...Ballet has entertained and enchanted audiences for over 400 years. Within these centuries of grace and elegance, ballet has branched out into several techniques and styles. Along the way, George Balanchine, accredited for “developing the neo-classical style distinct to the 20th century,” has placed a significant mark on the face of ballet (George). Even after his death in the late 20th century, his disciples, such as Suki Schorer, have preserved and continued disseminating his work. Schorer’s ongoing instruction of his technique at the School of American Ballet, and her book, Suki Schorer on Balanchine Technique, have kept the works and teaching methods of Balanchine alive. Being a great performer does not necessarily equate to being a great...
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...Mission Statement Analysis New York City Ballet, Inc Mission Statement New York City Ballet's contribution to dance in the 20th Century can be measured in many ways, perhaps none more significant than the extraordinary number of ballets - including those by co-founding choreographers, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins - that the Company has commissioned and that are performed today by dance companies across the United States and the world. Creating such an unparalleled collection of works would not have been possible without the support of contributors who recognized the immense value of furthering the art of ballet through the development of new works. With momentum from an extraordinary 50 years of creative activity, New York City Ballet entered the new millennium committed to further expanding the ballet repertory in the 21st Century by providing opportunities for choreographers, composers, designers, musicians, and dancers to create new work. http://www.nycballet.com/company/mission.html The mission statement above does not mention a listing of beneficiaries; for the most part the current mission statement illustrates the reason for this organization to do the work they are assigned to do. In addition, it is mentioned how other contributors have helped the organization in accomplishing the mission they are dedicated to do and maintained. Revised Mission Statement The New York Ballet INC, under the direction of Chief Peter Martins, remains dedicated to the vision...
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...Imperial Ballet School, where I learned the precise and athletic Russian dancing style of ballet. In 1921 I entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music to study piano while I continued to work in ballet at the State Academy of Opera and Ballet. From there I used a group of dancers from the school to present my earliest choreographed works. One of the students was Tamara Gevergeyeva, she was a doll, I later married Tamara in 1922. She was the first of four wives I had, all of whom were dancers. My big break came when the manager of the Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev, discovered me in 1925, in Paris, France. At the age of 21, I became the main choreographer of the most famous ballet company in the world. I worked on ten ballets for Diaghilev, and it was Diaghilev who actually changed the my name to Balanchine. When Diaghilev died and the company broke up in 1929, I moved from one company to another until I formed my own company, Les Ballets in 1933. In that same year, after a Les Ballets performance, I met Lincoln Kirstein, a young, rich American, who invited me to head a new School of American Ballet in New York City. With the School of American Ballet and later with the New York City Ballet, I had established myself as one of the world's leading classical choreographers. I brought standards of excellence and quality performance to the American ballet culture. I had a school, a company, and a permanent theater. I also had developed the New York City Ballet into the...
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...George Balachine vs. Jerome Robbins Both George Balachine and Jerome Robbins are important figures in dance history. However, the two vary in many different ways. From their costume choices to scenery and styles of music and dance, a lot of differences emerge, but they both remain popular among the dance community. While the two choreographers approached dances with different genres of style, the two collaborated with each other for they both had a love for classical ballet, cinema, and Broadway. In short, while they do share similar interests, both use a different style in their pieces, George using classical ballet, and Jerome using a jazz style. Our first dancer, George Balachine, real name Georgi Balanchivadze, was born In St.Petersburg...
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...Aesha Ash Aesha Ash was born in New York on December 30th, 1977. She had two brothers and began dancing at the age of five. When Aesha was 13 she acquired acceptance into the school of the School Of American Ballet. She was such an amazing dancer that she was provided the “Mae L. Wien” award for her exceptional technique. She was the only individual in her school who was African American for a very long time. Ash was very experienced in pointe work which lead to her receiving a role in the Movie “Center Stage”. Soon, Aesha left New York to become a soloist in Switzerland. She ended up feeling sad and alone, and soon returned to America after two years. In 2005 she joined Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, she learned all sorts of new techniques, but she also wanted to be independent. Aesha ended up working for Christopher Wheeldon and worked with “Morphoses”. She has been portrayed in hundreds of different magazines as an amazing dancer. She enjoys working out and incorporates many different exercises in her routine, such as Pilates. She gained a position as a Pilates apprentice from the owner of “Peak Performance”, Jennifer M Stacey. Overall Aesha Ash has been living an extraordinary life. She has been a professional ballet dancer for thirteen years. She continues to take part in “The Swan Dreams” project. This project was created by Aesha to resolve her experiences with discrimination as an African American dancer. Her program shows people that they can be whatever they...
