Saturday, June 8, 2019

Saturday Sunday Superstition



Saturday Sunday Superstition

According to this site: http://www.theatrehistory.com/misc/superstitions001.html "Dion Boucicaultthe noted actor and playwright of former days, declared that most of the superstitious beliefs attached to the theatre originated in the continental cities of Europe, where the ballet predominated, members of this branch of the profession being particularly susceptible.” Hmmm…

Also from the same site is this: “Another of their dogmas to which they attached the utmost faith was that participation in a rehearsal on Sunday would bring disaster to the theatre or its people. The story is told that when "Jim" Fisk was manager of the Grand Opera House in New York, he called a Sunday rehearsal of the ballet he had imported from Europe. They came to the theatre, but absolutely refused to take part, and when later in the week Fisk was shot, they pointed to it as irrefutable evidence of their contention.”

In my experience, dancers often rehearse on Sundays and have Mondays as their day off. There is a practical reason for this: because most businesses (like banks) are closed on Sundays, it is difficult for dancers to transact any business on their days off. Also, since every company I worked with had a six-day work week, it left only one day for us to take care of the usual chores of living (like laundry, banking, shopping etc.) I’ve heard this six-day week practice is – thankfully - slowly being eliminated.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Superstition #156:
“Rehearsing on a Sunday is said to bring bad luck.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“The city takes a breath on Sunday. Of all that’s lost with the pursuit of what’s next, I hope we don’t lose that…”
― Hawksley Workman

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