From pitching to pliés and pilates

By Kurt Wagner

Junior right-handed pitcher Alex Rivers spent Saturday afternoon at Schott Stadium shutting down the San Diego State Aztecs on the mound.

His nine solid innings of work culminated in his first-ever complete game at the collegiate level and gave Santa Clara a 7-2 win to snap their nine-game losing streak.

Just over 24 hours earlier, Rivers spent Friday afternoon in the Music and Dance Facility, prancing barefoot across the floor of the dance studio to soft piano music, perfecting his turnout and working on plies.

Welcome to "Movement for Athletes."

Take a look down the class list of the school's newest dance class and you might mistake it for a game-day program.

Included in the class are representatives from a collection of Bronco athletic teams including baseball, softball, men's soccer, men's and women's basketball, track and field and field hockey.

A typical class session consists of a long stretching period, sometimes incorporating movements from pilates or yoga, followed by the students moving across the floor performing different dance techniques.

The class even has live music in the form of piano or bongo drums in order to help students keep the beat while dancing.

Class instructor Karyn Connell has taught her student-athletes four of the five ballet positions, as well as the terminology and technique for a number of other ballet moves and exercises.

Connell helped create "Movement for Athletes" along with colleagues David Popalisky and Aldo Billingslea as a way to incorporate more athletes into the sport of dance.

"We just kind of ran with it," said Connell of the group's initial idea for the class. "We just came up with a plan and ran."

Connell's ability to relate well with athletes who have little or no dance experience has helped to create a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom, said junior baseball pitcher Steve Kalush.

"She knows what she's talking about. She does a good job teaching everything," said Kalush. "Sometimes she's a little harsh because she wants you to do it right, but I think she enjoys doing it and it shows when she's teaching the class."

Connell's extensive ballet experience consists of over 28 years of dancing professionally and teaching across the country, including once performing for the Queen of Denmark.

Her own family experiences growing up have helped to give her inspiration and motivation for teaching athletes how to dance.

"I have two older brothers and they're big sports people, so I grew up in a sports-minded family," she said. "I was the odd one. I went into the arts."

The actual dancing did not come comfortably to everyone in class however, as many of the student-athlete said they felt nervous entering their first class session.

"The first day when she said we were going to do ballet, a lot of dancing, I was like, 'Oh god, I don't want to embarrass myself in front of these people,'" said junior soccer player Ross Smith.

"Then I realized everybody is in the same position I am, so it makes you a little more comfortable. People don't really care what you do. They're not going to judge you if you can't do a good plié," Smith added.

Connell also felt the same the first day of class.

"The first day walking in, I was scared," admitted Connell. "It was very intimidating for me. I was like, 'Oh my god is this going to work?' I didn't know if people were going to take it seriously."

Despite the lack of dancing experience, students seem to be increasing their flexibility and knowledge of stretching and workout exercises, which is a huge goal of the class, said Connell.

"I can feel the effects before practice," said Smith, who has an hour break between class and soccer practice. "I feel looser and more nimble."

Both Kalush and Rivers credit the class for increasing their flexibility for baseball.

"Especially as a pitcher, it's a lot about flexibility and creating leverage," said Kalush. "It's helped me a lot in my pitching mechanics and also getting ready for the games quicker, just knowing certain stretches that can help me warm up."

The class appears to be a success according to students, but Connell is not so quick to put a label on the outcome.

"I don't want to say it's a success yet, because it's only half way through the quarter," she said. "I think it's about where I want it to be right now. It's going in a good direction."

The students agree. Smith said he and a few of his housemates are considering taking another class in the theater and dance department next year.

Kalush has encouraged teammates to look into the class and Rivers might even be interested in taking "Movement for Athletes" again in the future.

"I like being able to teach new stretches. I like to hear the grunts and groans," said Connell. "I'm just finding it fun."

Contact Kurt Wagner at (408) 551-1918 or jwagner@scu.edu.