See that up there? It's fifth position demi-plié in a class at the former Knoxville Ballet School, as executed by some of my Level 2-almost-Level 3 students. And that's my lovely friend Joan Kunsch of Nutmeg Conservatory teaching them; I had invited her for a springtime guest appearance. As you can see, the girls have (relatively) … Continue reading A Plié Is Not a Squat (and other truths of the universe)
Ballet Class
Preconceived Notions: Expanding an Idea
Disclaimer: this is a post about ballet school. It is also the start of a conversation. Even if you know nothing of ballet or ballet school, this might resonate with you if you have ever had the joy and the challenge of parenting a young child. Read on. Last week a local magazine whose demographic … Continue reading Preconceived Notions: Expanding an Idea
Somebody Please Hand Me My Oil Can
Dancers have such ugly feet.--Anne Bancroft, The Turning Point Handsome Chef Boyfriend looked at that photo and said, Your feet don't look that bad in real life. Cheeky. I don't really care how they look (a benefit of age and wisdom, I think). They've served me pretty well for most of my life. Recently not so … Continue reading Somebody Please Hand Me My Oil Can
I Don’t Get No Respect
That's my mama, working one-on-one with one of my former students in Knoxville, Tennessee. That picture was made in June of 2012, days before the small ballet school I founded closed its doors for good, and only a couple of months before I relocated to Vermont. Mom will be seventy-three in December. She still … Continue reading I Don’t Get No Respect
And Away We Go!
Fall term began at ballet school yesterday; the school director caught me in a moment during my Level 4A barre with a very pointy index finger. I was urging the kids to "send the foot across the room," speaking metaphorically of course. And no, we are not in prison, but in a smaller interior classroom … Continue reading And Away We Go!
Elusive Friendship and Little Swans
Last week we wrapped up a three-week summer intensive at ballet school; on Saturday the high-intermediate-level students showcased their work in a studio demonstration for their families, something that usually happens at the end of intensives. Each of us on staff was asked to set something on them. I chose Cygnets ("young swans"), the dance … Continue reading Elusive Friendship and Little Swans
White Noise
This is theatre week for us at ballet school; Thursday we have lengthy tech rehearsals, Friday dress rehearsals, and two curtains on Saturday. The academic year draws to a close, its labors bear fruit, the school's young dancers showcase what they have learned in the guise of ambitious new works created just for them. Predictably … Continue reading White Noise
Once More, with Wiggly Animals
Between episodes of attempting to catch a cheeky groundhog and putting in my first-ever vegetable garden, spring arrived here in Vermont in earnest. The lawn needs mowing and the house needs dusting. My Subi needs its snow tires off and oil changed. I need to wash the windows to welcome in the warm sunshine at … Continue reading Once More, with Wiggly Animals
On Being Steadfast and Astonishing
Franco De Vita (American Ballet Theatre JKO School Principal) once quipped that he loves teaching thirteen-year-olds simply because he enjoys that particular age; the context for his remark was a discussion around one kid in particular who happened to be thirteen at the time and who is clearly destined for ballet greatness. I was picking … Continue reading On Being Steadfast and Astonishing
Make ‘Em Laugh
Lariska Dumbchenko, aka Raffaele Morra; http://www.trockadero.org Important lesson: take your work seriously, but not yourself. Prima ballerina assoluta Dame Margot Fonteyn is quoted as having said this, as are scores of others. I heard it again earlier today during a conversation with Raffaele Morra, who was visiting the ballet school where I teach this morning … Continue reading Make ‘Em Laugh
Sycamore Stories 