Just Another Dancing Teen

Just a quick update.

2011-01-26T16:20:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I have a lot planned not enough time. So How are your auditions going? Good I hope. I am knee deep in rehearsing a "romantic" ballet for a spring performance.

I have 2 websites of mine you should take a look at:

http://teenink.com/mystuff.php?act=mywork Some of my writing

and

http://hollys-autographs.webs.com/apps/photos/ My autograph collection, let me know if you need any addresses, the gymnasts' are posted under their pictures.

Thats all for now!

Is Ballet The New Twilight? (Artical)

2010-11-30T21:49:00.001-05:00

(http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/11/30/ballet-movies-dance-of-the-mirlitons/)

Okay, I know, I know. But bear with me here: Both surround beautiful things that can cause bodily harm (Twilight: vampires; ballet: pointe shoes), both involve glitter (Twilight: sparkly vampires!; ballet: sparkly costumes!), both involve forbidden love (Twilight: between vampires and humans; ballet: between ballerinas and Hostess products), and both are enjoying their moment in the spotlight. That’s right: Ballet is so hot right now. Or, I should say, the dark underbelly of the ballet world is so hot right now.

Let’s run it down: For months now, chatter has surrounded Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, a ballet thriller about the art form’s dangerously competitive nature that has ignited Oscar talk for star Natalie Portman. Then a pack of black leotard-clad ballerinas toasted the a-hole that is Kanye West in his “Runaway” video. Furthermore, New York City Ballet principal Jenifer Ringer made headlines yesterday after The New York Times‘ Alastair Macaulay said the dancer “looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many” in his review of the company’s Nutcracker. (Dude, as a writer, I love me my puns, but that was way harsh, Tai.) And finally, news broke today that Chloë Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, and Bailee Madison have joined Kristen Bell in Dance of the Mirlitons, a film about a curvy ballerina with a stage mom (Bell) who attempts to make it in the tough business. (Co-director Daniel Dubiecki’s rep confirms The Hollywood Reporter‘s report with EW; Madison will play the ballerina, Moretz will play the class’ ace pupil, and Haley will play a sadistic Russian ballet teacher in the film, which will also be helmed by Evan Greenberg.)

And yet, I’m conflicted about ballet’s trendy, dark turn in pop-culture: I love the romantic mood surrounding dance films like The Turning Pointe, and I love Center Stage‘s silly spin on the art (though, admittedly, even that frivolous film addressed eating disorders). But as a former ballerina, I’m also all too aware of the pain and suffering attached to dance. I’m happy to see it represented for what it is: A fairly painful art form that involves plenty of blood and gumption. (Not to say that Black Swan is 100 percent realistic or that youngsters should flock to the theaters to see the very R-rated film.) It’s important that the young folk realize the dangers of dance before becoming seduced by the glitter and glitz. (See? Like Bella! I know… I hate myself now too.)

What do you guys think?

Interview

2010-11-26T12:57:00.002-05:00

I'm looking to interview several dancers. You can e-mail me at dancingteenblog@gmail.com if you would like to be considered.

Ethan Stiefel News

2010-11-24T22:16:00.002-05:00

Ethan Stiefel has been named artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

(http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/10/ethan-stiefel-named-artistic-director-of-royal-new-zealand-ballet.html)

Jacob's Pillow November Challenge

2010-11-20T20:56:00.002-05:00

Jacob's Pillow in Becket, MA is known world wide for it's major Summer festival and school. The webstie has stated that

"Jacob's Pillow has received an exciting challenge to raise $100,000 by November 30, 2010. If the challenge is met, the anonymous donor will match it with an additional $100K gift to support the Festival, Education, Archives, and Community Programs. "

(http://www.jacobspillow.org/)

Summer Intensive Auditions are around the corner

2010-11-15T12:34:00.002-05:00

2011 summer intensive auditions are just around the corner. Some companies/schools already have their schedules posted.

Boston Ballet (http://www.bostonballet.org/school/summer/SDP-Auditions.html)
ABT (http://abt.org/education/nationalaudition.asp)
SAB* (http://www.sab.org/summercourse/national_auditions/audition_tour_schedule.php)
PNB (http://www.pnb.org/PNBSchool/Classes/SummerCourse/#AuditionTour)
San Fransisco (http://www.sfballet.org/balletschool/summersession/auditions.asp)
Joffery (http://www.joffreyballetschool.com/audition-dates-and-locations.html)

Many other schedules are up.

*SAB is having a Los Angeles workshop for dancers ages 10-14
Check it out (http://www.sab.org/summercourse/laworkshop/)

Amazing youtube Channel

2010-10-30T22:29:00.000-04:00

Check this out!

http://www.youtube.com/user/dpsenhrox#p/u/2/ujxS5VvFmps

Piano versions of popular songs :)

Dance Family Survival Guide-INJURIES

2010-10-11T18:08:00.002-04:00

Dancers are prone to Injuries. When you are sore you think you may have twisted your ankle (or knee or wrist), just follow RICE

R-Rest-relax, don't work to hard immediatly afterwards
I-Ice-wrap up an ice pack in a towel and put it on the sore spot
C-Comperssion-wrap it up in an ace bandage to prevent swelling
E-Elevation, try to keed it higher that your heart level (reduces swelling)

A great web site that caters to dancers is (http://www.med.nyu.edu/hjd/harkness/patients/injuries/)

They prase things like a dance would: “I landed badly from a jump and now it hurts to walk.”

Dance Family Survival Guide-MOM

2010-10-10T21:21:00.003-04:00

Mom-If your an old timer, you can skip this. If your a new mom I advise you read on. At the start of the dance year you may feel overwhelmed; all the classes, dress code, nutcracker, how on earth are you gonna curl you daughters hair for "Party Child". These tips should help:

1. Don't buy a $30 leotard. Discount dance and othe online companies are great for cheaper leotards. Make sure you read the reviews for each product. (http://www.discountdance.com)

2. Don't let you child dance on an empty stomach. A sanwich, granola bar, fruit, cheese and crackers=good. French fries, cookies, candy=bad.

3. Do allow your child to miss class if they are sick (most schools will want them to attend rehearsl-even just to watch).

4. Don't be a stranger. Call the studio with any questions, ask your child for any handouts. Ask you child what they learned in class.

5. Do learn how to make a good ballet bun. (http://justanotherdancingteen.blogspot.com/2009/05/ballet-buns.html)

6. If your daughter's hair needs to be curled see link. I will try to put up a video tutorial as soon as I can.
(http://justanotherdancingteen.blogspot.com/2009/12/25-days-of-nutcracker-day-3.html)
AND
(http://justanotherdancingteen.blogspot.com/2009/11/25-days-of-nutcracker-day-4.html)

Nutcracker and Leotards!!

2010-10-10T21:03:00.003-04:00

Nutcracker season is upon us again. I have been very busy with rehearsals. I've learned a few variations/dances from the Nutcracker but my favorite is Marzipan. It is hard but very pretty and fun (once you get the steps down).

Any of you who are in New England should be sure to check out Albany Berkshire Ballet's Nutcracker (http://berkshireballet.org/), click on "Nutcracker". Check out this great video to see some of the costumes:

Discount dance seems to have a ton of new stuff (including Halloween costumes) So be sure to check that out.
(http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.php3?mf=http://www.discountdance.com/dancewear/leotards/page1)

Back to Business

2010-09-19T13:12:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the lack of posts! The rest of my summer at BBT was great. I guess next year they are going to do Swan Lake for an end of summer production, thats a big ballet. (http://bossovballet.com/summer.asp).

How have your classes been so far this year. Your Nutcracker auditions?

One Week Done

2010-07-03T18:56:00.004-04:00

So my first week at BBT is done, it's going by so fast. We have a super intensive schedule. A 2 hour technique class, an hour class (pointe, floor barre, ect.) after breakfast. Lunch at noon, the an hour and a half class followed by 2 or so hours of rehaersal for the show. Thanksfully we have the weekends to rest. I hope you are all having fun at you intensives!!

Bossov Ballet Starts Tomorrow

2010-06-26T18:28:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is check in for Bossov Ballet Theatre. We drove 6 hours today up to Waterville and are staying here for the night. I will check in tomorrow around 12. I can't wait to meet my room mate and set up. We have a placement class at 9am on Monday morning. I am excited and nervous at the same time. At the placement we all learn short combos. They start out very simple and slowly get harder. After watching each row the 4 teachers start send students into different corners. The students that are left perform harder combos. They are divided up and thats that. Later in the day we will have auditions for parts in the final show, Sleeping Beauty.

Wish me Luck!!

Happy Birthday JADT Blog!!!

2010-05-27T15:17:00.001-04:00

It's the 1 year anniversary of the blog!!!

ATTN: All dancers in or near NYC

2010-05-23T20:07:00.003-04:00

ABT is having auditions for supernumeraries for their upcoming production of "Romeo and Juliet". Auditions are Saturday, June 26 at 5:00pm. Here's the info off the site:

ROMEO & JULIET
Performances: Monday, July 5 – Saturday, July 10

Audition/Casting: Saturday, June 26 at 5:00pm, followed by rehearsal that may last as late as 7:30p*** Please arrive no later than 4:40pm ***

Location: Metropolitan Opera House, stage door located on W. 65th Street.

Tentative Rehearsal Schedule:
Thursday, July 1, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Friday, July 2, 1:00pm-3:30pm
Monday, July 5, 12:15pm-5:00pm

These are the role requirements:

MARKET LADIES (6 + 1 cover)
5 Ladies aprox. 5'-6" - 5'8", medium build, dress size 12-14, costumes slightly adjustable.
Various ages and ethnicities.

ELEGANT / GRAND LADIES +(6 + 2 covers)
Medium build, 5'-6" - 5'-8", costumes less adjustable.
Age can vary.
Must have poise and grace; acting/dance experience helpful.

ELEGANT GENTLEMEN (8 + 1 cover)
Over 5'-10" preferred, medium build, various ages.
Must have poise and grace; acting/dance experience helpful.

ESCALUS GUARDS (Act I) / CANOPY MEN (Act II) (4 + 1 cover)
Average Build, 5'-10" - 6'-2".
Age 18-35.

MONKS (Act I) (6 + 1 cover)
Average Build, 5'-8" - 6'.
Age 18-35+.

RED LITTER BEARERS (4+ 1 cover)GREEN LITTER BEARERS (4 + 1 cover)
Strong men, average build, 5'-10" - 6'-0", muscular type preferred(litters are fairly heavy).

PAGE BOYS (2 + 1 cover)
Ages 9-12.
Same size, between 4'-6" - 4'-8".

BEGGAR (1 + beggar/priest cover)
Emaciated looking, 5'-6" - 5'-10".
Must have acting experience.

BRIDE (1 + cover)
Must be dancer type, slender build.
Age 14-20.
Must have ballet experience; should appear as company member.

BRIDES MAIDS (6 + 1 cover)
Must be dancer type, slender build.
Age 14-20.
Must have ballet experience; should appear as company member.

PRIEST (1 + priest/beggar cover)
Older, elegant, slender; 5'-9" - 6'-0".
Acting experience preferred.

GROOM (1 + cover)
Slender young man, age 15-25
Must have ballet experience; should appear as company member

This looks like a great opportunity. Check out this blog post I found about the last time they did R&J- http://turnedin.blogspot.com/2007/07/abts-romeo-juliet.html

Mr. T....Some More

2010-05-20T06:30:00.003-04:00

So on Mr. T's Birthday google made their heading a Swan Lake Doodle

They also made a video about it with San Fransisco Ballet, which I thought was cool

Happy Birthday Mr. T!

2010-05-07T22:19:00.003-04:00

Today is Tchaikovsky's 170th birthday day! He is my favorite composer.

Born into a middle-class family, Tchaikovsky was educated for a career as a civil servant, despite his obvious musical precocity. He pursued a musical career against the wishes of his family, entering the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862 and graduating in 1865. This formal, Western-oriented training set him apart from the contemporary nationalistic movement embodied by the influential group of young Russian composers known as The Five, with whom Tchaikovsky's professional relationship was mixed.
Although he enjoyed many popular successes, Tchaikovsky was never emotionally secure, and his life was punctuated by personal crises and periods of depression. Contributory factors were his suppressed homosexuality and fear of exposure, his disastrous marriage, and the sudden collapse of the one enduring relationship of his adult life, his 13-year association with the wealthy widow Nadezhda Von Meck Amid private turmoil Tchaikovsky's public reputation grew; he was honored by the Tsar, awarded a lifetime pension and lauded in the concert halls of the world. His sudden death at the age of 53 is generally ascribed to cholera, but some attribute it to suicide. Although perennially popular with concert audiences across the world, Tchaikovsky's music was often dismissed by critics in the early and mid-20th century as being vulgar and lacking in elevated thought.By the end of the 20th century, however, Tchaikovsky's status as a significant composer was generally regarded as secure.

This is his Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, which premiered in 1880
one of my favorite peices that was not for a story Ballet

Boston

2010-04-27T20:20:00.004-04:00

So I spent this past weekend in Boston. We stayed in the Theater District. I love Boston. It's my favorite city. I want to live in Boston someday, and if you can't already tell Boston Ballet is my favorite company and I hope to see them live sometime soon.

Enjoy The Pictures;

Boston Opera House

A Close Up

Ultimate Balanchine Poster

I didn't actually get to see anyshows because they weren't performing but I went in the entry way and it was BEAUTIFUL

We also stopped by the Boston Ballet HQ on our way out. It was HUGE.

A new start, I'll Try

2010-04-27T20:18:00.001-04:00

So, I haen't been posting much but I am going to try to post more often. The posts are going to be more about me and my life as a "dancing teen", Enjoy

Some Tips

2010-04-15T21:09:00.002-04:00

These are a few tips I've picked up from ballet class and written in my dance journal. I highly recommend keeping a dance journal.

Think of having a wire hoop where you arms should go and then encircling it
In croise, you should be able to see both hips
Shoulders should be over hips
When doing Grande Battmants, pretend you have a leg and back brace
In pique arabesque, spring forward

Being Self Conscious

2010-04-15T20:59:00.002-04:00

An Issue I have delt with/others I know have delt with is being Self Conscious. From my research (and common sense (: ) I have found that many ballet dancers are very self-conscious. I read a great artical and wanted to share it with you;

It's easy to forget just how powerful our subconscious minds can be. We are often completely unaware of how our actions (or inactions) are affecting our lives. We may complain that things never work out for us, we have bad luck, or we just don't have what it takes to be successful. What we fail to realize is that we are actually creating our own circumstances through subconscious self-sabotage. In order to overcome self-sabotage we first have to use conscious awareness to explore our emotions and fears, and understand how they influence our actions. Once we have determined the cause of the destructive behavior, we can then take steps to prevent it from happening in the future.

