Super Saturday Stages and Saying
Today I’m blogging about things related to being onstage.
Those things that dancers are expected to know and understand.
The first things are stage directions: upstage, downstage,
stage right and stage left. Upstage and downstage developed back in the day
when stages were raked – that means the
floor literally sloped down toward
the audience. Thus, downstage is closest to the audience, and upstage is
further away, at the back of the stage. Makes sense doesn’t it?
It also makes sense that stage right and stage left are from the performer’s point of view when
the dancer is facing the audience. After all, the audience doesn’t need to know
stage right and stage left – only the performer does. So that makes sense too.
Now for the silly saying of the day: “If you can see them, they can see you”. This old adage is told to every
student the moment they step onstage for their first rehearsal. The
temptation to sneak at peek at the audience is strong, but if you can see them….well,
you get the idea.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #22k:
“Stage directions are from the performer’s point of view.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“The only way of
discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them
into the impossible.”
― Arthur C. Clarke
― Arthur C. Clarke
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