floss

Ohhh, how I loved the rhythmic gymnastics. I even taped it so I can watch it over and over and over again. :shrug: The wretched TV station that had the rights for the Olympic Games would never say when exactly they would show anything except for the swimming (of course) and Jana Pitman's race. You just had watch and hope that it would come on before you had to drag yourself off to bed.

Oh, how I envy you. You have all managed to read so many books. I have just started Marion Meade's "Eleanor of Aquitaine". k8smom what did you think of the Weir book? and how strange to find someone on Ballet Talk who is interested in Eleanor, she certainly had an amazing life. When my family and friends saw the book it was, Eleanor who?

Enid Blyton's stories have been slammed by some critics mainly to do with the way gender roles are played out, some elements of racism creeping in to stories and that there is sense of 'superior Britishness' about the characters. Having said that I loved the "Famous Five series" (I would say that most Enid Blyton's books would appeal more to girls than boys) and think that along with access to a diverse range of literature children wouldn't be adversely affected by reading Enid Blyton. Even "Harry Potter" has elements of sexism in it so you can't really isolate children from such things. You could try your nephew on Blyton but it may be a bit old fashioned for him. Your best bet would be to steer him towards books that are about subjects that he likes and is interested in. If he likes football try football stories they are out there you just need to track them down. My son loved the "Goosebumps" books- scary stories- at that age and would read about 4-5 of the books per week.

"Carnival" (1946?) was on early the other morning. I happened to catch some of it because I had an early meeting. Jenny Pearl (Sally Grey) is a Victorian ballerina in love with a struggling artist. She declines to go to Spain (I think) with him and ends up marrying a possessive Cornish man who ends up killing her. Some ballet performed by Bebe de Roland, and the Carpenter Corp de ballet. Anyone know about them?

I love Chrissie Parrott's Coppelia for WA Ballet. It's a hilarious 1960's take complete with beehive hairdo's, platform shoes, beerbelly dad, and barbeque.

dancing frog you are right when you say that Pratchett's Disc World novels are not for young children they are written for the teenage audience however rebekah did not mention a particular age group so I included those books in my recommendation. rebecka another book within the fantasy genre that children (primary school age)love is "The Day my Bum went Psycho" by Andy Griffiths and I remembered that Irini Savvides wrote Sky Legs. Some other researchers to keep in mind are Maria Nikolejeva, C.W.Hunt III, and Katheryn Hume ("Fantasy and Mimesis"). Also, the popularity of Harry Potter has led to quite a few journal articles which you could check.

Just finished Children's Lit. last year. Some of the fantasy books were Diana Wynne Jones Howls Moving Castle, Terry Pratchett's disc world novels and Sky Legs (not entirely fantasy and can't quite remember author) Check to see if you have "The Lion and the Unicorn" journal at your university, also books or articles written by Robyn McCallum, Rosemary Jackson, Jack Zipes, and John Stephens may be useful. Also Tvetzan Todorov [the marvellous, the fantastic, the uncanny], Joseph Campbell [hero, monomyth, separation- initiation-return paradigm], Rosemary Jackson[ fantasy = literature of desire] and Jacques Lacan [the mirror phase] may be concepts to consider.

Sorry I still haven't got the quote right. Ari I agree with you. It is a little like false advertising. I am sure when Swan LAke is mentioned most people think of the Petipa and Ivanov Swan Lake.

This is one of the problems that I have about Murphy's Swan Lake. To my mind it is not Swan Lake and should be given another title. When I heard that Swan Lake was on this year I was very excited :hyper: because I love the classics. My face when I heard that it wasn't :angry:

Ginger Rogers autobiography, Ginger, My Story was published in the early 1990's (I think)

My favourite is Follow the Fleet (with a young Lucille ball and Betty Grable), closely followed by Top Hat, Shall We Dance ( I love Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore), The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, Swing time. Don't forget Flying Down to Rio, their first film together, where they are minor characters.

I checked AB's website, Southern Lights is touring, but only Adelaide Melbourne and Perth. Maybe it will come here another time. Hope Justine Summers feet hold up. I saw a video some years ago that she was in, as a student at ABS, and her feet looked like they may have been giving her trouble then.

I haven't heard anything about Southern Lights. Maybe its not coming here. I would like to see Summers dance again. Is she a guest artist or not?

If I can't get into the book after the first chapter or two I ditch it. I don't have time to waste on a boring book and I don't feel guilty about either, even if every man and his dog is raving about the book. I would much rather find a book to enjoy.

