Anjuli_Bai

Ballet Society is gone. I mean physically gone. When Jackie Hepner (former NYCB dancer) opened her studio on the 2nd floor of a building on Washington Ave., in San Diego in the late 70's- she was waiting for a large new studio next door expressly built for dance: sprung wooden floor - completelely unobstructed. At that time it was probably the best dance space in the city. During the dozen or so years it was open some famous names passed through as dancers and teachers. There is a picture somewhere of 4-5 of us (me included) sitting on a tractor in our pointe shoes as construction began. I just drove by this afternoon - and it is completely demolished and is a huge new supermarket. But in my mind I saw: Patrick Bissell, ABT Principal dancer giving guest classes, Danish Prima Ballerina Margarthe Schanne teaching Bournonville, Larry Eddington introducing Ted Brunson(future dancer - PA Ballet) to Jackie, Jillana (NYCB Principal dancer), Ed Binney, the internationally recognized authority in several art forms and class "character," Heide Giersche-Schmidt, Judy Sharp, Jamie McArdle, Wayne Davis, Elaine Thomas (Ballet Mistress - Royal Ballet, London) and so many others teaching. I remember the day when Jillana (former principal dancer NYCB) dared to move the clock hands forward when Jackie Hepner got a bit carried away with working on "strenghtening" us. Only Jillana would have dared to do that - resting on her prestigious name. When Jackie mentioned that the time seemed to have gone by very quickly - everyone remained silent - and silently thanked Jillana! I remember the wonderful grand piano and the gifted pianists (many immigrants from the USSR) who played for us. Especially, Kark Fogmeg, with a doctorate in music and dance from Juliard and Balanchine's personal pianist as well as concert pianist and composer. Dancing to his music was a very special experience. I remember the day when the men from the fire station down the street decided to conduct a "fire inspection" hoping to "run into" a class full of women in tights and leotards - but misjudged the time and ended up in the baby ballet class. I remember how people walking by outside would stop and look in those huge windows - or how those windows would fog up as we all created a lot of steam! Well folks, it's gone - it lives only in the mind's eye.

I'm not sure why anyone would need a reference from a teacher. If a student from school A goes to an audition at school B - then school B should judge that student by what they see standing before them. Not only can physical and dance qualities be judged but if the auditioning panel is up to the task, attitude and aptitude can also be assessed - expecially if it is a call back. I was once asked to write a reference for a student who was moving to another city and was loath to do that because of the student's lack of focused dedication which I would in all honesty have to mention. However, I felt that perhaps in a new situation as well as the possibility of increasing maturity could change that particular liability and the student should be judged by the new school with a blank slate rather than have that tag placed on her. If, however, the auditioning process consists of only a photo/s and a teacher reference - I would say that is a most incomplete audition. Yes, one could winnow out those with obvious physical problems but a photo tells nothing about how the physical asssets of any one student is used to dance. Dance is about more than a set of physical assets - and that can't be assessed in a photo. As for feeling cynical about this - well, the world isn't fair (I surely wish it was) - and on a bad day we all feel this way. The problem is to prepare for oneself to meet the world as it is.

Yes, I agree with your teacher - pulling up through the thighs is always a good idea. If it is while on pointe that you feel this then it has to do with the contraction of the Achilles. I would suggest that you spend some time after class is over in gently stretching it out so that it relaxes. Try to wear flat shoes - or only a very low heel (very low) for your every day activities.

I didn't know "like" was rationed or had anything to do with points. But, then I also don't under the "profile views" on our profiles either. Duh

I think all these - correct age, strength, control and technique - are essential for pointe work. Since the skeleton matures at a certain pace (cartilege becoming bone - which affects the joints of the toes) and this pace cannot be altered by control, strength, or technique - age, for me, must remain in the list of primary considerations. Another thing to consider...if the student goes on to a vocation in dance, and pointe work is begun at too early an age why add more years of stress to the body? As Balanchine said (paraphrase) there are no roles for children on pointe in ballet.

<<<<I've not heard of doing a pas de bouree devant (front-side-front) starting with the back foot or a pas de bourree derriere (back-side-back) starting with the front foot but thats not to say it couldn't ever happen....>>>>> I had a teacher who was constantly designing center work - especially allegro - to keep us from ever becoming complacent. So, as part of that the pas de bourrées were always done in different ways. It can also end up on one foot rather than two feet. The only constant is it consists of three steps. If you look at "pas de bourrée" in Gail Grant's "Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet" (which I highly recommend) you will see the descriptions for the many ways to do pas de bourrée goes on for four pages. I used to love to do them ending up in second and go right into a pirouette, then failli into another pas de bourrée ending in 4th as prep for another pirouette. That was a real test of placement.

