Dance: 2024 Summer project=Ballet

 I picked Ballet as my 2024 Summer project. I am "doing my research on" various but select aspects of the art of Ballet.

When I investigate an art, I do my research with a focus on (a) Basics, (b) the highest outcomes/performances, and (c) how the art is taught (teaching and culture).

For research purpose, I bought some materials (planning to add more as needed).

Books:

For Basics, Children's books:

   Ballet for Beginners (Marie-Laure Medova)

  The Ballet Book; the young performer's guide to classical dance (Bowes and Kain)

  The Ballet Book (Darcy Bussell)

For theories and detailed technical manuals:

   The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet: Theory and Technique (Beaumont and Idzikouski)

   Basic Principles of Classical Ballet: Russian Ballet Technique (Agrippina Vaganova)

(Vaganova and Cecchetti were big bosses of Russian and Italian schools of Ballet. Their books would be worth checking out.)

For learning teachers' viewpoints and dance culture

   The Ballet Book: Learning and Appreciating the Secrets of Dance (American Ballet Theater)

   Be the Dance Teacher They Remember: From Dancing to Teaching, Classical Ballet Pedagogy in Practice (Candace Egbert)

   Auditions, Competitions, and Intensives: Why, When, What to Expect (Dawn Crouch)

Others:

There is a Ballet-themed manga "Dance Dance Danceur".

Mangas usually don't work well to pick up techniques and skills, but can be great at learning culture, and are great for enjoying the characters and the story. The manga is ongoing one, but so far is quite enjoyable. I learned "Caught" idea there.

Videos: Performing art can be learned best from performances.

  New York City Ballet workout

  Performance videos in YouTube, both classical (Tchaikovsky etc) and contemporary (Bejart, Polunin). Research can be a numbers game.

I understood a few points, including that (a) leg turnout is a critical "body building" for Ballet, (b) the leg turnout allows clean extended lines, balance, and leg motions from the hips characteristic to Ballet, (c) when combined with foot styling and pointe shoes, Ballet dancers can really extend their limb lines for a theatrical effect, and (d) great number of Ballet moves are built on the basic Five positions.

That would mean, I will have to work on the five positions and basics first, until I can do them clean on Bar (with support) and on center of the floor (without support).

 Hence, I set my summer project goal for just that; clean five positions and basic moves.

 My current turnout is about 150 degree. While I work on turnout, I'd also pay attention to leg lines in straight and in bent positions (plie/demi-plie).

Ballet poses are highly influenced by natural body type and built-in anatomy. I acknowledge my genetics and anatomy. 

It may sound strange but I see some similarities to body building. We all got genetics and unique body to work with. Much like going to gym and lift to build muscles, after practicing the art, I'd want to see some visible difference in my movements.

Arabesque is one of my "nice to have" Ballet poses. On trial, the pose was not easy for me. I can lift a leg to 45 degree. After engaging back muscle, I can take it up to 90 degree (close to parallel to the floor). But Mrs. Vaganova says "no less than 90 degree". I'll see how I can progress from there.

What I am not going to do for this summer project is to be too ambitious.

No injury-prone moves like Polunin-style high leap (might try in swimming pool, though). No pointe shoes or tutu (they are for girls anyway). No joining Summer camp by professional ballet (OKC Ballet is having a workshop for adult, but no).

While I learn the theories, practice the basic moves, and watch impressive performances, I'll have better appreciation for the art of Ballet. 

That is the outcome I am aiming at for this summer project.

To be honest, Ballet dancers do not always make great social partner dancers (by social partner dance, I mean something like ballroom and party Latins, not Pas de deux). 

Ballet dancers are great at "ability and techniques" to move their own body. But "interactive and improvisational" social partner dance skills are not central to the art of Ballet, it seems, and that can come as a weakness. "Interactive and improvisational" belong to a different domain of dancing.

Of course there are all around great dancers among ballet pros. As trained athletes, they are not "regular people" at all.

  

 

Dance/Science: 6/1 WCS workshop and dance with Keerigan Rudd and Felicia Hoeppner; 6/10 Summer volunteer medical student arrives

 OKC swing dance club is mostly social dance club. But there are a few dancers who actively go to West Coast Swing (WCS) events for competition.

