Ballet – Page 7 – Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

The Dreaded DOMS

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness DOMS: a common ailment for dancers, athletes and sports players. As much as it is common, the meaning of the each letter and its cause is not often known, especially by those who are younger and just beginning to train harder in their chosen area.

For dancers, the beginning of the attempt to pursue a performance career can start very young, throughout teens or perhaps post-20 years old. However, in deciding in this goal, dancers are inspired to push their bodies harder, take more class and learn new things. DOMS then come into play. Also known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, DOMS occur when muscles have been used to a greater extent than they are day to day. For example, DOMS are most likely to occur in the new academic year when the body has not been used as much throughout the summer.

Dancers are likely to feel varying degrees of stiffness in their muscles during DOMS, usually in their quads and hamstrings which are worked hard in all dance techniques. The following morning it may be a struggle to get out of bed and even walk down stairs, depending on the extent of the DOMS. Some dancers may not even feel their DOMS the next day – being delayed the soreness may come into play 24-72 hours later and may be a complete surprise with the stiffness of the muscles seemingly coming from nowhere.

For many dance students in higher or vocational education, DOMS are a regular part of life. Long days mean that the students must get up and train again the next day, working through the stiffness and discomfort knowing they will usually wake up with DOMS again the next day. However a high protein diet rich with nutrients can help to work against DOMS, repairing the muscles tears and making them stronger.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Yorkshire Ballet Summer School’s Gala

The Yorkshire Ballet Summer School’s 40th anniversary will be celebrated this year in a gala organised by Anthony Dowell and the actor Derek Jacobi. The gala will be held at national dance house Sadler’s Wells, London, on 29 September, marking the journey from strength to strength of the summer school and its staff.

The Yorkshire Ballet Summer School began as the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars in a church hall, taught by ex-Royal Ballet dancer and teacher David Gayle. The seminars were devised in order to provide young local dancers with an introduction to the professional ballet world, enabling them to learn about opportunities and meet other artists.

The success of the seminars meant they evolved to form a residential ballet course, with the first masterclass taught by Alicia Markova. 2005 saw Marguerite Porter take over the directorship reins of the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School, who began teaching at the course in 1990.

Kevin O’Hare has spoken of his support for the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School: ‘It was such a huge inspiration for me attending the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars and added so much to my training and knowledge of what it would be like to become a professional ballet dancer. When I look back at all the amazing teachers who taught me I feel so lucky to have had that experience while growing up in Yorkshire and I am so glad the seminars continue to thrive and inspire a new generation of dancers.’

This year the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School of more than 180 students will be held at York St John university, boasting course faculty including Anthony Dowell and David Pickering. In terms of the gala, directed by Richard Clifford, the event will include guest stars such as dancers from The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Wayne Sleep and the BalletBoyz. Actors Imelda Staunton, Jim Carter and Samantha Bond will also be in attendance.

Tickets cost £12-£85 and are available from Sadler’s Wells.

Scottish Ballet at EIF

Scottish Ballet Logo

Scottish Ballet is getting set to launch its Dance Odysseys mini-season at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival (EIF). Previous visits to the EIF have seen Scottish Ballet showcasing their technique in triple bills of choreographers such as Balanchine, Forsythe and Ashton whereas this year everything is very different. The presentation of the content is much changed in its approach, full of choreographic contrasts and alternative perspectives. Dance Odysseys seems not to be missed, presenting the company in a whole new light, full of awe and versatility.

Dance Odysseys will consequently include Kenneth MacMillan’s Sea Of Troubles as a dramatic portrayal of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in addition to Artistic Director Christopher Hampson’s larger-scale Silhouette, which was first created for Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2010. The aim of Dance Odysseys is to mainly celebrate dance and classical ballet, not forgetting the iconic image of the tutu for ballet companies. Hampson maintains that there are so many other styles in the four-day festival so Scottish Ballet must embrace its roots and history therefore.

