An Evening with Anne Polajenko: "Great Ballerinas Do Not Make Themselves"

GREAT BALLERINAS DO NOT MAKE THEMSELVES!

There is a saying that goes “ behind every great man is a great woman.” The exact reverse can be said about ballerinas: “behind every great ballerina is a great man.”

Sorry girls, but this is the simple truth. Ballet history is peppered with examples of  women made great by their teachers and choreographers. And, mostly these are men.

A great dancer does not make herself. She has a lot of help along the way, starting with an early teacher who saw a potential and culminating in a coach or choreographer who gave her the material to propel her to stardom.

Take the example of Maria Taglioni, Romantic ballerina “par excellence”. Not only was her father her teacher, he also developed the first pointe shoe exclusively for his daughter.

Carlotta Grisi (the first “Giselle”) owed her brilliant career to her romantic relationship with choreographer Jules Perrot.

Then, there was the army of Italian ballerinas at the end of the 19^th century who owed their careers to their teacher, Enrico Chechetti, and the great choreographer Marius Petipa who provided them with extraordinary ballets in which they could show their equally extraordinary technique.

In more recent times, a number of ballerinas come to mind. In all cases, someone had to give them the chance. Someone had to believe in their particular talent enough to merit plucking them from the ranks and nurturing them forward. This, in itself, is quite a talent. Would we have had the brilliant Brazilian ballerina Marcia Haydee without John Cranko spotting her in the corps de ballet? Janie Parker (first American ballerina to win the Gold Medal at the 1982 International Ballet Competition) without her mentor, Ben Stevenson? And what of Maria Tallchief, Allegra Kent, Melissa Hayden, Patricia McBride and the more recent Suzanne Farrell and Gelsey Kirkland? Unbelievably, all these extraordinary artists were “made” by a single person, George Balanchine.

Janie Parker’s evolution stands out for me because I happened to have been there when the fifteen – year - old first joined the company I was dancing with. It was obvious from the get-go this child was unusual. But, it would take a Ben Stevenson (Houston Ballet) to harness this talent and direct it to stardom. The journey was a marvel to witness. I sometimes wonder what turn Janie’s career might have taken had she never met Stevenson?

Has the male dominance of ballet receded with time? Hardly. Take a good look around you and name current women who have the wherewithal to “make” a ballerina. George Balanchine was fond of saying ballet was a woman’s world. He didn’t add that it is run by men.

     --- Anne Polajenko

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      Love from your humble blogger,

Anne Polajenko Unplugged: "Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks"

TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS

"Have A Heart" by micromeg

         There’s nothing like your kids, or better yet your grand-kids, to keep you on your toes.

The staggeringly rapid developments in Internet communication leave me breathless. It seems as soon as I master one thing, it has been replaced by another. Thankfully I have a grandchild who very patiently walks me through it or I would throw up my hands in despair.

         For example, texting is a very fine feature added to our cell phones. If only “texters” did not communicate in some strange, abbreviated language, that is! You see, I belong to the generation that thought LOL meant “lots of love”. My granddaughter got such a hoot out of that, she made me a texting dictionary. This old dog will not be left behind!

          This led me to wonder what ballet language would look like in text messaging. Imagine a girl who has missed rehearsal and needs to find out what choreography was added. The answer could look something like this:

2pdc(r), 1pdb(left),2ch. Repeat os.

  Got it?

          I don’t think we are quite at that point yet but I would not be surprised to see it in the near future. Of course, someone would have to devise how to also state arms, directions and musical counts! But I leave that to the computer geniuses who, no doubt, will figure out a complete new language for us to master.

 Meanwhile, here is my contribution:

pdc = pas de chat

r = right

l = left

pdb = pas de bourré

ch  = changement

os = other side

     ---- Anne Polajenko

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      Here's a picture of the conclusion of our So Danca Conference, 

       There are benefits to working at So Danca, the familial relationship throughout the workplace is one of those, needless to say our So Danca family dinners are always a great time. 

    Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, 

                          Love from your humble blogger, 

PS: going off of Anne's article, this is my favorite emoticon <(^-^<) <(^-^)> (>^-^)>

So Danca Conference 2011

  
           We are currently having our annual So Danca conference. This is where the whole So Danca team comes together to discuss new lines that are coming out, discuss all the plans for 2012 and so on.
         
          The conference has proven to be quiet astounding this year, with our new line looking fantastic and plenty of new arrivals to quench any craving you might have.
        
          Keep an eye out for all the latest So Danca news here on this blog, we will be making some pretty amazing announcements in the coming months, so be sure to check in ^_^
       
           We're about to start session two now, and I'm sure it'll prove to be equally as amazing as session one was. Keep your hats on, this year is going to be a ride.
  

