Location: From the corner
Combination: Corner turns (en pointe, but I'm sure that's not what makes this difficult--in fact, it may be easier en pointe than in technique shoes)
Step: Piqué en dedans (single), piqué en dedans (single), double piqué turn en dedans with arms on the hips, taking up the same amount of time for this double as you did for both of the singles combined.
I'm pretty sure the arms on the hips don't really matter either, but it does bring your "circle" inward and make it harder to turn slowly---like when you're on the twirly chair as a kid and you spin around really fast when you bring your legs in?
Challenge: Stopping your turning momentum just enough to take up the full four (three, not counting the final plié) counts for two pirouettes without stopping it SO much that you don't get around. It also helps if you alter the timing a little. Usually for double piqué en dedans, the timing is to get AROUND right away. USUALLY, the combination is single, single, double, single, and the challenge is getting your back around fast enough to do both turns before the 7, 8. In this case, you almost have to piqué without turning, and then using your balance, spot, turnout, back, etc. to get around.
Success?: It took me a couple of runs on both sides before I was able to consistently get it (to the right) and mostly get it (to the left).
Tip: A. use your plié; B. do NOT let your turnout fail in the takeoff. Nailing the turnout will help you both balance and time the "body pirouette." C. Timing thusly (counting a fast 8, rather than a 1 and 2 and):
1 pique pirouette 2 plie, 3 pique pirouette 4 plie, 5 pique 6 pirouette 7 pirouette 8 plie
In the "5 pique" it is kind of a slow half-turn, or at least it is the way I'm doing it. I got this method to work on the left side (though not as consistently as on the right), so it can't be something I'm just "ramming through" on my strong side.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Challenge of the week: February 9th, 2015
I'm going to start a "challenge of the week." The classes I take with the company usually have one truly difficult thing (for me... lol) per week, which THEY all work on all week and then I come in on Fridays and am the one flapping around. The Saturday class usually goes better, haha.
I actually want to give one from two weeks ago, because it's the one that made me want to do this.
Location: Center
Combination: Adagio
Step: Sousu in croise, arms a la seconde. Slow port de bras forward while on full demi (or 3/4, whatever your studio calls it) point, moving arms to fifth as normal at the bottom. Come back up.
Challenge: Holding your glutes and quads firm enough to balance while changing your center of gravity quite drastically. Coming back up is much harder, though I'm not sure if that is due to the fact that your muscles are tired, or because it's merely the switch in momentum/direction.
Success?: We did the adagio twice on Friday and twice on Saturday. I got it the second time on Saturday on both sides. The first time on Saturday I made it down but had to fling myself back up instead of doing it slowly.
Tip: Keep your eyes focused more or less as you would for a penche. That is, in a straight line out, or perhaps a little above where a straight line from your eyes would be. At the barre, we normally do pdbras with our face turned to the side, but that just makes it unreasonably difficult.
I actually want to give one from two weeks ago, because it's the one that made me want to do this.
Location: Center
Combination: Adagio
Step: Sousu in croise, arms a la seconde. Slow port de bras forward while on full demi (or 3/4, whatever your studio calls it) point, moving arms to fifth as normal at the bottom. Come back up.
Challenge: Holding your glutes and quads firm enough to balance while changing your center of gravity quite drastically. Coming back up is much harder, though I'm not sure if that is due to the fact that your muscles are tired, or because it's merely the switch in momentum/direction.
Success?: We did the adagio twice on Friday and twice on Saturday. I got it the second time on Saturday on both sides. The first time on Saturday I made it down but had to fling myself back up instead of doing it slowly.
Tip: Keep your eyes focused more or less as you would for a penche. That is, in a straight line out, or perhaps a little above where a straight line from your eyes would be. At the barre, we normally do pdbras with our face turned to the side, but that just makes it unreasonably difficult.
Pirouettes
Good day in class today. I actually did a perfectly balanced quadruple en dehors pirouette from fourth to the right (phew, that's a lot of qualifiers!). I attempted two more, but both times I hopped at about the 3.5 mark. I also did in our adagio a very nice slow double "adagio pirouette" (en dehors from fourth also) that was smooth and balanced, arms in fifth, AND the teacher saw it and commented. So yeah, a good day!
I've recently been experimenting with different preparation stances for en dehors pirouettes from fourth. When I was in Spain, I took classes at a Balanchine (and Bournonville, but mainly Balanchine) school, and they weren't of the philosophy that adult/open class people could do whatever technique they had learned. Thus, I had to learn the straight back leg preparation, which was not what I had learned as a kid.
