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Changing The Field of Dreams: How America And England Can Cultivate More Homegrown Ballerinas

August 4, 2013 by Risa Kaplowitz

Dancer: Jillian Davis Photo: Michael Kendrick
Dancer: Jillian Davis Photo: Michael Kendrick

by Risa Gary Kaplowitz

Last month, New York Times dance critic, Alastair Macaulay, wrote an article on the dearth of American ballerinas. Some dancers felt that his ruminations were unfounded and the article caused an uproar on Facebook feeds and blogs. But, a few weeks later, from across the pond, came an article featuring Carlos Acosta,  Royal Ballet’s principal guest artist and his feelings about the lack of British ballerinas. Since this article was written by one of their own, dancers did more head scratching than head banging when they read it.

In the article, Mr. Acosta says, “If you don’t have talent in your own backyard, you must go and find it.” Certainly it appears that many companies in the United States and England are already doing so. For example, at American Ballet Theatre, christened in 2006 as “America’s National Ballet Company,”  only two of its ten female principal dancers are American. The others are South American (two), Russian (five) and a South Korean. Similarly, in the Royal Ballet, this recent article points out that only one of its female principals is British even as its writer offers up a “who cares” attitude about the lack of homegrown ballerinas.

 

So why are the United States and England losing the ballerina game so severely to countries like Russia and those in Latin America?  There are differences in training but all of these countries possess stellar schools. While Mr. Macaulay never explores the reasons for the problem, Mr. Acosta is on the right track when he ponders, “Maybe it’s because their parents don’t know how to educate them in this [ballet] world?”

 

In fact, parents don’t know how to educate their budding ballerina because they have no idea such potential exists right under their feet. Like any other prodigy, a ballerina is born and then trained. No school can create a ballerina if certain attributes don’t already exist. Yet, if the attributes are not recognized, how can they flourish? Somehow, someway, we must educate parents to understand what a budding ballerina looks and acts like. And it’s probably not what they think.

 

Contrary to the intuition of non-dancers, potential ballerinas are not young girly-girls. Rather, a ballerina usually comes out of the womb with wiry limbs, coordination beyond her years, and a restlessness of body, mind, and spirit. She is a tomboy.

 

In fact, time and again, ballerinas have said that they were tomboys in their youth. They climbed trees, took risks, and played any number of sports very, very well. They may have played dress up, but they wielded a sword while wearing their tiara.

Since we can safely presume that Russian and Latin American parents do not give birth to more beautiful tomboys than American and English parents do, we can also presume that it is what they do with their rambunctious girls that makes them win the ballerina number game. Russian and Latin American parents are more likely to take their athletic daughters to dance schools in order to tame their wild side with lessons filled with discipline and grace. Meanwhile, our sports and gender-equality obsessed countrymen and women are more likely to ferry them to sports teams.

 

Let’s face it, few typical non-dancer parents in the United States would look at their daughter jumping to get her Nerf ball down from the inside of a light fixture and say, “Wow, that high natural jump would be great for ballet!” They would much more likely shout, “Woohoo, we’ve got the next UConn Girl’s Basketball team star right here!”

 

Over the years, I have seen many interviews with American ballerinas who have said that they were tomboys when they were young. The first article that I remember reading on the topic was decades ago when I was a hopeful ballerina myself. It was in 1981, and the People Magazine article on the then New York City Ballet’s wunderkind, Darci Kistler was titled, “At 17, a California Tomboy Becomes Balanchine’s Newest Baby Ballerina”

 

Two of America’s ballerinas whom Mr. Macaulay agrees should be called ballerinas, Gillian Murphy and Sterling Hyltin are both self-proclaimed former tomboys. And a tomboy, too, was Darcy Bussell, the British ballerina that Carlos Acosta so wishes was still dancing so that he could have a Brit “of a sufficient stature for him to perform opposite” in his new production of Don Quixote.

And, while both Ms. Murphy and Ms. Bussell had been avid soccer players in their youth, Royal Ballet’s only current British principal dancer, Lauren Cuthbertson doesn’t “look very different from the skinny, freckled kid from Devon who was taken to ballet classes by her mum in order to burn off her tomboy restlessness” when she is offstage according to this Guardian article. Lucky for Ms. Cuthbertson and the others above that they had moms and mums who thought differently than most.