As a result of what Dance Odysseys, also including talks and film screenings, has to offer over the four days, it seems the company will have its work cut out! The Scottish Ballet building is currently full of different visiting choreographers at work with the dancers, with Hampson bringing in five of the most exciting dance-makers of the moment and commissioning them to create work on the dancers. There have been a range of close encounters with unfamiliar styles through producing for the festival, opening up new horizons for Scottish Ballet.

As a result Dance Odysseys will mark a turn of discovery for the company, and also for the audience in what constitutes dance as an artform. The programme contains completely contrasting styles, moods and intents, ready to present much that is new to Scottish Ballet’s audiences.

The Trocks (Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo)

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo & Shirley Maclaine in 1977

Founded in 1974, the concept of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was formulated by a group of ballet enthusiasts with the purpose of presenting a playful, entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet danced by males dancers.

The original concept has not changed: The Trocks, as they are affectionately known, make up a company of professional male dancers who have the fantastic talent to perform the full range of the ballet and modern dance repertoire, including classical and original works in playful mimicking renditions of the manners of those dance styles. Comedy is a huge part of The Trocks’ work, achieved by incorporating and exaggerating the accidents and mistakes that can happen with dance.

The dancers turn their hands (and feet!) to dancing swans, sylphs, romantic princesses, whilst performing skilled point work in giant shoes and enhancing the spirit of dance as an art form with their male forms. Whilst some may see The Trocks as ostentatious, their talent is undeniable in performing great classical roles with a few trip-ups and shoving partners thrown in for good measure! They are in no way demure and are ruthless in their fight against each other to become the ‘star’.

The company began by performing in the late-late shows in Off-Off Broadway lofts and quickly gained major critical acclaim, which established the Company as an artistic and popular success. By mid-1975, The Trocks had successfully blended their loving knowledge of dance and comic approach. Since then the company has developed an extensive touring schedule, with the US based company appearing in over 30 countries and over 500 cities worldwide since its founding.

As a testament to their success, The Trocks have won numerous awards including best classical repertoire from the Critic’s Circle National Dance Awards (2007) (UK), the Theatrical Managers Award (2006) (UK) and the 2007 Positano Award (Italy) for excellence in dance. In December 2008 the Trocks appeared at the 80th anniversary Royal Variety Performance, in aid of the Entertainment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Focus On Leanne Benjamin

Leanne Benjamin, the recently retired Principal of The Royal Ballet Company, is perhaps one of the recently departed dancers who will be the most greatly missed. She recently appeared in Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection, dancing roles in extracts from some of the best-loved classical and neo-classical pieces such as Mayerling and Manon, with passionate vigour and full commitment to the production.

The Australian Benjamin trained at the Royal Ballet School from the age of sixteen, and won the prestigious Adeline Genée (now Genée International Ballet Competition) prize and the Prix de Lausanne on her way to the top. She joined The Royal Ballet as a First Soloist in 1992 after dancing with Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, Deutsche Oper Ballet and London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet). She was promoted to the rank of Principal in 1993 and since then has danced all leading (and very dramatic) classical roles such as MacMillan’s Manon, Romeo and Juliet and Mayerling. In addition to this Benjamin has had a number of roles created on her by choreographers including Wayne McGregor for his athletic Qualia, Christopher Wheeldon, Kim Brandstrup and Alexei Ratmansky.

This fiery and versatile dancer is renowned for excelling in the MacMillan repertory, yet Benjamin also worked with Frederick Ashton and Ninette De Valois: as a result she was awarded an OBE in 2005 for services to dance. Benjamin felt that performing Mayerling was the perfect way to step out of her ballet career as it was the piece which brought her into the company by Kenneth MacMillan, who died backstage soon after she joined the company. MacMillan acted as a mentor to Benjamin, changing her dancing career forever in seeing her potential at Berlin’s Deutsche Oper Ballet.

Benjamin give her final Covent Garden performance with The Royal Ballet with Mayerling earlier this year in June, a dramatic portrayal of false love and, equally, passion.

Northern Ballet Rehearsal Open To All!

