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Does it bother you when dancers fall?


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Personally, I find falling unexpectedly onstage (or in rehersal) kind of fun. Don't misunderstand me- I don't like to fall, and as I get older, the fear of injury creeps more and more into my mind, but when it does happen, I guess it gives me a boost of adrenaline, and the rest of the performance at least feels better then it would have had I not fallen. Lately, though, we have had problems with our floor- it is a new marley and has not had enough time to be broken in properly, I guess. Someone fell in nearly every single one of our performances through the spring- usually running and trying to stop, going around a corner, etc, and that is when falling is not so fun- when you know you are entering an uncomfortable situation. I guess the floor is getting better- supposedly we have the same maley as NYCB, and I hear they fall alot.

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Very interesting topic! Here in Munich normally audience gasps in a way worried about the health of dancers - at least those frequent goers around me.

AND - especially in story-telling ballets where a lot is happening on stage - some people don't even notice when someone of the corps slips!

I remember a very bad fall of one guy in Don Q. pas de quatre when he could not get on his feet again as he injured either his knee or achilles (sorry, can't remember), so the other three guys had to carry him off the stage. This made me feel really sorry and worried for him and left a sad taste in this otherwise so bright production - but of course, the show did go on...

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I was recently at my recital and I was not up quite yet so I was watching and as the girl doing her soul was dancing she almost feel but instead just touched the ground. And that bothered me because we were all giving her are attention (we being me and the rest of the audience) and she was not prepared enough to stay balance. I think falling is nto okay because it mostly is really embrassing for you and the group who is obligated to succeededing with you by your side. :rolleyes:

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When I see a dancer fall, I just worry whether they are hurt. When the Cuban Ballet

was at the Met in 1979 or 1980- I saw the

Myrta (Queen of the Willies) collapse on stage...and not get up. She was moaning in what must have been incredible pain. The curtain came down. The only time I ever saw something like this. This made me realize how fragile dancers' careers are. They live on the edge, even during rehearsals.

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I want to distinguish two kind of falls. First is when you just slip because of the floor condition, nobody can blame you and you, actualy, get rid of it very easily in your memory and it doesn't injure too much. (Even we have proverb in Russia "poor dancer always blame the floor").

The second is when you made a technical mistake executing the movement. First of all you can damage your body very seriously, specialy on the landing, second, it's really shame on you and you turn the slow-motion picture of what's happened over and over in your head. I still remember my hopeless debut in "Valpurgy's Night" about 30 years ago, when in the day of the performance I "lost" saut de basque and I have to make six of them in my variation! It was disaster and I thaught I will never dance it again, but to my fortune, A.D. gave me another chance in one week and in that time I "found" my saut de basque back, so, everything was all right.

Looking from the auditorium I usually can predict the fall one second before and, as Gianina, can't hold my breath. I believe, my "A-a-h" is too loud and I'm frightening people sitting around.

[ 07-07-2001: Message edited by: Andrei ]

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