Throwback Thursday and Tatiana Vecheslova

Throwback Thursday and Tatiana Vecheslova

Born in St. Petersburg on February 25, 1910, Tatiana Vecheslova trained under the famous Vaganova at the Leningrad Choreographic School. She was the daughter of Yevgenia Snietkova, a teacher at the Kirov. Vecheslova graduated in 1928, and soon established herself as a strong dramatic dancer.

She created many roles including Paskuala (Laurencia), Nuné (Gayané), Florine (Lost Illusions), Manizhe (Heart of the Hills), one of the Ugly Sisters (Sergeyev's Cinderella) and Esmeralda (Esmeralda). She also performed title roles in the classics, including Swan Lake, Don Quixote and Giselle. In 1934 she became the first Soviet ballerina to tour abroad when she and frequent partner Chabukiani traveled to the United States.

Her last performance was in 1953, after which she directed the Vaganova School and was a teacher and Ballet Mistress with the Kirov Ballet from 1955-1971.

In addition she wrote several books about ballet, including I am a Ballerina in 1964, and Of the Things I Value Most in 1984.

Tatiana Vecheslova died on July 11, 1991.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #117:  

“Tatiana Vecheslova was a famous Russian ballerina and the first Soviet ballet dancer to tour abroad.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYI9LfDfdC8

Quote of the Day:

“A writer doesn't dream of riches and fame, though those things are nice. A true writer longs to leave behind a piece of themselves, something that withstands the test of time and is passed down for generations.”
― C.K. Webb

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Wacky Wednesday Mini-Elevator

Wacky Wednesday Mini-Elevator

Here we go again with another elevator image! Elevators are so useful – they go up and down reliably (most of the time), and maintain a dependably level position.

Imagine that your patella (kneecap) is a tiny elevator. It moves upward when the knee is straight and downward when the knee is relaxed. This movement is very visible, and is something dance teachers look for to determine if a student’s knee is fully straight or isn’t quite there. To fully straighten their knees, students must think about the patella, and remember that straightening the knee requires a sensation of pulling up not pushing back.

The patella is designed to move just like an elevator – straight up and straight down without deviation, and a fully straight knee requires the elevator to go all the way to the penthouse.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Secret 7hhh:  

“Imagine the patella as a mini-elevator that goes straight up and down.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b2YbQLJJa0&list=PLJWy4FnrkE7u0zc_S8hKvFadvW50ezu3T

Quote of the Day:

“Five Ups of life: Buckle up, Start up, Keep it up, Don’t give up, Cheer up.”
― Vikrmn

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Technical Tuesday Mandible

Technical Tuesday Mandible

A not uncommon problem for dancers is holding excess tension in inappropriate areas. Often this area involves the jaw, and/or clenching the teeth – especially during challenging movement

combinations.

The bone of the lower jaw is called the mandible, and it is here that tension likes to reside. This tension causes a cascading series of unfortunate events, like tightening in the neck muscles, and sometimes a “jutting forward” position of the head. Not good.

Facial anatomy is complex, but basically it involves four different muscles: the masseter, the temporalis, the medial pterygoid, and the lateral pterygoid. More than you wanted to know? Okay.

Dancers need to notice when they are holding too much tension in their jaw. That’s the important thing.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Anatomical Secret #25l:  

“The bone of the lower jaw is called the mandible, and it is the largest and strongest bone in the face.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7ivUlQ1A4U

Quote of the Day:

“I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.”
― Steve Marabol

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Madcap Monday Tornado

Madcap Monday Tornado

Here we go again with yet another image for turn-out. This one is a real whirlwind.

The devastating weather phenomenon known as a tornado is actually formed from the top and from the bottom. You can read about it if you are at all interested in meteorology. But I digress. The important thing here is to make turn-out a constant thing, like a spiraling tornado. Turn-out doesn’t stop any time  you are dancing. Not at all. It is a constant upward spiral, and I have blogged about it before.

The image of two tornadoes, one for each leg, rotating in opposite directions will provide the correct – and constant – sensation.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Secret #3r:  

 Imagine two tornadoes spinning in opposite directions.