Northern Ballet is offering audiences the opportunity to go behind the scenes and discover many theatrical secrets of ‘backstage’ at a free rehearsal event at its headquarters in Leeds. Deemed as the perfect treat for ballet lovers or an introduction to ballet, the event is set to take place on the evening of 14th August, offering audiences the chance to enjoy a cheeky preview of Northern Ballet’s latest production A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The events are the perfect chance to see Northern Ballet’s talented dancers up close and get a taste for the less well-known production, which will run from 6-14 September 2013.

The audience will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Northern Ballet and experience the rehearsal process for themselves; for first-timers of ballet seeing the dancers working up close can be a magical and illusive experience. The event is a great opportunity for new and existing audiences to sample A Midsummer Night’s Dream and see for themselves the transformation that takes place during a ballet’s journey from the rehearsal room to the stage.

Northern Ballet is renowned for producing ballets that reach diverse audiences and the company is completely committed to opening up dance and audience opportunities for as many people as possible to experience the work done by both the dancers and the ‘behind-the-scenes’ staff. The rehearsal event is ticket only, and must be booked in advance.

Northern Ballet’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream is directed by David Nixon. The romantic antics of a touring dance company are played out as it travels by sleeper train from London to Edinburgh, with Nixon’s choreography bringing out the comedy and entanglements of the classic tale. His Dior-inspired costumes, along with monochrome sets give a fantastic contrast to the mysterious and colourful dream world.

New Artistic Director For The Royal Ballet School

The Royal Ballet School The prestigious Royal Ballet School announced the appointment of Christopher Powney as their Artistic Director Designate last month, who is due to step into the role in April 2014. The current Artistic Director, Gailene Stock, is sadly unwell, and will retire from her post on 31 August 2014. As a result, the summer term of 2014 will see Powney taking over the running of the School after a transitional period. Jay Jolley will continue in the role of Acting Director and will lead the School’s artistic programmes into the 2013/14 academic year.

As one of the top classical dance training centres in the world, the Royal Ballet School has flourished under Stock and is hoped to continue this journey under Powney, selected unanimously to take the school further forward as the driving force behind exceptionally talented and motivated young dancers.

Powney, a former teacher at The Royal Ballet Upper School, is currently Artistic Director of the Dutch National Ballet Academy and has danced himself with Northern Ballet, English National Ballet and Ballet Rambert, as it was then known. During his career he has worked with some of the world’s leading artists, such as Rudolf Nureyev, Jiri Kylian, Lynn Seymour, Christopher Bruce, Twyla Tharp, Frederick Franklin, and Glen Tetley.

Powney later went on to focus on teaching, having qualified with The Royal Ballet School’s Professional Dancers Teachers’ Course. He was Assistant Artistic Director of the Central School of Ballet’s graduate touring company, and in 2000, he joined the teaching staff of The Royal Ballet Upper School. 2006 saw him invited to take on the position of graduate teacher with the dance department of the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Powney has also been a member of the board for the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine and was a jury member of the 2011 Prix de Lausanne competition.

Carlos Acosta: Back And Not Alone…

Carlos Acosta’s return to the London Coliseum in August is highly anticipated, particularly as the casting and classical repertory has recently been announced, forming Acosta’s Classical Selection. Running from July 30 to August 4, the run is full of huge ballet stars and iconic works.

Acosta’s new show will be presenting highlights from his career in celebration of his 40^th birthday, which is marked by 2013. For Classical Selection, the thrilling Principal will be joined on stage by some of his past dance partners and stars of The Royal Ballet, including principal dancers Marianela Nunez and Nehemiah Kish, ex-Royal Ballet Principal Leanne Benjamin, first soloists Ricardo Cervera and Yuhui Choe, soloists Melissa Hamilton and Eric Underwood and first artist Meaghan Grace Hinkis. The programme looks set to be captivating, and every ballet fans’ dream.

