LESSON 1: THE RED SHOES
Hello Dancers on the making!!
Welcome to your first lesson. I hope you are excited to learn about this beautiful form of art. We are in our Dance Studio, so please find your place in the barre and let us begin.
Welcome to your first lesson. I hope you are excited to learn about this beautiful form of art. We are in our Dance Studio, so please find your place in the barre and let us begin.
OUTFIT
First of all, it is very important to learn the dress code for the dance academy, and more specifically, for the ballet class. Most of you already have an accurate idea of how we will be dressing, but if you don’t, please pay close attention and make sure to come properly dress for our next class.
FEMALE DANCEWEAR
The basic outfit for all ballerinas includes:
MALE DANCEWEAR
It is very similar to female dancewear, with a few changes:
FEMALE DANCEWEAR
The basic outfit for all ballerinas includes:
- LEOTARD: Defined as a “skintight, one-piece garment for the torso, having a high or low neck, long or short sleeves, and a lower portion resembling either briefs or tights, worn by acrobats, dancers, etc.” (Dictionary.com) Great thing about leotards is that you can find many different designs and colors, so you should choose the one you like the most and the one you feel more comfortable with.
- TIGHTS: Defined as a “skintight, one-piece garment for the lower part of the body and the legs, originally worn by dancers, gymnasts, etc”.(The Free Dictionary.com). Choose tights that combine with the color of your leotard. There’s no rule about this but usually the tights come in a lighter color than your leotard.
- BALLET SKIRTS: To add a touch of “femininity”, you can also include a ballet skirt to your outfit. These are completely optional and some teachers may not like them while others will ask for it. For this class I would suggest you to wear them, matching the color of your leotard.
- BALLET SLIPPERS: These are very important! They will allow you to move and perform properly. Choose the ones that fit your size and that match the color of your tights. Once you advance in your studies, you will start practicing using pointe shoes!
- BUN: Remember to tie your hair into a bun to avoid distractions of your hair flying all around your face when jumping or making turns. It will also allow your instructor to see your lines better.
MALE DANCEWEAR
It is very similar to female dancewear, with a few changes:
- TIGHTS: These are thicker than female tights and most of them come in black or white color.
- DANCE BELT: Use them while wearing tights. Help you to protect your genitals.
- BALLET SLIPPERS
- T-SHIRTS OR TOPS: Come in a variety of colors and designs, and are used to cover the upper part of your body, and complement the tights.
Here's also a nice infographic for you girls!
BASIC POSITIONS
Before we learn more technical stuff in the lessons to come, it is necessary for you to know the basic positions, which will aid you in your ballet training and also in other dance classes for warm up exercises or for training as well. The basic five positions of ballet involve movements with your feet and hands, and those positions are the following:
- FIRST POSITION: Your heels should be touching with your toes turned out. Hold your arms in front of you in an oval shape.
- SECOND POSITION: Spread your feet to the left and right, adding space between the heels. Open your arms wide but don’t stretch them back. They should be slightly rounded and slightly in front of you.
- THIRD POSITION: Cross one foot in front of the other, so that the heel of your right foot touches the inside of your left foot. Bring one arm curved in towards you and the other one out to the side.
- FOURTH POSITION: Put one foot in front of the other with a space between. Raise one arm curved above your head and the other out to the side.
- FIFTH POSITION: Have one foot exactly in front of the other but closed up together, so that your toes and heels touch. Raise both arms to form an oval.
THE RED SHOES
In every lesson, besides learning ballet moves that will help you to improve your technique, we are also going to learn about famous ballets! Narratives and stories told through ballet that will inspire you to become the dancer you want to be!
To wrap up this lesson we are going to start with THE RED SHOES.
The Red Shoes is a film that was released in 1948, yes, it is sort of an old movie! This film is based on the story of the same name, written by Hans Christian Andersen, however it is not an adaptation of the story, and it is more an interpretation of it. If you watch the movie and read the story you will find important differences, however, the essence (and the title!) is still the same.
THE STORY
The Red Shoes, a movie by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is a musical tragedy. The story starts when Julian Craster, a composer looking for recognition and success, attends to a ballet presentation and finds out that his music is being used without his permission. When he faces the director of the Dance Company, Boris Lermontov, asking for an explanation, Boris decides to hire him so Julian can compose the music for his new ballet: The Red Shoes.
Victoria, “Vicky”, Page, a very talented ballerina joins Lermontov’s Company, and soon, a love relation between Vicky and Julian starts to develop. The Red Shoes becomes an instant success and Victoria becomes a star as well! When Boris, who is secretly in love with Vicky, finds out her romance with Julian, he decides to fire him, but much to Boris’ dismay, Victoria decides to leave as well.
Vicky and Julian leave to London and live a happy marriage, but one time, when Vicky was in Monte Carlo visiting her aunt for the holidays, she finds Boris Lermontov, who asks her to please return to the company and dance in a revival of The Red Shoes. On opening night, Julian and Lermontov have a confrontation, and seeing that Victoria would choose dancing instead of leaving with him, Julian walks away. When Vicky was about to perform, an irresistible and uncontrollable impulse (caused by the red shoes) forces her to run out of the theatre, jump from a balcony and fall in front of a train.
Julian reaches Victoria, who asks him to remove the red shoes and then dies, just as in the end of The Red Shoes ballet.
Pretty tragic don’t you think? Just as tragic as Andersen’s tale! However this movie is very important because it was one of the first films to combine dance (and more particularly ballet) with film narrative, and also because it is considered that it inspired many girls to become ballet dancers, dreaming to achieve success on the stages just like Victoria did.
BEHIND THE CURTAINS!
Eager to learn more about The Red Shoes? Here you have some fun facts!
1. Moira Shearer (Victoria) suffered a lot while shooting this film! On her first day of shooting, she got badly sunburned and developed a blister on her back. Later in the production she also wrenched her neck when called to leap from a window, and received a scratch that turned into an abscess.
2. Michael Powell (director) had difficulties convincing Moira to participate in the film. She held out for a year before giving in to him.
3. Even though it was a film that brought fame to Moira Shearer, it was a movie that she didn’t enjoy to participate in. It pretty much has to do with the not so good relation she had with the director. She said that Powell was distant and aloof and never really gave her much direction; and having to dance for hours on end on concrete floors also physically took its toll on all the dancers.
4. The title ballet sequence took six weeks to shoot and employed over 120 paintings by Hein Heckroth.
5. Casting the role of Vicky Page was extremely difficult. They wanted someone who could dance and act, and fell in love with Moire Shearer, who, much to their dismay, refused at first. They considered casting actresses like Ann Todd and Hazel Court, and then cheating with a real ballerina for the ballet sequences.
6. The 15-minute "Ballet of the Red Shoes" used a corps de ballet of 53 dancers. If you are dying to see this very famous performance, please watch the following video!!
To wrap up this lesson we are going to start with THE RED SHOES.
The Red Shoes is a film that was released in 1948, yes, it is sort of an old movie! This film is based on the story of the same name, written by Hans Christian Andersen, however it is not an adaptation of the story, and it is more an interpretation of it. If you watch the movie and read the story you will find important differences, however, the essence (and the title!) is still the same.
THE STORY
The Red Shoes, a movie by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is a musical tragedy. The story starts when Julian Craster, a composer looking for recognition and success, attends to a ballet presentation and finds out that his music is being used without his permission. When he faces the director of the Dance Company, Boris Lermontov, asking for an explanation, Boris decides to hire him so Julian can compose the music for his new ballet: The Red Shoes.
Victoria, “Vicky”, Page, a very talented ballerina joins Lermontov’s Company, and soon, a love relation between Vicky and Julian starts to develop. The Red Shoes becomes an instant success and Victoria becomes a star as well! When Boris, who is secretly in love with Vicky, finds out her romance with Julian, he decides to fire him, but much to Boris’ dismay, Victoria decides to leave as well.
Vicky and Julian leave to London and live a happy marriage, but one time, when Vicky was in Monte Carlo visiting her aunt for the holidays, she finds Boris Lermontov, who asks her to please return to the company and dance in a revival of The Red Shoes. On opening night, Julian and Lermontov have a confrontation, and seeing that Victoria would choose dancing instead of leaving with him, Julian walks away. When Vicky was about to perform, an irresistible and uncontrollable impulse (caused by the red shoes) forces her to run out of the theatre, jump from a balcony and fall in front of a train.
Julian reaches Victoria, who asks him to remove the red shoes and then dies, just as in the end of The Red Shoes ballet.
Pretty tragic don’t you think? Just as tragic as Andersen’s tale! However this movie is very important because it was one of the first films to combine dance (and more particularly ballet) with film narrative, and also because it is considered that it inspired many girls to become ballet dancers, dreaming to achieve success on the stages just like Victoria did.
BEHIND THE CURTAINS!
Eager to learn more about The Red Shoes? Here you have some fun facts!
1. Moira Shearer (Victoria) suffered a lot while shooting this film! On her first day of shooting, she got badly sunburned and developed a blister on her back. Later in the production she also wrenched her neck when called to leap from a window, and received a scratch that turned into an abscess.
2. Michael Powell (director) had difficulties convincing Moira to participate in the film. She held out for a year before giving in to him.
3. Even though it was a film that brought fame to Moira Shearer, it was a movie that she didn’t enjoy to participate in. It pretty much has to do with the not so good relation she had with the director. She said that Powell was distant and aloof and never really gave her much direction; and having to dance for hours on end on concrete floors also physically took its toll on all the dancers.
4. The title ballet sequence took six weeks to shoot and employed over 120 paintings by Hein Heckroth.
5. Casting the role of Vicky Page was extremely difficult. They wanted someone who could dance and act, and fell in love with Moire Shearer, who, much to their dismay, refused at first. They considered casting actresses like Ann Todd and Hazel Court, and then cheating with a real ballerina for the ballet sequences.
6. The 15-minute "Ballet of the Red Shoes" used a corps de ballet of 53 dancers. If you are dying to see this very famous performance, please watch the following video!!
End of the first lesson! I hope you enjoyed it! Please continue with your assignment.
REFERENCES
- http://www.adult-ballet.org/ballet-class-for-beginners-absolute-beginners/
- http://www.balletformen.com/2009/09/10/an-intro-to-men%E2%80%99s-ballet-apparel/
- http://www.pbt.org/community-engagement/basic-ballet-positions
- http://takelessons.com/blog/ballet-for-beginners-1
- http://hca.gilead.org.il/red_shoe.html
- http://www.danzaballet.com/las-zapatillas-rojas-the-red-shoes/