Sorry I haven't been on much, I've been so busy. I do have a youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/flexiballetgirl) and I just uploaded a ballet montage {Below} please comment.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
My Story.....
I like writing stories, but I can never finish them. I started this one almost 1 year
ago and I have really bad writers block. Any Ideas?
Ugh, you’d think after five years I’d be able to sleep on this stupid train. But no every night I lie awake until midnight or later swaying back and forth, hitting bumps and going around corners. Sometimes I wish I could just go back home.
My name is Polina. My parents, they knew they were going to send me away when I turned two. You see, we lived in Russia, well they still do. They were relatively poor so there only option was to hope there first born was a girl and then send her to the Russian Academy of dance and acrobats. They sent me there because if I was good enough at eight and toured around the world with the company, the government would pay my parents. It turned out I was so that’s why I’m on this stupid train. I don’t talk to my parents much but I do know that just two years after I was sent away they had a little girl named Tania, meaning fairy princess. This annoys me because my name means little stone. Let me tell you what I look like. I'm from the part of Russia near Europe so I have blue eyes, straight blonde hair, and fair skin. I'm 5’2 and really, really thin.
In the beginning at RADA I studied dance, then at age four I started acrobats, and at age six I started rhythmic gymnastics. So I was training full time at seven and at eight six of us girls were chosen to go on tour. That was the last time I saw Russia. At first I was scared of the train. Me and the other five girls became friends. We met some of the other girls who had been on tour for many years. Our first performance was in London, England. We arrived a day early to practice. We practiced for five hours straight. As the youngest performers we had a small part. The big girls practiced for ten to twelve hours. Our costumes were beautiful compared to our drab, gray practice dresses. They were pink dresses with white lace bloomers. Our hair was curled into perfect ringlets topped with big pink bows. We only did one short dance because it was our first performance after that the schedule became way more intense.
After that we traveled all around Europe. We spent about four days per city. On the train we all had one bag for our things, a mat and quilt for a bed, and a bag for our performance apparatuses. In our bag of performance apparatuses we each have a purple and silver hoop, a metallic purple ball, a silver rope, a purple ribbon, and purple and silver clubs to match our purple and white skirted leotard. We no longer wore the cute pink dresses. For our acrobatic performances we wore a blue leotard. We no longer preformed our dance routines.
.
ago and I have really bad writers block. Any Ideas?
Ugh, you’d think after five years I’d be able to sleep on this stupid train. But no every night I lie awake until midnight or later swaying back and forth, hitting bumps and going around corners. Sometimes I wish I could just go back home.
My name is Polina. My parents, they knew they were going to send me away when I turned two. You see, we lived in Russia, well they still do. They were relatively poor so there only option was to hope there first born was a girl and then send her to the Russian Academy of dance and acrobats. They sent me there because if I was good enough at eight and toured around the world with the company, the government would pay my parents. It turned out I was so that’s why I’m on this stupid train. I don’t talk to my parents much but I do know that just two years after I was sent away they had a little girl named Tania, meaning fairy princess. This annoys me because my name means little stone. Let me tell you what I look like. I'm from the part of Russia near Europe so I have blue eyes, straight blonde hair, and fair skin. I'm 5’2 and really, really thin.
In the beginning at RADA I studied dance, then at age four I started acrobats, and at age six I started rhythmic gymnastics. So I was training full time at seven and at eight six of us girls were chosen to go on tour. That was the last time I saw Russia. At first I was scared of the train. Me and the other five girls became friends. We met some of the other girls who had been on tour for many years. Our first performance was in London, England. We arrived a day early to practice. We practiced for five hours straight. As the youngest performers we had a small part. The big girls practiced for ten to twelve hours. Our costumes were beautiful compared to our drab, gray practice dresses. They were pink dresses with white lace bloomers. Our hair was curled into perfect ringlets topped with big pink bows. We only did one short dance because it was our first performance after that the schedule became way more intense.
After that we traveled all around Europe. We spent about four days per city. On the train we all had one bag for our things, a mat and quilt for a bed, and a bag for our performance apparatuses. In our bag of performance apparatuses we each have a purple and silver hoop, a metallic purple ball, a silver rope, a purple ribbon, and purple and silver clubs to match our purple and white skirted leotard. We no longer wore the cute pink dresses. For our acrobatic performances we wore a blue leotard. We no longer preformed our dance routines.
This is what I picture her looking like. With a purple and white skirted leotard
.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Ballet School
Ok so I decided that I'm going to do a post called "Ballet School". I'm going to talk about 1 or more "Big-Name" or "up-and-coming" school. I won't post 1 every time so look under labels and click Ballet School to find them.