I didn't like it much at the time, but it didn't have much effect on me. Then I did modern instead of ballet for a year, and when I came BACK to ballet, my turns were all wonky and I couldn't do quadruples anymore. (I unfairly attribute this to having become accustomed to turning in bare feet.) But, I had the best luck with a straight back leg preparation. I'm not entirely sure why this is. I don't actually know why Balanchine preparations are that way---I don't know if he liked the aesthetic, or the physical effect. I've seen one source that says it's because it provides an element of surprise (i.e., you don't necessarily know that they're about to pirouette if their back leg is straight).
What I'm actually doing now is a bit of a mix. I think the girls at my studio mostly do the whole fourth position with both legs bent, but I start in a lunge-like fourth and the draw the foot in the half beat before. Now, if we're doing the crazy petit allegro that one of the soloists in the company gave, that landed in the fourth IN the half beat before a double turn in one count (a FAST count), obviously there's no time to switch, and I just start out with both legs bent.
Anyway, this new prep gives a deeper plie for me, which helped me get that quad today. I think it also helped me really secure the turnout on the standing leg.
However, the ACTUAL recent improvement to my balance in pirouettes is knitting my core as I push off for the pirouette. Whenever I have a bad turn combination, I usually realize afterward that I was being lazy in the core.
In sum, technique. It works again. It really isn't just a look.
I've recently been experimenting with different preparation stances for en dehors pirouettes from fourth. When I was in Spain, I took classes at a Balanchine (and Bournonville, but mainly Balanchine) school, and they weren't of the philosophy that adult/open class people could do whatever technique they had learned. Thus, I had to learn the straight back leg preparation, which was not what I had learned as a kid.
I didn't like it much at the time, but it didn't have much effect on me. Then I did modern instead of ballet for a year, and when I came BACK to ballet, my turns were all wonky and I couldn't do quadruples anymore. (I unfairly attribute this to having become accustomed to turning in bare feet.) But, I had the best luck with a straight back leg preparation. I'm not entirely sure why this is. I don't actually know why Balanchine preparations are that way---I don't know if he liked the aesthetic, or the physical effect. I've seen one source that says it's because it provides an element of surprise (i.e., you don't necessarily know that they're about to pirouette if their back leg is straight).
What I'm actually doing now is a bit of a mix. I think the girls at my studio mostly do the whole fourth position with both legs bent, but I start in a lunge-like fourth and the draw the foot in the half beat before. Now, if we're doing the crazy petit allegro that one of the soloists in the company gave, that landed in the fourth IN the half beat before a double turn in one count (a FAST count), obviously there's no time to switch, and I just start out with both legs bent.
Anyway, this new prep gives a deeper plie for me, which helped me get that quad today. I think it also helped me really secure the turnout on the standing leg.
However, the ACTUAL recent improvement to my balance in pirouettes is knitting my core as I push off for the pirouette. Whenever I have a bad turn combination, I usually realize afterward that I was being lazy in the core.
In sum, technique. It works again. It really isn't just a look.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
That "duh" moment
I recently noticed that my port des bras side to the left (so the right side is stretched) is MUCH less flexible than the other way. I wondered if it was because I sleep funny (my right shoulder is also stiffer, stronger, but has weird pain at certain angles with certain pressure---specifically those that occur if I scrub a countertop with my arm stretched too far).
I had a modern class on Monday that used a lot of upper body strength and flexibility, and I was really sore in these particular side spots. Yesterday I realized I am probably stiff on one side because I have a cross-body messenger bag with the weight on the right. Duh. So it's back to the backpack, which has the added bonus of holding more things and not looking so dingy---the messenger bag is a bright yellow, or at least it is for the day after it's washed.
I don't know if this change will affect any of my 12 goals for 12 weeks, but perhaps it will at least have a positive effect in general moving life.
I had a modern class on Monday that used a lot of upper body strength and flexibility, and I was really sore in these particular side spots. Yesterday I realized I am probably stiff on one side because I have a cross-body messenger bag with the weight on the right. Duh. So it's back to the backpack, which has the added bonus of holding more things and not looking so dingy---the messenger bag is a bright yellow, or at least it is for the day after it's washed.
I don't know if this change will affect any of my 12 goals for 12 weeks, but perhaps it will at least have a positive effect in general moving life.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
12 goals for 12 weeks
My left foot (Ankle? Hip?) is my weak one. I think it's both physical and mental. I get a little nervous every time I have to do something en pointe on my left leg.
In any case, the best demonstration of this is that I can do fouettes to the LEFT en pointe, but not to the right. This is the opposite as in technique shoes, where I am better to the right. My dominant rotational direction is clockwise (when viewing from above), or to the right. But, en pointe, the weak foot trumps and my weaker turning direction is the only way that works (because it's on my stronger leg).
