Sunday New Year’s Eve

Sunday New Year’s Eve

Welcome to New Year’s Eve. A time to reflect and a time to look forward. How exciting!

Today I thought I’d talk about an interesting fact: In World War I, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was played by German POW’s in Japan to pass the time. It is now a beloved Japanese tradition to perform it every New Year’s. https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/classical-music/how-world-war-i-made-beethovens-ninth-a-japanese-new-year-tradition/

This symphony contains the famous Ode to Joy that most of you will recognize.

For all the details on this interesting New Year’s fact, check out the above link.

Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #:

“Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was introduced to Japan by German POWs in WWI (who played it for them), and it is now a national tradition to perform it every New Year’s.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-mvutiDRvQ

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Saturday Whistling Superstition

Saturday Whistling Superstition

One well known theatrical superstition is this: It is bad luck to whistle in a theater (or back stage). But why?

Early on, those who worked the rigging (ropes) backstage were sailors. They quite literally, “knew the ropes”. To communicate with each other, the sailors used whistles as signals. Obviously, if a dancer or actor whistled, it could confuse the whole operation, and ruin the show. Bad luck indeed!

So there is (was) a logical reason why whistling in a theater or backstage was said to be bad luck.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Superstition #106:

“It is bad luck to whistle in a theater.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kla_Bk9Vcc

Quote of the Day:

Nobody likes a whistler, particularly not the divinity that shapes our ends.”
― Douglas Adams, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story

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https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Fun Friday Firm

Fun Friday Firm

It is important to use pressure against the floor for many steps. Tendu, dégagé, glissade, assemblé, etc. – the list is endless. But so often dancers just skim the floor, usually when they are feeling unsure.

If you are having a problem with any combination of steps, go through them slowly and think about where the downward (firm) push against gravity should occur. You will probably discover where the problems are.

Pressing firmly against the floor with a corresponding upward energy provides the power and resistance needed for the successful execution of most steps. Use gravity to your advantage! Be firm!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #22aaa:

“Use the floor firmly.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGapvan86uo

Quote of the Day:

“Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear.”
― Judy Blume

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https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Throwback Thursday and William Henry Lane

Throwback Thursday and William Henry Lane

Born around 1825 in Providence, Rhode Island, William Henry Lane is often called the “father of tap dance”. He was the first African American to get top billing over a white performer in a minstrel show.

First hired by P.T. Barnum to  perform at Barnum’s American Museum, Lane soon found work in the dance house of Five Points in New York City. Here he started combining elements of Irish dance with African American dance. He used his body and feet as musical instruments blending syncopated rhythms of different cultures. He also entered dance competitions where he soon earned the title “Master Juba: King of All Dancers”. (Juba and also Jude were names commonly given to slaves that were often adopted by stage performers. Juba is also the name of a supernatural being in African folklore.)

In 1848, Master Juba toured with an all-white minstrel group to England, thus becoming the first African American dancer to perform there. There he became a sensation, so much so that Charles Dickens wrote about him in American Notes.

Master Juba’s innovations influenced dance on both sides of the Atlantic, and he was instrumental in the development of tap dance in the United States.

Sadly, he died young in 1852. He was only in his late 20s.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Dance History Factoid #194:

“William Henry Lane is called the father of tap dancing.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gURQAE5pQ5I&index=6&list=PL20E675ACBEFBC65A

Quote of the Day:

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

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https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Wild Wednesday Writing

Wild Wednesday Writing

A dancer strives to achieve a beautiful “flow of movement” no matter how difficult the series of steps may be. The dance should look effortless, with no way for the audience to tell where one step ends and another one begins. As every dancer knows, this is often more difficult than it sounds.

It’s like the difference between printing and cursive handwriting. In printing there is a stop, or separation between each letter. But in cursive, one letter flows directly into the next.

Think about this the next time you are trying to make your steps flow. Imagine cursive writing – not printing.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #22zz:

“ Picture the difference between printing and cursive writing.”

Link of the Day (A lovely version of Nutcracker grand pas):

https://www.facebook.com/nucleodedanca.carolinacox/videos/89756055368551

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Quote of the Day:

“I prefer the pen. There is something elemental about the glide and flow of nib and ink on paper.”
― James Robertson, The Testament of Gideon Mack

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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

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Technical Tuesday Cells

Technical Tuesday Cells

Today I’m talking about all those cells that make up your body. Cells are the smallest living units that are capable of reproducing themselves, and your body is made up of many different kinds of cells. The human body has about 200 different types of cells, and within these cells there are about 20 different types of structures (organelles). Wow.

