Serenade is one of my favorite ballets. It was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in the US – in 1934, ninety years ago, although it’s timeless – and one of his very greatest as well as one of the greatest … Continue reading →
For me, it was easy to see what was unusual about this dancer’s fouettes – because of my long ballet background which includes some teaching. The narrator explains somewhat, but I’ll add that holding the arms above the head increases … Continue reading →
I don’t know the year, but I estimate this to have been filmed about 100 years ago. Pavlova had a poor turnout and weak ankles; her technique would be utterly unacceptable in a professional ballet dancer today. But she sure … Continue reading →
Evolution? More like devolution. Maybe the technique gets better, but who cares? The incomparable Fracci, the first on the video (1971), is the only one whose dancing really interests me. Notice also that she dances faster than the others. Over … Continue reading →
Ammo Grrrll is sensitive to noise, and she tells you all about it in a very funny piece at Powerline. If you need some laughter as relief from all the angst, I suggest taking a look. It got me thinking, … Continue reading →
A nice change from gloomy news can be found in this 1964 documentary on ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya. I saw it in a movie theater when I was young, and it made a tremendous impression on me. Despite the more … Continue reading →
What collie guy? This collie guy. What bear? This Chinese bear: A Chinese zoo has been forced to deny that its sun bear is actually a human in a costume, after video of one standing on its hind legs raised … Continue reading →
Alla Shelest was virtually unknown in the West, but she was an eminent dancer in the USSR during the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Here she is trying to teach a younger dancer what’s known as épaulement, which is “the nuanced … Continue reading →
By popular demand, I’m going to try to explain Plisetskaya’s jumping ability as shown in a recent open thread. Here’s the video again: You won’t see other women in ballet jumping like that. You’ll see a few men getting that … Continue reading →
Plisetskaya tears up the turf: I don’t care how high today’s dancers can get their legs or how many turns they do. They play the character; Plisetskaya IS the character. She’s the second dancer in the series in this video … Continue reading →
Michel Fokine’s ballet “Petrouchka,” created in 1911, is one I’ve seen many times. But perhaps I’ll never see it again, because I have a feeling it’s pretty much banned now. I’m virtually certain that one of its puppet characters, the … Continue reading →
A lot of people have called my attention to this supposed story: This is a joke and everyone knows it. Imagine having some little self respect that you pretend it isn’t. https://t.co/fxVphNPHcp — Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) April 11, 2023 You … Continue reading →