Joulusiivous!

Tänään harjoiteltiin kokonainen koreografia ja nyt on pakko äkkiä kirjoittaa se muistiin! Musiikkina masurkka, en tiedä kenen säveltämä. Ilmeisesti olis tulossa joulunäytökseenkin...


* Alkaa preparaatioasennosta soutenuihin, vasen jalka ja käsi edessä. Ollaan menossa suoraan vasemmalle sivulle.

• 2 x soutenu ympäri kädet ekassa (laskut 1-2), kolmas soutenu vasen käsi 3. ja oikea 1. (lasku 3), askel & preparaatio oikeaa varten (lasku 4).
• -//- oikealle, paitsi päättyy askel oikealle, vasen jää a la seconde ojennukseen.

* Lähdetään vasemmalle taas:

• Sissonne (koholla) - tombe - assemble sivulle (tai sen tapainen) (lasku 1) päättyy plie (oikea edessä) 
• Releve & vasen käsi tokassa & oikea ekassa (lasku 2) 
• Plie (koholla) - releve (iskulla) & oikea jalka passe (edestä taakse) & oikea käsi ekasta tokaan (lasku 3) 
• Plie - releve & vasen jalka passe (edestä taakse) & vasen käsi ekasta tokaan (lasku 4).

* Oikealta ympäri:

• Plie (koholla), releve (iskulla) & oikea passe (edestä taakse) & oikea käsi tokaan / vasen kolmanteen (lasku 1, kohti tanssijasta katsoen oikeaa takanurkkaan) 
• Plie, releve & o. passe (takaa eteen) & v. käsi tokaan / o. kolmanteen (lasku 2, tanssijasta vasempaan takanurkkaan)
• Plie, releve & o. passe (edestä taakse) & o. käsi tokaan / v. kolmanteen (lasku 3, tanssijasta oikeaan etunurkkaan)
• Releve viidennessä vasen jalka edessä & tasapaino, 2 taputusta (kädet ikään kuin pyyhkii toisiaan, "puts plank" :D) (...lasku 4).

* Croise viidennessä (tasatassuin) vasen edessä (eli kohti oikeaa etunurkkaa):

• Matala attitude eteen tasajalalla, oikea käsi ekaan (Ehkä, tätä en muista tarkkaan, voi olla että kädet pysyy matalassa tokassa kumpikin) (lasku 1)
• Käännös croise vasempaan etunurkkaan, vasen tukijalkana, oikea matala attitude eteen, lopussa ojenna (lasku 2, iskun lopussa siis ojennus)
• Piquen ja pienen "kumarruksen" kautta pas de bourree suivi kohti vasenta etunurkkaa (oikea jalka edessä), vasen käsi matalan ekan kautta allonge, oikea tokassa allonge, ojentaudutaan (kroppa) sipsuttelun aikana kunnolla, kädet kohoaa normaaliin ekaan/tokaan (muistaakseni, edelleen allonge), pieni tasapaino lopussa (laskut 3-4)

* Croise viidennessä oikea edessä (kohti vasenta etunurkkaa), lähes sama kuin edellinen setti:

• Matala attitude oikealla jalalla (lasku 1)
• Käännös oikealle, matala attitude v. jalalla, ojenna lopussa (lasku 2)
• 5 askelta kohti oikeaa etunurkkaa, jäädään samaan suuntaan paikalleen vasen jalka eteen tukijalaksi, oikea takana (ns. attitude mutta lattiassa kiinni), vasen käsi vyötäröllä, oikea toisessa (laskut 3-4)

* Asento pysyy (jalat, v. käsi):

• Plie, samalla kumarrutaan ja oikealla kädellä "pyyhkäistään pölyjä" -> ensin lattialta kohti tukijalkaa, jalasta pois (lasku 1)
• Ojennus ja pölyjen pyyhintä ylhäältä samoin (laskut 2)
• Kävely 5 askeleella oikealta ympäri lähes paikallaan, jäädään kohti vasenta etunurkkaa oikea edessä & vasen takana (ns. attitude lattiassa), vasen käsi edelleen vyötäröllä ja oikea toisessa (laskut 3-4)

* Kohti vasenta etunurkkaa äskeisessä asennossa jatkuu:

• Pölyjen pyyhintä lattialta (lasku 1)
• Pölyjen pyyhintä katosta (lasku 2)
• Oikea käsi tekee kaarroksen (toka, perus, eka), pyyhkii otsalta hikeä, käy vielä ekan kautta ja napakasti/ylpeästi tokaan (laskut 3-4)

* Balance-sarjat lähtien ensin vasemmalle:

