Throwback Thursday and Sol Hurok

Throwback Thursday and Sol Hurok

In 1906, an almost destitute Sol Hurok came to the United States from Russia. He worked at whatever odd jobs he could find and soon began organizing concerts for labor organizations. In 1911, he convinced violinist Efrem Zimbalist to play a concert, and before long Sol Hurok was staging performances that featured many accomplished artists, most of them from his native Russia. In 1914, he became an American citizen.

Because of Sol Hurok, Americans began to develop an interest in and appreciation for companies such as the Bolshoi Ballet, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the Sadler’s Wells Ballet; and artists like Pavlova, Isadora Duncan and Arthur Rubinstein to name just a few.

For more than fifty years, over 4,000 performers were reputedly featured and/or discovered by Sol Hurok. He was also known for his own showmanship and lavish treatment of his performers. He wrote his autobiography: Imresario in 1946 and it was made into the movie Tonight We Sing in 1953.

Sol Hurok did on March 5, 1974 in New York City.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #73:  

“Sol Hurok was an impresario who did much to bring virtuoso performances to America.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMOi135mshA

Quote of the Day:

“"If I would be in this business for business, I wouldn't be in this business."

-          Sol Hurok

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 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Wild Wednesday Pointer

Wild Wednesday Pointer

Here we go again with another image for better posture and alignment! Can there ever be too many? No.  I think not. Today’s  image involves a prop – a telescoping pointer. Not something the average person usually has on them, but something most people are familiar with.

Sometimes it is disguised as a normal pen, but when pulled, it extends longer and longer and longer. Usually a foot and a half or more. I have one of these and it is handy for illustrating the length and lift necessary when a dancer “pulls up”.

I usually pull it out only part way and ask the students  if that looks like enough. Most of them will say it “yes”, and then I pull it further. You get the idea. It is useful to actually see something that extends and extends…

So find a telescoping pointer or pen, or at least a photo of one. It is a great image for how the body lengthens in ballet.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #1pp:  

“Imagine a telescoping pointer.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

““Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.”
― Andy Rooney

                Help expand the knowledge base!

 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Technical Tuesday Double Duty

Technical Tuesday Double Duty

I love ballet. It is so logical. Learning one skill is useful because it often applies in other steps later. For example, in an en dedans pirouette, there are two ways to prepare: 1.the working leg moves directly from fourth position to retiré; or 2. the working leg extends to à la seconde before moving to retiré.

I like to teach students the second way because this is the same preparation that is used for à la seconde turns en dedans. I love skills that do double duty.

I also teach the first way, but I find that students achieve that with relative ease. The preparation to à la seconde is a bit more difficult, but once perfected, a la seconde turns are easily mastered – often to the student’s surprise.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #14q:  

“An en dedans pirouette preparation that involves an extension to the side is the same as the preparation for an à la seconde turn.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-JoKx8MNFg

Quote of the Day:

““The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Mad Monday Murphy’s Law

Mad Monday Murphy’s Law

Murphy’s Law states “If anything can go wrong, it will”. No one knows who Murphy was – or if he was a real person. Some attribute this saying to Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr. who was an American aerospace engineer. The expression is also believed to have been created during WWI or WWII in some branch of the military. But no one really knows for certain. And to think this expression went viral in the days before the internet!

This famous law is often quoted by both pessimists and humorists. The dance world has its own version, and it goes something like this: “The best things you do will never be witnessed by the director or an audience. Your best dance moves will occur in your kitchen. At midnight. When no one is around except the dog.”

Sound familiar? There are many other situations in dance that have similar “laws”. I’ll post one every now and then.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #21g:  

“Murphy’s Law states that the best things you do will never be witnessed by the company director or the audience.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeH0Xxqagq8

Quote of the Day:

“Murphy was an optimist.”

-Unknown

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 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Sunday Double P’s

Sunday Double P’s

Artists are perfectionists, and that’s great. But so often the drive for perfection gets in the way and brings us to a screeching (or a silent) halt. For dancers this perfectionism backlash manifests as a lack of confidence in class or (gasp!) performance; for other artists, like writers, it rears its ugly head by causing inactivity and/or a lack of will to produce anything, because “it won’t be good enough”.  Sound familiar?

Put perfectionism in the background. It will always be there, never fear. Instead, focus on persistence. That’s what counts. As my students often quote me as saying: “Keep on keeping on.”  Do something every day, with a goal in mind, but without worrying about perfection. It doesn’t really exist, anyway

.

Take joy in the journey. Love your art. Love your process. The side effect of persistence is perfection.  As much perfection as any of us can expect.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #69:  

“The side effect of persistence is perfection.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTH9VwACh7o

Quote of the Day:

““Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.”
― James A. Michener

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 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Saturday Statute #35

Saturday Statute

Happy Saturday! Today’s Statute is an important one:  “There is no complaining in ballet”. Actually, this is a good statute for life: There is no complaining. Period. Complaining makes everyone miserable, especially the person doing the complaining, yet we are all guilty at one time or another.

This statute is closely related to Statute #4: “There is no groaning in ballet” (http://balletwebb.blogspot.com/2013/12/fun-friday-and-groaning.html), but complaining is different because it verbalizes specifically what the complainer is unhappy about – it is essentially detailed groaning. Not good.

So stamp out complaining, and groaning, too. See today’s quote.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #35:  

“There is no complaining in ballet.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6KyyrIxxMY

Quote of the Day:

““What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.”
― Maya Angelou, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now

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

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Fun Friday Wrinkles

Fun Friday Wrinkles

It’s Fun Friday and time once again to address that favorite issue: posture. Today’s idea involves the shoulder area.

When a dancer becomes tense or worried, there is tendency for the shoulders to go up, and for the neck muscles to clench. Scary. The shoulders should always be relaxed so the arms and head are free to move. Gripping the shoulders also hinders the ability to spot turns effectively.

To prevent lifted shoulders, imagine wearing a rumbled jacket or shirt that you just pulled out of your dance bag. Now imagine that all the wrinkles in this garment are falling out. This is also a great image for general relaxation.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #1nn:  

“Imagine wrinkles falling out of the shoulders of a jacket.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVEO0BtJGJM

Quote of the Day:

““Wrinkles are engraved smiles.”
― Jules Renard

                Help expand the knowledge base!

 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers