Anjuli_Bai

The "point" of a cat is that they do want to be with us even though they don't need us. Rather refreshing.

Don't do this to "prove everyone was wrong." That's not a reason to commit yourself. Even the most committed dancer has days when questions arise about pursuing this road. If, however, you these questions arise in your mind more and more, it might indeed be time to reassess. There is no disgrace in reassessing - in fact, it is a positive thing. One should always be open to the possibility of changing course. It could happen for many reasons - injury, lack of opportunity, or change of heart. It would be much more negative to pursue something beyond the time that it appeals to you or seems realistic for you. But, should you change your plans, one need not opt out completely. Dance is certainly an asset to anyone pursuing a career on stage. There are some dancers who are perfectly happy being in the last row of the corps de ballet and some who prefer it. If you go forward with your effort to get into a vocational school - would you truly be happy? It seems to me that the fact that you are thinking about the "emotional exhaustion," blistered feet and feelings of inadequacy, is particularly indicative of a road sign that says: "slow down, rocky road ahead." A student who is totally sure doesn't think about the inconveniences of blistered feet - even when she should. You can do several things: Stop fo a while and see how that feels to you. Get several opinions of people unconnected to your present teachers. Go for the vocational route and see if you get it and how you feel about that. If you make it do you feel happy or apprehensive? If you don't make it do you feel relieved or distraught?

And rightly so. You don't find cats pulling sleds in subzero temperatures. Or carrying people on their backs. Or heavy loads. Or racing around a circular track. Or running endlessly around trying to keep a flock of sheep from going over a cliff. Or walking around on a leash. Cats are philosophers - they sit and think. They are excellent observers of human nature. A good study would be to find out why, with all they have observed of us, they bother to be part of our lives. They don't need us....but they do choose to be with us. Now, that's a worthwhile study.

All too often deep sadness is hidden behind laughter. His was surely a towering talent. Thank you for the years of comedic laughter and dramatic tears......I hope you have found peace, Robin Willians.

I think my cat recognized it was a picture of another cat but just found it boring and wondered why i wanted her to look at a picture of another cat when she could easily just look at a real cat.

In my ignorance I wonder how a comparison could be made between - say - lifting weights? The dancer lifts a living weight - the weight ilfting athlete does not. In the case of ice dance - it's a living moving weight - which requires a unique skill. The dancer's singular intent is how it looks - the athlete's intent is a score. (generally speaking) The dancer has to contend with the vagaries of live music - the athlete does not. The dancer has to stay within a character as well as time in history and a place (Romeo/Verona/the conventions of the time) - the athlete does not The dancer has to be aware of how every part (to the smallest finger or tilt of the head) of the body looks - the athlete does not Athletes have other challenges - different challenges. And, to further elaborate on my ignorance - I don't understand the use of the word "versus."

I think the worthiness of a study is precisely inverse to the amount of tax dollars/pounds expended on it as well as the syllabic length of the words describing it.. I also think studying body language is no longer of any use - we need a study on emoticons. Such as.... "It is the researcher's intent to uncover the layered trope hidden beneath the easily observed trope of the communicant user's psycho-ego when a non-verbal symbol is substituted for the other various modalities available but rejected in preference of the circular icon entity which displaces other once preferred methods of choice when endeavoring to connect or disconnect from or in lieu of, or to prevent actual visual or animated clues in communication either intra or inter species specific." (publication date as yet unknown) Well, give me enough money and I'll come up with something...

I am very careful to never have any social interaction with any dancer or company which I review. I don't stand during a standing ovation and I don't applaud. I might read the reviews of other critics but only after my own has been written and published.

I have this tape -I believe it was presented in 1980 as part of a series: "The Romantic Era."

I get a special enjoyment out of any article which reports that research shows that men and women are different. Duh. Then I wonder how much money was spent on the study - but my husband says it was worth the money it cost for a good laugh. Which - of course - substantiates the conclusions reached by the study.

