We recently watched the movie Ballet 422 and were required to take some simple notes on it. We were given no special instruction for these notes, except to simply write down things, or events, that stuck out to us in the movie. I am now aware that these notes were made to aid us in comparing color guard with these ballet performers. I realized that we both are always aiming to perform better, are able to adjust to overcome obstacles, and we all make mistakes, no matter how professional we are.
One of the main things I noticed in this movie was that the movie never stopped. It was always about ballet and working to improve things related to ballet the entire movie. The point I am trying to make is that even when the dancers and the choreographers
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left the studio, they never really stopped practicing. Ballet 422 depicted the choreographers struggling and constantly working for those two months to make the show as perfect as possible, with very little (if at all) down time. This can relate to color guard, since we are expected to think and memorize choreography on our “own time,” not just when we walk into practice. People who actually do practice on their own are nicknamed “backyard spinners.” They achieve this nickname because it is usually pretty obvious who has and hasn’t gone over the counts on their own. Another thing I noticed was that both the instructor and dancers worked together to make each sequence as smooth as possible. For example, an instructor would teach a dancer the counts to a phrase, then watch the dancer perform it for him or her. Except, afterwards they would talk and suggest different aspects that may improve it, such as changing the shape of their arms or how long they should hold a pose. This happens in color guard as well. We are usually taught choreography with our spots on the field in mind so problems do not occur. Yet, occasionally, some choreography may change slightly to assist us in getting to our next drill spot in time, or to help us not hit a band member. A prime example would be when the sabres move forward right before our quad in first movement. The original choreography had us move our sabre around in a circular motion in the toaster. Except, this did not work for some of us, due to our drill requiring us to move forward with band members coming towards us. Therefore, the choreography was adjusted to where we simply kept the sabre vertical with our body. A major point that I noticed from the movie is that professionals are not perfect.
Therefore, it is always great to work towards perfetion, but it is fine to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. In Ballet 422, at some point a soloist is performing her solo for the choreographer to judge. After she finishes, she is informed that her arms were not correct, so she tries again with the correction. Yet, she continues to mess up her arms. The instructor had to actually slowly go over it with her until she finally got it right after five tries. The fact was, she did not give up and was willing to keep trying until she got it. With color guard, we are always learning new choreography, and therefore are rarely perfect with it the first time around. We, as a group, always go back to old stuff and review to make sure we did not forget it. An example of that would be our flag warm-up. Yes, it is an important aspect to warming up our hands on flag, but it is also important for other reasons. The flag warm-up should also be treated as a performance warm-up, as well as a teamwork warm-up. We should not be expressing bored faces and looking down when doing it, and should be tossing and counting together as a team.
This movie opened my eyes to how our two worlds, both ballet and color guard, are not so different after all. We are always willing to improve, even if we consider ourselves “professionals,” we are willing to adjust choreography without argument, as well as speak-up when
something will not work out. Lastly, it is okay to mess-up occassionally, as long as you are willing to learn from your mistakes in order to not make them again.
... social dance. Many people in today’s society enjoy social; dancing. Chapter eleven dance concert, properly planning and establishing a dance concert is of the utmost importance. The partnership with the lighting designer usually takes priority over all other factors. One of the most important issues concerning customers has to do with mobility. The dancer must be able to move comfortably in the costume. The task of producing a dance concert is an overwhelming and tiring one. Chapter twelve dance in education and career in dance, many dance educators present the argument that teaching and learning dance as an art form is obviously absent from the American student education. There has always been and always will be people who have a love, desire, and passion to instruct and learn the art of dance, will ensure an important place for dance in higher education.
However, New York Public Schools offered ballroom dancing classes to low-income students of color, which allowed the arts to be included in their curriculum. Watching the film, I observed the positive reaction the children had to the dance classes. Overall, they were exposed to different cultures, made new friendships, became more confident, and aware of different career options such as professional dancers or singers (Agrelo, 2005).
Jensen, Jill Nunes. "Transcending Gender in Ballet’s LINES." When Men Dance: Choreographing Masculinities Across Borders (2009): 118.
The ballerinas in this film do not care about the color of their skin because it is their work ethic that allows them to succeed in the dance world!