What's really happening when we sabotage ourselves? Subconsciously, we may be frightened by a particular outcome, even though we say we want it. Take, for example, losing weight. Many overweight people have struggled for years, tried diet after diet, and still can't lose the weight (or keep it off). They berate themselves, push themselves harder, and try to force the weight off. But what's happening beneath the surface? Do they really want to lose their excess pounds? They may say they do, but what if their layers of fat are providing a sense of protection and security in an uncertain world? What if they feel the need to cover up and conceal themselves? Losing weight then becomes a threatening, frightening possibility. So they might sabotage their diet efforts in order to avoid feeling too vulnerable and exposed. Even though they say they want to lose weight (and even believe they do) they still might set themselves up for failure by sneaking food, skipping exercise, and then making a promise that they'll try harder tomorrow.

Others may be intimidated by something as simple as starting a new job. Did you know that there are a surprisingly high number of people who don’t show up for job interviews, even for highly-desirable positions? Let's look at another example: Perhaps a stay-at-home-mom decides she needs to return to the workforce to earn money for her family. What she really wants is to stay home with her children, but she feels obligated to get a job outside the home. So instead of applying for the perfect position, she applies for jobs that she knows she's not qualified for, or jobs that require hours incompatible with her family's schedule so she has to turn down the job if it's offered. Subconsciously, that's her way of ensuring she won’t have to leave home, and at least she can say she "tried" to get a job.

Those who self-sabotage may also be afraid of what others will think of them should they accomplish their goals. They might not believe they're worthy of the outcome, so they act in ways that will ensure their failure.

These destructive efforts are done subconsciously, so even the saboteurs have fooled themselves into thinking they know what they want. If there is any uncertainty in their mind, any doubt, any fear, they will find a way to make sure it doesn't happen.

Perhaps this describes you? Have you sabotaged yourself in the past? Are you still doing it now? Are you not able to move forward with your goals, no matter how hard you try?

Fortunately we CAN overcome self-sabotage. The most important step to stopping self-sabotaging behavior is to recognize that it's happening. We must develop a conscious awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

If you've been struggling with a certain goal and things just don't seem to be working out for you, take a look at the setbacks that were encountered and evaluate the situation. Could any of the obstacles have been avoided by making wiser choices on your part? Are there a significantly high number of obstacles that have arisen for this one particular goal? If so, you may be self-sabotaging yourself.

A great way to get in touch with your subconscious mind is by spending time in quiet meditation. Ask yourself what you're afraid of. What fears do you have? What uncertainties? What makes you feel uncomfortable about this goal? For what reasons would you try to hold yourself back? Using a journal to write these questions and answers can help too, because writing can help you to connect with the deepest part of yourself. It might take time and practice, but exploring these possibilities can dramatically help you to get out of the self-sabotage rut.

When we finally understand that we are in control of our own success, we will be set free from all limitations! By developing clarity and insight about the outcomes we want to create, and the awareness for potential setbacks, we can stop the self-sabotage and focus our energies on working toward new goals that we will fully support in every way. We will then look back one day and see that instead of being our own worst saboteur, we have become our best supporter

On and on and on...

2010-03-30T20:26:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted. I have soooo many rehearsals. I hope you have all been doing good. Where is everyone going this summer? Any amazing intensives? Camps? Awesome Vacation spots?

Olympic Skating

2010-02-15T16:22:00.001-05:00

One of the Olympic pairs figure skating did an amazing routine to "The Swan". Check out her gorgeous costume.

**Note** The video is not from the Olympics but it is the same routine/costume

Valentines Day

2010-02-14T11:04:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!

The modern day celebration of Valentines Day is believed to begin in France and England.

Cupid (symbol for Roman God of love), doves, love birds, roses, hearts and arrows are all symbols of the Valentine’s Day celebration.

Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated around seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.

In Medieval times, girls ate bizarre foods on St Valentine's Day to dream of their future spouse.

There was a belief in the Middle Ages that the first unmarried person (of the opposite sex) you met on the morning of St. Valentine's Day would become your spouse.

The first Valentine gift was sent by Duke of Orleans to his wife, after he was captured in 1415.

73% of Valentine Day flowers are bought by men, whereas women buy only 23% of Valentine flowers.

Around 3% of pet owners prefer to give Valentine gifts to their pets, as they are more grateful than humans.

In oden times, some people believed that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

The heart is the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart and its red color is though to be the most romantic.

The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Since red stands for strong feelings, red rose is a flower of love.

The first Valentine's Day box of chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868.

In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine’s Day. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons that meant, "You unlock my heart!"

(http://festivals.iloveindia.com/valentines-day/valentine-day-fact.html)

Being an Understudy

2010-02-12T16:02:00.002-05:00

This year I am understudying a bunch of parts. You may not get all the attention but you get to learn a ton of great parts. When your teacher sees how hard you are working they may offer you a part next time. Always apply corrections the teacher gives to the person she's working with.

Ballet School #2

2010-02-10T10:14:00.005-05:00

In July 2009 I did a post called Ballet School

( http://justanotherdancingteen.blogspot.com/2009/07/ok-so-i-decided-that-im-going-to-do.html )

about SAB. This one is going to be about Pacific Northwest Ballet school (PNB).

***All of the information is from ( http://www.pnb.org/). I am not claiming any of it is mine.

Founded in 1974, Pacific Northwest Ballet School is recognized as one of the top three ballet training institutions in the United States. Under the direction of Peter Boal, the School offers a complete, professional curriculum to more than 900 students. The School's Open Program attracts 600 teens and adults who wish to pursue recreational dance instruction in a supportive and encouraging setting.

The Children's Division is divided into Pre-K for ages 2–4, Creative Movement for ages 5–6, Pre-Ballet for age 7, and Children's Division Boy's Class for boys ages 5–7. No auditions are required. These programs are a prelude to formal ballet instruction and introduce children to music and movement through a structured progression that stresses creativity and group interaction.

Student Division consists of Level I through VIII, beginning at age 8. Auditions are required for Level I and above or for students age 8 years or older. Classes in this division are carefully graded by age, physical strength and development. Students are introduced to progressive levels of ballet technique as described in the School Syllabus. They are promoted according to individual progress in acquiring technique and strength. Entrance by audition only.

Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Open Program classes are open to the public (age 13 and older).

Pacific Northwest Ballet School has two facilities ideally suited for dance: the Phelps Center in Seattle and the Francia Russell Center in Bellevue. The curriculum, faculty, tuition, dress code and audition requirements are identical at the Seattle and Eastside Schools.

Pacific Northwest Ballet's DanceChance program strives to reach into the community and discover talented, Seattle-area elementary school students. Children who show they have the physical ability to become professional dancers are provided with classical training, allowing them the opportunity they might not otherwise have to pursue a dance career. Students attend classes twice a week on full tuition scholarship with dance attire, transportation and complimentary tickets to company performances provided

In the fall, the DanceChance screening team visits partner schools to audition third-grade students. Students are selected on the basis of their musicality, physical ability and coordination. The Introductory Session runs for 9 weeks from October through December. A select number of students who demonstrate strong interest, talent and willingness are invited to continue their training in the spring. Students study ballet fundamentals as well as character dance, modern and jazz.

Children who show interest and promise are invited to continue as second-year students, focusing on classical ballet as well as character dance, modern and jazz. Students attend classes twice a week; once on a regular school day and once on Saturday. In their third year, students join regular PNB School classes. The DanceChance students have auditioned for and been placed in such company productions as PNB's Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Here is a video about DanceChance (http://www.pnb.org/PNBSchool/Classes/DanceChance/#Media)

For Info on the Summer program (http://www.pnb.org/PNBSchool/Classes/SummerCourse/)

More Inspiration

2010-02-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

Found this great video

Ballet Inspiration

2010-01-25T21:32:00.002-05:00

I found this amazing story/video

"The girl (Ma, Li) was a beautiful promising professional ballerina when she lost her right arm in a car accident in 1996. She was only 19. Her handsome boy friend walked away from her.
She tried to kill herself only to be saved by her parents. Her love for her parents gave her the strength to live. She learned how to live her life independently.

She learned how to write Chinese beautifully and how to do many things including combing her hair, which she had to cut short from the waist-length to shoulder-length. She learned to cook and to wash clothes ... In a few months she opened her small bookstore.

Five years later in 2001, she was invited to compete at the 5th national special performing art competition for handicaps and won the gold medal. That success gave her the hope to return to her beloved stage.

In 2002, a handsome 20-year-old young man (Li, Tao) madly fell in love with her. She ran a way from him for fear of being hurt again.

After she disappeared in Beijing, Tao searched her up and down despite his parents' strong objection and ridicule.

He finally found her dancing in a bar. They have never been separated since.
They were very broke when SARS was spreading because all theaters were closed. In 2004, he got a license to be her legitimate agent and was trying to help her develop a unique performance. In a cold snowy night, when the two huddled in an underpass to wait for the sunrise in order to catch a bus after a long day at a movie shooting site working as extras, she suddenly had the urge to dance in the snow with him.

She had used her dance to tell him her story so many times before and this time, after their "dance" ended, he suddenly realized that THIS should be her unique performance.
In September 2005, she ran into a 21-year-old young man (Zhai, Xiaowei). He was being trained to be a cyclist for the national special olympics. He had never danced before.

He climbed on a tractor when he was 4 years old and fell off it and lost his left leg. His dad asked him, "The doctor will have to amputate your leg. Are you afraid?" He couldn't comprehend what would be so different so he said no. His dad said, "You are going to face many challenges and difficulties in life, are you afraid?"

He asked, "What are 'challenges and difficulties?' Do they taste good?" His dad laughed with tears, "Yes, they're like your favorite candies. You just need to eat them one piece at a time!" (Then his dad ran out of the room in tears.)

So he's always very optimistic and athletic with a great sense of humor. He had tried high-jump, long-jump, diving, swimming, and just settled on cycling.

His coach believed that he would be able to get 2-3 gold medals in the national special Olympics games. (In the video interview, you can see him doing a bridge with great ease!)
He initially didn't understand how he could "dance," so Li invited him to see her performing "Hand in Hand" with another male actor. He felt that he saw a perfect soul dancing on the stage and agreed to give it a try.

Li & Tao treated him like their younger brother and they stayed under the same roof during the more than 1 year of intensive training and practice. One would not be able to imagine the kind of challenges and difficulties they faced. He had NO dancing background and she is a perfectionist. There are so many touching stories.

Much determination has gone into the making of this performance. Just for that one "drop" move at 3:41 of the clip, he landed her on the hard floor more than 1000 times!!! To get the move right, they started at 8 a.m. and got the first successful move shortly after 8 pm!
All they did was to train and to practice from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. day-in and day-out until the three of them ran out of money in early 2007 ...

The rest is history.

In April they were one of the finalists among 7000 competitors in the 4th CCTV national dance competition. It is the first time a handicapped couple ever entered the competition. They won the Silver medal with the 99.17 high score and not to mention the highest audience popular votes. They became an instant national hit."

Sleeping Beauty, Sleeping Beauty, Sleeping Beauty

2010-01-06T21:10:00.002-05:00

Sleeping Beauty is every where this year!

My Studio is doing it

Bossov Ballet Theatre is doing it

ABT is doing it

NYCB is doing it

Bring it ON!

Happy New Years!!

2009-12-31T16:54:00.002-05:00

Happy New Years Eve everyone! New years is a great time to set goals, dance and other wise. What are you goals for 2010? We want to hear them!

Have a safe, happy, and healthy new year!

(just thought the picture was cool)

Gillian Murphy

2009-12-28T10:35:00.004-05:00

Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Gillian Murphy began her ballet training at the age of three in Belgium and continued her ballet classes at the age of five in South Carolina.

After training in South Carolina as a member of the Columbia City Ballet, she continued her studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Under the tutelage of Melissa Hayden she danced principal roles in several of the school’s ballet productions including The Nutcracker and George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Western Symphony, Tarantella and Theme and Variations.

In 1994, at the age of 15, Murphy was a finalist at the Jackson International Ballet Competition. In 1995, she was awarded the Prix de Lausanne Espoir after performing the final round at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In 1996, she was a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Level I awardee and a Presidential Scholar nominee. In 1998, she was honored with a Princess Grace Foundation-USA grant.

Murphy has appeared as a guest artist in Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Canada and throughout the United States. She will make her debut with the Kirov Ballet in March 2008, dancing Odette-Odile in Swan Lake.

Murphy joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in August 1996, was promoted to Soloist in 1999 and Principal Dancer in 2002. Her repertoire with the Company includes Polyhymnia in Apollo, Nikiya and Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Cinderella in Cinderella, Swanilda in Coppélia, Medora and Gulnare in Le Corsaire, Kitri in Don Quixote,Titania in The Dream, the Accused in Fall River Legend, second girl in Fancy Free, Lise in La Fille mal gardée, the pas de deux Flames of Paris, Grand Pas Classique, Myrta in Giselle, His Memory and His Experiences in HereAfter, the Queen of Hearts in Jeu de Cartes, Lescaut’s Mistress in Manon, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Desdemona in Othello, Other Dances, Hagar in Pillar of Fire, Raymonda in Raymonda, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Romeo’s Farewell to Juliet), Princess Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Sylvia in Sylvia, the first and third movements in Symphony in C, the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and the ballerina in Theme and Variations, and leading roles in Allegro Brillante, Ballet Imperial, Ballo della Regina, Baroque Game, Paul Taylor’s Black Tuesday, Clear, Désir, i>Diversion of Angels, Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Études, From Here On Out, Gong, In The Upper Room, Meadow, Les Patineurs, Pretty Good Year, Push Comes to Shove, Sinfonietta, Les Sylphides, Symphonie Concertante and featured roles in Company B, The Elements, Overgrown Path and Without Words.

She created leading roles in Glow – Stop, Kaleidoscope, One of Three, Rabbit and Rogue and Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison.

Murphy danced Odette-Odile in the ABT telecast of Swan Lake and also appeared in the ABT telecast of Le Corsaire. Other television appearances include the Washington Opera’s Die Fledermaus. During November 1999, she also participated in the Melissa Hayden Project, part of the Balanchine Foundation’s video series filming dancers, who worked with George Balanchine, teaching their roles to young performers. The Foundation filmed Hayden teaching Murphy the pas de deux from Stars and Stripes and Donizetti Variations. Murphy was seen in the feature film Center Stage and also appeared in the sequel, Center Stage 2.

In March 2008, Murphy made her debut with the Kirov Ballet dancing Odette-Odile in Swan Lake opposite Kirov Ballet principal Andrian Fadeyev.

Murphy is a charter member of Stiefel & Stars and directed a training program for young dancers, Dreamcatchers, on Martha’s Vineyard.

Ms. Murphy's performances with American Ballet Theatre are sponsored by Charlotte and MacDonald Mathey.

This is a video from the Gaynor Minden site

I wrote to her about a year ago (Dec. 31 2008)

And just got a response, I'll post it soon.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T11:17:00.002-05:00

Sorry Guys....I haven't been doing the best job! I'm so busy. This is my Christmas Post

Looking for something fun to do on Christmas Eve?

Make some hot chocolate and gather your family together around the television for a performance of "The Nutcracker!"

But this isn't just any performance; it is the winner of Ovation TV's Battle of the Nutcrackers: World Games contest.

Earlier this month, host Susan Jaffe, former dancer with American Ballet Theatre, presented viewers with five different versions (from five different nations!) of the classic story: Mark Morris' "The Hard Nut" (USA), Bolshoi Ballet's "The Nutcracker" (Russia), Maurice Bejart's "Nutcracker" (France), Casse Noisette Circus: Ballet of Monte Carlo (Monaco), and Royal Ballet's "The Nutcracker" (UK).