I'm supposed to be Summer Fairy in Cinderella this spring and it was described to me as a part that was "beautiful" and that needed a "STRONG" dancer, so now I'm really nervous that she's overestimated me. So, I've made a resolution. I made a PVC DIY barre, and I have wood floors at home, so I have no reason to not do this.
Conveniently, I have 12 goals for 12 weeks.
General body goals for April 25 (performance date):
1. Splits in both directions (I actually recently regained my ability to do splits to the right!! I haven't been doing that since I was like 15.)
2. Stronger iliopsoas for better extensions. I might have to work on my dancer's hip on the left hip (it's more severe on that side)
3. Get my modern abs back... I used to have pretty decent core strength. No longer.
4. More flexible back. The first thing I have to do is figure out my mattress problem. I think I've got it sorted now, but I need more nights sleeping like this to be sure.
5. I know this is not a big deal for ballet, but I want my modern triceps back, too...
6. Work my stamina up. I nearly died after that Dewdrop role.
Leg/foot-specific goals:
7. There's an upper inner quad muscle that I don't really have. It comes from pulling up in balances. I have them sufficiently to balance well in technique shoes but en pointe, those muscles fatigue very quickly. I would like that muscle.
8. Get my left foot to stop sickling in the passe. I don't know why exactly it does this... I think it has to do with my left hip being weak/stuck from dancer's hip, and I'm kind of digging into my knee to hold it up.
9. Strengthen both feet. I want to be able to do bourrees and pas de courus for real and for long distances. I mean, look at them. Just look at them.
10. ESPECIALLY strengthen the left and make sure that I get into the mental habit of doing releves on it to full power. I don't know if it's just that my right leg always does a full, strong releve and my left doesn't, or if my right leg actually gets away with a bad one too but is better formed/stronger/etc. and so it doesn't matter.
11. I want to be able to do one-footed eleves on both legs...
12. I want to be able to do at least 8 fouettes in both directions (consistently). I'm almost there for the left side but obviously to the right, on the left leg, is much weaker. It's not that I can't do ANY fouettes. I just lose it faster.
Most of these will take daily work, though I'm a fan of alternating days so that muscles don't just get tired and worn out. I don't know exactly what to do about iliopsoas strengthening. I did a couple of exercises two weeks ago, and the next day I had class, and the adagio KILLED. I don't want to be that sore for class. Perhaps I need to do exercises with less intensity.
Today I started on my leg/foot goals by putting on my dying pointe shoes and doing the exercise we start pointe class with: grand plie, roll up to full pointe IN the grand plie, straighten up, roll down, do three times each in first and second, plus a normal releve and balance; two times in fifth (the hardest position) with two releves and a port de bras forward and back in sousu. My hips and upper inner quads scream at me every week for this exercise. So... I'm going to do them more than once a week. (Stop screaming, or I'll give you something to scream about?)
In any case, the best demonstration of this is that I can do fouettes to the LEFT en pointe, but not to the right. This is the opposite as in technique shoes, where I am better to the right. My dominant rotational direction is clockwise (when viewing from above), or to the right. But, en pointe, the weak foot trumps and my weaker turning direction is the only way that works (because it's on my stronger leg).
I'm supposed to be Summer Fairy in Cinderella this spring and it was described to me as a part that was "beautiful" and that needed a "STRONG" dancer, so now I'm really nervous that she's overestimated me. So, I've made a resolution. I made a PVC DIY barre, and I have wood floors at home, so I have no reason to not do this.
Conveniently, I have 12 goals for 12 weeks.
General body goals for April 25 (performance date):
1. Splits in both directions (I actually recently regained my ability to do splits to the right!! I haven't been doing that since I was like 15.)
2. Stronger iliopsoas for better extensions. I might have to work on my dancer's hip on the left hip (it's more severe on that side)
3. Get my modern abs back... I used to have pretty decent core strength. No longer.
4. More flexible back. The first thing I have to do is figure out my mattress problem. I think I've got it sorted now, but I need more nights sleeping like this to be sure.
5. I know this is not a big deal for ballet, but I want my modern triceps back, too...
6. Work my stamina up. I nearly died after that Dewdrop role.
Leg/foot-specific goals:
7. There's an upper inner quad muscle that I don't really have. It comes from pulling up in balances. I have them sufficiently to balance well in technique shoes but en pointe, those muscles fatigue very quickly. I would like that muscle.
