Category Archives: Ballet Technique

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Let’s Dance

It’s often said that training in ballet prepares the dancer for every other form of dance. The recent victories of both Eliana Girard and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp (both ballet dancers) on “So You Think You Can Dance”, the popular FOX-TV dance competition, illustrates this point perfectly (no pun intended!). Because ballet has such rigorous training and technique – which sets the rules and standards for a method of study – it prepares the body to move with specific placement and alignment incorporating artistry, physicality, musicality, interpretation, presentation and more in a way that no other form of dance training provides. Once you’ve trained in this way, you can pretty much rely on it to move anyway you wish.

With this in mind, below is “A tribute to the joy of dance… it’s a wonderful thing”:

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Brainy Quotes, Brainy Dancers

Recently I came across Brainy Quote, a website devoted to famous people and their “brainy” quotes. Looking up famous dancers, here are some of my favorites…

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.
Martha Graham

Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.
Martha Graham

Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don’t quite know how I’m going to do them, because I haven’t lived that moment yet. I always feel very insecure and I get very excited.
Suzanne Farrell

I got started dancing because I knew it was one way to meet girls.
Gene Kelly

I danced with passion to spite the music.
Gelsey Kirkland

We were all novices. We really were. We didn’t know a goddamn thing about doing a show.
Jerome Robbins

To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.
Agnes de Mille

The truest expression of a people is in its dances and its music. Bodies never lie.
Agnes de Mille

The universe lies before you on the floor, in the air, in the mysterious bodies of your dancers, in your mind. From this voyage no one returns poor or weary.
Agnes de Mille

God gives talent. Work transforms talent into genius.
Anna Pavlova

The ballet is a purely female thing; it is a woman, a garden of beautiful flowers, and man is the gardener.
George Balanchine

One is born to be a great dancer.
George Balanchine

Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike.
Margot Fonteyn

My dance classes were open to anybody, my only stipulation was that they had to come to the class every day.
Merce Cunningham

I really reject that kind of comparison that says, Oh, he is the best. This is the second best. There is no such thing.
Mikhail Baryshnikov

The creative process is not controlled by a switch you can simply turn on or off; it’s with you all the time.
Alvin Ailey

The dancer’s body is simply the luminous manifestation of the soul.
Isadora Duncan

A pas de deux is a dialogue of love. How can there be conversation if one partner is dumb?
Rudolf Nureyev

My feet are dogs.
Rudolf Nureyev

Dance every performance as if it were your last.
Erik Bruhn

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Ballet: Artistry vs. Technique

Margot Fonteyn, considered by some the greatest classical ballerina of the 20th Century, and certainly immortalized by her partnership with Rudolf Nureyev, has often been the subject of the controversy:  artistry vs. technique.

With this in mind, I found a fascinating article written on this subject by Marisa Wright, someone who worked at the Royal Academy of Dancing while Margot Fonteyn was still dancing in the 60’s and very early 70’s. Here are excerpts of her article, (which can be found in it’s entirety by clicking here.)

Was Margot Fonteyn the greatest ballerina of the 20th century? I think so. It’s a great pity current generations have no way to judge her greatness.

I say that because even though it’s well worth seeing the recordings of Fonteyn dancing, they don’t do her justice. For one thing, most recordings were made during the Nureyev years, when she was already past normal retirement age for a ballerina. For another, her great gift was her incredible charisma, which the camera doesn’t fully capture.

There’s no denying that today’s ballerinas have better technique and a much greater repertoire of tricks than Margot Fonteyn. But ask any audience after her performance, and chances are very few of them could analyze her technique. They simply knew they had seen a phenomenon.

Margot Fonteyn had such a presence you could sense her, even before you could see her. That charisma flooded over the footlights to her audience. Watching Fonteyn dance, you were simply mesmerised.

My first experience of that charisma wasn’t at a ballet performance. It was in the hall at the Royal Academy of Dancing, at a prize-giving. While the General Manager was speaking, I felt a sudden change in the air. Without prompting, everyone in the audience turned to look at the back of the room (she had arrived late).

