Honing their talents

The kids inside State Street Dance Studio were making funny faces, throwing pillows at each other and alternating between angry outbursts and pleasant smiles.

All the while, Nancy Hanna cheered them on -- and the kids responded with more effort and more emotion. And that pleased Hanna, who was at the Geneva studio Sunday afternoon to conduct a "Take Your Act to the Next Level" workshop to help young performers get a better understanding of what it takes to set and reach goals for success in theater.

The exercises to improve techniques of facial expressions and voice projection, while controlling your body, were a small part of a workshop that also helped students place themselves inside scripts and pinpoint what roles would best illustrate their strengths.

"The reason for this workshop is there is a lot of training going on for practical experience in theater, but not a lot of individual coaching," said Hanna, whose background includes professional acting and most recently securing an Emmy Award for producing "Aspiring Women" on Total Living Network.

"Some kids tend to be stuck at a certain level," Hanna added. "They may be in chorus, but they are looking for more speaking roles or getting a lead. My big thing is 'preparation meeting opportunity.'"

Hanna, who has lived in Geneva the past four years after moving to the area from Oak Park, said the growing marketplace of actors requires that those aspiring to enter theater or film have to make an immediate impression when they get on stage.

"I want these kids to be ready for any opportunity that may come their way," said Hanna. "I talk about the 'it' factor and I put these kids on camera to help them see all of the levels of energy to use inside of us.

"I want them to have a sense of the meter of what they are putting out," Hanna added. "Are they putting out enough, is there enough facial expression? It was interesting because in an earlier workshop, we filmed a little girl and once the camera was on, her eyes got big and she just lit up and everything connected with the camera.

"There are people who definitely kind of leap off the page, leap off the video or leap off the stage," she said. "So you want to say, 'Hey, you've really got something special.'"

Hanna has extensive experience in theater and TV shows, commercials and voice-overs, as well as a soap opera and children's program for a Family Channel network in Virginia. After working for an agency in Dallas, she eventually relocated to the Chicago area and got behind the camera as a producer and behind the scenes as a coach with her own company.

State Street Dance Studio owner Linda Cunningham first met Hanna two years ago when Hanna approached her about needing tango dancers for a segment on "Aspiring Women."

"I actually ended up doing the dance, and we just hit it off and started talking and being friends," Cunningham said.

Because Hanna is also involved with the Geneva Cultural Arts Committee and is an adviser for thespians at Geneva High School, she started going to State Street Dance Studio on occasion to film various show rehearsals and other special events.

Eventually, the two talked about doing something special for young dancers and actors at the studio, and Hanna offered the workshops. She has two more planned for March 9 and 16 at the studio.

"She's the real deal, an awesome professional person who has a wonderful spirit." Cunningham said of Hanna and her expertise in operating "Forword," her own multi-media marketing and production company, in addition to producing the show for Total Living Network.

That spirit was coming through during the workshop as she encouraged kids to knock down barriers and get comfortable with their voices and stage presence.

"If you can't be heard in this business, then forget it," she told the students.

Hanna, who has communications and theater degrees from Oral Roberts University, said she wants to "encourage kids that everyone has something unique" and to convince students that they are in competition "only with being able to show auditioners who you are and be comfortable in shining with who you are."

Students who participate in the workshops are taught how to establish goals and understand what it will take to accomplish them.

"In educational theater they are, for example, casting young people as old people, but the more professional level you get to, they cast your type," Hanna said.

"It is really hard for us to stand back and see what type we are, so this takes some discovery."

Hanna said she had to push through that fear of discovery herself, so it helps her relate to today's kids.

"Hopefully I am helping them discover what is their type and what are the casting expectations," Hanna said. "I tell them they can bloom anywhere and don't be afraid of what is inside of you."

Information about future workshops at the dance studio is available by calling (630) 232-0444.