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...In Act 1 of the nutcracker it started with Herr Stahlbaum and his wife is giving a Christmas Party. Clara and Fritz, their children, greet the guests. The parents give toys to all the children. Suddenly, the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer arrives and entertains the children with his magical tricks and wind-up dolls. Dr. Drosselmeyer brings a special gift for Clara - a wooden nutcracker. In a jealous fit, Fritz breaks it. Dr. Drosselmeyer quickly repairs it. The party ends, the guests leave, and the Stahlbaums retire for the night. Clara awakens as a mouse runs through her room. The clock strikes midnight. Suddenly, the room fills with giant mice that attack Clara. Life-size toy soldiers, led by her valiant Nutcracker, come to her rescue. The King Rat attacks the Nutcracker, but Clara hits him with her shoe and the Nutcracker wins the battle. After the battle, the Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome prince. The Nutcracker Prince turns the Stahlbaums house into the Land of Snow. The Snow Queen and the Nutcracker Prince dance with the Snowflakes. Clara and the Nutcracker Prince depart for the Kingdom of Sweets in an enchanted sleigh. The dances moves were so peaceful it makes them grab your attention and it was smooth, and balance. It made me think that they wanted the audience to dance with them, and it made me grind my teeth and shift in my seats. It certainly did me when I began to go to see "The Nutcracker," though I must admit he loved it and laughed delightedly. Clara's...
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...clear examples from the choreographed sections of West Side Story to support your discussion. In 1932 Jerry accompanied his sister into New York and saw her onstage at the Dance Center, Robbins was later invited to join the company after an audition arranged by his sister. The dance centre group comprised of dancers with widely varied backgrounds and individual styles ran by Senia Gluck Sandor and his wife. They were fusing ballet and modern dance in a series of highly theatrical, stylised productions. Attempted to dramatise the political, social and economic struggles of the day. Sandor advised Robbins to study ballet again in which he took the advice and began classes with Ella Daganova. This ballet influence upon Robbins is shown throughout West Side Story remarkably within the Dance at the Gym, the Promenade section. Within the promenade relevé is used precisely in and out of chassés, as well as this, similar to classical ballet, movements are repeated two or three times as Robbins has done with the motif of chassés into the clicking of their fingers followed by the circular knee movement. Furthermore, the way in which Robbins uses non-balletic styled movement such as the knee circles and clicks within the ballet section demonstrates specifically Robbins’ use of Sandor’s training through his use of fussing various styles, jazz and ballet in choreographing West Side Story. Having first taken classes informally from his sister, Sonia, Jerry went on to study with her teacher...
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...Ever since a very young age, a love of ballet developed into a goal to prevail. With great anticipation, I was taken to my first live Nutcracker performance at the age of five. I remember watching the dancers in their beautiful costumes and moving in a mesmerizing graceful style on the stage. That fateful day sealed the decision of a career path in the performing arts. The dream of following a performing arts career in dance was furthered by attending Texas Christian University on a merit scholarship as a Ballet Major. This scholarship made it possible to train and dance on a daily basis and to quickly advance. Extremely hard work earned an offer to join a ballet company, a rare opportunity not offered to every dancer. Although that...
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...She attended Lakeview Elementary, and while still was in the elementary school, Neal was taking ballet lessons. She graduated from Overton High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Following the graduation she enrolled the University of Arts, however she dropped out after two years, to pursue her career in entertainment industry, moving to New York. City has opened a lot of doors for her, she acquired roles in musical theatre; and not before long; Neal was touring the world. This break allowed her to move to Los Angeles and develop her career further. She earned her first role; it was on the ABC soap opera “Loving”, as Jessica Sinclair. In 1993, she earned another role, it was on the NBC`s sci-fi TV series “SeaQuest 2032”. Her most notable role is certainly the one in the TV series “Hughleys” as Yvonne Hughley. This role made her famous through entire acting industry and earning her auditions for other television and film roles. Her career gradually grew and...
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...The movie I chose to write my sociology paper on is Center Stage. This recent teenage drama had a target audience drawn to us, the typical teenager. The main focus was a group of highly talented young dancers trying to break into the extremely competitive world of ballet by attending the prestigious American Ballet Academy. I found one of the subplots that focused on the character Maureen Cummings to yield many points that I could expand on for this paper. As we begin in the movie, we are introduced to the character Maureen Cummings, who we can truly say is a Prima Dona. She has been at the American Ballet Company since the age of nine, which is most of her life. Everyone there also knows her as being one of its best students, while also possessing a negative attitude to those around her. In other words, she’s a major bitch. As the movie progresses though we begin to see why Maureen is so driven with her ballet career and where her attitude comes from. We soon realize that it’s not her desire to be who she is or where she is, it’s actually her mothers. The problem for Maureen is that she has been living her life like this for so long she has never figured out what she wants. It’s only after she meets someone and begins dating them does she realize how much she has missed out on “normal” things and how much she hates the life she is leading. For this paper I will take you through the steps that Maureen went though from a sociological point of view. Maureen’s character starts...
