To MysticSang'ha -- the Odile of RF

[Jayhawker Soule]

We were thinking about you yesterday as we sat through a really stunning Swan Lake. We've seen Jose Manuel Carreño before in Romeo and Juliet, but this was our first opportunity to watch Gillian Murphy, who danced a superb Odette and a remarkable Odile ...

( beguiling images of MysticSang'ha in a black tutu )
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... it would have been fun having you there!

Any other ballet fans out there?

 

[Storm]

I love it, but rarely have the oppurtunity to go....

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I love it, but rarely have the oppurtunity to go....

Where is the most accessible venue?

 

[Storm]

It's not a question of venue (there are many in Portland), but finances.

 

[dust1n]

Here, In Pensacola, ballet is very limited. We only have two theater's, and neither hardly puts a ballet on, and when they do, it's often traditional and expensive as hell. Every time I do end up watching one, I am thoroughly impressed; I come rather hypnotized by the whole performance which differs a lot for some plays or musical performance. It's possibly because I never really got to know much about the 'dance'.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Every time I do end up watching one, I am thoroughly impressed; I come rather hypnotized by the whole performance which differs a lot for some plays or musical performance.

In Swan Lake (particularly Scene 2) there are wonderful segments where the majority of the dancers on stage are motionless. The beauty and control of the not-dancing is mesmerizing ...

... it's the Zen of dance.

 

[dust1n]

In Swan Lake (particularly Scene 2) there are wonderful segments where the majority of the dancers on stage are motionless. The beauty and control of the not-dancing is mesmerizing ...

... it's the Zen of dance.

Haha; that's beautiful. I heard it was comparable to Tai Chi - the meditative properties, the slow stretching of individual muscles, finding the center of balance to move against gravity; but for audiences.

Some of those moves are ridiculous, and I could never understand how someone stands on the tips of their toes. Why don't they snap? I don't know.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Some of those moves are ridiculous, and I could never understand how someone stands on the tips of their toes. Why don't they snap? I don't know.

Odile

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[Comicaze247]

Some of those moves are ridiculous, and I could never understand how someone stands on the tips of their toes. Why don't they snap? I don't know.

A combination of years of joint conditioning, muscle training, and the hard-tipped shoes they dance in (my sister's been in ballet for 14 years).

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Holy Pointe Shoes, Batman! What a fantastic thread, Jay!!

I'm so happy you got to see Swan Lake again. I'm admittedly jealous, sincenot too long ago, the St. Louis Ballet staged a production of SL, my father had two tickets to go see it, found out he couldn't go, offered them to me, and then I couldn't find a babysitter.

I teach ballet as a compulsory class...ALL of my students are strongly encouraged to master a certain level of proficiency before tackling other forms of dance. It's by far the best discipline for balance, flexibility, core strength, and endurance. It also is the highest art for artistry and expression.

There is a reason why dancers really do have some of the best bodies on the planet. Try their daily routine for a week, and you'll see why. We were the first "cross trainers" IMO before cross-training became popular.

Dancing on toe shoes isn't impossible, but it does require superb technique normally done in ballet slippers. It also rips your feet up if you don't meticulously tape your toes or use lambs wool to cushion the weight load. You always see the newbies - they're the ones with the bleeding feet. But it's kind of a rite of passage, actually. Eventually you build callousses all around your feet and toes, and they're then about as indestructible as Hobbit's feet. LOL

I bet Gillian Murphy was beautiful. I'm so sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Odile

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I used to be able to execute this move called a panche, and with my leg up to a perfect 180 degrees. Now it's only about 173 degrees. LOL

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Beautiful nonetheless!

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Beautiful nonetheless!

One of things I appreciate the most out of ballet is that it transforms extraordinary athleticism into grace and beauty. You're taught early on to "hide the work." Professional athletes across the spectrum grunt and grimace throughout their movements, but dancers show ease and grace.