HIBC - first round, second day, yay!

Yesterday was as interesting as Tuesday. In my opinion, the boys were a bit better in general. But some girls were so mature and ready for stage that they have to be mentioned! And this time I had a pen, made notes like crazy :D Wrote something about everyone, every performance/variation, but will share my favorites here.

Junior:

Ryo Shimizu (-93), Japan
Variation was James from La Sylphide. And you know what? This boy knew his stuff. The JUMPS, oh my... Everything was in place, prepairing moves, the actual move, endings/landings. On top of it all, he danced through the music, continuity of the movement was there, all the time.
...and luckily we got to see another variation from him (Le Corsaire). Same quality there. And he's a junior! This guy could win the whole thing.

Senior(s):

Maria Baranova (-92), Finland
She won the junior division last time (3 years ago) and is a strong candidate this time also. So can you imagine what a huge pressure that puts on a dancer? It's not easy to be her, I think. As the seniors got to choose between pas de deux or 2 separate variations, Maria.B. performed a pdd from Giselle. Interesting choice, as it isn't maybe the most obvious competition piece. Her partner in crime was Nicol Edmonds, whose lines (body and movement) were very beautiful. I was maybe waiting for a bit flashier jumps, but he's not competing, so that's that. Maria on the other hand was basically everything I expected - the depth of the role (especially in 2nd act) isn't easiest to achieve. I felt like watching a real ballet performance, not "just" a competition bit. Give her couple of years more life experience and what a star we'll have... :)
I'm sure she'll be seen in rounds 2 and 3, hopefully doing some explosive kind of variations. I'd love to go and see all the rounds, but today (Thursday) is sadly the end for me. But: Maria is a principal at our National Ballet, so I'll see her there ;)

Yun Wang (-88), China
The first thing I noticed was her tutu - long sleeves! White lace all over. So beautiful. Her programme was a pdd from the Nutcracker (partners name wasn't in the leaflet, sorry). But they were as good as Maria & Nicol, it felt again like watching the real deal. No competition nervousness seen here. My notes were quite short: "Beautiful and strong/firm dancing. Lovely tutu! Jorma's Bravo!" The last line means that our fabulous dance professor Jorma Uotinen shouted very spontaneously bravo after Yun's solo variation. Then huuuuge applause from the rest of the audience.

Some other notes:

Giovanna Lamboglia (-94, Brazil) was twirling like mad - she knows how to do pirouettes. Seriously.
Alys Shee (-94, Canada) was also confident in her turns and balances.
We saw Many Aurora's yesterday, Yukiko Yanagi (-92, Japan) was my favorite. Grace and elegance.
Anna Bolotashvili (-91, Ukraine) had very nice double pique turns in the end of her Kitri!


Today will be surely as interesting as the previous 2 days. It's funny to notice every once in a while that I'm tensing my back and leg muscles when watching. So sitting in the audience is a workout, too. And it's been wonderful to sense the positive mood of us spectators. Every contestant is given equal mental support, they are encouraged. And from the photos I've seen in fb (HIBC's own page), the young dancers are feeling it. They smile and even seem relaxed.

Toi toi toi!

Helsinki International Ballet Competition + a surprise

Today was the first day of the first round. Of what? Well, this: HIBC! :) Bought meself tickets for the first round (3 days), because I wanted most to see the classical variations. And all the competitors! Based on just this evening, it was worth the euros spent.

But FIRST something Else.

I've mentioned my first ballet teacher here couple of times. We spent about 10 years "together" and though I wasn't the most eager/motivated/flexible pupil, she always seemed to have the patience and encouragement for me too. Also I've been wondering how she's been all these years. Just counted that the last time I met her was my last ballet recital in May -96 or -97 (I really can't remember, probably -96). So, it was Some years ago... And today, as me and a friend with her daugher waited for the competition to start, in the foyer, I spotted something very familiar in a table bit further. Arja and her husband (you'll guess which of the teachers) sat there with 2 friends. I hesitated if I could go and greet her, but then made the decision. It would probably happen never again, the chance to say hello I mean, so I went. Cautiously said pardon & hello and then, you know what: she knew right away who I was!!!!! :))))))))))))))

I can't tell you how happy I am. She asked if I'm a musician now, said that she could tell it back then... :) In the short conversation I told her that I've taken ballet classes for 2 years now and how wonderful it is! She asked where - and just before I left, she asked (smiling) that hopefully I didn't get any awful traumas as a kid/teen. Assured her that it was the other way round for me. I'm hoping she'll be there tomorrow and Thursday, but this really was the best surprise one could get.

Back to the day's event.

Today there were 10 juniors and 11 senior dancers, from 10 countries. More coming during the next 2 days. To put it short, I had 2 favorites over everyone.

Junior:
Francesco Frola Gabriele (-92) from Italy
Danced a variation from Don Quixote and Swan Lake. Both just pure brilliance. High jumps, perfect pirouettes. He could easily compete in the senior group. I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't make to second round.

