2 3 Fun Friday Ghosts | Ballet Webb

Friday, October 31, 2014

Fun Friday Ghosts


Fun Friday Ghosts

Here it is:  Halloween!  A day of costumes, candy, and maybe even some ghosts.  And ghosts are the subject of today’s blog.  But I am not going to talk about the ghosts in the second act of Giselle, or even the bewitched swans of Swan Lake.  This is a different thing altogether.

When dancing onstage, lighting makes these magical scenes of other worldly places come alive (no pun intended).  However, sometimes that stage lighting can be problematic.  When finishing a scene or taking a bow, often the lights “fade to black”, creating a dark stage that allows for dancers to exit the stage, or to allow a change of scene or mood.

If the dancers move too quickly when the stage becomes dark, a phenomenon occurs that is sometimes called ghosting.  The dancer can still be seen – but in a ghostlike way.  This can ruin the mood and break the spell of the ballet.  Therefore time must be allotted to allow the audience’s eyes to adjust to the dark stage and prevent them from seeing “ghosts” of the dancers as they break character and run for the wings.  
 
So always hold the final pose for at least a count of “one, one thousand, two, one thousand” before moving.

Happy Halloween!
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #7ii:  
““When the stage lights go to black, keep your position for at least two seconds.”

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts.”
-          Adam Duritz

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