Ballet benefits our dancing like vitamins benefit our bodies. Growing up, whenever I complained to my mother about being tired or feeling a bit sick, she would always ask “Have you been taking your vitamins?” Therefore, it was instilled into me that for everything to work properly, I needed sleep, eat good food, and could not forget to take my vitamins. In my dance career, a similar formula seems to apply. If I want to be successful I need to focus my mind, strengthen my body and cannot stop practicing ballet.
I used to think that if I worked really hard and got good at ballet, then my quota would be filled and I could just keep it in my body, but maybe wouldn’t have to take ballet classes anymore. This is not true. The concentration and muscular control that the practice of ballet demands is necessary in order for my dancing to reach it’s full potential. This is something I should always be working on. Of course, it is best to be a well-rounded dancer, trained in a variety of techniques and styles. However, muscles accessed and isolated during ballet will positively inform the rest of the movement practices. I love watching ballet, and when see a dancer like Barishnikov or Marianela Nunez I am so inspired! They seem invincible! The work they are accomplishing and the control they have in their backs and legs is astonishing. Is there anything they can’t do? It’s times like these that I think about my modern classes, and my composition classes, where ballet training is infinitely helpful, but there is also a whole different set of skill levels needed. I have to be able to drop my weight, and harness momentum, while releasing unnecessary tension. Ballet doesn’t really prepare me for this, and vitamins don’t give me protein. A healthy balance is key, while I don’t want a deficiency, I also know that taking a lot of extra ballet or extra vitamins may not really be helpful to my career. All things in moderation!
Bottom line is, this year has made it clear to me that I will always be taking ballet classes as long as I am dancing, because it is cumulative and I cannot microwave technique. It is an ongoing process, not a bullet point on my checklist.
Comment from Tyisha Nedd:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you ballet is totally like taking vitamins . Though our department is modern based I find that what is being trained in ballet is essential for modern. One critique that I get from teachers is that I am very good with full body movements and being grounded however I lack in precision and basically strength and I am constantly advised to take more ballet and pilates to gain the strength that I need to dance big and full body without falling over. I reminds me of how I am with taking vitamins because I am not good at swallowing pills and I have to fight myself ( when I was younger my mom) to take them but I always feel stronger and more equipped to handle my day .
Theresa,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about hitting your quota in ballet and then not ever having to take it again. When I was little I used to think that I could do this and all would be well with the world. Now that I'm older, I couldn't image me not taking ballet class. Even if I don't end up being a professional ballerina, I need ballet. I love it. It helps me in all aspects of dance, in other styles and in composition, like you mentioned. Ballet is my multivitamin, and I can't live without it!
Theresa~
ReplyDeletefirst off i really enjoy your analogy between ballet and vitamins. it honestly is such a true statement that once you stop practicing ballet for one week you can notice a difference in your body, just the same when you stop taking vitamins your body starts to get sick and not stay as healthy.
i was also that boy growing up that thought if i tried really hard for a week in ballet then i could maybe take a few classes off because i worked my booty off the week before. well thank goodness i have grown up a little bit and realized this is so not the case.