Senior:
Candice Adea (-86) from Philippines
Danced a pas de deux from Don Quixote. The pair had a breathtaking lift & balance high up there quite in the beginning, woooooooooow... She was the stronger of them two. Precise and clean, strong pirouettes, jumps, everything. Really waiting for her to make it further, too!

Both my favorites also had the charisma, charm, elegance, stage presence... I'm sure they were a bit nervous too, excited, but it gave them probably just the extra kick.

Beautiful costumes were seen also. One of my favorites was the very first. Obengül Polen Gezmis (-93) from Turkey had the honor to open the competition. She made it with style and aplomb, variation was from Esméralda. Don't have a photo of it of course, but if I'll find it somewhere, I'll share the link! :) It was so nice... Also there were 2 really cute/lovely bright pink tutus, the other one with some white in the mix and the other with golden details.

All in all, there were lots of confident performances. Two dancers fell, but not too badly. And they both saved the situation quite nicely. One or two stumbled a bit in the end/middle, but nothing enormous there either. Only one contestant left me cold, but that's quite little.

Maria Baranova, the winner of Juniors in 2009 (photo by Sakari Viika). She's on stage tomorrow, as a senior!

Summer Plans

If I were a rich gal... Well, I'm not so have to cope with a little less. And I'm of course talking about summer ballet classes! Last year we had only once a week, 90 minutes on Wednesdays - of which I missed first weeks, because of the ankle operation. This year we're getting double, yay! Monday & Wednesday, 90 minutes both evenings. And a litttttttle bit of pointe work every now and then. (The only problem is that my pointe shoes are no good. Bought a bottle of shellac, will try to bring life to an older pair...)

My dream week would be having a class on Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat. Streching on Sun. But as things are how they are (and I live where I live), I'm taking those 2 classes and taking up running/jogging instead. Last Autumn I won a pair of very good running shoes from a sport store, it's about time to try them out. Found a reasonable "start-running-instruction-set" from the mighty interweb, have to print it and put on the front door. It has stuff to do every other day, for 11 weeks. And it starts quite slowly, so it will probably suit me just fine and dandy. I've Never been a runner, ever. Hated it at school. Riding a bike is okay, dancing is super, playing football/Finnish baseball/etc. is okay. But just running - nope. So you see, I'm really challenging myself here. Luckily I've got a small mp3-player (no ipadspods...), so have to load it up with inspirational music.

So, weekly plan looks like this:

Monday → 18.30-20.00 ballet

Tuesday → running programme

Wednesday → 18.30-20.00 ballet

Thursday → running programme

Friday → home gym & extra streching

Saturday → running programme

Sunday → running programme/home gym & extra streching

There are also 3 "compensation" tickets that I can use in summer aerobic classes, have to check the time table if there's anything interesting. Fridays would be ideal for them (or some Sundays).

http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeandgarden/2010/01/vintage-ballet-posters/

It's here! It's here!

Yesterday I got mail from the UK. Yes sir indeed. The Alice -dvd from The Ballet Bag arrived, autographed by the lovely Royal Ballet Principal dancers! Took some photos :) And shall watch it this weekend.

I like the part "with compliments"... :D

Lauren Cuthbertson (Alice/gold) and Zenaida Yanowsky (the Queen of Hearts/silver)!!!!! :)

Edward Watson (the White Rabbit/gold) and Steven McRae (the Mad Hatter/silver)!!!!! :)

The COOL photo from the back of the leaflet.

Season 2012-2013

Last week the Opera & Ballet announced their repertoire for next season. Not completely, but most of it. It's going to be an interesting year again. They revealed all works for Autumn-Winter -12, and one premiere for Winter-Spring -13. The rest of the works (returning to repertoire) will be announced in the Autumn. But everything's to be seen here: Opera's calendar in English.

About one year ago I made plans of what I'd like to see this year (11-12). And almost all I did see! Here's a list:

*** During Autumn - Winter: ***
* Blood Wedding / Scheherazade -> yes
* Cinderella (world premiere from Kohler) -> yes
* The Nutcracker (twice in one day, though it wasn't my plan) -> yes

*** During Winter - Spring: ***
* The 90th Anniversary Gala of the Ballet Company -> yes!
* Don Quijote -> nope :(
* Coppélia -> nope :(
* La Bayadere (Minna Tervamäki's farewell performance) -> yes!

*** Shows yet to come this season: ***
* The ballet school's spring recital
* Helsinki International Ballet Competition
* The (free) performance of ballet company at the Senate Square in Helsinki (25.5.2012)
* The summer tour of the ballet company, in different cities/towns
* Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (in Kuopio)


But what would I like to see next year? I like making lists, so here's one more.