How would one know if the face of dance has been changed until enough time has passed to see that the face is truly different?

I will definitely have to get a pair of those jeans. Maybe I will lose 50 years.

I think the only art sculpting that should be allowed in public places is of ballet dancers.

I think there are some programs which are "special" - such as University of North Carolina-Charlotte in which there is a "by audition only" program in higher level ballet. Perhaps that is what you experienced in SUNY-Purchase. What i related above is what is more generally the case. Even in a four year curriculum leading to a degree, the student would only have four school years of ballet study which as we know would not normally lead to a professional performing career. I found that most of the students are in ballet class as a way of satisfying the physical education requirement of their course of study. This doesn't mean they didn't work hard or were less enthusiastic. However, they often did have a very different mind set than a vocational ballet student. As for comparing athletes to dancers - frankly I don't see the point. The study is different, the goal is different and the outcome is different.

Judging from the university level ballet students I have both observed and taught (over many years) - the level upon completion of a three year curriculum is barely intermediate. This opinion applies only to ballet - not any other dance form.. Ballet I - is absolute beginner. Ballet II - the students have completed two semesters (Sept-May) of Ballet I Ballet III - the students have completed Ballet I and Ballet II. There might be a few students a tad more technically advanced who are there by special permission but I would still place them as high intermediates. The curriculum is set up so that one can only take Ballet I for two semesters - which is only one school year - after that the data base considers it a "fail." Same for Ballet II. Thus upon entering Ballet III one has only had two school years of ballet. Classes are usually 2 or 3 days in the week. Considering the amount of holidays, time between fall and spring semesters (about a month or more), plus summer off - that leaves very little time actually in the dance class compared with vocational training of a dance student. I know of only one person (male) who actually started in a university Ballet I and ended up dancing professionally - but he was a true phenomenon who was very quickly taken out of the class and given a scholarship at a vocational school.

One more thing..... The word "loyalty" to a school and/or teacher has been mentioned in several posts. Loyalty is a wonderful attribute to one's country, family, friends, good causes, etc. But one doesn't go to the doctor out of loyalty -- one goes for expertise. One doesn't shop for food out of loyalty nor does one go to a restaurant out of loyalty. If you live in a small town it is good to patronize the local shops - but if the quality, service or price are not good enough, one does shop elsewhere.

I could sculpt a wheel for that kind of money. Whoever it was who originally invented the wheel must be turning over in his/her grave in vexation.

Suppose one is happy with the school/teacher but has been there for a few years.......I would say it is still advantageous to either find other classes elsewhere in addition to the present school and/or leave entirely. A settled routine where one is comfortable is a routine that needs a bit of shaking up. In my experience both as a teacher and as a student, I always gained from change. It was not easy, it wasn't comfotable -- but that's the point. I wouldn't recommend it for the first 3-4 years of study - but after that, yes. It doesn't have to be dramatic or traumatic - something as simple as adding a second teacher. As much as any teacher tries to vary the class, use varieties of music and movement, her/his brain is the brain of one person and the brain tends to relish routine and becomes "blind" to the fact of routine. Sometimes it is as simple as always starting a glissade with the back foot - then when the student is suddenly asked to start a glissade with the front foot - the brain rebels at change. However, if it is always used to change the rebellion will be less traumatic. Not only is movement in need of constant change, but so too is sight and sound. If the teacher is constantly trying to get a student to alter her weight/balance placement - eventually, she subconsciously grows tired of correcting this and the student does too - she tunes it out. But a second/new voice and eye might approach this problem differently - or just the sound of a new voice engages the student. How many of us as parents have experienced this? We tell and re-tell - or advise - our children about some issue and we can see they tune us out. But someone else says the same thing to them - and they "hear" it. This is also true of space. Often when in a new studio it takes a couple of lessons to accommodate to the new size, shape, lighting, etc., of the new space. One can test this by using the old comfortable studio but turn around and do the class with backs to the mirror - it's very upsetting! This, too, is why suddenly being on stage is disorienting - the space is different - no walls - different lighting. We each experience this when we drive. When traveling the same road every day we might tend to mentally drift - but on a new road one pays attention. I am a firm believer that learning needs variety of experience.