From the time when Anna was a child, she had an active imagination and love of fantasy. She believed these aspects of her personality are what drew her to the world of ballet. Although her family was poor, her mother was able to afford a trip to the Mariinsky Theatre to see the ballet production of the Sleeping Beauty. After seeing this performance, Anna was so amazed and inspired that she decided she wanted to become a ballet dancer herself. Anna’s mother supported her every step of the way and did what she could to make her daughter’s
My first choice was a ballet piece named La Sylphide. La Sylphide is a story about a young Scottish man named James who is soon to be wed. He falls asleep and has an intricate dream about a beautiful sylphide, which is a spirit. In his dream they dance and he soon falls in love with the sylphide. When he awakes, he soon forgets about the sylphide and focuses on his fiancée.
Ballet is an athletic art form that utilizes muscle control, flexibility, and physical strength. It requires extreme discipline from the dancers and takes an extreme amount of mental concentration. This discipline causes dancers to have success throughout life and specifically in academic studies. There are many ways that dance can affect the success of a person’s life; however, there are two in specific that make dancers generally more successful. To begin, ballet causes dancers to be self-motivated workers; dancers cannot rely on others to push them to be better, but must have the drive within themselves.
Aalten, A. (2005). In the presence of the body: Theorizing training, injuries and pain in ballet. Dance Research Journal, 37(2), 55-72. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20444641
Li’s passion for ballet shows on and off stage through his arabesques, flexibility, fouettés, grande jeté and pirouettes that were nothing less than perfection. I understood that becoming a dancer requires commitment, passion and having a great memory as there’s many moves, routines and ballet terms that you need to learn. When I was performing on stage, I felt free and that I could own the stage as it felt like it was my second home. I also felt complete within myself just as Li felt. To perform on stage, you need to be light and graceful along with connecting to the music using precise steps, poses and formal gestures. The film used dance, music, scenery, and costumes to portray a story characterised by Li’s dance. Classical ballet dancers require the utmost grace and I’ve found that you also need a tremendous level of concentration and memory. This portrays when his choreographer Ben Stevenson asked Li Cunxin to replace the main male role due to an injury on the day of the performance to memorise new dances and perform them in front of an enormous crowd. Many of my performances have been in a group where we all need to be in sync and work together. This film highlighted that in order to become a professional ballet dancer, you have to prepare to work extremely hard no matter how gruelling the schedule is in order to
Betty had a good start to her career. She preformed at country fairs and rodeos. Betty learned that her talent isn’t enough to make her successful, and there was always more work to be done. Betty’s natural talent made it easier for her to learn ballet from her instructor. She hadn’t learned the basics right and she became very frustrated because she had to go back to the beginning and learn those basics.
Ballet has been an art form since the late fifteenth century, but society did not truly see the impact of ballet until the nineteenth century. Modern day thinkers possess the idea that ballet began with tutus and pointe shoes, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that this opinion was observed. Ballet has come a long way. It has survived the turmoil of many wars and has changed itself by accepting new ideas and impressing the audience with its unique stylistic views.
Being intrinsically motivated in ballet, Billy strives for excellence despite the obstructions and with the “right” environment, he accomplishes his dream.
Ballet is a beautiful artwork which expresses ones dance ability beyond core and strength, it is a very mental and physical sport. It has graced the stages of many and has made people smile and cry whether you are on the one on the stage or the audience cheering after every step. It’s a dream to watch. Ballet was originated in the 15th century italian renaissance courts. Ballet was performed at wedding celebration where music and dance would be watched and praised. Many people praised ballet for what it was. They gave it all it deserved. Catherine de Medici who was the wife to King Henry II was one who loved ballet very much and treated it in the way of a job. Catherine was a great fan of the arts and she was one to fund ballet in the french
However, in this ballet concert, the choreographer had designed the scenes to be more like a comedy. The movement of the sisters are more amusing than cruel. For example, when they pulled each other for being eager to dance with the prince, or when they tried to hurt and bully the Cinderella, these movements are not that cruel but amusing. Even the stepmother was drunk and danced comically in the prom scene. Moreover, the movements of all the girls who wanted their feet to fit in to the ballet shoe which Cinderella had dropped in the prom are also very funny. These kinds of design successfully made the audience laugh out loud and without hurting the hearts of the little girls who went to see the performance with their
While the steps of dancers and the co-ordination amongst the team was being repeatedly rehearsed, the teachers decided upon the dresses, jewellery and makeup of the dancers. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the preparation to the big event.