2007 November | Theatre

Archive for November, 2007

November

25th 2007

Have Pointe Shoes Will Dance

Posted under Theatre

Now that you decided to join a ballet company, after years of training in your
home town, “what do I do now?” You now have to audition for that ballet company.
Have you decided which company?

Here are a few questions and some answers you have to find out;

*Have you picked a dance company you want to join
*In which City/State
*Is the dance repertoire classical, moderen, Jazz or a combination of all
*How large is the company (dancers), how many boys/girls
*Are there corps de ballet, soloist, principal ranks or is it grouped into onelarge dance company without any ranking
*How long is their season (in weeks)
*How many performances are there during a season
*Does the company tour the states, for how many weeks
*Do they pay a salary, how much and for how many weeks
*If you have a lay-off can you collect unemplyment insurance
*Does the dance company provide ballet and pointe shoes, costumes, tights,

(most all do, but make sure)you provide your own stage-make-up

These are some of the questions you have to find out BEFORE your first audition.

Being in a professional ballet company at an early age is a feeling of pure magic
and fantasy as well as joy of accomplishment. Not too far from the time when
you were a child and saw your first ballet performance. One of the more popular
ballets to see for the first time for a child or parent is the “Nutcracker”. To dance
in it is MAGIC, FANTASY, ACCOMPLISHMENT! You also will get a feeling of mixed emotions
just before and during your dancing on stage for a LIVE audience and will experience
these emotions every time you dance on stage.

These feelings are very different from rehearsals in a studio. No comparison.
Rehearsals can be very hard, hours of intensive work, repetition of the same steps,
choreography, day in and day our and even for several weeks, perfecting everything
that needs to be done BEFORE the curtain opens to a paying public.

Your reward is only by the amount of applause from the audience you hear as the
curtain closes. You may even hear BRAVO!. That can be considered as the ultimate
reward giving you praise for your ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

Enjoy your dancing whether it be in a studio or on stage. The MAGIC is there and there
is nothing like a live audience applauding your dancing.

Don’t forget to take care of your Pointe Shoes. They are your magic shoes, just like
the famous movie called THE RED SHOES.

Questions about pointe shoes are at www.ballet-feetfirst.com Happy dancing!

A Weekend in London

Posted under Theatre

When you work nine to six all week and it takes you almost an hour to get to work then you tend to end up very tired and stressed by the time the weekend comes. Often the tendency is to do nothing all weekend to get over a very busy week. But doing nothing isn’t always the best way to relax and it can add to your stress levels because towards Wednesday or Thursday you begin to wonder whether all of the hard work that you do all week is really worth it.

Instead of doing nothing when it comes to the weekend it’s better to plan a weekend away every month or so. Whether it be with your partner, or a trip with your friends it’s a good idea to get away and enjoy some of the pleasures of life, and make those busy working weeks all worthwhile. If you’re living in the UK then you may ask: where is a good place to get away for a weekend and do the things that I want to do? The answer I would give without hesitation would always be “London”.

London is a beautiful city, and there are so many things to do, but many people are put off from going there for a weekend break because it might be too expensive. But London needn’t be that expensive. With the help of the internet there are plenty of places that you can get a good deal to go to London, visit the sites and take in some of the capital’s entertainment.

Depending on what age you are and what you want to do for fun/leisure there are many different activities for you to enjoy in London. For the more youthful traveller the London clubs are a great scene, to dance the night away, meet new people, and have loads of fun. If, like me, your clubbing days are gone and you’re looking for a more relaxed and cultured evening then you may prefer a night at the theatre. Whether you want to watch an opera, or take in a great play, London has the range of shows for your entertainment. There are many top shows to see in London, such as The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago - the choice is so big that you’re bound to find the show for you.

If you do want to take in a show during your stay there are websites such as Suprebreak’s theatre breaks that offer hotel and theatre ticket packages at discount prices, so that you can pre-book your holiday to combine the hotel and theatre ticket price to get a great deal.

As well as the nightlife there is plenty to see during the day. It’s quite fun to visit the streets and stations from the monopoly board to bring back childhood memories of playing the game with your siblings; or you can see the sites - Big Ben is quite an eye opener.

If you haven’t been to London I fully recommend you go, and if you’ve only been there on business then I recommend you take off your suit and see how beautiful London really is.

Michael is a keen writer living in Edinburgh. Michael’s Website: Taxis Belfast