Do you want to inspire your child to take ballet classes, to reveal to him the beauty of ballet steps? Or maybe he is already sick of dancing and wants to know as much as possible about it? Then this book is for you.
She will tell the history of ballet from the background of its appearance (pagan dances and performances in the imperial palaces) to modern dance. Together with your child, you will be able to trace the development of this art through the watercolor illustrations by Anastasia Batishcheva.
The book provides the basics of ballet theory. She will talk about what is important in the play and what the theater consists of, as well as show what is happening behind the stage: scenery, costumes, script, music.
You and your child can try to do several steps according to the schemes yourself. You will learn the secrets of the skill of several famous dancers: Ulyana Lopatkina, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Diana Vishneva and others.
The book will teach you not only to distinguish fouette from plie, but to see beauty in every movement of the artists, to be a true connoisseur of the art of ballet.
Chips of the book
This is the first book in the "Your Rules" series about the most spectacular and popular sports, arts and active leisure.
The informative text in the book is accompanied by illustrations, so that kids who cannot yet read can also find it interesting.
Explore and Play: There are quizzes, riddles and tests in each section.
This is not a thick encyclopedia: it contains only the most interesting details that can interest a child.
For those who have already taken a great interest in ballet, there are tips on how to take the first steps in their careers.
On the endpapers - comics based on the libretto of famous ballet productions
About the series
"Your Rules" is a children's illustrated series dedicated to the most spectacular sports, art and active leisure.
Books, using specific examples, explain to the child the history of the emergence of a particular discipline, theory and practice, and the peculiarities of learning.
The logic of these books is from the simplest knowledge and independent skills to achieving success and entering the world level. There are guidelines for where to go to study, how to try the simplest movements and start a career.
The series shows the child the possibilities of sports leisure, including those of it that are at the intersection between sports, art and play. The meta-idea of books is that the choice of an active lifestyle can affect one's destiny: career, fullness of life, health. You can try any interesting kind of leisure yourself, and not just watch it on TV. Therefore, each book contains information about where you can learn the basics of a particular discipline - in the gym, in the section or on the street.
The books of the series help to see the beauty of human movements, the limitless possibilities of the body and spirit; navigate the modern world, integrate into a society in which sports and arts are a favorite topic for discussion.
Who is this book for?
For children from 5 years old and their parents - everyone who wants their children to fall in love with ballet and learn to appreciate its beauty.
Expand Description Collapse descriptionThere are some professions that the general public knows little about. One of them is ballet. To disprove the myths, you need to go behind the scenes and talk with the artists themselves.
Many of our compatriots have never seen ballet at all, for the majority this art of dance is associated with Swan Lake, Volochkova, and Tsiskaridze. The great ballerinas of the past, the same Maya Plisetskaya, will be remembered by few.
The recently released film "Black Swan" has spurred interest in this art form. But the tape itself is filled with myths - in real life this cannot be. And the producers have created a beautiful fairy tale that in just a year and a half of training, Natalie Portman learned to dance.
In fact, the overwhelming majority of the movements for her were performed by a professional ballerina who has been dancing for over 20 years. So what is ballet really, isn't it time to debunk the main myths about it?
Ballet myths
Parents bring children to ballet, condemning them to a miserable life. It seems to many that people get into this art thanks to cruel parents, and the life of a dancer after thirty is practically over. What's next - a scanty pension, oblivion and depression? In fact, everything is not so tragic. They really come to ballet when they are children, but usually training starts at the age of 10. Until that time, kids usually practice dancing in studios. Of course, it is difficult to expect that at the age of 10 a child can already deliberately choose a profession for himself. However, practice shows that none of the artists later regrets about their choice. As for the pension, the average age of dancing ballerinas is 25-27 years. They begin their professional activities at the age of 18, while their peers are just beginning to learn something. The heyday of the same career falls on 30 years. After that, sadly enough, you have to switch to age parties. But what's the rule without exceptions? You can remember the Mariinsky will host Ulyana Lopatkina. At 38, she was still almost the best Odette-Odile. And artists begin to receive a pension after 20 years of work in the corps de ballet and after 15 years of solo performances. So a 36-year-old artist can start receiving such an allowance. But of those who actively dance, under 40, no one is going to leave the profession. And life at this age does not end at all. Most artists combine work with university studies, so when it comes time to leave the stage, life prospects will not fail to appear.
Ballet dancers have only their work in their heads. This myth continues the previous one. In fact, many artists are quite versatile and interesting people. For example, in the "Russian Ballet" there were dancers who, in parallel with their work in the theater, also managed to study in-person at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. Subordination of the profession happens, but more and more often artists understand that it is not worth getting hung up on work, but that you have to try yourself in something else.
