Category: Ballet Trilogy

In 84 Ribbons I use a photo of Maria Tallchief to connect Marta to Harry, the janitor at the end of the book. I selected her because I admire her career and tenacity. As one of the most celebrated ballerinas of the past 1oo years, Maria was considered daring, brilliant and possessing great musicality (the ability to interpret the music through her movements). She was the daughter of an Osage Native American and a Scotch-Irish mother who began dancing before she was ten. Balanchine’s style attracted her. She reported to have said that it made her feel like a musician:...

Melanie Doskcil wrote an interesting blog post on her Ballet Pages listing ballet truths. These two universal truths caught my eye. 1. You won’t always get what you want. Whether it’s roles in ballet, hearing compliments, getting promotions or being part of the perfect group, it may or may not ever happen. But, if we do our best, practice, listen to advice and accept that others might know more than we do, we’ll be in a better place to succeed. Because, if we do nothing we’ll get nothing.   2.  You’ll never feel 100% ready. Regardless of how much we...

Answers to yesterday’s 5 trivia questions: 1.  What is the international language of ballet?   French 2.  What does ‘turnout’ mean?  the outward rotation of a dancer’s hips 3.  What is the purpose of a barre?  to support a dancer during warm-up exercises 4.  What is the term to describe a ballet enthusiast?  balletomane 5.  What is a pas de deux?  a dance for two people

Test your basic ballet knowledge on these 5 questions. 1.  What is the international language of ballet? 2.  What does ‘turnout’ mean? 3.  What is the purpose of the barre? 4.  What is the term used to describe a ballet enthusiast? 5.  What is a pas de deux? Answers tomorrow.  

Have you ever had an itch that needed scratching? No matter what you did to distract yourself, it still itched? That’s how I feel about writing. In fact, that sentiment is inscribed on the cover of my media kit: “Stories come to me like an itch: they refuse to leave until I promise to scratch around for their meaning and write them down.” While some people are compelled to run, compete in sporting events or meet the challenge of the New York Times crossword puzzle, I write. I’ve tried not to write but after a couple of days I need...

In her book, Between The Lines, Jessica Page Morrell says,”Backstory illuminates the origin of behaviors and motives, especially those tied into the main conflict. ( p. 18) I agree. As authors we lay down subtle suggestions and reactions to fill in gaps and lead readers to conclusions. Sometimes it is hard to not share those details. I have two such chapters that wouldn’t stay out of my brain. After I wrote 84 Ribbons, I went back and wrote two backstory pieces to explain two recurring actions by Marta: Jonas: The Day Marta’s World Changed and Steve’s First Ballet. I hope...

Ribbons. Pointe shoes have two satin ribbons attached to near the ankle bones, one on each side of the shoe. Dancers add their own ribbons. The colors chosen match the color of the pointe shoes. The shoes can be dyed any color needed to match the costume. If a dancer in 2014 were to save her ribbons, she’d have a wide variety of colors in her ribbon box. In Marta’s era those two ribbons were principally pink to match the shoes as they arrived from the manufacturer. Dancers must be careful to not stitch into the drawstring around the top...

We often remember the lovely ladies in beautiful costumes more than we remember their male counterparts. So, here’s a test:  Name five internationally known or well-known ballerinas who’ve achieved fame. I’ll give you one: Maria Tallchief. That leave four others for you to select. If you send me your list through the Chat, Comment and Connect on my website (www.paddyeger.com) I’ll send you ballet-themed note cards for your efforts. I’ll compile the list in May then share the names of the ballerinas you’ve select. So, send me your top four names. I’ll send out the pack of ballet note cards the...

Women get most of the fame. But, a few men stand out as being more than props for lifting and supporting ballerinas. They enter the stage and immediately your attention moves too them. It’s call stage presence for a reason. They move with grace and strength; they defy gravity when they turn, leap and spin to our applause. The top three across the last 120 years are: Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950), Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) and Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948- present). If you have the chance to view any of their dancing online or in person, you will be amazed at their strength,...