8. Get my left foot to stop sickling in the passe. I don't know why exactly it does this... I think it has to do with my left hip being weak/stuck from dancer's hip, and I'm kind of digging into my knee to hold it up.
9. Strengthen both feet. I want to be able to do bourrees and pas de courus for real and for long distances. I mean, look at them. Just look at them.
10. ESPECIALLY strengthen the left and make sure that I get into the mental habit of doing releves on it to full power. I don't know if it's just that my right leg always does a full, strong releve and my left doesn't, or if my right leg actually gets away with a bad one too but is better formed/stronger/etc. and so it doesn't matter.
11. I want to be able to do one-footed eleves on both legs...
12. I want to be able to do at least 8 fouettes in both directions (consistently). I'm almost there for the left side but obviously to the right, on the left leg, is much weaker. It's not that I can't do ANY fouettes. I just lose it faster.
Most of these will take daily work, though I'm a fan of alternating days so that muscles don't just get tired and worn out. I don't know exactly what to do about iliopsoas strengthening. I did a couple of exercises two weeks ago, and the next day I had class, and the adagio KILLED. I don't want to be that sore for class. Perhaps I need to do exercises with less intensity.
Today I started on my leg/foot goals by putting on my dying pointe shoes and doing the exercise we start pointe class with: grand plie, roll up to full pointe IN the grand plie, straighten up, roll down, do three times each in first and second, plus a normal releve and balance; two times in fifth (the hardest position) with two releves and a port de bras forward and back in sousu. My hips and upper inner quads scream at me every week for this exercise. So... I'm going to do them more than once a week. (Stop screaming, or I'll give you something to scream about?)
Saturday, January 31, 2015
The bubonic nutcracker
This is an extremely delayed post, but the story must be told.
I was asked to dance with the company again for the Nutcracker, which had five performances: November 30, a school performance in the morning on December 12, and then three more Dec 12-14.
The part I was doing was "side tea" (perhaps the cream vessel?), along with another girl as side tea (sugar bowl? Or were we teacups?) and the main tea herself (the teapot?). It's a fine part, even though it's not a main part. It's one of those parts that is easy enough to "just do," but hard to do well. I didn't have anything else in the first act, which was actually nice because the dressing rooms were packed. And I got to help with all the quick changes!
Anyway, the November performance went well. Then there was another two weeks of rehearsals, and the proverbial excrement started to hit the fan.
Early in the week of the performances, I got an email from the director asking if I would be able to understudy Snow. Apparently there were no understudies (for 2 demisoloists, 6 first corps, and 8 second corps... and also not for the Snow Queen and King either), and one of the first corps dancers had gotten ill. It was a cold that was so bad that she was kept out of school with a fever and hacking cough. They thought it was the flu, but they went to the doctor and it wasn't.
So, I learned that part off of videos. Luckily, the dancer was able to come back to dance, though she was still obviously ill and "out of shape" (for a high schooler) from nearly a week not dancing.
Then, everybody started getting sick. Some were so sick that they couldn't even get out of bed. On Friday morning, we found out that a lieutenant mouse was out with the stomach flu, so our Dewdrop filled in for that part, as she had done it several years ago and only had to review the choreography a little. She did that part both Friday morning and afternoon. She said she was starting to feel like a cold was coming on, but it would be okay (and since she had finals coming up, she absolutely would NOT allow herself to get sick!).
Meanwhile, both Spanish female roles and the Snow Queen/Marzipan/Flowers demisoloist are clearly being affected by some chest cold or something, though they are still dancing.
Saturday I arrive at the theater for the call and everybody is abuzz because our Dewdrop is so ill that she can't even stand. And... of course... she has no understudy either. She's never missed a performance in her life until now. The director was down trying to figure out what to do. Should last year's Dewdrop do it? She really didn't want to make her, since she didn't quite remember the choreography and she was already doing Columbine, Russian, Snow, and Flowers. The two Flowers demisoloists offered to just make stuff up where it would be awkward if there wasn't someone on stage, but the director didn't like that idea.
Then she turns to me, since I have only one part, and I actually have an understudy. She says, would you be able to do this? I know it's a lot to ask, but I just can't put more pressure on [former Dewdrop with four parts this year]. All you have to do is go out in the beginning of the waltz and bow to Clara, and then in the diagonal just do the step, and for the rest of it it'll look fine if there's not someone there... so you can just run off...
We also find out that the male Spanish dancer is just half-dead on his feet and carrying around a bucket. He's also the Harlequin doll in the party scene, without an understudy (seeing a theme here?? lol), so last year's Harlequin (this year's teapot) fills in.
