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"Big Ballet" - Wayne Sleep TV programme


hoobydigger

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Oh taxi you must have had a few inches at least!! And flat feet with ballet training can become quite strong!!

 

The thing that annoyed me at normal school was that being tall when we had country dancing I was ALWAYS a bloke!! :(

 

Once when the ballet school I was at was doing one of their shows there was a lovely little ballet the teacher made up but she singled out three of us (I didn't realise initially we were chosen because we were the tallest three) to do a slightly different dance. I think at first my mum(who never got too involved with dance affairs) thought blimey I must be doing well tobe chosen for a threesome!

However imagine my dismay when it came to costume time. The three of us were spiders......so wearing black tights and black leotards whereas ALL the others were cobwebs.....and wearing grey flimsy floaty net costumes. I was SO upset. I just wanted tobe a cobweb not a horrible spider!!! I was nine at the time but I have NEVER FORGOTTEN this event and when I realised we had sort of been chosen to be spiders because we were tall then I HATED being tall with a passion that has never quite left me to this day!! Though I am getting better now!!

 

It is true though that many ballet companies in the 50's 60's and into the 70's had a cut off point of about 5ft 5/6 ins for women.

The tallest dancer I remember from perhaps late 70's early 80's was Maina Gielgud who danced with the Bejart Company and I do remember being impressed with her.

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Oh Lin, it's funny how things stay with us! I remember my first week at junior school, aged 7 being told to go wait until the end for lunch by the brisk dinner lady. I burst into tears as I didn't know why and it turned out she thought I was a 4th year (11yrs old) and they had to wait until the lower years had eaten!

I hated being the tallest, but have grow to love my height - though at 5'9" I was never going to be the petite framed flat chested ballerina I wanted to be!

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Oh, LinMM and  Sheila...

 

Perhaps Channel 4 should have made "tall ballet" - may be with Zenaida Yanowsky being the coach!

 

And Wayne Sleep should relly have made "short ballet" with people like me... Though I would never say yes to Swan Lake!

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That may be a better idea! I told DD about the programme tonight and we had a giggle as she did a workshop with Wayne when she was about 9 and 4ft nothing and it's strange to think she's now 5'9" and would tower over him! It was a wonderful day and he really is a fabulous person and dancer - let's hope it doesn't disappoint...

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Have run out of likes for today for you Mimi and Sheila!!

 

Yes he is or at least was a really nice person so I am hoping for his sake that Channel 4 doesn't do the dirty on him as we know the editing of programmes can be a tad naughty and even downright malicious at times!

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Yes he is or at least was a really nice person so I am hoping for his sake that Channel 4 doesn't do the dirty on him as we know the editing of programmes can be a tad naughty and even downright malicious at times!

 

I would imagine Wayne is canny enough to have negotiated some sort of editorial control!

 

I hope you are both right.

 

I also hope they don't make it sound like, 'you could have been a ballerina if you were X pounds lighter than you are now/back then'. I hope it's explained that the Balanchine-ballerina proportions and figure is something people are born with, which happens to include being very slender, and not something you could get by reaching a specific weight.

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I also hope that they will also explain that although eveyone can enjoy ballet, it takes years for dancers to develope and there is no other way to achieve it in the lesser time frame. 

 

And that they had to do it in 6 months but that's only because it's tv - no different from the fact Natlie Portman didn't really dance in the film Black Swan.

 

,,,but I know that is not going to happen.

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So annoyed with this. As if the only thing stopping people from becoming ballet dancers is their size? They wouldn't do a programme about fat athletes would they.....people who had always wanted to run a marathon but weren't selected for training because they were too big.

 

Wayne Sleep says he wants to walk back into ROH with his head held high? Somehow I don't think so. I don't think anyone has done more to perpetuate the myth that female ballet dancers are half-starved anorexics. Somebody I work with asked me today "do they all starve themselves at your daughter's ballet school? Are they allowed to eat much?". Well done Wayne!