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...I. Ballet Philippines II. Executive Summary The case is about the ballet performer status in the Philippines and also the turnover and salary of the performers and how to deal with the turnovers in lack of promotions. III. Background of the Case Founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ballet Philippines (BP) is widely recognized today as a cornerstone of the Filipino cultural identity. Its audience represents a cross-section of Manila’s populace and includes visitors from around the country and around the world. Each year outreach and educational programs introduce new generations of audience members not only to dance, but to music and visual art as well. BP’s official school, the CCP Dance School, continues to produce dancers of international caliber. As the dance company in residence at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ballet Philippines is globally recognized as the country’s flagship company in ballet and contemporary dance. With a treasure trove of over 400 works, Ballet Philippines’ wide ranging, eclectic repertory is unparalleled in Asia. From full-length classical ballets and internationally recognized masterworks to indigenous works of Filipino folklore and social issues, the company weaves a colorful tapestry of the Philippine’s rich and diverse cultural heritage – uniquely and distinctly Filipino. The Company’s achievements, coupled with the generous and prestigious...
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...! Tchaikowsky’s famous and fabled ballet, the Nutcracker, is synonymous with the Christmas season. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, there is hardly a weekend that Arabian’s haunting melody, or the thrilling Russian Dance isn’t heard in a concert hall or school auditorium somewhere in the metroplex. From professional ballet companies to neighborhood ballet schools, everyone gets in on the act. And why not? The music of the Nutcracker is as familiar to our ears as Jingle Bells or Silent Night. ! But before the curtain rises and the overture begins, a different kind of ballet, as timeless as the Nutcracker itself and far less familiar, is rehearsed. Dancers practice it faithfully, on a daily basis, and it is a necessary prelude to the fluid and athletic movements that culminate on the stage. The choreography is grounded in seven positions or movements from which everything in the discipline of ballet must begin. It is, simply, the warm-up. ! Of the two indispensable tools used in the warm-up, it is hard to say which is the most important, the barre or the music. Each has a function, independent of the other: the barre as an anchor, a safety net; the music as expression through rhythm and movement. Combined, both serve the ultimate purpose of technique as a means of expression. ! To the observer, the warm-up is a mixed experience. It’s not so easy to imagine yourself in fifth position without your knees popping out of their sockets. Few laymen can perform a pliè and not hear...
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...Not All Rhombi are Squares: The Nature of Sport I am not a student of mathematics, but there is a maxim that has always intrigued me for some reason. The rhombus is a parallelogram, the perfect image of a kite. Its defining characteristics - four-sided figure with parallel and equal sides - are those which we immediately associate with the square. The square, however, is special. While it is indeed a rhombus, it has a certain distinction: the corners are all composed of right angles. Therefore, every square is a rhombus, but not all rhombi are squares. When I was a kid, my sister and I would always argue. One of the many topics fought over was whether or not she, as a ballet dancer, was an athlete. While I argued that she was an athlete, she remained vigilantly contrarian, stating that ballet was an art, not a sport. I couldn’t disagree with her counter, so she decided herself the winner, as always in everything. There are many arguments over what is and isn’t a sport. Cheerleading, fishing, auto racing, and golf are all bantered about in these kinds of discussions. However, just as the square is a very special rhombus, there is a certain distinction which distinguishes the sportsman from the athlete. While many activities require a great amount of athleticism, many cannot be called sports because of one thing: strategy. It is the major root of sport that differentiates a competitive game from fun or art. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines ‘sport’...
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...What is ballet to you? Ballet is not just dancers twirling around on the tips of their toes, it's more to it. There are actually many different styles and techniques. “They sometimes tell stories, contain narrative action, characters, and a beginning and end. The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty are famous story ballets from the 19th century” (“Types and Styles of Ballet”). Dance itself is a chain of measured and pattern bodily movements that are usually performed to differents types of music. It is a form of art that is performed in many cultures by people to express themselves and their ideas through movement. Dance is a profession for some and a passion for others. Ballet is so popular because not only was it the first type of dance to...
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...la Fée' is on no account top drawer Balanchine; however, it is still an attractive and moving ballet. It should not be surprising that the De Luz-Fairchild performance earlier in the week was more touching. Nevertheless, the ballet on Sunday with Tiler Peck and Anthony Huxley was delightful. Towards its conclusion, an abrupt change in tenor occurs in the piece: it afforded Ms. Peck another opportunity to imprint—through her poignant change in expression—a hauntingly beautiful image in my mind....
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