I started blogging almost 2 years ago; I wanted to write about my obsession with New York City Ballet. Up to that time I had been a frequent contributor on Ballet Talk but there were too many restrictions on that site as to what you could or could not say. So I started my own blog.

It's really about more than dance because I also love opera, tennis, reading, other kinds of music, movies and more. But when NYC Ballet is in town, they become almost the exclusive focus.

Via my blog I have connected with people around the world who love to read detailed descriptions of performances happening here in NYC (both dance and opera); many of my readers are former NYC residents who were City Ballet fans when they lived here and who now love to stay connected by reading my write-ups. I don't consider myself a critic or even a reviewer; I just observe, and then I write about what I saw and how I felt while watching. My readers know they can find background info on the ballets and all sorts of 'intellectual' discourse elsewhere; they read my blog to find out who danced what and how they looked.

What surprised me about blogging? The sheer number of readers, the unexpected discovery of finding I've been translated into every language from Greek to Japanese, and the messages I get from total strangers. Now my mind in boggled by knowing that over a thousand people read what I wrote about a performance at City Ballet within 24 hours of the event.

In mid-2007 my blog started to reward me with 'insider' invitations to unadvertised events; I began to be offered press tickets to various venues - some of which I might not have explored on my own but which turned out to really expand my universe. Just recently I have been thrilled to receive press passes to NYC Ballet which is a huge benefit for me because I simply could not afford to go as often as I would like. This allows me to go even more frequently, stoking my passion!

I'm a very shy person and I have always written as an outlet for my hyper-active emotions. In a way blogging has drawn me out of my shell: meeting other bloggers, my readers and some of the people directly involved with ballet and opera. Because of my blog I formed a very close friendship with the Cuban-American soprano Lisette Oropesa after I asked her for an interview; her friendship is one of the loveliest and most meaningful of my life. More recently I interviewed one of my balletic idols, Edwaard Liang, and am looking forward to meeting him if I can ever work up my courage. (The interviews were conducted via e-mail and I only met Lisette afterwards).

When people tell me they tried a ballet, read a book, watched a film, focussed on a dancer or listened to an aria because of something I wrote - you can't believe how great that makes me feel.

Finally, I have to thank my enormously patient and beautiful partner Wei who puts up with my obsessions - he is my greatest obsession of all.

I started the Dance Primer as exactly that - a primer for those who are just starting to dance, as yet another tool to help them stay hooked.

I have found that I love working with beginners; watching them struggle past roadblocks, breakthrough those same roadblocks, and have to work so hard to reach simplicity. I love the excitement that a new dancer brings with them.

Through blogging, I've had the courage - and a reason - to talk to some dancers I really admire and are perhaps outside the genre I'm most familiar with. I've also connected a little bit with other swing dancers who blog. Overall, though, I feel like a lone voice out there in the blogosphere. I'm not a sophisticated ballet afficiatnato, wisking to NYC and writing reviews of the latest new stars of the dance stage. I feel like most dance blogs I'm reading are alien to me. I'd like to get excited about them, comment on them, and feel connected to other dancers out there. But I'm not a professional dancer or performer - so it's simply a different circle.

I've been surprised at how much networking and marketing are an important part of blogging. I enjoy writing, but marketing has never been a strong point for me and I've never felt comfortable in that realm. I've decided not to worry if I have a huge consistent readership. I like what I'm doing, and eventually, the right readership will find me as long as I can create a blog of quality and content that matters. I've also enjoyed how having this avenue to write about dance has helped me talk less and show more in my teaching.

Thanks for the thread. I especially appreciate your comprehensive list of dance blogs. I follow several of them, but I need to look into more - and perhaps I will find a dance blogging niche I feel more a part of.

This blogging activity is all new for me, but I really love it. And most of all if when writing about what I am very passionate about, I get feedback from important people.

