What is Ballet?

Vadim Muntagirov, Daria Klimentova and the English National Corps de Ballet in Swan Lake.
Photography by Helen Maybanks.

A quick Google search gave us these answers from...

• The Australian Ballet- "Ballet is exciting to do, and to watch. It is an entertaining theatrical art, performed on stage to an audience. Ballet is about art, but it is also about life."
  https://www.australianballet.com.au/education/about_ballet/what_is_ballet

• The American Ballet Theatre (about their dancers)- "Their bodies are instruments of profound drama. Trained to deliver emotion through intricate yet beautiful movements and choreography. Precision. Grace. Versatility. That is where their talent lies." http://www.abt.org/dancers/default.asp

• The English National Ballet- "...we reach for innovative collaborations, creative excellence and bold ways of honouring, but adding to, traditional ballet. We dance to conjure wonderful, beautiful visions and because we have something to say." http://www.ballet.org.uk/about-us/

Marcelo Gomes and Sascha Radetsky from the American Ballet Theatre

'What is Ballet?' is a very broad question that is hard to answer in a short sentence. There are so many aspects to ballet that, when trying to think of a simple answer to put in this blogspot, more questions came up instead! Ones such as 'Where did ballet first originate?', 'How has ballet developed over the years?', 'What goes into the production of a ballet performance?', 'How do you train to become a ballet dancer?', 'What should you expect from your child's first ballet class?' (as you can see from our previous post, we have already started to touch upon the grooming aspect of ballet with 'How to put your hair into a BUN!')

Over the next several blog posts we hope to give you the answers to some of these questions, plus any more we think of along the way! Hopefully while reading these nuggets of information you will be inspired to do some further research, go and see a performance, or even join in a ballet class or two yourself!

Australian Ballet rehearsal of Wa, Feb 2008.
Photography by Dallas Kilponen.

How to put your hair into a BUN!

With the dance exams fast approaching, we thought it would be a good idea to produce a handy step by step guide (complete with photos) to putting your hair into a bun.

You will need:
- Hair brush and comb
- Ponytail holders (same colour as hair)
- Bun nets
- Hair grips
- Gel and hairspray

1. Brush hair off face and apply gel- hair should be smooth and flat before doing the actual ponytail and bun

 

 

2. Pull hair back tightly and secure in a ponytail that is level with the top of the ears. A neat and tidy ponytail with the hair drawn snugly back is the key to making a good ballet bun

3. Twist hair and coil around the ponytail holder

 

 

4. Use hair grips to hold everything in place. Ensure that the grips hold the hair from the head and hair from the ponytail- this keeps the bun secure and flat to the head.

 

5. Wrap bun net around the coil of hair and add a couple of hairgrips to keep hold of the hairnet.

 

 





 6. Pin back any stray hairs then use hair spray to fix in place

 

 





Be sure to follow these steps before your next ballet class and on exam day!

Thank you to our model Lharanya, for helping us with these photographs!

Getting ready for Exam Day- Sunday 23rd June

Students of BodyWorks Fitness and Dance are busy preparing for the next exam session, which is only SEVEN SATURDAYS away! Our examiner travels all the way from England and this year our examiner is called Miss Webber. The exams will be held at our studio in Damansara.

The dance studio must also be prepared for the upcoming session. We need to cover the mirrors so that candidates can't help each other by signalling to each other through the mirror...

Candidates musn't dance past the white line on the floor, otherwise the examiner won't be able to see their feet! (although the white line is only there for practise, and will be removed on exam day)

Miss Emily has to be hidden behind a screen while she does the music, so that she doesn't try to help the candidates either!

The examiner must have a bell on her table. She rings in to let the candidates know when to enter the room. They will curtsey or bow before handing her a report card, and then the examination begins!