing exercises to rehearsing each day, Anna gives you ways to improve and up your experience so that you can look polished on stage.

Easy ways you can see a great difference for your very next performance. 

You will need your phone and a mirror to use for a few of the tips. Enjoy and break a leg! 

Want something to do this summer that fun and for the entire family? 

Host Anna Harsh offers a list of festivals, a musical, a baseball game and more to entertain your whole family from June - September 2022.

Anna also shares Allegro Dance Company tour dates where you can see them perform! 

For more information visit the websites:

Host Anna Harsh and her friend Geoff Steele (dancer, choreographer) interview Mike Curtis (dancer) from All That Clogging Group in Myrtle Beach, SC about his time on stage. Mike talks about a chance meeting with a Broadway producer on a cruise ship that gave him a great idea for new choreography. He also gives pro tips to young dancers on how to be professional and stay humble as you grow with your career. 

Internationally renowned hip-hop clogging group and featured performers at The Carolina Opry Theater in Myrtle Beach, SC. All That has recently made the dance famous with their successful appearances on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. As solo dancers these guys dominated the competition dance world for over 20 years, collectively winning hundreds of Solo Grand Championship titles and thousands of trophies each. After years of solo competition, the top 5 competitors knew it was time to join together to create something bigger; in 1995 All That was formed and it turned into something bigger than any of them had ever imagined. The group has danced across the globe in some of the world’s most popular events and festivals promoting Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Mercedes and into millions of living rooms on poplar shows like Fox’s 30 Seconds to Fame, ABC Family’s Dance Fever and NBC’s America’s Got Talent.

Host Anna Harsh speaks with accomplished musician and author Karen Haid about her books, Calabria The Other Italy and Basilicata Authentic Italy.

Karen gives the listeners a bit of detail about Calabria Italy and what it is like to live there. She offers tips and advice on traveling and writing.

Anna share more information about the dance the Calabrian Tarantella and it's history as well. 

Host Anna Harsh chats with Dale Roberts about his journey to success from wrestling to fitness to becoming an author. Tips to be more successful as an author plus how to change up your public speaking to create a unique experience. 

Dale L. Roberts is an accomplished indie author and host of Self-Publishing with Dale on YouTube. Since 2014, Dale pursued a full-time career in self-publishing books and now shares his experience on his YouTube channel devoted to building a successful self-publishing business. His specialties include book publishing, video production, public speaking, and networking. Appearing on numerous YouTube channels and podcast interviews, Dale is always looking for ways to reach a broader audience to share the value of self-publishing books.

Host Anna Harsh interviews Megan Greenwood, dancer, choreography and co-owner of BAM Choreography in Pittsburgh. Megan talks about dance coming full circle for her from her love of MTV videos to today dancing and creating online classes and videos. Megan shares what inspires her as a choreography and how that is interpreted when she works with others. She also offers advice to those that want to get involved and how it's easier than you might think. She answers the question: where do we go from here with dance? Giving us the update on where her business is today and how they are adjusting to keep dance alive to bring communities together.