dnznqueen

i think it's one of the feijoo sisters....

Vladimir Malakov, Yuri Possokov- saw (on video) do Albrecht's Act II variation- double cabriole en avant to an extreme layout!

Just finished a touring run of Sleeping Beauty. The company we were working with had probably one of the first CD players ever made. The music started skipping during the show, the next tracks would start in the middle of the track, leaving us dancers to make up/catch up choreography. There was also a lot of CD switching- poor Red Riding Hood did the entire piece (sans Wolf) 3 times in complete silence waiting for the music to come on. Probably one of the worst shows I have ever been a part of...

I grew up taking class in multiple forms of dance before deciding on ballet...don't ask me to go out "dancing" though- I'm usually the wallflower. Improvisation and variations on steps are not common to ballet.

balletgirl, who did you see do it? bryan and laura pitts?

maybe not necessarily a physicality, but i do notice first how women's hair is done- once you've learned how to do a ballet bun or twist your hair up into a clip for class, you kind of can't do it any other way!

From personal experience, I have to say Serenade is a corps fave to dance. Concerto Barocco is so enjoyable, but so physically demanding since you don't ever go offstage. Giselle is another one....I do like Swan Lake as well. No matter how much or little dancing you get to do in the corps, beautiful music is always a plus and makes it that much more enjoyable.

wow, what a great thread to revive!!! i unfortunately never got to see cynthia gregory live on stage- my ballet studio brought in a ballet historian once a month for "video time," and she showed us the bujones black swan pas and i was hooked!!! she was so statuesque and powerful, but not in a scary "manly" way at all. when i got older, i had the opportunity to take class from "the great cg" (as the historian used to say), and she was the most humble, gracious person. she taught us aurora's act 3 variation and i just loved her little "bits" of info, like telling us the developpes a la seconde at the end were supposed to be "celebratory explosions of technique." i'll never forget that one...

there's always the abt ballet at the met....with cynthia gregory and fernando bujones. it's just the pas, variations, etc., but the dancing is fabulous! i forget what else is on the program...i think it's paul taylor triad and something else...

Hello all! I am doing my first full-length Aurora...and I love reading all the inside tidbits of info, like lilacs representing wisdom, what variations were added when, etc. Is there a book or one thread on here where all of this info is located? I have several different versions on DVD and VHS- sadly I'm kind of having to do a lot of self-coaching and teaching.

Paul coached me in Cowgirl several years ago...I ran into him at an audition last year and he remembered me!!! He invited me to stay and watch the company's Cowgirls rehearse and asked if I noticed anything different. He was always so much fun and great to work with!!

Wow!!!! I love reading posts like this!!! I have been dancing for a while now, and at my studio we used to have a friend of my teacher's come and do dance history twice a month. We loved it because we got to sit for 2 hours watching movies instead of doing class. I remember one day, I don't remember the theme of our lecture, we watched Nureyev/Fonteyn "Lady of the Camellia's," and Gregory/Nagy (the "Great CG" she always used to say) "In a Rehearsal Room". To date after many years of dancing, these are still my favorite ballets. I realized that ballet was more than just hurrying in to class with tights baggy at the knees and hair in a messy bun- we were learning an artform, so pure and beautiful. Oh, I think I will break out the VHS tapes....

This girl was a student of mine...she comes from a competition dance studio. Even in ballet class her turns were just so on, maybe not classically correct, but very on her leg. When I was a teacher there, all the students in her level took ballet, jazz, hip hop, pointe, tumbling, lyrical, modern, etc.

I went and saw Sacred Monsters last Wednesday in Los Angeles. I was actually more impressed with Akram Khan than Sylvie herself. I particularly did not care for her solo...not her, but the choreography itself...why do modern choreographers tend to make modern dance thrashing and emoting? As someone who has done choreography like this, it tends to feel all the same and it ends up being the dancer who really has to make it something. I thought she did a fantastic job, and you really could'nt see any "bunhead," except when she and Khan were executing choreography together. All in all, I thought it was beautiful, and would love to see it again and again.

Hello, all....I have been asked to help set Pas de Quatre for a school. I vaguely remember learning one of the variations years ago, but was never told who or what it was. I know the names of everybody, but I want to know what each was known for, i.e., why certain arms for one and not the other, etc. Also, things like why does Taglioni have a necklace and bracelet and not the others. The internet has not yielded much info regarding things like this....and for reference, all I have is the Classic Kirov tape, the one with Komleva, etc. (BTW-who is who on the tape? I know I should know this, but alas, I do not), and I have the Nina Ananiashvilli version with herself, Terekhova, Kistler and Gad. Even looking at the two I notice major differences- if anyone can explain the whats and the whys, it would be very much appreciated!!! I want my students not to learn just steps, but the history behind what they are doing as well. Thank you so very much!!!!