Calling all dancers!

[TinuvielChild]

Okay, I've noticed a few other people on the Entmoot that either are or were dancers. I am one myself, and I was wondering who all else is. I'm in my 8th year of classical ballet training in the Vaganova style. I take class 3 times a week at the Boston Ballet School, 2 two hour classes, a 1 1/2 hour class, a 1 hour Flamenco class, and a 1 hour Pilates class. How many classes a week do you guys take? Or how long ago did you dance, and what was your main focus?

[Rían]

OMGoodness, TC! 8 years - WOW! I would love to watch you. How are your fouettes?

I only took for a couple of years, starting in my early 20's, so I didn't have a chance to go anywhere, but I really enjoyed it and gained a MUCH greater appreciation of ballet. (after all, they're supposed to make it look easy! But when you've tried something yourself, you have an idea of how hard it really is!) I did find a teacher that was willing to put me on pointe, which I really enjoyed. (teachers usually won't put "older" people on pointe). I couldn't even do a single pirouette on pointe, though. I still have a couple of pointe shoes that I occasionally pull out and sigh over. What ballets do you like? What are your favorite things to dance? Adagio or allegro (is that what you call it?) Do you use lambswool for your tootsies?

[crickhollow]

I took ballet lessons at the YMCA when I was six...does that count?

[IronParrot]

I take ballroom lessons with the University Dance Club, 1.5h/wk, very basic (I entered at the most beginnerish of beginner levels). Of course, that only started two weeks ago. I went to my first social tonight, though, and made it through fairly well... of course, eventually I'll want to become at least somewhat amazing at it.

You'd think that as a musician I'd have a better sense of time and coordination, but there's really little correlation there.

[Lizra]

I went to a college in Indianapolis called Butler University, that had a very good school of dance (at that time!). Though my major was environmental science, I made sure to fulfill all PE requirements with Ballet clases, and also took jazz for fun. I love ballet and Jazz, but my muscles or tendons or ligaments or WHATEVER!!!, are somewhat tight, therefore, turning out was painful! :) I took my love of dance to the clubs, and danced my twenties away, usually with other women! (or the occasional gay guy :)) I still love to dance and am considering signing up for adults classes at the local dance school (the kids are in school, good idea!)

[Sween]

im quite a nice little mover apprentally :D

[TinuvielChild]

My fouettes are awful, although I can occasionally land a double pirouette (on pointe; they're fairly reliable in soft shoes). I can't do even 3 fouettes in soft shoes, so I daren't try them on pointe. I don't use lambswool toe pads, I use the most wonderful invention by Bunheads called "Ouch Pouches"; gel-filled soft toe pads. I've only gotten one blister in my entire life. I'm best at petit allegro (small jumps), and I have awful extension, so my adagio is pretty bad, but my turns are okay.

Nutcracker auditions are next Saturday! Wish me luck, everyone...at Boston Ballet, the company dancers get the roles like Sugarplum, and the students get the kid's roles like Clara/Marie, reindeer (to pull the sleigh in the Snow scene), party children, Bon-bons, angels, etc. Don't get me up on my soapbox about the intensive/main divisions. I can go on for 10 minutes. Really. I mean it. :D

[TinuvielChild]

Oh, and my turnout is not the greatest either, which is why I'm no longer in the "intensive division" at Boston Ballet. BB has 2 divisions, intensive and main. The way I see it is, Intensive is for the people that the directors think have a chance of being dancers professionally, and Main is for those that they think suck horribly, but they'll take their money, no problem. I was in Intensive for one year, then I got kicked out because of my turnout. I was frickin' 8 years old, for crying out loud! There are 7 levels at BB: 1m-7m (m=main), plus 1i-7i. (i=intensive). Right now I'm in level 6m, having gone 1, 1i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Most people repeat at least one level, apparently. Sorry; that was the beginning of my rant about the intensive division. I may post the rest of it at some later time, if you want to hear it.

[ArwenEvenstar]

i took jazz dance lessons for a year, i was horrible:) i wasn't made to dance!

[Elfmaster XK]

Originally posted by TinuvielChild
Nutcracker auditions are next Saturday! Wish me luck, everyone...at Boston Ballet,

Good luck with that! :D I can't dance. Or at least, have never had lessons, in primary school i did the charlston...don't ask. Complicated story.

[Goldberry1]

I took dance classes for at least four years. I took jazz and baton, but I actually had one or two tap lessons. My jazz class actually took home a first place trophy one year in a dance competition. That was exciting! We were also on some local broadcast show performing one of our routines. But then my teacher had to close down because of her father's health and I didn't want to enter into the school that got the space she used because they were really demanding and strict. Well, it was fun while it lasted!