        Hope you all had a fantastic week and that your weekend proves to be equally amazing,

     Love from your humble blogger,
      
 

An Evening With Anne Polajenko: "Pre-Arch"

Pre arched Pointe shoes:

What is a pre-arched shoe?
These shoes are a fairly recent development in the construction of Pointe shoes. The pre-arch refers to the type of leather shank which in this case is specially made to be very flexible and conform to the dancer's arch. Once it has taken its shape, the "memory" arch remains the same.
One advantage of a pre-arched shoe is that it breaks in more easily which makes it a good shoe for the stage.
So'Dança makes a variety of styles in pre-arched shoes. These include styles for each type of foot: Greek (with a longer second toe), Egyptian (toes slanting diagonally) and Square. There are style with "U" shaped vamps as well as the very popular new "V" shape vamp.

       --- Anne Polajenko
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     Hope everyone's week is going well,

     Love from your humble blogger,

Anne Polajenko presents: "Food For Thought"

Love Coffee by Swdfish

NOTABLE QUOTES

“I do not want dancers who want to dance, I want dancers who have to dance” 

                                                                                              George Balanchine

”Ballet class is like Life Lessons 101. You learn some of life's most important lessons here that you will carry with you forever.”

                                                                                               Joanne H. Morscher

 “Ballet is a dance executed by the human soul.”

                                                                                                 Alexander Pushkin

“Dancers are the athletes of God.”
                                                             Albert Einstein-

“When I miss class for one day, I know it. When I miss class for two days, my teacher knows it. When I miss class for three days, the audience knows it.”
                                                                    

                                                                                                      Rudolf Nureyev-

“Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.”

                                                                                                         Ted Shawn-

“He who cannot dance puts the blame on the floor”

                                                                                                           Hindu proverb-

“ Dance is the interpretation of music through the body.”

                                                                                    Unknown

       --- Compiled by Anne Polajenko
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       And here we are again, another Monday bidding us welcome into a new week. I wish you all a fantastic week and hope that your weekends were fantastic ^_^


    Love from your humble blogger,

Harry Potter Fans Rejoice!

     The latest Harry Potter movie will be coming out in a few weeks and fan are expecting to be blown away by it's brilliance. The many previews for the movie are all inspiring and even youtube artists have taken a liking to making video montages prepping us all for this movie's release.

    Latest preview:

      There is a sad aspect about this whole thing though, it is the fact that with this last Harry Potter movie coming out, this will be the last chance we will have to have Harry content. Meaning, this will be the last movie in the series, and so fans of the series have come together in hopes for something to occur, something to give them hope that the series will continue, or that some miracle will happen and they will be able to hang out in the Harry Potter Universe for a bit longer.
      Well Potter fans rejoice! Something is in the works, nothing is clear yet, there aren't any news on what will be shared, but in 5 days J. K. Rowling will be making an announcement about the future of the Potter series. The site is www.pottermore.com if you click on the owls it will send you to a youtube video link with a countdown to the broadcast. I recommend you keep a look out for this, looks like it's going to be good.
      Though many rumors are circulating right now there are no definite answers to what the broadcast will be about yet, though Rowling has not disappointed yet, and thus the internet community is in an uproar with anticipation.
       Be sure to watch the new movie on July 15th, it's sure to be a fantastic close to a magical series.

     Love from your humble blogger,

An Evening With Anne Polajenko: "To Quit of Not to Quit?"

TO QUIT OR NOT TO QUIT?

Recently, a student asked me if, at any time during my dancing days, I was ever tempted to just throw in the towel and quit. Since my students know how committed I am to what I do, I guess my answer shocked them. I laughed.

“Sure,” I chuckled, “several times.”  The truth is every professional dancer goes through periods of self-doubt, disappointment or just sheer mental and physical exhaustion. The temptation to quit can be quite overpowering at times, especially when the grass looks so much greener on the other side! Imagine a life with a schedule like “normal” people, week-ends to sleep in, holidays like everyone else, no dieting, no daily class, no shin splints, no grinding discipline and, above all, no Pointe shoe sewing. Heaven!

Well, almost.

When you have reached a certain level, dancing is not something you put on and take off like a pretty dress nor is it a hobby you can take or leave at will. It is a commitment, a lifestyle, a vocation. It is in you. When you leave it, after a while you begin to notice that it is still there and shows itself in different ways. Your body misses the daily class you so hated, your soul misses the camaraderie of fellow dancers, your brain begins replaying choreography you loved to dance. Life may be easier in some ways but less stimulating in others. Now you find yourself wishing you had thought your decision through a little better.

Quitting before your time takes some serious thought whether you are professional or a student. It should not be an impulsive decision because it is almost impossible to come back. Seeking advice is always a good idea but beware of (not so) well-meaning colleagues or even directors. In my case, I turned to family members who could give me a more objective perspective.

It is perfectly OK to question why you are dancing. If nothing else, it makes us re-assess our progress, our ability to balance demanding schedules with everyday life and our overall commitment to what we do. 

           ----Anne Polajenko

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    Hope you are all having a great week, 

                        Love from your humble blogger,