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

[paragraphs]

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.

[elowena.livejournal.com]

I love dancing, but it's been way too long since I did it actively for me to remember, well, anything. Besides, I was never good or serious enough to know anything about what life is like for a professional dancer.

In short, I'm of absolutely no help whatsoever. ;P But I just wanted to cheer you on because yay! professional dancers! People should write more about them. I've always been fascinated by their approach to their bodies but also eg how quickly professional dancers have to grow up, how they peak at twenty. As a young person myself, I like the idea of a 19-year-old kid being the absolute world expert at something. (I'm mostly talking about dances like hiphop here.)

There are some dance-related discussion forums where you can see what injuries dancers bitch most about, what they're struggling with, etc. I found this one: http://www.danceforums.net/ I just glanced at it, but it might be worth checking out. As said, it'll give you an insight into the every-day life of dancers rather than technical details (I think).

Good luck! Oh and, your dance icons are absolutely beautiful!

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

absolutely no help whatsoever? What do you mean?? You just gave me lots of insight I didn't have before! And a site to go to!

There will be more dance icons. When I was looking for a dancer poster for Nick I found nothing--I should've just looked for photographs. There are some more out there, tons of Baryshnikov, and since I've always been a fan of his, I'll probably find a bunch more. Grin.

The approach to their bodies....that perked my ears up. I would love to hear your thoughts on that, as I imagine Gev a certain way about his body and would be nice to see if I am spot-on with him.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

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.

[stellastars]

I'm not a dancer, but if I hadn't studied art history, my next choice would have been dance history. I don't know if you're looking for some background information on ballet and how it evolved over time but, if you are, I would recommend reading Ballet and Modern Dance by Susan Au. It's a short text (with lots of pictures!) and it's probably been one of the most useful books (from a research perspective) I've ever purchased. Though it's definitely focused on the history of ballet, there are mentions of all the important names in dance. It also contains a "Selected Bibliography" and that might give you some additional biographies to pursue.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Oh cool! I will keep that in mind.

I have to say, that I think my life was ruined when my parents talked me into not majoring in art history. "You will never get a job," my dad said. That is the only time I can remember where my parents demanded I do this rather than that.

I loved art history with a passion. It was HARD. I still have my favorite book from those days...Writing About Art. I learned so much from that book. Pity I didn't see that the reason I was so good at writing about art was, well, because I had a knack for WRITING??? I wanted to continue on, especially after I made a killer A, and my parents pressured me into changing. I did to political science, and I hated it. I met Kel, didn't give a damn about school anymore, and left with a million credits and no degree.

As a result, I have been extremely supportive of what my kids want to do, whatever it is. When Tiff decided that going into medicine wasn't for her, I firmly and with great passion (lol) supported her. She definitely made the right choice (journalism, emphasis on public relations). She is so happy now, snagged the ESPN internship, will be caught up after this semester taking 18 hours, and will finish in two more years as required by her scholarships. YAY!

Can you tell I am still rather grrry about this? And then some bastard stole my best art history book--the huge monster that cost a fortune. His girlfriend asked if he could borrow it, then he dropped the class and sold it. I hates him!

[stellastars]

Awww! *hugs* I'm sorry to hear you were discouraged from studying art history. There were definitely a lot of heated-discussions/out-right-arguments about my choice of major with my parents. On the one hand was my mom, who, after having spent every moment of her life either wanting to be a teacher or actually teaching, was all about the "never get a job" perspective. On the other hand, my dad had been a studio art major, so he really couldn't say anything about my choice! Plus, I have a feeling that choosing to study art history for my MA came as something of a relief -- my BA is in theater and I'm pretty sure that is most parents' worst nightmare!

Pity I didn't see that the reason I was so good at writing about art was, well, because I had a knack for WRITING???
*g* For me art history provided the opportunity to realize that I was much better with pictures than I'd ever be with words!

I'd be quite angry if someone stole any of my art books! They are ridiculously expensive.

♥

[elowena.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I could be of some help.

As to dancers' approach to their bodies, I once more can only speculate and draw from my own experiences, which have little to do with professional dancers.

I personally learned to see my body as a tool, something that could be used to create things rather than as something that merely is. I gained some level of objectivity. Even now, in dance class I can tell who hasn't danced much by how difficult they find it to look at themselves in the mirror when they're dancing.

So, on one level, I think dancers have a fairly easy-going approach to their bodies. I'm sure there's great variation here, but all the semi-professional dancers I've known tend to slouch, slump and sprawl when they aren't on stage - the opposite of what might be expected from ballet dancers. There's a greater search for what feels good and comfortable as opposed to what looks good.

At the same time, dancers have to be obsessed with their bodies. Ballet dancers are all required to be seriously underweight and while practice obviously burns off a lot of calories, they still doubtlessly have to watch what they eat. Dancers tend to have disgusting-looking feet (like, seriously disgusting - or maybe that's just me, ha), but looking after them is also part of their profession. Having pedicures, massages and whatnot are not vanity but a necessity.

Obviously, a sprained ankle means something altogether different to a dancer than it would to most people. When your body is used to daily exercise, it actually physically aches to not train for even a day as your muscles seem to contract. (I have no idea what actually happens, but that's what it feels like. I always got an urgent need to stretch.) I could imagine dancers not being too keen to, I don't know, help carry move that washing machine up to seventh floor, no matter how big risks they're willing to take with their bodies on stage.

This is mostly superficial stuff and how dancers' attitudes manifest outwardly - I guess it's fitting in a way. The dancers I've known tend to not dwell on how they feel about their bodies. They will, however, dwell at great length on how their bodies feel. In short, dancers complain about pain a lot but don't let it affect their practice easily, they will suddenly grab their own ankle to stretch their thighs while talking to you in the middle of the street, and are kind of vain but at the same time utterly casual about their bodies. ;)

Let me know if you'd like me to explain something further, etc. Once more, this is mostly how I experienced dancing affecting my body image; I'm sure many people would disagree with me.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Oh this is all so good to know. Thank you! Am already utilizing what you've told me. Yes yes yes yes. Excellent. I may ask for more later! But this helps so much! LOL.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

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.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

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