Throwback Thursday and Ginger Rogers

Throwback Thursday and Ginger Rogers

Her real name was Virginia Katherine McMath, and she was born on July 16, 1911 in Independence Missouri.  She won a Charleston contest at age 14, and received a 4-week touring contract.  Until the age of  17 she acted and danced in vaudeville.

Ginger Rogers appeared in the Broadway production of Top Speed in 1929.  Her first film was A Night in a Dormitory in 1930, in which she had a small part.  She went on to do more movies and some theater work, until the movie Gold Diggers of 1933 was released and she was discovered by the public.  One song she popularized in the film was We’re in the Money.

But she is best remembered for her famous partnership with Fred Astaire.  They were first paired in Flying Down to Rio in 1933. Many other movies followed including  Top Hat (1935), and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939).  It has been said that she did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.  In the link below, she (and Fred Astaire) dance in roller skates.

In 1940 she acted in Kitty Foyle and won an Oscar.  She continued to act onscreen until her last film Harlow in 1965. She then went on to appear in stage plays, traveling worldwide.  She retired in 1984 and wrote her autobiography, Ginger, My Story.

Ginger Rogers died on April 25, 1995.  She was 83.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #50:  

“Ginger Rogers is best remembered for her famous partnership with Fred Astaire.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“The only way to enjoy anything in this life is to earn it first.”

-          Ginger Rogers

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Wacky Wednesday Fortunes

Wacky Wednesday Fortunes

You probably remember Ballet Secret #9b:  Remember to kiss the knees at the bottom of a port de bras forward.  Well, here is a new way to think about that upside down position.

Imagine that someone taped a paper fortune from a fortune cookie on your knees.  It is stuck there upside down so you can read it when you port de bra forward.  In order to do this your head must be in the correct, relaxed neck posture.  If the neck is not relaxed, the chin will be lifted and the eyes will be unable to focus on the fortune.

And you wouldn’t want to miss out on knowing your fortune for the day.  So in a port de bras forward, kiss your knees and read your fortune.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #9e:  

“Imagine a paper fortune from a fortune cookie taped to your knees.  Read it when you perform a port de bras forward.”

                Link of the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ozi5pyp9mU

Quote of the Day:

““Would you like to know your future?
If your answer is yes, think again. Not knowing is the greatest life motivator.
So enjoy, endure, survive each moment as it comes to you in its proper sequence -- a surprise.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

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Terrific Tuesday Toes and Feet

Terrific Tuesday Toes and Feet

I try to avoid telling my students to “point” their feet.  Instead I prefer the term “stretch”.  The word “point” often makes student clench their feet, making them effectively shorter and more tense  We all want a lovely pointed foot, but getting there requires a different thought process.

Imagine stretching the foot over a basketball.  The foot follows the curve of the ball, stretching over it until the pads of the toes contact the basketball.  The energy continues past the toes and onward.  It is this lengthened position that will ultimately develop the beautiful “pointed” foot all dancers strive for.

By imagining the basketball, the foot cannot clench and instead must stretch and lengthen.  Excess tension in the foot is therefore avoided.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #7ee:

“To prevent clenching the foot, imagine stretching it over a basketball.”

Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds.”

-Wayne Dyer

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Madcap Monday Statute

Madcap Monday Statute

Here we go, starting the work week off with yet another Ballet Statute.  This one involves barre work.  It reads as follows:  “When changing to the other side at the barre, always turn toward the barre.”

This statute applies when the combination of steps is finished, and the dancer is turning to do the other side – the other foot.  If the turn is during the middle of a combination at the barre, the dancer can, and often will, turn away from the barre.  This is because the working leg determines the direction of the turn during a series of steps.  That is, if the foot is being drawn to sous-sus derrière, the dancer will turn away from the barre, and if the foot is coming to devant the turn will go in the opposite direction. (Try doing this the other way around and you’ll see why the rules exist as they do!)

