Joffrey performance

[Guest dragonfly7]

Hi,

 

I was able to catch the Joffrey's gala performace of the Diaghilev ballets last night and came away both inspired/awed and yet with some questions. I wonder if anyone had insights.

 

In "Rite of Spring", I noticed that most of the dancers had their feet obviously turned in, even maintaining this through curtain call. I understand that Nijinsky choreographed it - does anyone know if this had an explanation/philosophy, or that was just simply part of the dance and I'm trying to "read" too much into the dance? After noticing the feet placements, I started to pay attention to how it would affect the dancers' technique and started to see that some of them didn't really turn their feet in during some parts. That distracted me because it seemed like there was no uniformity in the execution -- some had slightly turned in feet, some had very turned in feet, others wavered between slight and not at all.

 

But since this was done during the dawn of modern dance, am I getting too particular about this? I don't know why, but it really bugged me! Also, there was a part where a whole section of female dancers did chaines two rows after another, and the ones in the last row had some girls crashing into each other! I keep telling myself that I can only DREAM about being as good as they are, but the sloppy turns kind of called attention to themselves. It's strange, because I am just a non-professional adult ballet dancer and should be more forgiving about the rigors of being on stage -- but, there's a "but still" lingering in my mind. Hopefully someone can dispel it!

 

All the other ballets were wonderful, though, and especially because I am taking ballet, I appreciate all the little moves much more. Like when the acrobats in "Parade" did royales looking like feathers, I wanted to say, "Did you see that!!!"

 

Thanks, anyone, for reading this ranting.

[Xena]

Hi Dragonfly

 

You have written quite an interesting thread, and I thought if i copied it to Issues in Ballet (esp with reagrds to the turned in feet), then others who don't venture to these distant parts of the board, may give you a differenet response...ohh now I htink I should post it in discovering ballet as well! you seemed to have got abit of everything in! But I am curious to know why as well!

 

So keep an eye on the your thread in Issues in Ballet (unless it gets moved from there..)!

 

Jeanette x