Ever been in a ballet class learning new choreography, then the teacher says a move and nobody knows what it means? I definitely have. The fact that ballet is French is both beautiful and a burden, so I've decided to post a new word every week, along with a definition and possibly a picture. I'm hoping it will help all of us build our French vocabulary!
This week's Word Of The Week is:
Coda
I'm sure we've all heard of this one before. Usually in a set dance piece where a motif is repeated, at the end there is a 'coda' which is different and finishes the choreography.
It literally means 'Tail' and is a passage which brings a movement to conclusion - it is the ending of a dance.
Sunday 19 August 2012
Thursday 2 August 2012
What To Do When You Don't Get The Part
So here it is, that magical moment when you walk over to the cast list, answer the phone or open that beautiful just-arrived letter, knowing you did the best you could at that audition. You worked harder than you ever have before and now you're finally going to be rewarded.
Oh. You didn't get it. You're name isn't on the casting list; the caller is apologising, as is the letter. The exhilaration you felt just moments ago is now replaced with a gut-wrenching pain, and you really just don't know what to do.
Well here is what to do:
1) If it's a letter, read the whole thing. It's courteous to do so and the letter may even say why you didn't get the part; perhaps some things you could improve on next time. If not, it doesn't matter. Keep going. There may be other useful information on there. Their name for example, so you can hunt them down and- no, just kidding. Don't do that. But seriously, I once threw away a rejection letter after reading the first six words ('We are sorry to inform you'). It wasn't until much later that I found out there had been another sheet attached, including info on other ways I could get involved with the company; ways that would have actually got me recognised. But hey ho, you learn from your mistakes.
2) Don't cry. This will be hard, especially if you're a sensitive thing like me, but really don't do it. You'll regret it later. It sounds mean, but people may think you are being whiny or trying to attract attention, and even if its the complete opposite of that, you just need to stay calm, take deep breaths and close your eyes to compose yourself. If you really need to cry, excuse yourself so you can do it privately, and not in public. You need to get used to the feeling of not getting the part anyway, because it will happen a lot in your career.
3) Don't be a sore loser. "Kate only got it because she's the teacher's favourite, I dance better than her!" - None of this please! If you didn't get the part, just try to accept it and move on. Don't take out your disappointment on other people. You don't know exactly why Kate was chosen; maybe she prepared for months for the audition. And maybe not, maybe she is the teacher's favourite, but don't say it out loud! It's rude and it wont help you in the future either (no one wants to cast a sour dancer!). Just keep your mouth closed, or you will regret it later. Plus, the accusations you make will always get back to the teacher.
4) Don't make excuses. "I didn't get the part because I didn't warm up enough that day." Don't be naive. Ok, for some insane reason you didn't get the part, but don't make silly excuses. Especially not in public, because people will pity you and think you're being childish. Like I said before, accept the fact you didn't get the part and move on. There'll be plenty more opportunities in the future.
5) Accept your fate. The quicker you do it, the easier it will be to move on. Ok, you're allowed that shocked, angry, disappointed feeling for a couple of hours but then you have to let it go. Don't go running up to the teacher/shouting down the phone/writing back demanding to know why you didn't get the part, because a) you'll appear slightly crazy, and b) they might not even let you audition next time if you're going to behave like this afterwards. If you have to, 1-2 weeks later you could have a short chat with your teacher about what you can improve on for next time.
6) Thank them. Say thank you to the audition panel and teachers. A short conversation, note or phone call just to let them know you were grateful for the opportunity. A little politeness goes a long way.
7) Bounce back even better than before. Ok, you didn't get the part. So what? The audition was a valuable experience, you got so much out of it, and it's prepared you for future ones to come. Sure it was scary, but you survived, right? Meaning you'll be totally confident for the next one, and who knows, that one could be very successful indeed.
Oh. You didn't get it. You're name isn't on the casting list; the caller is apologising, as is the letter. The exhilaration you felt just moments ago is now replaced with a gut-wrenching pain, and you really just don't know what to do.
Well here is what to do:
1) If it's a letter, read the whole thing. It's courteous to do so and the letter may even say why you didn't get the part; perhaps some things you could improve on next time. If not, it doesn't matter. Keep going. There may be other useful information on there. Their name for example, so you can hunt them down and- no, just kidding. Don't do that. But seriously, I once threw away a rejection letter after reading the first six words ('We are sorry to inform you'). It wasn't until much later that I found out there had been another sheet attached, including info on other ways I could get involved with the company; ways that would have actually got me recognised. But hey ho, you learn from your mistakes.