Viewers then cast their vote!

Which version is YOUR favorite?

To get in the Nutcracker spirit, tune in to Ovation TV this Thursday, December 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and don't miss the Christmas Day marathon featuring all five Nutcrackers starting at 8 a.m. ET/PT.

Do you guys have a favorite Version of the Nutcracker?

I want to hear about it.

I love the Royal Ballet's
Boston Ballet's
Ballet of Monte Carlo's
And of course our local one, Albany Berkshire Ballet's

I don't often find things online about ABB but I found this one. Written about the 2007 performance;

I wonder what Pablo Picasso, that believer in the artistic brilliance of any child, would have thought of The Nutcracker. To learn a technique, he knew, is to bind the soul. Late in life, he described his career as a process of disentanglement. (What tangles!)

Similarly, classical ballet is sometimes made into a rigid sport. It can constrict enjoyment in favor of perfection, alienating many in the process.

By transcending those divisions, The Nutcracker became the world’s favorite ballet. It’s hard to find a version whose children don’t remind an audience of the joys found in haphazard beauty, and whose adults aren’t clearly in it for the children.

The execution of a Nutcracker’s core elements—antique togetherness, indoor snow, rousing and virtuous wonder—will vary, especially across the 115 years since its premiere by the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Across those decades, constancy has come from a production’s younger set, moving at their unscripted best, and from those who, like Picasso, have spent a lifetime learning how to move as if unscripted.

A few weeks ago, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington hummed with such unscripted moments, at a dress rehearsal for the Albany Berkshire Ballet’s 33rd annual production of The Nutcracker.

From the orchestra section, a small blond girl watched a teenager rise up onto her new-looking pointe shoes, and said quietly, “That’s so cool! She just stays there.” A smaller girl asked the first, “Hopefully you didn’t forget your ballet shoes, right?” The first followed her optimistic reply with a very long pause, then, “I’m wearing them right now.”

Footwear confirmed, these girls and a dozen more were called onstage by Jane Yablonsky, a petite member of the Albany Berkshire Ballet and once a student, like many here, of its Pittsfield academy, the Cantarella School of Dance. “Miss Jane,” as the students called her, reminded them of their rows and called out orders while lanky Clayton Teal hammed up his part as Mother Ginger for all the moms watching.

Soon, raucous music apulse, Teal entered in his character’s enormous hoop skirt. What a quasi-mythological oddity: dozens of grown children are birthed by a man in drag only to be swallowed up whole again. The smuggled child-clowns veered around the stage, and jumped by launching their chests into the air. Miss Jane called out once and the action halted. How well children listen when the subject is one they enjoy, and when they are known by adults to enjoy it.

Great Barrington native Charlotte Ernst, 6, took time out from destroying a few of the Mahaiwe’s preciously renovated seats to discuss her role as a reindeer in The Nutcracker. In her favorite sequence of the ballet, a sleigh pulled by Ernst and her fellow reindeer (and more effectively pushed by a Snow Prince) ferries Clara through a blizzard to the Kingdom of Sweets. (There, a series of sets by Carl Sprague culminates in a stunning, peachy homage to Western classicism—this backdrop is worth the ticket price alone.) Ernst was clear on her future as a ballerina, although she admitted world-wearily, “Yes, I’m going to be millions of things when I grow up!”

Later, with the casual gesture one uses to make others aware of a celebrity, Ernst drew attention to Lindsey Jacquer, who played Clara in her same cast. Wispy and eloquent, Jacquer immediately named her own favorite scene: that sleigh trip into the Kingdom of Sweets. To ward off some difficulty in keeping her smile for the ballet’s duration, she confessed to pretending occasionally that her sleigh’s journey is real. “It really feels like you’re in a dream.” The cast members climbed onstage. With a gaze somewhere between rehearsal and showtime, Jacquer slid along, marveling at imaginary snow, while Ernst tugged away.

The following week’s performance, at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield, was thick with the excitement of a microculture in full swing. Just as the holidays aren’t complete until those families get their Nutcracker, many small dance studios—and quite a few larger companies—would have trouble financing the coming year without such a series of winter showings.
Three generations of one such family, led by Ralph Stroffolino, have attended the Albany Berkshire Ballet’s Nutcracker annually for twenty years. All six were excited to see Jane Yablonsky in many major roles that night; they’ve watched her grow as a dancer since she played a lamb alongside Stroffolino’s granddaughters in a Nutcracker long ago.

And how she has grown: delicate but not fragile, she bounded through difficult steps with the fresh eyes of discovery. Technique only gave shape to spontaneity. It’s a reasonable guess that Yablonsky, like most in the company and an equal percentage in North American ballet companies, learned how to dance in The Nutcracker, testing their bodies over decades with pantomime, comedy, and all levels of derring-do.

Young chaos kept the Colonial show just brilliant enough. Picasso would have loved it.

(http://walkaroundtime.wordpress.com/2008/09/27/a-delicious-chestnut/)

More to come

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 12

2009-12-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

Mice

Mice is one of the most fun roles in the Nutcracker. When I was a mouse I had to paint my face grey and wear a huge costume.

This is a funny version of the battle

Not to much about mice....I just wanted to point out how fun the role is!!

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 11

2009-12-11T20:41:00.002-05:00

Alexandra Heier

is a bright young Boston Ballet School student

She started dancing when she saw her sister and fell in love with it. She says ballet has taught her self-discipline and time management. She was also selected to dance in in the 2007 movie The Game Plan staring Dwayne"The Rock" Johnson and Madison Pettis.

(second from the left, then age 11)

Alexandra said [about the movie] "It was interesting to see how many people came. We didn’t expect it. I was surprised how nice everybody was to us. All the crew and actors were so kind."

Part of this clip shows the Boston Ballet scene in the movie

Alexandra is dancing as one of the Claras in this year's Nutcracker production. The clip below is an interview

Faces of Boston Ballet: Alexandra Heier

What do Critics have to say about Alexandra?

"Alexandra Heier as the young Clara more than made up for this with a sweet and amiable demeanor, and effortless movements that were the epitome of grace"

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 10

2009-12-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

Polichinelles

Sometimes the cutest characters in the Nutcracker are the polichinelles.

Polichinelle (poe LEE shee nell) is a French word that literally translated means “Punch,” the
Punch of the English puppet duo, Punch and Judy. They were the original comedy act, created
in the 1700s. These puppets’ loud arguments escalated into fights in which they hit and
punched each other. In some Nutcrackers the Polichinelles are tiny, active characters who disrupt the more dignified dances of the dolls in the Land of Sweets. Mother Ginger has to gather them up and take them away before they get into trouble.

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 9

2009-12-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

If you can't already tell I LOVE Boston Ballet and their Nutcracker.

Misa Kuranaga is a recently promoted principal with the company. In Boston Ballet's Nutcracker she has played the Snow Queen, Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including a gold medal in the Junior Division of the Ninth Moscow International Ballet Competition and the gold medal in the senior division of the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition.

What do the critics have to say about Misa?

"And was there ever a Dew Drop who lived up so greatly to her name as Misa Kuranaga? Backed by a corps de ballet of lanky, tall flowers, the slight Kuranaga seemed to float among them like a drop of mist."

"A first act highlight was Misa Kuranaga as the Columbine dancing doll."

(information from http://www.bostonballet.org/Company_Dancers/Dancers/Misa_Kuranaga.html, http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/1/22/a-classic-holiday-ballet-ballet-enthusasists/, http://www.tauntongazette.com/entertainment/x415861955/Theater-review-Boston-Ballets-Nutcracker-Whimsy-seduction-and-comedy)

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 5,6,7,8

2009-12-05T20:35:00.000-05:00

So I'm gonna be away till Wendsday so I'm gonna do a Massive post.

The Story (From Boston Ballet's Website)

Act I

It is Christmas Eve, 1835, in a small town in Germany. Herr Drosselmeier is in his workshop putting the finishing touches on a Nutcracker doll. Outside, the chilly streets are alive with bustling townspeople. At the Silberhaus home, the family is preparing to host a holiday party for friends and relatives. As the parents decorate the Christmas tree, the Governess attends to the Silberhaus children, Clara and Fritz.

The Silberhauses welcome their guests and light the beautifully decorated tree. As the festivities continue, Herr Silberhaus invites his guests to dance. Suddenly, a late arrival enters with a flourish, startling the assembled guests, especially the children. It is Clara’s godfather, an old family friend affectionately known as Uncle Drosselmeier. He entertains the guests with his handiwork, mechanical dancing dolls, which delight and amuse all in attendance. Clara is especially fond of the Ballerina as she has great ambitions to be one herself.

Drosselmeier presents Clara with her own special gift, a unique Nutcracker handsomely dressed as a soldier. Fritz becomes extremely jealous of his sister, and plots with some of his friends to steal the doll. With great stealth, he sneaks up on Clara and attempts to snatch the Nutcracker. They battle for possession, but Fritz takes control and smashes the doll to the floor. Clara is devastated and Herr Silberhaus reprimands his son. Drosselmeier examines the damage to the Nutcracker, and after employing several magic gestures, returns the doll to Clara.

Herr Silberhaus suggests a dance and everyone joins in. As the hour grows late, the guests take their leave. The lights dim, and the Silberhauses retire for a long winter’s night rest. As midnight approaches, Clara quietly tiptoes into the room in search of her beloved Nutcracker. Finding him safe and secure, Clara surrenders to sleep on the living room sofa.

No sooner do her eyes close than a mouse appears. At the same time, the old grandfather clock begins to strike the hour of twelve. Clara awakens at the sound and is startled to discover mice scampering around the room. She seeks protection on the sofa with her Nutcracker. Suddenly, Drosselmeier appears, calming Clara as the mice scatter. But there is more adventure in store. The walls of the house begin to change and the Christmas tree grows to enormous heights. And, adding to Clara’s amazement, the Nutcracker grows as well.

The Mouse King appears and challenges the Nutcracker to a duel. Just as it seems the Mouse King is about to be victorious, Clara takes her shoe and casts it at his head. The Nutcracker takes advantage of the moment and slays the evil Mouse King. Drosselmeier reappears and performs one last magical act: he transforms the Nutcracker into a handsome Prince. The charming cavalier takes Clara through the Land of Snow on a fantastic journey to the Kingdom of Sweets.

Act II

Drosselmeier’s magic is still at work as Clara and the Prince find themselves in the Palace of Sweets, ruled by the exquisite Sugar Plum Fairy. The Prince reenacts his battle with the mice to show the Sugar Plum Fairy how Clara successfully fended off the Mouse King. A series of charming dances is performed to honor Clara’s courage, culminating in a very special pas de deux performed by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her handsome Cavalier. As their dance ends, so does Clara’s adventure. But her dreams continue.

This is a great slide show

(http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2008-11/interact/exclusives/slides-nutcracker)

Articals on some people who dance with Boston Ballet

Yarmouth - When Victoria Egan began dancing at age four, she never dreamed that ballet would take her to the stage of the Boston Opera House.
Born with a mind of her own, Tori recalls saying “funny things” about dance studios she didn’t like. “She was only four when she told me there was a monster in a bush at one of the studios,” says Tori’s mother Cheryl Egan. “Tori has always had a sense of what’s best for her.”
In 2004, that instinct led the talented ballerina to audition at the Boston Ballet School, where she studies dance five afternoons a week. This year she auditioned for the Boston Ballet Company’s production of “The Nutcracker,” landing roles as a party girl in Act 1 and a polichinelle — a little clown — in Act 2. Rehearsals began in early October and Tori debuted Nov. 24.
“Everyone in my ballet class had performed in ‘The Nutcracker’ before, and they told me what a wonderful experience it is,” Tori says. “They all live in or around Boston, so it’s much easier for them.”
Cheryl Egan drives her daughter to the daily afternoon rehearsals and weekend performances, a challenging schedule for this Mattacheese Middle School eighth grader. “She does her homework in the car with the light on,” Egan says of her high-honor-student daughter who lives to dance.
The final performance of the popular ballet, based on French author Alexander Dumas’s revision of E.T.A. Hoffman’s story “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice,” is Saturday, Dec. 30. “I’ll miss seeing my friends from the show who aren’t in my dance classes and being on stage three or four times a week,” Tori says. “I’ll also miss talking and socializing with members of the permanent ballet company. I definitely plan to audition for next year’s production.”
During her free time, Tori enjoys writing her own choreography. “I dance it to see how it feels, or I teach it to one of my friends before a class so I can see what it looks like. Right now, I’m struggling to decide if I want to set my sights on being a professional dancer.” Even the decision on where to attend high school is a difficult one for this young dancer, since being closer to Boston has definite advantages.
For now, the Egans are looking forward to spending some down time over the New Year’s weekend at their home in Maine. Tori anticipates her first full-speed ski run of the winter with her friends on the Shawnee Peak Race Team.
“Then we come home to more decisions and daily drives to Boston,” Cheryl says. Tori just smiles, humming the sweet strains of Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugarplums.”

(http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wickedlocal.com/barnstable/archive/x1720038542/g25825808470a99d8dec6ede77ef46b03997ba1ef25d4b7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wickedlocal.com/barnstable/archive/x454601156&usg=__rdKWpKCXEYSnNhuK0djpCxPt0qQ=&h=599&w=450&sz=40&hl=en&start=4&sig2=wTHwYHmv97x5_0zXr8O7GQ&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Rcp_DeMULsf2FM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboston%2Bballet%2Bnutcracker%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GPEA_en-GB%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1%26pwst%3D1&ei=LiMbS5HTBsi1lAfH2sHyCQ)

Melrose - Lia Kaynor, a 12-year-old Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School student, could be called a veteran of the Boston Ballet stage. This is the sixth straight year she has performed in the group’s annual production of The Nutcracker, as she has steadily worked her way up to the role of Party Girl, putting her in the middle of one of the biggest scenes in the ballet.
We spoke with Kaynor about how she first started dancing, why she wanted to get the Party Girl role, the sometimes nerve-wracking ballet classes, and the problems with maintaining a full head of curls in the middle of a snowstorm …

Lia, how long have you been dancing?
This is my 10th year dancing, six of which have been at the Boston Ballet.

Where have you danced in the past?
I did dance in a place in Winchester — not that I know the name of it [laughs]. The reason I started dancing was because I was very clumsy baby. So I started ballet and I liked it so I kept doing it.

You were a clumsy baby?
I was a very clumsy baby. I was born premature, almost three months, so I hadn’t quite caught my balance.

Have you worked your way up the ‘role ladder,’ so to speak?
Yes I have. My first year in The Nutcracker, I was the Spanish Girl Doll, which was very fun. It’s just 20 seconds on stage, but it was very exciting. The second year I was an Arabian Doll and after that I was a Polly … that was definitely very, very fun. Because we’re clowns. This year I’m a Party Girl. I was very excited when I got the role because I wanted the role since I was 7.