So the seamstress lets out the bodice for me and finds a tutu, and we figure out how exactly I'm going to do the quick change from Magic Castle to Tea (since my understudy couldn't do the actual tea variation, but only the finale). A girl in Spanish/Flowers remembers that there's a youtube video of Waltz rehearsal, so during Act I I am literally in the hallway in my tutu and bodice and learning the part via this girl's phone. I've only been back on pointe for four months at this point, so there's no way I'm doing those fouettes... figure I'll do some turns from fifth instead. Really try to learn the parts where it looks super awkward if nobody's there.
The director comes back down after the first act and asks if I'm okay, or if I need anything, and tells me how to do the bow, tells me that there's a little part in Magic Castle where someone tells me something and I tell Sugar Plum something, which I had never noticed before in all our rehearsals (oops). Then I realize that I have minor partner stuff in the finale and find the guy that I'd be doing it with to make sure I know what I'm doing. Meanwhile, chaos around me with people all hacking up lungs and pulling plastic snow out of their bodices and changing for Act II. Putting up my Tea costume so I can do the MINUTE AND A HALF fast change.
That fast change was probably the worst part of that whole performance. We nearly didn't make it, and the other two Tea dancers were panicking XD oh, other than the part where I nearly ran into the Russian dancer in the finale because I thought my entrance was eight counts earlier than it was, and then I had to kneel awkwardly early on the stage while the little rosebuds came out and did their thing (which is when I was supposed to come on... with them). The actual Dewdrop part didn't go terribly, though I did forget some of it and had to improvise. It was okay. I mostly stayed in the center and tried to not run into anyone.
The next day, I was supposed to do the part again, but the night before I had been watching the actual DVDs of the performances (the ones that I had to learn Snow) and learning the part. It went much better. I didn't have to improvise at all! And I wasn't even close to running into Russian!
- Our Harlequin/male Spanish dancer was better but still weak. He didn't need to keep a bucket backstage for this performance. Also happily, his brother did not get sick (Snow King/Marzipan)
- Various younger dancers in parts like mice and angels were getting ill
- Snow Queen/Marzipan/etc. came to warm-up feverish and dizzy (but she powered through!)
- Lieutenant soldier/party teen was ill, but he powered through too
- Both Spanish dancers still coughing, sometimes onstage during their variation (but they held that renverse in unison the last time and it was FANTASTIC)
- Tea stayed remarkably healthy, despite all of us being in the dressing room of pestilence together
- Arabian was still getting over her Cold of Death
- One of the lambs in Marzipan was ill as well (luckily, he had an understudy)
The moral of this story is to always have understudies. And to eat chicken noodle soup before performances.
I was asked to dance with the company again for the Nutcracker, which had five performances: November 30, a school performance in the morning on December 12, and then three more Dec 12-14.
The part I was doing was "side tea" (perhaps the cream vessel?), along with another girl as side tea (sugar bowl? Or were we teacups?) and the main tea herself (the teapot?). It's a fine part, even though it's not a main part. It's one of those parts that is easy enough to "just do," but hard to do well. I didn't have anything else in the first act, which was actually nice because the dressing rooms were packed. And I got to help with all the quick changes!
Anyway, the November performance went well. Then there was another two weeks of rehearsals, and the proverbial excrement started to hit the fan.
Early in the week of the performances, I got an email from the director asking if I would be able to understudy Snow. Apparently there were no understudies (for 2 demisoloists, 6 first corps, and 8 second corps... and also not for the Snow Queen and King either), and one of the first corps dancers had gotten ill. It was a cold that was so bad that she was kept out of school with a fever and hacking cough. They thought it was the flu, but they went to the doctor and it wasn't.
So, I learned that part off of videos. Luckily, the dancer was able to come back to dance, though she was still obviously ill and "out of shape" (for a high schooler) from nearly a week not dancing.
Then, everybody started getting sick. Some were so sick that they couldn't even get out of bed. On Friday morning, we found out that a lieutenant mouse was out with the stomach flu, so our Dewdrop filled in for that part, as she had done it several years ago and only had to review the choreography a little. She did that part both Friday morning and afternoon. She said she was starting to feel like a cold was coming on, but it would be okay (and since she had finals coming up, she absolutely would NOT allow herself to get sick!).
Meanwhile, both Spanish female roles and the Snow Queen/Marzipan/Flowers demisoloist are clearly being affected by some chest cold or something, though they are still dancing.
