Giordano Dance Chicago Gives Master Class for Performing Arts Students
On Thursday the Giordano Dance Company stunned audiences with their innovative jazz routines. The Chicago group has been touring around the world for the past 51 years, showcasing choreography that is both high-energy and original.
Performing arts majors and minors took a master class taught by Nan Giordano the day before GDC’s performance. Giordano is the artistic director for Giordano Dance and the daughter of the company’s founder. She had an extensive dance career with GDC and in commercial, industrial and fashion work. After an injury ended her performing career, Giordano became the associate director of her father’s company. Students were eager to learn her dancing technique and to ask her about her experience as a working performer.
Caitlyn Fallon, a biopsychology major with a dance minor, has been dancing for roughly ten years and saw the master class as a unique opportunity to grow as a dancer. “You learn so much as a dancer by going to a master class and trying something completely new” says Fallon, “Taking a master class broadens your horizons and gives you new perspectives that you wouldn’t get by going to the same classes all the time.”
Students gathered on the main stage and began warmups led by Nan and accompanied by some of the same music Giordano’s professional dancers use to get ready for a show. Giordano encouraged the students to let loose and have fun whenever they felt hesitant to try something new. “My first impression of Nan was that she was a very strong, driven woman, who cares a lot about what she does,” recalls Fallon.
Throughout the class, students learned about stage presence, improvisation and focus. One exercise required dancers to stay up on their toes for as long as possible while a partner did everything they could to break their focus and make them fall. “It was incredibly difficult to stay centered if you weren’t focused on your own body rather than what was going on around you,” says Fallon.
After the 90 minute class and seeing the Giordano dancer’s beautiful performance the next night, students had learned many valuable things to make them better performers. Many were highly interested in learning more about the techniques used by GDC’s dancers. “The one biggest take-away I had from the class is that any movement you have as a performer should be made with intention” says Fallon, “The smallest movement, or even just standing in place, can be very intense if you have the intention behind it.” Even students who considered themselves stronger singers or actors than dancers gained new perspectives on what it means to have a confident presence.
For many, this class was a good reminder of why the students are so passionate about performing. “Dancing is an ultimate combination of athleticism, artistry, musicality, and aesthetic all at once. It’s not something you can master right away. It’s something you have to work hard for with your entire body, mind and soul, and the desire to work harder and become better is always there,” says Fallon, “When you have been working on a number for months, you have poured your blood, sweat and tears into perfecting every part of it, and then you perform it on stage, giving it absolutely everything you have, and completely nail every movement on the beat with a smile on your face, it’s the best feeling in the world. Dancing is a physical expression of your soul.”