To have dance as a passion but not as a career creates me a desire of always wanting to be involved in it, and somehow it becomes a frustration. So I feel that this blog is a connection with the art that satisfies in a way my desires of being part of the dance world.

Anyways, in my blog I write personal critiques of dance performances that I watch, and reactions about interesting articles that I find on the web about dance.

It all started as a class assignment in a Digital Publishing class, where we were learning about web design and online journalism. The best part was that we had the freedom to choose any topic we wanted to write about in our blogs and create the webpage. As a complement, I was taking a modern dance class, so I felt motivated.

I really have to admit that this publishing class was an open door to opportunities and lots of inspiration. Even if the class is now over I continue posting, and feel that I enhanced the habit of reading and researching about dance, in this case.

As I was saying at the beginning, having people answering back with comments makes the blogger or writer very excited and eager to keep writing. Therefore for me, as a student, it was pretty amazing and surprising to find comments from the producer of a ballet I wrote about, and from you (Doug Fox). I must say it is a cool feeling.

Definitely having a blog is a good habit and improves writing skills, but most important of all is the contribution a blogger does when writing about a subject that truly means to a group of people.

These are really wonderful overviews of your dance blogs - much appreciated.

I look forward to hearing from other dance bloggers.

I currently write 2 blogs. I contribute to The Winger and have my own personal dance blog, Off Center (www.turnedin.blogspot.com)

With the Winger, I'm part of a larger community of bloggers. We have over 20 contributors from all aspects of the dance world, and it all started with founder and former NYCB dancer-turned-new media director Kristin Sloan.

Because it is updated by so many people, I tend to post on there only about twice per month. In general I stick to what's going on in my life as a dancer in New York trying to make a career, with a few outside topics on the side (ie: my senior thesis on dance journalism/blogging sparked a lot of conversation). I've connected with all kinds of interesting people through The Winger, including many other dance bloggers, younger dancers struggling with the decision between dance and college (which many of my posts address), and balletomanes interested in the inside world.

The biggest benefit of writing on The Winger is the audience. Thanks to Kristin's iPhone commercial, we have SO many new and devoted readers and it's great to have the opportunity to reach that audience and say what I want to say about the art that I love.

My personal blog was actually started when I hadn't heard back immediately after asking to contribute to The Winger. I wanted to blog one way or the other, and after starting on The Winger I decided to maintain Off Center as well to cover more of my daily life, since I've had other major things like finishing college and doing internships going on on top of dancing professionally.

I kept Off Center pretty quite until recently, when I linked to it on The Winger, and since then my readership has grown tremendously.

The way my life has been going lately (at a super fast pace...just graduated college at 19), I find that blogging is the most convenient way to keep people updated on what's new. I tend to write about how rehearsals are going, how I'm balancing my time with school, reviews of performances I see, memories of other dance events, and reactions to dance news. It really varies from day to day and I think (and hope) that's what keeps readers interested.

To address one of Doug's other questions, what surprised me about blogging is how quickly I became almost addicted to it. Being a dancer and writer, it is such a convenient way to add a voice to the discourse on dance, and I think it's an excellent way to maintain a community of dance lovers that might otherwise not be connected.

The biggest benefit to me, besides being a personal kind of therapy or way of organizing my thoughts about dance, is the people and opportunities I have met from having my writing online.

hi!

I started blogging because I wanted a way to process, develop, and monitor my development as a dancer and my growth as a disabled person. I dance for West Coast Dance, my pseudonym for a US-based professional integrated dance company.

West Coast is on tour this year ... and one of my current series of posts documents our life on the move. I write about the process of creating work -- we're a repertory company -- and the joys of performing it. There's the occasional report on the "OMG!! a disabled dancer just showed up to my ballet class, now what?" experience of taking class ... The challenges of technique... Oh yes. I also post pix and links to integrated dance video and notices of other integrated dance performances.

My blog tackles my personal experience in both these realms, as well as the occasional delve into disability politics, journalism, and travel.

