Clara

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!

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Youtube collection

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

Ballet as a Supplement-Response

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!
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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?

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

Styles of Ballet Part 2

Balanchine method (American ballet):

Balanchine style, named after the legendary choreographer George Balanchine, is a technique of dancing characterized by more open and emphasized lines, speedy allegros, and very little plie. In Balanchine Technique, the preparation for en-dehors pirouettes is a 4th position with a straightened back leg (the leg that becomes the working leg).

Cecchetti method(Italian Ballet):

The Cecchetti method of ballet instruction was created by Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928). The method traditionally has eight grades.Grades one through four were added after Cecchetti died. Grades five through eight correspond to his original levels. Grades one through four are commonly seen in local studios to ready their pupils for the more advanced professional levels. If you pass level five then you are considered a real dancer. There are five different marks for passing a level. From lowest to highest they are: passed, passed plus, passed with commended, passed with highly commended, and passed with honours.Grade five marks the beginning of the professional levels and is known as elementary level. Grade six is known as intermediate level and grade seven is known as advanced level. A student who has achieved grade seven is qualified to teach the Cecchetti Method. After finishing advanced level students can choose to go on to Diploma A and Diploma B in order to further their learning.

Vaganova method(Russian Ballet):

The Vaganova method is a method of teaching classical ballet that was founded by Agrippina Vaganova and developed into an exact science by her pedagogical pupil for over 30 years, Vera Kostrovitkaya and countless other teachers in the decades following Vaganova's death in 1951. Therefore, it is really a misnomer to call it that, as she meant for it to be called the teaching of classical dance. It is in the mistranslation of the title of her book, "Basic Principles of Russian Classical Dance" that it is implied that it is her method. She actually titled her book: "The Foundation for Dance." It is combination of the finest of the esthetics and physical results of strength, from French, Danish, and Italian schools, the method has produced many of the world's best dancers and continues to do so today. Vaganova is known for founding the Soviet System of Ballet Education, but her and Kostrovitskaya's teaching method has developed into the applied laws of physics and the core of the teaching does not need to be constantly revised and modified, as other ways of teaching that are not scientific. The method is still used worldwide.The method demands precision in instruction, including how to teach, when to teach, how much of each exercise to give and for how long and when to change forms. Its results in addition to sound technique are a strong lower back, plasticity of the arms and the exact amount of strength, flexibility and endurance in the muscle needed to execute one of the most difficult movements known to ballet - that of the classical pas de deux. Although it is widely in use, being the most common ballet teaching method in Russia and parts of Europe, and the most popular also in the North America and other parts in the world, in today's world, few really understand fully the material. Only a few people outside of Russian Ballet Schools understand how to teach classical ballet (people don't teach the method, they teach classical ballet).

July 1, Styles of Ballet

I can't believe it's July already.

Anyway, I thought it would be cool to describe the different types of ballet. I do Cecchetti and Vaganova.





Royal Academy of Dance (English Ballet):

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) was established in 1920 by a group of professional dance artists brought together by Philip Richardson, editor of the Dancing Times and including:
Adeline Genée -
Denmark Tamara Karsavina -
Russia Lucia Cormani -
Italy Edouard Espinosa -
France Phyllis Bedells -

EnglandRepresenting the principal dance training methods of the time the group formed the Association of Teachers of Operatic Dancing in Great Britain. Over the next fifteen years the Association grew in size and influence and which lead to the granting of a royal charter. At the last Privy Council Meeting of King George V in 1936 the Association became the Royal Academy of Dancing.In 1997 The Benesh Institute, international centre for Benesh Movement Notation, was amalgamated with the Royal Academy of Dancing.With over 15,500 members in 82 countries the Royal Academy of Dance is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world. Members receive a monthly magazine "Dance Gazette". It is the largest classical ballet examining body in the world. Over 200,000 candidates take RAD examinations each year.The annual Genée award has been made since 1980, for dancers aged 18 or 19, organised by the R.A.D. It is usually held in London. In 2004 gold medals were awarded to Alexander Jones and Ayako Ono. In addition gold medallists receive 7,500 Euros. Many gold and silver medallists go on to join the Royal Ballet, London.

French School(French Ballet):

The "École Française" (French school of ballet, French style), is characterized by an emphasis on precision, elegance, and sobriety.The French are known for their complex beats, and their rigorous technical cleanliness, called "placement", which is more important to them than virtuosity.Mega-star dancer & choreographer Rudolf Nureyev choreographed re-worked versions of the great academic classic ballets (such as "La Bayadère", "Swan Lake", "Romeo & Juliet", "Raymonda", "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", & directed Paris Opera ballet. His artistic direction was extremely strong, and he formed and named a whole generation of young principals ("Étoiles"), called the Nureyev Babies. (Manuel Legris, Laurent Hilaire, Kader Belarbi, Isabelle Guerin, Elisabeth Maurin, amongst others). Since that time the French school has turned into the Nureyev school, with his very idiosyncratic style, based on all the steps that Nureyev himself excelled at. Great speed and quantity of steps, necessitating the music to be played slower are characteristic of this style. This influence lasts from the 1980's to the 2000's, when it is just starting to wane, as the Nureyev Babies retire.

From (http://dancethoughts.blogspot.com/2005/10/great-ballet-styles-article-taken-from.html)

That's all for now....stay tuned for part two.