Check out Kathryn Morgan’s website, If The Pointe Shoe Fits, for more great tutorials!
April 20, 2015
How to Make The Perfect Bun By The Washington Ballet
Have you seen The Washington Ballet’s videos on how to make the perfect bun? I love that they have videos for short (which my hair currently is), long hair, and thick hair. Here are the videos:
The third video (thick hair) is available on The Washington Ballet’s Facebook page.
Do you have a specific trick to get your hair into a perfect bun?
I like to use a hairnet on days my bun needs to be perfect. I also like to use Bunhead hair pins and having my hair wet or damp really helps too. I also have occasionally using a sock bun (or in my case, I made it out of tights).
January 28, 2015
The Off Day Ballet Dictionary
Messy classes are unavoidable, despite our best efforts. So, perhaps we should make lemonade and think of off days as a unique subset of ballet with its own rules and definitions. (Apologies in advance to ballet teachers worldwide.)
Arabesque à la Seconde: The proper name for “a la sebesque”.
Hawaiian Rond de Jombe: Yes, it’s correct technique to include a little hula.
Petrushka Jumps: Pointed feet and stretched knees would just spoil the effect.
Port de Bras de Coppélia: The ability to move like an emotionless, mechanical doll can be invaluable.
“Reverse”: Dance historians now believe this originally meant “take a moment to freestyle”.
Created with Wikimedia Commons Public Domain Image.
Runway Updo: A messy bun is fashionable after all.
Spotting: The critical skill of whipping your head around to see just-what-on-earth-is-everyone-else-doing-anyway.
Superman Penchée: Arching your back would ruin the streamlined look. So would lifting your leg above 90 degrees:
“Superman Penchée”. Created with Wikimedia Commons Public Domain Image.
Tombé: The correct way to arrive on the floor…
Variation: As in your own personal variation of whatever the combination was supposed to be…
Vibrato: A sophisticated addition to any balancing exercise.
Zombé: Any step performed with an appropriately dead level of energy.
Created with Wikimedia Commons Public Domain Image.
January 20, 2015
Video: Ballerinas By Night: Improving Low Arches
If you haven’t already checked out the Ballerinas By Night Youtube Channel–do so now! They’ve got everything from how to improve low arches (video below) to practicing cambres and more.
Thanks Lisa for posting these in our Google+ group!
What’s your favorite ballet YouTube Channel?