So, remember at the end of one side of a barre exercise that Ballet Statute #24 states that you must turn toward the barre.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #24:  

“When changing to the other side at the barre, always turn toward the barre.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”

-          Lao Tzu

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Sunday Givers

Sunday Givers

Dancers can be very self-obsessed.   In part, this is necessary for their technical development.  But it is a problem when the focus on “self” becomes all-encompassing.  After all, as I remind my students, a performing artist is in one of the most giving professions that exist. 

We think of teachers, doctors, nurses, philanthropists, etc. as being givers, but performing artists should be at the top of the list, too.  We just don’t do it one-on-one.  In a small audience of 100 people, perhaps the performer only inspires 10% of the group.  Well, that’s ten people!  Ten people who had their outlook changed or their mood lifted because of what they saw onstage.  Ten people who walked out of the theater with their burdens lightened.  And if you were that performer, of course, you’ll never know.  You’ll never know what series of good events you may have started because you inspired ten people.  It is a bit like the famous movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.

 You are, then, an anonymous donor every time you step onstage.  What a great way to life your life!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #45:  

“The performing artist is in a giving profession.”

                Link of the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cy73ex6apo

Quote of the Day:

“Giving is an act of generosity.
Giving is sowing a seed.
The seed will produce great harvest of fruits.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

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Super Saturday Egg Yolks

Super Saturday Egg Yolks

I have mentioned the fact that in a rond de jambe en l’air (everyone’s favorite step), the big toe of the working foot traces an elongated egg shape in the air.  A slightly squashed egg, if you will.  But what happens in a double rond de jambe en l’air?

That’s correct, it is usually different.  The big toe of the working foot traces a more rounded pattern underneath the working knee.  In other words, the leg does not extend fully until the end of the double.  This is to allow for the speed needed when doing a double rond de jambe en l'air during a small jump.  For obvious reasons, a slow, elongated double wouldn’t work!

So for double rond de jambes en l’air imagine the yolk of the egg – a nice, slightly rounded, yellow yolk.  Use that shape to form the two circles of the double.

To sum up:  a squashed egg shape for single rond de jambes, and a slightly more rounded yolk shape for the doubles.

Enjoy your breakfast!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #14m:  

“In a rond de jambe en l’air, the big toe traces a squashed egg shape, but a double traces two, more rounded, yolk shapes.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“There was something sort of bleak about her tone, rather as if she had swallowed an east wind. This I took to be due to the fact that she probably hadn't breakfasted. It's only after a bit of breakfast that I'm able to regard the world with that sunny cheeriness which makes a fellow the universal favourite. I'm never much of a lad till I've engulfed an egg or two and a beaker of coffee.
"I suppose you haven't breakfasted?"
"I have not yet breakfasted."
"Won't you have an egg or something? Or a sausage or something? Or something?"
"No, thank you."
She spoke as if she belonged to an anti-sausage league or a league for the suppression of eggs. There was a bit of silence.”
― P.G. Wodehouse

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Fun Friday Blank Stare

Fun Friday Blank Stare

Today’s Statute is related to Statute #1 which states:  “If the arms are moving, the head is moving”.  However, today's statute takes it a step further.  The eyes are always focused on something.  This is important because the alternative is a blank stare, or a “deer in the headlights” appearance, especially if the dancer is worried about the next series of steps. 

It is helpful when learning choreography to think about exactly where the eye focus needs to be during each step.  While this may sound excessive, it really isn’t.  Many steps have what is essentially a “pre-designated” focus (the positions of the body, like ecarté, for example), so it is a matter of filling in the blank.  Is the focus on the downstage wing during a traveling series of steps, or is it going to be on the center wing?  Are the eyes lifting toward the balcony, or the center of the house (audience)?  You get the idea.

Working with a partner takes it to another level.  When a man a woman dance together and have pre-planned where their focus is going to be during each step, it produces a wonderful (romantic) appearance of two people moving and thinking as one.  This is a great trade secret of successful pas de deux work.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #23:  

“The eyes are always focused on something – never allow a blank stare.”

                Link of the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9XyRMkzprY

Quote of the Day:

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym           

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