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet, the official training academy of the New York City Ballet, was established in 1934 by legendary choreographer George Balanchine and philanthropist Lincoln Kirstein as the first and most essential step in their quest to create an American classical ballet company.SAB, located at New York City's Lincoln Center, is today the premier ballet academy in the United States, training more students who go on to become professional dancers than any other school. SAB's former students fill the ranks of the New York City Ballet and other leading U.S. and international ballet companies.
SAB's faculty is an international group of brilliant instructors whose backgrounds provide students with a variety of artistic influences.The faculty is led by Peter Martins, New York City Ballet's Ballet Master in Chief, and includes a number of current and past New York City Ballet principal dancers, many of whom worked directly with Balanchine.
Approximately 350 boys and girls, ranging in age from six to eighteen, attend classes during the School's ten-month Winter Term. A five-week Summer Course attracts an additional 200 of the nation's top ballet students. Admission is by audition only.SAB provides almost $1 million each year in scholarship support to Winter Term and Summer Course students. Scholarships, which are allocated on a case-by-case basis, may cover tuition, room and board, travel fees and academic school tuition.While most students enrolled in the School's Children's Division are residents of the New York metropolitan area, students in the Intermediate and Advanced Divisions hail from over 30 U.S. states and nine foreign countries. During Winter Term, 64 of these non-local students reside in the School's on site residence hall; most Summer Course students live in the residence hall for the five-week program.
Many SAB students have unique opportunities to gain performing experience through the School’s affiliation with New York City Ballet. Younger students are featured in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Coppélia, among other ballets.Advanced students may perform in the School’s Spring Workshop, NYCB Education Department’s Lecture-Demonstration program, SAB’s Student Choreography Workshop (shown bottom right), and NYCB’s New York Choreographic Institute.Approximately 20 advanced students receive contracts with major professional dance companies each year. In addition to NYCB, where alumni of the School comprise over ninety percent of the current company roster, SAB students go on to dance for American Ballet Theatre, Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem, Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, among others.In the past five years alone, students have joined 35 U.S. ballet companies and nearly a dozen international dance troupes. SAB’s influence extends beyond the footlights: alumni currently hold artistic posts at more than 20 American and at least 5 foreign companies, and many of the nation's leading ballet schools are run by SAB-trained dancers.
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet, the official training academy of the New York City Ballet, was established in 1934 by legendary choreographer George Balanchine and philanthropist Lincoln Kirstein as the first and most essential step in their quest to create an American classical ballet company.SAB, located at New York City's Lincoln Center, is today the premier ballet academy in the United States, training more students who go on to become professional dancers than any other school. SAB's former students fill the ranks of the New York City Ballet and other leading U.S. and international ballet companies.
SAB's faculty is an international group of brilliant instructors whose backgrounds provide students with a variety of artistic influences.The faculty is led by Peter Martins, New York City Ballet's Ballet Master in Chief, and includes a number of current and past New York City Ballet principal dancers, many of whom worked directly with Balanchine.
Approximately 350 boys and girls, ranging in age from six to eighteen, attend classes during the School's ten-month Winter Term. A five-week Summer Course attracts an additional 200 of the nation's top ballet students. Admission is by audition only.SAB provides almost $1 million each year in scholarship support to Winter Term and Summer Course students. Scholarships, which are allocated on a case-by-case basis, may cover tuition, room and board, travel fees and academic school tuition.While most students enrolled in the School's Children's Division are residents of the New York metropolitan area, students in the Intermediate and Advanced Divisions hail from over 30 U.S. states and nine foreign countries. During Winter Term, 64 of these non-local students reside in the School's on site residence hall; most Summer Course students live in the residence hall for the five-week program.
Many SAB students have unique opportunities to gain performing experience through the School’s affiliation with New York City Ballet. Younger students are featured in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Coppélia, among other ballets.Advanced students may perform in the School’s Spring Workshop, NYCB Education Department’s Lecture-Demonstration program, SAB’s Student Choreography Workshop (shown bottom right), and NYCB’s New York Choreographic Institute.Approximately 20 advanced students receive contracts with major professional dance companies each year. In addition to NYCB, where alumni of the School comprise over ninety percent of the current company roster, SAB students go on to dance for American Ballet Theatre, Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem, Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, among others.In the past five years alone, students have joined 35 U.S. ballet companies and nearly a dozen international dance troupes. SAB’s influence extends beyond the footlights: alumni currently hold artistic posts at more than 20 American and at least 5 foreign companies, and many of the nation's leading ballet schools are run by SAB-trained dancers.
How do you get in?
Audition!
A
dmissionStudy in the School of American Ballet’s Winter Term is for beginning, intermediate and advanced students, 6* to 18 years old. Admission is by audition only.