Saturday I arrive at the theater for the call and everybody is abuzz because our Dewdrop is so ill that she can't even stand. And... of course... she has no understudy either. She's never missed a performance in her life until now. The director was down trying to figure out what to do. Should last year's Dewdrop do it? She really didn't want to make her, since she didn't quite remember the choreography and she was already doing Columbine, Russian, Snow, and Flowers. The two Flowers demisoloists offered to just make stuff up where it would be awkward if there wasn't someone on stage, but the director didn't like that idea.
Then she turns to me, since I have only one part, and I actually have an understudy. She says, would you be able to do this? I know it's a lot to ask, but I just can't put more pressure on [former Dewdrop with four parts this year]. All you have to do is go out in the beginning of the waltz and bow to Clara, and then in the diagonal just do the step, and for the rest of it it'll look fine if there's not someone there... so you can just run off...
We also find out that the male Spanish dancer is just half-dead on his feet and carrying around a bucket. He's also the Harlequin doll in the party scene, without an understudy (seeing a theme here?? lol), so last year's Harlequin (this year's teapot) fills in.
So the seamstress lets out the bodice for me and finds a tutu, and we figure out how exactly I'm going to do the quick change from Magic Castle to Tea (since my understudy couldn't do the actual tea variation, but only the finale). A girl in Spanish/Flowers remembers that there's a youtube video of Waltz rehearsal, so during Act I I am literally in the hallway in my tutu and bodice and learning the part via this girl's phone. I've only been back on pointe for four months at this point, so there's no way I'm doing those fouettes... figure I'll do some turns from fifth instead. Really try to learn the parts where it looks super awkward if nobody's there.
The director comes back down after the first act and asks if I'm okay, or if I need anything, and tells me how to do the bow, tells me that there's a little part in Magic Castle where someone tells me something and I tell Sugar Plum something, which I had never noticed before in all our rehearsals (oops). Then I realize that I have minor partner stuff in the finale and find the guy that I'd be doing it with to make sure I know what I'm doing. Meanwhile, chaos around me with people all hacking up lungs and pulling plastic snow out of their bodices and changing for Act II. Putting up my Tea costume so I can do the MINUTE AND A HALF fast change.
That fast change was probably the worst part of that whole performance. We nearly didn't make it, and the other two Tea dancers were panicking XD oh, other than the part where I nearly ran into the Russian dancer in the finale because I thought my entrance was eight counts earlier than it was, and then I had to kneel awkwardly early on the stage while the little rosebuds came out and did their thing (which is when I was supposed to come on... with them). The actual Dewdrop part didn't go terribly, though I did forget some of it and had to improvise. It was okay. I mostly stayed in the center and tried to not run into anyone.
The next day, I was supposed to do the part again, but the night before I had been watching the actual DVDs of the performances (the ones that I had to learn Snow) and learning the part. It went much better. I didn't have to improvise at all! And I wasn't even close to running into Russian!
- Our Harlequin/male Spanish dancer was better but still weak. He didn't need to keep a bucket backstage for this performance. Also happily, his brother did not get sick (Snow King/Marzipan)
- Various younger dancers in parts like mice and angels were getting ill
- Snow Queen/Marzipan/etc. came to warm-up feverish and dizzy (but she powered through!)
- Lieutenant soldier/party teen was ill, but he powered through too
- Both Spanish dancers still coughing, sometimes onstage during their variation (but they held that renverse in unison the last time and it was FANTASTIC)
- Tea stayed remarkably healthy, despite all of us being in the dressing room of pestilence together
- Arabian was still getting over her Cold of Death
- One of the lambs in Marzipan was ill as well (luckily, he had an understudy)
The moral of this story is to always have understudies. And to eat chicken noodle soup before performances.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Ballet elitism
(Pre-post note: I am NOT referring to places like conservatories, art/dance high schools, etc. where wanting to and being able to dance/practice all the time is the REASON you are at that school.)
As an adult dancer, I appreciate that there are people that will let me take class even though there's no chance I'm going to be a professional. I especially appreciate that people will let me take class, and even perform, even though I am unable to devote as much time to it as would be ideal.
Take the ballet company I'm performing with, for example. I take one or two classes a week, partly to stay in ballet shape and partially to get strong enough to do a full ballet en pointe. At my old home studio, two classes a week (90 minutes technique, 30 minutes pointe = one class) was the bare minimum for you to even be taking classes after a certain level. And I understand completely that ballet is a discipline that requires some devotion, as any activity is--and since most people don't have a studio in their house, class essentially serves as practice. I get it. I used to practice seven hours of piano a week. And three hours of violin. Four hours of ballet (plus another two or three hours weekly of rehearsal for performances) is totally on par with that.
