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Ah yes, thank you

I'm thinking if I asked friends of mine, who have little interest in ballet specifically, but who are relatively well informed in terms of the arts and culture generally, that they would struggle to name a current ballet dancer. Darcey Bussell or Carlos Acosta may crop up, though they are (relatively recently) retired from the stage... Sergei Polunin perhaps, as he had huge exposure in the video to Take me to Church. Perhaps Misty Copeland as she is covered a great deal in the media with the Prince connection and for her rise as first black principal dancer at Abt. Perhaps Ferri as she features on the face cream advert. Bolle, Zakharova and Vishneva - absolutely not. They are well known in ballet circles but I don't think they've 'crossed over' to the general public / mass media.

I enjoyed Flesh and Bone not least because it featured real dancers and had plenty of beautiful well-shot dance sequences. It definitely was going for the shock factor with the extreme and dark story lines and the sex and nudity. Also a LOT of subplots going on which were never fully explored....perhaps they were planning on expanding on these in the 2nd series although it was never commissioned. I maintain F&B is not as far-fetched as Black Swan. I can't stand that movie - I found it so cartoon-like in its characterisation and Natalie Portman's upper body so unconvincing that it was off-putting. Wonderful special effects / make up though.

I'll be sorry to see you go, Proballetdancer. I enjoyed reading your posts and hearing your expertise on this subject. It's good to hear differing opinions. Although I've not involved myself in this particular discussion, if you do decide to return to the forum, I'd certainly be glad to hear your views.

I have quite thick hair and I recently got some some good strong pins that work well from Sally (the hair and beauty supplies shop)

Yes! I love this part too. I think i may have gasped the first time I saw this Others for me are, in no particular order.... The finale of Etudes. First of all, the music is just so fabulous. There's a lot of flashiness in this ballet and still the climax trumps the lot with everyone dancing in unison. The 2nd Movement pdd in Macmillan's Concerto. Again, the music is so beautiful. The couple speak profoundly of love through the simplest steps. I believe the supported forward bend the ballerina does was inspired by Lynn Seymour stretching at the barre? I just love the way a classroom stretch is taken and transformed into something totally different Myrthe's manege at the end of her solo in Giselle. So powerful! The part of the Swan Lake Act 2 pdd where Siegfried 'cradles' Odette, he's standing behind her, she has her leg wrapped back round him in attitude derriere, her head is back on his shoulder and they rock gently as they embrace The Pie Jesu solo from Requiem. The combination of the singing and the almost awkward shapes of the dancing makes me cry. The 2nd couples' pdd in Stravinsky Violin Concerto: the part where the woman is slowly turned by her shoulders in a continuing spiral by her partner. It's so moving and to me it expresses love and loss. The 'green girl' solo from Dances at a Gathering

What a great topic, BMC!

haha, yes mph! exactly. not all toe protectors are equal!

Personally, I found a difference between the specialist 'ballet' gel toe sleeves and the ones from chemists. I did try with the chemist-bought ones to save money but always went back to the Bloch brand ones. The Bloch ones have gel inside only on one side, and just the stretchy fabric outer layer at the back, whereas all the chemist-bought ones I tried had the gel all the way round. If that makes sense! This was advantageous as the ballet ones were less sweaty as the have less rubbery gel. Also it means they're less bulky so they take up less space in your shoe. I had trouble feeling the floor with the regular chemist ones. This was the open-ended version not the closed ones for big toes...

Hi Viv - what a horrible experience! You are not alone, myself and many adult dancers I have spoken to have had bad experiences at pointe shoe fittings in London shops. I think often non-professional adult pointe dancers aren't taken very seriously... I would say, first, ask your teacher to check your shoes for fit and to see if she thinks they suit your feet. Don't sew on ribbons or wear them around the house. You may need to return them, and to do so they will need to be in perfect condition. Your toes shouldn't feel scrunched on flat, and they shouldn't be so tight that they make your feet tingle. Pointe shoes do generally stretch a lot and as they break in they mold to your feet, so they do become more comfortable. Don't expect them to feel comfy when new No dancer dances in pointe shoes as they come off the shelf. Once you've found a suitable size and model your teacher can help you to break in the shoe in the best way for your feet. If your teacher agrees the shoes are not right for you, you need to try different sizes, makes and models. It's a loooonngg learning curve and as you do more pointe you'll know more what you require. I found it helped to take along a classmate to the shops for moral support! Good luck!

Hi Odette92, JP Cabardos is an absolutely fantastic pointe work teacher, I'd recommend you give him a go. I 'returned' to pointework with him several years ago - I couldn't have done it without him! For his Sunday class at Central he does stipulate you have done a technique class already that day as you go straight on to pointe. He splits the class and sets exercises according to ability / experience. Natalie Krapf also runs a fantastic pointe class on Thursday evenings at Marylebone studio at an inter/advanced level. She is a methodical, thoughtful teacher I'd also recommend.

