Please help! The artistic director of the "second" company that I dance for just made us participate in a pilot for a dance reality TV show. The producer had us roll our eyes, gossip, and act like some of us thought we were better than others. We also had to take class and rehearse in front of the

Freaked Out

Dance Company, U.S.

What a dilemma! Your artistic director is: probably relishing the thought of the company receiving national attention on TV. Yet I wonder if he (or she) has thought about the ramifications. Reality shows mix wish fulfillment ("I want to be a ballerina") with public humiliation ("I just fell on my behind in front of a gazillion people"). They rarely make participants look good. As you've learned, they also pace the show by planning certain behavior, like tapping one participant as the competitive dancer who smirks at the rest. This is when belonging to a union pays. The law says everyone has control over how their image is used in selling a product. When you're asked to sign a contract for the producers, you can establish ground rules, such as what, when, and how you'll be filmed. Also, the artistic staff and the dancers need to meet and discuss ways to ensure that all of you look good. Plus every dancer in the company should get an upfront payment for their work, as well as a share of what the company is being paid. For more advice, contact the American Guild of Musical Artists. James Fayette, a former New York City Ballet principal and the union's New York area dance representative, can answer questions if you e-mail him at james@musicalartists.org.

I recently went to Lincoln Center to see a favorite ballet, only to be shocked by the noise of the dancers' pointe shoes. They might as well have been wearing taps. Are today's shoes made differently or is it the stage?

Ellen

Bronxville, NY

Certainly, the stage affects sound. A resilient floor with a little give is not only safer than one made of concrete--typical of many opera stages in Europe it's also quieter. Yet what you noticed has more to do with what the dancers now put in their toe shoes to keep the tips hard. When I danced, we used Fabulon floor finisher that we swirled inside the boxes of our toe shoes and left to dry overnight. It was smelly but quiet, and kept toe nails from getting bruised. Today's dancers tend to use Jet-glue, a dance product that hardens the tips, but at the expense of sounding like Ginger Rogers tapping with Fred Astaire. Fortunately, there's a secret to muffling the sound. According to School of American Ballet students, you just bang them against the wall as the glue is drying. Maybe the professionals will take note.

I've never paid attention to turning out my feet. Now that I go to a performing arts school, the teachers and students are all trying to give me turnout advice, but it just isn't working. Can you give me any pointers?

Kat

Camden, NJ

Dancers' genes determine whether their hips are turned-in, neutral (equally turned-in and out), or duck-footed. While being pigeon-toed doesn't work if you are studying ballet, you can improve so-so turnout by strengthening your hip muscles. Unfortunately, dancers often try to fudge poor turnout by rotating their kneecaps, which are meant to go up and down, not turn out. This can create a host of problems, including a subluxing kneecap that slips in and out of place. For healthy ways to improve turnout, see "The Next Level," on p. 66. If you continue to have trouble, ask a physical therapist for hip stretches that improve turnout. To find one in your area, contact the American Physical Therapy Association (www.apta.org), or ask your school for a referral.

What does it mean when your old dance teachers ignore you? I bumped into several of them at a workshop performance a year after I had left the school. They all pointedly ignored me, which made me feel like crying. I had left because they thought I was ready to perform and I got a job in a good company, although it is competitive with the company that's attached to their school. Why would they be so angry?

Lisa

Baltimore, MD

Please don't take it personally! Dance teachers expect their students to be loyal, which means some may have trouble with your working for the competition. Yet my guess s that they will be proud of you over time. After all, it's not easy to nab a slot in a good dance company. It reflects favorably, not only on your talent, but your training. Being a dancer is like belonging to a second family. Whether you are a student, professional, or have moved on to another career, we are all kin My advice is, don't sweat it. The best dance teachers are proud of their students who thrive and develop. If some can't handle the competition, it's their problem, not yours.

Former New York City Ballet dancer Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., is a lecturer, a psychologist in private practice, and the author of ADVICE FOR DANCERS (JosseyBass). She has been offering advice to DANCE MAGAZINE readers since 1992.