• Hypäten balance vasemmalle & oikea käsi ekaan (v. tokassa), samoin oikealle & kädet päinvastoin (laskut 1-2)
• 3 matalaa hyppyä 3. arabeskissa (ehkä?, ei Vaganovan mukainen, vasen tukijalka / oikea takana ilmassa / molemmat kädet edessä allonge, vasen vähän ylempänä) kohti vasenta etunurkkaa, pliessä koko ajan, katse kohti sormia ja niiden yli (lasku 3)
• Hyppy viidenteen (plie) oikea eteen ja kädet ekaan, releve & kädet kohotettuun puuskaan eteen & katse yleisöön (poosa) (lasku 4)

* Toinen setti balanceta vasemmalle:

• Hypäten vasemmalle, sitten oikealle (samat kädet) (laskut 1-2)
• 3 matalaa hyppyä plie-arabeskissa (lasku 3)
• Hyppy viidenteen ja kädet ekaan (plie), releve & kädet kolmanteen (poosa) (lasku 4)

* Kolmas setti balanceta vasemmalle:

• Pehmeästi = Ei hypäten -> eka vasemmalle, kädet laskeutuu kolmannesta matalaan tokaan (lasku 1)
• Oikealle, vasen käsi tulee ekaan (lasku 2) 
• Soutenu ympäri vasemmalle kädet ekassa (lasku 3)
• Jäädään demipointe viidenteen nokka kohti oikeaa etunurkkaa vasen edessä & 3 taputusta (puts-pois-plank :D) (lasku 4)

* Yksi setti balanceta oikealle:

• Pehmeästi -> eka oikealle, vasen käsi tulee ekaan (lasku 1)
• Vasemmalle, oikea käsi ekaan (lasku 2)
• Soutenu ympäri oikealle - päädytään nokka kohti vasenta etunurkkaa, demipointe viidennessä oikea edessä (lasku 3)
• Askel taakse (oikea jalka jää eteen ojennukseen), 1 taputus (vasen käsi ylös, oikea alas, iso liike)! (lasku 4)

No niin. Siinä se nyt on. Eipä tosta varmaan muut kun minä saa selvää :D

These are a few of my favorite things...

I want that mug!!!

Photos from weheartit.com

The Nutcracker - Pähkinänsärkijä

Okay, got my birthday present "a bit" early, but I'm very happy about it anyway! :)

"What is it then?" they ask.

A ticket to see This!

...and this!

...aaaaaaaaaaand this!

...without forgetting this!

...nor this!

...wiiiiiiiith this!

To sum it all up, I'm going to see The Nutcracker by our lovely Finnish National Ballet :)

 

Also I'm planning to offer myself a glass of real champagne for the occasion! (If any of you will be there on December 22nd, we might meet!) (Lot's of these today -> !!!)

*smiley face*


 Photos are from http://www.opera.fi/en/productions/the_nutcracker_and_the_mouse_king/896

The Ballet Week - Le carnaval des animaux (avec James Bond)

This is The EXCLUSIVE ballet memory,

the last one I'm writing during this particular Ballet Week -project.

Thank you Hannah for the lovely idea! :)

Right. So, theres the music by Camille Saint-Saëns. Just googled it and found out that the amazing Christopher Wheeldon has made a ballet to it. I'd sure want to see it... Actually I have been wondering, how come no-one's made it. At least I haven't heard of performances in Finland. 

...EXCEPT ONE!

May I present:

Carnival of the Animals

The pupils of my old dance school
(Also you Might recognize the narrator in the videos.) 

year something (in the 80's, probably May 1988/89)

*** Please, do not use photos without asking me first. Thank You.***

Our cool Lion King! ...with his (her actually) two loyal helpers, the foxes.

No photos of this one, sorry... But there were 2 hens (with tutus) and a rooster - over whom the girls were fighting :D

No photos of this one, either. 

Our lovely tortoise couple :)

You probably can Not guess who's the one looking down, when everyone else is looking up.

It sure is ME! :)

Look, I'm wearing a tutu!

Mother and the offspring :)

Our aquarium had goldfish in it. Lovely costumes!

No photos of this one.

Our cuckoo had her first pointes in this piece, too bad you can't see them here. (But in the finale you can!)

Our Lady Bird had had her pointes for a while already - and the loyal foxes are present! (p.s. That video is Not my favorite version of the Aviary, But there's James Bond in the beginning! Had to put it...)

Don't know if we had this at all, probably not because there's no animal in it. But this video is hilarious! :D

Just Love this fossil! :) Maybe my favorite piece - after the Aviary, of course ;)

Oh how we envied this girl and the Gorgeous tutu...

It was so beautiful :) (Mischa Maisky's playing isn't too bad, either.)

(There Should be a piccolo, not a c-flute, in this one. Boo.....)

The elephants can be quick, you know. Up to 40 km's/hour.

