Jump to content

kaledonia

Members
  • Posts

    9
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation

24 Excellent
  1. I was at a dance festival recently - first time ever as even though both DD and DS dance we have never been involved in competitions or festivals. The festival involved lots of different genres and was all group dances. Lots of dance schools and dance companies were taking part and it was quite an education for me. The dance schools we have been involved in have always been so supportive and I've never had any problems with bragging Mums and when we have attended any shows everyone is supportive and shows their appreciation but at this Festival there was a lot of raucous clapping and hooting and yelling from various audience members when their DC or their dance schools were on stage - during the dances - fair enough as I understand that in some dance genres like disco and some high energy jazz - this might be the norm but I found it really off-putting. But what was worse was that after whooping and yelling during their own children's dances these audience members proceeded to talk loudly and critically during other performances - criticising the dancers and the choreography or just totally ignoring the dances completely and just talking loudly about their own children's performances even when other dancers were performing. The festival was good and although there was a real mixture of talent and technique all the performers did really well but the behaviour of some audience members was just awful. When my son's company came on to dance and they were announced as an all-male dance company there were even some catcalls and wold whistles from the audience - this for a contemporary dance company with some young dancers from the age of 12 who were performing a thoughtful contemporary piece. My son wasn't have been bothered - he's 21 and would only have been bemused by a wolf whistle from middle-aged women - but not really great for the young dancers I would suggest! I'm sure that not all Festivals would be like this but I think I've been really sheltered by my children's dance experiences and so I was really shocked by this behaviour.
  2. Hi Plie22 I just wanted to say well done to you for wanting to get back into ballet and please don't let your past experience of a rude and unprofessional teacher and any of the other difficulties you've faced put you off! It's clear from your post that you're very keen on doing ballet so just persevere until you find a class that suits you. I'm in Scotland so can't help you with any knowledge of classes in Somerset or Wiltshire. My son only started doing ballet for the first time 2 years ago when he was 19 (he's now nearly 21 and in 3rd year at uni) - he is an acting student and went along to some dance workshops run by Matthew Bourne's company in Glasgow and then he subsequently auditioned and was chosen as one of the performers for Lord of the Flies. This was an incredibly positive experience for him because he got to take company class and perform with an all-male dance company and since then he has regularly taken ballet class and he loves it. Young men who enjoy ballet may be few and far between but they exist so I hope you find a class to suit you and that you can go to with your head held high ready to learn. Enjoy!
  3. I am sorry spannerandpony - I must have been typing my reply when you posted the above (but at least I provided a wee, short comment about the programme in question too)!
  4. I don't see any examples of mixed messages MAB nor have I seen anyone being asked not to comment on the state of fat but if you are going to provide such an outrageous, offensive, provocative and IMHO frankly misguided viewpoint, then you cannot be surprised if other people disagree with you and wish to comment themselves to express their own opinions! There are many things I would like to say about your original post but I will limit myself to three observations - the first is that it is not political correctness that stops many people from abusing others by calling them derogatory names but rather it is the recognition that people are not the sum total of their body size and fat/obese people are as deserving and worthy of respect as the slim! As for your other comments about fat people having short lives and fat people being shamed into losing weight I have this to say - I am a historian of medicine, health and healthcare with a special interest in 20th century health and the fact is that despite the present obesity issue (and I am not denying its existence merely your suggestion of how to solve it) the actual situation is that currently in the west the majority of people are healthier and live longer than they have ever done before in recorded history - even for people who are outwith average weight percentiles. And although I accept that this does not mean we should be complacent about our health and the rising obesity levels do need to be tackled in order to ensure the best quality of life for people, nevertheless the issue of obesity is no longer being viewed as merely a health issue but instead the issue is causing the sort of moral panic that has been seen in many societies in the past and that is a dangerous situation! I believe that your comment that fat people should be shamed into losing weight demonstrates moral panic and the statement is facile and misguided. Numerous studies have shown that diets do not work (c. 92.7% failure rate) and the fact is that the majority of people you believe should be shamed into losing weight will have tried to lose weight in the past and then will have gained that weight back and some more as well! It will take many years for the issue of obesity to be solved but one thing's for sure - it will not be solved while we live in such a judgemental society which places more value on people's weight and looks than on their health and wellbeing. I will say no more on this subject although there is much more to be said and more debate to be had but I felt that I had to contribute something as I also have very strong views on the subject. When it comes to Wayne Sleep's Big Ballet - I'm not really sure what to think - I too am not fond of 'shockumentaries' or 'reality' television and I fear this will just mean lots of tears and anguish - however I really hope I am proved wrong as I would love to see many empowered bigger women enjoying ballet and gaining health benefits from taking part! When is it scheduled?
  5. In Scotland, as well as Ballet West there is also the Royal Conservatoire...and they both do very good summer schools too!
  6. Thank you for the welcome, Janet! This seems like a great forum!
  7. Was wondering if anyone's DKs living in the East Central Belt/ the Borders would be interested in Scottish Ballet's Youth Collective which is beginning in Edinburgh this month. Classes have been running at Scottish Ballet HQ in Glasgow for past 2 years and they've decided to start classes in Edinburgh too - the classes are run in conjunction with the Festival Theatre which is building a new dance studio at the back of the theatre but until that's ready the classes will take place on the stage. The classes are designed to complement regular dance classes. I've copied and pasted details below or have a look at Scottish Ballet's website at: http://www.scottishb...collective.html Everything my DD has done with Scottish Ballet has been really good so I'm sure this will be too! SBYC Edinburgh From January 2013 Scottish Ballet will be delivering SBYC sessions in partnership with Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. A series of weekly workshops combining ballet and contemporary dance techniques with a range of exciting performance and creative skills. Each class compromises 45 mins of dance technique followed by 45 mins spent exploring a range of skills including choreography, performing with live music, contact improvisation and drama. Once a term, SBYC receives a talk from Scottish Ballet dancers, musicians, choreographers and members of the company’s technical team. Suitable for young people interested in a career in the dance industry and/or who have a general passion for the performing arts. One year of dance experience is essential for all participants Term Dates: Monday 21 January – Monday 18 March 2013 SBYC 1 - P6 & 7: 4.30-6.00pm SBYC 2 - S1-S4: 6.30-8.00pm Teacher: Amy Noble For more information contact education@scottishballet.co.uk
×
×
  • Create New...