Saturday Toi Statute
Last Saturday I talked about how dancers
never say “break a leg”, like actors do. Instead, they say “merde”. But there
is another way to express good wishes to a dancer.
It’s “toi toi toi”. This is not as
commonly used as “merde”, but is, perhaps, a nicer way to wish a dancer well.
But where did this phrase come from?
It is said to be an idiom used to ward
off a spell and was often accompanied by knocking on wood. Or, it could be an onomatopoeic
reference to spitting three times, which is done in many countries to ward off
evil spirits, since saliva is reputed to be able to ward off demons.
Yet another possibility: some say the word “toi” is a shortened version of “Teufel”
the German term for devil.
From the Big
Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Statute #104:
“Saying “toi toi toi”
is another way to wish a dancer well on a performance.”
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“I'm a
greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”
― Thomas Jefferson
― Thomas Jefferson
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