[TinuvielChild]

Goldberry - that does sound like fun! I love jazz and modern, they're so much fun!

[Artanis]

I started taking dance classes when I was 20, and I got hooked! I was a student then, with a lot of spare time :D so I took 4 classes a week, 2 x classical ballet and 2 x jazz. But after some years I came to a point where it cost me too much to improve my classical techniques further, besides my age wasn't on my side, so I turned to contemporary dance, which I think is less demanding of the body. During the later years I've also explored african dance, belly-dance, and flamenco. The latter was a tremendous experience, suited my temper good :D Belly-dance is also good, hip-rolling fun ;)

Unfortunately I don't take classes anymore. I'd love to, but after the kids there isn't time for regular training at fixed hours.

TC, good luck with audition! Your training sounds truly demanding. I can't believe you never get blisters on pointe. I did pointe just a few times and my feet nearly killed me! I guess I wasn't dedicated enough :rolleyes: to ignore it.

[Rían]

I also did "folk dancing" in college with a club. I really enjoyed the Bulgarian dances, they were really fast and the music was wild!

Good luck w/ audition, TC :) Let us know how it goes.

[TinuvielChild]

Hungarian dances are also lots of fun, as are Polish dances; the czardas is particularly fun (my class performed one two years ago at the end of the year, to Brahms's Hungarian Dance No. 5..? or No. 1, I can't remember). The audition is Saturday, callbacks are Sunday, and I won't find out about casting until around the 16th! grr..;)

[azalea]

I took ballet and tap from the age of three to ten. Then when I turned 14, I took jazz, and continued until I was 20. I also took ballet and jazz in college for P.E. I really enjoy dancing, but I never could have done it professionally. I have the strength but not the flexibility. It is a great way to get in some exercise without it seeming like exercise. I'd love to take classes again for fun, but they can be kind of expensive.
Good luck with the audition, and have fun!

[Renille]

I am in a show choir. We dance swing/ jazz/modern/etc...it's really fun. I have only been in it for 2 years, but it's still really a great experience. I want to take proper dancing class, but don't have either the time nor money. Oh well...maybe someday...

[Rûdhaglarien]

I started ballet when I was two and a half, so that means that I've been dancing for about thirteen years. I took tap for two years (when I was five and six) but didn't like it very much and then switched to jazz. I took lyrical for one year and this is my first year taking modern and hip hop. I'm also in a show choir at my school.

Okay, so, let's see... thirteen years of ballet (four of those being pointe)... that's one one and a half hour class a week. Jazz... for eight years one one hour class a week. Modern... first year! one one hour class a week. Hip hop... first year! one one hour class a week. Show choir... mainly school hours.

I'm also on the Competition Team at my dance studio... for jazz and ballet/lyrical. We have one one hour class a week for each. And then, I TA on Mondays for an hour.

The only reason I don't do more is because I just can't fit it into my schedule, and, despite the little bit that I dance, I'm pretty good (according to others). I wish that I could dance all of the time, but there just aren't enough hours in the week!!

[TinuvielChild]

Agreed, Rudhaglarien. Much evilness in that there isn't enough time in the week. Are you going to the nationals in Jackson? I forget which competition that is, exactly, but whatever...

[Lizra]

I wish I could dance all the time too!! :)

[Rûdhaglarien]

Alas, no, TinuvielChild, we don't do nationals. We qualify, of course, but we just don't care to go. The nationals for the MAIN competition that we go to (as we go to three of them) are usually held for about a week in NYC. The workshops are awesome, but it costs nearly a thousand dollars per night to stay. :eek: Just knowing that we were good enough to go is enough for us. :)

[TinuvielChild]

heehee, yeah. The principal at Boston Ballet is too much of a Vaganova purist snob to have a team here, so I'm thinking of going somewhere else where I can compete. Have you ever been to SAB or ABT, even for a summer program?

[Rûdhaglarien]

Nope, sadly. I just can't. My family doesn't have enough money to pay for all of the dance camps and such that I would like to go to. And, what with school and karate and everything else, I wouldn't have time, anyway. Over the summer, I have too many vacations (which I hate!!). So, that makes it impossible... even in the summer.

[TinuvielChild]

Yeah. I'd love to go to ABT or SAB, but sadly, I'm just not good enough! I went to Burklyn Ballet Theatre this last year; the artistic director is Angela Whitehill, and the focus is on performing rather than technique. I went for 4 weeks, and wanted to stay for 6! Every year they send 20 dancers to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I wanted to go, but I didn't get in. Nutcracker auditions today! I think I'm going to get Tea, but I might be getting Bon-bon!!!!! TC happy....