There, quietly, Fonteyn was entering the hall. The GM motioned for her to come forward and take her place in the reserved seats. I watched her walk down the aisle. I have never seen such penetrating black eyes. It was amazing how such a tiny, unassuming person could fill the room so effortlessly!

I did see Fonteyn dance, in June 1971 at a Gala Performance arranged by Richard Buckle. Here is what I had to say about her performance:

“Fonteyn was out of this world. She wore a Romantic tutu in shimmering purple. I scarcely noticed her footwork. All I could see were those beautiful, beautiful arms, rippling and flowing, curving and extending – sheer poetry! She could have bourree’d the whole time and still captivated me with those arms.”

….”Fonteyn and Nureyev provided the grand finale [from Sleeping Beauty]. And what a finale! Her face looks so young, as they say Pavlova’s always did. Even though it was only the pas de deux, she gave a complete and convincing picture of the young, newly-in-love Princess Aurora. It was an experience.”

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The Ballet Stage: The Marvelous, The Extraordinary, The Supernatural

In 2010, Jennifer Homans, Ph.D., wrote a book titled:  “Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet”. A former dancer herself, Ms. Homans is now a dance historian and a dance critic for the New Republic. In this monumental work, she follows the history of the ballet from the 17th century to the present and gives the future of ballet dismaying marks when she states:   “For those of us who were there at the end of the last great era, and who experienced its vigour and its decline, the change has been momentous…” and further, “After years of trying to convince myself otherwise, I now feel sure that ballet is dying… we are watching ballet go.” As she writes “Ballet is an art of high ideals and self-control in which proportion and grace stand for an inner truth and elevated state of being”. She makes an intriguing case for her stance, giving the reader the sense that the last great era ended with the death of George Balanchine in 1983.

Recently I came across this video, in which Ms. Homans is not only giving a presentation of material from her book, but also of her own experiences in the dance world and her view on the current state of affairs in the world of ballet. I invite you to listen and form your own conclusions….

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Skyline High Kicks it Off!

Skyline High Dancers, courtesy Stephen Woo

Tonight, our Kickoff Fundraiser for Adults in Ballet – Philanthropy for Dance takes place at Rumbo Al Sur here in Oakland, CA. It gives me great pleasure to be able to begin this journey and to be able to help one of the best known Bay Area High Schools around – the Skyline High School Dance Dept.

Skyline High School is one of the most diverse High Schools in the country. Skyline’s Performing Arts Department provides a performing arts education in drama, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, and technical theatre. A typical school-year season includes 12 large-scale productions, frequent off-campus performances, and multiple opportunities to compete. Performances are held in the 975-seat Farnsworth Theater. (courtesy of wikipedia.org)

The Dance Dept. is comprised of 3 levels, beginning, intermediate and advanced. All levels are by audition, save for the beginning level. Both the intermediate and advanced levels have the opportunity to perform throughout the year and a major component of all the classes is allowing the students to create their own choreography.

Recently I had the great pleasure of interviewing the Dance Dept. Director, Dawn James and her 2 Dance Captains, Hannah Ayasse and Yelena Keller – all very special people!!

This is Dawn James’, Dance Dept. Director, 20th year at Skyline High. Her focus at Skyline is a modern jazz style, with a strong ballet technique base. She gives her students a lot of traditional ballet terminology and uses her modern jazz style to do that. She loves to see “the passion just ignite in her students”. And, from all accounts, she receives very high praise from her students.

Hannah Ayasse

Hannah Ayasse, senior and co-Dance Captain, started dancing in elementary school and remembers her sister taking her to see Skyline’s dance productions and knew then what she wanted to do.  She’s put the strong emphasis on learning the art of choreography taught in the classes — to her advantage. She began choreographing her freshman year and since then has choreographed about two dances for each show. She’s found her true passion in story telling through movement and was awarded Best Choreographer her sophomore and junior years. In her own words:  “…[it was through] the amazing opportunity to choreograph that I discovered how dance has the capacity to carry great emotions and stretch the soul.”

