Tag Archives: dancers

for your friday

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It’s been a busy week in PVD with the start of our season at the ballet and a brand new semester at Providence College.  There are some fun posts lined up for you next week, but for now, a few reads from ’round the web…

10 Questions for New York City Ballet’s Sara Mearns (in which she tells us what it’s like to date a Broadway choreographer…ooh lala!)

Effort vs. Efforting (why being kind to yourself mentally actually pays off physically.)

“It can transcend and break through many barriers that other things cannot do. It can be political, religious and has a social connection.  Art is desperately needed right now.” What do you guys think of choreographer Akram Khan’s thoughts on the importance of dance education? I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Khan and Sylvie Guillem in their collaborative project Sacred Monsters several summers ago in Paris.  This man can move in awe-inspiring ways.  Simply stunning.

gwenyth made a BRA, you guys!  It’s a beaut and I cannot wait to share it with you.

Looking forward to carving out some time to watch this documentary as soon as possible. (ps- have you seen this one yet? you can hear my 16-year-old voice talking about injuries around the 1 hour mark, hehe!)

Loving this skirt from the genius ladies of Danseuse.

…speaking of Danseuse, also swooning over this autumn-ready outfit on Miss Michelle.  Get at me, chilly nights!

and since we’re talking style, Rubiawear just added a bunch of new fabrics and they are good gooood.

lost in motion

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As a self-proclaimed millennial (who’s still trying to decide whether or not that’s something to be proud of), I watch the world focus shift from the expanse which surrounds to a palm-sized rectangle made of wires and glass.  With the irrepressible rise of mobile phones, comes the expectation of being perpetually available for communication.  From this persistent connection, the idea of social media is born, and so too the modern obsession with this phenomenon of creating an “online identity” (#guilty).

Now the pressure to always be represented! is shifting- I believe in a positive way- from a stress on the individual to an opportunity for a passionate collective to shine.  And is there any assembly more impassioned, fervent, and headstrong than that of ballet dancers?

We have seen the likes of Misty Copeland with her incredible legs and Daniil Simkin‘s playful backstage peeks growing in popularity on platforms like Instagram and Twitter.  Maria Kochetkova‘s explosive 30-second clips and the ever-lovable personality of Sara Mearns are now filling our feeds with enough inspiration to last us through Nutcracker.  But how can one single account change the way the world views ballet?  Let’s leave it to The National Ballet of Canada’s Guillaume Côté– and his 2 million YouTube hits– to demonstrate.

The clip above, in its dramatic artistry and impressive display of power, certainly speaks for itself.  Libby Coleman’s inside look, however, dives indulgently into the hopeful progression of these breathtaking videos with exclusive quotes from Côté himself.  Coleman takes us directly into the fire, as this electronic sharing of ballet is passed from the hands of ardent ballet fans and into the eyes of first time watchers.

So what do you think; Will it be enough to make a generation of selfie-loving hashtaggers rethink ballet?

sinatra suits

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In honor of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s birthday, I wanted to share a little video with you.  This piece, choreographed by the genius Twyla Tharp and set to the soulful sounds of Frank Sinatra, follows a relationship from first meeting to breakup, punctuated by intricate lifts, smooth partnering and sexual tension you can taste.  That moment when he first sees her from across the room- swoon!  When my good friend Alex first showed me this video, we both agreed that Elaine Kudo was so amazing, once she started dancing we barely noticed Baryshnikov- until that solo at the end begins, and the whole earth slows down its rotation for 4 minutes and 30 seconds just to watch him glide around the floor.  It is impossible to deny his swagger.  Happy Birthday, Mr. Baryshnikov.

new threads

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The combination of ballet and visual art always makes me giddy,  so when I spotted Chilean artist Jose Romussi‘s collection of embroidered vintage ballerinas, I knew I had to share.  With an acute attention to detail my OCD brain truly appreciates, Romussi gives these old school dancers some cool new threads (see what I did there? har, har) in a series of psychedelic shades to create these super playful portraits.  I love the way the wispy embroidered lines mimic the featherlight tutus and sort of electrify them.  It’s like that scene in The Wizard of Oz after the tornado, where everything goes from black and white to technicolor…you don’t realize that the world is dull until right before your very eyes, everything is made vivid. 

merde

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It’s fairly well-known that no one says “good luck” in the theater.  It’s an old taboo, claiming that the phrase actually brings quite the opposite of what is intended.  So, in the acting field, “good luck” has been replaced with the rather obscure saying “break a leg!”.  Obviously, borrowing this well-wisher would not fly with ballet dancers.  A broken leg is career-ending, not something to discuss moments before curtain.  Soooo in the world of ballet, we say “merde”.

If you’ve taken any french, you may know that this actually means “shit”…doesn’t seem like the best word to be exchanging backstage does it?  “hey, tegan, merde!”…”thanks, you too! merde!”  Yes it’s weird.  Yes we know.  Yes we do it anyway.  There’s some superstition that if you’ve already said the worst there is to say backstage, nothing worse can happen onstage.  I’m not sure how true any of it is, but I’m not willing to risk finding out!  So wish me “merde” on my first show this morning!  AH!