* Romeo and Juliet - I did see this production in 30.4.2011 and liked it a lot. It depends a bit on who're doing the leading roles. (I'm guessing Baranova and Krcmar will do it, as they are the young ones. But who else?)
* The Boston Ballet's guest performances - as I've admitted already before, contemporary ballet isn't my (biggest) thing. But I'll probably never again have the opportunity to see this company, so it's a must anyway.
* Le Corsaire - never seen this before (live) and it's a classic -> to the must-see-list.
* Manon - never seen this one either, so... -> to The List.
* Dance Battle - a new coreography by Minna Tervamäki (premieres this Spring -12). Would probably be interesting.
* The Snow Queen - they've put Nutcracker on hold for some years and there's this brand new work coming from Mr. Greve himself. Snow Queen is based on a fairytale by H.C.Andersen and has references to Finland! It doesn't have the "traditional" music of Jukka Linkola (from the movie), but Tuomas Kantelinen has composed new stuff. I liked Greve's Scheherazade and the small piece he'd made for last summer's tour. So this goes -> to The List.
* Bella Figura - "a triple bill featuring works by three world-famous choreographers." They are Kylián, Balanchine and Wheeldon. Contemporary, but probably very interesting.

The promo pic for Corsaire! :D (photo from ooppera.fi)

There's going to be other ballets too, but we have to wait for the information. Blah... I want to know already! :D Have to start saving for all the tickets. Or buy opera binoculars and the cheapest tickets.

One fabulous dancer called M. Krcmar

I mentioned in my Bayadere-post how positively surprised I was with his talent. One would just sit there, in the audience, with mouth almost open, and watch. And then give huge applause and some even shout bravo bravo! I'm telling you, he is a dancer we'll hear much more about. Appointed principal dancer last Autumn (2011) at the age of 21. Here's a video I just found, Solor's variation from Bayadere. It's most probably from the performance I saw, as he hasn't done more of them yet. And the set/costumes are exactly the same. The jumps and the pirouettes. Wow. Had to watch it couple of times before writing this! He has that royal kind of nobility here, in all the gestures. And it's all so... ready. Mature. But I'm eagerly waiting to see more on stage, to see how he develop(pe)s.

***

Michal Krčmář in English

(He also has a page in fb.)

Grande Finale!

One week ago I was quite excited, to say the least. Only 2 days and there would be something amazing to see! Of Course I'm talking about the farewell performance of Minna Tervamäki, the retiring étoile of our National Ballet. On Saturday I had a full day of Suzuki teacher training before running to the hotel and changing and... Well. Let me tell you about it.

Prologue

I took the 7.45 am buss to Helsinki, after only 3-4 hours of sleep. Good day ahead! Made it on time to the music school of Käpylä. Met some lovely colleagues and taught one student, listened to others teaching, followed some lecturing. Made lots of notes. Took a buss to the center. Bought one pair of pantyhose -> NEVER buy only one pair if you have a Thing to go to. Always ALWAYS at least 2 pairs. Okay, so, got some (real) champagne for Sunday (to give my friend), some snacks for the evening (to eat after the show). 

Back to hotel. Try Not to sleep. Take a shower. Change clothes. Notice one crucial hair product missing. Put on those pantyhose. Hear a "snap"... Oh. There's a BIG hole in them, on my right thigh. Find nail polish. Fix the hole. *Deep sigh.* Remember to remove the old (very colorful) polish from finger nails. Put on some make-up. Sip some bubbly (not the champagne, but some cheaper stuff, just a piccolo bottle). Eat some chocolate. Put on the jacket, shoes. Other shoes in a bag, remember to take the purse! Leave for the tram. As the tram starts to move, notice that YOU STUPID IDIOT FORGOT THE BALLET TICKET in the hotel room!!!!!


Get off the tram on the first stop - run for your life - get the ticket and try to breath at least a little - ask the reception girl to call a cab. While sitting in the car, think about the 2-day-all-round-ticket you bought for 10 euros, for all the buses & trams & metros. Then pay 15 euros for the cab... :D And make it on time for the show. Yay!!!

Then about the actual performance...

Michal Krčmář and Minna Tervamäki. Photo by Sakari Viika.

I've never been to a farewell show before. Only seen bits and pieces online (of Darcey Bussell). This already made the atmosphere special. Had a teeny-tiny doubt about the night's casting - Tervamäki at her 40s and Krcmar in his early 20s. But I sure got proved "wrong" about it, Mr. Solor was a-ma-zinggggg... Just. Wow. (You'll find his webpage here, go!)

I actually didn't have time to watch the whole work through beforehand as I planned, there were some sad news of a friend. But - the plot was familiar (and I bought the programme leaflet), so I knew what was to happen. I think everyone was as eager as me, just waiting for Étoile herself to appear on stage. And as she did - such spontaneous applause! Some friends said they had tears in their eyes at that moment - and so did I. In my opinion Tervamäki was and is at her best in these very dramatic roles, her style is charismatic, she's elegant and strong. She was very good in the lovers' scenes, but can't help thinking that the suffering parts of the role were more of her kind. For example, the dance of Nikiya at the engagement scene, before getting the flowers and the snake etc. The music was oh-so-sad, my hands got sweaty, eyes teared again. I've seen maybe some deeper bendings of the back, but Tervamäki - she gave out her everything. And soon she died... Talk about drama, I say.

Minna Tervamäki and Michal Krčmář. Photo by Sakari Viika.