Yelena Keller

Yelena Keller, senior and co-Dance Captain, also started dancing at an early age in elementary school Being a very creative person with interests in a variety of different forms and expressions of the arts, dancing to her means being able to bring it all  into one spontaneous moment – all different forms of the arts into one. As she puts it “…[dance] allows me to take on a role, the music – figure out a way to make the movement your own. A lot of creativity that goes into dance whether your choreographing or not you have to figure out a way to make the movement your own.”

As Dance Captain, their duties are integral to helping the classes run smoothly, the rehearsals and the performances – they’ve even created a Facebook group that they use to get the info out to students, and organize potlucks with fellow students Especially if there are sub teachers, they will take on more of the teaching duties. In short, they are Ms. James’ “go to girls”.

They both have a true passion for dance – Hannah is off to college at George Washington University in the fall and hoping to minor in dance and perhaps be a dance teacher one day. Yelena has been accepted at Sarah Lawrence College and will be joining their dance program, either majoring or minoring in Dance.

Dawn James

They both give very high praise to Ms. James for her work and dedication to her students and to the Dance Program – in Hannah’s words:  “All I know is that if I could have the effect on a child’s life that Ms. James has had on mine, I would feel extremely fulfilled.” And Yelena expresses – “…every day that I spend in Ms. James’s dance class is a gift that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

When asked about how they will put the donation from Adults in Ballet to use, the major consensus amongst all 3 ladies is they would like to start a yearly, ongoing scholarship for those students wishing to continue their dance training beyond their years at Skyline. And, secondarily, among other things, a new mirror wall is very much needed for the dance studios. Since Skyline depends entirely on private donations to keep operating, we are pleased to be able to help them.

Both ladies will be performing this week at their end of year dance performance – “Bodies In Motion” taking place this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 17 – 19, at 7:30 pm in the Farnsworth Theatre, on the Skyline High School campus, 12250 Skyline Blvd. in Oakland. Please click here for more information.

Brava Ladies!!

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History of the Pointe Shoe

There are many many brands and varieties of pointe shoes in the marketplace today. Each pair is so markedly different – primarily because the fit of toe shoes has to be so exact, that it needs to fit your feet like a glove – not an easy thing to do when its made of hard materials like leather, plastic, cardstock, burlap and glue. As a dancer, our entire body weight is balanced on that small space created at the end of the pointe shoe – it has to be a very secure fit. And, because every dancer has unique feet, with variations that include toe length and shape, arch flexibility and mechanical strength – most pointe shoe manufacturers produce more than one model of shoe.

Ever wonder how modern-day pointe shoes developed into what they are today?

Here’s a brief history, courtesy of Wikipedia:  When women began to dance in ballet in 1681, twenty years after King Louis XIV of France ordered the founding of the Académie Royale de Danse, the standard women’s ballet shoe had heels. Mid-18th century dancer Marie Camargo of the Paris Opéra Ballet was the first to wear a non-heeled shoe, enabling her to perform leaps that would have been difficult, if not impossible, in the more conventional shoes of the age. After the French Revolution, heels were completely eliminated from standard ballet shoes. These flat-bottomed predecessors of the modern pointe shoe were secured to the feet by ribbons and incorporated pleats under the toes to enable dancers to leap, execute turns, and fully extend their feet.

The first dancers to rise up on their toes did so with the help of an invention by Charles Didelot in 1795. His “flying machine” lifted dancers upward, allowing them to stand on their toes before leaving the ground. This lightness and ethereal quality was well received by audiences and, as a result, choreographers began to look for ways to incorporate more pointework into their pieces.