Swan Lake will be Murphy's interpretation, some people loved, others didn't. I don't care for Murphy's work so we did not go to see it. Not sure about the Balanchine I have not seen any of AB's Balanchine programs. But if you can get to Sydney for something at the Opera House I am sure you would enjoy it. The Harbour is beautiful in the evening and you can stand outside, sip champagne and enjoy the view. the view http://www.travelpictures.co.uk/TP/AUSTRAL...dney/syd21.html

"Beyond 40" has lots of beautiful, clear (not fuzzy) colour photographs of principals, soloists and the corps of the Australian Ballet.

My knowledge of American presidents is not extensive but you've had an ex- actor as a president and one with a farming background. Why not a dancer? That would be something special. Do you think the world would be better off if all heads of state were ex-dancers. I know off topic, , so good night all.

I went to see a friend's DD performance and could not believe how rude some people are, even though the bell had rung for all to go into the theatre there were still people wandering in well after the performance had started. They had not arrived late they were already in the foyer well before the start of the performance they were just too self important to consider that the students had been rehearsing for months to produce a 'professional' performance. If I had been on the door I would have locked it and told them they would have to wait until a break in the program! Then at intermission people brought food and drinks in to the theatre, which they were not supposed to do, and then when they left at the end of the performance left their rubbish on the floor. Disgusting! :angry: At least the babies were well behaved this year and we didn't have to put up with @#% parents who won't take their screaming babies out of the theatre.

I should have specified clearly that the photo in question was one attached as advertisement for a ballet school for pre-professional students, it was a pose not an action shot. It was not advertising clothing etc. The school ( not a Dolly Dinkle one) is run by a well known ex-dancer from European companies. I am just completely suprised that an advertisement for her school would use an image that shows poor technique. And also cannot fathom why she would allow such a photo to be used, maybe she did not see it prior to submission to the magazine. My daughters went Eww when they saw the picture. I am aware of students at my daughters' school being used as models, they were chosen on the basis of being able to display good technique, the AD vetted the photos before they were submitted and the photographer was one that takes performance photos. Anyway, I hope that these images are not going to become the norm.

Recently I have been noticing there seems to be more promotional photographs in dance magazines that have dancers showing poor technique. In one Australian magazine there is a photo of a dancer with a terrible line in arabesque, the foot seems to be not pointed, neither leg is correctly turned out and her weight seems to be in her heels, (she is not on pointe). I would like to scan the photo and post it but it would probably be not appropriate as far as copyright goes and anyway the photo is one of those slightly "arty" (grainy, b/w) images and may not turn out well. The erosion of technique is one of my gripes, I have posted about it before. Do you think it is on the increase in the context of advertising?, i.e showing high extensions instead of line to encourage people to go to that studio. I find it really strange that a school director would want to advertise their studio by using images that show poor technique. Or am I getting old and picky? :shrug:

Roll on the idol phenomenon. Australian dance idol will hit us next year! Edit to add: Sorry, it is not a ballet only competition, other forms of dance as well. Wasn't quite sure to put this post.

I learnt ballet as a child but my parents could not stretch funds for tickets to ballet performances. It wasn't until I was an adult and working that I could afford to go. The first ballet I saw was Cinderella, and what I noticed (I realised later) was that if a dancer had beautiful arms I concentrated on that, almost mesmerised by the movement. If a dancer had great legs and feet that was what I noticed; so different dancers, different parts of the body- the movement or steps.

We have to plan our attendance,once we sort out who wants to go to which performance and when they can go, we have to purchase tickets as soon as possible to get decent seats. Performances tend to sell out fairly quickly here as well.

Australia, well at least Sydney was subjected to Barbie Swan Lake about a month ago. I watched to see what it was like It was truly forgettable. Don't ask me about the plot :sleeping: (almost) I remember a skunk, a terrible screeching voice for Odile (or whatever she was renamed in the program) and the unicorn. A strange mix of characters indeed.

Sweater in the high 30's? :sweating: (haha, kidding) Phew, I had to reread your post cricket and realise you meant 30's F not Celsius. Slacks and swaeter sound fine maybe a nice necklace or pearls to finish it off. I think it is good for the teens to dress up for the occasion but they should feel comfortable in jeans if they want to wear them. But please no t-shirts with the jeans, an evening top, and high heel shoes or boots look good with the glammed up jeans.