The quest for the American and English ballerinas could be over within a decade if only active girls with the ballet goods were guided to the barre rather than to the field. However, this requires broader opportunities for dance education and awareness such as public schools embracing dance as either an option or supplement to physical education.

 

Perhaps we need a rescue plan much like those used for near extinct animals, a “Save the Ballerina,” initiative. We must spread the word that while ballet lessons are great for any girl (certainly many who were not former tomboys succeed in having wonderful dance careers), the ones who are the most athletic will have a greater opportunity to be true ballerinas–those female principal dancers possessing enough strength, precision and physical and artistic courage to move mountains let alone audiences. 

In the meanwhile, the next time you see a lanky girl kicking the you-know-what out of her soccer ball, tell her parents to take her to a good ballet school.

Risa Kaplowitz
Risa Gary Kaplowitz

Contributor Risa Gary Kaplowitz is a former principal dancer with Dayton Ballet and member of Houston Ballet and Manhattan Ballet. She has also performed with Pennsylvania Ballet and Metropolitan Opera Ballet and as a guest artist with many companies nationwide.

She was originally trained at Maryland Youth Ballet by Tensia Fonseca, Roy Gean, and Michelle Lees. She spent summers as a teen studying on scholarship at American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Houston Ballet. As a professional, her most influential teachers were Maggie Black, Marjorie Mussman, Stuart Sebastian, Lupe Serrano, Benjamin Harkarvy, and Ben Stevenson. She has performed the repertoire of many choreographers including Fredrick Ashton, George Balanchine, Ben Stevenson, Stuart Sebastian, Dermot Burke, Billy Wilson, and Marjorie Mussman.

After spending ten years in a successful business career while building a family, Risa returned to the dance world and founded Princeton Dance and Theater Studio (www.princetondance.com) and DanceVision, Inc. (www.dancevisionnj.org) with Susan Jaffe, former ABT principal ballerina. Risa is now PDT’s Director, and the Artistic Director of DanceVision Inc. Risa also founded D.A.N.C.E. (Dance As a Necessary Component of Education), an outreach program that brings dance to New Jersey schools.

Risa has choreographed more than twenty pieces, and her original full-length ballets, The Secret Garden and The Snow Queen, premiered with DanceVision Performance Company in 2008 and 2011, respectively. Additionally, she has choreographed for several New Jersey Symphony Orchestra family and school outreach concerts.

Risa is an ABT® Affiliate Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, and has successfully presented students for examinations.

She has lectured the ABT/NYU Master candidates on starting a dance studio. She is most grateful for her teachers who gave and (in the case of ABT® Curriculum) give her the exceptional tools necessary to have had a performance career and the opportunity to train others in authentically. She also feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to dance with and learn from many exceptional dancers.

 

Filed Under: Editorial Tagged With: american ballerinas, american ballet theatre, carlos acosta, royal ballet

DVD Review: First Position

February 27, 2013 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

first position documentaryThe documentary First Position chronicles the journey of seven young dancers through the semi-final and final rounds of the Youth America Grand Prix. The film’s subjects range from age nine to age 17. They ride in Jaguars through Palo Alto, CA for private lessons; they ride the subway home to graffiti-slapped Queens, NY. They are girly-girls, military kids, and war orphans.

What these students have in common is love for their work and dreams of success. The ones who stand out as truly special are infectiously passionate about the work they get to do in order to achieve that dream. They are an inspiration to their peers, to their families, and to their teachers and coaches.

First Position does a thorough job of presenting the sacrifices and challenges these young dancers face, as well as their passion and their triumph. It also affords interesting perspective from some of the YAGP judges concerning the place and purpose of competitions in the ballet world. Happily, the overall consensus at YAGP seems to be that competitions exist to provide exposure to young dancers. They are a stepping-stone, not an end goal, and certainly not an occasion to objectively quantify students’ abilities. That message is emphasized by a closing shot of the Royal Ballet School’s “Bridge of Aspiration.”

This film carries an air of cool suspense throughout, and a certain matter-of-factness appropriate to a documentary about such tough, driven young people. That’s not to say it’s without moments of humor, emotion, and warmth—especially funny are shots of 11-year-old Aran Bell on his Pogo stick and of coach Viktor Kabanaiev wincing and guffawing at nine-year-old Jules Fogarty’s botched tours and pirouettes. Well-depicted, also, are the special bonds between students and coaches.

First Position is directed by Bess Kargman. It has won awards at national and international film festivals in 2011 and 2012. Extensive information about this excellent documentary is available on the film’s website, www.balletdocumentary.com.

Filed Under: DVDs, Reviews Tagged With: ballet dvd, bess kargman, dance movie, first position, royal ballet, yagp

DVD Review: La Fille Mal Gardee

February 20, 2013 by 4dancers

by Emily Kate Long

La Fille Mal Gardee Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardee is one of the best-loved works in the Royal Ballet’s classical repertoire. This black-and-white release, recorded in 1962 (just two years after the ballet’s premiere), features the original cast of principals: Nadia Nerina as Lise, David Blair as Colas, and Stanley Holden as Widow Simone, Lise’s mother.

Ashton’s construction balances the humorous narrative with surprising choreographic shapes and movement sequences. This ballet is a true work of art, and producer Margaret Dale’s arrangement of the ballet for the BBC studios ensures each aspect is given due attention. The large-scale dances are given appropriate perspective, and close-up shots allow the narrative to flow smoothly and the comedy to read clearly.

Act I begins tongue-in-cheek with a dance for four hens and a rooster, setting a tone of lightness and humor for the entire ballet. We meet Nerina as the impetuous Lise, teasing her mother and always up to something.  She is in love with Colas, but Widow Simone has other plans—Lise is to be wed to Alain (Alexander Grant), the bumbling and subtly hilarious son of a wealthy landowner. This act is laced throughout with smart and lively choreography for the villagers, as well as the comic “Clog Dance” for Widow Simone and four of Lise’s friends—an echo of the chickens’ dance that opened the act. After making their way to the fields for both work and play, the entire cast is chased home by a spectacular thunderstorm.

Act II opens with Simone and Lise back indoors, drying off and settling down to domestic pursuits. Lise’s mischief continues, and eventually Simone leaves on an errand. By the time she returns, Colas has sneaked into the house and hidden in Lise’s room. Lise is sent upstairs to change into her wedding dress in preparation for the arrival of Alain, his father, and the village notary. Soon the lovers are discovered, much to the dismay of the future parents-in-law! After recovering from the shock, Widow Simone relents and blesses the marriage of Lise and Colas. Act II closes with a boisterous, circular party, and as in the first act, Alain gets the last laugh.

The pas de deux in this ballet are certainly worth mentioning as highlights—none are of the usual “opening-adage-solo-solo-coda” formula. The first two make use of ribbons, one brilliantly playful, the second a nod to traditional, formal pas de deux framed by an entire corps de ballet. The third is danced through a window, and the last, reminiscent of La Sylphide or Giselle, is seamlessly integrated into the general merry-making.

This production in utterly charming and plays out like a storybook, and it’s a treat to see the original principal cast. Dance lovers will enjoy watching this piece of history!

Filed Under: DVDs, Reviews Tagged With: david blair, dvd, La Fille Mal Gardee, nadia nerina, royal ballet, Sir Frederick Ashton

dunhill’s “Voice” Campaign — Featuring The Royal Ballet’s Rupert Pennefather

August 4, 2011 by 4dancers

I love it when a company does something different.

Luxury clothing brand, dunhill, has released an ad campaign for Autumn/Winter 2011 which is titled simply, “Voice”.

What is it all about? In their own words, “Recognising that achievement is the ultimate masculine aspiration and can only ever be attained through skill, intelligence, drive and the ability to be extraordinary.”

Why are we talking about this on 4dancers?

One of the people who was chosen to be featured in this campaign is ballet dancer Rupert Pennefather. In 2008 Rupert was promoted to principal at The Royal Ballet aged just 27, making him one of the youngest ever in the company’s history. He is currently performing in London in Manon to outstanding reviews.

Thanks to dunhill, 4dancers is able to share with you this video–part of the “Voice” campaign. In it, you’ll hear some of Pennefather’s reflections on his life in ballet. The campaign also features the legendary explorer and exhibition leader, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and acclaimed theatre director, Michael Grandage. (If you’d like to see all three of these gentlemen, visit dunhill.)

