Category: ballet performances
How long does it take to become a professional ballet dancer? Most dancers start lesson by age 7 and take 1-2 classes a week. They focus on basic techniques. Young women must wait for their feet to finish growing before they step into pointe shoes. Both young men and women will also take modern dance and partner classes. By their teen years most serious dancers are in class 2-4 hours six days a week. What are pointe shoes made from and how long does a pair last? Pointe shoes are made from several layers of fabric. The outsides are satin...
On a soggy Friday in Seattle, a bright ray of sunshine filled Meany Hall. Misty Copeland stepped onto the stage to a standing ovation. The delightful 30-something principal dancer of The American Ballet Theatre spoke candidly to a packed house of dancers and families for close to 90 minutes about her life struggles and her resilience. The director of the UW School of Drama acted as interviewer keeping the evening event flowing so smoothly the time flew past. Misty eventually addressed her latest book, Ballerina Body, which many young dancers clutched to their bodies like a golden chain connecting themselves...
Through history the ballet world has created many famous dancers who’ve shared their grace, beauty, charisma, and strength. Here’s my short list in no special order and why they’ve made my list. Anna Pavlova (Russian, 1881-1931) Not a typical small, compact dancer. Her world travels opened up the non-European world to classical ballet. She’s also credited with revising the pointe shoe. The role of the Dying Swan was created for her. Margot Fonteyn (English, 1919-1991) Beauty in motion who danced from 1935-1960s (but danced on occasion until age 60). I saw her dance in Seattle when I was a young...
Book Trailers are one way authors introduce readers to their books. My dear friend, Emily Hill created a lovely book trailer for my ballet-themed books: 84 Ribbons, When the Music Stops – Dance On, and Letters to Follow – A Dancer’s Adventure. She took my ideas and massaged them into this lovely tribute to ballet. After watching her work, I decided my blog followers might enjoy a peek behind the scenes of how she organized the trailer. Here’s her brief interview. Your book, The Ghost Chaser’s Daughter had an amazing book trailer. When and how did you get started making...
I live near Seattle and support the PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet). That support entitles me to free admission to two dress rehearsals. This season I saw Romeo and Juliet, then “American Stories.” What I enjoy about the dress rehearsals is the opportunity to watch them perform and then watch the stager and artistic director make adjustments. They meet with the dancers from various acts, rehearse changes, change lighting, adjust the tempo of the orchestra, and all with aa thoudans or more donors sitting quietly, watching and enjoying the opportunity. Some dancers wear warm-up clothes, others near-full costume. Conversations fly around,...
