FNB - with photos!

Yesterday I found myself doubly excited - ballet with a new teacher and waiting for good weather for Wednesday. First subject was Very Nice, found her style and routines more difficult than our regular teacher, therefore also quite challenging. But also tried my very best, maybe even more than usually! Fun!!! :) Next 2 weeks are taught by this new acquaintance, then I guess it's the "regular" again. They teach in turns this summer. Another plus for yesterday's class was the small pointe session in the end - which I didn't know, so no pointes for me. But!!! Us without those "toe-shoes", we did first a small routine in the middle and when others were on their toes, some piqué turns for us! (Maybe my favorite stuff... :)) The first routine was something like glissade - glissade - 2 faster pas de chats - pas de bourrée (all first to the right, then left, then right, and in the end some tip-toeing (pas de bourrée suivi, says wikipedia)).

*** Finnish National Ballet's summer tour ended in my home town today! ***

But today: the weather was almost perfect for a ballet performance outdoors. Sun was shining, some small clouds. A bit too windy for my taste ;) Anyway, I headed for the Castle Park before 6 pm and met some fellow adult-ballerinas, sat down quite near the small stage and enjoyed myself So Much... <3 The show lasted 60 minutes and included some very traditional, classical stuff, but also modern coreographies (some of which were made for this tour especially!). And all this free of charge :) I took loads of photos, not so amazing, but here are some. (You can find more, if you check Pointe til you drop in Facebook, I linked my photo album to her page and it should be visible for everyone.)

1. Two Fast

There was also lots of other movements than lifting legs... Just happened to photograph these :D

2. Don Quijote

Beautiful pose - and nice balance ;)

3. Sarja kolmelle

4. Sleeping Beauty

5. Scheherazade

6. Ballet Pathetique (a solo excerpt)

7. 3+1

8. Didn't catch the name of this :( But it was something like "Sammakoista ja ihmisistä" :D (Of frogs and men)

Thank You!!! :) The 3 ladies from 3+1 came on stage right after this and I didn't have space for one last photo :/

Information of the works:

1. Two Fast - coreography: Jorma Elo - music: didn't catch the composers name, but it was classical, instrumental and from the baroque era - dancers: Terhi Räsänen (a huge maybe!!!) & Teemu Tainio

2. Don Quijote - cor: Patrice Bart (I think this is correct, read it from the FNB site) - music: L. Minkus - dancers: Asta Lindholm & Nicholas something (again, huge maybe here)

3. Sarja kolmelle (a series for three - my translation) - cor: Jani Talo - music: Muse - dancers: Terhi Räsänen (???) & Sara Saviola (The forename is correct at least :D) & Antti Keinänen

4. Sleeping Beauty - cor: Javier Torres - music: P. Tshaikovsky - dancers: Annabelle Hellinckx (mayyyyybe) & ?

5. Scheherazade - cor: Kenneth Greve - music: N. Rimski-Korsakov - dancers: Mai Komori & Jani Talo

6. A solo from Ballet Pathetique - cor: Jorma Uotinen - music: P. Tshaikovsky (at least this is what it says in the FNB website) - dancer: Antti Keinänen

7. 3+1 - cor: Johanna Nuutinen - music: Chisu - dancers: Johanna Nuutinen & Sara Saviola (maybe ;)) & ?

8. Don't know the name of the last work :( Maybe something like "Of frogs and men" (or frogs and birds or something, haha...) - cor: Kenneth Greve - music: C. Saint-Saëns (parts of: The Carnival of Animals)

***

"Sarja kolmelle" and the last work were specially made for the summer tour. I liked ALL that these talented people performed, but maybe the highlights today (for me) were numbers 6 & 8. Just maybe ;)

We did the whole Carnival at my ballet school when I was maybe 8 (I was an elephant... how grazioso... ;)). I've trained the flute parts (well, mainly the Aviary) and it's a tiny dream to play the whole thing some day. But I also had the fun idea that my old ballet school should do the Carnival again - with live musicians! :D It would be a real challenge, but who knows, maybe some day.