Yes, inserting elastics into the ribbons where they cross over the back of the ankle does help. You can do this yourself. You can also stitch across the front of the shoe from side seam to side seam -- over the arch of the foot - which gives you more support.

Does the "really starts to pull" happen while up on pointe or when you're feet are fully on the ground? Some basic things to think about: The fit of the shoes - especially for a highly arched foot which needs support. Be sure to be fully warmed up before pointe work. This means to start slowly and gradually build up speed and height (flat/demi-pointe/pointe). Exercises should include as much plié as relevé. Is this a new problem? What does your teacher say? How long have you been on pointe? At what point in your class do you feel this begin? When you are fresh? or tired? doing something fast? Does it hurt? Does it continue after class is over?

I certainly agree that putting a child on pointe before 12 (at the earliest) is a really really bad idea - in many ways. However, the blame lies not just with the school or the teacher, but also with the parents. I can remember being pressured many times by the mothers. I told them that if they wanted to do this to their little girls - they would have to go somewhere else - I wouldn't be party to it. I also made sure that any school for which I taught would back me on this.

I only taught in one school which entered competitions (not my ballet classes!) and what I noticed was not only how abysmally the parents (moms mostly) treated one another but how awfully the little children learned to treat one another. It was very sad.

Apollinaire Scherr is always such a pleasure to read. I often do just to enjoy the literate choreography of her words.

In my experience I've never heard of a class outside of a syllabus class in which the terminology "dessous" or "dessus" was used. It's just too confusing and hard to hear the small difference in the sound of the words over the music or just a lot of people moving around. Usually the teacher/choreographer just says "pas de bourrée and the dancers watch to see which one it is. As for your question - it depends if you are going to the left of right. If you are moving to the right you would start that pas de bourrée with your left foot. If you were moving to the left you would start that pas de bourrée. As for your question about using the back foot to start a pas de bourrée moving front or the front foot moving front - the answer is yes. Either is possible. Since the only class I ever took which used the terms "dessus" or "dessous" was a syllabus (Cecchetti) class - and that only for three years - the only thing I had to think about in the overwhelming majority of classes was which foot started the pas de bourrée and how did it ended up. It was so much easier that way. I think this is one of those examples when people get all hung up on terminology instead of getting on with the dance. By the way in my first post when I said this: "There are hundreds of pas de bourrées. They can all be done in three main ways: degagé, pique, or coupé" I should have included in the list "emboité/retiré"

The pattern for pas de bourrée dessous (under) is: back, side, front. (It is called "under" because that first step is behind the standing foot) The pattern for pas de bourrée dessus (over): is front, side, back. (It is called "over" because that first step is in front of the standing foot). It doesn't matter where you start from -- you can have your right foot either in the front or the right foot in the back. It's where you place that first step (back or front) that makes the difference. If the first step is to the back - that is under. If the first step is to the front - that is over. So, the basic patterns are: back/side/front - dessous front/side/back - dessus back/side/back - derriere front/side/front - devant There are hundreds of pas de bourrées. They can all be done in three main ways: degagé, pique, or coupé. They can either move or be done sur la place. They can move en avant (forward), en arriére (backward) or (détourné/entournant) turning - both en dedans or en dehors - and de coté (sideways). As well all the above on pointe. Pas de bourrés can begin and/or end in fifth position, second position, fourth position or first position. Don't think "left/right" - think "back/front" or "front/back" - that way you don't have to reverse all those left/rights when you do the other side. Different schools (French, Russian, etc.) have different names for the various ways of doing pas de bourrés. For instance the French use the term "detourné" instead of "entournant." There are so many possibilities - I've probably left some out! I hope this helps.

I think that "romantic" refers to the style and/or content. But, the dance technique, I think, would be called "classical" in construction. You are right about the length of the skirt - short tutu such as in Swan Lake is thought of as classical, long skirt as in Giselle is romantic. However, just confuse things I have seen the second act of Swan Lake done in long skirts for the corps. I should add - that in my post above about Kschessinskaya - the ballet to which I referred is Esmeralda. It seems to me that there are few hard and fast rules and the borders are smudgey.

