|
THE ONES ON THE BOTTOM ARE CORRECT.
So...what's wrong with those? Let's see...
1. Ribbons tied incorrectly; they're too high & will slide down.
2. Ribbons STAPLED onto shoes - they should be sewed on the inside.
3. Ribbons on right side (shiny) down.
4. Ribbons tied in a bow. They should be knotted & tucked in so they dont come out & trip you.
5. Drawstring not tucked in. It should be sewed into the inside of the shoe.
That's just ONE of the MANY misconceptions about ballet, and dance as a whole. Want more? Want the truth? Read on,
sweet bellas.
1) All Dancers Are Anorexic.
Not true! Dancers work hard. We sweat, we exercise, and because of this, dancers tend to be very thin. Factor into
this the natural avoidance of junk foods (we need to be healthy,) and a high metabolism from all that dancing. Oh, and our
teachers DO NOT starve us! They lecture us on the importance of eating well and the danger of eating disorders. As a matter
of fact, more & more dancers are getting to be more muscular than "anorexic sticks." You can't go on pointe
if you don't have any muscles in your legs.
2) Dancing is not hard work.
No way! All dancers will unite on this fact; WE WORK HARD. We've got muscles in places most people didn't know you could
have muscles. What, do you think we were BORN with the ability to move, and move gracefully at that? Where do you think
we get our flexibility from? The ballerina cabbage patch? I think not. "Someone once said that dancers work just as
hard as policemen, always alert, always tense, but see policemen don't have to be beautiful at the same time." So true.
If you doubt this at all, ask a friend to take you to a dance class. When you leave, I assure you, you will have changed
your mind.
3) All male dancers are gay.
This is simply not true. There is no requirement for male dancers to have altered sexual preferences! If dancing is
work, as much work as football and soccer and basketball and whatever else, they why shouldn't male dancers be treated the
same as any other athletes? Sure, some of them are gay, but who's to say that a certain percent of football players aren't?
4) Dancers aren't athletes.
Why not? We work hard. We make sacrifices for what we do. We strive for perfection. We ache, we sweat, we hurt a hell
of a lot. And yet, were not a sport. Why not? If we aren't a sport, what's gymnastics, figure skating, ice DANCING, rhythmic
gymnastics, or cheerleading? All require the same thing dance does. Cheerleaders are often regarded as "Dancers gone
a little bit wrong." Whatever you tell us, we know what we are...
5) We aren't artists.
Yes, dance is an art. Look it up. Oh, but excuse me. Artists are the dudes with thin little mustaches & easles
who walk around going "oui oui, mademoiselle." Artists are the overweight opera singers. The actors....but dance
is an art too. Why shouldn't it be? We express emotion through movement...not paints or songs.
6) The frilly pink tutu, little girl image.
As pretty much everyone knows, every little girl wants to be a ballerina. What everyone doesn't know is how many people
make that a real career. Oh, and frilly pink tutus? We practice in leotards, people.
7)Dancing just means you...dance.
Nope. See, in ballet and loads of other styles, there's this tricky thing...it's called technique. It involves, among
other things, posture, turnout, placement and arms. All that, without even starting to DANCE. Technique is HARD and involves
a lot of practice & thought.
8) Ballet is the only real kind of dance.
Let's face it, there are more styles of dance than you can even dream up right now. I'm not even sure I know them all.
Ballet -modern & classical, pick from French, Russian, or R.A.D., modern -Graham, Limon, Ailey & more . . . tap, jazz,
folk -Irish, African, Belly dancing, and breakdancing, etc., etc. Oh yes, and exotic dance too. So next time somebody tells
you that they dance, don't assume anything...be sure to ask what kind.
9)Your instructor/stage mother forces you to practice.
Nobody forces us to dance. We do it because we love it and want to get better, believe it or not.
10) You must catty, backstabbing, & prissy to succeed in dance.
Try...talented, determined, beautiful, strong...? Dance is not like the other kinds of performance fields. Or maybe the
other kinds of performers are like dancers, and it's all myth, but really I wouldn't know. But you can't dance for fame or
money. There's very little of both. You can't fake your talent. You dance because you love it or you don't dance at all.
11)Dancers tie their pointe shoes up to their knees.
Who started that myth??? Wrong, wrong, wrong. The above pic explains it all.
12) Male dancers are wimpy and have no muscle.
Now you tell me who's weak... On average, a male dancer will lift one and a half tons of ballerina weight in just one
performance alone. Oh, and the tights? Don't football players wear those creepy tight pants? I mean really, get a grip,
people. Just consider the tights the dancer's uniform, and they can't help it if it's slightly weird.
13) Ballerinas wear tutus 24/7.
Tutus are VERY expensive. They are recital dress, ONLY. Dancers have a special kind of clothes they practice in...black
leotard, pink tights. Period. "Warm-ups," to help warm the muscles, include leg warmers and "Shrugs,"
a kind of cut-up sweater that only goes over the arms and shoulders. A ballerina may wear her tutu in practice to get used
to the feel of it, but basically it is worn only in performance, nowhere else.
14) Dancers are supposed to dance through injury.
We aren't stupid...dancing on an injury will only make it worse. All teachers and professional dancers will tell you NOT
to dance if youre hurt or sick. As my teacher told me, "Maybe a slight sprain, a bruise...fine, you can dance with that.
But anything serious...a fracture of any kind, a very bad sprain...if you want to keep on dancing after that recital, this
is one performance you'll have to sit out."
15) Ballerinas only like classical music.
We are humans too, you know. Actually, ballerinas are encouraged to take more than one kind of dance. Which means, those
hip-hop girls could be ballerinas. And who says we don't warm up to J.Lo or Britney? :) Actually, theres a form of ballet
called "modern ballet," where they actually do dance to "popular music"...seen Center Stage? Then you
know what I mean.
16) Punks, overweight people, hiphop dancers, black people, etc. can't be ballerinas.
Dancers come in all shapes in sizes, from all religons, races, personalities and backgrounds. Pulling all our differences
together onstage is what makes a performance a special thing. Dancers - ballerinas are Jews, Catholics, Presbyterians, Quakers,
and Wiccans; they are tall, short, thin, fat, and average; they are Goths, punks, preps, cheerleaders, and jocks; they are
Chinese, African, Indian, and Caucasian; they range in ages from 3 to 30+. It doesnt matter, as long as they can dance.
|
