Elmhurst Advert - Dancing Times

[balletla]

Has anyone seen the advert for Elmhurst in the latest Dancing Times? I find it puzzling and am not sure what it trying to say. It shows a girl on pointe (one hand supported by a boy) with a hyper extended arabesque. However she clearly hasn't got the strength to hold it so is holding up herself with her hand.

I interpret it as an advert for flexibility above all else.

[chaperone]

I was looking at this pic earlier trying to work out what was odd about it.

[BankruptMum]

I don't personally find their video on the web page particularly helpful - if I was searching for a school having some information verbally would be lovely rather than shots of various classes. Wonder who does their marketing?

[Stirrups36]

I think the video was done for a dance exhibition in London, so is quite general. The kind of think you see as you walk past and stop for a couple of minutes or so.

 

So more verbal information probably not so effective for that purpose.

 

What could be useful (for any school) is a brief minute or so of different year classes. With a commentary on what is learnt during that year.

[Legseleven]

Unfortunately the general public - and, it must be said, many dance students - do seem to think that flexibility above all else makes a dancer. Over splits and gymnastic tricks seem to be the order of the day for many who consider themselves serious dance students. It's a shame if Elmhurst's advert suggests that they also subscribe to this view, which I am quite certain is not the case.

[Flit and float]

Is that position not maybe just from a piece they'd been doing? I'm sure there's a Balanchine piece with that pas de deux....it does show extreme felixibikitu though!

[Aurora]

Is that position not maybe just from a piece they'd been doing? I'm sure there's a Balanchine piece with that pas de deux....it does show extreme felixibikitu though!

Ooo you've invented a new word!

Felixibikitu : extreme flexibility!

[JulieW]

I haven't renewed my subscription yet so have no idea what you're all on about ;-)

[Pas de Quatre]

This is a pose from "Agon", one of Balanchine's masterpieces.  In fact although the girl's foot in her hand in high attitude looks quite spectacular, it is relatively easy as the back knee is bent. You don't even have to be able to do the splits!  Any vocationally minded student should be able to do this from mid-teens.  If you want to see photos of the pose, go to Google Images and search Agon. 

[Anon2]

 Thank you PdQ. My dd said it was probably from Balanchine so will be pleased to know the name of the piece. She commented that the young lady is not in an arabesque but in attitude and that the young man is not in a classical pose so concluded they were either working on a Balanchine piece or contemporary.

[taxi4ballet]

My dd said it looked more of a contemporary-style pose, too I think they have used similar photos in adverts before - recently there was one depicting "Still Life at the Penguin Cafe".

[Flit and float]

Ooo you've invented a new word!

Felixibikitu : extreme flexibility!

[Flit and float]

Haha! Yes!

 

Agon yeah that's the one! Knew I'd seen it before.