Why did you want the Party Girl role for so long?
I’m not really sure why, it’s just the one role that my caught my attention. It’s maybe the idea of we’re going to a big party and there’s lots of dancing … everybody wants to be a Party Girl. It’s one of the biggest roles that a kid can have, and it’s definitely met my expectations.

Did you have to audition again for the role?
Every year you have to audition, and the first thing they do to narrow down the people that you have for the roles, is you have to be in the Boston Ballet School. Weeks and weeks before the audition, you have to fill out some paperwork saying your height and all that. They give a book … its says things like how tall you have to be for certain parts. Then they split up the auditions by height and age. Every year you audition for something different.

What other roles could you have played?
I’m quite lucky I got this role because the other roles that I am eligible for were Reindeer or Soldier. Both of those, they’re still great parts, but Soldiers … well, I don’t like the hats [laughs]. The Soldiers have to wear these big, long hats. All the soldiers I know said they’re very uncomfortable. The Reindeer, they have very cute costumes, with antlers and everything, but they don’t have very much stage time. They’re the furniture movers — they move the sleigh across the set … and I’m a performer.

What do you like about performing in front of an audience?
I love being on the stage and seeing the audience and knowing there’s little kids out there doing the same I did when I was a kid … they’re telling their parents, “Mommy, I want to be Clara!” Something that’s amusing about this role is not only does the dancer have to get the stage, but the hair has to get to the stage.

What’s so important about the hair of a Party Girl?
We have to have ringlets — lots and lots of springy, bouncy curls. So before every show, the night before, I have to put my hair in curlers. They never cancel a show, so the last big storm I was on the Orange Line with a shower cap over my curls, because, like I said, the curls have to come in safe.

It sounds like they’re very particular about having your curls look the right way.
Yes. The ringlets are a big deal. This year, they’re not so strict. They want more of a natural look, so if you can do your own hair instead of wearing a hairpiece, you do your own hair and make it unique, instead of having everybody looking exactly the same with the same size curls. They tried to make it different this year, which I think is a good thing; I think it makes it a bit easier.

What’s the hardest part about performing?
I’d say one of the hardest parts about my particular role is the dancing. There is a lot of dancing, more than other parts, and there’s so much going on in the party scene that you have to make sure you stay exactly focused. There’s countless things … and it’s impossible to think of all of them at once. That’s the point of the rehearsal, to get your body memorizing the steps. Once you’re out there on stage, then there’s no going back and it’s just giving out to the audience. I’m very thankful for my teachers at the Boston Ballet School, Ms. Lantz and Mr. Hird, who have both studied at the Royal Ballet School. I’ve had them for many years. Last year I had a Cuban teacher, Ms. Lemus … she was different.

How was she different?
She was a choreographer … she had different techniques, shall we say. She was very funny, she could get away with saying things that no one else could. If it came from anyone else we’d burst in tears, but from her, we’d buck up and do better. One day she got a long pole, a stick, and we asked, “Where’d you get that?” She said, “Oh, upstairs,” and we asked, “What are you going to do with it?” She said, “Straighten you out!” [laughs] She literally did straighten us out. She made our stances perfectly straight and changed the spacing between our arms and legs. If she was upset, she would start banging the stick on the ground … it’s incredibly nerve-wracking to be standing, looking away from her, and have this lady with a pole behind you. She was a wonderful teacher. I learned so much from her … she was certainly an experience.

What’s it like working with professional dancers who do it for a living?
See, I’m very glad you asked that. The teachers and the directors want us to be professional even though we are kids, so watching them and learning from them is amazing. In the party scene when there’s all sorts of professionals on stage, it’s amazing to watch them. There are seven casts in the company, so certain people don’t get to rehearse, they just have to learn it while the other cast is learning the dance. Watching their focus and how much they work to get exactly right, it teaches you a lot. Backstage, we all have our “party parents,” and they don’t know who we are, so they’re going, “Are you my kid?” “Yeah, I’m your kid.” “There’s my dad over there.” Particularly in the party scene, there’s a lot of professionals. In other scenes its mainly kids, because that’s who The Nutcracker is supposed to be for — the kids.

How long do you want to dance?
Ballet is something I’ve been doing since I was two and three, so it’s become a part of my life. I can’t really imagine what I would do with my time if I didn’t have ballet filling it up [laughs]. I’m not sure what I’m going to do as a profession; ballet is just something I can’t imagine living without.

(http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/archive/x1059341267/g258258e6fe31aeaa7ceb1ff399fd62519624c6f0494559.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/archive/x360513062&usg=__iu11nX5SIuhgdohETTn73-NtrNM=&h=599&w=454&sz=27&hl=en&start=12&sig2=-OwS8gTKgdd4Ngs8LwSw1Q&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=eRTrxEdEXm2K-M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboston%2Bballet%2Bnutcracker%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GPEA_en-GB%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1%26pwst%3D1&ei=2SQbS5KDJ5jglQeo7MXyCQ)

By Lauren Baltrus Boston Ballet School dancer

Since last December....Nutcracker 2007 was one of most amazing experiences of my life because I landed the dream role of Clara and it was pure magic. It seemed like the second that Nutcracker ended, it was time to audition for summer ballet intensive programs. I set my sights on ABT (American Ballet Theatre) in NYC. The audition was nerve wracking, and about a week later I found out that I had been accepted into the 6-week program.

A few months later, in mid-June, I was on my way to the Big Apple, sewing the ribbons on my pointe shoes during the bus ride. I couldn’t wait for my first day of ballet classes at ABT. The apartment we rented for 6 weeks was a modern city apartment within walking distance to the ABT studios, totally different from my regular house. I felt like a real New Yorker, living in the city, and navigating the streets of Manhattan while dragging my ballet bag on wheels behind me.The summer intensive program at ABT was very demanding. We danced for 6 to 8 hours every day. The teachers were amazing -- almost as amazing as my teachers at Boston Ballet! My ballet technique improved a lot during the 6 weeks I was there, and I met lots of dancers my age from all over the country. Some of the best things about living in NYC were the theatre, shopping, and restaurants. I saw several ballets by New York City Ballet and by the American Ballet Theatre. I saw many of the famous dancers that I had read about in magazines. And I also saw many musicals on Broadway. My favorite was Legally Blonde. Living in NYC and attending ABT was a great experience for me. I hope I can go back again next summer! But first, I have another year at Boston Ballet to look forward to

Year Six: New Roles, Old FriendsIt’s great to be back in Boston at my home studio, even though I loved New York. The first week of ballet class is exciting because I meet my teachers for the year. My schedule involves ballet class 6 days a week, with 5 great teachers. I love them all! It is going to be a fun year!Nutcracker auditions are in late September. We never know what role we’ll get in advance. This would be my 6th year performing in Nutcracker. I was 8 years old in my first Nutcracker and had the role of Marzipan doll, which meant I stood on the stage for about 1 minute during the battle scene in a beautiful costume and didn’t dance, but it was fun to be part of it all. One of my happiest memories from that year was becoming friends with another doll in my cast, Gillian. We are close friends today and this year she is in my ballet class!I was a baby mouse in my second Nutcracker and a Polichinelles (or “poli”) in my third and fourth years. Poli’s are the children who run out from underneath Mother Ginger’s skirt. With 8 of us squeezed under that big skirt, it feels pretty crowded, but then the music starts to play, the skirt pulls open, and we come running out one by one. We have a blast dancing on stage and then return to the skirt. In my fifth year, last year, I alternated between the roles of Clara and party girl.A few days after the audition, THE LETTER arrived in the mail. I opened it and read that I would be Clara and a party girl again this year. YAY!!! I am really looking forward to my second year

Claras and Polis and Company Members, oh my! We rehearse from mid-October up until Thanksgiving weekend, when The Nutcracker opens. I have been working really hard in rehearsals, even though I remember most of the choreography from last year. There are lots of little details to incorporate into every scene and we can always use more practice to get it exactly right and to make our movements more beautiful. Because Clara dances in most of the Nutcracker scenes, there are many rehearsals to attend each week. Sometimes I attend 2 or 3 different rehearsals on the same day, in addition to my regular ballet class!All together, there will be more than 250 Boston Ballet School students in this year’s Nutcracker. It’s fun getting to know some of them at rehearsals. I especially love the polis, the mice, and the dolls in my cast. They are so adorable, with their smiling little faces as they learn their steps. I loved being a poli two years ago, so poli rehearsals bring back happy memories. This past week, a poli rehearsal included 3 Boston Ballet company dancers who will be performing as Clara’s uncle Drosselmyer in The Nutcracker. Rehearsing with Sabi Varga, Jared Redick, and Lorin Mathis made poli rehearsal even more fun! I was a little nervous to be dancing with company dancers because they are professional dancers who have accomplished so much, but once we got started my butterflies went away. I love the moment in this scene when Drosselmyer lifts Clara up onto his shoulder. It’s quite a thrill being up so high -- it seems like I can see everything from up there!

Down to the wire...“Are you really afraid of mice?” (Yes) “Is your real name Clara?” (No) “Were you ever a doll?” (Yes) “How old are you?” (13) These are the questions that the adorable 8 year old “dolls” asked me at rehearsals this week. Most of them are dancing in their first Nutcracker this year and are really excited. We are all in final rehearsals now, fine tuning and polishing everything for the stage. Tony Randazzo, one of the Ballet Masters for Boston Ballet, attended several of my rehearsals this week. As the Ballet Master, one of his jobs is to “coach” company dancers. I felt honored to get some one-on-one coaching from Mr. Randazzo. He was extremely helpful. He provided very specific advice to help me get the choreography just right in a couple of the scenes. I feel like my dancing will be better than it was last year when I first played the role of Clara. I can’t wait to dance on the stage! I’m just a few days away from

The BIG day!!! The second that I woke up on Sunday morning, it hit me that TODAY was the big day, my first Nutcracker performance of 2008. My mom curled my hair and I arrived at the Opera House at 11:30, an hour and a half before the 1:00 performance. That gave me plenty of time to wish my cast mates good luck, hear a few reminders from our teacher, warm up, get my makeup applied, and get into my party girl costume. And then it was time to go upstairs to the stage area and stand in the wings and wait for the music to begin. The overture played . . . and my heart started beating fast. The curtain opened. . . . And my heart beat even faster. Party children crossed the stage for the prologue . . . and my heart nearly leapt out of my body. Finally the party music began to play, and I ran onto stage into the party scene. At that moment, my nerves disappeared, replaced by a feeling of excitement.

Dancing in the party scene almost feels like being at a real party, except that it's filled with lots of intricate dancing. I have to act the whole time, which requires as much concentration as the dancing. I've spent so much time rehearsing this scene, but when I’m on stage, it seems to go by so quickly. Time flies when you're having fun!!!! After the party scene is over, it’s time to quickly prepare for the night scene. I have to change out of Clara's bulky party dress into her nightgown. I have about 30 seconds to do this. Immediately after walking off stage, I rip off my pearl necklace and blue headband while the costume lady unhooks my dress. When the dress is off, I change my ballet slippers from black to pink and turn on the "candle". The costume dresser helps me into my nightgown. Now I'm ready for the night scene. At the end of the night, when the curtain closes, the balloon is lowered, and I quickly hop out and run into the wings to get ready for the bows. I hadn’t practiced the bows in rehearsals this year, and I didn't know if they would be different than last year's bows. But fortunately my Drosselmyer, Jared Redick, knew exactly what to do, and guided me through it. Next, I glanced over at the two company dancers closest to me, Kathleen Breen Combes and Erica Cornejo, and followed their lead for the second bow. It was exciting to be on the stage with 2 dancers that I look up to, and to be copying their moves! My first performance had ended. One of the favorite moments of the day was overhearing a couple of company dancers saying, “That girl can jump!” It was quite a compliment, coming from them.

A few thoughts from Clara...Every performance, The Nutcracker audience is different. Sometimes they clap so much, at every little detail. And sometimes, it seems they rarely clap at all. Sometimes I hear little children crying and people coughing. When I'm on stage, I can’t see any faces in the audience, except for the first few rows. For the most part, I see a sea of blackness. The only time I can see the audience completely is when I’m up in the balloon. When I’m up that high, the lighting seems to shine on the audience, and I can see each face vividly. It’s like being on a ride at Disney World.It’s so much fun being on stage, but it’s also fun being in the audience and watching other people perform. I have several friends who are also performing in The Nutcracker this year and it’s fun to watch them perform. I love seeing The Nutcracker over and over again, either from the audience or from the stage, so I can watch different Boston Ballet company members in different roles. It’s a new performance every time. I love all of the Boston Ballet company members but Larissa is one of my favorites because she is an amazing dancer. I am always so impressed by her precise movements and range of dynamics. Yury Yanowsky is another one of my favorites. In one performance, when he danced in the role of my Uncle Drosselmyer, we chatted quietly from the special chair that we sit on during the second act while we watch the performances of various company members. He asked me what Nutcracker role I would like to play if I were a company dancer with Boston Ballet. I said Sugar Plum Fairy. I also like Kimberly Uphoff because she is always really nice to me when she dances in the role of the Governess in the party scene. In one performance, she handed the Russian doll to me and told me it was her favorite and she thought that Clara deserved the best doll. Sabi Varga is also really sweet and funny. He gave the four Claras each a Hershey kiss during one rehearsal. One of the best parts about being Clara is being able to talk with the company dancers, although I’m usually so shy that I can’t say more than a word or two! Two uncles, two matinees, and a public appearance all in ONE weekend!

This weekend I had two Nutcracker performances: the Saturday matinee and the Sunday evening performance. Before my performance on Saturday, I made a public appearance at the Ritz Carlton Sugar Plum Tea. The Ritz ballroom was filled with young children all dressed up in beautiful party dresses and handsome suits. There were two special guests in the room: my cousin Lilly, who came from Illinois to see The Nutcracker, and my sister Jillian. My job was to visit each table, greet the children, and have my photo taken with them. Most of the girls wore crowns that were given out by the Ritz. Some kids asked for my autograph. I got lots of questions as I visited the tables, like “How old are you?” (13), “How many days a week do you dance?” (6), “How many years have you performed in Nutcracker?” (6), and “Do you want to be a professional dancer when you grow up?” (Yes).After the tea at the Ritz, I returned to the Opera House for the matinee. It was a great performance because Uncle Drosselmyer was played by Sabi Varga, and he was so animated that the kid-filled audience squealed with delight. Everything about this performance was magical, from the Russian dancers, to the Arabian dancers, to Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles. It was a great cast and I felt lucky to be a part of it!On Sunday I returned to the Opera House for the evening performance. Yury Y. played Drosselmyer for this performance, so it was extra special for me because I love performing with Yury! I had about 30 friends and family in the audience, including middle school teachers, friends, and my whole family. It was thrilling to dance, knowing that they were in the audience. My friends and family gave me a standing ovation when I came out for my curtain call.

A Real Boston Snow Scene!I am so happy that we had a huge snowstorm this week because it gives me hope that we will have a white Christmas! The snow fell in big, beautiful flakes, not unlike the falling snow in the Nutcracker's snow scene. Boston is covered with a thick white blanket of snow. On my way to the Opera House this weekend, I saw skaters on Frog Pond, children building snowmen, and sleds zooming down a big hill in the Boston Common. Boston is a winter wonderland. The first act of the Nutcracker ends with the dramatic snow scene. The flakes drift to the stage as the reindeer pull Clara's sleigh. During this scene, Clara runs across the stage with the Nutcracker prince through the falling snow, and it's so much fun. The fake snow looks like it would be slippery but it's not.'Til next time...