When one signs up at a dance school one is a customer buying a product. You don't buy that product because of friendships with other customers, nor do you need anyone's permission to buy the product somewhere else. The person selling the product sells it succesfully (or not) because of its quality - not because of refusing "permission" to buy the product somewhere else. Any teacher of worth will encourage the student to branch out, to explore, to widen horizons and won't ever be threatened by such exploration on the part of the student. No teacher can possibly know everything there is to know on any given subject. There are many paths - ways to do things - dozens of different preparations for a pirouette - and no one teacher can cover it all. In addition, it is very helpful for a new eye and voice to communicate with the student. That new voice and eye can find new paths of comunication, different approaches to problems and new roads to explore. If your child decides to take this further she will come across many different voices and eyes in auditiions and her schooling should prepare her for this and sticking with any one school and/or teacher will limit her ability to interact and profit from the many people with whom she will of necessity have to interact. True friendships will still be viable. Friendships should not limit your choices. There will be other dance festivals and other opportunities to perform. At ten yrs of age her emphasis is on learning and then performing - not the reverse. If ballet is important to her, 45 min.per week is woefully inadequate. She should be doing 60-90 min. classes at least three times per week. And that should increase as she gets ready for pointe at 12 yrs of age - if that is her goal. At a new school there will be new friends - and true friends at the old school will want what is best for your child. A tension filled classroom and/or waiting room lounge or dressing room is not conducive to a good environment for learning.

It occurs to me that there is something else that one might think about is where one stands during centre work in the classroom. If you are in the habit of standing behind the first row and find yourself following someone to get the steps right - you will automatically be a beat behind. After a while this becomes a difficult habit. For that reason, I always stood in the front row where I had no one to follow and had to learn to trust myself. It took some time before I felt comfortable - quite some time. But if you are following someone else you can't help but be behind in the msuic as well as never gaining confidence in yourself. When a teacher does the placing of the students, this is a good reason why the lines should always be alternating. Another thing to consider.....It is not unusual for someone who is taller to jump (start a beat ahead) the music. The brain intuitively assumes that being taller than the others, that it will take the body a tad longer to "get there" and so, without actually thinking about it, jumps (anticipates) the music. If this is a problem to you - be aware of it. The taller dancer does need to move a bit faster, but that does not mean one needs to jump the music.

Such a sad history. Western civilization literally eating itself.

I found it analogous to when as very young children and we were learning to read. We read a sentence one word at a time with a flat tone in our voice as we concentrated on the letters which made up each word. But, then the teacher wanted us to "read with expression." Dance is no different. At first it was: Jack.......and.....Jill.......went......up.......the........hill which, after we had learned the separate words, we began to see as a whole sentence .....and so we added a rhythm: Jack and Jill went up the hill. I remember contributing to a thread which discussed various techniques for remembering dance sequences. If anyone is interested i will re-post. It was not, however, particularly about musicality. Musicality was inferred rather than specifically addressed (as I recall).

A hearty thank you for this! It has been quite some while since i have read such clear, clean, articulate writing - it's beauty in its ease of creating pictures for the mind. I hope Mr. Radetsky considers a profession in writing; writing about whatever moves him as he obviously has the ability to move the reader as he, as a dancer, moved his audience. Write on, Mr. Radetsky!

The steps and the music should be learned together. When the teacher was showing the sequence I would be saying it in my mind in a sing-song fashion such as: if the series of steps were..... Tombé, pas de bourrée, glissade, assemblé I would sing-song the words in my mind as: Tombé, pas de bourrée, glissade, assemblé (I see Elle who is typing as I was typing has the same idea - yea!!)

I read this with amazement at your child's emotional strength - and yours. Let me add my prayers to yours for a continuing improvement.