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I agree taxi4ballet. Stereotypes will be reinforced but also I fear it will have a negative impact on the eating disorder population inside and outside dance. You only need to look at some of the horrendous thinspo dancer videos on you tube to see how the art of dance can be abused and I fear this although coming from another angle has really not been thought through in terms of the implications. I very much hope I am wrong...

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I am also a bit bothered about the implication that seems to come across from the interview last night on BBC1 that it is "normal" for ballet schools to bully and push people out of the school/class just because someone is on the chubby side. 

 

This is another stereo typing for ballet world very much in the way "Black Swan" has wrongly portrayed - which I find it rather insulting to dacners and dance professionals.

 

It never cease to surprise me that some people just have no respect for what dancers do - long period of hard training over a decade, for a starter.  They must think it is all so easy - so long as one "looks right".

Edited by mimi66
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I think it's the same for an awful lot of professions, people don't have a clue how long and in depth the training is. Still they say no publicity is bad publicity, if the programme inspires a few more adults to take up ballet at least there should be a few more classes around for us :-D

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As well as being surprised at how long and arduous the training is, many people are surprised that dancers need to be paid.  

 

After one performance a lady was waiting for me at the stage door with a very lovely bouquet of flowers.  She told me how much she enjoyed the evening and then said that her daughter wanted to take lessons.  She then asked me how many lessons ( lessons - not years)  one needed to dance professionally  - 4, 5, 6,?   I was very tired, but wanted to be polite.....so I advised she call a local school and discuss it.

 

However, inside my head I was saying 4, 5, 6 lessons?  No - it took me ten years - but then, I am obviously retarded.  

 

No I didn't say that - but I thought it.

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Wow, that lady deserves some kind of Guiness record, Anjuli.

 

Mind you, I have been asked a few times if I am teaching or performing (for a fee) ballet  - just because I have been dancing over one year and because they think I go to class (gasp!) "every single week" once a week!

 

Social dancing (not ballroom) scenes are worse... after 6 months they thought I was a professional dancer (I wish!) and wanted to me to teach them. I sometimes wonder in what world those people live.  Unfortunately I see so many people "teaching" who really shouldn't be - help, may be, but teach...

 

I must add, though, that there are a lot of very professional teachers in those dance, propperly trained since childhood and have gone to vocational school (not ballet). They are wonderful and responsible professionals.

Edited by mimi66
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I received the following email from the Development Co-ordinator of Northern Ballet this morning:

 

"I wanted to let you know about a new three part series called ‘Big Ballet’ which starts today, 06 Feb, at 9pm on Channel 4.  Episodes 2 and 3 will be broadcast on the following two Thursdays at the same time.  Ballet legend Wayne Sleep and prima ballerina Monica Loughman work with a troupe of plus-size amateur dancers to realise their dream of dancing Swan Lake.  Whilst the programme is not about Northern Ballet, much of the filming takes place in our Quarry Hill studios and the Northern Ballet Sinfonia accompany the live performances at the conclusion of the series."

 

I don't know whether they were there for the Big Ballet series but the car park next to Northern Ballet where I usually park was full of caravans and trailers for filming on location when I turned up for my ballet class this morning.

 

Much as I admire Wayne Sleep and remember his Neapolitan divertissement with affection I won't be watching this series.

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I shall watch it - with considerable interest ;)  :wacko:

 

We must watch then we will be able to comment .

 

I hope you both enjoy it. The reason I am not watching it is that it clashes with "Inside Science" and "In Our Time" on Radio 4. I am just as interested in science and history as I an in ballet 

 

I agree that one cannot comment on a programme that one has not seen but I have already contributed all that I can usefully add to the topic.

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You can catch radio progs on iplayer I love Medicine Now and if I miss it catch up on iplayer.

 

I will be at Spanish tonight so have to record it and will also have to refrain from looking at the forum on this topic until I have watched it!!

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This was a topic of discussion at work today, and my colleagues came up with some suggestions for follow-up programmes:

 

"Big Bungee", "Big Pot-holing", "Big Trampolining" and "Big Grand National" to name a few...

 

Me? I'm looking forward to "Petite Pole Vault" and "Skinny Sumo" ;)

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