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Format? Familiar: Warm up – check, across the floor – check, combination, well yes – emphasis on the combination!

Style? Not so familiar:

  • Warm up – easy, shortest of the three, just meant to warm you up
  • Across the floor – a progression of steps and dance moves including turns meant to advance your relationship to your body parts and your coordination
  • Combination – putting it all together and more, energetic, fast, fun with musicality at its core. Popcorn, breakdown, back- back, head rolls, and syncopation are a few hallmarks of the class.

Whether you came to Betsy Haug’s class as a ballet, modern, or jazz dancer, you found yourself in a challenging world. Her unique style was energetic and strong, earthy and sensual. If it spoke to you, it was natural, freeing and empowering. Betsy’s is a style of cause and effect with the body reacting to its own balance and leverage.

As a musician in her own right, Betsy used her musical knowledge to enrich her classes and choreography. She often challenged her students by using different time signatures such as 5, 7 and 9 counts instead of the usual 8 to which dancers are accustomed. She used syncopation more than any jazz teacher I have encountered.

There are likely as many teaching styles as there are jazz dance styles. As a teacher, Betsy was also unique. All were welcomed to class, amateur or professional, beginner or advanced, the person who just takes class to dance—if you wanted to learn and enjoy dance she embraced you. She never “gave” a class, she truly taught it. Betsy watched each student and consistently offered corrections and encouragement—she nurtured them and mentored many. If you were ever afraid to try something, she didn’t hesitate to offer sound advice: “just screw it and do it!” Of the many wonderful teachers I have had, she is the one I saw experience the most joy from her students’ progress.

Betsy left NYC in 1988 but kept in touch with many of her dancers and students. Since we all missed the energy of her classes and choreography, we kept our love and admiration alive by keeping in touch. Now, thanks to social media, more of us have been able to share our memories.

Sadly, Betsy now has Alzheimer’s. A community of dancers has conspired to celebrate her and preserve her style. What better way to honor her and reach those goals than to present Betsy’s style with the inimitable Gail Pearson teaching a series of Master Classes? We see these classes as an opportunity for jazz dancers new to Betsy’s style to experience the exhilaration it brings as well as for former Betsy dancers to revel.

Gail Pearson came to NYC in 1970. Not long after, she encountered Betsy Haug and became one of her first students. Gail realized Betsy was the teacher whose class was the magic we all want to find. It took a while for her to also realize Betsy was the magnificent and inspiring dancer she had seen on the Radio City stage the summer before her move to NYC, the dancer she wanted to be.

Gail PearsonGail went on to work closely with Betsy as her first assistant choreographer and teacher of her classes and style. She became Betsy’s protégé. The two were friends and roommates. When Gail started teaching on her own, Betsy sent beginners to her stating, “If anyone is going to teach my style, it should be Gail.” Gail had lived the Betsy style. It had become part of her DNA.

Gail’s teaching credits include jazz dance at New Dance Group Studio and Ballet Hispanico in NYC, as well as various studios in New Jersey. Along with performing on Broadway, National Tours, Radio City, Industrials, Stock and Vegas, Gail was Assistant Choreographer and/or Dance Captain on most. After a hiatus as a competitive bodybuilder in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, she currently teaches dance in Los Angeles.

We are excited to have her come back to her real home, NYC, for this event!

 

Gail Pearson’s Betsy Haug Style Master Jazz Dance Classes
4/3, 4/5, 4/7 and 4/9 from 4-6 pm, Ripley Grier Studios 939 8th Ave., 55/56 St.
Fees: $20/class, $55/3 classes, $70 all 4

Contacts:
Gail Pearson 818.419.5809fabfit2@yahoo.com
Martha Warschau 212.541.6964thegoodearthmbw@yahoo.com

 

About Betsy Haug

Betsy Haug is a choreographer and master-teacher. She taught jazz dance, tap, modern dance (Horton Technique) at such studios as Ron Forella’s, the Alvin Ailey School, the Betsy Haug Studio, New Dance Group, New York School of Ballet, Steps, and Broadway Dance Center. She has been a regularly featured instructor at dance festivals, including the Boston Summer Jazz Dance Festival, numerous dance conventions, and has taught master classes in Japan, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and New York City. She has been featured on television many times in Japan and on RAI in Italy.

Betsy choreographed shows on Broadway and in London, Tokyo, Rome, Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, and Toronto.

As Dance Captain in the original Broadway company of Promises, Promises, Haug staged the original production of Promises, Promises in London, Rome, Tokyo, and Copenhagen. She uses the show’s “Bible,” which contains all of Michael Bennett’s original choreography, staging, and instructions for directing the show.

Haug choreographed Broadway shows for Peter Allen, Up in One, and for Lenora Nemetz; shows for Joel Grey, Radio City Music Hall, Gloria Gaynor, and Liza Minnelli’s come-back tour (1985-6). She staged shows for the night club in Manhattan, Club Ibis, for three years. She was Assistant Choreographer to Ron Lewis for Liza Minnelli’s Broadway show “The Act,” and was Assistant Choreographer to Joyce Trisler for the Chicago production of “Pal Joey.”

Haug’s original revues include “Sizzle” at The Sands in Las Vegas, Bustin’ Out at Harrah’s in Reno, “Risque Business” at Harvey’s in Lake Tahoe, “More Outrageous” at Bally’s Park Place in Atlantic City (three-year run) and at the Royal York in Toronto, and “Jubilation” at the Crystal Palace Casino in the Bahamas (a five-year run).

Betsy Haug’s performing career as a dancer ranged from Broadway (Dance Captain in “Promises, Promises”) to ballet (two shows as ballet soloist at Radio City Music Hall) to television (Kraft Music Hall, Tony Awards, Ed Sullivan Show) and the national company of “West Side Story.”

Martha Warschau

Martha Warschau

Martha Warschau began dancing at the age of nine, studying ballet, modern jazz, tap, acrobatics and baton twirling. Indecision caused her to opt for a social work rather than dance major at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, but she included modern dance in her curriculum. In NYC, she continued to pursue social work with graduate courses at Hunter College. While working in public health, Martha took dance classes and found her way to Betsy Haug. Her Betsy years were followed by studying with many of New York’s jazz teachers. She also took ballet, point, modern, character and ballroom. Martha taught beginner jazz, danced for Betsy in a rock review showcasing Betsy’s choreography and has choreographed for regional theater. She received a Certificate of Training in Dance Therapy with the Turtle Bay Music School. Leaving public health, Martha entered the financial world of insurance and investments and has been a financial professional for many years.

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