Ballet For Dummies

by Speck, Scott; Cisneros, Evelyn

• ISBN13: 9780764525681
• ISBN10: 0764525689
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-03
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Whether you want to participate in ballet or just watch it, the ballet experience can excite and inspire you. Ballet is among the most beautiful forms of expression ever devised: an exquisite mix of sight and sound, stunning, aesthetics, and awesome technique.Ballet For Dummies is for anyone who wants to enjoy all that the dance forms offers - as an onlooker who wants to get a leg up on the forms you're likely to see or as an exercise enthusiast who understands that the practice of ballet can help you gain More strength Greater flexibility Better body alignment Confidence in movement Comfort through stress reduction Infinite grace - for lifeFrom covering the basics of classical ballet to sharing safe and sensible ways to try your hand (and toes) at moving through the actual dance steps, this expert reference shows you how to Build your appreciation for ballet from the ground up. Choose the best practice space and equipment. Warm up to your leap into the movements. Locate musical options for each exercise. Look for certain lifts in a stage performance. Tell a story with gestures. Picture a day in the life of a professional ballet dancer. Identify best-loved classic and contemporary ballets. Speak the language of ballet.Today you can find a ballet company in almost every major city on earth. Many companies have their own ballet schools - some for training future professionals, and others for interested amateurs. As you fine-tune your classical ballet technique - or even if you just like to read about it - you'll become better equipped to fully appreciate the great choreography and many styles of the dance. Ballet For Dummies raises the curtain on a world of beauty, grace, poise, and possibility!