2) Don't cry. This will be hard, especially if you're a sensitive thing like me, but really don't do it. You'll regret it later. It sounds mean, but people may think you are being whiny or trying to attract attention, and even if its the complete opposite of that, you just need to stay calm, take deep breaths and close your eyes to compose yourself. If you really need to cry, excuse yourself so you can do it privately, and not in public. You need to get used to the feeling of not getting the part anyway, because it will happen a lot in your career.
3) Don't be a sore loser. "Kate only got it because she's the teacher's favourite, I dance better than her!" - None of this please! If you didn't get the part, just try to accept it and move on. Don't take out your disappointment on other people. You don't know exactly why Kate was chosen; maybe she prepared for months for the audition. And maybe not, maybe she is the teacher's favourite, but don't say it out loud! It's rude and it wont help you in the future either (no one wants to cast a sour dancer!). Just keep your mouth closed, or you will regret it later. Plus, the accusations you make will always get back to the teacher.
4) Don't make excuses. "I didn't get the part because I didn't warm up enough that day." Don't be naive. Ok, for some insane reason you didn't get the part, but don't make silly excuses. Especially not in public, because people will pity you and think you're being childish. Like I said before, accept the fact you didn't get the part and move on. There'll be plenty more opportunities in the future.
5) Accept your fate. The quicker you do it, the easier it will be to move on. Ok, you're allowed that shocked, angry, disappointed feeling for a couple of hours but then you have to let it go. Don't go running up to the teacher/shouting down the phone/writing back demanding to know why you didn't get the part, because a) you'll appear slightly crazy, and b) they might not even let you audition next time if you're going to behave like this afterwards. If you have to, 1-2 weeks later you could have a short chat with your teacher about what you can improve on for next time.
6) Thank them. Say thank you to the audition panel and teachers. A short conversation, note or phone call just to let them know you were grateful for the opportunity. A little politeness goes a long way.
7) Bounce back even better than before. Ok, you didn't get the part. So what? The audition was a valuable experience, you got so much out of it, and it's prepared you for future ones to come. Sure it was scary, but you survived, right? Meaning you'll be totally confident for the next one, and who knows, that one could be very successful indeed.
30 Day Ballet Challenge
A few days ago I found this image on instagram, and thought it was a brilliant idea. There is a 30-day Ballet Challenge happening where everyday a new picture must be posted containing what it says on the list. I think as many people as possible should try this out, as what a great way to boost dance within the media, and you can have fun with it as well.
Best of luck! I'll be posting my own pictures too!
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Two Easy and Simple Ways to Gradually Improve Your Arch
Over the past 6 months I have
unintentionally improved my instep and arch by performing daily exercises on my
feet, without really even thinking about it. I do it in several ways, and
here's how you can too.
1) Pointing
When you're sitting down during the day, wherever you are, whether it's in class, on your laptop, on the train or in the car, train yourself to subconsciously keep pointing your foot. It's simple, but it definitely works. And think of how long you spend sitting down each day! 4 hours at the very least, I would think, and all that time you could be pointing your feet, and it would definitely improve your arch in no time.
2) Tondus
This one is for when you're standing, though perhaps when alone at home or you may get some strange looks. You could do it whilst ironing or cooking, for example. Keep doing tondus the whole time you're standing, making sure you're really slowly pointing and stretching through your whole foot, pushing out the instep. This exercise will not only improve your arch but also will gradually yet greatly increase the strength of your foot too.
The beauty of these exercises is really just how easy they are to do. They don't require much thought, because within a few weeks of you doing them you'll forget about remembering, and instead it will just become a subconscious habit. Another great benefit of them is that if you, like I used to, have one foot hugely stronger than the other, you can use these exercises to work on your weaker foot, without much effort from your brain.
And remember; keeeeeeeeeeeeep arching! (that was awful, wasn't it? Still, you have to love a Bruce Forsyth reference)
1) Pointing
When you're sitting down during the day, wherever you are, whether it's in class, on your laptop, on the train or in the car, train yourself to subconsciously keep pointing your foot. It's simple, but it definitely works. And think of how long you spend sitting down each day! 4 hours at the very least, I would think, and all that time you could be pointing your feet, and it would definitely improve your arch in no time.
2) Tondus
This one is for when you're standing, though perhaps when alone at home or you may get some strange looks. You could do it whilst ironing or cooking, for example. Keep doing tondus the whole time you're standing, making sure you're really slowly pointing and stretching through your whole foot, pushing out the instep. This exercise will not only improve your arch but also will gradually yet greatly increase the strength of your foot too.
The beauty of these exercises is really just how easy they are to do. They don't require much thought, because within a few weeks of you doing them you'll forget about remembering, and instead it will just become a subconscious habit. Another great benefit of them is that if you, like I used to, have one foot hugely stronger than the other, you can use these exercises to work on your weaker foot, without much effort from your brain.