As dance progressed into the 19th century, the emphasis on technical skill increased, as did the desire to dance en pointe without the aid of wires. When Marie Taglioni first danced La Sylphide en pointe, her shoes were nothing more than modified satin slippers; the soles were made of leather and the sides and toes were darned to help the shoes hold their shapes. Because the shoes of this period offered no support, dancers would pad their toes for comfort and rely on the strength of their feet and ankles for support.

The next substantially different form of pointe shoe appeared in Italy in the late 19th century. Dancers like Pierina Legnani wore shoes with a sturdy, flat platform at the front end of the shoe, rather than the more sharply pointed toe of earlier models. These shoes also included a box—made of layers of fabric—for containing the toes, and a stiffer, stronger sole. They were constructed without nails and the soles were only stiffened at the toes, making them nearly silent.

The birth of the modern pointe shoe is often attributed to the early 20th century Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who was one of the most famous and influential dancers of her time. Pavlova had particularly high, arched insteps, which left her vulnerable to injury when dancing en pointe. She also had slender, tapered feet, resulting in excessive pressure applied to her big toes. To compensate for this, she would insert toughened leather soles into her shoes for extra support and would flatten and harden the toe area to form a box. This made dancing en pointe easier for her, and although it was regarded by her peers as “cheating”… ironically, this practice became the predecessor of the modern pointe shoe we see today.

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Giselle — then and now

50 years ago in February of 1962, in their first performance of Giselle, the partnership of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev was born and ballet became a household name. Inspired by a beautiful tribute to that legendary partnership from The Sheila Variations, titled “We only lived when we danced”, here is a collection of famous partnerings taken from the Act II pas de deux of Giselle from the past to the present day.

“I’ve found the perfect partner.” — Margot Fonteyn

“We become one body. One soul. We moved in one way. It was very complementary, every arm movement, every head movement. There were no more cultural gaps; age difference; we’ve been absorbed in characterization. We became the part. And public was enthralled.” — Rudolf Nureyev

Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, Giselle February 1962

 

Carla Fracci and Erik Bruhn, Giselle 1969

 

Alessandra Ferri and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Giselle 1986

 

Polina Semionova and Vladimir Shklyarov, Giselle 2008

 

…and a video collection of still photographs from Giselle

 

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Adult Beginner Ballet: Never Too Late To Live Your Dream

Kathy Mata Ballet performs Swan Lake (photo courtesy of North Beach Digital)

I once read that the meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away. I guess that’s one reason I’ve continued to always pursue my passion in life – studying and performing dance and in particular for me, ballet. And, truly inspiring teachers have helped me uncover and realize that passion. Kathy Mata, from Alonzo King Lines Dance Center is one of them.

It was my classes with her that ultimately became the inspiration for me to form Adults in Ballet:  Philanthropy for Dance. And, part of that inspiration also came in the form of a documentary that Michelle Ortega, one of her students and a professional filmmaker (of North Beach Digital), produced about Kathy Mata’s work, titled “Adult Beginner Ballet.”

In “Beginning Ballet, Big Ambition” a recent article on Dance Studio Life, both the documentary and the teacher were highlighted. Perhaps I’m biased, but I feel that Kathy’s style of teaching encourages even the most timid of us to muster the courage to take class and to keep going.  As the article states:  “… Mata is made for the camera. She punctuates her hard-driving instruction with quick jokes and constant praise. Whether demonstrating a common beginner mistake like the “mad horse” – a developpe to the back with leg turned in—or rattling off the names of all 30-some students in the room to assure them that she “sees them all,” Mata is as entertaining on film as she is in person.”

Kathy is also director and founder of Kathy Mata Ballet, a company she founded 23 years ago to give non-professionals the opportunity to perform. The company gives Mata’s students a chance to progress to stage performances. In the documentary, both her teaching and her company are showcased. As Mata states in the article “… teaching adult beginners, I feel I am exactly where I should be. My students have wonderful potential; they are capable of much more than people realize.”

It never is too late to live your dreams. Thank you Kathy and thank you Michelle for showing us.

