Ballet

tries. Someone who could try one thing, and immediately become infatuated. Misty Copeland is one of those originals. She remembers the day of her first ballet class. She was 13 and sitting in the bleachers overlooking the basketball court. She’s used to watching her brothers play. But on this particular day, she had been invited to watch a ballet class instead. Misty was called down to the court to join the rest of the girls, she recalls that she was shy and didn’t want to participate…

Save the Last Dance is a beautiful movie of diversity, courage, confidence, fears and inter-racial diversities. Sara a ballet dancer felt her dreams crushed when her mother died in a car accident trying to get to Sara’s ballet audition. Not having her mother as a support system Sara decided to quit dancing. Sara had to leave her quiet suburban area in Chicago to live with her father in the southern ghetto part of Chicago. In this new journey, Sara deals with loss hopes, reconnection with her…

Released in 2011, the documentary, First Position, directed by Bess Kargman, exposes the hardships and the competitive reality of ballet. The documentary uses of multiple film techniques to present the reality of the art rather than preppy stereotype that surrounds it. My experience as one who sacrifices much, a perfectionist and a fellow dancer who faces body stereotypes, I accept the audiences positioning. My similar experiences as a fellow dancer, incurs an empathic response to Miko and her…

There are many marked differences though, mainly from the conflicting types of heroes these two are. Oedipus was always depicted as someone who was powerful, and controlling Billy Elliot on the other hand, is trying to keep what he does after school, ballet, hidden from his father. The hero’s journey from Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 1949 focusses on three major parts, the separation, the initiation and the return. Campbell made out that close to 100% of heroic stories…

siblings. Although the main characters from the two movies are different, their cultural environment have an effect on them. In the film Billy Elliot, the protagonist’s dad wants his son to practice boxing but the protagonist himself wants to do ballet. His father is not too keen on that idea…

a poet, Emily herself has expected criticisms, as her poems are not flawless. The criticism that she received however managed to wound her pride and in the process, the criticism has made her question her poetic skills and her being as a poet. The ballet part of this poem may be used in a euphemistic way. Her mentor, in truth, had commented that both of her poems, the ones she had recently penned lack regular organization that is generally counted upon of a…

homeless. Well they thought wrong. On this September day Misty Copeland came into the world, ready to dance and she did. No matter how many obstacles stood in her way she faced them. She grew up wanting to dance, and she did, but not with your regular ballet shoes. Misty made her own shoes due to the fact she could not afford her own. They were blue socks with cardboard glued to the bottom and old string she found lying around. “Dancing starts to Suffer” Misty Copeland is one of seven…

Thursday March 30, 2017, I observed Emily Simose’s interview for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Graphic Designer position. Emily appeared confident and calm as she walked into the room to shake the interviewer’s hand. A moment after Emily sat down, the questions started. The first question asked was “Why did you decide to apply for this job?” Emily responded with “Um I applied to the job because I’ve worked with the ballet for two years now, and I feel like I have a good feel for the company and…

Taking Flight: from War Orphan to Star Ballerina is an extremely inspirational book. It tells the story of a small girl from Sierra Leone originally named Mabinty Bangura who does not have much. However she is happy because she has what she needs: a loving mother and father. This is the story of how young Mabinty’s life was changed in the blink of an eye and how she had to find hope in such gruesome times. The book begins with Michaela standing backstage about to perform her dream role: the…

Striking the floor with pointed feet that soar through the air, landing with a graceful finish. That is not only my hobby… But, it’s what I live for. Dance. This art can help embrace anyone's inner self yet, there is more to dance than what you may think. To back up this statement, I’ll be introducing you to the history, the different styles, and how it’s changed my life. Dance has grown a lot from when Catherine De Medici announced dance to King Henry III in 1581. If we were to look back…