See, they had levels 6 and 7 audition together this morning, and they gave us callback slips. The callback I'm in is the Tea and Bon-bon one, although I think I'm going to be Tea again. It was fun last year, but I really wanted to be Bon-bon. Oh well, I'd be perfectly happy to be Tea again, because that's mostly jumping, and jumping is my best thing.

[TinuvielChild]

Let me rephrase what I said about ABT and SAB's summer programs: I didn't audition for ABT, although I wanted to, and I was injured when I auditioned for SAB, so I wasn't dancing anywhere near my best. Pointe class in 45 minutes; the schedule for today is really screwed up because of auditions. Because of auditions, I don't have Flamenco or Pilates, and technique/pointe class got moved to 1:30. Doesn't really matter; I love Nutcracker auditions! :D

[Rûdhaglarien]

Yay for the Nutcracker!! Some of us from my dance studio are going to be performing only pieces from the Nutcracker while there is a reading of it at the library. Then, we'll be doing it again for the tree lighting ceremony in my town. AND... we'll probably be doing a perfomance for the Pittsfield Museum.

[TinuvielChild]

You are sooo lucky! I hate being in the main division at Boston Ballet; we only get to audition for Nutcracker, none of the other productions that the company does. Evilness. Oh well. Where do you dance, Rudhaglarien?

[Rûdhaglarien]

You'd never have ever heard of it... small town dance studio... Karen's School of Dance, Adams, MA.

[TinuvielChild]

Oh! I have a friend who used to go there...that was like 4 years ago, though. I forget her last name...her first name was Hannah, I think.

[Rûdhaglarien]

Oooo. Nifty!!:D

[TinuvielChild]

*sniffle* Go see my latest "vent" on the Venting Thread...has to do with my absolute favorite ballet teacher.

Ok, here you go:

My dance teacher, Ms. Ioannisyan (Ms. I. for short), who is the most incredible, fabulous, awesome, caring person you ever met (and the best teacher I've ever had, and I mean that), told us today that she's not coming back after Christmas break. She's moving to New York and joining the NYPD. That is just so incredible. I'm going to miss her so much; we all love her and can't bear to have her leave, but this is just incredible, what she's doing. It just goes to show, you really can do anything that you set your mind to, I guess. She told us right after class, and we all started crying our eyes out. She had made us brownies (oh. my. god. she makes the best brownies on the face of this earth, and I mean that), and we're eating and crying. It was just such a touching scene. *wipes eyes* okay, I've had enough sympathy for one evening, but just appreciate the beauty of that. And if you're ever in NY, and you get stopped by a pretty young police officer named Erin Ioannisyan, don't argue with her, and know that she is one of the best people on this earth.

[Rían]

Oh, sorry, TC! Good teachers in any subject are real jewels, and in a subject that you love so much, EXTRA hard to lose :( I hope her replacement is good!

[TinuvielChild]

So do I, so do I. We're all going to be working extra hard now, and I, for one, am going to visit her in NY over the summer (if I can).

[Laurelyn]

I take ballet, too. I've taken it for eight years myself, but I'm really bad. It's been required up til now, actually, and this is the first year I've chosen to take it instead of being forced in by my mom. I love dancing, howevermuch I am SOOO not made to do it.

[TinuvielChild]

Well, I got my letter yesterday about Nutcracker casting: I'm Tea (I suspected as much, that's what I was last year, and it was much fun), in cast B, which sucks because we only get 11 performances (as compared to A, which gets 13, and C and D, which each get 12). Better than my first year, when we only got 8, though. Anyway. I know what you mean, Laurelyn, I really don't have a dancer's body. My turnout isn't that great (but it's better than it was), and my extension is awful (but I finally got my split; I just don't have the strength), but I still love it!

[Rían]

I think that's great, TC! Congrats!

What's it like to perform? How do you manage? I think I would be scared stiff! But I've also heard some performers I know (musicians) say if you're not scared at least a little, then you don't perform well. What do you feel, and how do you manage it?

[Laurelyn]

Congratulations, TC!!!!!!
:)

[TinuvielChild]

I just love to perform! It's so much fun, being onstage...although I hate performing on my violin. I love to dance. And act. Not so much sing, because I can't really sing very well. Eh, well. Yeah, I'm happy because I got Tea again in Nutcracker.

