Category: Ballet

 Image from here

Who do you dance for? For some, the answer to this question would be 'my audience'. But who is your audience? Is it the group of people sitting in the auditorium? Your teacher? Your peers? For me, the answer to these questions is a little different. I dance for an audience of ONE.

My audience consists of the only person that matters in the world. He is loving and gracious yet just. He is the Creator of the universe and inventor of humanity. He knows me by name and loves me unconditionally. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is Savior of the world. His name is God and He is my audience.

When I was little, I always heard of working for the Lord and not for men. I kind of knew how to apply that principle but it wasn't very clear. I also knew that I should use my dancing to glorify Him but I wasn't sure how to either. The summer of 2006, I went to Ballet Magnificat's summer intensive. There, I learned more about how to serve God as I danced.

I learned that it doesn't matter what kind of dancing it is–modern, tap, jazz, pointe, classical or contemporary–it all can be counted as worship. During class or on the stage, if you offer your gifts to God, He will take them. Sometimes, during a particularly difficult exercise, I will silently pray and say "God, this is for you". Even though I am not openly worshiping Him, my heart is. And that's what worship is all about; it's an attitude of the heart.

On the stage, our acts of worship through dance are magnified. It gives us a place to express our worship in ways that we otherwise would keep to ourselves. As you perform for God, a feeling of deep satisfaction and exhiliration is felt. And though your earthly audience may only see you as having a good time on stage, your heavenly audience knows that it is more than just a performance. In the end, what God thinks is the only thing that matters and if you dance for Him, you've done what you were created to do. So, don't worry about the people sitting in front of you; enjoy the gifts you have been given and dance for an audience of ONE.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men ~Colossians 3:23 

One year, just before Christmas, a little, two-year-old girl was getting ready for her big night. She was dressed in her new Christmas dress, and as excited as ever. As she curled her hair and put her in her car seat, Mommy was wondering how Rebekah would fare through the long show. Would she wiggle and squirm or sit still like a little lady? 

When they arrived at the theatre, Rebekah waited patiently for the show to start. When the overture began and the curtain opened, she was mesmerized, caught up in the story of Clara and her Nutcracker, sympathizing as the Nutcracker broke and rejoicing as Drosselmeyer fixed it. From the joyous Party Scene, through the unpredictable Battle Scene and graceful Kingdom of Snow, to the exciting Land of Sweets and even through the Grand Pas de Deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. Rebekah followed Clara's every move and slowly, a dream was forming in her mind.

When the show was over, Rebekah turned to Mommy, and said, "I want to be her". She was pointing at Clara. So, Mommy searched high and low for a ballet school that would take two-year-olds (she was almost 3 though) and found a studio. The next Christmas, Rebekah made her debut in The Nutcracker for the first time (yes, one school auditioned three-year-olds). She was a baby doll in the Battle Scene. For the next five Nutcrackers, Rebekah was a little party girl and bounced around the stage in her purple velvet dress. But in the back of her mind, she was still dreaming.

Through the years, Rebekah grew, she played many roles ranging from a Soldier and Little Angel to   Russian and gingersnap. She still held on to her dream often imagining herself as Clara. Several times, she wondered if her dream would ever come true, or was she destined to always be something else. One year, Rebekah was really disappointed to be cast as an Arabian attendant. But she made up her mind to be the best Arabian that she could be and kept on dreaming. She climbed the ranks in her company, Apprentice, Intern, and finally Company.

It was that ninth grade year that Rebekah's dream waswithin reach. One day, as she was waiting to go into class, Ms. Joanie signalled her and another girl to follow her. She led them into the costume closet and said, "I have not finished casting yet, but I want to let you guys know that you are the Claras for this year." Rebekah was ecstatic, she left the closet beaming, causing her friends to ask what had happened. But another surprise was in store, Joshua had been asked to be Fritz as well. So it was going to be a brother/sister team. Rehearsals began soon and Rebekah worked really hard. She learned to let go and to enjoy dancing for an audience of One. Her dream had come true and she enjoyed every minute of it

So, keep dreaming and don't let go of your aspirations. If God has them planned for your future, He will make them happen. But even if He doesn't, don't lose hope but embrace every opportunity as a chance to glorify Him.