ADMISSION CRITERIA
Applicants are evaluated as follows:First and foremost, the School of American Ballet looks at each applicant as an individual.The School is selective in admitting new students and renewing their enrollment from year to year. Applicants must be young enough to derive the maximum benefit from their training, enjoy excellent health and have an anatomical structure suited to the demands of classical dance: a well-proportioned, flexible, coordinated body, legs that easily adopt the turned-out condition, and a high instep. They must also possess musical aptitude and a natural gift for movement.
*Children must be 6-years-old by September 1 to audition and enroll for that year's Winter Term.
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The School of American Ballet admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs or any other school-administered programs.
Auditions for 6 to 10 year olds
Auditions for boys and girls ages 6 to 10 are held each May. No previous experience is required. Auditions at SAB are in early May and require a $35 audition fee. Community auditions in Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn, Chinatown and the Bronx are held closer to mid-May and are free to all applicants. There are no more auditions for the 2009/2010 Winter Term.
Auditions for 11 to 18 year olds
All applicants 11-years-old and over are expected to have previous ballet training. They are auditioned at SAB on the Tuesday following Labor Day. Those accepted begin classes during the same week. There is a $35 application fee for auditions held at SAB. Fall auditions for the 2009/2010 Winter TermAuditions will take place on September 8, 2009. Auditions times are as follows:
Ages 11-12 4:00 PM
Ages 13-14 5:30 PM
Ages 15-18 6:30 PM
Applicants should call 212-769-6600 before September 2 to register for the audition OR click here to fill out our online registration form.
All those auditioning should wear ballet practice clothes and ballet slippers. Girls aged 13-18 should also bring pointe shoes. There is a $35 application fee for all auditions held at SAB. Classes begin on September 9, 2009
Weekly Auditions at SAB by AppointmentApplicants 14-18 years of age may audition throughout the year. Please call 212-769-6600 to schedule an appointment. There is a $35 application fee for auditions held at SAB.
For Information on the Summer Course please see (http://www.sab.org/summercourse/overview.php)
For some great videos see:
(http://sab.org/videos/?vid=4)
(http://sab.org/videos/?vid=3&PHPSESSID=e4456cc112be40f1616af4ed579904a6)
I am not claiming any of this information is mine. It is owned by the School of American Ballet. (http://www.sab.org/)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
4th of July, Streching
Let's all remember the people that died for our freedom today, and celebrate the fact that we have it. I hope you have fun at parades, BBQs, and parties!
I was going to try and find a "Stars and Stripes" video on YouTube but I think they can't be posted because of the Balanchine Trust. So I found a video from a Bossov Ballet demonstration with "Patriotic" music. Enjoy!
Stretching
I got a request for tips on stretching. Summer is a great time to stretch because it's already really hot so you warm up faster.
First, before you stretch you have to warm up. Light jogging in place or jumping jacks normally does the trick. Personally I like wearing layers of clothes; a leotard, tights, legwarmers, sweatpants, and a jacket to speed up the warm up process.
Then I would do lunges (http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/fitness/st_lunge.html)
Stretching your hamstrings is very important (http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/fitness/st_hamstring.html)
Other hamstring stretches are touching your toes (It sounds weird but if you touch your toes in the shower it's easier and you can stretch further)
Before doing your splits I would do a few Grande Batments, or kicks.
Then try your right and left splits, hold for 30 seconds. Even If you don't go down very far make sure you have proper placement, back up, one arm on each side, legs STRAIGHT. It might also help do do this on a line so you know you body is in a straight line.
For side splits I would also recommend having a line on the floor (Like Duct Tape)
After warming up I would split as far as you can then lean to the front and put your head on the ground then try to push you hips down. I know this sound weird but it helps. I tried finding a picture but I couldn't let me know if you can't understand it and I'll try to explain it better.
WARNING: A SLIGHT PAIN IS NORMAL. IF YOU FEEL A SEVERE PAIN STOP AND RELAX, IF NOT PROPERLY WARMED UP YOU COULD PULL OR TEAR A MUSCLE.
I hope this helped if not let me know and I'll try again. I am going away this coming week the 6th-10th. I may or may not be posting tomorrow so have a great week. If you have any questions e-mail me or comment I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Styles of Ballet Part 2
Balanchine method (American ballet):
Balanchine style, named after the legendary choreographer George Balanchine, is a technique of dancing characterized by more open and emphasized lines, speedy allegros, and very little plie. In Balanchine Technique, the preparation for en-dehors pirouettes is a 4th position with a straightened back leg (the leg that becomes the working leg).
