2 3 Throwback Thursday and Break A Leg | Ballet Webb

Thursday, June 16, 2016

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 But no solid historical reference has been found indicating this phrase was used prior to the 1920s.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.

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Quote of the Day:
“You have to bow to reach the top.”
Ljupka Cvetanova

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