The Perfect Ending Nutcracker 2008 has been an AMAZING experience. I didn't want it to end! While my mom was curling my hair before my last Nutcracker performance of the year, I thought about how much fun the whole Nutcracker season has been and how I had to make my last Clara performance the BEST one yet! My final performance was a blast. I enjoyed every minute of it, from the second I ran on stage all the way to my final bow. At the end of the performance, I got the biggest surprise ever. Just after I took my bow with the Boston Ballet company dancers, two friends from my ballet class (Bayley and Gillian) walked onto stage and handed the Sugar Plum Fairy and me each a HUGE and stunningly beautiful bouquet of flowers! I was flabbergasted! And I was frozen! I had never been presented with flowers on stage so I wasn’t sure how to react. Was I supposed to take the bouquet? Were the flowers really for me? My friend Bayley tried to force the flowers into my hands and I was in shock. OMIGOD!!!! The flowers are for me! I was overjoyed! The bouquet was almost as tall as me! And to have my friend present them to me on stage made it 1,000 times more special. My final performance as Clara was my best performance EVER! Now, a couple days later, I’m kind of sad that it has ended. It was an incredible season. I have so many people to thank, from the teachers who helped me, to the friends and family who supported me and came to see The Nutcracker, to my wonderful cast-mates who were so much fun. It’s the people who make the Nutcracker experience unforgettable. And thanks to YOU for reading my diary! Now it’s time to start thinking about auditions for summer ballet programs. . .

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 4

2009-12-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

Nutcracker Ringlets

(Part 2)

The Curling Process

The more common way of getting ringlets is by using curlers. The blog "Fluff-n-Stuff" has a great artical from a few years ago (http://fluff-n-stuff.blogspot.com/2007/11/public-service-announcement-how-to-do.html). I'm going to pick out some highlights.

Eco-friendly method: Use an old lint-free rag torn into strips. Condition hair with a teaspoon or two of warm olive oil. Wet hair lightly with water.Twine a bunch of wet hair strands around each strip. Knot the strip ends together in an easily removable bow/ simple knot. Wear a shower cap around all the twined strands and sleep in it. This generates beautiful curls, but takes several hours to set.

(http://london.ucdavis.edu/ballet/cloth.jpg)

Foam rollers method: Similar to above, but uses a foam wrap lotion and foam rollers( again, easily found in most dollar and drugstores). This requires overnight setting and sleeping in rollers. I used a product by (available in most beauty supply shops) called an Extra Firm Hold Foam wrapping lotion to prep the hair by applying it to each lock before rolling it around the rollers

Dos and Don'ts

Do use a product to such as gel to help the curls hold

Don't put curlers in wet hair

Do use as many curlers as possible

Don't put curlers in clean hair

Do try out the style several times before the actual show

Don't brush out the curls after you take them out of the rollers

Do hair spray each curl as you take it out of the roller

Don't put to much hair on one roller

This is what will happen if you Do follow these steps;

If you Don't;

What do party girls have to say about ringlets?

What’s so important about the hair of a Party Girl?
We have to have ringlets — lots and lots of springy, bouncy curls. So before every show, the night before, I have to put my hair in curlers. They never cancel a show, so the last big storm I was on the Orange Line with a shower cap over my curls, because, like I said, the curls have to come in safe.

Lia Kaynor, a 12-year-old Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School student
Thu Dec 20, 2007 (www.wickedlocal.com/melrose/archive/x360513062)

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 3

2009-12-03T06:30:00.001-05:00

Nutcracker Ringlets

(Part 1)

Many party children and "Clara's" have their hair in ringlets. The process, however, can be daunting. This post is designed to help you and make the "curling" process fun.

There are several ways to go about curling hair;

The fastest, easiest way is to buy a wig.

Wigs come in several styles;

Bun Wig

Full Head Wig

Banana Clip Wig

How to put on a wig?

Make a bun fasten with a hairnet, and put in the bow above it.

Tie on the hairpiece over the bun

Use hairpins around the edge of the hair piece

Hairspray down loose hairs.

Final Product

**Don't mind the Irish dance headbands, many Irish dancers wear the wigs so I couldn't find any Nutcracker pictures

Since this is so long I'm going to post the second 1/2 tomorrow with the traditional "curling method

25 Days of Nutcracker- Day 2

2009-12-02T06:40:00.000-05:00

Theater Check List

It's a good idea to always have the following on hand

Band aids

Adhesive tape

Safety pins

Bobby pins

Hair nets

Needle & thread

Scissors (Try attaching them to a bag with ribbon so no one walks away with them)

Extra tights

Make-up

Comb & brush

Rubber bands

Hair spray

Aspirin/Tylenol

Appropriate shoes

Clear Nail Polish (To stop runs)

Camera

Warm-ups

Water

Coloring Pages (For little kids)

Did I Miss anything? Let me Know!

25 Days of Nutcracker-A Countdown to Christmas Day 1

2009-12-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

Intro/History of the Nutcracker

**This post is short, but the rest are going to be much longer**

The Nutcracker is a fairy-tale ballet in two acts, three scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed in 1891–92. Alexandre Dumas Pere's adaptation of the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E. T. A. Hoffmann was set to music by Tchaikovsky (staged by Marius Petipa and commissioned by the director of the Imperial Theatres Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1891). The plot of Hoffmann's story is much more elaborate than that of the ballet; in the tale, the heroine Marie's adventures with the toys and with the Nutcracker are not a dream, and at the end she marries the Nutcracker/Prince.
St. Petersburg Premiere
The first performance of the ballet was held as a double premiere together with Tchaikovsky's last opera "Iolata" on 18 December 1892, at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. Who exactly choreographed the first production has been debated. Although Lev Ivanov is often credited, contemporary accounts credit Marius Petipa. The ballet was conducted by Riccardo Dirigo, with Antoinetta Dell-Era as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Pavel Gerdt as Prince Coqueluche, Stanislava Belinskaya as Clara, Sergei Legat as the Nutcracker-Prince, and Timofei Stukolkin as Drosselmeyer

Tomorrow we start Nutcracker!!!!!!

2009-11-30T21:41:00.002-05:00

Our 25 days of Nutcracker starts tomorrow.

Have anything you want to see?

Want to do a review of a Nutcracker you have seen?

Any funny stories?

Email me at;

dancingteenblog@gmail.com

Enjoy this video from Anaheim Ballet

ABT News

2009-11-29T09:57:00.002-05:00

POINTE, CLICK & BID for BALLETABT LAUNCHES SECOND ANNUAL HOLIDAY AUCTION SITE
abt.cmarket.com to offer One-of-a-Kind ABT Experiences

11/19/2009 - American Ballet Theatre will launch its second holiday gift auction site enabling the public to bid on one-of-a-kind ABT experiences and unique gifts. Items offered for auction include exclusive dinners with ABT dancers in New York City, limited-edition photographs of ABT, and backstage opportunities ranging from a guest stage managing position to a curtain cavalier presenting flowers to the prima ballerina of the evening. Other items include signed pointe shoes from ABT Principal Dancers and studio rehearsal visits in New York. Offered this year is a Box Evening Celebration, which includes the exclusive use of a center parterre box for the winner and seven guests, a backstage tour and a post-performance champagne reception with dancers.

The auction, opening at 8:00A.M, Tuesday, December 1, 2009 and closing at 8:00P.M, Tuesday, December 15, 2009, offers users the option to bid on items (minimums apply) or to “buy now” at a posted price. Opening bids begin at $100.

Proceeds from POINTE, CLICK & BID for BALLET will benefit American Ballet Theatre. For bidding, please visit ABT’s auction website at abt.cmarket.com. For more information, please contact Wendy Fisher at 212-477-3030, ext. 3245.

ABT CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON,MAY 17-JULY10, 2010 AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE, SEASON TO FEATURE COMPANY PREMIERE OF JOHN NEUMEIER’S LADY OF THE CAMELLIAS AND REPERTORY FESTIVAL INCLUDING ALL-ASHTON AND ALL-AMERICAN PROGRAMS

Special Tribute to Alicia Alonso’s 90th Birthday Planned

10/19/2009 - American Ballet Theatre’s 2010 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 17-July 10, will celebrate the Company’s 70th Anniversary and pay tribute to legendary ballerina, Alicia Alonso. The season was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. The Company Premiere of John Neumeier’s Lady of the Camellias and a repertory festival will highlight the season.

Principal Dancers for the 2010 Metropolitan Opera season will include Maxim Beloserkovsky, Roberto Bolle, Jose Manuel Carreño, Angel Corella, Herman Cornejo, Irina Dvorovenko, Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Veronika Part, Xiomara Reyes, Ethan Stiefel, Diana Vishneva and Michele Wiles. Natalia Osipova, a leading soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet, will return for the Spring season as a guest artist.

Saks Fifth Avenue is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the Costume Fund. J.P. Morgan is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of Make a Ballet. American Airlines is ABT’s Official Airline. Northern Trust is the Official Sponsor of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton is the Official Sponsor of ABT II. The 2010 Metropolitan Opera House season is also made possible with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recovery Act, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

American Ballet Theatre’s 70th Anniversary season celebration will open with a Gala performance featuring ABT’s Principal Dancers on Monday, May 17 at 6:30 P.M. For information on ABT’s Spring Gala, please call the Special Events Office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3239. ABT’s Spring Gala in sponsored by NBC Universal and GRAFF.

Company Premiere

John Neumeier’s Lady of the Camellias will be given its Company Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on Tuesday evening, May 25 with Julie Kent as Marguerite and Roberto Bolle as Armand. Set to music by Frederic Chopin, Lady of the Camellias was choreographed by Neumeier after the novel of Alexandre Dumas. The ballet features scenery and costumes by Jürgen Rose with original lighting design by Neumeier, reconstructed by Rolf Merkel. Lady of the Camellias was given its World Premiere by the Stuttgart Ballet at the Weurttemberg Staatstheatre, Stuttgart, Germany on November 4, 1978, with Marcia Haydée and Egon Madsen. The ballet received its United States premiere by the Stuttgart Ballet at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. on May 15, 1979, with the same cast. American Ballet Theatre will present eight performances of the full-length ballet, May 25 through May 27 and June 4 through June 7.

Repertory Festival

American Ballet Theatre will offer two weeks of repertory programs June 8 through June 12 and continuing on June 28 through July 3. The programs include an All-Ashton program featuring Sir Frederick Ashton’s Birthday Offering, The Dream and the Company Premieres of the Awakening pas de deux from Ashton’s The Sleeping Beauty and Thaïs pas de deux. The repertory festival also includes an All-American Program featuring the Revival Premiere of Twyla Tharp’s The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Paul Taylor’s Company B and Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free. An All-Classic Masters Program presented on June 29, June 30 matinee and July 2 will include George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, pas de deux from Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon and Antony Tudor’s Romeo and Juliet, as well as ballets from the All-Ashton and All-American programs.

An All-ABT Premieres program on the evenings of June 9, June 11, June 28 and July 1 will feature Tharp’s The Brahms-Haydn Variations, along with Alexei Ratmansky’s On the Dneiper and Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free.

A Celebration for Alicia Alonso

As part of American Ballet Theatre 70th Anniversary season, the Company will celebrate the life and career of legendary dancer and ballet director Alicia Alonso. Alonso joined Ballet Theatre in 1940 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1946. Famed for her interpretation of the title role in Giselle, Alonso also starred in the World Premieres of ABT’s most critically hailed works, including George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Antony Tudor’s Undertow and as The Accused in Agnes de Mille’s Fall River Legend; all roles that were created on her. Alonso’s 90th birthday will be marked by a special performance of Don Quixote on Thursday evening, June 3 featuring three Principal casts, each dancing the lead in one act of the three act classic.

Full-Length Ballets

In addition to the Company Premiere of Lady of the Camellias, American Ballet Theatre will perform five full-length ballets during the 2010 Spring season beginning with La Bayadère on Tuesday evening, May 18. Diana Vishneva (Nikiya), Marcelo Gomes (Solor), and Gillian Murphy (Gamzatti) will lead the season’s first performance of the three-act classic. The season’s eight performances of La Bayadère, May 18 through May 22, mark the 30th anniversary of the ballet. Natalia Makarova first staged The Kingdom of the Shades scene for ABT in 1974 and subsequently produced and choreographed the complete version (in three acts) for ABT in 1980. The World Premiere of Makarova’s production was given on May 21 of that year, danced by Makarova (Nikiya), Anthony Dowell (Solor), and Cynthia Harvey (Gamzatti). Set to music by Ludwig Minkus, arranged by John Lanchbery, La Bayadère was conceived and directed by Makarova. The ballet features scenery by PierLuigi Samaritani, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by Toshiro Ogawa. Dina Makarova serves as production coordinator for the current

production.

The season’s first performance of Don Quixote will be led by Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella on Friday evening, May 28. Staged by Kevin McKenzie and Susan Jones, with choreography after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, Don Quixote is set to music by Ludwig Minkus and features scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Natasha Katz. The McKenzie/Jones staging of the current production was first performed by ABT in June 1995.

The Sleeping Beauty returns to the repertory for eight performances, June 14 through June 19. Set to a score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed after Marius Petipa, has additional choreography and staging by Kevin McKenzie, Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov. The production features scenery by Tony Walton, costumes by Willa Kim with additional costume designs by Holly Hynes, and lighting by Richard Pilbrow and Dawn Chiang. Gillian Murphy and Jose Manuel Carreño will lead the season’s first performance of The Sleeping Beauty on Monday evening, June 14. This production of The Sleeping Beauty received its World

Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on June 1, 2007.

Eight performances of Swan Lake, choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa, will be given beginning Monday, June 21 with Veronika Part and Roberto Bolle leading the opening night cast. Swan Lake is set to the score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane Schuler. This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

The final week of American Ballet Theatre’s eight week season at the Metropolitan Opera House will feature eight performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet beginning Monday evening, July 5 with Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes in the title roles. Set to the music of Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet features scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting by Thomas Skelton. The ballet received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet in London on February 9, 1965 and was given its ABT Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on April 22, 1985.

ABTKids

ABTKids, American Ballet Theatre’s annual one-hour introduction to ballet, is scheduled for Saturday morning, June 5 at 11:30am. All tickets for ABTKids are $25. The ABTKids performance is generously supported through an endowed gift from Thomas and Lydia West, in loving memory of Vivian B. West.

ABTKids Workshop Series

ABTKids Workshop Series, activity-based programs led by ABT Teaching Artists, are available to ABTKids ticket holders only on Saturday, June 5 (9:30 am). On Saturday, June 19, ABT will hold a Sleeping Beauty Workshop at 11:00am. Saturday workshops will be held in the rehearsal studios of the Metropolitan Opera House. Tickets to the workshops are $20 per person. For tickets and more information on ABTKids Workshop series, please call 212-419-4321.

Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre’s 2010 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House are on sale now by phone at 212-362-6000, or online at ABT’s website www.abt.org.

Get Ready for Nutcracker!!!!!

2009-11-28T15:10:00.003-05:00

Starting December 1st I will be posting a Nutcracker themed post for "25 days of Nutcracker-A Countdown to Christmas". Have a specific topic you want to see? Let me know.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T07:29:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!!

Clara

2009-11-22T10:29:00.010-05:00

Who is Clara?

Clara is the heroine of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet "The Nutcracker". She is called Marie in George Balanchine's version of the ballet, and Masha in some Russian versions of it. The entire story of the ballet is seen through her eyes, and a grown-up Clara is even the offscreen narrator of the film "Nutcracker: The Motion Picture". Clara receives the Nutcracker from her Uncle Drosselmeyer at a Christmas party. In most versions, she dreams that at midnight it comes to life and fights a duel with the Mouse King. With Clara's help, the Nutcracker kills the Mouse King and is then transformed into a handsome prince, with whom she falls in love. The Prince then takes Clara to the Kingdom of Sweets in gratitude. They celebrate in her honor, but at the end of the celebration she wakes up to find that it was all a dream and that the Nutcracker is still a nutcracker. In other versions, the magical events in the story are not a dream, and Clara lives happily ever after with the Prince.In Peter Wright's version for the Royal Ballet, the Nutcracker is not only really a prince, but also Drosselmeyer's nephew, as in E.T.A. Hoffmann's original story on which the ballet is based.

(http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0012247/bio)

Why do girls want to be Clara?

Besides the fact that they could be dancing her role in a few years she is relatable. The audiance can imagine how they would react to the things she is going through. Clara is also a role model in ruffles. She is a sweet optimistic little girl, yet determined and talented. Girls can aspire to be like her, onstage and off.

(from Dance Spitit "Meet Clara" December 2009)

How can I be Clara?

TAKING CLASS: Probably the most important step is that you must be taking ballet lessons! 1-2 classes a week will probably not earn you the role anytime soon, 3 classes a week might, and if you take 4-6 classes a week, you will have a much better opportunity.

LEVEL: You must be at an intermediate-advanced level, depending on the ballet studio you are with. Some studios are looking for a girl to play Clara that is 11-13 years old, while others want a more advanced dancer with pointe shoes to play Clara. Check with your ballet instructor to see what she is looking for in Clara/Marie.

AGE: I don't know of any ballet teachers that want someone younger than 10 to play Clara. Most girls younger than that are not at the level to play Clara and aren't mature enough yet to handle such a large role. But just because you aren't 10 yet doesn't mean you should audition; there are lots of other fun roles, such as Clara's Friend, Baby Mouse, Angel, and more!

EXPERIENCE: Most ballet instructors look for a girl to play Clara that has been dancing for many years and has been in other recitals/performances with the studio. You are more likely to have the role of Clara if you've been dancing for a long time and have been doing The Nutcracker or other performances for awhile. This is why it's not a good idea to not audition until you are old enough to play Clara/Marie.

MATURITY: Are you mature enough to play Clara/Marie? You should 1) pay attention in class, 2) follow your teacher's instructions, 3) be polite and respectful to your teacher and fellow students, 4) not socialize during class instead of dancing.
If you follow all of these steps, you will have a good opportunity of playing the role of Clara! But don't be discouraged if you never receive the role; that doesn't mean you aren't a good dancer. There are plenty of other roles that are just as fun!

****Some studios perfer a younger Clara so just because your 9 doesn't mean you wont get the part. Ask the studio owner/artistic director****

(http://www.wikihow.com/Get-the-Role-of-Clara-in-the-Nutcracker)

Stories of girls who have been Clara:

Haley and Rachel

Lindsey Frilot

Thanks For Reading!

Look For More Nutcracker Coming Soon!

** Check out The Official FaceBook Page (http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/#/pages/Just-Another-Dancing-Teen-Blog/184797613874?ref=ts)

Youtube collection

2009-10-07T19:09:00.003-04:00

I found a two ballet-related videos I think you will like. Let me know if you do!!!

Sorry!

2009-09-26T21:10:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't been posing....I'll try to post soon!

Ballet as a Supplement-Response

2009-08-26T10:30:00.006-04:00

I got some great responses.

Name- Chris
Parent or Student? Parent

What is your activity? Gymnastics, basketball, softball
How long have you been dancing? 1 year
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) ballet and hip hop, but now she is doing the dance team;hip hop, jazz, tap, ballet
Do you do pointe? NO
How has ballet helped you? Ballet teaches her the balance and posture she needs to be a better gymnast
How has your activity helped you with ballet? I think, as do many parents I talk to, that ballet definitely makes a difference.
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? She will compete 5 or 6 times throughout the season
How do you balance a busy schedule? There is no balance….but my kids enjoy being active!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name- Hilda
Parent or Student? Student

What is your activity? figure skating
How long have you been dancing? 1 year
Do you do ballet or another form of dance? ballet
Do you do pointe? no
How has ballet helped you? the flexibility and strength required in ballet has helped me progress faster in skating. As for grace, I don't lack it, so it doesn't quite help me. My posture is good in ballet, but not in skating.
How has your activity helped you with ballet? As skating requires strength and flexibility too, I can practice those two for both ballet and skating at the same time, which is really convenient.
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? my studio doesn't have shows regularly, but when they have, I do participate
How do you balance a busy schedule? My schedule is not busy. I attend school only half a day, others is dedicated to dance or skating.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name- Dani (she is my dd)
Parent or Student? - I am the parent

What is your activity? Gymnastics (sometimes cheer, she is a flyer)
How long have you been dancing? This is her 2nd year
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) Ballet
Do you do pointe? No, but she is interested in pointe
How has ballet helped you? It has helped her grace, posture, leg strength and flexibility.
How has your activity helped you with ballet? The gymnastics has helped with the strength, flexibility and balance.
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? Yes
How do you balance a busy schedule? Time management and planning things out really helps. Plus, I make sure she has "off days" where she can just chill and do nothing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name-Lolly
Parent or Student? Student
What is your activity? Gymnastics
How long have you been dancing? 6 years (since I was 9 and my coach suggested it)
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) I do ballet and tap
Do you do pointe? Yes
How has ballet helped you? I gained grace, elegance,better leg and back strangth for things like arabesques, much better general movement e.g. in my floor routine
How has your activity helped you with ballet? Strength from gymnastics definitely helps and also the work ethic and discipline I gained from it
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? No because the dancing is at my gymnastics centre so its mainly to supplement gym
How do you balance a busy schedule? My coaches value my ballet time as much as my training in the gym so they were happy to sit down and work out a schedule with me
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parent or Student? student (used to be anyways)
What is your activity? gymnastics and cheerleading
How long have you been dancing? i took ballet for two years
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) ballet and jazz
Do you do pointe? for about 6 months, but quit because it hurt my feet too much. i had bloody toes and it was hard for me to preform in the gym.
How has ballet helped you? game me a lot more grace and agility...judges always commented on my fluid movements.
How has your activity helped you with ballet? i was already very deadicated and a perfectionist
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? yepppp. i was the sugar plum fairy my final year
How do you balance a busy schedule? lotsss of hw and eating and changing in the car.
____________________________________________________________

Many Skating and Gymnastic teams offer dance as part of training. Some girls are full time dancers and competitive dancers. I recommend dancers to try gymnastics or go to an open gym. It's amazing what you learn and how much it helps. I go to free skate a lot to.

This is one of my favorite montages on youtube

It shows how much dance is in gymnastics.

This is a tribute to a great skater and ballerina

Ballet as a Supplement?

2009-08-20T16:22:00.002-04:00

Many people take ballet as a class to help them with another sport. Figure skating, cheerleading, gymnastics, even football. Ballet helps develop proper posture/alignment, flexibility, strength and grace. Do you? We want to hear about how ballet helps another activity you do.

Name*-
Parent or Student?

What is your activity?
How long have you been dancing?
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify)
Do you do pointe?
How has ballet helped you?
How has your activity helped you with ballet?
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker?
How do you balance a busy schedule?

*optional

Pictures and videos are always welcome.
If you are under 13 it is preferred that a parent fills this out

E-mail responses to dancingteenblog@gmail.com

New Year, Nutcracker Auditions UPDATED

2009-08-16T20:54:00.016-04:00

Sorry about not posting as much! I've been on Vacation! So i know dance has either already started back up or is starting soon and wanted to wish everyone good luck this year.

A new Dance year can bring happiness or disappointment. In my case-disappointment. I have been taking classes with girls older than me for 2 years but now my AD wants me to be with girls my own age so I have to repeat a year :(

Also with the new dance year is Nutcracker Auditions!!!!!

This is my Guide to Nutcracker Auditions

Most auditions for children's parts are based on size because they reuse costumes year after year and cannot custom make them every year. So don't be upset if you/your child doesn't get a part she is to tall/short for, it doesn't mean she is not a good dancer

Many Nutcracker auditions consist of learning choreography from the dance they are trying out for. A good way to be prepared is to watch some of the company's past performances or videos on youtube.com to become familiar with the choreography.

Auditions for older girls can sometimes take place in the form of a class, learning choreography at the end.

What to Wear?

Hair in a bun with bangs back (http://justanotherdancingteen.blogspot.com/2009/05/ballet-buns.html)

Leotard, tights, ballet slippers, pointe shoes (if needed)

I have created some audition outfits using DDS (http://www.discountdance.com/index.php) Under each picture is it's "ID" number, search it on DDS.

[For tights and slippers browse the site or use your own]

You may want to call the Studio/Company you are auditioning for and ask if there is a dress code.

For 6-8 year olds

Light blue is a step above the classic pink,but the cap sleeve still says little girl and looks great with flowers around the bun. The bag is small enough to carry with no problem and has a separate compartment for slippers

[TB132]

[2390]

[4317]

Under 6

These girls are always cute in pink. Pair a ballet pink cap sleeve leo with a hair wreath with a big bow. The bag is small enough to carry with no trouble and has just enough room for her ballet slippers

[CL5462]

[PB27596]

[B17C]

9-11

These girls can be uncomfortable with their bodies. These are sturdy leotards that are fully front lined. They are also available in adult sizes. They come in a variety of colors because these girls like to make their own decisions. Available in Black, Burgundy, Garnet, Hunter, L. Blue, Navy, Pink, Royal and White. The second leo has easy sizing as it comes in traditional clothing sizes. It comes in Black, White, L. Pink, L. Blue, Lavender, Mulberry, Royal, Red, Yellow and Seafoam. Both bags are fashion forward. The 1st one has a graphic and the second one is more quiet and as a coin purse. Most of the Girls this age won't want a bun wreath. Many will want a single flower or scrunchie available at Claire's (http://www.claires.com/)

[CC202C]

[Y1555C]

[3610]

[1002DLX]

14+

For serious girls, camisoles are a must. The 1st style has many color choices; Black, White, Lemon, Eggplant, Mint, Dark Teal and Fuchsia. The pinch front and low back are very flattering, and the princess seams are slimming. The second leo is a classic black camisole. The straps are both adjustable and detachable allowing for a criss-cross back. The big tote bag can hold everything you need for a day of rehearsals-including a compartment for pointe shoes.

[N8041]

[N8129]

[4366]

I will be giving more tips throughout the rest of August. E-mail me with any ?s or comments. We would love to see your audition outfits!!

My story-Part 2

2009-08-03T20:27:00.002-04:00

Part 1

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 later on 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.

Part 2

“Polina, sang Diana, time to get up!”
“Not now, Dasha!”
“I’m Diana, Dasha’s still sleeping. She's just as bad as you!”
“I don’t want to get up!”
“But were going to be in Venice for the week!”
“Fine”

Polina sat up on her mat, the sun was shining through the train windows. The air was warm. This is definitely Italy, she thought. She giggled as she watched Diana trying to wake up her twin sister Dasha. They were so carefree. They never seemed to be sad. They liked traveling and probably never thought of…..running away. Polina shook the thought out of her head. If she ran away her parents would stop getting paid and they would never let her back in their home.

Fifteen minutes later then train stopped and the girls unloaded. They each carried both of their bags up to the hotel room. The best part about staying in Venice was that they got to stay in a hotel, and sleep on real beds. The hotel owner felt bad for them and allowed them to stay free as long as he got two tickets for his daughters to one of the shows. After they put away their things they each grabbed a piece of fruit and ran over to the theatre to start rehearsals. The rehearsals used to seem long but now they were just a normal part of her day. First they did an hour long dance class followed by 2 hours of tumbling, afterward they had an hour stretch class. Then they had lunch and rest for 45 minutes and then spent the rest of the day rotating between rhythmic gymnastics and rehearsing their routines. Their day ended around 7:30pm. They all grabbed something for dinner, went up to the showers, showered, and went to their rooms and fell asleep.

The next night was their first show.

“Polina, Dasha; WAKE UP!!!! It’s a show day!”
“Diana, not now! This bed is SO comfortable.”
“But it’s a show day; we have rehearsal in 20 minutes.”

The girls jumped out of bed and changed into their practice clothes. After a long day of rehearsal they went to the dressing rooms to get changed. Polina’s favorite thing about being on tour was the performances and getting ready for them. For her first few performances Ekaterina helped her get ready. She was 16 when Polina first joined the tour. She had since ran away and gotten married. Polina knew this because they kept in contact. Ekaterina would send letters to RADA and they would be sent to the train’s next major stop.

“Dasha”, asked Polina, “have you ever thought about….running away?”
“Of course not! My parents have 4 other children to take care of. Now come over here so I can do you hair. Madame Olena wants two Dutch braids into a bun. I know you have trouble with the Dutch braids.”

After Dasha did her hair they slipped into their blue leotards, and packed their rhythmic leotards and apparatus. Polina stood in front of the full length mirror. After admiring her braids she looked at the rest of her body. Her arms and legs were thin but, muscular and her ribs stuck out like a plateau. This can’t possibly be right, she thought.

After they ended the tumbling part of their show they quickly changed into their purple and white skirted leotards and started to warm up their routines, as the youngest girls performed their dances.

“Udachi, good luck!” called Dasha and Diana at the same time as Polina went on stage to perform her hoop routine. Polina stood on stage waiting for the music, someone caught her eye. He was tan, had dark brown hair and….the most amazing brown eyes. They sparkled like stars at night. Her music started. She arched her back and began her routine

AUGUST!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-02T18:18:00.002-04:00

WOW! I can't believe it's already August. This summer is flying by. I know some of you went to Summer Intensives. We would love to hear about them. Also how are you getting back in shape for classes this fall? I'm running and doing pilates. I highly recommend getting a pilates DVD.

That's all for now.

Youtube.com

2009-07-17T10:08:00.002-04:00

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.

My Story.....

2009-07-11T09:57:00.003-04:00

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.

This is what I picture her looking like. With a purple and white skirted leotard

Ballet School

2009-07-05T11:23:00.004-04:00

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.

How do you get in?
Audition!

Admission

Study 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/)

4th of July, Streching

2009-07-04T09:04:00.005-04:00

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.

Also see (http://forums.dancemedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5105&hilit=splits&sid=31951b6db22c0ee4fb9ec89dd84b53a5)

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.

Styles of Ballet Part 2

2009-07-02T19:08:00.006-04:00

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).

July 1, Styles of Ballet

2009-07-01T20:36:00.008-04:00

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.

Back from BBT

2009-06-27T09:54:00.004-04:00

I just got home from the 1 week workshop at Bossov in Maine, It was AMAZING! I learned so much in the 1 week.

I am a parent or a student: student
Dancer Age/Sex: 14/female

CLASS INFORMATION

Number of students in class: 10

Was the student challenged? yes, very much

Did the students have the same teacher(s) every day? no, the 4 teachers alternated, except for rehearsal (you had the same teacher every day)

How many classes were held each day/week? 3 per day + rehearsal

Was partnering available and if so, for what levels? yes, 3 & 4 plus some basic partnering for levels 1 & 2

Was Pilates or other conditioning offered? yes

Were the studios/facilities adequate? yes, they were very nice, note 1 of the studios was not a year round studio, it was a classroom with a box floor

DORM LIFE

RA/student ratio: 1/floor

Were you happy with the security/supervision? yes, Mr. Wiley was a Marine and is very picky about security, we even had a fire drill for a one week program

Was it easy to communicate with home (phone, email, messages left with the program, etc.)? yes, very simple by phone and a little more difficult by email since computers weren't available in the dorm, they had a computer lab avalible in the evenings

Were you happy with the accommodations? yes, the dorms were recently renovated

Were you happy with the food? YES! There were so many choices and the kitchen staff was VERY nice.

What was the best weekend activity? N/A I was only there for a week

Was there enough/too much down time? no, there was a nice amount of down time

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES

What were your impressions? good, very nice performance space and program (Just a DEMO but if you stayed there was a full performance of Giselle)

Was casting equitable? Yes, each level did a dance

Was class time used for rehearsals? No, your last class each day was rehearsals

If so, at what point in the SI did rehearsals begin? 1st day

Did you feel that the number of injuries was average for an SI? Lower than normal

Do you have any personal experience about how injuries, treatment and recuperation were handled? no

GENERAL COMMENTS

How many weeks is the program? 1 week with the 5 week option

Is this program more suitable for any specific age group? 12+ for boarding, the 11 and 10 year olds were running around

What did you like best? Learning from former world class ballet dancers, many performed with the Kirov Ballet. I enjoyed meeting new people and the amount of freedoom we got.

What did you like least? One of the studios got VERY hot and stuffy.

Do you have any tips for preparing for this SI (i.e. packing, travel, etc.)? I would bring a fan, it can get HOT, a key chain for your dorm key, a raincoat and umbrella, pilates mat and a mirror.

Would the student return again? Please explain. YES, the training was intense but the teachers were very caring.

In a word or phrase, please describe the atmosphere of this SI. Please include anything that is exceptional or unique about this program, that will help others gain a sense of the culture at this SI. Cozy-Every one is caring and no one is ever left out.

I'll write more later

Going to Bossov

2009-06-19T22:04:00.003-04:00

Well I'm headed up to Bossov tomorrow. We're staying at a hotel for the night and then going up to MCI (Where Bossov is located) around noon on Sunday. I'm SOOOOO excited. I'm going to try to blog as much as I can while i'm up there so you can get a first hand look at their program. Thats all for now.

Alice in Wonderland Part 2

2009-06-18T15:36:00.003-04:00

Some of my favorite Alice in Wonderland quotes:

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. "Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?" he asked."Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop."

"See all the trouble you started?" exclaimed the March Hare."But I didn't think...." said Alice."That's just it. If you don't think, then you shouldn't talk.

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked."Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.""How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice."You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Doorknob-Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.

Mad Hatter-No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow.

Alice: And how many hours a day did you do lessons?

The Mock Turtle: Ten hours the first day, nine the next, and so on.

Alice: What a curious plan!

The Gryphon: That's the reason they're called lessons, because they lessen from day to day.

Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Alice in Wonderland

2009-06-13T10:34:00.003-04:00

In honor of my studio performing "Alice in Wonderland-The Ballet" I'm going to give you some interesting facts about the story.

For those who don't know the story please see: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_wonderland)

Did You Know??

In 1931, the book was banned in Hunan, China because "animals should not use human language" and it "put animals and human beings on the same level."

The card on the Madd Hatters hat is a price tag in 'old' English money: pounds, shillings and pennies, which was then written as l/s/d. Lewis Carroll has explained the meaning of the tag in his 'Nursery Alice':The Hatter used to carry about hats to sell: and even the one that he's got on his head is meant to be sold. You see it's got its price marked on it - a "10" and a "6" - that means "ten shillings and sixpence."

From the book (Mad Hatters Riddle)-A raven is like a writting desk because-In a new preface that Carroll wrote for the 1896 edition of Alice, he gave what he considered to be the best answer to the Mad Hatter's riddle. This is what he wrote:
"Enquiries have been so often addressed to me, as to whether any answer to the Hatter’s Riddle can be imagined, that I may as well put on record here what seems to me to be a fairly appropriate answer, viz: "Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!" This, however, is merely an afterthought; the Riddle as originally invented, had no answer at all."
Note the spelling of "never" as "nevar" (discovered by Denis Crutch). Carroll intended to spell "raven" backwards. The word was corrected to "never" in all later printings, perhaps by an editor who thought he had found a printer's error. Because Carroll died soon after this "correction" had destroyed the ingenuity of his answer, the original spelling was never restored. Whether Carroll was aware of the damage done to his clever answer is not known.

Others have made up anwsers such as-"because Poe wrote on both", and my personal favorite "because there's a B in both and an N in neither".

Some Characters

(http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/school/char1.html)

Alice- is the main character of the story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and the sequel "Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there". She is a seven-year-old English girl with lots of imagination and is fond of showing off her knowledge. Alice is polite, well raised and interested in others, although she sometimes makes the wrong remarks and upsets the creatures in Wonderland. She is easily put off by abruptness and rudeness of others.

Cheshire Cat- is the cat of the Duchess. Alice meets it when she leaves the Duchess house, and finds it in a tree. It constantly grins and can disappear and reappear whenever it likes. Sometimes it disappears and leaves its grin behind.
The Cheshire Cat is the only character in Wonderland who actually listens to Alice. With his remarks, he teaches Alice the ‘rules’ of Wonderland. He gives her insight in how things work down there.
It is not 100% clear why Carroll named this character 'Cheshire Cat'. "To grin like a Cheshire Cat" was a common phrase in Carroll's day. Its origin is unknown, but it may have originated from a sign painter in Cheshire, who painted grinning lions on the sign-boards of inns in the area. Another source may be the following: when you take a good look at the 'Alice Window' in Christ Church, Oxford, you can see 3 grinning animals at the top of the Liddell's family arms. Perhaps this is what inspired Dodgson. Also, at one time, Cheshire cheeses were molded in the shape of a grinning cat. Finally, the Cheshire Cat might be inspired by a carving in Croft Church.

Mad Hatter- is one of the members of the Mad Tea Party. Later he also appears as a witness during the trial. He occasionally is very rude and provokes Alice during the tea party. When he is called upon by the Queen, he is very nervous and frightened.
In 'Through the Looking Glass', the Hatter returns in the form of the Anglo-Saxon messenger 'Hatta'
The phrase 'mad as a hatter' was common in Carroll's time. 'Mad as a hatter' probably owes its origin to the fact that hatters actually did go mad, because the mercury they used sometimes gave them mercury poisoning.

Queen of Hearts- is one of the playing card characters Alice meets when she is finally able to enter the beautiful garden through the door in the hallway.
The Queen of Hearts rules over Wonderland and is a tyrant - violent, authoritative and dominant. She likes to play croquet with live flamingoes and hedgehogs as mallets and balls (but only when she wins, and by her own rules) and constantly orders the beheading of people when something isn't to her liking (although these orders apparently never are actually carried out). She also has her own ideas about how trials should be conducted, and is feared by all other Wonderland inhabitants because of her lack of patience and explosive character. Carroll wrote the following about the Queen of Hearts: "I pictured to myself the Queen of Hearts as a sort of embodiment of ungovernable passion – a blind and aimless Fury."

Stay tuned for part 2!

SI Packing List

2009-06-07T19:29:00.004-04:00

This is a geniric packing list for ballet SIs. Be sure to look over the information you got for your SI.

Hair Products

hair ties hair pins
hair nets
shampoo
conditioner
hairspray/gel
comb/brush
blow-dryer

Medicine Cabinet

Kleenex
sunscreen
bugspray
toothpaste/toothbrush
facial soap/acne cleanser
lotion
makeup/stage makeup
q-tipsdeodorant
toenail care supplys
hand soap
floss
heat pack/ice pack
shower bucket (for carring supplys to the bathroom)
Closet hangers
laundry bag
laundry detergent
fabric softener
sewing kit
safety pins
drying rack
quarters for laundry

Clothing

underclothes
shorts
Capri’s
pants
tanks/t-shirts/long-sleeve t's
sweatshirt
raincoat/umbrella
sandals/tennis shoes/dressy/shoes
dressy outfit
bathrobe/slippers/shower flip-flops
pyjamas
swimsuit
hat/purse/sunglasses

Ballet Gear

toe tape
blister pads
ballet flat shoes
pointe shoes*
character shoes
leotards**
skirts
tights
warm-ups
character skirt
dance bag***
ribbons/elastics/theraband

*I would bring at least 3-4 pairs of pointe shoes and rotate them. (1st two pairs the 1st two weeks and 2nd two pairs the last two weeks)
**I would recommend at least one simple, black camisole leotard.
***I would recommend a bigger dance bag than you would normally have.

Bedroom Features

stationary
address book
alarm clock
beach towel
bottle
zip lock bags
pictures
pillow case/pillow
sheets/comforter
comfort item
dance journal*
camera
cards/books/magazines/ipod/batteries/cell phone/charger/writing utensils/money/lock/purses

*I would suggest keeping a ballet journal. Take notes from each class. When you come home, you will have these notes to refer to. You may only have these teachers for one summer, so you're going to want to remember what they say! It will also help you to remember corrections to work on!

Bossov Ballet

2009-06-07T14:17:00.006-04:00

I'm going to Bossov Ballet in Maine for 1 week this summer. These are 2 videos I got from youtube about Bossov. Are any of you going? Please comment!

Don't Judge Him By His Tights

2009-06-05T16:22:00.004-04:00

Male dancers are AMAZING! They are not sissies, they are strong and agile. Dancer Sascha Radetsky wrote an article for Newsweek called Don’t Judge Me By My Tights. I think every one needs to read it and learn to respect male dancers. (http://www.newsweek.com/id/120061)

Homesickness and Dancewear

2009-06-04T15:43:00.003-04:00

HOMESICKNESS

Most people get home sick at some time. For many young dancers going to a summer intensive can be the first time away from home. Keep these tips in mind;

1. ITS OK- Many of the other kids will be home sick to. It's OK to feel sad after your parents leave.

2. INTRODUCE YOUR SELF- Don't be nervous about meeting new people. You're not the only person feeling nervous.

3. BE A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY- You don't get to talk a lot in dance. That's why many SIs have planned activities, to help students get to know each other. So go to an Ice Cream Social or on a Whale Watch, staying busy will keep you from missing home.

4. BRING HOME WITH YOU- Pack pictures of your friends and family or a favorite stuffed animal or blanket. Bring your own sheets, comforter and pillows.

5. KEEP IN TOUCH- write letters, send e-mails. Be positive and tell your friends and family about what you learning; you mastered your triple, got a solo in the demonstration, your teacher asked you to demonstrate your tour jetes in class, you and your roommate are INSEPARABLE.

REMEMBER-If you weren't at the intensive would you be learning everything you are here?

Adapted from "Home away from Home" by Kathryn Holmes in Dance Spirit May/June 2009

DANCEWEAR

I buy buy dancewear from Discount Dance Supply(http://www.discountdance.com/index.php). Their prices are great and the have great products. You can read the reviews before buy. They ship in a reasonable amount of time, things are not normally back ordered.

Jeanette Kakareka-Vote Today!

2009-06-02T16:31:00.004-04:00

Jeanette Kakareka is in the running for this years Discount Dance Model Search. She's already in the TOP THREE!

You can find her full biography and pictures at (http://www.discountdance.com/modelsearch/bio.php?modelname=jKakareka)

You can see her dance at (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC_kr8gC_KI)

Some things in her biography that I thought stood out are;

Have you always wanted to be a dancer?

I loved dancing when I was little, but to be honest, I had my heart set on being a veterinarian, and I actually didn't even find ballet to be my favorite form of dance. It probably didn't help that my school's 'ballet' classes weren't classical in any sense. However, when I first went to take a class at Rock West, the Rock School's suburban school that also includes many other forms of dance as well as ballet, I looked in a window of some girls taking ballet class and it just hit me like a wall. I wanted to be a ballerina at the age of 11.

What is a typical day like for you?

I wake up at 5:00 in the morning, I get ready, eat some breakfast, pack my lunch, and my dad drives me to the SEPTA bus stop, which is about 20 minutes away. I take the bus to Broad & Carpenter, (approx. 1 hour ride,) where I walk a block down to Rock and at 8:00 I have RAPA, (Rock Academic Program Alliance,) which is the Rock School's partially online high school located on the 2nd floor of the building. I have school until 10:00 and then I have a half hour break to get ready and stretch out for my 10:30-12:00 technique class. The teachers change throughout the week, but generally, we have the same teacher for a certain class weekly. Afterwards, we have pointe class or, (once a week,) pilates for an hour and then I get a half hour lunch break. My afternoon tends to be different every day, but I normally have rehearsals at some point or a second RAPA session from 1:30 to 3:00. I then have an afternoon class at 3:30 that goes until 5:30. Afterwards, I might have another rehearsal or partnering class for an extra hour and a half, but not every day. I then go home on the bus again, and when I get home, I eat dinner and usually go to bed soon after. It's really crazy; you have to love it.

On any given day what can we typically find in your dance bag?

You can find a lot in my dance bag. Here's my typical list: cell phone, camera, iPod, make-up bag, Aleve liquid gels, (perfect to apply to sore spots,) a giant ball of thread, needles, travel-size scissors, corn cushions, 'squishy' tape, this really cool Japanese tape my friend Rina got me, stomach-pain relief chewable tablets, several ballet skirts, warm-up pants, Rock School shorts, a stretch band, my favorite mukluks, flat shoes, several pointe shoes, toe pads, extra ribbons and elastic, my wallet, my bus pass, a book, several lip glosses, and a lint roller and hand sanitizer, (because I'm a bit of a germaphobe meets OCD.)

What do you like most about dancing?

I love it the most when you get a certain combination from a teacher or something like that and you get that really fuzzy feeling of loving to dance because you find it so refreshing and makes you feel beautiful. Going on stage and getting the same feeling is even ten times better.

What do you think is unique about you and or your dancing?

I've been told I have stage presence, and have nice lines. I think that recently I've been learning how to be less nervous and therefore allow myself to show the audience more that I love to dance, which I hope comes across. I try not to down myself by worrying about perfect technique or tricks as much. I care much more about the emotion, the movement of everything, and musicality. I'm working on these things.