The Kingdom of Shades. In my opinion our corps de ballet did a splendid job. As I followed the first shade's process from the first arabesque to the last, my legs got exhausted! That part of the second act is long, lot of balancing (arabesque, developpe a la seconde - argh....) and moves that have to be unisono (borrowing an Italian word here, in one voice). Some of the main couple's dancing went without me paying attention, as I was waiting so much for the Variations. And my former dance class friend (from childhood) was one of them! It turned out that she got to do my favorite, the First One. There was applause during the one-foot releves in the end and she sure did deserve them. Biiiiig applause in the end, too. The second and third Shades were very nicely on the spot also, such a pleasure to watch.

Barbora Kohoutková, Michal Krčmář and Minna Tervamäki. Photo by Sakari Viika.

The final act. Lot of bling, lovely costumes. Even more drama. In the photo above is also Barbora Kohoutková, whom I've wanted to see on stage for years. She was the winner of Juniors in Helsinki International Ballet Competition in 1995, also got the Grand Prix price. And I remember it so well... :) This evening she was glamorous, yet a bit scary, in her role as Gamzatti. Skillful to the last extension of toes, also elegant. Just look at those hands in the photo.

The last act was over so soon. Nikiya and Solor got each other, of course, but I felt empty somehow. It's that feeling always after a Good performance. Whether you're part of it or just a spectator. We stood there, giving our thanks to the Star of the evening, and stood for a While, might I add. Opera full of people clapping their hands together. The only thing I wondered was Why she didn't get flowers sooner. I would have given them almost instantly. And more than the one bouquet of roses she got near the end of the standing ovation. (The roses were plenty and they were Lovely, don't get me wrong here. But still.)

As we walked from the first balcony (I sat right in the middle of it, in 1st row) and the curtain had closed for good, we could hear applause, laughing, happy noises behind it. How great it would have been to be there! Luckily it wasn't over for us, not yet. Many of us went to the main foyer, to wait for the interview of Miss Tervamäki. There was a man telling some stuff about Minttu (as many people call her), and the audience got to tell their memories of her. Soon enough She emerged and sat down, still wearing the last outfit. With some warmies over it! :) That man interviewed her a bit, then we got to ask her questions. Aaaaaand finally she gave autographs. I'm not usually the one who goes after them, but this was something I wanted. Have to take a photo of it to show you.

Epilogue

Sooooorryyyyy for this overlong post! Just couldn't put it in fewer words. And this wasn't even all I thought about it. Have to continue later, maybe. But to really sum it all up - probably the best I've seen this season. It's still running till the end of April, go and see. Salla and Jaakko Eerola, Maria Baranova and Michal Krčmář, Eun-Ji Ha and Nicholas Ziegler (I'd have loved to see him, but had to make a choice, bohoo....).

The farewell of a great dancer

As I gloated earlier, yesterday was the evening of a once-in-a-lifetime-experience. The étoile of our National Ballet retires and it was her last performance. At the moment I'm too tired from the weekend and all other stuff that's going on (my friend is going to die soon), but tomorrow might have the energy again. So bare with me... :)

Didn't have my camera with me at the Opera (couldn't fit it in my stupid little purse), but luckily managed to snap some photos of Her during the interview session, after the show. She was just lovely!

10K + short reports from class

It's been a week since my last post, so it's about time to write a few words. And as I rejoiced my comeback to classes, should mention also how they went, right? ;)

Last Friday was a Good Day in general. Took some stuff to my flea-market table, then off to work, 2 lovely pupils (grown-ups both), back to the center, sun shining, some tea in a cafe and then, YES, Finally... To the studio. I had a good amount of time to get changed, warm up and strech a little. There were actually more of us than probably ever this Spring! I didn't feel as worn out as I had the previous Friday class, only a little and only in a good way. At that moment as I realized this, I knew I'd gotten better. No more flu.

On my way to work on Monday this week. Friday was almost as good! :)

Our barre-routines were still the same, so I had time to concentrate on the Quality of my movements. The tourist class I took in Helsinki reminded me of constantly Really turning out/presenting my heels, crossing the legs (tendus etc.) and stomach in - popo under... :) I tried also "work the floor" all the time, feeeeeel the toes and the whole sole sliding against it. Even in the grand battements - which were the best I've done all year. Weird. Especially to the front (devant) the legs seemed to weigh Nothing! They just flew up. Higher. W-e-i-r-d. To the side - again better. To the back - a bit better, but it was a small challenge with so much crowd. We did do the grand b's in directions, but still. I guess I'm used to too much space round me.

In the middle we had the same adagio, same tendus, same everything. But the adagio felt easier, although I do not like developpes a la seconde without barre. (Mind you, I don't like them much w/ the barre either.) Tendus we had in two ways. First (starting with the right leg) from 1st position - devant, a la seconde, derriere, a la seconde again - combined with 2 sautes in the end and a short balance demi-pointe. Same thing with the left leg. Second (starting to the right) from the 5th position - tendus a la seconde, but changing direction all the time. We started en face, but with the very first tendu we turned 90 degrees to the right. Same thing with the 3rd, 5th and 7th tendus, ending en face again. Then there was something (pirouette probably), after which the whole turning Thing to the left. (I know there's a word for it - but I forgot... :D)

Before starting the rehearsal of our Spring performance, we did some Fast grand battements in the middle. And our teacher asked us once again: "Why do we practice these throws Fast? Where do we need this kind of movement to help us?" I said jumps - and it was correct! Yay, I've learned at least one thing this year. (Or learned to remember it anyway.) (Actually, I've learned the difference between croise & efface & ecarte, too.)

