Boys and Jumping
I recently took some photos at the boys' scholarship class at Lafayette Ballet School and confirmed what I have found. Boys LOVE to jump.
This full-out energy is something that is often hard to focus. The boys tend to push each other to the floor while they wait their turn, or run into each other on purpose. There is a need to vocalize while on full steam which can get tough in class.
But this energy level is something which keeps us vibrant in ballet. It needs to inhabit even the shy little "ballerinas" who take pleasure in immitating positions, and meticulously mirror steps.
So rather than categorizing ballet as a girly pursuit which puts the princess in her dreams, we need to keep ballet the athletic powerhouse that it is. And that requires boys.
Our scholarship class on Wednesday evenings has boys from 4-7 years in age. The older boys from last year are now in regular training classes, mixed girls and boys. That mixed class has frequent competitions with jumping, rhythm, balance, and poses, and we relish the differences between the teams to encourage the qualities which need to be addressed on each side. Both teams are winners.
Please think about the young men in your life. Ballet is not the ticket for everyone, but it is a tremendous coordination building endeavor which will grace an athlete for life. And the final enticement? We do this for free. Because Lafayette Ballet believes in a future where male dancers are applauded, not ridiculed by their classmates, and where aggressive impulses can be directed positively toward self-motivation.
Team Players and the Nutcracker
It stands to reason that a ballet the size of the full-length Nutcracker needs more than the Sugar Plum Fairy to create its magic. The mulit-layered quality of its scenes and embedded roles are what create the atmosphere, the story, and the continuity of an evening or afternoon of entertainment.
Each Harlequin, each Mouse, each Soldier, and each Ginger Child are integral to the production. There is no better or "not so good" parts as far as the stage is concerned. We need them all to color our party, our dream, our enchantment.
This is a very hard concept to keep in mind when a few dancers gain center stage and are highlighted in the audience awareness. Every dancer puts in the hours of rehearsal, the planning and school workload to be able to devote the important time in rehearsal, and every dancer deserves the applause. Some are stronger technically, some are stronger dramatically, and together the mix inspires our determination to fill in our own personal gaps in whatever is lacking.
That is what the performance is all about: gaining strength and teamwork by learning from others, pacing with others, leading others, and ultimately bringing a dream Clara back to reality. It is the hard work which gains our respect, not a magical doll and a beautiful costume. Class everyday, and taking care of our bodies, (those instruments of "what might be"): this is our contract to ourselves and our futures as dancers.
Wherever you go in life, you will remember your dancing days with a vision of what is never perfect, but is oh, so rewarding. Be happy, and bring your joy and positive strength to a ballet which has nourished thousands of dancers, and entertained many more.
So, let's hear it for the MICE!
and the drummers
and the Ginger Kids
and the parents. Thank you.
The Importance of Turn-out in all ballet training.
"Turnout is derived from the rotation of the thighbone in the socket joint of the pelvis. Ideally, turnout in classical ballet is considered complete at 180° across the front of a first position. This rotation is trained in over the course of years of study, and maintained by study after the "flat turnout" is achieved. It's not something which can be taught in a single year, but a continuing item of interest in class throughout the dancer's class life. Even in the little bitty ones, a small amount of turnout may be introduced, but not a lot. Pre-ballet ages can't support the rotation yet. "Turnout" itself merely refers to where the feet end up on the floor. Many students, and unfortunately more than a few teachers try to force turnout, but that never works, as it imposes torsion on joints like the knee and ankle that were never intended to take much torque, and that can lead to injury.
Rotation of the thigh is supported by the hamstrings, the abdominals, the back muscles and a whole host of structures that you might never suspect. We start with introducing the idea of turnout from rotation on the youngest students and train it in over the years."
Thank you to Mel Johnson from:http://dancers.invisionzone.com/lofiversion
/index.php/t47304.html
For those of you who attended the summer session, a home-work assignment for the vacation was presented. Sit on a firm a chair with one leg extended (at the height of the chair seat) and the back straight.(other leg bent with the foot lat on the floor ).
Place the extended leg very straight directly out with the knee upward and tightened into the thigh muscle and with a pointed foot - then slowly rotate the hip in the socket toward the outside as far as possible without moving the leg to the side. Repeat 16 times. Do the other leg. Repeat with both legs 8 x. This is much more difficult as the body has to work very hard to remain upright in the chair.
Commitment and mastery vs. well-rounded. Which measures up best for college?
Parents are often concerned at what will look best for the eventual college entrance portfolio of their children. Often they look to present the biggest swath of activities and involvements to create a "well-rounded" look to the student experience and achievement.
There is no doubt that dancers are smart. Good dancers process verbal and visual information into kinetic movement, have a quick memory, have a stable emotional outlook so that constant correction does not translate into constant "put-down" and work beyond this basis to present an artistic performance which generally hides the incredible athleticism at its base.
An interesting article in the NY Times cited summer experiences as an essential part of presenting a unique personal essay for college entrance. True training in a serious school of dance is as easily “a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.” as the cited exotic and costly internships.
Training in dance is a "risk" which will only expand its richness in the determination gained, the focus achieved, and indeed a sense of mastery even as the pointe shoes are left as decorations in a college dorm room, and the enormity of the world's problem creep into our psyche. Dancers maintain an identity of who they are and what they have done to achieve this. It is applied to graphic design, programs for an MBA, film production, independent choreography, educating young children, going to medical school, or becoming immersed in a foreign culture. These are all achievements of our alumni from LBS and LBC, and we are proud of these proofs that good dancers make great contributing members to society. Not a bad track record.
Sandra Peticolas