Misty Copeland Ballerina

"African American ballerina" -- "Misty Copeland Ballerina" -- raw talent live some say!

As a phenomena, yes, but raw talent - no, that never applies to ballet! Even the twice a week recreational dancer knows that!

"Ballet" and "raw" do not go together - not with the five to ten years training required. Yet there are exceptional talents, those "born to dance" but they too have to work very hard to perform classical ballet.

Reverence Is More Than A Curtsy

Any dancer will tell you that reverence is more than a curtsy, or bow, done at the end of class.



The reverence acknowledges all the good work, the sweat, the effort put forth by the dancers, the teacher, and the pianist too. This easy and powerful read by a young ballet student in the 1940's, who is both taught and dances with the "ski's" and "ova's" from the Ballet Russes, Balanchine and American Ballet Theater is a page turner.



I read it well into the wee hours, eyes burning and feet pointing in my dreams all night. Sometimes I wake up with the Charley Horse calf cramps, which means I've been dreaming about ballet - again! (I have just come back here to add -- if you're not able to even spend $3 on a Kindle book --yes dancers go through that -- check your local library. Often books are in ebook form and you can read through your free Kindle app on computer or other device!)

Misty Copeland Tale On PBS And Netflix

A Ballerina's Tale

 Here is the link to the trailer:

This ballet documentary covers her working through an injury, retraining after surgery, and continuing to expand her career.

Her achievements in the world of ballet don't need repeating here. It is wonderful to see her reaching into television production. Ms. Copeland will be teaming up with Tracy Oliver for a dance drama series on Fox.

I look forward to more material created by real ballet professionals and not the fluff imagined by someone with no experience in the training and day to day lives of real people.

The pain, the emotional abuse, the supposed deprivation of a dancer's life can be easily "romanticized" meaning overblown and melodramatized.

There is a real history to all mentioned above, and I reflect back to "Ballerina: Sex, Scandal, and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection" by Deirdre Kelly.

The book  is an excellent read and Deirdre Kelly gives us some reflections on the history of the extremes ballerina's have been subjected to in this film, regarding body image.

And with Misty Copeland comes -- more ballet!

Dancers Knew What Scientists Learned

"Dance is now being studied as a pathway to enhance learning.  And, scientists say, educators and parents should take note of the movement."

That is the opening to a blog post at sharpbrains.com.

I wrote about this subject myself way back in 03/12/2008 in a post about dancers getting higher SAT scores.

I am glad to see this fact being investigated -- here's a little more from that article:

"Scientists are turning to dance because it is a multifaceted activity that can help them—and ultimately educators and even parents– demystify how the brain coordinates the body to perform complex, precise movements that express emotion and convey meaning".

I follow Sharp Brains and enjoy all their posts, but I'll admit I don't get a chance to check them everyday.

Here's a snippet with Mark Morris, (who spoke at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience), in an interview "Notes For A Dancer" and with some rehearsal footage.

Low Calorie Dessert For Young Nutcracker Ballet Kids

I'm planning this gluten free low calorie dessert for an upcoming holiday dinner and thought I'd share for the seasonal young Nutcracker ballet kids.

Most young dancers aren't worrying about weight gain - but for those who are, or for their teachers or dance parents, here is a tasty treat.

Any lower calorie fruit could do but you know what they say about apples!

Choose organic so you can keep the skin on - for all those vitamins! Slice and bake or boil a 2-5 lb bag of apples, depending on the size of your dinner party and family.

Serve with whipped organic heavy whipping cream.

Don't underestimate how yummy this is! It's basically Apple Pie without the grainy crust. Gluten free!

This can be served hot or cold, and drizzled with maple syrup, or a pinch of dark brown sugar.

Zero calorie organic Sweet Leaf liquid stevia can be used too -- it comes in plain, Vanilla Cream, English Butterscotch and other flavors.

For Dancers - White Chocolate Made With Stevia

Yes, I was just searching on line for a recipe for white chocolate made with Stevia.

And that would be the organic stevia -- because the non-organic is made with solvents and we don't really want to eat those chemicals.

One of my best friends has asked me to bring this to Thanksgiving dinner. (US).

White chocolate, to avoid the high oxalate content of dark chocolate.

Stevia sweetened, to avoid the carbs and stay in Ketosis, or fat burning mode.

So here's the skinny (all dancers want to be skinny right?).

You need coco butter. Don't worry, it is a mid chain fat and won't store on your body.

You need sugar or stevia.

You need powdered milk, not a lot.

And vanilla extract. The real thing. Why? Because artificial 'vanillin' is made from petroleum. Euew!

This may be the only dessert on the table! But the guests may consider it a desert. You know, dry and empty! (Of calories).

So I will try to make it good! As in yummy, super Vanilla and zero calorie sweet!

If you're a dancer, I know you're with me on this!

Here is a good recipe page.

Here is a sugar to Stevia conversion chart. For whatever you may want to make.

Here is a video to help -- and be forewarned, this cook is a real character!

The Best Ballet Wear in Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes

The tradition of traditional, sleek ballet attire is the best ballet wear seen in professional dance studios. It has a purpose.

Traditional ballet teachers can seem fussy about the dress code in their studios. There is a reason for this.

When a teacher is looking over a class in motion, visual clutter needs to be at a minimum. Dark leotards, white T shirts and pink, black or gray tights are a good uniform landscape for the teacher.

The black/dark of the leotard emphasizes the line of the posture, the upper back and neck suppleness/tension, the hip/leg break and alignment correctness, and makes it easiest to respond to what is seen with ongoing and detailed corrections.

Ballet Class Corrections

For instance, it is easy to see, even across a large studio, if the back of the thigh is not pulled up as needed, if the dancer is wearing pink or gray tights. It is also easy to see bulky tension in thigh muscles that should be more elongated.

Distractions such as multi-colored clothing, and sloppy leg warmers prevent the teacher from being at their top efficiency,

The artistry of ballet depends on the ultra-perfectionist and over-idealized form being sought, and then being surrendered to an allowing energy flow, that releases expression and drama.

I wish I could say that better, but all I'm really talking about is that the norm for strict ballet wear that any ballet store provides, ultimately supports the best results,as it allows the teacher to see what's going on in a large dance class full of diverse talent.

Get the best ballet wear and look like a pro in dance class.

The video below shows some younger boys in ballet who now wear the gray tights in class instead of the traditional black.