.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wqfNxx938c

Quote of the Day:

“In the great tornado of life, things sometimes seem out of control, and we can’t see where we are going. But sometimes, when the storm passes and the dust settles, things have landed into place beautifully.”
― Charisse Montgomery

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Sunday Failure

Sunday Failure

Dancers are usually so focused on perfection that it supersedes everything else. All happiness is determined by whether they had a “good class” – or not. This tunnel vision can be great for accomplishing goals, but it is a slippery slope.

You can have a laser focus on your dance goals, but while doing this, remember to enjoy what you are doing. That’s right. Enjoy the class, even if it isn’t the best one you’ve ever taken in your life. Enjoy the pursuit of perfection and avoid berating yourself if you don’t achieve the perfection you seek.

The easiest way to do this is to not ignore those things that are working well, instead of always riveting your attention on the things that aren’t working. You’ll always be working on the weaker areas, but balance it once in a while with acknowledging those things you do well.

Balance. We know all about that!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #153:  

“Anyone who enjoys life is never a failure.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVuMXpd1NJA

Quote of the Day:

“We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are.”
― Bill Watterson

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Saturday Statute and Repeat

Saturday Statute and Repeat

Ballet classes are repetitive. At least, effective ballet classes are repetitive. They are designed to produce an accurate and unfailing (or close to it) muscle memory. As the great teacher Vaganova states in her book Basic Principles of Classical Ballet:

“From the first year of study and until the end of the career, the daily exercises of the pupil and dancer consist of the same steps.”

“There is nothing bad about the exercises being tedious in their monotony y, although this monotony can be broken by doing the movement in different time…”

Most dancers come to an understanding of this concept early in their training. Only occasionally is there a student who complains about ballet “always being the same” or some similar comment. Interestingly, I seldom, if ever, hear the same complaint from students studying a musical instrument. They seem to know how critical “boring” repetition is for accomplishing their goals.

Ballet classes can be varied considerably by the arrangement of the steps, the musical accompaniment, and whether the tempo is slow or fast; but the basic framework must remain the same. The system works!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #71:  

“Ballet class is, by necessity, repetitive.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDl0uPDTMB4

Quote of the Day:

“Repetition opens doors, you know?”
― Tim Lucas

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Fun Friday Adage

Fun Friday Adage

Ahhhh – those awe inspiring adagios with high, extended développés!  One could even say that these combinations are the epitome of ballet. 

The word “adage” is French, but it comes from the Italian “ad agio” meaning at ease or leisure. So is it adage or adagio? French ballet teachers use the word “adage” most frequently, but Americans usually use “adagio”. Some teachers use the terms interchangeably.

To make an adagio breathtaking requires exquisite control of the legs and body placement, so that the dancer appears to be moving effortlessly in slow motion, with no discernible seams visible between steps. Not easy!

It helps to imagine moving through something besides air. Butter, molasses, water….whatever works for you. Try a few développés in a swimming pool. This will provide the sensation necessary to move with the same resistance through the air.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Secret #11j:  

“The word “adage” is French, but it comes from the Italian “ad agio” meaning at ease or leisure.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3q30zvO8bs

Quote of the Day:

“Don't tell me about your effort. Show me your results.”
― Tim Fargo

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Throwback Thursday and Gail Grant

Throwback Thursday and Gail Grant

One of the best known books about classical ballet is the small (less than 150 pages), but popular Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet. Originally published in 1950, it has been revised and reissued many times since then. Organized in dictionary format, it provides definitions and descriptions of ballet terms, and it includes illustrations – also by author Gail Grant. I began to wonder about who she is (or was) and was surprised to find that there was little personal information about her on the internet, and her book doesn’t contain the typical “Biography of the Author” section.

(Edith) Gail Grant made her debut in 1916, when she was six years old in “Queen Sceptre: A Musical Fairy Pantomime”. In 1923 she took a correspondence course in dance technique from Chicago and opened her first dance studio - in an attic. She included a library of dance books.

In 1927 Gail’s family moved to Winnipeg and here she began her first formal ballet training with Geraldine Foley. She trained intensely for two years before returning to Regina to re-open her studio.