Author Biography

Scott Speck has conducted the San Francisco Ballet in hundreds of performances at San Francisco Opera House and Washington&#8217;s Kennedy Center. <p> Cisneros is Ballet Education Coordinator for the San Francisco Ballet Center for Dance Education.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
About This Book	p. 1
Conventions Used in This Book	p. 2
Foolish Assumptions	p. 2
How This Book Is Organized	p. 3
Icons Used in This Book	p. 4
Where to Go from Here	p. 5
Ballet Dancing from the Top	p. 7
Curtain Up! Welcome to the Ballet	p. 9
Ballet for Life	p. 9
In the Beginning	p. 10
Watching Great Choreography for Inspiration	p. 14
Gathering Your Ballet Materials	p. 15
Staying Healthy and Avoiding Injury	p. 15
Getting Started: It's Easier Than You Think	p. 16
Why Being a Ballet Novice Helps You Enjoy Ballet	p. 16
Stocking the Tools of the Trade	p. 17
Finding the Right Practice Space	p. 17
Practicing on a Ballet-Friendly Floor (or the Next-Best Thing)	p. 18
The Barre Essentials	p. 19
Dressed to Dance	p. 21
Choosing Ballet Slippers	p. 23
Keeping Your Hair in Its Place	p. 27
More Ballet Paraphernalia	p. 28
Getting Toasty: Warming Up Your Body	p. 31
Getting Grounded: Floor Stretches	p. 31
Strengthening the Stabilizers	p. 38
More Strengthening: Floor Barre	p. 42
Leaping into Ballet Basics	p. 47
Finding the Correct Ballet Stance	p. 47
Walking Like a Duck: Proper Leg Alignment	p. 52
Practicing the Positions of the Feet and Arms	p. 56
The Graceful Ballet Hand	p. 60
Music, Maestro!	p. 63
Finding Musical Options for Each Exercise	p. 63
Counting It Out	p. 68
Belly Up to the Barre	p. 73
Basic Barre-Tending	p. 75
Standing at the Barre: Starting Position	p. 76
Small Knee Bends: Demi-Plies	p. 76
Adding Bends--The Port de Bras	p. 81
Rises to the Balls of the Feet (Releves)	p. 83
Big Knee Bends (Grands Plies)	p. 85
Extending the Legs (Battements Tendus)	p. 87
Drawing Circles on the Floor (Rond de Jambe a Terre)	p. 92
Practicing Your One-Legged Balance (Retire and Releve)	p. 94
Stepping It Up at the Barre	p. 97
Melting into a One-Leg Knee Bend (Fondu)	p. 97
The Pas de Cheval (Horse Step)	p. 106
Striking the Floor with Your Foot (Battement Tendu Frappe)	p. 107
Getting a Leg Up	p. 115
Extending Your Leg Slowly into the Air (Grand Battement Developpe)	p. 115
Kicking Your Leg Up, Controlling It Down (Grands Battements)	p. 120
A Combination for Developpes and Grands Battements	p. 124
Stretching Out Your Legs on the Barre	p. 127
Focusing on Releves	p. 130
Center Floor, Anyone?	p. 135
Getting to Center Floor	p. 137
Mapping Out the Room	p. 137
Positioning Your Body in Battement Tendu	p. 139
Lifting Your Leg Slowly (Developpe--Adagio)	p. 144
Lifting Your Leg Behind (Arabesque)	p. 146
Lifting Your Leg Behind with a Bent Knee (Attitude)	p. 148
An Adagio Combination	p. 150
Ballet's Tasmanian Devil: The Pirouette	p. 153
It's All in the Spot	p. 153
The Pre-Pirouette: Turning on Two Legs	p. 154
Turning on One Leg	p. 156
Traveling Turns	p. 163
Whipping It Up: The Famous Fouette	p. 168
Linking It Together: The Steps Between the Steps	p. 171
Galloping in the Air (Chasse)	p. 171
Gliding between Steps (Glissade)	p. 173
Doing the Three-Step	p. 175
Getting from One Place to Another	p. 179
Faking It Gracefully (Coupe)	p. 182
Ground Control to Ballet Dancer	p. 185
Small Jumps on Two Legs (Petit Allegro)	p. 185
Small Jumps on One Leg (More Petit Allegro)	p. 191
Brushing Your Feet into a Jump	p. 193
Traveling Jumps	p. 196
Getting More Air Time	p. 203
Doing the Impossible: Stationary Jumps	p. 203
Jumping Across the Floor (Grand Allegro)	p. 207
The Reverent Stretch and Bow (Reverance)	p. 214
Living the Ballet Life	p. 217
Partners Aren't Just for Square Dancing	p. 219
Partnering 101: Finding Her Balance	p. 220
Promenading	p. 221
What Did You Have for Dinner Last Night? Lifting Safely	p. 225
Don't Try This at Home! Lifts to Look for in Performance	p. 230
Exploring Choreography	p. 233
Classical Ballet Constants	p. 233
Applying the Steps to the Great Choreography	p. 235
Dancing with a Modern Flair	p. 239
Basic Guidelines of Choreography	p. 240
Getting Inspired by Others	p. 243
What the Heck Are They Saying? The Art of Ballet Mime	p. 247
Telling a Story with Gestures	p. 247
Understanding the Basic Principles of Ballet Mime	p. 248
Mastering the Most Common Gestures	p. 249
Famous Examples of Ballet Mime	p. 261
Watching Ballet in Action	p. 265
Getting Ready	p. 265
Arriving Early	p. 266
Can I Wear a Codpiece to Romeo and Juliet?	p. 266
A Pre-Ballet Food-Lover's Manual	p. 267
Knowing Where to Sit--and Getting the Best Ticket Deals	p. 268
Who to Bring, Who to Leave at Home with the Hamsters	p. 270
Ballets to Attend--or Avoid--on a Date	p. 270
Understanding What You Are Watching	p. 272
Life in the Wings	p. 275
Unstrung Heroes--The Ballet Orchestra	p. 276
Basking in the Afterglow	p. 277
The Part of Tens	p. 279
The Ten Most Commonly Used Ballet Steps	p. 281
Small Knee Bend (Demi-Plie) in Fifth Position	p. 281
Leg Stretch (Battement Tendu and Degage)	p. 282
Developpe	p. 282
Leg Lifted Back (Arabesque) in First Position	p. 282
Leg Lifted Back and Bent (Attitude)	p. 283
Outward Turn (Pirouette en Dehors) from Fourth Position	p. 283
Forward Jump with Split (Grand Jete)	p. 283
The Gliding Step (Glissade)	p. 284
The Famous Fouette--Count 'Em, 32!	p. 284
Double Turn in the Air (Double Tour en l'Air)	p. 284
Ten Best-Loved Classical Ballets	p. 285
La Sylphide	p. 285
Giselle	p. 286
Don Quixote	p. 287
Coppelia	p. 288
La Bayadere	p. 288
Swan Lake	p. 289
Sleeping Beauty	p. 290
The Nutcracker	p. 291
Romeo and Juliet	p. 292
Cinderella	p. 292
Ten Great "Contemporary" Ballets	p. 293
The Rite of Spring	p. 293
Serenade	p. 294
Pillar of Fire	p. 294
Rodeo	p. 295
Fancy Free	p. 296
La Fille Mal Gardee	p. 296
Song of the Earth	p. 297
Forgotten Land	p. 297
In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated	p. 298
The Hard Nut	p. 298
Othello	p. 299
The Ten Best Ballet Terms for Cocktail Parties	p. 301
Ten Fascinating Facts about Professional Ballet Dancers	p. 305
The Discipline Needed to Be a Dancer	p. 305
A Dancer's Schedule: A Day in the Life	p. 306
What Dancers Actually Eat	p. 307
The Hierarchy of a Ballet Company	p. 307
The Mysterious Pointe Shoe	p. 308
Why Macho Guys Dance	p. 309
Women, Pregnancy, and Performance	p. 310
Why Some Ballet Dancers Need Hip Replacements	p. 310
Party versus Performance	p. 311
Early Retirement	p. 311
Why It's All Worth It	p. 311
Glossary	p. 313
Index	p. 325
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