Ballerinas dance from morning to evening, they have no personal life. The artist schedule is really exhausting. Rehearsals last for five hours, during which the dancers perform many difficult jumps. But it turns out that this has already become the norm for them. Some even manage to dance in the clubs in the evenings. For the rest, the artists live, not very different from other people. They talk to each other, go to the movies, have families.
All ballerinas are gaunt anorexic. It seems to many that ballerinas are constantly on a diet and at McDonald's they definitely will not be seen. Of course, there are no magnificent ballerinas, they are fit and slender girls. The average weight of such artists is slightly more than 40 kilograms, and the maximum weight does not exceed 50 kilograms. And the reason is not that the ballerinas will look bulky. However, do not forget that white suits also add volume. The explanation is simple - it will be difficult for a partner to lift and toss a swan whose weight exceeds half a centner. The myth of ballerinas emaciated by anorexia was used in the movie Black Swan. In fact, anorexia is a terrible disease that is accompanied by poor health. By definition, a normal ballet dancer cannot have this, because the daily workload does not allow her to relax. And you can forgive such clichés to Americans and their films, because this country has never shone in ballet, and the audience there is used to simplification.
All ballerinas are on a diet. The terrible truth is that sometimes ballet dancers also eat at McDonald's. The fact is that the physical activity on the dancers is so high that the calories simply do not have time to stay in the body. So few people are on a diet. Another question is that it is simply impossible for them to interrupt training for a long time and to rest - the form will go away in just a few days. That is why ballet has only one day off a week. Every morning starts with an hour warm-up class, then rehearsals take place, and in the evening there is also a performance! It is not easy to survive without a normal diet with meat. Yes, and modern ballerinas can afford not to follow a diet, if only because those inclined to be overweight are weeded out even during training.
In ballet, constant enmity reigns, often glasses are poured into pointe shoes, pointe shoes are cut, tutus are torn. In fact, one cannot say that such an atmosphere reigns in all theaters. Eyewitnesses say that in the "Russian Ballet" there is a benevolent attitude of artists towards each other, regardless of their position or status. And gossip and envy are common human qualities. They are found in any team.
All ballet dancers are gay. First of all, it is worth correcting, there are no "ballet dancers", but there are ballet dancers or dancers. Indeed, in theaters, as in show business in general, a lot is decided through bed. But don't count all the artists as fans of same-sex love. There are, of course, and such. But most achieve everything with their talent and hard work. The ballet environment is quite peculiar, especially for men. It can be assumed that the constant work in front of the mirror and the hugs of ballerinas, who appear not at all as fairies, but as ordinary sweating women, bring up the very “unconventional” gene. But the higher the status of an artist, the more attention is paid to his personal life. So it seems that there are a lot of gays in ballet. The examples of Rudolf Nureyev, Vladimir Malakhov and David Holberg can confuse little boys who have just come to ballet.
Ballerinas rarely have children. This is not true, ballerinas often give birth, and sometimes at the height of their careers. But this situation is still relevant to the present. For example, Plisetskaya said that earlier ballerinas were not allowed to leave their creative life for at least a year. Today the situation has changed - the ballerinas have time to give birth and quickly return to the stage. For example, Svetlana Zakharova gave birth to a girl and after two months she returned to the theater, retaining her excellent shape. They even say that the birth of a child gives a woman's dance a new, special sound. And a vivid example of this is Ulyana Lopatkina.
After giving birth, it is impossible to restore shape. As mentioned above, there are cases when the ballerina returns to the stage after a couple of months, and after three months she dances in the performance. But it is very difficult - mentally and physically. The main thing here is to overcome yourself, to step over some kind of barrier. There is nothing impossible in this regard.
There are few men in ballet. Considering how few boys come to ballet, even fewer are graduated. So men in this art are really snapped up.
Ballet has a bad effect on health. This is unfortunately true. Many artists complain of spinal problems. This is especially pronounced in men. Knees and ankle joint often "fly", but this already depends on the technique. It happens that artists leave the stage because of poor health even before retirement.
Ballet is not popular with young people. It's not worth talking about the unpopularity of this art form. And young people really go to ballet less often than representatives of the older generation. The reason here is financial as well - regular attendance at performances is not a cheap thing. Yes, and the same "Black Swan" with Volochkova and Tsiskaridze, no, no, they do their bit to popularize the dance.
In fact, artists make pretty good money if they are ready to work conscientiously in the theater. For example, Maris Liepa, People's Artist of the USSR, was one of the first in Moscow to own a Mercedes.