Glenda is one of such active competitors in the club in the Masters category. When I saw her dance at the last year's Wild Wild Westie event, I thought she was working on precise foot placement, which was visible from a distance. I guessed someone taught her that for competitive edge (I may be wrong).

What dancers work on is going to show.

Glenda invited Keerigan Rudd and Felicia Hoeppner from Texas for WCS workshops and dance. They are up-and-coming competitors.

WCS styling has changed a lot in 2010's, from more upright slotted dance to the "modern WCS" with influences from freestyle/zouk/fusion/blues, using active frame and more contact/leading points.

Regardless of styles, there are good dances as well as poorly done dances. 

Social dances evolve and styles change. But good dance/poorly done dance are a matter of execution, which is heavily dependent on each of the dance couple.

That said, Keerigan and Felicia are users of the "modern WCS" style. As not many people around here are using the style, I was curious.

And the dance night was fun. There demo was good with clean lines, and they both had good feel/energy flow in social dancing ( I happened to dance with both). No wonder they are "up-and-coming" in the WCS competition ladders.

Actually, a part of my ways of having fun in social dance is to appreciate the dancer's feel and their ways of "care" for the dance. Even better if the partner knows how to make the dance look good. 

They had good "care" and energy flow in their dances. I liked it.

And the WCS dance night was 11 days ago already. 

Starting this week (6/10-), we are working with a volunteer medical student for summer research activities.

Students in early career come in different degrees of preparedness. But he is pretty good (or so far so good).

When we take students, we assign a (part of a bigger) project that can get possibly published in the future. We use a "buddy system", so that he is not going to be left alone. I've even given the student an authorship when his/her results make it in the manuscript as a figure. That way, summer volunteer research may become something tangible that can help their career move.

He'll be around for the next 8 weeks. We'll find out how it would go this year.

Dance: Milongatown Milonga 5/25 Dallas, International Tango Show 5/26 Fort Worth

 Hugo and Celina are Argentine Tango dancers/instructors/event organizers, currently based on Dallas, TX. I met them on 2013 when we invited them to OKC.

Since then, they successfully built and integrated in Argentine Tango community in Dallas. There are several Tango groups in Dallas. But as stage performers, they are one of stand outs.

They were inviting live Tango band and having a milonga on 5/25 Saturday. 

Dance with a live band is a lot of fun. Dancers are a part of the song, interpreting the music to the dance moves. Musicians can challenge dancers by tweaking rhythm, tempo, ending and the like. Dancers can answer by our moves. I am always hoping that she is up to it. 

The next day, they were presenting a theater show at the Artes De La Rosa Theater in Forth Worth with the International Tango group, which is a stage tango performing group they were producing, as well as with invited Tango pros. 

A friend of mine invited me to the milonga and show. 

The inviter (Yoko) was working in Oklahoma, but now came back to Japan. She joined the international tango femme group while she was in the US. Thanks to the internet, she can work on the stage routines from Japan. 

And she flew all the way from Japan for the show. How could I turn the invitation down?

Stage Tango in theater setting is a very different dance from social tango. 

In terms of dance skills, the most demanding settings are for stage shows by professionals for which audience pay big money to see it, like, Ballet, Blackpool-level Ballroom, Broadway show, and Musicals (including Stage Tango). These have to have an appeal even to lay people, and the performers must have the "trained pro" look.

Many other community dances come with different degrees of standards and skill levels.

This show had an aspect of student showcase, and I could see some differences in skills and stage presence between pros and trainees from my front row seat. Yet, I enjoyed the theatrical production of Tango. For theater dance, dance skills are not necessarily all of the game.

I have watched many stage dances, on theater and on YouTube. Yet, when your friends are dancing, the viewing experience is different. Besides, I had no need to be critical or anything. I just sat back and enjoyed the show.

I saw a lot of work went in the show. Kudos to Hugo, Celina, and all the dancers.

PS  When I was doing some interviews with professional Tango dancers as a part of a project, I asked them about how many choreographed routines they have. One of them told me that they have 30-40. Another told me that they have about 5-7 "active" ones that they can perform with little brush up.

Yoko was dancing in 9 numbers. Talk about hard working.