Elephant - the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind. (Aristotle)

(In right corner: the person with long ears.)

Thank You All for reading about my ballet memories.

This has been a very fun and interesting project. Also made me cry more than once.

(I'm really getting old.)

Couldn't be happier that I'm taking classes and dancing again.

It is a luxury to have 2 passions in life, and how they combine in each other. 

Now it's time to sleep a little - and develop(pe) new ideas ;)

Good Night!

Me and the Swan Lake (there really is one in our town.)

The Ballet Week - Additional Tuesday Memory!!!

NOW it is done. At least most of it. Scanning of the photos (that are Glued to the album)...

Fiiiiiiinally I'm getting the Photos & Music -post done, but it is only...

...volume 1!

Ballet Week is an idea I got from Hannah's Blog. 

Today it's all about ME! Haha! Well... it really is. These photos are from my Early Days, the First dance/ballet era. *** PLEASE, do not use the photos without asking me first. Thank you :) *** I'll attach some music, too bad I don't know all the pieces we did. But now, let's go!

My very first: The hedgehog goes milking. Or something :)

Probably my second, Bella Bimba :)

We had the music in Finnish, but could't find it in youtube :( Maybe Dean Martin is ok... :D

Also from my second year: Aunt Monica! I had The Most Amazing slippers, have to find another photo with them :) But I Did find our original music (the video is a bit... something).
 

I was too lazy to cut the edges off, sorry ;) But this seems like a Dance of the Mice, I think.

I'm not the one on front. You'll recognize me from my "smile" :D

These were taken after my First Real Ballet performance, The Chinese Dance! I was part of a dragon. Btw: Check out my fingers!!! I still remember how our teacher said they should be - thumb near the middle joint of the middle finger.

Here you can also see my First Ballet Leotard and the Very First Ballet Shoes :) Also we had this brownish eye-shadow (our teacher did our make-up). You can also notice my belly :D

This is from the Carnival of the Animals. I do have more photos, but they'll have to wait... ;)

The morning mood, by Grieg. I'm the one in the middle, swishing around... Btw, this was a set-up photo, not from the actual performance.

Still the Morning Mood. Probably the only real group picture I have.. You'll recognize me from the back row as the one who looks like falling any minute, haha... :) I like this costume very much.

Tomorrow will present the last part of my Ballet Week -experience.

I have a fun idea for it!

p.s. How interesting is this: many of the musics I put here have FLUTE in them, in a big role...

(or a piccolo in the Chinese)

...and I'm a flutist! :)

See you tomorrow!

Not writing as I planned...

This weekend was supposed to be about just free time, taking ballet class, watching Cinderella (the ballet), writing blog (about ballet memories, photos and some music). Well. It was. Partly.

Saturday's morning class was okay, except that Friday's evening class was still "in my legs", so balancing and pirouettes weren't there. My head was still sleeping, I guess. I didn't stay for the pointe-quarter (15 minutes) for 2 reasons. Firstly, there had been 2,5 weeks without any pointe/ballet, so I wanted to get back in touch with the game in "peace". Secondly, I had to catch the train straight after our class. Yes, with red face and stupid hair. But I made it!

Cinderella was... certainly an experience worth paying for. The music surprised me maybe the most. The dancing - not so much. It was beautiful, but we kept waiting for a "clear highlight". A series of amazing pirouettes or jumps or lifts or something. There wasn't such moment. Now I'm NOT saying the coreography was boring, but maybe I waited for more? Don't know. I have to write more about this, think about it.

But that'll happen After I've done the last 2 sets of my Ballet Week :) ...which will be hopefully tomorrow (Monday) and the day after it (Tuesday). If not, then later. But I Am determined to do them.

At the moment I'm thinking and pondering and wondering, if I'll have the energy to go to a beginners' class tomorrow. I missed a Wednesday class because of the recent flu and this is the only option to make up for it. Of course I could take it a week or two after tomorrow... I think I'll decide after work. It is a very very very basics class, but it might be nice. To do them tendus and pliés reeeeaaaaallllly properly.

Now it's time to sleep. Good night.

The Ballet Week - Friday Memory

Today could be the end of my Ballet Week -

but no! Haha!

I've decided to continue all the way, Sat & Sun too.

Some fairly recent thoughts/memories today, 

but hey, yesterday's thoughts and happenings are memories today, right?

The Ballet Week is an idea I got from Hannah's Blog.

In August 2010 I enrolled to adult ballet classes, twice a week. Wednesday evenings (60 min.) and Saturday mornings (75 + optional pointe 15 min.). First class felt like coming home. Although I never was GOOD at ballet in my childhood/teen days, I still knew the moves. My first teacher had made excellent job in that area! (I'm very much certain she did all she could in the "other" area = my ballerina skills, but a teacher can't do it For the pupils. They can only give advice and help, but the actual work is the kid's duty.) Funniest thing about this adult class of mine was the following: 2 of my old ballet friends' moms were taking it, too! But it was nice, nothing else.

