Oh say, anyone dance out there? Ballet, specifically?

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As some of you know, I am writing a sequel to Red.  I've titled it ONE FALSE NOTE which absolutely fits Lee so well.  The other main character, Gevan, is a professional ballet dancer.  Am just curious if anyone on my list ever was a serious dance student, has suggestions for fics/biographies/whatever that would give me better insight to the inner world of dance, etc.   

I have a book on the way that was written by Mikhael Baryshnikov (in my user pic) , and another one about him, plus PRODIGAL SON, about Edward Villella.  Those three should help a great deal (plus what little I know of Rudolph Nureyev, as Nick and I learned via DANCER by Colum McCann.  I am going to reread that very unusual but marvelous book.

All helpful, but nothing would be better than having someone who has been involved to ask questions.  Probably not going to find anyone, I imagine...but hey, worth a shot, right?  Other books would be good too.

I am having so much fun with this fic. (see previous post--that applies here)  Am planning to go to the Ballet in March...dragging daughter with me. 

N is still up.  I am ready to go to bed, and he claims he is Not Tired!  Right.  Fine, I will go to bed, he can stay up.  Let's see, it is 5 o'clock in Germany...

In any case, done with the handwritten edits, now must transfer all onto the 20k, then it is time for more WORD WARS!!!!!!  :)

C

Comments

[sanginmychains.livejournal.com]

I probably can't help directly. I took dance lessons until I was 16, but I was never good enough to have anyone ask me if I wanted to do it seriously :-) I might be able to answer a random question or two, though, if you have them. I know more about dance than your average person. That's about all I'm gonna claim.

I will however recommend watching Robert Altman's film The Company. Not only is it a very interesting example of narrative technique in the film medium -- I was blown away by how much of a story was just built, piece by piece, seemingly by accident -- but it seemed like an honest, unglamorous, undramatic portrayal of what that sort of life is like.

What ballet are you going to see? It's been ages since I saw a dance performance. I had a wonderous day about two years ago, when I took the Skytrain downtown and caught a cheap-seats, matinee performance of Ballet BC doing 3 pieces by 3 twentieth century choreographers: Balanchine, Martha Graham, and Twyla Tharp. I loved every minute of that afternoon, not only the performance, but also hanging out during intermission watching all the little girls in their ballet-type clothes (including some in full-on tutus) with their proud grandmas.

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That's how my sister was...she danced until she was 15, loved it, worshiped dancing but just wasn't good enough, whereas a friend of hers went on and did well professionally. That was never my interest, but since I was a tag-along, I had to go with mom to take her to lessons and sit and be quiet and wait. Gosh I just remembered that, and the studio, wooden floors (I think) and huge mirrors. Gale Corkery Ballet Studio. Long gone, now.

I looked at Amazon, and YES! That movie is really going to help. Thank you! Am so glad I put this up here. Thank you so much. I may holler, after I watch this.

It's Cleopatra. Intriguing! It's the Texas Ballet's last performance of the season, and is coming to Bass Hall here in downtown Fort Worth. Nick and I saw their first performance this season. Grin. That was so much fun. And inspiring! Cleopatra looks like it will be very different (oh yeah, just the costumes!) from anything I've seen. Could go see Swan Lake but have to drive too far for so late at night.

Ben Stevenson’s choreography breathes new life into the sweeping epic of Cleopatra,the most powerful woman in the world and the lover of both Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. Rich set designs by Thomas Boyd and costumes by Judanna Lynn help evoke the languor and sensuality of the Egyptian court and the bare-knuckled struggle for power in Rome.

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Got The Company today! Am 30 minutes in, and have given up thinking I can work on edits while watching. This is brilliant. I am going to have to get this to N as I think it will do a good job of satisfying his desire for male dancer delights. LOL. (I'm a bit mesmerized!)

Thanks again for the recommend. Between this, and the Edward Villella book I am reading now (Prodigal Son, which I am enthralled by--not to mention he was absolutely beautiful, the perfect model for Gev), I believe I'll have a solid foundation for Gev's character.

Now, I am trying to figure out how I can change my original plot to include Gev continuing with his ballet rehearsals...oy yes.

Back to watching!

[sanginmychains.livejournal.com]

Oh good, glad you're enjoying! And isn't the narrative structure kind of amazing? This slow, slow build, so that a story, of sorts, just seems to kind of rises from the sea of assorted scenes.

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Oh yes! The slow build is JUST what I love in a story (and how I write my longer fics). Tantalizing and delicious, I knew that Neve Campbell's character was the focus, but though it took awhile for her to come on board everything was so interesting--that opening number with the ribbon-tape? Amazing.

Anyway--I haven't lost any patience at all. I loved the storm-dance...was just waiting (oh silly mystery brain of mine) for something tragic to happen, like--struck by lightening, dead, on stage--her partner collapses right before her eyes! Or all the audience is blown away! I loved that not one left.

Am still recovering from evil illness earlier this week and am too tired to watch anymore, so will enjoy the rest tomorrow, or over the weekend. I am sure I will watch it over and over again. My head is bursting with ways to enrich my story. Such inspiration!

LOL I have your email buried somewhere in my email but for the life of me could not remember. Figured this would work well enough. Now, to bed, read a little more of Prodigal Son (EV in my new user pic!), and lament that 5 days into Feb., I have not written a single word. This research (grin) will be well worth it.

C