I guess I am just surprised that my blog has such a large audience. Physically integrated dance is a relatively new art form and one that is a small part of the dance community.

Blogging is an important part of my life, and I am thankful for the network of critics, supporters, and friends I have met online.

WCD

I would just like to say how much I admire Taylor and how envious I am of her energy as well as her writing & dancing skills.

THE SITE: http://laurenwojcik.com

THE FOCUS: The focus of my blog is to create an informative and entertaining site about my experiences moving through the different levels of the dance world. I write about my personal experiences, rant about what’s going on, what I love, what’s frustrating, what’s inspiring, and write articles on things I wish someone with more experiences would have told me 5 years ago. I have a “dance body” section, a “review” section, and am working on an interview section. I have plenty of resources to draw from since I’m in a great school with world-renowned faculty. I plan on building the site so that it links to a great variety of dance resources: I include recommended reading and viewing, and will be including an event calendar and much more. As I’m discovering, the possibilities are endless. I’d like to get to the point where I have a large volume of readers who participate with their experiences and insight.

HOW IT STARTED: I am currently a Junior working towards my B.F.A. in dance at New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL. I’ve had my own personal blog for the last 4 years, and I’ve always loved writing. A few months ago my boyfriend bought me my own domain name so that I could enter the blogosphere on a global level. Over the last few months I’ve explored what I’d like to do with my site. It’s a new project, but one I am very passionate and committed to. I’m so glad to have a place where I can share my dance experiences and give insight into the dance world.

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS: As of yet, I haven’t connected with anyone. My blog is still very new, but I’m ready to start putting it out there. I am really looking forward to having readers who will comment and contribute!

my blog focuses on practice/theory of dance, and dance and performance technologies.

i first started blogging in march 2004 at article19, before shifting to my own blog (splines in space)in april 2005. this second blog ran until march 2006, leaving a years gap (april 2007) till i started blogging at quodlibet.

i started blogging to try and get dance theory, and dance-tech discussed online. my main main goal now is to write clear, accessible - critical theory that retains depth.

i've only met a few dance bloggers in person, but the interment 'back-channel' conversations are always enjoyable.

i've been surprised by how quickly the 'ballet world' has taken to blogging. i have been surprised by how passive (and resistant) dance-tech has been about blogging.

daily writing practice and feedback is always valuable. i think i am getting near to how my blogging style should be.

i look forward to the first uk dance blogger meet up. we should go party somewhere rather than see a show ;)

Thanks Philip, but I am the one admiring YOUR writing/blogging!

Hi all. My blog The Arts et al is often considered a "dance blog" but I write about every art form that I experience be it theater, dance, music, opera, visual arts, or the literary arts. I try to stay on topic for the sake of keeping a readership (it's supposedly harder to keep readers if you keep switching your focus--how will they know what to expect?)

I've been blogging since 1999 at many different addresses that were all closed because of magazine internships, etc, which didn't permit me to blog. I restarted The Arts et all to offer any and all arts news related to my hometown Mobile, Alabama. I posted about events, people in the arts community that were doing cool things. My goals were to generate a dialog amung Mobilians, even if it was about something small. Now that I've moved to NYC, I'm not sure what my goals and focus is. I just have a fun time writing about what I see. Whatever dance news I hear I post it, whatever ballet I see I post about it. When I see dancers in public I post about it too.

I definitely DO NOT aim at being critical, I save that for the actual things I publish as a freelance writer. However, I do take the same unbiased position I take as a critic. If I hate something, you'll know. I owe nothing to the companies, or the performers.

As a result of blogging, I've connected with so many people! I formed a bond with my hometown symphony orchestra from my posts about them, I met Greg Sandow (a blogger at Artsjournal.com) and his wife the new critic at the Washington Post, through my blog! In addition to many other big-name journalists who have read what I've written. All the dance bloggers in New York I've met from blogging. Which is definitely beneficial.