 About 20 minutes (or bit more) was spent on The Choreography. We know it through now, nice and quite simple. Not much fast movements, except some piques (steps, no turns) and in the end tombe - pas de bourree - pirouette en dehors (twice, with some small running steps in between). I'm very happy to do the pirouettes, as my singles are quite solid now. And I do like the en dehors from 4th position a lot!

via weheartit.com

Saturday class had same routines also, both barre and middle. Except for one slow routine cross the floor with beautiful poses and hands, 2 pique turns and "some" chaines. And we did our Spring performance choreo there, too (different piece - different teacher). The only "negative" thing about the class was this: no pointe. Not even the 15 minutes there's supposed to be. Our teacher did ask us nice and polite, if we'd mind about doing only "a little" pointe that day. And we ended up with 0 minutes. Weeeelllllll, it's good to rehearse the performance bit, but I do pay for the pointe session... All of us don't. So they get extra teaching and us pointe-freaks lose it. Okay okay, call me greedy/mingy, but I'd been waiting to do even that little moment with my shoes, waiting for weeks... And the next Saturday class is after Easter, so there are over 2 weeks to wait again. But maybe then we'll be dancing sur les pointes. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Last but not least - I just noticed a big number on my blog. Over ten thousand visits, on different posts and pages of mine. That calls for a huuuuuuge YAY!!!!!! Thank you to all who've been here! :) I do hope you'll come back every once in a while. You most certainly are all very welcome.

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Today is ballet day!

It's been 1,5 weeks since my last class (the tourist one) and 2 since my last regular class. And 3 since my last Friday class! But today at 6 pm I'll be there, YAY! And the sun is shining, don't have complaints about that either ;)

p.s. The blog has a new look, wanted something for Spring, but the choice turned out quite summer-like...

Wanna see some ballet? Let's go!

Okay, I did not go to Helsinki bit more than week ago to see Le Corsaire (by Bolshoi) in a movie theatre. Would have wanted to, though... But luckily there are some wonderful people in this world, for example this certain blogger. I sincerely urge you to visit his page. To see the Corsaire, for example.

You'll find it all here. Go! :)

In 1,5 weeks I'm going to see some ballet LIVE. On stage. In Helsinki. It'll be the farewell performance of our National Ballet's biggest star (at the moment), Minna Tervamäki. Got a very nice place, too, from the 1st balcony, 1st row, in the middle. And of course I'm trying to figure out what to wear. I want it to be something at least a little bit festive, special even. And as I've lately found polyvore.com, I put together a fun outfit - got the inspiration from birds (scarlet macaw, to be exact). Here it is. (p.s. The ballet is going to be La Bayadere.)

Inspiration - Ara Macao by iepukka featuring a red clutch

***

I'm soooooo waiting for Friday, have to get back to class. Have to. Really. And Saturday.

Ballerina on a Boat

Needed some cheering up, so searched the youtube with words "ballet" + "cartoon". Found something that really is worth watching! :D It's hilarious, dramatic, beautifully drawn/painted and has good music in it. I give you....

Ballerina on a Boat

"Balerina na korable" (1969)
Director: Lev Atamanov
Writer: Roza Khusnutdinova
Music: Alfred Schnittke

***

Enjoy! 

Ballet tourist reports from class!

Well, not "live from class", but almost!

Yesterday's teacher was of course Madame Greve herself. I have experienced her talent once before (read here about it), last September to be exact. This time I could only take one class with her, but decided to make the most of it. (Even though the level was for beginners.) And I sure did - can feel it in my body at the very moment... :D

I had time to warm up before the class, luckily, because the studio felt a bit too "breezy". When Madame greeted us as a sign of starting the real business, I had a comfortable feeling inside, ready to work. Just like in Autumn, the routines were very different from what I'm used to doing, so they kept me awake the whole time. I knew her favorite phrases and we did hear them all - about our popos (bum), tummies, knees (STRECH YOUR KNEE), shoulders (down), neck (long)... But I was also prepared for them, so I got only 2-3 strech-your-knee's and one popo-remark, once also shoulders-neck-stuff. I was happy that she also paid attention to me, although I'm not a regular. I wanted to show my best effort and I think she was happy with it :)

Most of the class we spent at the barré, but that I knew beforehand. Challenging for me was to keep my "working" hand in 1st position almost the whole time. It was somehow liberating, but as I'm used to using the hand, it was also one other thing to keep me focused. From the routines I'd say grand battements were the tricky ones - we stood with our backs close to barre, faces towards the center. Grand battement devant we did that way, both legs. Then a quick turn, other hand on barre, grand b:s a la seconde (that was easier). On the devant side we also had our both hands on the barre, on our sides. I think I've never done it that way, or maybe as a child... It was interesting!

