Many people often wonder, “How is ballet dancing and writing similar?” The only good answer to that commonly asked question is that both require alone time to hone individual skills and time with peers to get feedback. If one were to look at Dancers in the Foyer by Edgar Degas, they would see multiple ballerinas stretching in an otherwise empty room. The image of the ballerinas stretching on their own reflects how writers often write freely without restrictions to release their mind and flex their writing muscles. While most writers generally start and finish works on their own, unlike ballerinas who usually perform together and are judged together, both receive constructive criticism from others either during their preparation or after their…
Diablo Ballet’s 24th season kicks off with three sensational dance presentations. Renowned Broadway choreographer Sean Kelly’s A Swingin’ Holiday will be performed with live music by the 16-piece Diablo Ballet Swing Orchestra. You’ll also experience the classic masterpiece Valse Fantaisie by George Balanchine and the emotional duet No One Does It Like You, choreographed by Robert Dekkers.…
Throughout “The Sleeping Beauty - Bluebird and Princess Florine pas de duex”, the movements displayed are quite elegant and flowy. Within the piece the movements are complimented by the dancer’s intentions making each turn and leap into something greater and remembered. For example, the pique turns done by Princess Florine when she enters brings the elegance of her character and shows her pride through the movements which leaves an everlasting impression on the audience. Another example is the way the Bluebird entrances the audience with his jumps throughout the piece bringing birdlike qualities to his character giving them an ultimate vision of a bluebird. With the characters locked in the audience’s mind the movements either being locomotive…
The piece that I choice was Susato: Three Dances. Three Dance is a medieval Renaissance dance song. I chose this piece because, unlike the others one this piece was not an a cappella. This song is actually the opposite and has no one singing in it. When I listen to it does not make me want to dance, but it does make me tap my foot.…
Misty Copeland is an African American ballet dancer, who is famous for her beautiful technique, distinguishing body figure, and for being the first African American dancer the be appointed to principal dancer in the American Theater Ballet. As all underdog stories go, Misty wasn’t born into a wealthy and powerful family. It was her God-given talent that set Misty apart from the rest. Misty was born in September of 1982 in Kansas City, Missouri. However, when Misty was just a toddler, her mother, Sylvia DelaCerna, took Copeland and her other three children to California.…
Title- Discuss the history of the Le Corsaire ballet including political, social, and other important influences. In this essay, I will be talking about the history of Le Corsaire and the impacts it has had on the world or ballet world. I will be relating these points to social and political influences, and any other factors that could have impacted its growth or development as a ballet. Le Corsaire is a ballet presented in three acts, which was originally choreographed by Joseph Mazillier to the music composed by Adolphe Adam.…
This strikingly dissonant harmony creates a foreboding ambience, further compounded by the irregular use of accents, which only heighten the anticipation. In addition to the unsettling music, the expectations of ballet are completely subverted through the slumped postures and clunky, ungraceful movements of the dancers. These techniques…
The 1920’s also known as the roaring twenties was a remarkable decade where many different dances, music and art flourished. New dances and music were fast paced and lively. The most popular dances of the decade were the foxtrot, waltz, American tango, Charleston and many more. This era was mainly for the younger generation where they used their creativity and own original ideas of ways of dancing and use of music. E.g younger people toddled to the foxtrot.…
At the beginning it was hard for the girls to adapt and practice “lady like actions” because at first they didn't have any manners. When they first got there they did uncivilized stuff such as peeing on the bed, being rowdy, and other uncivilized actions. After practicing with the nuns and learning from them, they started to become more civilized and learned about human culture. After the girls spend a short time at St. Lucy’s, “Many…feel isolated, irritated, bewildered, depressed, or generally uncomfortable” (270). Claudette confirms this in her narration, detailing the horrors of civilized life such as “trying to will our tongues to curl around our false new names” (270).…
The form of “jazz dancing” has altered a lot over the last several decades, much like the rest of American Musical Theatre. Choreographers like Steven Hoggett (Once) and Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) have taken their new conceptual ideas and formed them into dance styles that are now being seen in musicals around the world. However, the classic names of Broadway like Jerome Robbins, Michael Bennett, Bob Fosse and Agnes De Mille have left their mark on the world of Musical Theatre dance forever. Thanks to the contributions of these iconic and influential figures who came before them, up and coming artists like Hoggett and Blankenbuehler are now able to leave their mark on musical theatre as well. I believe that in order to create anything you…
In the climax of the dance, performance space and circular path patterns are used when the dancer is spinning around the outskirts of the stage and has leaps in her…
Martha Graham’s “Lamentation,” like many of her other works, is a direct expression of emotion; an expression of emotion through body movements. Graham was known as the “Mother of Modern Dance” and for her technique “contraction and release.” She also focused on the stability and strength of the body and keeping its control. This technique was in efforts to develop and maintain flexibility in the spine and hips, specifically in a seated position. “Lamentation” was created in response to the grief, sorrow and anger during the Great Depression.…
In 1909 Sergei Shchkin, a Russian industrialist, asked Henri Matisse for three large paintings to decorate part of his house (Matisse, Dance I, n.d.). Dance 1 was one of these paintings (Matisse, Dance I, n.d.). Two versions exist of this painting, the initial version, was considered by Matisse as a preparatory sketch and was created in 1909 while the final version has different colors and was finished in 1910. Both versions are considered oil paintings (Matisse, Dance I, n.d.). “Dance 1” has a similar design than another painting he made in 1906 titled “Bonheur de Vivre” (Matisse, Dance I, n.d.).…
The intense lights, colorful costumes, and ribboned pointe shoes decorated the stage. As the lively music played for those dancing in the spotlight, I waited in the wings, nerves jumping in my stomach. Every little movement would be seen from the peering eyes of the audience. Preparation for this role was packed into a few weeks, and both the honor of earning this part and the pressure of performing well accumulated on my shoulders. Originally, I had an ensemble part with the rest of my dance class, only understudying for role of Autumn, one of the four soloist positions offered in Milwaukee Ballet School’s Spring Showcase, Snow White.…
When first reading the title of the article it gave me the impression that ballet is more beneficial than just your health. It is important that you get work skills experience for jobs and it is amazing that ballet can make you a better leader. After reading this article it is clear that ballet helps you with aspects that can make you a good leader. Also, some of the points were more figurative than literal. For example, they use spotting as a metaphor for keeping your eye the goal.…