"Ballet's image of perfection is fashioned amid a milieu of wracked bodies, fevered imaginations, Balkan intrigue and sulfurous hatreds where anything is likely, and dancers know it." Shana Alexander
Recently I was asked this question: "Dianne, do you know any good websites for ballet? I'd like to know them. Also,How do I lose weight? I want to exercise but I can't get myself to. How can I do that. I'd like to run everyday.When's the best time in the day? Best exercise plan? And also, how do I lose my extra belly fat? I weight about 100 pounds and I'm only 11!I hate eating healthy foods but if it'll make me skinnier, what good foods should I eat? Thank you for answering these questions!!" Here is my answer and honestly, I truly tried to keep it short! "It is wonde... (3425 more chars)
Here is a truer test for turnout than the butterfly or frog position, where your hips are flexed and turnout will look like more than it really is. Lie on your stomach with your legs straight. Here your hips are in an extended position. Bend one leg to a 90 degree angle. (If your hip comes of the floor, then you need to stretch out your quadriceps and iliopsoas muscles, as in doing a runner's lunge.) You could have someone gently hold your hip down on the floor if you like. Then allow your bent leg to angle down toward the straight knee. Where the leg stops, this is the correct degree of ... (4195 more chars)
A key area of dancing for females is pointe work, and a key area for males is jumping. In early training, regardless of age, there are 7 highly effective habits that will contribute to excellence in both these areas. This analysis can apply to other areas of dance in the same way also, I'm choosing this one for the sake of discussion. ***First, education as to specific physical attributes and shortcomings. Every dancer would like to have long and stretchy Achilles tendons, and flexible ankles. These 2 advantages provide the biggest movement between the bottom of a demi-plie and the tak... (2438 more chars)
I get asked a lot, "do you think I should pursue ballet professionally?" And my immediate thought is, "If you can live without dance, do so, if you cannot, then dance." I say that because ballet is a subculture. That is not a bad thing, but like opera, music, and other art forms, training is intense and competition is fierce. That may be the attraction for some. Ballet attracts perfectionists, obsessed and oddly dysfunctional people, but also attracts incredibly gifted performers and brilliant broad-spectrum artists who excel at dance and related arts such as choreography, music and stage ... (2510 more chars)
High extensions and split jetes are a common attraction in ballet. If you were not born with long ligaments, muscles and tendons, is ballet a career builder for you? Since you will spending strength on fighting your own tightness, striving for that effortlessness in your ballet shoes and pointe shoes, other very flexible dancers are trying to reign in their movements to maintain form and balance. But, ballet being the way it is, they look better during the struggle than the tighter dancers. Sheesh..... What are you going to do if you are not in a full-time ballet school with 10 +classes a we... (4240 more chars)
Ballet Blog