My blog focuses on the world of vernacular jazzdance which is comprised of lindy hop, solo charleston, blues, and others. It's main purpose is provide reviews of events and bands, resources for dancers in the community and a way to branch out to other forms of dance.

I began Jazzdance as an editorial outlet on both the dance and the dance scene. I enjoy writing and researching topics related to the dance and believe that it can be a useful resource for others who interested in learning more about the dance or various dance events.

I have already connected with a number of dancers from a variety of styles. I've even been asked to write for Swing Dancer Magazine; an online publication covering the world of swing (west coast, shag, balboa, lindy hop) which is an exciting prospect.

I had maintained a personal website and journal some years before it became a popular medium and in comparison to a personal blog, where you write about your day, etc., it is a good deal more work than I had anticipated. Additionally, I'm surprised by the feedback I get offline but that I don't receive much in the form of comments.

The main benefits I would say are really the manner in which it has connected me to people outside of my own dance and also that it has given me an opportunity to look at something I had taken merely as a hobby (writing) as perhaps a potential career choice.

Thanks for the great post.

I started my Argentine Tango Blog (On Tango, Love and other Demons) nearly a year ago, after about 2 years of serious/intense tango dancing. I was curious to see what would come out if I started talking about my Tango experiences, what it meant to me, what it made me learn.

My first couple of posts were very tentative--I felt I had to find myself, both in my style, in what I wanted to say, in exploring what my Tango experience was truly saying to me. Ironically, I felt very free because the blog was set up as anonymous, and also because I was a bit skeptical that I could get much reading--Tango blogs started proliferating shortly after I launched mine, but there were only a few at the time of my first few postings. Because of these, I wondered whether many Tangueros would ever find out about my blog's existence :)

With this freedom in my hands, I actually started playing around with what I wanted to say, and one day I had an idea of writing on a taxonomy (or classification) of Tanguero and Tanguera types (in 2 parts)... it was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek description of what kinds of personalities one can find in the dance floor. I had so much fun writing it down (I typed it all very fast, with a huge grin while I thought of all the people I know...) that I think this reflected on the posts. The thing was, a few readers discovered the classfication, and found it funny. They were very generous and started spreading the word around, linking my posts in their webpages... I know those posts have circulated several times in dance related web-boards (some even non-tango) in many parts of the world, something that amuses me and makes me feel extremely grateful and honored.

In the meantime, I've just kept on writing with my heart in my sleeve, and only when I feel true inspiration. When I've traveled and attended Festivals and Milongas in the US, Europe and Argentina, I've been happy to report on my experiences. I have written about my struggles and successes, about my moments of bliss, about my frustrations, and my addictions.

Over time, I've also understood that for me it is important to use the blog to help spread the culture, the history, the passion for Tango. Sometimes I've written about the history of the Tango Music and Movies, about the what is behind specific songs (history and lyrics)--something important for those who don't understand them, and do not speak Spanish, but still love Tango.

So, gradually, I've just turn the blog in my way of telling the world how beautiful, powerful, complex and life-changing Argentine Tango can be. It is a hard task, but not so much, because for me this is heartfelt and plain honest.

I do not know for how long I will keep on writing. I don't hold a calendar, but write when I feel inspired by a certain topic. I hope I will continue to have things to say for sometime, but if I eventually find it in me to stop, I think I will be grateful for having people choosing to use a few minutes of their days in reading what I have to say about the dance that I love so much.

Hi! My name is Jolene, and I started the blog, Saturday Matinee, which I write with my twin sister, Jennifer. I'm a huge theater fan, which includes an extensive background in ballet. I started this blog to focus on theater events in the Bay Area in California, with occasional forays elsewhere. Although what I do isn't connected at all to theater (I'm an M.D./Ph.D. student, getting a Ph.D. in neuroscience), I pull from my experience in taking a few undergraduate classes at my alma mater, Stanford University, with Janice Ross, including a dance criticism seminar and a dance history class. I'm a big proponent of making the arts relevant to younger generations which include myself, and am interested in how (usually conservative) arts organizations are adapting to attract younger audiences to keep the arts alive. I believe that promoting discussion of the arts generates interest, and it also happens to be my favorite thing to do and so I'm happy to oblige.