Once my mom voiced concerns to my ballet teacher about me only being able to take two lessons, and my teacher said she shouldn't worry, since I picked up choreography quickly and my technique was solid. Okay, cool, so I get to perform as a teenager and it's great, even though I'm not taking 4 or 5 classes a week.
At the same time, however, since I wasn't "devoted" enough, and I wasn't going to be professional, I was passed over for "big flowers" for a couple of years in favor of girls who were less secure en pointe, seemingly only because they took more classes than me and didn't say outright that they didn't want to be professional dancers.
It has come to my attention that my current ballet company requires its "senior dancers" to take nine classes a week. NINE. One short of double digits. These classes are selected from company classes and level 6/7 (out of 10) classes, two pointe classes, and one partnering class. One of the pointe classes is during a company class, so none of the senior dancers do that one. So these dancers are taking class Monday through Saturday. A sample schedule might be:
Monday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Technique class (level 6/7), 5:30 - 7
Tuesday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Partnering class, 5:30 - 6:30
Wednesday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Thursday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Friday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Pointe class, 6:00 - 7:00
Saturday: Technique class, 12:30 - 2
On top of this, the dancers have rehearsals approximately 5 hours a week, and the rehearsal schedule is not the same every week. That's insane. I don't know if the director is actually lenient or not--she might be, as she is with me, because obviously as a grad student I can't do this. From what I know, though, at least the girls that I am dancing with are at the studio Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for class (from my own observation), as well as Tuesday, because I hear them talk about the partnering classes.
Let's discuss the implications of this.
1. Dancers are essentially told that if they want to perform, they must drop all other activities. Now, it may be the case that they can be "auxiliary dancers" or something in name only but actually dance in senior dancer roles. But as far as I can see, only younger and/or less proficient dancers are labeled auxiliary/apprentices.
2. In a similar vein senior dancers must sacrifice some college "desirability" because they cannot hold authority positions in things like the school paper, debate club, theater, etc. etc. that require you to meet extensively outside of school. They are at the studio from 4-7/8 six days a week. Note: classes in this school district end at 3:30, so no, you can't make a meeting after school. Not having these club opportunities also decreases the possibility of having solid relationships with teachers that can write you recommendation letters.
3. Senior dancers must have families that can afford nine classes a week. Now, it might be that you're capped at 6 classes a week, since that's the highest price I can find, or that company classes are free/reduced (but you still have to pay for the extra three classes), and that there are some scholarships. However, that's still quite a lot of money.
4. Senior dancers must have families that are well-off to the degree that the dancers do not need "normal" after-school jobs (i.e., jobs without connections that are sympathetic to the fact that you can only work 5 hours a week). You know, for paying for pointe shoes, paying for leotards and tights, paying for makeup, etc.
So, to me, this requirement for 9 classes favors an elite class and tells people (like me in high school) that they're not worthy of being on stage unless they're sacrificing everything else. Again, there might be some things that I am missing but from what I can tell, these girls are scrambling with homework from AP classes and 18 hours of class/rehearsal, so I feel like they can't possibly be doing too much else.
I really don't like this attitude, implicit or explicit, in ballet/dance, or any arena really. At this age, or any age where "being a professional" is not in the least the end goal, it's completely absurd.
So I only want to, or can afford to, ride a horse once a week for one hour. So I'm not planning to be an Olympic-level show-jumper. Does that mean that I shouldn't learn how to ride? Should I not ever go to little local horse shows just for fun?
I'm not able to devote 20 hours a week to piano, so does that mean I shouldn't even bother learning? That even if, in 7 hours a week I get to the level where I -could- study music at a conservatory, I shouldn't be performing?
Because I can't devote 20 hours a week to studying mathematical theory and am not planning to be a mathematician, I shouldn't learn math, or that I shouldn't "perform" by using math in everyday life? (Throwing that one in for absurdity.)
I don't see why it should apply to ballet, either. And even if it's the case that this ballet studio is actually more lax than its printed rules, it is still true that at my old studio, people that intended to continue dance post-high school were favored for roles DESPITE the fact that I had better technique, learned choreography faster, and was a better overall dancer. (Throwing modesty out the window here, it's true.) And it turns out that I'm still dancing anyway so why does it matter?
As an adult dancer, I appreciate that there are people that will let me take class even though there's no chance I'm going to be a professional. I especially appreciate that people will let me take class, and even perform, even though I am unable to devote as much time to it as would be ideal.
