Fun Friday Feather

Fun Friday Feather

An image that works well for teaching slow, adagio type movements to children is this one: Move like a feather falling to earth. This can also be a great prop image if you bring an actual feather or something similar into the classrrom.

Students can observe how a feather moves as it drifts downward and then imitate this falling to earth movement with their bodies. It’s both fun and educational for them. They learn how to move slowly and deliberately through space.

And, as with so many things, this image works well for more advanced students too.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #11p:

“Move like a feather falling to earth.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sARqFuqJ_7E

Quote of the Day:

“It's not enough to have the feathers.
You must dare to fly!”
― Cass van Krah

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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 Miss Florence

Throwback Thursday and Miss Florence

No, this Miss Florence is not a hurricane, but since Hurricane Florence was in the news this month I thought I’d feature a different, kinder and gentler Florence.

Florence Kolinsky was born on July 4, 1906 in Philadelphia. Her father was a tailor and she often amused herself by dancing in front the big mirror in his shop. After seeing Pavlova dance, she began lessons with Miss Rose, and later by William J. Herman, an acrobatic dance instructor.

When choreographer Gertrude Hoffman sought new talent, Herman suggested Florence, and although only thirteen, she became a member of the Gertrude Hoffman Dance Troupe. In 1923 she went on to perform with the Zeigfeld Follies, and soon earned her own solo.

In 1927 she became a featured artist in Paris at the Casino de Paris, and was billed as “Miss Florence”. She soon teamed up with dancer Julio Alvarez and they performed together for many years in New York and Miami, and appeared in two films: MGM’s Student Tour (October 1934) with Nelson Eddy and Jimmy Durante and Warner Brother’s Murder with Reservations (1938).

In 1937 Florence married Dr. Henry Maslow and retired from performing soon after.

She died in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Dance History Secret #249:

“Miss Florence was a famous dancer during the Jazz Age.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPdSQ8AZ4Z4&t=26s

Quote of the Day:

“But it is only through constant, faithful endeavor by the girl herself that the goal eventually is reached.”

- Florenz Ziegfeld

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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/

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Wonderful Wednesday Kiss

Wonderful Wednesday Kiss

In searching back through my previous blogs, I discovered that kissing images show up quite often. If you search the word “kiss” in my blog you’ll find them.

Today’s kissing image is a basic one: When coming up from a plié, remember the knees must kiss. This is simple but important. If the back of the knees don’t connect (kiss), the legs never fully straighten (gasp!) and therefore there is no two-way energy being applied (double gasp!).

So show some love during pliés and make sure to have the knee kiss.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #2gg:

“When coming up from a plié, remember the knees must kiss.”

Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“The sunlight claps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what are all these kissings worth, if thou kiss not me?”
― Percy Bysshe Shelley

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

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/

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Technical Tuesday Ailes de Pigeon

Technical Tuesday Ailes de Pigeon

Here is a term you may not have heard, although you probably know the step. Here is the definition from Gail Grant’s Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet:

“Ailes de pigeon [el duh pee-ZHAWN]. Pigeon’s wings. The dancer

performs a cabriole devant, then the legs change and beat again, then change

once more before the dancer lands on the leg he or she jumped from, leaving

the other leg extended in the air. Also known as pistolet.”

Can you tell from the defintion what step this is? It’s commonly called brisé volé and is famously seen in the coda of Bluebird pas de deux in Sleeping Beauty (see  Link of the Day below).

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Terminology Secret #30h:

“Ailes de pigeon means pigeon wings.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZe0TFU75rI

Quote of the Day:

“They've moved me to a new office and I don't like it at all. Different pigeons come to the window.”
― Barbara Pym, Excellent Women

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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/

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Madcap Monday Mush

Madcap Monday Mush

The verb articulate means “express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently”. It can also be used to describe movement.

A dancer must articulate every step, making each one clear and yet never letting the audience see where one step ends and the other begins. All choreography or sets of steps must be seamless.

Often the difficulty lies in the linking steps, like glissade or chassé. These steps are often all but ignored, not articulated and thus the whole thing becomes mushy and out-of-focus. Scary.

When working on a piece of choreography, take time to work on smoothly transitioning between each step – regardless of how unimportant a single step may seem.

No mush!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #21vv:

“Articulate your movements.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7ARFCFOyf0

Quote of the Day:

“Vivid simplicity is the articulation, the nature of genius.” 

― Criss Jami

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

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/

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Sunday Wonderful

Sunday Wonderful

The above quote is self-explanatory. To paraphrase it, you might say: be an example, or an inspiration to others. It is a great way to go through life.

Happy Sunday!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Motivational Secret #247:

“Do something wonderful, people might imitate it.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAZPk-JfTLs

Quote of the Day:

“To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while.”
― Josh Billings

                Help expand the knowledge base!

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

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:

http://www.balletconnections.com/?s=debrawebbrogers

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Saturday Superstitious Power

Saturday Superstitious Power

I’ve been doing several blogs in the past few months about dancers, actors, and their superstitions. According to an interesting article in Dance Magazine, https://www.dancemagazine.com/superstitious-2306981157.html

“ Researchers have even found a correlation between superstitions and improved performance.”

This is likely due to the fact that comforting, familiar routines (rituals) help boost  confidence. And we can all use an abundance of that before a performance!

But there is a downside. Too much dependence on particular rituals can prevent a performer from adapting to change – destroying instead of building confidence. So, like many things In life, moderation is key.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Superstition Secret #138:

“Researchers have found a correlation between superstitions and improved performance.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnYe8eaGZ9o

Quote of the Day:

“You never see animals going through the absurd and often horrible fooleries of magic and religion. . . . Only man behaves with such gratuitous folly. It is the price he has to pay for being intelligent but not, as yet, quite intelligent enough.”
― Aldous Huxley

                Help expand the knowledge base!

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

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:

http://www.balletconnections.com/?s=debrawebbrogers

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For interesting articles involving mental health:

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