In 1932 she joined the new Radio City Music Hall Ballet where she worked for the next eight years. During this period she began to write, and in 1950 her most famous work was published. Many other works followed.

In 1991, Gail Grant was in her eighties and living in Florida.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #116:

“Gail Grant is the author and illustrator of the famous book Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9Kye0ouFbU

Quote of the Day:

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”
― Abraham Lincoln

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Wild Wednesday Sewing Needles

Wild Wednesday Sewing Needles

A constant problem for student dancers is maintaining a pointed foot whenever necessary. It is all too easy to be concentrating on something else and allow the feet to relax at inappropriate times.

To solve this dilemma, imagine the feet as sharp sewing needles, always stretched fully into a sharp point. This is especially important during petit allegro combinations, but it is also useful whenever the foot (or feet) happens to be off the floor.

Remember Ballet Statute #22: “If it is off the floor it points, (or is on the way to becoming pointed).”  In other words, if the foot is off the floor it morphs into a sewing needle.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Secret #7ggg:  

“Imagine the feet working like sewing needles, with a very sharp point.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blFwD5LXyZY

Quote of the Day:

“Being smart as a whip includes knowing when not to crack it.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

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Technical Tuesday Humerus

Technical Tuesday Humerus

The long bone located in the upper arm is the humerus. It connects the elbow to the shoulder, and because it attaches to the rotational joint of the shoulder, it provides the critical support necessary for the arm to function efficiently and create all those lovely shapes required in classical ballet. It also allows all those lifting movements male dancers employ when performing with a partner.

Like the femur, it is a long bone, and because of this, it is one of the most commonly fractured bones.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Secret #25k:  

“The humerus provides critical support for the functions of the arms.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nu-1iIGaSQ

Quote of the Day:

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” 

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

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Marvelous Monday Diamond Jumps

Marvelous Monday Diamond Jumps

Ballet Secret #2h states:  A plié makes a perfect diamond shape (a large caret diamond). This is important, and never more so than when a dancer is landing a jump.

A standard jeté should always land in plié so that the legs form a perfect diamond shape, even though, unlike the standard barre plié, the dancer is on one leg. Unfortunately, often the working leg in a jeté doesn’t maintain its turned-out position, destroying the diamond shape.

Imagine that every jeté lands and shows off a large, sparkly diamond. It can be seen clearly in the mirror if the dancer is facing it.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #15ww  

“In a standard jeté, a diamond shape must be formed by the legs upon landing.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FDHMWxRukg

Quote of the Day:

“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”
― Socrates

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Sunday Share

Sunday Share

We learned it in kindergarten or before: Sharing is a good thing. But it is difficult step outside our own problems and remember that giving to others makes our life better and richer.

It may sound trite, but it is true. And sharing doesn’t have to be anything big. In fact, small things are every bit as powerful. Share your experience, share your knowledge, share a word of kindness. Help a stranger in a grocery store reach the top shelf…you get the idea.

Share. It doesn’t matter what you share, just that you do. You’ll find it to be a powerful personal motivator.

Try it.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #152:  

“Sharing can be a powerful motivator.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wODg1AKuRc8

Quote of the Day:

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
― Mother Teresa

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Silly Saturday Saying

Silly Saturday Saying

Over time and many performances, dancers learn a variety of ways to calm their performance jitters. One of them is today’s Silly Saying: Imagine every man in the audience is bald. Picture how this might look as you scan the audience. Even in the dark, it would d be noticeable and humorous. And humor helps you relax.

I heard once that some critic or patron actually bought selected tickets for all his bald male friends so the reflective heads would spell out a word or two. I don’t know if this is actually true or not, but it adds another level to the idea of imagining a bald audience.

If this doesn’t help, try imagining something else to add humor or absurdity to the moment. It will lighten the mood.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

 Ballet Silly Saying #70:  

“To calm performance jitters, imagine every man in the audience is bald.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgNtbhH9_Wg

Quote of the Day:

“Nervous people tend to overreact.”
― Toba Beta,

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Fun Friday and Pas de Bourrée

Fun Friday and Pas de Bourrée

One of the most frequently performed steps is probably the pas de bourrée. It can be done in many different directions, and can take several different forms. It can be an open-close-open pattern, or the opposite, close-open-close (as in pas de couru). The term itself means “beating step”.

