Saturday, December 17, 2005 @ 12:55 pm
hahax. today is finally the last day of performance. whee!~ =))
last nite's performance was fine. juz that i think i hit my foot against the'magical' sleigh. it's kinda swollen now. =( hahax. dandy did 20 turns, tisha did 32. =) they were like so super rawk okay =D and i'm like so super glad nth happened drg sugarplum fairy's pas de deux. it was like so super scary lar. but it was so ultimately beautiful =)))
oh and i happened to drop by ernie's blog, which has a nice and wonderful entry abt last night's dance. so yeah drop by his nice blog kz. lol. maybe i shud like narrate on what goes on behind the scenes. (if u dun like long entries, juz read the last part of this entry)
this is the 1st time that i'm taking part in a large-scale production like the nutcracker, becoz usually the teacher juz choreograph a dance for each ballet class. this time we had to join other classes, dance with the teachers, the professionals and work together as a dance school. my frenz and i bonded and we shared so many things abt dance and went thru all the hardship together. i got to know more abt the teachers and the pro guest dancers. we encouraged each other and complimented each other to do even better. =))
and the dancers juz kept on dancing and dancing even though their feet hurt and they fell time and again. stephanie was involved in 3 dances and she had blisters on every single toe due to pointe work. in addition she had her intermediate and grade 6 classes. she willingly stayed in the studio till 7 plus without much complaints. ms phua was so tired aft dancing she was like, "can u help me teach the pre-primary class later?" in the end, she still entered the studio to teach the kids. mr ferrer was so tired doing the choreography and making sure everything went well, he took a nap inside the dance studio before going to choreograph the nxt dance. sugarplum fairy (tisha) fell many times drg rehearsals while she was being lifted and all. she kept on slipping doing her turns at UCC becoz the stage floor was slippery. in the end she had to use loads and loads of rosin.
mother ginger's humongous costume came 1 hr before the actual performance. the 67 kids had to rehearse for hours and hours before they could exit the stage on time. it was such hard work mr ferrer almoz exploded at them (and us). but he still loves kids anyway =P
for modern dance, i didn't go for the first 3 rehearsals becoz i was still in indo. for the 1st 4 lessons i was a complete retarded idiot. i didn't noe my steps. i couldn't execute them properly. i sucked okay... so i asked ernie to help me find the song and i practised at home every day till i could get the steps right. and i guess it all paid off becoz i dun look like such a retard now. =X
and for the angels, i had to push the 'magical' sleigh across the stage and turn the sleigh in the centre of the stage with 2 others. and it was so super heavy (becoz of the 2 adults on it) and so horrible. i was scolded for like 3 hrs in total becoz i juz couldn't get it right. and my butt was like sticking out becoz i had to use my body weight to push that darned thing okay... (sorry dandy u almoz fell a couple of times thanks to us =( )
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Ballet
Ballet is considered the world's most taxing and hardest sport, the 2nd being soccer. A dancer has to build up his/her technique before being able to do the harder stuff. We start from a simple action of bending the knees (which requires great control and lots of imagination). We have to learn how to point our foot from the hip to the toe.
We have to turn our hips out, push our shoulders back, tuck in our tummies and bottoms, lengthen our necks, stand up straight with a lengthened spine to get the ultimate ballet posture. That is how dancers stand.
The simplest movement such as pointing our feet engages all our leg muscles. The carriage of arms requires much grace and control. To do a single turn requires years of hard work. I humbly admit that I can only do a single turn. Turning is probably the hardest thing to do in ballet. It's all about the body and lots of physics concepts. And if you are wondering how we are able to not get giddy, it's all in where we look at. ;) Something called the 'spot'. It takes a lot of control of the body in order to turn. And the magnificent leaps requires great strength of the legs and not to mention elevation of the body.
Preparations of a performance starts with choreography. The choreographer has to have the dancer's style and ability in mind while choreographing the dance, not neglecting to bring out the essence of the music and the story of the dance. When the dancer starts to learn the dance, it's all in the teamwork between the dancer and the choreographer. A dancer has to express the message of the dance clearly to the audience, at the same time executing the steps with grace and beauty and great technique. Rehearsals usually last for hours daily, and it can be very taxing on both the dancer and the choreographer.
Despite all the hardship we go through, it's all about one thing. Dance. We love to dance, we are passionate about dance. The hardship we go through not only builds up our physical body, it builds up the soul. Dance taught me so many priceless lessons of life. From discipline to self-expression, from having a passion to fulfilling your dreams. Without dance, I don't know what brat I would turn out to be. Through dance, I met many inspiring dance teachers, I saw with my own very eyes how passion can truly burn through our body and souls to push us to the very best. I experienced amazing friendships would not have happened without dance. I learnt to be confident through my stage experiences. Ballet classes taught me discipline and dance is truly the only thing in life which you REALLY reap what you sow.
We harvest our crops not only in the dance studio, but also on stage. Performances are the best chances to gain recognition from our family and friends and from others who we do not know. The stage is also one of the best places to express ourselves. The stage floor is a great canvas for dancers to paint amazing pictures on. We twirl and leap, fall and rise again on stage. I love the feeling of running into the stage and dancing my hearts out with wonderful costumes and stage lighting. It's as if you're transported into another world, a heaven on earth. Every movement is so breathtaking, every step amazing. Mistakes made on stage is the world's best mistake to learn lessons from. And don't you really learn.
Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself. -Henry Havelock Ellis,1923: The Dance of Life