trog

A quick google for "portable dance floor" comes up with several suggestions which might be useful http://www.portable-floors.co.uk/practice-floors https://softfloor.co.uk/product/dance-tiles-pk10-wood/ https://sprungfloors.com/portable.html The last one looks really good and their blurb says it can be laid on top of carpet. They are US based but appear to ship world wide. There are loads of others too.

I used shoe dye on mine (yep I've danced en pointe)

I do Tuesday & Thursday improvers.

Hi Kate I don't know what the official policy is but several people to the beginners & improvers classes back to back on their bulk buy and not AFAIK, nothing is said. Indeed when I'be done that nothing has been said. Of course, it may be different for the more advanced classes. http://www.dancexchange.org.uk/programmes/classes/ indicates Monday is beginners followed by advanced, where-as Tuesdays & Thursdays is beginneers and improvers and Wednesday advanced and professional classes. Maybe I run into you there.

Short answer: IE is rubbish and it will do that. Long answer: I've experienced that too earlier this week on Windows 10. There is clearly yet another dodgy M$ update, but I haven't been able to identify which one to remove. This behaviour has now stopped, only to be replaced by another, more annoying fault. My PC is setup to open all weblinks in Firefox. Since yesterday it has decided all weblinks are going to open in Edge (the worlds worse browser) but it tries I get a message saying "Edge can't be run as this account. Try logging in with a different account." It's easy enough to reset the correct defaults in Control panel, but it's damn annoying that I now have to do this every time I sign on. Luckily I have a Mac on my desk that I can use too, although that gives me a whole suite of other problems.

I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, but a quick look at their website leads me to believe this is snake oil. Tocopherol is vitamin E (AFAIK) and trademarking SelenoExcell is enough to ring alarm bells. You can buy selenium supplements in Holland & Barrett at less than 1/2 the price of Oscon. I'm a firm believer that proper food and exercise is the best medicine.

It might be covered by the ERA licence, assuming the university has one. I work in a college and recorded music used in our dance shows is covered. I would ask the uni. http://era.org.uk/the-licence

I think In The Upper Room requires ear plugs for maximum enjoyment, but even then it is just a lot of silly running about in PJs (Sorry Janet!)

There is a post office in the Stourbridge High Street but you can only pick up parcels there. It's all fitted out with counters but to post anything, pay road tax, etc you have to go down the road where they are renting a shop fitted out as a post office. Madness.

Here's some lovely photos from the Time/Life archive Ballet Dancers and the Hard, Steady Work of Creating Beauty 'Movement Itself': Gorgeous Color Photos of Stravinsky-Inspired Ballets It's About Time: Classic Stroboscopic Photos Happy Leap Day! (Nos 12 & 18 esp)

The DanceXchange in Birmingham has a strict policy against photography in the studios, and I suspect other studios might have too. When class members have taken photos of each other (with each other's permission), we have to hide in the corner. When they take photos for use on their publicity material, they give you a sticker to wear if you don't want to be in the photos. I have to sign consent forms for my picture to appear on their website.

Wayne Sleep held (and maybe still does) the record for the most pique turns down the length of Brighton Pier. Didn't he also do entrechat dix on Record Breakers?

Driving last night, I caught Elite Syncopations played by (I think) the ROH Orchestra on Radio 3. 29 days left to listen https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b2qq5x (skip to 1:41:00)

A good exercise for shoulder mobility is Egyptians For the back in general, gentle cobra and this stretch is a good one

I normally useless at pirouettes but last night I managed a double. The last time I did a double was probably 7 or 8 years ago. Go me! (I doubt there will be another for awhile, but I remain hopeful...)

I've been to the Sydney Opera House wearing a suit and tie. I've also been wearing shorts, a tee shirt and thongs (what you Pommies call flip flops). If people where offended by that, tough! As Tony Hancock said "Clobber does not maketh the man".

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ballet-cookbook-le-clercq

I didn't know that Da Silva had been nomitated for the award, but I'm not surprised. As Janet said, she commanded the stage.

I always thought the "uixote" was silent

I remember when she used to perform in Wolverhampton - I guess she is to famous now

Currently on a national tour (see link and end), I caught up with this at the Patrick Centre in the Birmingham Hippodrome. I like to see productions in the Patrick Centre. It is small and the action is right in front of your face, especially if you sit in the front row where you are at the same level as the dancers. So, is this as the name implies Beauty and the Beast but with a Spanish flavour? Basically yes, although the program notes imply that there is a lot more, although this does not come across. Like all contemporary dance that I have seen, I found it to be quite patchy. Parts are very good, but mostly I found it quite repetitive and dull. The five dancers, one missing due to injury, certainly have loads of energy and made good use of the space. I particularly liked the start of act 2, with the three men displaying their physical strength. As stated, one of the dancers was unable to perform due to injury and I think all of the dancers had numerous scratches and bruises. Such is the physical nature of the work. The music is wide ranging and varied. Amongst the pieces are Rimsky Korsakov's Capricho Espanol , Perez Prado's fab rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night and Isaac Albeniz Barcarola. It's a mixed bag and is really interesting. You never know what might come next. There was a pre-performance warning of sexual scenes, hazing and semi-nudity. I don't think the semi-nudity added anything to the performance. I'm not sure what the bondage style costume of the bull was supposed to represent, but I think we could have done without it. http://www.denada-dance.com/news/2018/2/7/toro-beauty-and-the-bull-national-uk-tour-announced-for-denadas-new-production

The jack-in-the-box does cartwheels in the BRBs Nutcracker. Some dancers do them one handed, which is very clever.

Brad Appleton's Stretching FAQ is (IMO) very good and you can't grumble about the price. It should be here www.bradapp.com/doc/rec/stretching/stretching_toc.html but his site has been suspended, presumably due to none payment of fees. A copy is on the Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/Stretching_and_Flexibility_Brad_Appleton

A couple of giggles from the BRB. When they were doing Slaughter On Tenth Avenue in the Lowry, the gangster can't just sneak into a box during the performance like in other theatres, but has to occupy the front of the balcony while the audience are coming in. One had a little joke with the orchestra, saying "That's a nice violin case, I've got one just like it" and "Play the theme from The Godfather". I also have a little giggle during The Nutcracker, especially the Arabian. When I hear it, I immediately think "I saw Holmes, what was that?" which comes from Spike Jones version. Also during the Chinese, with "Light your fireclacker, bang up Clistmas".

AFAIK ballet in Russia was established by Peter The Great and his predecessor (I can't remember his name), using teachers who where prisoners from the war with Sweden. Empress Anne had a French teacher for the imperial children and Catherine The Great expanded the imperial school with an Italian teacher.