Balletmom

As I have watched this thread grow, I also have been deeply touched by everyone's comments. I would like to add my post originally made in the News forum so everything will be in one place: CT90, I agree he's probably laughing right now over all this fuss, but I think he's also happy to know he made a difference.

Serge's impact on the career and lives of the dancers of CCB can never be understated. Emhbunhead, my prayers are with you, my daughter and all of the company dancers who have been lucky enough to work with him. We'll get through this somehow... Balletmom

Serge Lavoie, former principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, and present Ballet Master and teacher with the Columbia City Ballet passed away Sunday while on tour. He passed away well before any of us who knew him were ready to see him go, and he will be deeply missed. He was my daughter's teacher, coach, mentor, and ballet "father" for most of the last six years. Intelligent, passionate, caring, and possessing an unerring eye, his mark will always remain on her dancing and on her life. May he rest in peace.

While watching former President Reagan's California funeral service on TV, I noticed Ron Reagan still seems to carry himself with the grace of a dancer. From what I remember during the Reagan years, Ron's ballet career got a good bit of publicity. Did this have any carryover into the number of boys enrolling in ballet classes at that time? It' a shame more males don't feel comfortable with the world of ballet (but that's another topic!)

As another indication of the importance of ballet to the Clintons, the Smithsonian has included a pair of Chelsea's pointe shoes in an exhibit containing various presidential family artifacts. Regardless of politics, I feel most of us would applaud the Clintons for their dedication as parents.

I came across this dvd "Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...847905?v=glance while scrolling through Amazon's ballet listings, and I wondered if anyone has any knowledge of it. The concept sounds great, although it's not quite what I was originally looking for, and I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to purchase. The price is not exactly cheap, and I would hate to purchase it if it ended up sitting on a shelf somewhere in my daughter's room. Any opinions? Thanks, Balletmom

Sorry, Silvy! I should know better than rely on my swiss cheese memory! Now that you said that, the visual image is so clear in my mind, I'm truly embarrassed! My memories of this movie are from my childhood--I was born just a couple of years after it was released. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it in years. (I watch very little TV.) But it is one the movies I plan on ordering for my daughter for Christmas. The funny thing is, I was actually named after the female star of this movie. It was a very popular name at the time--in one of my elementary school classes, there were 5 "Debbie"s one year. Balletmom

This thread is giving me all sorts of ideas for my next video store trip. I can't believe here I am, born, raised & living in South Carolina, and I haven't seen Shag The Movie. The Shag is our official state dance (you can even get a special "Shag" license plate for your car), and when I was in college, no self-respecting Carolinian would admit to not knowing how to do this dance. Plenty of places still have Shag contests, especially in the Myrtle Beach area. djb, if you are ever visiting along the South Carolina coast, I'm sure you will be able to find a club somewhere offering Shag lessons. Hairspray is a movie I wanted to see when it came out, but never did, and then I just forgot about it!

Thanks, Paul Parrish, for great suggestions. Also, Singing in the Rain has always been one of my favorites, and I think it would be great for my daughter, as it's such a classic. I never took dance, but I remember as a child doing my version of Astaire dancing while singing the song at the top of my lungs. ( Only if no one was around, of course.)

koshka, our local library has pretty slim pickings--they do have the Footnotes series, though, and a few others like Dancing For Mr. B. Our local video store has even more meager offerings. I envy those who live in more cosmopolitan areas! Your suggestion has me thinking, though--I'm considering forming an informal video exchange group for interested parents or dancers at my daughter's studio. If the studio gives permission, maybe posting a sign-up list on the bulletin board with space for listing the videos you're willing to loan out. My only worry is getting my videos back, but since I see most of these people almost daily, maybe it won't be a problem.

I found Robert Greskovic's book Ballet 101 through the Amazon link above. From the description and excerpts, this book looks like it will become a well-thumbed reference in our house. Can't wait to read it, but, in the meantime keep those lists coming!

Wow! Thanks for everone's input so far. I love Alexandria's suggestion of Desert Island DVDs. I intend to try and find Robert Greskovic's Ballet 101, sounds like it would be a great gift, also. Sulan, Suzanne Farrell's Elusive Muse is on my personal "want" list. I'll also keep in mind that this will probably be a collection she will want to keep for many years, so I'll make DVDs a priority. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's suggestions/lists. Hans, I'm not much of a videophile--do you know if Essential Ballet is still in print, and what can you tell me about it? The title sounds intriguing. I'm looking forward to spending many happy hours searching for all these and more on the internet.

My 16 year old daughter (ballet student, ballet lover), would like to start a collection of ballet Dvds/videos. I believe she is primarily interested in performance videos, especially of the classics, but "contemporary classics" would be great, too. Which videos do feel are the best of the best, and why? Do you feel there is a specific performance of a well-known ballet that is remarkable for its interpretation of the choreography, its staging, or the quality of the dancing? Are there lesser known ballets that any good student should have knowledge of? Are there specific performances or documentaries by/of "ballet icons" that you would include? Thanks for your help! I plan to look for a couple of videos for Christmas, and then add to the collection as special occasions come up.

I've never been adept at expressing myself verbally about any kind of art--to me, the arts are experienced at a much deeper level of my being, but I'll give this a try. The first time I ever remember seeing any kind of ballet as a child was on TV. I remember seeing Edward Villella guesting on The Odd Couple (I think), and I was totally entranced by his looks, his energy and graceful athleticism, and to my adoring pubescent eyes, his sexuality. Many years later, I still have so much to learn about ballet, but I have always looked at what I guess would be called the line of a dancer first, and the beauty of the human body as it moves with such apparent ease through space. Tie this together with the auditory experience of the music, and I'm in heaven. As my daughter has gotten more & more involved with ballet, I've begun watching more little things--placement & line of the feet, the "softness" of beautiful arm movements, the use of the upper body. One of my more embarrassing memories of watching ballet happened a few years back when my daughter was about 6 or 7. I had volunteered to help backstage with our local pro company, keeping watch over a small group of young girls in the production (including my daughter.) With another mother, my main duties were sheperding these girls from their dressing room when the backstage coordinator called us, escorting them to the wings, and then escorting them back to the dressing room as soon as they finished their part. There was a beautiful pas de deux following the scene the girls were in, and I started watching the dancers without even being aware of it, or aware of anything else, for that matter. After the pas was finished, I looked around and noticed with some embarrassment that I was alone in the wings except for the technical people and a few company dancers. The other mother, luckily, had taken the girls back to the dressing room. My daughter, of course, will never let me live this down, and still occasionally reminds me of it. I still enjoy watching a ballet from the wings, but have learned to not let myself get so lost in what I'm seeing!