I had very little memories of what I actually Knew, the movements I mean. But as we did routines by the barre and in the center, everything seemed familiar. So I must have done them before. It was such a delightful feeling, to be able to move like that again. And let me tell you the (maybe) biggest reason why. 

Photo from weheartit.com

As I quit ballet and eventually all dancing, went to study, I quit moving (other than the necessary school journeys and stuff like that). And as I was responsible for my eating, it wasn't as healthy nor as regular as it was at home. I did eat at school during weekdays, but otherwise it was a bit too free. I didn't gain weight suddenly, no. But it lured it's way in me sloooowly. That sneaky thing... It didn't make me happy, as I realized it. One year after my graduation I went to substitute in a music school way up North. It was a very pleasant year, loved it. Colleagues, my pupils, the small town. My home was 2 km's from the center/work/stores and I had only my feet to move with, so there was plenty of daily exercise (also I would leave many times in a hurry, so had to walk Really Fast). Aaaand my house didn't have an elevator, only stairs = goooood thing. I lived in 4th floor. During that year I lost quite a lot of kg's without doing anything special to make it happen. When I moved back to Helsinki - back came most of the kg's. 

Two and a half years went by, my ankle broke, 5 months after that I moved back to my Hometown. And decided to start glowing (Johanna says ballerinas don't sweat, they glow). As I began to move in a way that truly made my mind, my body and my heart happy, also my appearance has been happier. You probably know what I mean. *insert wink here* I don't like basic kind of aerobics, it's not challenging enough (the routines). And I want the moving to be beautiful. Strech all the way to the tip of the fingers. And I'm aching after every class, I know I've been moving in a way that molds me. And it is all good.

My Favorite Degas <3 We had this in our dance studio's wall for years! (Photo from weheartit.com)

After three quarters of the year, I wanted to try pointe again. Bought the Boys (I'll introduce Sergei and Pjotr some time later), some paddings and faced the music. In the beginning I had to work A Lot with the ankles. And knees. And stomack. And everything. Harder than with the softies. But it was worth it. In May (this year) my ankle had som surgery and I had to give up the pointe stuff for the summer. But as August came again, I took the Boys (and every other class the other pair) out again. My courage with them has increased and I'm doing routines in the center too! In Spring it wasn't an option for me. 

Pointe work has felt easier now than it was before (I mean as I was younger). Actually  - almost everything is easier. I know much more and am able to observe my body more accurately, have the courage to ask if I'm not sure about something... And then there's internet. A HUGE storage of information available to all of us. It makes conversations (and blogging) and meeting new ballet-geeks easier/possible. I can educate myself in the ballet field so much easier than it was in the 80-90's. Also the fact that I live on my own now - I can go and see a ballet in the Opera house if I want to. My musical education makes it possible to listen more carefully and differently even the rehearsing musics we have. The list of endless possibilities and positive changes would be, well, Endless.

Like my Boys :) (Photo from weheartit.com)

Last year (the first of my Second Ballet Era) was about getting back in touch with the art itself and the routines. This year I have things listed I want to learn/improve. 

• Pirouettes. Really. Today I managed some clean singles, so when it's May again, I'm aiming for doubles. I want to. And they are close. Have to learn to handle the speed and remember the basics, because it's all about them. Even in the multiples. 
• Splits. On a good day it's possible with left leg in front, almost with the right. With both legs on the side - nope. But as I said before, they are easier now. And getting better. 
• Balancing. This is connected to the first thing on my list. But also for example in center adagios.
• Strength. Want more. 
• Height for my developpés. Slooooowly.... But it is possible. Connected to the previous.
• More "air" to my jumps. 
• ...

I could add things forever, but the first one is the biggest thing for me at the moment. It's something I like and want to do better. The others aren't technique - I mean, they are basics everyone has to do and improve. But they're not a certain movement (okay, splits are but we don't do them that often in routines). Pirouettes are. You do them differently, in many ways, but still there's the basic twirl I have to make stronger.

That's where I'm headed. (Photo from weheartit.com)

But now, my plans for the weekend. Tomorrow morning ballet, Cinderella in the afternoon (FNB). Sunday has lots of knitting happening at my place. For the blog? Weeeeeelllll....... Photos and some music.

p.s. Today I got an old vhs-cassette from a ballet "colleague". It's the Spring show of our dance school in 19th of May, 1992. Watched it straight away when came home. I'm 11,5 years old in it. Oh the nostalgia!

(This beautiful photo was also found from weheartit.com)