A Sea of Ink

I don't know what it is about Demy and Legrand, but their opening scenes always have me grinning like crazy (I always find myself saying, "wow, this is fun"). They know how to start off with a bang. The opening number of Les Demoiselles de Rochefort  (in English, The Young Girls of Rochefort) , bursts with sunny jazz happiness and choreography that made me want to dance along. So the performers (specifically the ensemble) might not be the best dancers, or the most synchronized--so what? To me, the choreography was more of an unbridled celebration of movement, of what dance should feel like, of freedom. It made me happy, and that's what musicals should do. I had more problems with the plot of this movie than I did with Demy's previous Les Parapluies de Cherbourg. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose, but the storyline was sloppily cliche and predictable to the point of being ridiculous. In the end, everything was suddenly and miraculously, all at o...

Happy World Ballet Day! For those of you unfamiliar with the annual event, World Ballet Day is a holiday which celebrates the love and sharing of dance with an all-day livestream including classes, rehearsals, and interviews from the world's top ballet companies-- the Bolshoi Ballet, the Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the Australian Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, and other, smaller companies like Ballet West! The dance community worldwide is unified in one joyous celebration, beyond all boundaries of language and country. Ballet is one thing that brings me great joy--dancing it, watching it, creating it...ballet is a key part of my personal culture. Had the stars not misaligned against me, I'd be enrolled in classes now. Unfortunately, I suppose I must have a different purpose in life--but that will not keep me from enjoying the art. In honor of this occasion, I'd like to share my favorite ballet class warmup trends, all of which I have seen worn by dancers...

Today marks the 88th anniversary of the birth of Audrey Hepburn, on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She passed away on January 20, 1993. Audrey Hepburn to me is a beacon of inspirational light. She was not just a movie star: she lived through World War II, fighting the Nazis with the Dutch Resistance by carrying messages and putting on secret dance concerts in order to raise funds, and came close to starvation prior to liberation by the Allies. She gave up stardom in order to be the best mother she could; she put her family and other first, before her own agenda. She dedicated her final years to UNICEF, traveling to struggling countries such as Somalia to raise awareness of starving children's plight. She used the fame she was blessed with to do good and change her world. She was not traditionally beautiful, never thought she was attractive, and created a whole new genre of fashion for unconventional beauties. She remained humble while in the public eye, maintained a polite att...

When I walked into my first ballet class, I was expecting it to be easy. I was not expecting the workout I received and I did not anticipate the sore muscles which followed. I was surprised at how something that looked so effortless could be so demanding on one’s body. I quickly learned otherwise. Although dance is not categorized as a sport but rather as an art form, ballerinas and their male counterparts are athletes. Few non-dancers understand the level of athleticism required to be a professional ballet dancer. Multiple myths suggesting simplicity surround ballet, perhaps as a result of the glittery costumes, stage makeup, and tights. However, a normal workday for a professional dancer, occurring 6 days per week, includes 10 hours of intense exercise, including evening performances. Outside work hours, dancers still make time to go to the gym and work on their upper body strength or do yoga and cardiovascular exercises to keep up their flexibility, strength, and endurance. It ta...

Creating a Holiday Classic The Moscow Ballet Nutcracker Behind the Scenes “I remember when I was little, really little, I would watch the NYC ballet every Christmas. I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” said 15-year-old Sophie Pickett, a dancer at Rising Star Tumbling and Dance Studio. “My mom had these pointe shoes for decoration in our house and they totally fit me at the time so I partied around in those during the Nutcracker, and that’s when I was like ‘I want to do this. This is cool!’” 29 Casper ballet students joined 40 professional dancers onstage December 7 th for a performance of the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker. Following auditions with Moscow Ballet dancer Olena Nalyvaiko on October 17 th at host dance studio Beautiful Feet, the selected dancers were taught their choreography by Nalyvaiko herself, and then given seven weeks to rehearse. “It’s not just like one practice and its perfect, it takes so much work and time and dedication to this for...