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We had some time left for center work. Tendus (devant) en croise, en face, efface, temps lie, same tendus with the other leg, tendus a la seconde with some heel down action... It was a nice routine :) Then some small jumps (echappe + soubresaut, then a set of glissades). And last-but-not-least, a beautiful reverence from the back of the studio, walking to the front (not just ordinary walking of course, steps with soul in them) with different port de bras.

Can't wait to get back to her class! I have every second Tuesday off, so I could go each of those days, but don't know if my budget would allow that :D But at least once or twice I Am Going to go this Spring. (I'm also dreaming about taking summer classes in Helsinki, but that's a whole different thing.)

Tourist at ballet class, second edition

Yay! I'm soon off to Helsinki and among other things there'll be a ballet class. Beginner's level (don't have time for the other ones), but still it's going to be amazingly fun, as I know who the teacher is :)

The Contemporary Intensive

Last week was my winter/skiing holiday, as we say in Finland. I had decided to keep it Free - usually there's been a day or two of working, but now it was all for me! :) So I took that contemporary course I mentioned earlier, 5 days with 90 min. class a day. Could have done with a longer set per day, but this was good too.

As it was a LONG time since my last modern dance (as it was called back then) classes, Monday was a day of getting to know the relaxed-yet-active feeling again. And the style our teacher had. And the other participants in class. Luckily there were 2 familiar faces (besides the teacher) and in the end of the week they all felt that. There were about 10-11 of us, one quit after 2 days (but she'd Never been dancing before, so it felt a bit too much/difficult for her). The studio isn't too big, so 10 really is enough when doing stuff in the middle and everyone at the same time. Especially when you're tall like me, with long arms and legs and wanting to move properly (big steps instead of tiny).

Tuesday was (mentally) a bit more loose, the routines were somewhat familiar and it felt more dancing than just trying to remember a bunch of moves. In the very end we started a short choreography, with Japanese style "music". It felt like meditating, taiji, dancing all combined. There were no beats in the music (well, harmonic background noises), no counts in the moves. You just streched until the farthest point you could, then drop or move on. That was kind of the basic idea. So there were slooooow moves and fast, twirling, moves, swings and others.

Wednesday came, the routines stayed the same. The choreography got a bit longer. My favorite routine of the whole class (besides the taiji-meditation :D) was in diagonal. Balancé-type steps with small jumps/leaps.
-> balance, balance, 3 slow leaps, 1 faster (as an upbeat for the next balance)
The music was a quick-ish waltz, balances of course on beats (in three), but the slow leaps in two. 

Thursday with the same stuff. One bit more to the end-choreo. And the diagonal routine had another version (probably already on Wednesday).
-> balance, balance, 3 quick leaps ending in plie (in 2nd pos.), small jump and back to 1st pos. (as an upbeat to next balance)
Then we put both versions together (first the newer bit, then the one with slow leaps) and the teacher wanted us to moooooooooove a lot with the 3 fast ones, it was Fun! :)

Last day came way too soon. Would have been great to have one day more, or at least 120 minutes a day. Just to work a bit more on the routines. By the way, we had two (yes, 2) men in class! On Monday the older one came wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Didn't look too comfortable in them... :P He also looked like he'd never been dancing this kind of style, but still sticked with it. Have to respect that (though he was a bit on our way sometimes). The other one was in his 20s, shorter than me (but then again, I am 177,5 cm), very nice. On Monday we were starting the diagonal bit and no-one wanted to go first (really, what's wrong with you people??). So I said to him that let's be brave and laughed - and that's what we did all 5 days, went bravely as the first pair.

via weheartit.com

Two of the biggest thoughts during the intensive were "how to move economically" (always as close to your body/floor as you can, use the natural force that comes from swinging the leg etc.) and when opening/turning out, think of a spiral going through the Whole Leg, right from the hip joint to the toes. Not only opening from the hip. Feels like it worked for me quite nicely, but have to try it out in ballet class :)

This week I've been a bit sick. Yes, again. My lungs didn't want to work, just a terrible itch inside. Coughing all the time, feeling tired, some slight fever... Now it's a bit better, but not all gone yet. I hopehopehope I won't get the influenza that's going on. Don't have time for taking sick leave. Tomorrow there'll be a ballet class, after TWO WEEKS!!! I am going to give it a try, even if I'd had to sit for most part. But I want to get warm from the plies. (Of course I have to listen to my body, so I still might Not go. But I just waaaaaaaant to. If you know what I mean.)

There's also a dream of getting new pointes. But let's not get into it too much.

***

Today's collage - The Perfect soft shoe?

As a kid and teenager we only had that one type of soft ballet shoes. The ones you got from the local shop. White ones usually. First with one narrow elastic over the foot, later with white cotton ribbons (like the satins in pointes).