What has been your favorite dance moment?

I have two. Once when I was onstage doing snow corps and it was the end, with that beautiful music and the chorus singing, and I was just thinking, 'I love this.' Nutcracker Snow can do that to you sometimes. You get that fuzzy feeling I was talking about earlier, and you really smile. My other favorite moment was actually extremely recently. I was at YAGP and I went onstage to do my classical. I was really enjoying myself, when all of a sudden, my left heel nearly completely slipped off. Because we weren't allowed to use rosin, backstage I was trying to come up with creative ways to keep my heel on, but apparently it didn't work. I just thought, 'This is it. I'm over! I'm not even half-way through!' But I just kept going, and I told myself, 'Just smile and look like nothing is wrong. Forget about it.' When I made it all the way and I did my saut de chat I was just like 'Yes! Thank-you God!' and I went up into my arabesque and I was all smiles. I was just so glad that I made it through! I didn't know how well I actually danced; all I knew was that I was so lucky!

What challenges do you face as a dancer?

I have a body that doesn't naturally build muscle up but is very flexible; I got that from my mom. I've been working really hard on building up muscle and strength for my jumps, and I think it's improving. Recently, it hasn't been an issue because I think I'm almost done growing at 5'6 Â¾', but before I had growth spurt problems. I would gain my balance only to lose it all over again; it was extremely frustrating.

What are you most proud of about yourself as a dancer?

I'm proud of myself because I've learned to calm down this year. When I was younger and had nothing on the line, I was never nervous, but now that I'm getting older, every performance counts. I'm learning how to keep my nerve and just enjoy. I'm also glad because I feel like I'm learning not to just be a 'slow' kind of dancer. I don't want to be, but that's what's natural to me. So, I'm trying to push myself more this year.

What highlights of your dance life touched you most?

One of my highlights that have touched me has been getting to do the Dying Swan variation. I was coached to do this for the Orchid Society's reception at Longwood Gardens this fall. It wasn't about being technically correct, but instead it was about what I felt like; that I truly got into it, and I'm so grateful that I got to do something so beautiful and emotional. I also really enjoyed being given the part of Snow Princess and Lead Princess of Persia, (Arabian Lead,) in the Rock School's Nutcracker this year. It was amazing to work further on partnering this year!

Who has most influenced you or had the greatest impact on you in regards to dance?

Well, I would definitely have to thank my family, teachers, and my friends for their impacts in my life as far as dance! My mom and dad have carted me around for so long, taking me to classes and rehearsals. I've annoyed them and inconvenienced them many times because of this, so there's a really large 'thank-you' right there. Then they've always been there for moral support too, of course. They sometimes need to tell me not to over-analyze things, because that's what I do, I over-analyze. Although often forgotten, I need to thank my two younger brothers a lot because they've put up with having their lives, countless times, being put on hold so that I can do what I need to do. Further, I want to thank my grandparents for coming to everything and being so very supportive. I also have to sincerely thank my teachers at Rock for coaching me and teaching me so much. I'm so grateful I also have a favorite dancer that has influenced me a lot, Alessandra Ferri! Whenever anyone asks me for my favorite dancer I pretty much shout it. I love her way of having pristine technique, but at the same time, having such dramatic quality. She has such deliberateness, too, in everything she does. Making just a rond de jambe beautiful. I also admire her because, (arguably,) she was the best Juliet ever known, and Juliet is my all-time dream part. I also have to thank my friends for helping me de-stress and giving me such amazing memories that I'll always remember. It's amazing how tight of bonds you create with your ballet peers; the fellow camaraderie gets us really closely knit. It's not like a normal job or school; it's a lifestyle and it creates something like a second family among your ballet friends. In addition, I also want to thank everyone who will vote for me for this! It means so much to me! Thank-you! And of course, thank-you Discount Dance Supply, for giving me this wonderful and unique opportunity.

If you could choose one dancer to perform with, who would it be, and what production would it be?

It's hard to choose, but I would love to work with anyone of Angel Corella, Ethan Stiefel, or Daniel Ulbricht. They're all such amazing dancers and I would be so honored! (Of course, this is in my dreams!) If I got to choose a production I wanted to be in and what part, I would want to be Juliet in Romeo and Juliet! I love Juliet so much because she would be such an amazing character to develop throughout the ballet. First, she's youthful, innocent, and being forced into a marriage she doesn't necessarily want, and then she falls in love with Romeo, and then she's distraught and very emotional. The first time I saw the balcony pas with Alessandra Ferri and Wayne Eagling, I was in love. I was like, this is it!

Can you describe the feeling you have when you are in the wings, waiting for your cue, and you hear the music and you enter the stage?

I try to stay calm back stage. I get rolls of calm, excited energy, and then quick bursts of, 'What if this happens? I'm going to mess this all up! I'm going to fall!' Then, when it's my cue, I get a moment of absolute nervous-wreck, and then a complete wash of joy to be on stage. It's such extremes, it really is hard to describe.

If you were to give one piece of advice to aspiring dancers, what would that be?

Listen to your teachers, be sure you want this, and if you want it, you have to prove it! You have to work hard, but on the other hand, know when you're injured or are overly stressed. You need to love this so, so much or else you'll hate every second of it. And please also remember; this is an art, not the Olympics! It's not about how high you can jump, or how large your developpe is, or how arched your feet are, or many turns you do. (I would also say to believe in yourself, but everyone says that!)

WHAT/WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE

Actor/Actress: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Will Smith, Julie Roberts, and Anne Hathaway.
Singer: I really like Tom DeLonge, Axl Rose, and Adam Levine. It's hard to say, however.
Color: Sometimes yellow, sometimes light pink, sometimes purple, sometimes aqua. It largely depends on the day.
Place To Visit: The same beach house my family and I rent every year in Avalon, New Jersey. I haven't been going recently, however, because of summer intensives conflicting. There's a lot of great family memories there, and I miss it. I also love New York City, but who doesn't?
Memory: I have a lot of really great memories of my family and friends, and then of course, my dancing. I can't pick just one.
Animal: My kitty, Angel!
Magazine: Pointe, Teen Vogue, and Seventeen.
Song: 'I Don't Want To Miss a Thing' by Aerosmith.
Holiday: Christmas and Easter.
Dancer: Alessandra Ferri!!!!!!
Movie: Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, National Treasure (1 and 2), You've Got Mail, The Dark Knight, and Hitch. Ballet movie? The Royal Ballet's Romeo and Juliet featuring Alessandra Ferri and Wayne Eagling, of course!
Outfit: Something feminine but not 'girly', however, that's hard to do everyday since I'm getting up so early every morning and dancing all day so sweats are more practical sometimes.
Hairstyle: I've always wanted curly hair, so I sometimes give myself waves, but I naturally have a really straight brown hair. I tend to pull it half-up half-down.
Jewelry: If you know me, you know I love rings and earrings!
Fragrance: I just got Betsey Johnson perfume for Christmas and I love it!
Shoes: On my 'someday wish list' I really want some Ed Hardy sneakers.
Dancewear: I love my new Natalie leotard that I wore in the photo shoot that's metallic silver! I also have a red leotard that I love.
Dance Catalog: Discount Dance Supply, of course!
Dance Competition: Youth American Grand Prix!

Last summer Jeanette attended Pacific Northwest Ballet School's summer intensive on a full scholarship. This year she will be attending San Francisco Ballet School's summer intensive on a full scholarship. She dances at the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, PA.

The winner of the contest receives an individual photoshoot, the chance to be on the cover or in an ad for DDS, and a $500 gift certificate. Jeanette will use the money for much needed pointe shoes! (she goes through a pair every 2-3 days).

***You can vote 5x a day per computer*** (http://www.discountdance.com/modelsearch/bio.php?modelname=jKakareka)

Thanks for reading and please VOTE TODAY!

Stage Fright

2009-05-30T13:11:00.004-04:00

Recital is coming up and many dancers suffer stage fright. Most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing.

Symtoms of Stage Fright are:
Dry mouth.
Tight throat.
Sweaty hands.
Cold hands.
Shaky hands.
Nausea.
Fast pulse.
Shaky knees.
Trembling lips.

To help get over Stage Fright:
Concentrate on how good you are.
Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
Remember happy moments from your past.
Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
Picture the audience in their underwear

Some people think they have stage fright when it is really excitment.

REMEMBER- Take a deep breath, go out onstage and HAVE FUN!

Adapted from (http://www.antion.com/articles/stagefright.htm)

Recital Check List

2009-05-29T17:24:00.003-04:00

Recital Time is coming up so I made the check-list for you:

Hair

1. Hair nets
2. Bobby pins/hair pins
3. HAIRSPRAY
4. Gel
5. Head pieces

Shoes and tights

1. Pink tights
2. Flat shoes
3. Pointe shoes
4. Toe pads

Costumes
1. Flesh leotard
2. Costume
3. Arm bands
4. belts, hats, other accessories

Other

1. Camera
2. First-aid
3. Make-up: blush, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick
4. Water bottles
5. Snacks

Boston Ballet-Melanie Atkins and Jared Redick Retire

2009-05-29T16:29:00.007-04:00

After seven seasons with Boston Ballet, soloists Melanie and Jared will retire from the stage to pursue new paths with Boston Ballet. Redick will continue as Principal of Boston Ballet School's Norwell Studio and Aktins will begin as Children's Ballet Mistress of Boston Ballet School. Both will make their final performances in Ballets Russes. Read their final interview below.

What is your favorite memory at Boston Ballet?

(Melanie Atkins) I have so many wonderful memories at Boston Ballet it's impossible to pick just one! Dancing one of my favorite ballets, Duo Concertant, with my husband (Sabi Varga) is definitely a highlight. Also traveling to Washington D.C. to see the company perform Jorma's Brake the Eyes was great - I felt so proud to be part of such a wonderful group even though I wasn't actually dancing! Our tour to Spain was unforgettable - I could go on for ages about favorite memories. I'm definitely grateful to have so many!!
(Jared Redick) I have so many excellent memories of my seven years here. The one that stands out is when Reed Anderson came to work with us on Onegin, duing my first season. Working with him was an experience that I will treasure; that ballet is a special ballet.
Another highlight was opening night of (Jorma Elo's) Plan to B. It was one of those truly unique moments in the theater where we finished the ballet and there were two or three seconds of silence. And then, like a rock concert, the audience exploded. That was awesome for us as a cast.

What is your earliest memory as a professional dancer?
(JR) My earliest memory would definitely be the first time I did Sleeping Beauty. It was my first year with San Francisco Ballet. We went on tour to Washington DC, my hometown. The role that I was given was one of the musicians that stands in the back, followed by carrying the guns across the stage. All the older dancers got a good kick out of that.
(MA) I was hired out of SAB to dance for Fort Worth Dallas Ballet in Serenade - the company needed two more corps dancers. I've always had a special place in my heart for that ballet, and have danced it many times since. The feeling of standing on stage waiting for the curtain to go up, bathed in blue light and listening to the gorgeous Tchaikovsky music come up from the pit was magical. The role I've danced most recently in Serenade is not a part of the opening moment - even so, I get the same shivers hearing the music while backstage waiting for my first entrance.

What would you like to say to all your fans and supporters?
(JR) Do I have any? (laughs) Thanks a million. It’s such a privilege to dance in front of the audience in this company. To have people who are there almost every program and supporting you, is truly a blessing. I am deeply grateful.
(MA) Thank you, thank you, and thank you! It's been wonderful to finish my performing career where I grew up. The Boston audience welcomed me immediately on joining the company - I will always be grateful for the support both on and off stage. Boston's ballet community is unique in that they really take an interest in their dancers. The audience is proud, as they should be, to have a world-class ballet company and they show their appreciation on many levels.

What are you most excited to do next?

(MA) Well, I think most people will guess the answer to that question: one word - Sophie! I'm so excited to be a mother. I look forward to bringing her to the ballet and introducing her to this crazy wonderful business that I've been a part of for so long. Of course, I'll still be around - definitely backstage, and who knows, I might show up as an evil witch in a future production...
(JR) Hopefully get some sleep! I’m looking forward to exploring different things now, both within the field and outside of the field. I have lived and breathed being a dancer for so many years, almost 30 years, that to now have a little bit of time to explore new things is a little overwhelming but definitely very, very exciting.

Ballet Buns

2009-05-28T21:51:00.005-04:00

I was at dance class and noticed that the younger girls (class before mine) didn't wear their hair in buns. I asked one of the parents why and she said most parents don't know how to make a bun. This worried me because recital is coming up and I know the AD will not be happy with messy buns.

TO MAKE A BALLET BUN

You will need:

Brush

Spray bottle

Hair spray

Hair tie

Hair pins/bobby pins

Hair net

To make the bun:

Gather hair in a ponytail

Twist hair

Wrap it in a circle (coil) around the hair tie

Add hair/bobby pins

Add hair net

Hair spray And DONE

This is a picture version (http://www.schoolofballetarts.com/bun2.jpg)

For more creative ideas see (http://forums.dancemedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1281&sid=206be2e9f23fbcee24351b76cbe5ce96)

Finished Bun

A Dancers Closet

2009-05-28T15:18:00.002-04:00

Ok so this is about what I think every ballet student needs

BAG
A good bad should be big enough to hold all your dance stuff, a water bottle (or 2) and have a pocket to air out your pointe shoes. Some bags I have used are - drawstring bags, backpacks, messenger/shoulder strap bags and tote bags

LEOTARDS
Everyone should have a plain black, camisole leotard.
I perfer TACTEL leotards (http://www.blochworld.com/shop/c-11-leotards.aspx) many of BLOCH'S leotards are tactel.
Colored leotards are fun, but many studios have dress codes.
I recommend a good long sleeve leotard for chilly studios (though you do get very sweaty)
A flesh colored leotard for performances is a MUST. (http://www.discountdance.com/index.php) [searh undergarments]

SKIRTS
Shorter wrap skirts are good for ballet (http://www.discountdance.com/index.php)
Longer skirts are to heavy and distracting

SHOES
Ballet slippers should be fitted like a second skin
The should NOT be bought with "room to grow"
Most kids have single-sole leather
Older girls tend to like split-sole canvas shoes
Personally I like leather ones
Pointe Shoes- one-two pairs with ribbons and elastics

HAIR
Should always be in a bun
I use BUNHEADS products from (http://www.discountdance.com/index.php)

WARMUPS
I LOVE legwarmers
I think everyone needs a pair, I recomend the fuzzy ones by HARMONIE
I have never liked the wrap sweaters, but thats just me

So I have an e-mail dancingteenblog@gmail.com so feel free to ask any questions or for something you want posted

Summer Intensive

2009-05-27T21:45:00.002-04:00

Ok so this year I'm going to Bossov Ballet in Maine (http://bossovballet.com/) for the one week workshop [My family's a little short on money]. I'm really excited. Next year I want to audition for; Boston Ballet, Bossov (5 weeks), ABT, Nutmeg, Kirov, and Walnut Hill.

First Post

2009-05-27T21:18:00.002-04:00

SOOOO this is a blog about the thing I love most Dance....well...........mostly BALLET. I hope you like it!