cubanmiamiboy Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I've been aimed to ask this question before to those who have had performance experiences. Many times during over-shoulder lifts, I see the ballerina's tutu getting into the most diverse positions and forms, many times displaying in full unflattering view its insides, and others right in the bailarin's face. What should be the correct way for a tutu to be up there...? Should the ballerina actually seat on its back side-(and thus opening its whole front)-, or should she try and seat so the tutu covers her completely...? Link to comment
Birdsall Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 You are a trip!!! LOL I don't know, but I suspect when they are doing these athletic lifts it is almost impossible to make sure the female dancer's body is not showing. Just my personal guess. The male partner is concentrating on lifting without looking like he is straining, so his partner's tutu is the least of his worries. The female is concentrating on her arms, seated position, and hoping to God the skinny guy lifting her doesn't drop her on the floor! LOL So she is less concerned about her modesty. I tend to think we see much more on the beaches nowadays so it is not a big deal to see a ballerina's undergarment or whatever it is called that is under the tutu. Maybe it helps more straight men to come to the ballet, so don't knock it! LOL Whatever gets more men into ballet is okay with me! LOL I had a friend who used to dance and still dances baroque dance sometimes, and she was one of the original gyro tonic/gyrokinesis instructors. I took some gyro lessons from her. She once told me young dancers are less self conscious about their bodies when on stage, so I assume a female dancer's tutu flying up in an awkward position is not a big deal to them, but that is just a guess. Link to comment
Fraildove Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 When I was still dancing, I was much more aware and concerned with the bodice slipping down than the tutu coming up! After all there are trunks in the tutu but the bodice issues can leave you quite exposed! More practically, sometimes the tutu seems to have a life of it's own, and I do t ever remember being worried about it during lifts. As said above I was more concerned with arms and leg positions and making sure that I was in a secured position than with the tutu. The only time I was aware of my tutu was when being laid down to slee in Sleeping beauty. If you lay on the back of the skirt, you will have a tutu in your face not to mention a very interesting sight for prince charming! Link to comment
cinnamonswirl Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 When you're dancing you shouldn't have to think about the costume. If you do (or are), then there's a problem with the costume. Also, rehearsal tutus tend to be very soft because they are worn a lot, and the dancer is unlikely to starch it (or whatever wardrobe does to make the tutu stiff). Rehearsal tutus start out stiff and then they get limp as they are used a lot and washed. So a lift that looks ok tutu-wise in rehearsal may not look the same on stage because the tutu is different. It also depends on the tutu -- the stiffer and wider it is (a real pancake or duckbill tutu) is more likely it is to expose the dancer than a soft, Karinska-style tutu, IMO. Personally I would not advocate sitting (or lying) on the back of the tutu so that the front pops up! Link to comment
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