Now I'm a grown-up and the choices are almost endless! Well, mostly 3 colors (white, black, ballet pink/tan-ish), but the types/models are so diverse. As are the brands, too. I've narrowed my testings on three brands, Sansha - Bloch - Capezio. These days we have still only one brand & model in our town, but luckily it's easy to go to Helsinki or Tampere to get what I want. Or just order online! That way it's also cheaper (but one really has to know what size is good, before ordering). (Or at least I have to, it's boring and tiring and everything to send stuff back and get the new size... In my opinion! :D)

Now, here's a collage of what I've tried and what I'm using. 

1* Top left corner -> Sansha - Silhouette

2* Top middle -> Sansha - Pro 1C

3* Top right corner/right side -> Bloch - Pump

4* Below left corner -> Capezio - Juliet

5* Below middle -> Bloch - Prolite II

The perfect soft shoe for me would have qualities from all five types. They do have one thing in common: material (which is canvas). I've never even tried leather ones, probably never will. For some reason I like canvas more. (Frankly I wouldn't be able to say that as I haven't even tried the other option, but let's not care about that. For now.) Let me tell you the other (good) things I've found about these.

1. Silhouettes are a bit more snug fitted than the Pros, but they have a good suede/leather patch under the ball of the foot (the demi-pointe area). It's stiched over the pleats, so I find it more flat and stable. (Some might say that the pleats are uncomfortable there "inside" the shoe, but I don't feel them.) I have to wear a bigger size from Silhouette (12) than from Pro.

2. Pro was the first model I bought after starting ballet over again. Got a pair of black ones, but they were too big, eventually. When fitting in the store they felt good, but after half a year or so I got used to tighter feeling around the foot and heel. To be honest, the black pair is size 13 and the pink pair (I've got now) is 11! But I love how the pinks feel, not squashing my toes or anything. Also I got black cotton ribbons for the first pair, but after that it's been 2 elastics crossed over the foot, always. Feels much more firm. What would I take from this model to my perfect shoe? Maybe the overall fitting. They feel good. (But what I certainly would Not take, is the fairly thick elastic drawstring, just Too thick I'd say.)

3. The newest model for me is the Pump. Some friends have been praising it, so last month I finally got my first pair ;) I've only been wearing them at home, but will try next week as I'll get back to ballet class. But I can tell what I like already: the heel. It's just So comfortable and stays put. Also I like the sides of the shoe, they feel lower than in others - revealing maybe a bit more, but still stay put (like the heel.) I'm a bit iffy about the size. I've had 6,5 on Bloch pointes and 7 felt "quite" snug on the Prolites, so I felt secure enough to get size 7 on Pumps too. But now it seems that the 6,5 could be right on these. 7 isn't too big, but there's some space I probably could live without. Well, next pair smaller then... Maybe :) (Yes, I'd take the whole heel from Pumps to the perfect shoe. Also the sides.)

4. Capezio's Juliets were a quick purchase, they were on sale and I didn't even try them on. How clever is that... Anyway, I'd been wearing Capezio's pointes (Glisse) half a size bigger (and they are too big), so I figured these wouldn't be too small at least. And they were actually okay. What I like about them? The lightness of the material, the middle of the sole is just Lovely (no seam there, me likey), inside sole has fabric under the heel and ball/toes, but not in the middle, so it gives a nice look for the arch. What I don't like? The fabrics I just mentioned, well, they tend to rip off very easily. But if you put some glue in there or sew them with few stiches, they'll be okay. (For the perfects -> the middle of the sole. No seams.)

5. ProliteII's are the ones I can get from the "local dealer". The only problem is that they seldom have my size. But they'll order when asked to. And as I go to the local dance school (my "alma mater"), there's a small discount, yay! At first I got one pair of blacks and one pair of ballet pinks (more like tan), later on a pair of whites. They come with only one elastic (not pre-sewn), so I always have to buy or have at ready some extra. (Silhouettes, Pumps and Pros have 2 elastics, probably Juliets too, if I remember correctly, some even pre-attached.) Good things are as follows: the overall feeling/fitting - very comfortable, also the inside sole - which is sofffft suede leather. And that's what I'd take for the perfect shoe.

A short summary:

* Leather patch (outside) under the ball of the foot -> Silhouette
* Overall feeling of the shoe -> Pro and Prolite II
* Back and sides of the heel -> Pump
* The "slim" elastic drawstring -> Bloch models
* Sides of the shoe (and probably the vamp, too) -> Pump
* Middle sole (especially outside) with No middle seam -> Juliet
* Insole/sockliner (soft suede leather) -> Prolite II (or Juliet, if they'd stay put better ;))

That's it. Almost. The canvas material could be something between the stuff they use in Sansha and in Bloch models. Padding/leather patch under the heel (outside) something between Juliet and Pump. Maybe.

Anyway, it would be so great and Interesting to get a shoe with those features. But I never will, so it's just dreaming and varying between models :)

***

p.s. The color would be between Bloch and Sansha (ballet pink).

Today's collage - Skirts!

This one looks the same as previous collage (layout I mean), but let's not care about that :) Skirts skirts skirts! I STILL haven't started the ones I was going to make myself, except the looking & going through the fabrics and satin ribbons I already have... There's dark green, for example. I just need a room for sewing - my cat is too eager to help with that stuff.