Cecchetti method(Italian Ballet):
The Cecchetti method of ballet instruction was created by Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928). The method traditionally has eight grades.Grades one through four were added after Cecchetti died. Grades five through eight correspond to his original levels. Grades one through four are commonly seen in local studios to ready their pupils for the more advanced professional levels. If you pass level five then you are considered a real dancer. There are five different marks for passing a level. From lowest to highest they are: passed, passed plus, passed with commended, passed with highly commended, and passed with honours.Grade five marks the beginning of the professional levels and is known as elementary level. Grade six is known as intermediate level and grade seven is known as advanced level. A student who has achieved grade seven is qualified to teach the Cecchetti Method. After finishing advanced level students can choose to go on to Diploma A and Diploma B in order to further their learning.
Vaganova method(Russian Ballet):
The Vaganova method is a method of teaching classical ballet that was founded by Agrippina Vaganova and developed into an exact science by her pedagogical pupil for over 30 years, Vera Kostrovitkaya and countless other teachers in the decades following Vaganova's death in 1951. Therefore, it is really a misnomer to call it that, as she meant for it to be called the teaching of classical dance. It is in the mistranslation of the title of her book, "Basic Principles of Russian Classical Dance" that it is implied that it is her method. She actually titled her book: "The Foundation for Dance." It is combination of the finest of the esthetics and physical results of strength, from French, Danish, and Italian schools, the method has produced many of the world's best dancers and continues to do so today. Vaganova is known for founding the Soviet System of Ballet Education, but her and Kostrovitskaya's teaching method has developed into the applied laws of physics and the core of the teaching does not need to be constantly revised and modified, as other ways of teaching that are not scientific. The method is still used worldwide.The method demands precision in instruction, including how to teach, when to teach, how much of each exercise to give and for how long and when to change forms. Its results in addition to sound technique are a strong lower back, plasticity of the arms and the exact amount of strength, flexibility and endurance in the muscle needed to execute one of the most difficult movements known to ballet - that of the classical pas de deux. Although it is widely in use, being the most common ballet teaching method in Russia and parts of Europe, and the most popular also in the North America and other parts in the world, in today's world, few really understand fully the material. Only a few people outside of Russian Ballet Schools understand how to teach classical ballet (people don't teach the method, they teach classical ballet).
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 1, Styles of Ballet
I can't believe it's July already.
Anyway, I thought it would be cool to describe the different types of ballet. I do Cecchetti and Vaganova.
Royal Academy of Dance (English Ballet):
The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) was established in 1920 by a group of professional dance artists brought together by Philip Richardson, editor of the Dancing Times and including:
Adeline Genée -
Denmark Tamara Karsavina -
Russia Lucia Cormani -
Italy Edouard Espinosa -
France Phyllis Bedells -
EnglandRepresenting the principal dance training methods of the time the group formed the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing in Great Britain. Over the next fifteen years the Association grew in size and influence and which lead to the granting of a royal charter. At the last Privy Council Meeting of King George V in 1936 the Association became the Royal Academy of Dancing.In 1997 The Benesh Institute, international centre for Benesh Movement Notation, was amalgamated with the Royal Academy of Dancing.With over 15,500 members in 82 countries the Royal Academy of Dance is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world. Members receive a monthly magazine "Dance Gazette". It is the largest classical ballet examining body in the world. Over 200,000 candidates take RAD examinations each year.The annual Genée award has been made since 1980, for dancers aged 18 or 19, organised by the R.A.D. It is usually held in London. In 2004 gold medals were awarded to Alexander Jones and Ayako Ono. In addition gold medallists receive 7,500 Euros. Many gold and silver medallists go on to join the Royal Ballet, London.
French School(French Ballet):
The "École Française" (French school of ballet, French style), is characterized by an emphasis on precision, elegance, and sobriety.The French are known for their complex beats, and their rigorous technical cleanliness, called "placement", which is more important to them than virtuosity.Mega-star dancer & choreographer Rudolf Nureyev choreographed re-worked versions of the great academic classic ballets (such as "La Bayadère", "Swan Lake", "Romeo & Juliet", "Raymonda", "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", & directed Paris Opera ballet. His artistic direction was extremely strong, and he formed and named a whole generation of young principals ("Étoiles"), called the Nureyev Babies. (Manuel Legris, Laurent Hilaire, Kader Belarbi, Isabelle Guerin, Elisabeth Maurin, amongst others). Since that time the French school has turned into the Nureyev school, with his very idiosyncratic style, based on all the steps that Nureyev himself excelled at. Great speed and quantity of steps, necessitating the music to be played slower are characteristic of this style. This influence lasts from the 1980's to the 2000's, when it is just starting to wane, as the Nureyev Babies retire.
From (http://dancethoughts.blogspot.com/2005/10/great-ballet-styles-article-taken-from.html)
That's all for now....stay tuned for part two.
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