The documentary, Adult Beginner Ballet, can be viewed at www.northbeachdigital.com

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Dance in the Bay Area: Behold The Gift

Behold The Gift

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, dance goers have many wonderful Holiday performances — from professional companies to local community groups — to choose from. I had a chance recently to see a local group — the Behold Dance Collective – perform at a local tree lighting ceremony. Behold Dance is a local, community based group that truly embraces the Spirit of the Season and encourages dancers of all ages — whether taking class or providing opportunities for performing. This weekend they perform “Behold The Gift” in the Temple Theatre at the Oakland LDS Interstake Center, 4770 Lincoln Avenue, with 2 shows. With poignant choreography and music celebrating the life of Christ, “Behold The Gift” celebrates significant moments in His life and visit to ancient America.

Mindi Wade, founder and Artistic Director, told me the idea for her collective grew primarily out of the first performances of “Behold The Gift” at the Temple Theatre, which she originally choreographed for adult dancers. From these beginnings, it became the Behold Dance Collective, which now houses both an adult company and a youth company under the umbrella of the Collective, a non-profit organization “dedicated to producing dance art that inspires individuals and unifies communities. We dance to honor the joys and challenges of life.”

Every  year they perform “Behold The Gift” at Christmas and in the Spring they sponsor Tapestry, a Dance Event and invite different dance companies from all genres, professional and non-professional, to perform. Producing, directing and performing the shows is a community effort and Mindi enlists the help of other professionals, teachers and members of the community. She’d like to thank Jennie Smith, Vicki, and Lynn for their outreach efforts for autistic children; and Kathryn for her help in directing Tapestry. Throughout the year, they also perform at local arts and dance festivals.

With an extensive dance background in ballet, modern and more, Mindi teaches children’s classes at her studios in Oakley, where she also employs several other teachers as well. She offers primarily ballet, modern, jazz and tap and also offers creative movement classes for children with disabilities. In the coming year, she hopes to expand both her school and her youth and adult companies.

“Behold The Gift” performances will be this Sunday, Dec. 18th, with 2 shows — at 7pm and 8pm at the Temple Theatre. Click here for directions. Performances are free (no tickets required), however, donations are welcomed at the door. For more information on the Behold Dance Collective, click here. If you have questions for Mindi, please email her here.

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Adults in Ballet: an Intensive Workshop with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company

KCDC Dancers in performance

Whirling into San Francisco December 12 – 16 to give a week-long workshop at ODC, will be the renowned Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. I had a chance earlier this week to interview Yehuda Maor, company teacher and Assistant to the Artistic Director, to find out more about this intriguing and exciting company and discuss what this workshop has to offer.

In performing the original creations of Artistic Director Rami Be’er, the Kibbutz Comtemporary Dance Company acquired its exclusive and unique character, which has become its trademark. His works are uniquely his own language in movement — arousing much interest and curiosity with audiences both in Israel and abroad, and as a result the company continues to enjoy an ever increasing demand for its performances on stages worldwide.

Currently on tour throughout the US and Canada, the workshop has 2 purposes:  the first is to scout for, and audition, new dancers for the main company, and the second, to invite qualified dancers into their Masa Dance Program, a 5 month supportive dance apprenticeship program to work alongside the main company in Israel. At the end of the 5 month period, chosen dancers are then invited into the main company. Yehuda further described that the company prefers all of their dancers to have strong ballet technique, but they are not strictly a ballet company. In particular, they are looking for Jewish dancers (as they can obtain an immediate grant and it’s easier for the company to obtain a work permit for them), however, any qualified dancer will be considered.

The workshop will start with an hour and half technique class (open), followed by repertory and partnering work. Dancers may drop-in for the technique class or for a day or register for the entire week.

For more information on the workshop, please click here for the ODC website or call the front desk at (415) 863-9830. Click here for more information on the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company or their Masa Dance apprenticeship program. And, if you have questions for Yehuda, please email him here.