Let us run with endurance, the race set out before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~Hebrews 12:1b-2

The Sugar Plum Fairy, Odette, Kitri, Aurora, Princess Florine, Giselle–every ballet dancer dreams of wearing a tutu like these. This post will give you plenty of information about the tutu and inspire you to dream more.

First of all, there are 2 kinds of tutus–the romantic and the pancake. The romantic tutu is long and flowey. The pancake tutu is one that sticks flat out and is what most people think of when you say 'tutu'. Oftentimes, the corps de ballet will wear romantic tutus while the principals will wear pancake tutus. There are exceptions though, Lise, in La Fille Mal Gardee, wears a romantic tutu and sometimes the corps in Swan Lake will wear pancakes. Here are some pictures of the different kinds of tutus

There are also different parts of a tutu. Here is the best diagram I could find. It is from this site

 

Most of the time, if a dancer is going to wear a tutu in a performace, she will wear a practice tutu during rehearsal. This helps her (and her partner) get a feel for how it is going to be on stage. Practice tutus are often made to just slip on without any hooks and eyes.

Wearing a tutu is often a milestone for a dancer. It means that she has achieved a certain level of technical proficiency and proven herself to be able to have the responsibilty of dancing in a tutu. For me, dancing in a tutu was VERY fun. After dress rehearsal, I didn't want to take it off. So my friends and I hung out on stage for about 5 more minutes. It's also a little awkward because you can't see your legs. But overall, it's a great experience. Tutus are one of the trademarks of ballet. They are beautiful and elegant and to wear one is a great honor.

This post is dedicated to my butterflies and their class as well as to all of the aspiring dancers who dream of being 'en pointe' one day.

 

Pointe Shoes–any girl who takes ballet dreams of the day that she will get to wear them. When she will gracefully skim the stage. And when she makes balancing on her toes look effortless. Pointe shoes are, in some ways, the trademark of the ballet dancer and when she puts them on, magic takes flight.

Usually girls get their pointe shoes around age 11. When you get your shoes depends a lot on your maturity, strength and placement. Your teacher is the best judge of when you should go on pointe.

Pointe shoes are made of layers of glue and fabric and are quite hard when they are not "broken in". There are several parts to a pointe shoe. Here is a diagram showing them.

When you first go on pointe, you usually only do exercises at the barre. Then, as you get stronger and more comfortable in your shoes, you will move to the centre. After a few years, you will be able to do whole classes on pointe.

Many people will tell you that pointe is a pain and that you don't want to do it. I do not believe this. Pesonally, dancing on pointe is one of my favorite things to do. As to the pain issue, it really does not hurt that much. Often, if there is too much padding in your shoes, your toes will fall asleep which is uncomortable. Also, if there is no padding in your shoes it hurts too. So, don't put too much padding in your shoes (especially gel). I recommend lambs wool pads.

In your dancing life, you're bound to get a few blisters from pointe shoes. This  is caused by your foot rubbing against your shoe. To prevent blisters, it helps to tape your toes. This reduces the friction between your foot and the shoe. If you do get a blister, take care of it so that it will heal faster. If you have to dance with a blister, put some extra padding around it and it should not bother you.

Dancing on pointe is a great privilege for a dancer and with it comes great responsibility. You must be technically strong and work very hard. Make sure you apply the corrections that are given to you by your teacher. If you do not, and work incorrectly, you can injure yourself. Overall, dancing on pointe is a wonderful experience and with hard work and dedication you will be able to wow you audience by gracefully skimming the stage.

Diagram from here   

 

 

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! ~Romans 10:15b