But here are some nice ones I found one evening :) And ready made, might I add. Oh, I'm so longing for to be friends again with my sewing machine...

***

I've got a new set in weheartit.com -> Dance Gear -> Feel free to flip through :D (p.s. I do not have those things, except for 1 or 2, but those are fun and useful stuff I'd Like to get.)

***

Testing! Photo collage - Ballet Shorts'

I've been wanting to figure out how to make these photo collages, so I decided to try Picasa first. It seems quite okay, but not laying my final opinion yet.

Here's what I came up with this evening -> some nice shorts' for classes. Wouldn't mind owning them all... ;)

Opera Ballerina 101 by L'Oreal

Okay, when a ballet geek sees nail polish with a super pretty shade of the lightest pink, 

with the name "Opera Ballerina", 

what does one do?

Well, buys the damn thing, of course. 

Here it is.

Some info auf Deutsch.

Fan Post - Zenaida Yanowsky

I "only just" discovered her, as I saw the fabulous bit from Alice In Wonderland. Actually, I don't remember when was the first time, last year anyway... But it's amazing how funny and yet beautiful the role work was! In my opinion, it takes a great dancer to be able to play/dance the part without making it too "clowny" or then again, too boring (not funny enough).

Here it is, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" - The Royal Ballet - 2011 - chor. Christopher Wheeldon - Queen of Hearts: Zenaida Yanowsky. (A parody of the Rose Adagio from Sleeping Beauty.) (p.s. LOVE the tutu!!!)

Had to search a bit more information about her and here's some of what I found:

* Born 23.12.1975 in Lyon, France

* Parents also dancers (in Lyon Opera Ballet)

* Later moved to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria -> parents opened a dance school, where also Zenaida took classes

* 2 siblings also dancers (brother in Boston Ballet, 1 sister in Het Nationale Ballet, Netherlands)

* Won the silver medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition (1991) -> received an invitation to audition for the Paris Opera Ballet -> joined the company the same year

* Won the gold medal at the Eurovision Young Dancers Competition (1993)

* Won the gold medal at the Jackson International Ballet Competition (1994)

* Left POB in 1994 -> joined The Royal Ballet

* Got promoted to the status of Principal Dancer in 2001

* Won the Best Female Dancer award at the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards (2003)

* Was voted Dancer of the Year by readers of the magazine Dance Europe (2005)
* Married to baritone Simon Keenlyside (since 2006), two children (a son & a daughter).

Here's the contemporary solo she performed in the EYDC in 1993 -> 

"Alquibla" - chor. Anatol Yanowsky (her father)

Here's the classical variation from the same competition (wasn't able to share it here, sorry) ->

"Esmeralda" - chor. Marius Petipa

In Esmeralda, just Look at her face! How many can interpret that well at that age? Very precise and mature working in general. No wonder she won. 

Other facts:

* Height: 5 feet 8 inches (about 173 cm's?)

* At first wanted to be a painter, then a singer (soprano) -> at the age of 14 or 16 (depends where you read the info) decided on ballet career

* The only one (at her time) in POB being Not French, Nor trained at their school. As she was asked then to represent Spain in EYDC and her room mate France, And she came back with a medal (room mate didn't) - that was it for her future in Paris (her own words). - "After that I was axed from everything."

 *  When moving to RB, she got some important solo parts (like Lilac Fairy), but the big ones kept waiting for themselves. She would've needed a tall partner and there were some big names ahead of her (Darcey Bussell, Sylvie Guillem). 

* Often cast in modernist ballets that demand "brains and sensibility as much as pure technique" - considered a very intelligent person.

* Also a natural for the more contemporary works, especially those with psychological depth.

* When finally got to dance Sylvia (with David Makhateli), at first thought the company had made a terrible mistake. "We were watching some old footage of the ballet and I just laughed and said, you've got the wrong dancer. They are all so tiny and so fast. I'm up here and my legs are stretched to out there." - ...Rapidly then seduced by the role :)

*  Swan Lake (Odette/Odile) in 2004 (with Kenneth Greve, who's the head of Finnish National Ballet these days!!!). 

* Other roles include: Lilac Fairy & Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Nikiya & Gamzatti in La Bayadère and Myrtha in Giselle. From Ashton's ballets: Lady Elgar in Enigma Variations, Natalia Petrovna in A Month in the Country, Josephine in Wedding Bouquet and Monotones II. From MacMillan: the title role in Manon, Empress Elisabeth in Mayerling, The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring and First Sister in My Brother, My Sisters.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/dance/8347578/Alices-Adventures-in-Wonderland-Flying-cards-chairs-with-ears-and-a-male-duchess.html

Photo by Bill Cooper.

My sources, some interviews and other interesting pages:

Wikipedia - Zenaida Yanowsky

An interview in The Guardian (2004)

Yanowsky's profile in Royal Opera House's page

A feature in londondance.com

An interview with Carlos Acosta (in londondance.com)