Every minute a human adult loses about 96 million cells. But take heart! They are all replaced. Whew. Cells have different life spans – for example, white blood cells live about 13 days, while cells in the liver live about 18 months.

Here is where it gets really interesting: Cells in the inner lens of the eye, muscle cells of the heart, and the neurons of the cerebral cortex are the only cells that will be with you your entire life.

Pretty cool, huh?

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Anatomical Secret #26oo:

“Cells in the inner lens of the eye, muscle cells of the heart, and the neurons of the cerebral cortex are the only cells that will be with you your entire life.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF7Ve8eM_xk

Quote of the Day:

“Your body is a complete marvel.”
― Toni Sorenson, The Great Brain Cleanse

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https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to All!

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https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Christmas Eve

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas Eve!

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https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Saturday Rehearsal Saying

Saturday Rehearsal Saying

Dancers and actors are a superstitious lot. I’ve talked about this before. And today I present an old adage that comes up often in the dance world.

I’m talking about the idea that if one has a bad dress rehearsal it means a good performance. This is a common thought for anyone in the theater. But where does it come from and could it actually be true?

Where this well-known saying comes from is a mystery. Perhaps it started with a director trying to boost the morale of his dancers/actors after a disastrous dress rehearsal. Maybe it evolved simply because mistakes happen in rehearsal and are thus able to be fixed in the opening show.  If this is the case, the saying is true: make all the mistakes you can before an audience is in the theater.

Whatever the case, a dose of positive thinking before opening night is a good thing!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #105:

“It is said that a bad dress rehearsal means a good performance.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0T6zT7RhwQ

Quote of the Day:

“Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence...”
― Bernard Beckett, Genesis

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Fun Friday Pudding Patterns

Fun Friday Pudding Patterns

It’s Fun Friday and time to get a little bit wild. Imagine the dance floor covered with pudding! That’s right, pudding. You can pick any flavor you like, but my personal favorite would be chocolate.

Anyway, if the floor were actually covered in pudding, your dance movements would create interesting patterns. What would they look like? There is something to consider!  A chassé would leave a long wide mark, but a series of bourrées would leave a more delicate, lace-like trail.

Think about what a whole combination of steps would look like in the pudding, or a complete variation. Does the pudding pattern reveal any shortcomings, or steps that aren’t fully executed or realized? Or does everything look perfect in the pudding?

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #22yy:

“Imagine the patterns your movements would make in pudding.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.facebook.com/cdfrancescadecarolis/videos/1931650533774670/?hc_ref=ARRkoK0dUvaETFFa9pCbK1SSXf7JZy-_f1iCfhmDkKa9yoGmMifSem-y-MF-_pdtvXQ

Quote of the Day:

I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”
― Vincent van Gogh

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https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Throwback Thursday and Little Sally

Throwback Thursday and Little Sally

Billed as “The Child Torpedo”, Sally Dimpty was an accomplished acrobat by the age of three. Her act was used by the war effort to raise money. Her father Sorrell was an acrobat, coach and choreographer, and he created the act that made her a star.

“The Child Torpedo” mocked the German Navy while proclaiming America’s prowess at sea. The act included a paper maché battleship which was rolled onstage to music played by an oompah band. The act is further described here:

https://www.facebook.com/lostandforgottenstars/posts/1814186822001588

“Sorrell Dimpty, dressed as a sailor in dress blues, entered with his daughter Sally and slid her across the stage towards the ship. The paper maché’ side would give way as the child smashed through the hull over and over again until the Kaiser would comically fall from his post to the sound effect of a splash. Sally won the day and ran up the aisle, leading audience members into the lobby to invest in the war.”

Little Sally’s image was featured on several magazine covers, and there was even a Little Sally Halloween costume.

Sally Dimpty spent the later part of her life in Maine. In honor of her 95^th birthday, the Smithsonian honored her by displaying her torpedo costume and described her contributions to the war effort.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Dance History Factoid #193:

“ Little Sally was a young vaudeville star.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TtNbSY2X4s

Quote of the Day:

You have to be odd to be number one”
― Dr. Seuss

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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

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