And remember; keeeeeeeeeeeeep arching! (that was awful, wasn't it? Still, you have to love a Bruce Forsyth reference)
How to Get Ahead of the Game When Auditioning
Well, the key word here is prepare.
Know your stuff. Weeks before the audition, contact the company or school and
ask them any questions you have. It's better to ask them, and then have your
name stuck in their mind for a few weeks than turning up and wishing you'd
asked a question when you had the chance. However the important thing here is don't be annoying.
Or ask unnecessary questions. Make sure you read all the information you're
given about the audition first, rather than jumping straight to the 'contact
us' section, sending 10 emails about what colour your hair grips should be in
the audition, only to get a grudging reply back saying "read page
two". It's embarrassing, and the panel will either think you're not
serious because you didn't read the information carefully enough; or
they'll smell the paint and think you were annoyingly trying to get into their
good books, in a completely irritating way.
Anyway, moving on! So, preparing. Do your research. Read, google, wiki everything you can about the company or school you're auditioning for. Questions could possibly pop up during the audition, and you being able to answer them with your genuine knowledge of the company/school shows that you're interested and passionate about it too. You'll also feel more comfortable and confident when you're auditioning because if you don't look up the place first, it sometimes feels like turning up to a geometry test you haven't revised for.
Finally, look for anything about the company or school that makes them THEM. For example, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures look for dancers who are passionate and inquisitive, as well as having good technique. So if there's one auditionee who is energetic and enthusiastic but may need slightly more practise on her fouette turns, and then another who's technique is down to a tee but spends the whole audition looking glum and bored, guess who is going to get the part? Knowing the company or school's little quirks will get you one step ahead, and could prove absolutely invaluable when it comes to the day.
So remember: prepare, ask questions, and research research research!
Anyway, moving on! So, preparing. Do your research. Read, google, wiki everything you can about the company or school you're auditioning for. Questions could possibly pop up during the audition, and you being able to answer them with your genuine knowledge of the company/school shows that you're interested and passionate about it too. You'll also feel more comfortable and confident when you're auditioning because if you don't look up the place first, it sometimes feels like turning up to a geometry test you haven't revised for.
Finally, look for anything about the company or school that makes them THEM. For example, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures look for dancers who are passionate and inquisitive, as well as having good technique. So if there's one auditionee who is energetic and enthusiastic but may need slightly more practise on her fouette turns, and then another who's technique is down to a tee but spends the whole audition looking glum and bored, guess who is going to get the part? Knowing the company or school's little quirks will get you one step ahead, and could prove absolutely invaluable when it comes to the day.
So remember: prepare, ask questions, and research research research!
My first post: about me
So, before I started blogging, I
thought I'd tell you a bit about myself.
It's important when reading these type of blogs to know where the information is coming from, especially because you could be reading "advice" that is dangerous to your body and career.
I therefore am promising that you can have full trust in me that I am delivering accurate, true, reliable and safe information from one dancer to another.
Anyway, my name is Fran and I dance. I am a dancer, an assistant dance teacher and a choreographer for small things. My other hobbies are reading, writing and laughing. I cannot pick a favourite dance style because I love so many so much, but my top two are ballet and tap.
I love ballet because it is so precise, elegant and quiet. No one knows how fast your heart is beating, how hard you are struggling, how the cramp in your leg muscles is killing you. Because as a ballerina you make it all look effortless and that is the beauty of it.
I love tap because it is so energetic and just really enjoyable. If I'm feeling down, one of my first things to do would be to whack on some tap shoes, and just start tapping. And it's such a creative art. You can make steps up easily and do it anywhere, even if you're not in tap shoes. It's great.
So there you go. A bit about me :) Now I'll get on to blogging about dance...
It's important when reading these type of blogs to know where the information is coming from, especially because you could be reading "advice" that is dangerous to your body and career.
I therefore am promising that you can have full trust in me that I am delivering accurate, true, reliable and safe information from one dancer to another.
Anyway, my name is Fran and I dance. I am a dancer, an assistant dance teacher and a choreographer for small things. My other hobbies are reading, writing and laughing. I cannot pick a favourite dance style because I love so many so much, but my top two are ballet and tap.
I love ballet because it is so precise, elegant and quiet. No one knows how fast your heart is beating, how hard you are struggling, how the cramp in your leg muscles is killing you. Because as a ballerina you make it all look effortless and that is the beauty of it.
I love tap because it is so energetic and just really enjoyable. If I'm feeling down, one of my first things to do would be to whack on some tap shoes, and just start tapping. And it's such a creative art. You can make steps up easily and do it anywhere, even if you're not in tap shoes. It's great.
So there you go. A bit about me :) Now I'll get on to blogging about dance...
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