But the important thing in pas de bourrée is the moment when the legs come together in fifth position, whether it is in relevé or not. This moment requires a good, crossed, and of course lifted, fifth position. Especially in relevé, but to a lesser extent in fifth à terre (on the earth), the moment can be visualized as being in a straw.

So the formula for pas de bourrée could be: “up in the straw, out of the straw, up in the straw…”

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #33q:  

“Pas de bourrée means “beating step”.

                Link of the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1vpB6h3ek4

Quote of the Day:

 “Rejection is an opportunity for your selection.”
― Bernard Branson

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Throwback Thursday and Break A Leg

Throwback Thursday and Break A Leg

Dancers never use the phrase “Break a leg” for obvious reasons. It is used in other theatrical circles as a means of wishing a performer good luck and/or a good performance. “Break a leg” is said to be used because of belief in a superstition that states that wishing a performer good luck actually produces the opposite.

The phrase “Break a leg” has an interesting and mysterious history. There are many theories about the origin of this phrase, none that can be proved definitively. Here are just a few:

•          In Shakespeare’s time, “break a leg” meant “take a bow”.
•      Some say it came from the assassination of President Lincoln, when John Wilkes Booth broke hisleg escaping from Ford’s Theatre. But no solid historical reference has been found indicating this phrase was used prior to the 1920s.
•         Another possibility come from the 1800s, when an actor taking over a role from a famous actor was told to “break a legend” which became “break a leg”. 

•           During the days of vaudeville, when more acts were booked than actually performed, a performer hoped that his act actually got onstage – or “broke the leg” of the curtain called the leg – moving onto the stage.

There are many other possibilities, and dancers have their own words and phrases that I can’t repeat here. You probably know at least one of them.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #117:  

“The origin of the phrase “break a leg”, is one of theatrical history’s mysteries.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CzxoKVMe3Q

Quote of the Day:

“You have to bow to reach the top.”
― Ljupka Cvetanova

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Wacky Wednesday Toothpaste

Wacky Wednesday Toothpaste

If a survey were taken to determine which ballet step is the most hated by dancers, it might be rond de jambe en l’air. Or not. But the rond en l’air is challenging and tiring, and so it probably will never win the Most Loved Step Award.

One of the problems with this step occurs at the point of full leg extension. The working leg is at 90 degrees (the most difficult place to sustain), and if the dancer is tired there is a tendency to “snap” the leg out quickly. This is not good for a number of reasons: stress on the knee joint, disruption in placement, and probably an appalling lack of musicality. Ugh.

To stop this horrible cascading series of unfortunate events, imagine squeezing toothpaste out of a tube. One would never smash the tube; rather, it would be gently squeezed to get the toothpaste out without making a mess. It is the same for rond de jambes en l’air: the leg extends outward by squeezing, not smashing or snapping.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #11k:  

“A rond de jambe en l’air should have the feeling of squeezing toothpaste out of the tube.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk9gG6sVsEw

Quote of the Day:

“The word "frustration" is defined as the unfortunate tendency of lessening one's destiny. Rise up and take all frustrations away! Stop squeezing your dreams into a small size... You were not created to settle for less!”
― Israelmore Ayivor

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Technical Tuesday Tibia

Technical Tuesday Tibia

The tibia, located in the lower front portion of the leg, is commonly called the shinbone. It is the second largest bone in the body. There is another smaller bone next to it, the fibula, or calf bone. Together, these two bones work to stabilize the ankle and the knee and support for the muscles of the lower leg. Because the tibia is the larger of the two bones, it carries more of the body weight.

The tibia is the most commonly fractured long bone in the body, but that being said, it takes a great deal of force to break it, and so it doesn’t happen frequently in dancers. If a fracture does occur, there are usually other injuries that happen at the same time. Not good.

When dancers injure this area it often happens in the wings of a theatre when, during an exit, their lower leg accidentally hits the bottom part of a lighting tree – these pieces of apparatus are called “shin-kickers” for a reason.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Anatomical Secret #25j:  

“The tibia (shinbone) is the most commonly fractured long bone in the body.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYSZtEkIaNU

Quote of the Day:

“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.”
― T.F. Hodge,

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Marvelous Monday Shin

Marvelous Monday Shin

There are rond de jambes and then there are grand rond de jambes. The most difficult grand rond de jambe to perform is the en dedans (reverse) one. Moving the leg from arabesque or attitude to ä la seconde is tricky, and often there appears a moment referred to as a “doggie attitude” for obvious reasons.

This is to be avoided at all costs. To prevent doggie moments in grand rond de jambe en dedans, think of extending the energy in the working leg backwards at the moment the movement begins, then feel the leg being led by the shinbone (tibia) until it resolves into the ä la seconde position.

This helps maintain turn-out and prevent unnecessary canine poses.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Secret #11j:  

“In a reverse grand rond de jambe, imagine extending and leading  from the shin bone.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PsDk8lp_rk

Quote of the Day:

“Out of clutter, find simplicity.”
― Albert Einstein

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Sunday Strongest Muscle

Sunday Strongest Muscle

I’ve blogged before about kindness and how important it is for us and everyone around us. Here is another way to think about it - a way that dancers in particular will understand.

As dancers, we spend most of our time honing and developing our muscles and their ability to be strong, supple and effective. It is critical for our art. Strong muscles are an integral part of this, and I got to thinking about how kindness can be thought of as a muscle - one that is developed and honed through practice and constant use.

Like any muscle, the more it is used, the stronger it becomes. Make strengthening kindness a part of your daily routine.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #151:  

“Kindness is your strongest muscle.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK5yIvitfIw

Quote of the Day:

“The Service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.”
― Muhammad Ali

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Super Saturday Sit and Stay

Super Saturday Sit and Stay

Most ballet students know not to sit down during class. This concept is taught early, and emphasized often. After spending time warming up the body for the rigors of a ballet class, one doesn’t sit down unless ill or injured.

If a dancer does sit down, that’s where they stay. Once down, they must stay down. If a student feels the need to sit down, then it is serious enough for them to stay there and simply observe the rest of class. If they sit and cool down, and then get up and try to rejoin the class, injuries can result.

Therefore, it is always sit and stay!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #69:  

“Never sit down during class, except for illness or injury.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjpcvLaMbsU

Quote of the Day:

“It is not a person or situation that affects your life; it is the meaning you give to that person or situation, which influences your emotions and actions. Your choice is to change the meaning you gave it or to change your response, in order to create the outcome you want.”
― Shannon L. Alder

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Fun Friday Cotton Candy

 Fun Friday Cotton Candy

Turns in attitude or arabesque are different than other turns, like standard pirouettes. In a regular pirouette, whether it is en dedans or en dehors, the dancer’s head is centered over the supporting foot. But in an open position like attitude derriere or arabesque, the head isn’t centered over the foot – it is slightly in front of it.

Because of this difference in alignment, the turn itself is different. It revolves more slowly, and it has more of a spiraling feeling. Remember Ballet Secret #14f: “In an attitude turn, imagine a spiral staircase.”

Another way to think of these turns in open positions is to imagine a cone of cotton candy being made, with the spun candy spiraling around and around, gradually building up around the supporting cone. The cone is solid and doesn’t change, but the candy moves constantly around it. The cone represents the dancer’s central axis of support in the attitude position.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #15p:  

“In an attitude or arabesque turn, imagine cotton candy being made.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeO2evl8az8

Quote of the Day:

“To seek approval is to have no resting place, no sanctuary. Like all judgment, approval encourages a constant striving. It makes us uncertain of who we are and of our true value. Approval cannot be trusted. It can be withdrawn at any time no matter what our track record has been. It is as nourishing of real growth as cotton candy. Yet many of us spend our lives pursuing it.”

-          Rachel Naomi Remen

Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/850892

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Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers