Pas

That's an interesting point. Sometimes I see professional dancers at the grocery store, in casual clothes buying frozen dinners. Nobody else in the store seems to have any idea who they are. I would like to greet them and tell them how much I appreciate their work, but I have lost my nerve. I don't want to bother them, and I don't know how dancers perceive non-dancers who are fans of theirs. In addition, I am sort of a shy person. Do you have any thoughts on what I should do? Thanks, Pas

(Moderator's Note: The following thread was springboarded off the thread "boys and ballet" and I thought it was worthy of its own thread on Other Arts. - Mel) Cavalier, BilboBaggins makes an important point about how demanding ballet is compared to so-called manly sports. It is one thing to be able, through brute force, to score a touchdown, or knock someone down...but it is quite another thing to do all that your sport requires with poise, balance, and grace. Football players never have to worry about a touchdown being called back because it was done in such an ugly and sloppy way. So in ballet, it is not only doing the thing, it is how one does it...this is much more difficult. It's quite a challenge. But you can do it. This is a little bit off the topic, but the name Bilbo reminded me of Legolas the elf/archer in "Lord of the Rings." He moves in a balletic way throughout the film...even in the heat of battle, his arrows find their mark; he is poised; none of his energy is wasted. I wonder if the actor Orlando Bloom studied dance before playing Legolas?

Cavalier, When the boys who are making fun of ballet now are grown, many will be in boring, tedious jobs and rapidly gaining weight. You, however, could be a famous dancer, in great shape, and doing something that lots of pretty women consider wonderful. Some boys who were teased for playing the piano are now very wealthy stars of the music world. It does take some maturity to appreciate the art (and athletic challenge) of ballet, and unfortunately, many young people will not learn to appreciate the finer things until later in life. There is a very real lack of depth in many people today. But not all people. You keep up the good work!

It can be difficult to find books on ballet and dancers for the general market. Is it because the topic is so specialized? Could it also be that many dancers, being in a tough and competitive world, are reluctant to write about themselves and their companies? There are some fantastic dancers out there today who have almost nothing written on them beyond a resume of their experience. A google search on dancers who have been with ballet companies for 10 or 15 years often only results in a few hits that again recite their resumes. It concerns me, from a historical point, that many stories of dancers and companies may be lost as it seems there isn't a lot of writing and publishing going on in the field, especially when it comes to biographies. Speaking of Edward Villella's Prodigal Son, that book is a great script for a major movie. I did not want to put it down. It would be wonderful to see Villella's story on the screen, which would intersect with the lives of Ballanchine and many others, while telling the human story of Villella himself--his family struggles, his near-death, his feelings of being an outsider coming from a working-class world. Great stuff for a screenwriter to work with.

Carolina Ballet (Raleigh, NC) Founded: about 4 years ago with help of current Artistic Director Robert Weiss New pieces created to date: 21, including 5 full-length ballets http://www.carolinaballet.com 2002-2003 Programs "Carmen" "Stravinsky's Clowns" "Nutcracker" (finished Dec. 29) "Ballet Plus!" (Feb.--Includes 8 performances of ballet to piano; Timour Bourtasenkov will choreograph one piece) "Messiah" (April. Fantastic! The company took this production to Hungary last year and received great reviews. It's unique, majestic, uplifting, and very human.) "The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Anderson" (May 29-June 1; Damian Woetzel, principal dancer with the NYC Ballet, will choreograph "The Nightingale.") I will be happy to answer any questions about this young ballet company. They are a joy to experience. --Pas

I am 42-year-old male with some background in drama but not in dance. For the past two years, possibly the greatest artistic discovery of my life has been opening my eyes to ballet. The movie "Billy Elliot" demonstrated some of the freedom and fire in dance...but my real conversion came when I saw Carolina Ballet's "Messiah." (Robert Weiss, Director). Wow. In a world full of words, noise, and chatter, it was great to discover an art form with no spoken words. I am now at every performance I can possibly attend. The second great discovery is this website. Thanks so much for providing a place to discuss ballet. I don't know where else I could go to express these thoughts to such an appreciative audience.