Misconstrued Thoughts : Yesterday's Misconstrued Thoughts Today

A New DAY! Expert TUESDAY!

Every Tuesday we will have a Misconstrued "Expert" teach us a little about something we never knew about before. (Look for the invite, you could the be the next expert). Topics shall be all over the place. So plan to know enough for a good 5 Minute conversation at those cocktail parties.

This week: Darcie Myers on Ballet

I suppose most people are surprised to learn that I have taken ballet for so long, since I am known for my clumsiness. But ballet is something that has caught my attention for many years. I took my first ballet class when I was in second grade and danced as a “dancing doll” in my very first recital.

While my start to ballet was only about 14 years ago, Ballet started to evolve during the Renaissance period (1300-1600) in Western Europe. The steps of ballet were first named in French, which is why French has become the International language of ballet. Some of these steps include ‘pirouette’ (to spin), ‘plie’ (to bend), and ‘tombe’ (to fall). There are even steps in ballet to mimic animals such as ‘pas de cheval’ (step of the horse) and ‘sauté chat’ (jump of the cat).

Ballet is a very taxing job for professional ballerinas. They dance 6 days a week to keep their bodies in perfect condition. To become a professional ballerina, you must start at a very early age. The recommended age for girls to begin training is 8 to 10… and bit later for boys. This is the case so that the bones in their bodies may grow and adapt to the positions that are common in ballet. This includes the very basis of ballet technique: turn out. Turn out is very crucial to a ballerina. Turn out is the rotation from the hip joint to form a 180 degree angle with the feet on the floor.

I highly recommend attending a ballet. Most ballets are a story told through dance, which can be challenging to understand at times since no words are spoken. There are even ballet’s based on art. This past April the Lyon Opera Ballet opened the ballet “Tricodex” which was based on an Italian art book filled with drawings of imaginary animals, plants, machines, and insects.

Musicians and artists have even taken an interest in ballet. The Icelandic band Sigur Ros constructed an instrument made out of pointe shoes for a collaboration with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. There were microphones in each pointe shoe, and the musicians beat them with sticks. The impressionistic painter Edgar Degas enjoyed painting many pictures revolving around the performance of ballet dancers. Photographer Cornell Capa also enjoyed working with ballerinas.

Though I by no means have a name in ballet, there are several “Darcie’s” that do. Included are Darci Kistler, a principal dancer for the New York City Ballet, and Darcey Bussell, a principal dancer for the Royal Ballet.

Posted by itzjerm at August 24, 2004 10:55 PM