[Rûdhaglarien]

*dances happily for TC*
Yeah. I can't dance all that well. Though, I've been stretching and can finally do all of my splits and extensions. Now... it's time to work on the turnout and my stupid right ankle. ('Tis always giving out... so, I have to do special exercises everyday to strengthen it.:() Why can't it just follow suit and be like my left ankle?? And... it didn't even start doing this until three weeks ago!! RARR!

[TinuvielChild]

Okay, here's my latest news:

I'm auditioning for a bit part in ABT's Giselle that they're doing at the Wang Theatre in Boston in November! The auditions are Nov. 13, show opens Nov. 14, closes Nov. 17. Sounds like fun, no? :D ;)

Grr. Last Thursday my ballet teacher was out, so we had a sub. He was absolutely awesome! He had all this energy, and he was Russian. I mean, because of him, I can now do my grand allegro better, and I can actually jump. Unfortunately, he was just the sub, and not auditioning for the slot when my regular teacher leaves to join the NYPD. No, that was the guy we had today. See my vent in the Venting Thread for more info, I don't feel like typing it twice. ;) :rolleyes:

[TinuvielChild]

I got into the ABT show, and I'm having much fun!

Recognize the names Ethan Stiefel and Sascha Radetsky, anyone? :D They were Cooper and Charlie, respectively, in Center Stage, and they're in ABT. Well. Today, I got my picture taken with Sascha, and two of my friends got their pictures with Ethan (TC is jealous of them...she likes Ethan a lot :D). Happy! :D :D

[Elvedans]

Nice to know there are other dancers round here! I've been dancing since i was four. I've done ballet, tap, modern, jazz, lyrical, national, irish, a bit of most things really. I would love to be in a ballet company. At the moment I'm a mid associate at the Royal Ballet school but i'm in my last term. I've got auditions for the London Junior Ballet and the Central school and i'm really nervous. But it's all worth it for when you find yourself standing backstage in a fantastic costume, waiting for the curtain to go up. You can hear the orchestra warming up and the audience bustling about, it's so amazing i get a tingle up my spine just thinking about it! My favourite place in the whole world is backstage at the Sadlers Wells Theatre in London!

[Linaewen]

Great! I'm in such a dancing mood right now. I do Hip Hop dancing every week (Today I just had a lesson- that's why I can be seen doing kicks and body rolls etc now :p) Anyhoo, dancing is a fantastic way for getting rid of my stress- I just turn up the music really loud on my sub woofer and dance away!

Step-ball-change-jump-body roll-click-pump-step-step-run-jump

I used to do jazz, which was fun. I especially love our dance for 'One' from Chicago. 'Shes...the...one' click-click-step :D

[Lalaith]

I'm not a proffesional dancer or anything like that ... I just love it. But my mum is learning a special way to use dance as a therapy. (which means she isn't the ill person, but the person who teaches "dance therapy")

[Finrod Felagund]

Ahh...dancing, something I can't do. But I need to learn...you see I plan on pursuing Musical Theatre (ie. Broadway) as a career, so dancing is pretty much a must. Tap would be fun I think...and a bit more manly!

[Artanis]

Arf! Why do men think it not manly to dance? :confused:

I love dancing too, and I took ballet, modern and jazz classes before I got kids. Not so much time for that sort of thing now, but I've been doing some flamenco and arabian stuff, which isn't quite so demanding. :)

Elvedans, good luck at auditions! :)

[Finrod Felagund]

Originally posted by Artanis
Arf! Why do men think it not manly to dance? :confused:


That's not what I meant, it's just, Ballet at least (not really other types of dancing) is more a women's sport!

[Artanis]

Originally posted by Finrod Felagund
That's not what I meant, it's just, Ballet at least (not really other types of dancing) is more a women's sport! Why is that? There's no reason for it to be so. And male ballet dancers have got incredible bodies you know. Strong, lithe and elegant. I love watching them. :)

[crickhollow]

Shameless Plug: if you're in Vancouver, and you hang out in this thread, come to "Known" (http://www.amazeofgrace.com) onstage at the Norman Rothstein Theatre. An amazing integration of dance, film, poetry and music.

[Elvedans]

Oooh, i forgot about this thread! Wow, i just looked back at my last post here, it was a year ago roughly. Now i am an associate of the Central School of Ballet in London on saturdays. I just had a really bad friday lesson at my normal dance school, couldn't turn for toffee! But tomorrow my saturday ballet class gets a preview of the new tour by the Ballet Central company! For free! I'm hopefully gonna move weekday dance school after easter because i hate my non-saturday dance teacher. Can't wait to stick my fingers up at the place. But i love dancing in general!