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Doctors of Spin

Tossing around the idea of mastering the baton? Top twirlers offer tips on creating a whirl.

By Melissa Hathway

Issue: October 2003

The throws and spins of baton twirling are as breathtaking as they are challenging. Requiring dance and gymnastics training, physical conditioning and hours of practice, baton twirling is gaining increasing recognition as a challenging sport requiring enormous dedication. No longer relegated exclusively to parades and stadiums, twirling can be an exciting addition to dance training and can add pizzazz to any dance routine. Dance Spirit caught up with two experts to get the spin on this rotating artform.

Training to Twirl
“ A successful twirler has the flexibility of a gymnast, the accuracy of a quarterback, the jumping ability of a basketball champion, the grace and poise of a dancer, the precision of a golf pro and the skill of an ice skater,” says Joyce Perrone, a former twirler for the Philadelphia Eagles. Because controlling a baton while moving requires a diverse set of skills, Perrone, who is also the owner and director of Twirl Mania in Orlando, FL, stresses the importance of having a background in dance and gymnastics.

“Baton twirling and strong dance technique go hand in hand,” agrees Vivian Mutchler, a certified coach and judge with the United States Twirling Association (USTA) and co-owner and program director of Encore Baton & Dance Studio in Upper Marlboro, MD. Mutchler says that students can learn to twirl as young as age 3, but that older students learn faster because their minds and bodies are more developed. “The younger ones should concentrate on their dancing and gymnastics to get in gear for baton twirling,” she says.
The average starting age for baton twirlers is between 6 and 12, but many become
interested when they enter middle or high school and want to twirl with the band at school functions. Perrone suggests starting with group classes to learn the fundamentals of twirling before moving on to private lessons. “Group lessons will help you to decide the type of twirling and amount of dedication you want to devote to the sport,” she notes.

Explore Your Options
Finding a good twirling coach is an important step in the training process. Mutchler
recommends visiting the USTA website (www.ustwirling.com). The site has links to state councils (most of which have links to state twirling groups) as well as a listing of coaches.
Locating a potential coach is only the first step, however. Perrone stresses that students need to inquire about a coach’s qualifications, ask for a few trial lessons before committing, ask former or currents students for recommendations and attend a performance before settling on a coach. “Never sign a contract,” she advises. “The school or coach should have confidence in their ability and should not ask for one.”

Once you’ve learned to twirl, performance opportunities for twirlers are abundant, says Mutchler. In addition to sporting events and parades, there are competitions sponsored by twirling organizations and community events. Many theme parks also showcase twirlers as entertainment.

Whatever your baton twirling goal, Perrone advises taking it one step at a time: “Twirling is a very high tech sport and requires the 3 Ds: desire, determination and dedication.”

Stroman Takes A Spin
Choreographer Susan Stroman drew upon her own twirling background in creating
Broadway’s Oklahoma!, which closed this past February. “I used to twirl the baton at
halftime shows when I was in the high school band, so I have great coordination,” she says. “It’s probably why I’m able to use props so easily, because if you toss me anything, I’ll catch it. Twirling takes so much practice. I’ve found, even with the greatest dancers in the world, if you toss them a cane, they either lose it or they can’t dance anymore. It’s just a matter of hand-eye coordination and being able to isolate one part of your body from another-to get your arms to do one thing and your legs to do another.”

The two young girls in Oklahoma! who steal Laurey’s bottle of elixir execute lyrical ballet steps while tossing the bottle back and forth on a rhythmic count. After struggling with the move in rehearsal, they figured out that the trick was isolating their upper body from their lower. —Hilary Ostlere

Twirl • Mania
The Twirl Mania Championships for twirlers, dancers, pom lines and flag lines is held annually at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, FL, in February. Next year’s championships will take place February 20-23. The event consists of parades down Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, competitions for solos and teams, showcases in the Disney parks, workshops, performances and clinics with the world’s best coaches. Check out www.twirlmania.com
for more.

Whip It Up
• Find a coach with good credentials and references.
• Take care of your body by eating right and staying physically fit.
• Practice every day full out, don’t just go through the motions.
• Try to find the lessons to be learned in each win or loss.
• Have fun and be a good sport.

Melissa Hathway was a member of the final company of the Broadway show Cats and has performed on national tours, in dinner theater and at theme parks. She is currently based in Washington, DC.