TYR

Mark Kelly usually throws that flickflack thing at you. I can't help, I invariably go around them the wrong way

The falling apart and post-class fog is the sign you're pushing on the limit; it will get better. Also you might be running out of steam physically - you might need to work on your fitness outside of class, or even just get a snack before you take class (it took me quite a while to work out I was basically out of sugar).

"What I want from you is fearlessness, and only speed teaches fearlessness."

Today's beautiful thought: "I don't believe in God but ballet is all about reaching for the divine! And the divine is up there! [*allongé 3rd arabesque*] It certainly ain't down here."

Arthur Mitchell at Dance Theatre of Harlem: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-49648768/everyone-said-i-was-crazy-the-black-ballet-pioneers

The correction drops at 02mins 05 seconds. a version of "hit my hand!" but kicking it up a notch.

RAD. Like "KGB".

If you're Renato it's "Those... people in Battersea." *shudder*

"If you leave the fish in the boiling water, and then you pull them out, the flesh stays in the soup".

OK Renato, what does that have to do with my port de bras?

"Has someone written one of those articles? Ballet is for everyone?"

Renato Paroni has stopped leading at Central except for Tuesday 1900-2045 (or really, when he thinks you're cooked) in order to make time for his new job at ENB. I hear on the grapevine it's a bit of a gamble whether he shows up (nothing new for him). Nina has taken over the Thursday night class he did - they used to grade up in difficulty through the week, and her own Central class on Friday is distinctly tougher. She also leads on Sunday at Danceworks, first a floor barre class and then a Balanchine class comparable with Friday but usually faster. Nandita Shandarkass, who I occasionally saw both as a student of Renato's and a substitute teacher, took on the Wednesday.

Central also has David Kierce's classes, which are quite strictly graded according to a scheme of his own devising, Hannah Frost's beginner on Friday, a pointe class and a few others I know nothing about. Desirée Ballantyne took over RP's Sunday class.

I keep trying to work up the courage to try that men's skills class of a Saturday.

I have, again, cricked my neck spotting turns. We were doing piqué turns from the corner last night. Does anyone else do this to themselves

The Place's intensives have just dropped:

https://www.theplace.org.uk/whats-on/seasons/summer-dance-courses-adults-2019

Both weeks look interesting but the second is pure cask strength Richard Alston...

The announcement has dropped and he is (a) Ballet Master of the ENB:

https://www.ballet.org.uk/people/renato-paroni-de-castro/

I can report Renato Paroni has finally done it and led the last Thursday class before starting his new gig. I think I managed to take all the various last classes, but this was apparently the one. He will still be leading Tuesday nights at Central School.

100th anniversary special Now That's What I Call A Correction from Merce Cunningham. Trust the contemporary world to stand the whole concept on his head:

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/apr/15/merce-cunningham-dance-centenary-pupils-recall-teacher

Quote

Merce did not talk to anyone, ever. He gave no corrections, no communication. He’d walk in the room, say, “We are doing this piece”, turn on the stopwatch and comment at the end, “Two seconds too slow”, or, “Two seconds too fast”. In the course of five years of rehearsing – all day every day – he said two sentences to me. The first was: “You need more tensile strength.” I was 18 and I didn’t know what he meant. The other one was: “Thank you for the cheese.” Because I gave him a selection of French cheese.

"The capacity to endure is very similar to happiness."

"Are there any Brazilians here? No? I want you to think of the lady of the house and her maid. *Shrieks in a hoarse, high pitched voice* ISAAAUURA!!

...a beat....

..another...

...[as the maid, with an extreme, overdone accent, taking as long as possible, and sounding completely pissed off] senhora?

It's class consciousness...better than Marx."

the point was about rocketing up to passé and delaying on the way back down. he kept yelling "ISAUUURA!!!.....Senhora?" through the next barre exercise.

First is infancy. Fifth is adolescence. Centre is adulthood. Jumps are second childhood. After class is death.

I just noticed a Sansha shop in Barcelona offering 50% off new pointes if you trade in the old ones so I am now wondering if they are recycling them somehow

Tangential, but I just saw this on the twitters. Gabriel Figueredo, of Stuttgart, won the men's title and is showing some serious, scowling, head up and back attitude:

https://twitter.com/Szenik/status/1095001278743281667

17 hours ago, Michelle_Richer said:

Grand Rond de jame en l’air en dehors en turnant,

Bloody hell. On intensive week last year we did the grand rond en l'air in every barre, which was handy as it was in one of the rep pieces, but turning with it sounds challenging. Not as much as turning *against* it would be, but enough.

"Don't wait - close the arm. God doesn't exist and even if He did...he'd have better things to worry about than your pirouettes."

Not sure if it counts as a correction or just general exhortation, but it's from Niki Tsiskaridze so it probably qualifies:

http://melmoth.blog/post/182213550753/news-segment-about-vaganova-ballet-academys-2019

"La Garde meurt mais ne se rende pas!"

(the guy who said it swore more and went on to surrender a couple of hours later but never mind)

OK so I had a dance-related dream last night, with the extra feature that I can remember the choreography:

prepare croisé 4th

tombé pas de bourré

piqué arabesque, arms to 3rd

sissoné fermé

repeat 2x, adding a small cambré

attitude derriére, on a relévé, allongé

ditto a la seconde

grande battement

failli through and repeat twice from the tombé

do a waltz turn with an allongé arm

second side

Also there was a whole staging - two parallel lines of big wooden boxes/sheds/some kind of cubical, light frame structure, set down in a hole, with the audience seeing it from above and behind my right shoulder. There may have been more dancers on the far side of the boxes; I was heading down the lane between them. I don't remember any music, but it wasn't silent as such, just missing the audio. The boxes are definitely nicked from Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and the down in a hole thing from Pina Bausch. Various bits of the choreography came up in class recently but I think the little cambré came from the documentary on Nureyev.

I am crushed that my subconscious mind is such a plagiarist.

So I promised Kristian Ratevossian I'd take his class, and today, after doing Nina Thilas-Mohs' at Danceworks, I did. This is my first experience of Russian style and bloody hell, that's a hell of a barre. Also lots of turns, grandes battements, and assemblés. The legs feel like I usually do after a whole day on intensive week.

"Stand on it!"

("It" is the supporting leg; if you don't you will be not quite in balance and losing turnout as you close 5th.)

"Think condor!"

(you're dancing in centre. open your arms more and wider and engage the back.)