annaliesey Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Had to giggle at DD today. She told me she had a different english teacher today. She said her mind kept drifting thinking about ballet all lesson as this new teacher had lovely body, feet, knees and neck. DD said she couldn't stop staring wondering if she was a dancer. Just thought it was amusing as I could imagine this poor teacher wondering why DD staring at her and not getting her work done quickly enough 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos73 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Me and DD are totally guilty of this too. We can be heard whispering on crowded tube trains, "Look at her Swaybacks." The rest of the family think we have gone crazy. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowiththeflo Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Are swaybacks good or bad? Or irrelevent? I can never remember! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 (edited) Sounds like a good name for a dodgy tribute act...The Swaybacks...playing all your favourite tunes from S'way back!!! Sorry folks! Edited January 8, 2016 by Peanut68 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos73 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Gowiththeflo - I think they are good (aesthetically) but can be bad (weak structurally). Basically I think they are a ballet *thing* (DD wishes she had swaybacks) and though not necessary are desirable, though need careful training to ensure the hyperextension is controlled and used correctly? (Happy to be corrected if this is wrong). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lema Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Sorry but as we all know I am a complete novice when it come to pretty much anything ballet related.....what are swaybacks?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Dd has swayback. It looks good but causes a lot of technical difficulties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Lema - i think it's when you have hyper (over)extension of the knees. It can look nice eg in grand jet as it makes the split position look extended beyond 180. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) I was actually once guilty of approaching a perfectly strange young woman on a tube train and asking her if she happened to be a ballet dancer! She absolutely looked like one and I was so curious I just had to know - after all that she wasn't one! Edited January 9, 2016 by Dance*is*life 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katymac Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 DD & I were standing on a platform at a station (ordinary hair & makeup) & the rail worker on the platform asked if she enjoyed her dance classes - she was standing in third apparently! At Blackpool we were regularly recognised by out competition hair & make up & because at the time DH was the only male black dance teacher 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lema Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Thank you sarahw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 We were once approached on a train by a woman with a little boy, and she asked if dd was a dancer. Her son was a JA and they were on their way home from class. Turned out he went to the same dance school as one of dd's friends and we knew a lot of the same people! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I think there is an identifiable "look" even out of dancewear. I recently met someone at work and wasn't in the slightest bit surprised to hear that she had been at White Lodge as a child - even 30+ years later she still looks every inch a ballet dancer. DD and I have on occasion followed likely looking mum/daughter combos out of railway stations when on our way to unfamiliar dance related venues and have almost always found that the couple we have chosen to follow has led us right to where we need to be! The same goes for other things as well though. My youngest child has recently taken up cycling and there is a definite style there too. He also plays hockey, and doesn't have the typical build for that at all, so I quite enjoy sitting in the velodrome safe in the knowledge that there he will not be pointed out as "the skinny kid"! I think its a combination of physical attributes, posture and the fact that a lot of kids (and indeed adults) who are into the same sports and activities tend to favour the same style of dress, brands of clothing, bags etc. If you are in the "tribe" you can often spot other members by things that might go unnoticed by the uninitiated. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annaliesey Posted January 10, 2016 Author Share Posted January 10, 2016 ... DD and I have on occasion followed likely looking mum/daughter combos out of railway stations when on our way to unfamiliar dance related venues and have almost always found that the couple we have chosen to follow has led us right to where we need to be! Haha snap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Follow that bun! Been there done that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I think there is an identifiable "look" even out of dancewear. There's definitely a ballet dancers' walk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petalviolet Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Especially up a flight of steps! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 (edited) Actually it's more noticeable going down the steps - as in point your foot, put it down through the ball into a nicely turned out position and repeat all the way down the stairs! If you're wearing a party frock and were coming down the grand staircase from the Opera House Crush Bar, in the days when there was a vast mirror in front of you, then you would also hold your head high and hold out the frill on your skirt too and of course admire yourself in the mirror as you're doing so Edited January 11, 2016 by Dance*is*life 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munchkin16 Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 I'm very guilty of walking like that downstairs all the time... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Actually it's more noticeable going down the steps - as in point your foot, put it down through the ball into a nicely turned out position and repeat all the way down the stairs! If you're wearing a party frock and were coming down the grand staircase from the Opera House Crush Bar, in the days when there was a vast mirror in front of you, then you would also hold your head high and hold out the frill on your skirt too and of course admire yourself in the mirror as you're doing so Ah....brings back memories....early 20's, first trip to Paris with a friend...trying to be oh so sophisticated & doing my best 'well, I am a dancer' walk down a grand sweeping stone staircase in the Louve......& yep - you've guessed it.....'ba dum ba dum ba dum ba dum' I think is the sound affect to give you the picture!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 I was thinking more of the turned-out, flat-footed duck's hobble waddle after several hours in pointe shoes (as seen when following my dd down the street)!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Lema - i think it's when you have hyper (over)extension of the knees. It can look nice eg in grand jet as it makes the split position look extended beyond 180. Well, *if* you think that looks nice. Personally, I hate it Takes all sorts 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullContretemps Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Ah, walking down the stairs. I never realised I did this until I saw someone not doing it on narrow stairs (I think I only do it when my feet don't fit normally), going with their feet in parallel at a diagonal. I think they were the odd one rather than me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triphazard Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Me and DD are totally guilty of this too. We can be heard whispering on crowded tube trains, "Look at her Swaybacks." The rest of the family think we have gone crazy. Hah, I empathise! I never realised how much I must talk about these things until one time when out and about, the other half saw me lost in admiration and staring at a ballet poster. He said (in 'Minion' voice): 'Banana!' He wasn't wrong either: she had lovely high arches! Swayback knees, though, I could grumble about for hours. By default in first position my knees are in first while my feet are in some sort of scrappy ten-centimetres-apart nothing-much non-position. The various bits of my knee joints have weird and painful ideas about where they should be, too. Admittedly they look nice on proper dancers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Dance*is*life - I remember doing exactly that coming down the stairs at the ROH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Hah, I empathise! I never realised how much I must talk about these things until one time when out and about, the other half saw me lost in admiration and staring at a ballet poster. He said (in 'Minion' voice): 'Banana!' He wasn't wrong either: she had lovely high arches! Swayback knees, though, I could grumble about for hours. By default in first position my knees are in first while my feet are in some sort of scrappy ten-centimetres-apart nothing-much non-position. The various bits of my knee joints have weird and painful ideas about where they should be, too. Admittedly they look nice on proper dancers Love the minion voice banana thing!! I think the DH's manage to keep our dance obsession in perspective with well placed humour from time to time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now