2 3 Ballet Webb: September 2019

Monday, September 30, 2019

Mad Monday Ears



Mad Monday Ears

I’ve talked about ears before, because focusing on the ears can be helpful, particularly for good posture.

A common malady for many dancers is the Dropped Chin Syndrome. This is often caused by looking at the floor which is often caused by a lack of confidence. It is an unfortunate cascading series of events. Whew!

A simple fix for all these things is to think about your ears, and say to yourself: “Ears up and back”. Almost immediately, everything else will improve. Keeping the energy in the ears up prevents looking down, and a backward energy keeps the head and spine centered.

“Ears up and back!”

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #1fff:
“Ears up and back.”

Link of the Day:



Quote of the Day:
“Your dreaming self seeks to tell you something your waking ears will not hear”
― Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Chosen

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Sunday, September 29, 2019

Sunday Imagination





Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.”
― Albert Einstein

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Saturday, September 28, 2019

Superstitious Saturday Inside-Out



Superstitious Saturday Inside-Out

In Russia, it is believed that putting your clothes on inside-out is bad luck. Supposedly, doing so invites a beating. However, in China it is said that if you put your clothes on this way but immediately put them back on correctly it will bring good luck.

states that in China it is bad luck to wear your clothes inside-out because it foretells a death. But it will bring even worse luck if you put them back on the right way. The same source says this is an old gambler’s superstition and is where the word “turncoat” (meaning traitor) came from.

There are many other superstitions related to wearing one’s clothes inside-out – some good, some bad. Whether this applies to costumes or just regular clothes, I don’t know.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #173:
“Putting your clothes on inside-out is bad luck.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“…be more creative - wear your clothes inside out, backward, upside down.”
-         John  Waters

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Friday, September 27, 2019

Fun Friday Needles



Fun Friday Needles

In an earlier post, I talked about how the feet should move: Ballet Secret #7ggg: “Imagine the feet working like sewing needles, with a sharp end.”

Today I’m adding another element. If sewing needles don’t work for you, imagine an expert knitter rapidly working to create a beautiful garment. If you’ve ever seen this, you know how those needles flash – almost to the point of being too fast to focus on.

When accomplished dancers perform brilliantly, this is what their footwork looks like: knitting needles working rapidly and precisely back and forth. See today’s Link of the Day below.


From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #7sss:
“The feet should look like fine knitting needles working.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either.”
― Elizabeth Zimmerman

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Thursday, September 26, 2019

Throwback Thursday and Tony Charmoli



Throwback Thursday and Tony Charmoli

Tony Charmoli was born on June 11, 1922, although some sources say January. His career began on Broadway after he served in World War II. He studied dance with many notables, including Martha Graham who asked him to be a part of her company. He declined and went to Broadway instead.

He was involved in early screen tests to see if dance could work well in the new medium of television. Early in his career he won an Emmy for outstanding choreography for the show Your Hit Parade. He went on to be nominated 16 times. He  won 3.

One of his strengths was understanding that choreography for a small TV screen is different. He worked out the best camera positions and movements as well as doing choreography. This experience naturally led him to being a director.

In 1977 he was nominated for Best Director for two television specials:
"Shirley MacLaine: Where Do We Go From Here?" and "Mitzi...Zings Into Spring". But probably his most well known production was Baryshnikov’s "The Nutcracker", which was also broadcast in 1977.

In 2001, he won the American Choreography Life Achievement Award. The list of his works is too extensive to document here, but to view it see https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153346/otherworks?ref_=nmbio_sa_1.

  
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Dance History Secret #290:
“Tony Charmoli was instrumental in the development of dance in television.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Personality begins where comparison leaves off. Be unique. Be memorable. Be confident. Be proud.”
― Shannon L. Alder

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Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Wacky Wednesday Pogo Pointe



Wacky Wednesday Pogo Pointe

Hops on pointe are unique. Remember Ballet Secret 22m: “For hops on pointe, imagine a tiny plié in the ankle.”? Well, that’s just the beginning.

For successful hops, the foot must assume an unusual position. Some refer to this as cupping the foot, or ginching the foot. I prefer the word “cupping” since ginch sounds tense and that’s what you don’t want.

It takes some experimentation to find this position and it’s always best to start at the barre. The foot isn’t too far over the box of the shoe, and certainly isn’t behind the box, but instead is centered over the box, with the foot “cupped”. Once discovered, this unusual shape of the foot becomes automatic, since it the only place that works. You can see this foot shape in today’s video at 1:14.

Now that the cupped shape of the foot is established, imagine a pogo stick: the body’s alignment is straight up and down (just like a pogo stick) and the hops bounce along within this alignment. And hopefully the upper body and port de bras appear relaxed and effortless. Fun!


From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #23g:
“Imagine a pogo stick for hops on pointe.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“…a local train ... moved gently off up the line with a very singular motion indeed, in which the leap of a frog, the bounce of a pogo-stick, and the canter of a very short fat pony all were brought to mind.”
-         Honor Tracy

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Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Terminology Tuesday Taqueté



Terminology Tuesday Taqueté

Taqueté [tak-TAY] is an interesting word. I’ve seen choreographers use a sound like “tak tak tak” to indicate a staccato movement and I wonder if it came from taqueté, or if it is just random.

Taqueté means “pegged” and refers to pointe work that involves quick little steps where the tips of the shoes strike the floor sharply. Any steps on pointe that use this staccato accent could be called taqueté.

As for “tak tak tak”… I don’t know.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Terminology Secret #60:
“Taqueté means pegged.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“I collect words--they are sweets in the mouth of sound.”
― Sally Gardner, Maggot Moon

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Monday, September 23, 2019

Marvelous Monday Reach



Marvelous Monday Reach

Today’s idea is somewhat of a mantra or saying. It is designed to help with pirouettes – or any turn.

Reach right to turn left (or vice versa). In other words, think of sending energy outward through the following arm and corresponding side of the body. This prevents the common tendency to focus all the attention and energy on the leading arm and side.

And, of course, it creates that all-important two-way, opposite energy!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #14lll:
”Reach right to turn left.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“I saw a star, I reached for it. I missed, so I accepted the sky”
― Scott Fortino

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Sunday, September 22, 2019

People’s Happiness





Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Happiness [is] only real when shared”
― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

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Saturday, September 21, 2019

Saturday Superstition White Lighter



Saturday Superstition White Lighter

This superstition comes from the world of musicians. Apparently, it is believed that carrying a white lighter will bring bad luck or dire consequences and anyone who carries one is cursed.

It is said that Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain all had a white lighter on them when they died. Hmmm… this would seem to make this a relatively new (historically speaking) superstition. I’ve never heard this belief in the dance world, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Some say this superstition originated at the 27 Club, but in 2017, Snopes.com published an article stating that the Bic Company didn’t make white disposable lighters until several years after the musician’s deaths. 

Therefore, it appears that this superstition is simply an urban legend.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Superstition #172:
“Never carry a white lighter.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“If you ask me I don’t think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That’s enough.”
― Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

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