She also looks at performances regularly from the front of the house. The important thing for her as a coach is to be steeped in the moment of transmission in the studio, she said, rather than in history. Nevertheless, history is crucial to what Parkinson can offer a dancer in a coaching session. Ashton, MacMillan, George Balanchine, Bronislava Nijinska, Ninette de Valois. Parkinson, a ready speaker, paused to consider the question for a beat.
Dancers speak with their bodies.
In dance, the body is the voice. I lay great emphasis on that, too. I'm very hot on it, actually.