Georgy Bolsunovsky, leading ballet dancer of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater: “It seems to me that the concept of a career ladder fits our profession very well. If you want to earn more than now, then you go to the gym and develop yourself, work on your shortcomings, strive to become better. This is how you rise from the corps de ballet to the soloists or from the soloist to the leading soloist. Isn't it professional success? "
Nadezhda Panfilova, ballet soloist of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater: “We travel the world, hear the best world classics every day, reincarnate, meet with the audience and their applause, and most importantly, most of the artists in the theater work out of love. How can this be called poverty? I am convinced that a person who does what he loves is not poor a priori and never will be. Plus our knowledge and skills are in great demand: tutoring and teaching will never leave us hungry! "
Difficult to break through if not born in the capital
To refute this assumption, there are hundreds of names of graduates in the Krasnoyarsk college who work all over the world - dance or teach. Success in this sense is a relative thing. Work abroad is no better and no worse than work in the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater. It all depends on the desires and ambitions of a particular person.
All ballerinas have sore legs
The ballerina's legs are, first of all, her main working tool, and if it is faulty, the ballerina will not be able to dance. So all ballerinas take very careful care of their feet and do not allow calluses, fungi, open wounds and the like. None of the artists erases their feet with blood. They are aware of the possible consequences and immediately glue adhesive plasters or put silicone pads.
Anastasia Belonogova, soloist of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater: “Legs do not hurt only for those who are lazy, because our body is not quite adapted for such heavy loads. But the pain in the legs after rehearsals and fatigue should be pleasant, as it means that you did a good job and are a little better than you were. As the wonderful Maya Plisetskaya used to say: “I want to dance until you’re a hundred, and if you don’t be lazy, you won’t last more than forty”
Elena Svinko, soloist of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater: “These are really strong loads, but teachers prepare us for them throughout our studies at the choreographic college. The health of the legs must be carefully monitored and listened to. If, with a minor injury, you do not give yourself a rest and do not heal, then there will really be serious problems. On the whole, ballet does not seriously harm the health of the legs, the main thing is to be smart about everything, warm up thoroughly before rehearsals, pump muscles, be able to rest, go to the bathhouse and drink complex vitamins. "
Ballet dancers begin their retirement age at 35
Indeed, the corps de ballet artist officially retires after 20 years of work experience, and the soloist - 15 years later. But this does not mean that the work is over. Many continue to dance, as they still have strength. In addition, the majority of artists, by the end of their solo careers, receive an extramural higher education as a teacher or choreographer. This allows, after leaving the stage, to remain in the profession as a tutor in the theater or a teacher in college. By the way, now, after graduating from the Krasnoyarsk college, the child also receives a diploma, according to which he can teach.
Ballet is not for boys
But no: ballet is unthinkable without them, there are so many wonderful male ballet parts. And among the stars of the ballet there are many who are admired by the whole world - Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev and Sergei Polunin.
Egor Osokin, ballet dancer of the highest category: “Those who think that ballet is not for boys think very narrowly. After all, ballet is both a gym and an inner hardening, and a manifestation of a gallant attitude towards a woman. This art fosters the best male qualities, at least that's what my wife says. Of course, I felt such an attitude towards myself, but people who spoke like that, having gone to the play, changed their point of view. "
Yuri Kudryavtsev, leading soloist of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater: “I think that such stereotypes are created by adults. The child likes or dislikes something only according to his own feelings. When I entered college, I met boys of all ages, male teachers, and when I went to the theater, male dancers worked on the stage. I realized that a ballet dancer is a profession that requires perseverance, special skills and self-discipline. We were shown a large number of video recordings of performances with the participation of great dancers that went down in the history of world ballet. Getting acquainted with the history of ballet art, we only became more convinced that classical ballet is in demand all over the world and it is impossible to imagine it without men ”
You will always have to go on a diet.
There are no “90-60-90” requirements in the ballet field. The body just has to be proportional: long legs, thin waist. Legends that ballerinas eat only spinach and lettuce have been repeatedly refuted by representatives of the profession of various sizes. Ballerinas have a lot of workload, so they easily lose calories. If a dancer or dancer is active people, if they are trying to build a career, then there should be no problem with the loss of calories from a hamburger. I must also say that we are trying to accept people who are not inclined to be overweight for training!
Elena Svinko, soloist of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater: “Ballerinas do not go on strict diets, but nutritional control still exists. I don’t starve, I don’t eat only apples and I don’t drink one kefir, no! A ballerina burns a lot of calories per day and naturally they need to be replenished. It is imperative that protein must be present in the diet, you can not completely abandon fats and carbohydrates, since in case of refusal, the body experiences stress and begins to gain weight. I believe that sometimes you can pamper yourself and eat some kind of fast food, it will not hurt your figure with constant training "
If we convinced you to listen to your son or daughter, who really want to go to ballet, then further instructions on how to apply "How to enter the Krasnoyarsk Choreographic College?"