Here’s the video–would love to hear what you think–I thought it was shot beautifully:

 

Filed Under: 4dancers, Editorial Tagged With: Ballet, dunhill, michael grandage, ranulph fiennes, royal ballet, rupert pennefather

On Giving Back…Part 2

June 29, 2011 by 4dancers

As promised, we’re back with part 2 of the post on giving back from Contributor Lucy Vurusic Riner…

If you missed the first part of this, read it here. Here’s the rest:

 

4. Don’t base your assumptions on the purely physical.

As dancers ourselves, we already know what if feels like to be judged by how we look.  Be truthful with your own experiences and concerns but follow this up with encouraging feedback that reiterates to them that you are projecting YOUR lived experiences, and that those DO NOT necessarily have to be theirs.  Young dancers bodies are changing every day.  If you tell your students that they won’t make it in the dance world because of their body type you better be confident that over the course of the next ten years you can be sure that child’s body is not going to change AT ALL.  And if you can’t be that confident, you shouldn’t make the claim.

5. Try not to pigeonhole their view of the dance world.

What does this mean?  It means that there are A LOT of dance companies in the world.  I have plenty of students that will never be in the Royal Ballet….ok….probably none, but that doesn’t mean I can tell them that they won’t be in ANY ballet, because I don’t know every ballet company out there.  More importantly, you don’t know in what ways your students’ interests will shift as they grow.  I have plenty of ballet dancers that have gone to dance for very successful modern companies.  I have had modern dancers who get to New York and see a musical and they become Broadway babies.  Beyond that, the dance scenes in Europe, Asia and Africa all have such different aesthetics and philosophies that we can’t know how our students might bode someplace beyond our full understanding.

6. Tough love is different then demoralizing.

Tough love is telling a student they can’t perform in a show because they missed too many rehearsals or didn’t show up for company call.  It’s a hard lesson learned but it teaches them to be responsible.  Demoralizing is telling a student that they have poor turn out, aren’t flexible enough or that their body has odd proportions for dance.  The only thing they gain from comments like that is low self-esteem and self doubt.  Good teachers recognize hurdles their dancers might face and find ways to work with them.  Constantly knocking someone down in order to have them try to build themselves back up is counterproductive and wastes time.  Some teachers call this technique of teaching “old school.”  I just call it “old.”  Let’s work on nurturing their talents.

7. Your lived experience belongs to you.

The dance world is a forever-changing place.  Yes, some things stay the same.  There are companies that have been around forever and will hopefully continue to do so.  But even in those scenarios, things change.  In my lifetime I have seen the Graham, Limon and Cunningham companies go through significant changes.  I’ve seen second companies spring up for Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey and Hubbard Street.  What we knew to be truths when we might have been budding dancers has changed in varying degrees, and I think for the most part, in good ways.  So try to be objective.  And when you aren’t sure if you’re giving the best advice, just tell your student that.  That is honesty that they can respect.

I think back to how both my good and bad teachers have influenced who I am as a dancer today.  The successful teachers taught me that dedication, determination and resilience would get me ahead in my dancing.  They also helped me recognize where my shortfalls were and work with them.  The not so successful teachers taught me all of the things that I have listed above, and for that I have to be grateful as well.  As teachers, we all have different styles in the way we teach and motivate our dancers.  Consider the long term effect you would like to have on your students and the choices they make.  I want my dancers to remember me as a teacher that understood their dreams; not crushed them.

Contributor Lucy Vurusic Riner is a native Chicagoan who has been supporting and contributing to the dance community for over twenty years. She received her BS Degree in dance and dance education from Illinois State University.  Lucy has been a member of Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak Dance Company, RTG Dance Company and Matthew Hollis’ “The Power of Cheer.”  She has also had the opportunity to be part of the community cast of White Oak Dance Project and David Dorfman Dance.

Lucy has taught modern, hip hop, and jazz at numerous studios and high schools in the Chicagoland area.  She has been the Director of Dance at Oak Park and River Forest High School since 1999. In 2005, Lucy completed her Masters Degree in Education from National Louis University and also received the Midwest Dance Teacher of the Year award and was the youngest of four finalists in the running for the National Dance Teacher of the Year award.  Lucy and artistic partner, Michael Estanich, formed RE|Dance in 2010.  This dancer theater company investigates humanity in movement through long distance collaboration.  Lucy has also begun work on a long-term project entitled, “The Moving Vessel” which explores the impact of motherhood on the professional dancer.  When Lucy is not working with independent choreographers and producing her own shows, she is at home with her two great kids, Margie and Luka, and her very supportive husband, Jim.

Filed Under: 4dancers, 4teachers, Editorial Tagged With: alvin ailey, broadway, dance teachers, hubbard street, lucy riner, modern dancers, paul taylor, royal ballet

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