Take the ballet company I'm performing with, for example. I take one or two classes a week, partly to stay in ballet shape and partially to get strong enough to do a full ballet en pointe. At my old home studio, two classes a week (90 minutes technique, 30 minutes pointe = one class) was the bare minimum for you to even be taking classes after a certain level. And I understand completely that ballet is a discipline that requires some devotion, as any activity is--and since most people don't have a studio in their house, class essentially serves as practice. I get it. I used to practice seven hours of piano a week. And three hours of violin. Four hours of ballet (plus another two or three hours weekly of rehearsal for performances) is totally on par with that.
Once my mom voiced concerns to my ballet teacher about me only being able to take two lessons, and my teacher said she shouldn't worry, since I picked up choreography quickly and my technique was solid. Okay, cool, so I get to perform as a teenager and it's great, even though I'm not taking 4 or 5 classes a week.
At the same time, however, since I wasn't "devoted" enough, and I wasn't going to be professional, I was passed over for "big flowers" for a couple of years in favor of girls who were less secure en pointe, seemingly only because they took more classes than me and didn't say outright that they didn't want to be professional dancers.
It has come to my attention that my current ballet company requires its "senior dancers" to take nine classes a week. NINE. One short of double digits. These classes are selected from company classes and level 6/7 (out of 10) classes, two pointe classes, and one partnering class. One of the pointe classes is during a company class, so none of the senior dancers do that one. So these dancers are taking class Monday through Saturday. A sample schedule might be:
Monday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Technique class (level 6/7), 5:30 - 7
Tuesday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Partnering class, 5:30 - 6:30
Wednesday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Thursday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Friday: Technique class, 4:00 - 5:30
Pointe class, 6:00 - 7:00
Saturday: Technique class, 12:30 - 2
On top of this, the dancers have rehearsals approximately 5 hours a week, and the rehearsal schedule is not the same every week. That's insane. I don't know if the director is actually lenient or not--she might be, as she is with me, because obviously as a grad student I can't do this. From what I know, though, at least the girls that I am dancing with are at the studio Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for class (from my own observation), as well as Tuesday, because I hear them talk about the partnering classes.
Let's discuss the implications of this.
1. Dancers are essentially told that if they want to perform, they must drop all other activities. Now, it may be the case that they can be "auxiliary dancers" or something in name only but actually dance in senior dancer roles. But as far as I can see, only younger and/or less proficient dancers are labeled auxiliary/apprentices.
2. In a similar vein senior dancers must sacrifice some college "desirability" because they cannot hold authority positions in things like the school paper, debate club, theater, etc. etc. that require you to meet extensively outside of school. They are at the studio from 4-7/8 six days a week. Note: classes in this school district end at 3:30, so no, you can't make a meeting after school. Not having these club opportunities also decreases the possibility of having solid relationships with teachers that can write you recommendation letters.
3. Senior dancers must have families that can afford nine classes a week. Now, it might be that you're capped at 6 classes a week, since that's the highest price I can find, or that company classes are free/reduced (but you still have to pay for the extra three classes), and that there are some scholarships. However, that's still quite a lot of money.
4. Senior dancers must have families that are well-off to the degree that the dancers do not need "normal" after-school jobs (i.e., jobs without connections that are sympathetic to the fact that you can only work 5 hours a week). You know, for paying for pointe shoes, paying for leotards and tights, paying for makeup, etc.
So, to me, this requirement for 9 classes favors an elite class and tells people (like me in high school) that they're not worthy of being on stage unless they're sacrificing everything else. Again, there might be some things that I am missing but from what I can tell, these girls are scrambling with homework from AP classes and 18 hours of class/rehearsal, so I feel like they can't possibly be doing too much else.
I really don't like this attitude, implicit or explicit, in ballet/dance, or any arena really. At this age, or any age where "being a professional" is not in the least the end goal, it's completely absurd.
So I only want to, or can afford to, ride a horse once a week for one hour. So I'm not planning to be an Olympic-level show-jumper. Does that mean that I shouldn't learn how to ride? Should I not ever go to little local horse shows just for fun?
I'm not able to devote 20 hours a week to piano, so does that mean I shouldn't even bother learning? That even if, in 7 hours a week I get to the level where I -could- study music at a conservatory, I shouldn't be performing?
Because I can't devote 20 hours a week to studying mathematical theory and am not planning to be a mathematician, I shouldn't learn math, or that I shouldn't "perform" by using math in everyday life? (Throwing that one in for absurdity.)
I don't see why it should apply to ballet, either. And even if it's the case that this ballet studio is actually more lax than its printed rules, it is still true that at my old studio, people that intended to continue dance post-high school were favored for roles DESPITE the fact that I had better technique, learned choreography faster, and was a better overall dancer. (Throwing modesty out the window here, it's true.) And it turns out that I'm still dancing anyway so why does it matter?
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