About college
The Choreographic College is the only secondary vocational educational institution in the Krasnoyarsk Territory that prepares future specialists in the field of choreographic art. Students receive basic general and secondary vocational education, that is, the level of knowledge does not differ from a regular school. The college has all the usual subjects - mathematics, physics, English and others. Just in addition to this, there are special classes.
This year, the entrance exams here begin in June and last four days - from 4 to 7. Also, an additional set will be in August - on the 29th. Until summer, you can bring your child to the preview. Phone number to book a preview: 214-29-13. The beginning of classes is traditionally from September 1.
Age and duration of study
7 years 10 months study at the department of classical dance, on the basis of primary general education (after the end of grade 4).
4 years 10 months study at the department of folk dance, on the basis of 7 classes of basic general education (after the end of the 7th grade).
However, it is possible to receive gifted older children.
Testing
College applicants undergo a competitive selection consisting of three rounds.
On first round the main thing is the state of health.
Second round includes the definition and assessment of external stage and physical data.
On third round the applicant performs a previously prepared dance sketch or dance fragment with obligatory musical accompaniment.
Possibilities
Education, accommodation in a hostel for nonresident students and four meals a day - all this is absolutely free. The final qualifications of graduates depend on the chosen department. The department of classical dance graduates ballet dancers, teachers, and from the department of folk dance - artists of the song and dance ensemble, dance group, teachers. So if a child changes his mind about dancing, he will be able to teach this art to others.
Ballet is an amazing art of dance, which amazes the imagination with the skill of its performance, ballet dancers do not dance, but soar above the stage, spinning to the rhythm of melodies pleasant to the ear. One gets the impression that the laws of gravity simply do not have power over those who have chosen the path of ballet, which over the centuries of its existence has managed to acquire a mass of myths and legends. We will debunk the most popular of them today, writes Joinfo.ua.
You need to start classes almost from infancy
Many parents mistakenly believe that there is no point in enrolling a child in a ballet studio later than 3 years old. In fact, a child's skeleton is ready for ballet classes from the age of 10. But even starting to practice at 13 or even 17 years old, you can achieve tremendous success, there are many such examples in the history of world ballet.
Successful ballerinas are stupid
This myth is supported by the opinion that people, carried away by ballet, cease to seriously engage in science. But here one can argue, firstly, because ballet dancers in academies and schools are taught all general education subjects, besides, the motor and sensory systems of the body, perfectly developed with the help of dance, allow them to literally grasp everything on the fly.
Delicious food banned
Parents do not seek to send their children to ballet studios, fearing that now their child will have to starve in the truest sense of the word. There is an opinion among the people that ballet dancers are slender and light, since they have to adhere to the strictest diet all their lives.
This is nothing more than a stupid myth. Ballerinas and dancers just need to eat well, because they have to practice their ballet steps, and then perform on stage throughout the day: from early morning until late at night, when the evening performance ends.
Ballet dancers are childless dance fanatics
This myth appeared due to the fact that many successful ballerinas really do not want to take a long break in their careers, therefore they postpone the birth of children until a later time. But, do not forget that many of them still manage to combine profession and family. For example, the soloist of the Royal Danish Ballet Maria Werning gave birth to seven heirs, continuing to actively "flutter" around the stage after a short break.
Ballet dancers become retired early
Yes, dancers have the opportunity, upon reaching 20 years of experience, on average 35-37 years, to go on a well-deserved rest. But, not everyone uses this opportunity and remains devoted to the scene until 40, and sometimes to a ripe old age. An excellent example - the famous Maya Plisetskaya appeared on the stage at the age of 70. Here everything is decided by health and the desire to work.
Ballet - a century old classic
Many people think that ballet has not developed for centuries, therefore it is hopelessly outdated. However, this is not at all the case. This art form continues to develop, receives new forms of expression, new types of plastics, is performed not only on pointe shoes, but also in sneakers and heels, to any modern music and even in complete silence.
Pointe shoes hurt
This myth was born on the assumption that dancing on your fingertips seems uncomfortable to the layman. Experts recommend, in order to finally get rid of such prejudices, just try on pointe shoes one day.
In addition, the muscle corset of ballet dancers is completely different from that of ordinary people. A trained back, as well as feet and calves, allow them not only not to feel uncomfortable dancing on their toes, but literally flutter over the stage, like a moth.
Earlier, we talked about how dancing can help you live. A resident of Britain at the age of 97 continues to teach at a ballet school and claims that this is what gives her strength and a sense of youth.