Would you not consider "Les Sylphides" both classical and a classic? It is not a full evening length ballet nor does it have a narrative. As i recall, Kschessinskaya in her autobiography said that when she was asked why she didn't use turnout when kneeling by the goat, her answer was: (paraphrase) the character didn't call for it. She is in a tutu - but not actually dancing (kneeling beside the goat). There is a picture of this opposite page 61 of "Dancing In Peterburg."

I tend to agree with that definition of and the difference between "classic" and "classical." The first has stood the test of time - the second refers to a certain technique or style. But then, there are those pesky details. What is that technique or style which we tend to think of as classical? In the ballet Carmen ( think the choreographer was Alberto Alonso and danced by Alicia Alonso) when occassionally the choreography calls for a turned in foot - does that take it out of the realm of "classical?" At the same time - the question arises: was turnout always part of the classical technique? If so - to what degree? Look at older clips of dancers of a couple of decades ago dancing a classic ballet such as Swan Lake - the turnout seems to be much less emphasized. Certainly the athletisim is different - much lower extensions, not nearly as gymnastic. So then we come to classical style/technique as compared to what and when? I think its more like - we know it when we see it - remembering always that everyone in the audience has a different perception and defintion - some of it related to the age of the observer.

Yes, - I had many (competitive level) ballroom dancers as students. Ice skaters, too, who don't turn out.

...and ABT doing Twarp.

It seems to me that when a particular school, especially one attached to a company, assesses a student out the verdict is not tnecessarily hat the student isn't up to par, but may not fit in with the particular company the school serves. Or doesn't quite fit into the view/style of that particular school. It doesn't mean that the student would not fit in anywhere.

I agree with the above - but would urge that you find the cause for the loss of the toenail.

No one works harder than the corps de ballet. Yet, there are very few ballets - like La Bayadere - where they get applause apart from the general applause.

I think a key question is the definition of "creative and expressive." Seems to me there's lots of creativity and expression in how the role of Juliet is danced - or Giselle - or the Lilac Fairy or or or... As for moving between the genres even those steeped in ballet (in additon to those named above) have done so quite successfully: Baryshnikov, Guilliem, Tsiskaridze, and many more. It seems to me, that it is easier as a ballet dancer to move into other genres, than for other dancers to move into ballet.

All through the years when I took ballet class (40 yrs) there was always a large contingent of dancers from other disciplines: modern/contemporary, tap, mime, street dance, ballroom, etc. Also present were athletes, singers, actors, musicians, an orchestra conductor, and public speakers. As a concert pianist told me - he wanted to know how to walk across a stage and how to take a bow to the applause. Opera Diva Dame Joan Sutherland explains in her autobiography her embarrassment in donning tights and leotard but also the necessity of it to learn how to move on stage. So - how does this affect when one has to "forget" one's ballet training - such as turnout- to move on to another discipline such as modern/contemporary? It's like learning to read a language using Roman script and then trying to learn to read a different script such as Greek - or even Hebrew (which reads from right to left). Learning to read in one script doesn't stop us from learning to read in another script - in fact we can take with us the basic rules. The script may look different and even the grammatical setup may be different - but the skill set needed is the same. Ballet teaches the dancer how to put together what the brain wants and what the body can offer. That ability is what tells Adam C. or Darcy B., to "forget" ballet. They know what they must do because of ballet.

The power of an art form is not only its ability to make us laugh or cry but also to hope. How many times do we watch Romeo and Juliet and somehow hope that it will turn out differently? Or to hope to see different elements of the story brought to life - to make us see it anew - through the medium of different artists undertaking the roles? Why else to buy a ticket to once again experience this centuries old story? So, it is of no surprise that a lighthearted ballet such as La Fille would bring us to tears as we once again see our hope of young love brought to life. That's why we get up everyday, have our breakfast, tie our shoes - in the hope that we will see an old vision through new eyes. Well, anyway, that's what I tell myself while eating my bowl of oatmeal.

Regarding posting up additional links and/or comments to links already posted in the daily links thread...if I understood it correctly.... Since this is now encouraged ...it might help to state as much at the bottom of each day's list of links. Such as: "If you have any additional links to reviews or other dance news items, please add. If you have any comments on links already posted, please do not hesitate to add them here." Or some such statement. This might be necessary since previously (old forum) as I recall, comment in the daily links thread was not encouraged on that thread - but was urged to be posted elsewhere. Or did I get that whole thing wrong... As for any help I might offer....since I am not London based (or even close) I can only offer my willingness to pay a membership fee. Edited to add the last paragraph.