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Dance Blog Spotlight: The Ballet Bag

January 8, 2013 by 4dancers

This month’s Dance Blog Spotlight is one not to be missed! Hip, fun and full of great content, The Ballet Bag is one of the top sites out there on the web when it comes to dance. If you don’t already know them, meet Emilia & Linda.

We asked the ladies to answer a few questions about what it’s like to serve the online dance community…and they were kind enough to oblige!

Can you tell readers a bit about each of you and what your backgrounds are in dance?

Our backgrounds in dance are mainly through years and years of watching: I attended my first ballet (Giselle) when I was only 7, but Linda also took ballet classes (RAD) for several years.

When did you begin the blog-and why did you start it?

We started The Ballet Bag in 2009. Both of us had more general personal blogs but soon found that we were spending a lot of time writing about ballet, mostly about the performances we were watching at the Royal Ballet at the time (around 2007). We wanted to spread the word about ballet as a fresh, original art form and show, from an audience perspective, that there were young people who went to the ballet and who were inspired by it. We also felt that the more traditional ballet websites and forums had a more restrictive format. We wanted to show cross references between dance and pop culture, to share our favorite ballet sites and reviews. We also wanted to leverage off the new trend for social media.

What does the blog cover?

We try to focus on well-researched content, but without losing sight of the visual elements (photography, graphics) packaging all this together, and throwing into the mix a diverse range of personal interests. Also, we try to keep a dialogue going with everyone: from dance critics to other bloggers, from dancers to audiences. We have also been featuring a whole range of different contributors: from Kris Kosaka and Germaine Cheng in Asia to Harper Watters, a young dancer with Houston Ballet as well as Alice Pennefather’s amazing ballet photos. It’s great to have all sides of the debate and to give link candy. As the saying goes: give and you shall receive.

What has been the best part about participating in the dance community online?

The online dance community has made it possible for us to connect with the art form in every part of the globe. Twitter has become a space where critics, dance writers, bloggers, dance fans, performers and choreographers come together to share stories and discuss the past, present and future of dance. It has broken down geographical barriers and made it possible for dance audiences to be “virtually there”. It’s great to be connected to all of that!

What other dance blogs do you ladies read?

We have always enjoyed reading about dance and even more so now: we do subscribe to most newspapers feeds and also read zines like Dance Tabs, Dance View Times and too many blogs to list!

ballet bag
Emilia & Linda. Photo: Elena Murchikova / The Ballet Bag ©

Emilia:

Ballet: likes ballets that taste like 85% cocoa: pure, extra bitter, dark or intense. Her favorites are La Sylphide, Manon, Mayerling, Dances at a Gathering, Ondine, Symphonic Variations, plenty by Balanchine, quite a few by Alexei Ratmansky and some of Wayne McGregor’s pieces for the Royal Ballet.

Non ballet: literature, theatre, opera, rock, art, food, travel, fashion

Linda:

Ballet: her favorite ballets feel like good books – one can see them 1,000 times and they always feel fresh. Linda loves Giselle, all full-length MacMillan plus Song of the Earth, Robbins’s Dances at a Gathering, Balanchine’s Serenade and Agon, Ashton’s Scènes de Ballet and Symphonic Variations.

Non ballet: books, music and podcasts, science and maths, travel and photography.

Filed Under: Dance Blog Spotlight, Uncategorized Tagged With: ballet blog, ballet websites, dance blogs, the ballet bag, writing about ballet

Dance Blog Spotlight: Dave Tries Ballet

January 13, 2012 by 4dancers

Today on 4dancers we are pleased to feature “Dave Tries Ballet” as our Dance Blog Spotlight for January…it’s a fun read–be sure and check it out!

Dave

1.      Can you tell readers a bit about your background in dance?

Umm… I don’t have any background! When I first started taking ballet last year I had no experience in any kind of dance – I’m a maths/computer science PhD student so this was way out of my comfort zone! Now though, I guess I can put down over 150 ballet classes, some partnering, a little bit of jazz, a couple of classes in contemporary and even a performance on stage! Plus, I’m hoping to add some tap to that list very soon!

2.      When did you begin your blog—and why did you start it?

I first started DaveTriesBallet about 18 months ago. Initially it was just a twitter account – I was pretty nervous about starting ballet and I saw it as a way to get advice and inspiration. Following a few emails to David at BalletForMen.com he suggested I start a blog. He thought it might be interesting to see the journey from the eyes of an adult beginner. I haven’t looked back since… [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dance Blog Spotlight Tagged With: ballet blog, dance blogs, dave tries ballet, pirouettes

Dance Blog Spotlight: Tights And Tiaras

October 7, 2011 by 4dancers

Welcome back to our new feature “Dance Blog Spotlight” where we will be highlighting some of the best dance blogs on the web! Last month we turned the spotlight on Tendus Under A Palm Tree, and this month we have Henrik, the author/creator of Tights And Tiaras – another one of my all-time favorites!

Tights And Tiaras Creator, Henrik Lamark

1.      Can you tell readers a bit about your background in dance?

I have been dancing all my life. When I was a kid, my parents tell me, I was running around the house doing all sorts of movements all the time, and I told my mother I wanted to be a dancer already when I was three years old. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds, I was born with a severe hip-displacement, and went through extensive surgeries when I was about 6 to 8 years old. After a recovery-period, I finally started dancing ballet at a local studio. From there, it’s been a bumpy road, but always heading for the same goal I set out as a three year old: I’m going to be a dancer. And a dancer I became. Today I have been working professionally with ballet and dance since I graduated from ballet academy several years ago.

2. When did you begin your blog—and why did you start it? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dance Blog Spotlight, Online Dance Resources Tagged With: ballet blog, ballet dancer, best dance blogs, dance blog, dance blog spotlight, henrik lamark, tights and tiaras

Best Ballet Shoes Blog – How I got started

February 21, 2011 by 4dancers

Today we have a guest post from Lara–the editor of the Best Ballet Shoes blog….

Lara Friesen

My name is Lara and I recently began a website and blog all about the best ballet shoes.  Having a low arch and a longer second toe, finding ballet shoes that fit was a bit of a challenge for me.  But, it was worth the hunt – a great fitting shoe makes all the difference in your confidence and ultimately, your performance.

It must have been hard for my mother to drive me to ballet classes 4 times a week and buy me new shoes all the time. My mother had always dreamed of being a ballerina, but her immigrant parents didn’t have the money to send her to classes – so the dream continued through me, her first daughter.  I felt I owed it to her to indulge in her dream for a while, and then I learned to love it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, 4teachers, Dance Clothing & Shoes, Editorial, Online Dance Resources, Pointe Shoes, Studios Tagged With: ballet blog, best ballet shoes, blog, lara friesen, pointe shoes

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