A documentary I can thoroughly recommend is 'Violette et Mr B', which follows Violette Verdy coaching dancers in Balanchine and Robbins roles. It shows her working with Elisabeth Platel, Nicholas le Riche, Lucia Lacarra and many others. Her insights are absolutely fascinating, she had little stories behind the simplest gestures. Just watching her demonstrate an arm or a breath is a joy. The Turning Pointe is a good film (with a rather cheesy story) in that it features some great footage of Baryshnikov, Antoinette Sibley and some glimpses of Suzanne Farrell, Marcia Haydee and ABT company dancers of the 70s. I'd echo that Center Stage has some good ballet content. Edited to add: I LOVED Flesh and Bone the TV series. It was rather over the top, but had some great dancing and was more realistic than Black Swan!

Yes that is clearer, Anjuli, thanks so much for explaining, that's really helpful. The tir-bouchon I encountered was during an adagio, I can't remember the exercise now, but I guess there must have been a rotation or pivot where the leg worked its way from the passe/retire down the leg in time with the rotation. I just remember the teacher marking it and I copied her movement without knowing which particular 'step' or 'movement' she was referring to as 'tir-bouchon'. And thanks for the cou de pied clarification You describe it so beautifully!

Now that's one you don't hear very often Am I right in thinking it means 'corkscrew'? I must confess although I have done it in open class I am not completely sure what it is. Could you explain, Anjuli? I have one teacher who refers to cou-de-pied position as 'the coupe', even when a coupe movement is not involved. I found that confusing to begin with.

Ah, explained thanks Afab

The differing terms used teacher to teacher, methodology to methodology, for the same steps always fascinates me. It can cause a fair bit of confusion in open classes! To add another one to the mix, my French teacher always calls lame ducks 'tombe tours'. I had never heard that one elsewhere. I have always also wondered why we use the term 'a la seconde', i would have thought the French was 'a la deuxieme'. Is this a French-anglo hybrid term, or would you use the term 'a la seconde' in French?

Some interesting thoughts on DQ here.... nice to hear I still haven't recovered from the fantastic onslaught that is 'Vasipova' in the Mikhailoksky's earlier this year, so I'm not going to the RB production this time. A friend of mine went last night, and overall, she was positive. One thing that did disappoint her was the lack of the traditional red/black tutu for Act 3 PDD. She said she felt cheated! I must say, after seeing the photos here, I agree...maybe the costume designer was dodging tradition and going more 'wedding' than 'flamenco', but its such a showy PDD: I think it screams for the strong colour/contrasts. Strange how you come to associate certain roles with certain costumes...I once said to a teacher when we were learning the Esmeralda variation, 'Oh thats the one where she wears the green tutu?', to which he responded, 'No she can wear whatever colour she likes!'

You are welcome, Legseleven, I hope your daughter finds a solution

Hello all, this is my first post after reading this excellent forum for a few.....years. It really is a fabulous source of information! I do have to tinker a lot with my pointe shoes, so I have a little advice on this, It depends on the make of shoe, I have successfully shellacked the shanks of Bloch shoes, (European balance and sonatas). These have cardboard type shanks.I tried to shellac the shanks of 'pro flex' grishkos and it didn't really work. I actually prefer the feel of shanks after they've been shellacked. I find them too 'bouncy' as they come. I do a LOT of customisation to my shoes, so I have found my own rituals. I cut out almost half of the shank and then shellac the rest once they are slightly broken in. (Obviously not recommending cutting shanks out for younger students / beginners!) Yes, I have found regular superglue works well, it may be a little too 'hard' for a whole shoe but it is good for spot-strengthening. Be sure it's well dried before you put the shoes on, as a friend of mine put her pointe shoes on later the same day and somehow the heat and moisture of her feet re activated the superglue, welding her big toe to the inside of the show. Not pretty. Yes rotating shoes really helps, also what's important is WHEN the shoes are shellacked/glued. If the shoe is virtually dead the shellac won't really 'save' them. Some dancers shellac their shoes before they wear them. The advantage of this is the shellac bothe strengthens and prevents sweat from entering the shoe, which breaks down the structure. Personally I break in my shoes for about 4 classes till they feel reasonably comfy and then shellac the toe box and the ball of foot area of the shank. Then when I feel the shoe dying a bit more I keep topping up the shellac, taking it more round the box/wings and further up the shank. That's what works for me. I'm afraid you will need to keep topping up shellac, it's not permanent. I actually much prefer the feel of shellacked shoes, they don't feel like 'home' before I have shellacked them. I have tried wood varnish, didn't like it myself. I prefer the papillon pointe hardener.