The pieces on offer throughout the run are some of the most iconic of the classical ballet world. Performances such as extracts from Manon, Winter Dreams, Mayerling, Gloria and Requiem were originally choreographed by one of the greatest ballet choreographers of the 20^th century, Kenneth MacMillan. Also part of the programme is an extract from George Balanchine’s Apollo and from Rubies, and an extract from one of Frederick Ashton’s last works, the Rhapsody. The programme concludes with fellow Cuban choreographer and Rambert dancer at Miguel Altunaga’s 2009 solo Memoria, extracts from Mikhail Fokine’s Diana and Actaeon and Christopher Wheeldon’s Tryst.

Acosta is currently performing as a Principal Guest Artist with The Royal Ballet, having also danced with English National Ballet in 1991/2 as a Principal – where his nephew now dances – the National Ballet of Cuba in 1992/3, and was a Principal with Houston Ballet from 1993/8. Acosta then joined The Royal Ballet and became a Principal Guest Artist in 2003.

Image courtesy of scillystuff on Flickr.

Spotlight On: Coppélia

ENB's 2008 Production of Coppelia As a choreographic work which does not end in death for the main protagonists, Coppélia is a light-hearted comedic ballet, with a narrative which delights audience with its humour, magic and a happy ending.

Our heroine Swanilda is a feisty villager who isn’t very happy when she spots her beau, Franz, making eyes at a mysterious female figure high in a window of Dr Coppelius’ workshop.

The reserved beauty later is discovered to be the mechanical doll Coppélia by Swanilda and her girlfriends, when they find themselves inside the workshop. Having found the answers to their questions, they amuse themselves at Franz’s expense, delighted that he should be declaring his love for a mere doll.

Meanwhile, Franz has also found his way into Dr Coppelius’ abode, searching for Coppélia. The intruding girls are discovered by Dr Coppelius and flee, bar Swanilda who quickly hides. Dr Coppelius, after a short outburst at discovering Franz too, rethinks his strategy and invites Franz to drink [poison] with him, tipping his away and allowing Franz to submit to unconsciousness. Dr Coppelius is seemingly alone to care for his prized doll Coppélia, who we discover is Swanilda, taking on her role in the doll’s clothes.

Chaos ensues, with Dr Coppelius believing he has brought his beloved creation to life. Following two engaging solos from Swanilda/Coppélia, Franz is finally woken, and the lovers escape. Depending on the interpretation of the production by different ballet companies, the extent of remorse felt for Dr Coppelius varies! Act 3 sees a town celebration take place, with solos by Dawn, Prayer, Morning Hours, Working Hours and the introduction of the new bell, a cause for a party. In some versions of the ballet, Dr Coppelius is reunited with the town who have rejected his odd and introverted ways; a happy ending for all.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Mastering The Ballet Bun

Ballet Bun

Sometimes one of the most problematic problems in the life of the dancer is not keeping up in class, long rehearsals or tricky performances: it might simply be the problem of the ballet bun. It can be notoriously difficult, sometimes, to perfect the height of the ponytail, the ‘largeness’ of the bun, or control how much it protrudes from the head.

Younger dancers, or dancers without so much hair, may prefer to use a ‘doughnut’ at times, a tightly coiled plastic ring device which is placed over the hairband of the ponytail with the hair then spread over the doughnut and secured in place by hair grips. However, those with longer hair are able to employ this technique without the use of the doughnut, achieving aesthetically pleasing results of a more modest bun and classical ballet hairstyle.

In order to achieve this look without the use of the doughnut, tie the hair in a mid-height ponytail. Tip the head down to look at the floor and spread the hair evenly over the hairband securing the ponytail. As with using a doughnut, sweep the hair around into a doughnut shape by twisting all the parts around the hairband and securing them with hair grips and Kirby grips. Here you can work to make the bun as flat or as round and pert as you would like or is required.

The more hair you have, sometimes the harder it is to secure it neatly. However, this method is a successful way of making all that hair look neat, without using methods such as twisting the ponytail first and winding it round the hairband, which can look bulky and uneven, or plaiting the ponytail before the same action, which does not produce the look of a classical hairstyle.

Give it a go!

Image courtesy of WikiHow.