A friend motivated me to write this blog - my personal blog, which was mostly read by my friends, started being inundated with theater events that my non-theater-loving friends got sick of reading about. So one friend kindly suggested that I start a theater blog, and so, I did.

The people that I've met through blogging have been mostly local bloggers that are non-theater people. There aren't that many theater blogs in northern California, but I've met with many journalists, authors, and even ex-Real World contestants through Bloggers Nights that local arts organizations, including the SF Ballet, SF Symphony, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, have organized. I've also "met" and discoursed with people online with the same interests, and that is always interesting. What was not so fun was being berated by a Tony-award winner in which I wrote something not-so-favorable about.

The biggest surprise was how visible my blog has been. It's been quoted by the NY Times, as well as the fact that it's read by the artists that I write about, as well as the PR offices of big arts organizations. Another surprise is the demand for people actually being interested in what I have to say, which never ceases to amaze me.

Thanks Doug for giving me the opportunity to share! Love the blog.

I am the "twin sister" of Jolene (above) and I also contribute to Saturday Matinee, the blog. I also have a personal blog which I write more personal reactions to theater (musicals, plays, ballet, modern dance performances) as opposed to more technical reviews, and other random blog posts about my life.

Mine is really just a means of self-expression. I enjoy the process of writing about things and making it entertaining or interesting, I'm the kind of person who likes to pass on information, and it's a bonus that I sometimes get feedback and interaction with people who like to read it. But writing also helps me keep my motivation up when I have difficulties, and gives me an incentive to get a little bit out of my comfort zone.

It's a personal blog rather than a dance blog, which is why the dancing is interspersed with knitting patterns and observations on other subjects.

What a great thread...blogging about blogging! It's been wonderful to read the comments and see what everyone else's story is.

I started my blog, A Time to Dance, last summer for no particular reason other than I had a lot of thoughts about dance and my own development that I needed an outlet for. I was also looking for an outlet to write more, since it is something I like to do. Also, several family members and friends are bloggers so I thought it was time for me to jump on the bandwagon. Reading their blogs was a way of keeping up with them that allowed me to see a side of them that I wouldn't get in our normal interactions, and I loved the idea of sharing my "dance side" with them.

I set out committed to staying focused on anything dance related, and not letting it become "the true confessions of Maria" or even the blow by blow mundane details of my dance life. I've also made a commitment to stay true to my own vision rather than pander to the stats demon (i.e., writing about things that you know will get you hits rather than what actually interests you).

So my blog is just that-- thoughts about dance, with a focus on modern and salsa, from the point of view of someone who is an adult learner and trying to balance other aspects of life with dance while passionately pursuing new insights and knowledge. Interestingly, the focus on my blog has helped me to focus on what is important in my own dancing because it gives me the space to think things through.

Blogging has opened up a whole new world to me and has been incredibly instrumental in helping me develop as a dancer over the past few months. It has facilitated new connections-- both virtual and in-person that have opened up new opportunities and insights to me. It has also been incredibly satisfying to know that what I write inspires and resonates with so many people. I have learned so much from my fellow bloggers and have been pleased to see how many new blogs about dance have sprung up even in the short time I've been doing this.

The process of reading and commenting on others' blogs creates a sense of community that is very pure, since it is all around a singular area of interest.

I also wanted to add another thing, which has been an unexpected benefit to my personal life. My husband (referred to as the darling Mr P on the blog) and I have a world of things in common, but dancing has never been one of them. He respects and gives me space to pursue my passion but he does not always understand it.

However, he has been the #1 cheerleader for my blog. He's an accountant, so he's obsessed with my stats. He finds interesting things to link to and although he almost never leaves a comment, he loves following the discussions. In this way, it's brought him closer to understanding my passion.

