Maryland_Taxi

The store that carries the cards is Footlights Dancewear on Church Street in Frederick Maryland. You can google for more info.

Hmmm. Well I don't know who the distributor is, but they sell these cards in the dancewear store where we buy pointe shoes. This store will ship anywhere (just got two pairs of Suffolks in the mail today from them) so you might want to contact them. I imagine you could phone them and ask the owner who the card distributor is? Can I post the store info here? I'm not sure if that is allowed. Or you can email me.

Can I just schmooze for a second? This forum is the most informative place on the entire internet to learn about ballet. Thanks so much. Okay, now back to what you were doing .... :rolleyes:

Thanks for the replies. Okay, so it the consensus that Pugni is the composer for the ballet music known as "Carnival in Venice?"

I need to reference the composer for Carnival in Venice in a recital program booklet. The dancer is doing a variation that she only knows as "Carnival in Venice" - it is a solo variation and the music starts out like the tune to "My Hat It Has Three Corners." The dancer's original coach is not available to clarify this for me... Can anybody help? Also, mildly related ... what is the proper format to reference the choreographer if the local teacher has modified a variation for the dancer, based upon Petipa's original? Do I say, "Choreography by Sue Jones AFTER M. Petipa" or "Choreography by Sue Jones OVER M. Petipa" or "Choreography by Sue Jones OVER THE ORIGINAL" or is there some other better way? Thanks!

Thank you, will do. So, then, it's "after Petipa," not "after Gosky?" I'm clueless regarding either of these guys so your wisdom is critical. For all I know they could be women. :shrug:

Hmmm. So what is the verdict for the printed program? Who should one credit if doing the Kitri variation "with the fan." And what is proper form for crediting the original choreographer if the local teacher has made adjustments for the dancer's skill level? My daugher is performing the Kitri Fan Variation (some modified version, I suspect) at our Spring Recital - I cannot really ask her teacher as his English is not exactly stellar and *I* am in charge of the printed program.. sigh.. can anyone help or suggest a format for the program? thanks

John Vandervelde with BalletMagnificat seems to be ... um... PRETTY BALD. http://www.balletmagnificat.com/B_bios.html

Okay. I hear you. I'm learning. (Be patient with me, I'll surely be back) Ms. Leigh: When you said young dancers should "be busy dancing" what exactly do you mean? Is there another forum where I could post questions about what constitutes an appropriate weekly program for ballet dancers this age (12-15)? I mean, how many hours in technique per week, en pointe per day, etc.? Thank you.

Okay. The track this thread has taken is very interesting to me. I have two reactions one related to young dancers learning variations, and another related to competions in general. Email/internet is wierd, and I know you cannot hear my tone of voice, so please know that I am asking sincerely, without sarcasm, for my own understanding ... I'm a "ballet mom" with a child in a very small school (6 kids). We're investing much time, money, emotions, sweat and tears (no blood, yet) into her training so if we're doing it all wrong now would be the time for the professionals to let this poor old mom know ... First - why is it appalling for a 13 year old to learn variations? If the dancer is focusing mainly on technique 3-4 times per week, and variation class is mostly a reward for hard work in technique class - what's wrong with that? Is there some reason why a solid "intermediate -advanced" dancer should NOT learn variations? (I put "inter-adv" in quotes because I have no clue what that means. That's the distinction her teacher gives her at this point in his interaction with her.) Secondly, what's up with competitions? For most of our dancers, there are pitifully few performance opportunities. The competition venue allows our dancers to perform onstage, gain experience before an audience, and have a venue for exposure to other dancers their age. It's a competitions where they can witness dancers with greater demonstrated skill, or (occassionally) to celebrate the skill level that their own hard work has garnered. Don't get me wrong: We have our own issues with most competitions. Our girls train hard and have high respect for technique and artistry. They are weary of the way "entertainment" value seems to trump good technique at most of these dog & pony shows. Precisely for this reason we are seeking out competitions that are "mainly ballet" in the (maybe unrealistic) hope that the girls' ballet technique and artistry will be appropriately respected and celebrated. Some in our school went to a YAGP regional last year and were pretty disgusted at the lack of organization and professionalism. We skipped it this year, but planned to try again next year - mostly because it seems to be the only comp that is seriously "ballet" as opposed to "shake yer little behind." In the mean time, we found this ABC event ...- If these competitions (even the "seriously ballet competitions") are NOT a good way for an aspiring dancer to have her growing skill and talent recognized, or are NOT a good way for her to gauge the success or failure of her current training, then what SHOULD WE be persuing to this end? Yes, our dancers all have roles in the annual Nutcracker, yes they'll have a spring recital (where most will perform a variation - gasp! ) but is that IT? What are we missing, here? The girls want to dance! They want to show what they've learned. They want to learn the "next thing." They want to work hard and grow. Okay. Now I've splayed my ignorance on the table. Educate me. I need to know.

Thanks, Mme. Hermine and lampwick. That's what I needed to know.

Can any of you tell me anything about the "American Ballet Competition?" Is it a reputable event? Are this year's "master teachers" good? Here is the link to their site: http://www.americanballetcompetition.com Any insight would be greatly appreciated. My daughter is considering this but the cost of flying into Miami would make this a rather big "to do" for us and I'm trying to discern if the experience would be worth the price tag.