I started my blog - Alex.Tango.Fuego :: On life, tango and the universe... in order to keep track of interesting and useful information relating to Argentine Tango. It was to be primarily a holding place for my personal use - videos, photography, art, poetry, articles, news, etc. - all relating to "AT".

Then I saw it was an opportunity to develop my writing. I had always want to write - a magazine article, short stories, whatever - but just never did it. My blog afforded that opportunity. Although, since I started in September of 2007, I really haven't had much time to actually sit and write anything that I view as meaningful.

Mostly, I just write about stuff that comes to mind - "strikes my fancy" so to speak. Writing and posting a fairly wide range of stuff. From the Oreo Artist doing a piece on the monk who self emolated so many years ago - to Tango technique - and benign stuff about life.

I love that Doug is exploring this - this animal of the internet and how dance is affected by it. It's a very interesting sociological topic.

Keep up the good work Doug! And good luck with your Tango!

I started tangologue to let know to my friends what did I think if the various places in Europe where I have been dancing. That was the sole objective of my blog at the beginning. However, like Alex, I started finding a space in my blog to explore the beautiful art of sharing opinions and ideas, and of eliciting discussions that spike everybody's attention.
I monitor my blog and I have a 70% return rate, which means that 70% of the users actually go there regularly in search of something that will interest them. That brings me a lot of joy because I fell accomplished.
Blogging takes time and it's hard to find time these days (at least for me). But I will keep doing it. I am sure that there will come the time when I have nothing else to say or, simply, I don't want to say anything else. But that time has not arrived yet.
Thanks Doug for this interesting post. I hope that the praticas and classes you have been doing have brought you the confidence to explore a milonga. It must be fantastic to dance in NY, I have the very best references from there!

My blog was intentionally made for my own review about failure techniques appear on my own videos & the reason why i uploaded them on youtube.

It's a personal blog, but i want to make that blog as a media for me to learn something by getting feedback or suggestions from everyone about my technique and a media for every beginner to learn some lesson from my mistakes which has been reviewed by myself or people who share their comments on my review.

It's early Saturday morning and I am just catching up on one of my favorite things to do...surfing the world of dance blogs. And after reading all these comments, I have several more to explore, with the benefit of these great personal stories behind them.

I started my dance video blog (www.danceminute.com) as a way to engage with the international dance community and merge my two passions--dance and film. It's a simple concept: I shoot the dance I see around me and the only rule is that it has to be under a minute. That way it's easy for me to shoot and post and easy for the viewer to engage in since the videos are short.

I have danced my whole life and currently work as a professional freelance dancer based out of New York City. For a few years, I detoured from a dance career and worked as a film editor in Hollywood until I realized I wasn't done dancing professionally yet. My blog helps me bridge those two genres and also gives a concrete view (since it's all videos) of the international dance scene I'm immersed in, which ranges from dance on the street, to rehearsals, to more produced video shoots, to performances, etc. I see it as part journalism, part movie making and definitely still forming.

Also, there is the added benefit of instant gratification--as a performer, it is so hard to get produced and we spend so many hours preparing, with very little showing and performing. This is another, faster way to make and produce and have an audience.

I began the video blog last summer just before I went abroad for a five week scholarship program at Impulstanz in Vienna. I was one of 65 scholarship recipients from 39 countries and I wanted both a way to engage with my new community as well as stand out and I especially wanted to report back to NY what I saw abroad. And now I have similar stories of the website helping me meet people from around the world, as well as gain access to events I wasn't privy to before.

Probably one of my favorite moments with my blog so far, occurred while I was recently on tour performing in Iran. Contemporary dance is forbidden there and the opportunity to both show Iranians views of dance from my travels as well as post about them was priceless. Oh, and another one of my favorite comments from an anonymous viewer was "I never knew a minute of dance could look so different."

I am very grateful for the opportunities all these blogs provide...I look forward to meeting you all along the way...