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Okay now seriously, ballet as a hobby, you must
be kidding right? Oh yeah, that’s the normal
welcome that ballet is known to get, by people
who simply don’t understand its concept. But
what exactly is the reason for such a unwelcome
kind of atmosphere when it comes to ballet? I
mean c’mon, it is a dance form like any other,
lets see now, tango, samba, jive, salsa, etc. So
what makes ballet different? Firstly, ballet is
no different from other contemporary dance
forms, the only distinguishing feature being
that it is a more concert type dance.
Technicality is one word we’d like to stress on
when we talk of ballet because it is known to
have its own vocabulary basically taught in
ballet schools all over the world. Considering
the various movements depicting the storylines
of each performance, ballet has got to have some
kind of history right? It does and it goes way
back to the 15th century. Surprising
enough, ballet actually came to be as a dance
elucidation of the art of fencing. Yeah, it’s
quite hard to believe but that is exactly how it
all began in the Renaissance court of Italy.
Ballet was then modernized in France, which
truly explains the French terms used in the art
of ballet.
Towards mid 18th century, ballet
spread out its roots to Denmark and subsequently
Russia. This is exactly why ballet’s techniques
are now known to many as French ballet, Russian
Vaganova method and of course, Italian Cecchetti
method. As a ballet enthusiast, you’d like to
know the different forms of ballet that you can
learn, oh yes, we said forms, there are three to
be more precise. The first form is the
classical ballet wherein it follows the rules
strictly laid down by tradition ballet. This may
vary a little with respect to the style due to
the place of origins. This means that the
variations could be seen in forms of French,
Italian and the Russian ballet. The second form
would be the neoclassical ballet. This differs a
bit from the former in the sense that although
this style uses the same vocabulary that is seen
with respect of traditional ballet, the
movements are a bit more unyielding in a way.
Simply put, the performers are more likely to
perform some more technical and extreme feats
during their performances. This usually makes
the neoclassical form more complex and modern
than our traditional ballet performances. The
theatrical/visual setting for this form of
ballet is particularly strong and its style is a
bit more narrative.
Last but not the least; we have the contemporary
form of ballet. This form has been received
quite well by avid dancers and teachers being a
mix between classical ballet and modern dance.
This form of ballet has got more movements than
what are traditionally taught at ballet schools.
This becomes more than evident from the
movements usually used in the 20th
century dance forms with many turn-ins in the
legs, a lot of floor work, etc.
So that’s ballet for you, it could be a great
hobby, preparing you physically as well as
mentally at the various challenges that life has
to throw at you. Sounds a bit over the top???
Well, ballet can help you prepare for life in a
way. Hey, how can putting on some pink tights
and black leotard help me with my life, besides,
it’s not like I’m in a spoof of “Queer Eye for
the Straight Guy/Girl”? Did you happen to read
something interesting in there? No!!! Not the
thing about queer, but the guy part. Yes, that’s
right, even guys can set their foot in the
waters of ballet. I mean the movie “Billy
Elliot” quite created a rage you know. The
bottom line is that ballet is for everyone; no
doubt the steps are a bit demanding to
accomplish. But it does prepare you for the
toughest life’s lessons. Ballet helps to give
you that focus in life that you had always
yearned for. It teaches you how to follow the
rules without any distractions, gives you the
concentration when you have your goal right in
front of you and gives you a certain self esteem
and confidence so that you can tackle even the
most difficult of all situations. It invokes a
certain amount of self-respect in you and
perhaps the most important lesson that it
teaches is to finish what you had started in the
first place.
Ballet as a hobby can quite give you the thrill
and that enjoying experience you were always
looking for. Sure, going for your first ballet
lesson could be a bit “nerve wrecking” but
nevertheless, choose a good ballet instructor
and you’ll slowly be on your way to learning a
traditional dance form. It doesn’t matter if you
want to take up ballet as a professional dance
form or you’re one of those who are just keen
enough to learn a few of their moves. This hobby
is fun and it doesn’t really matter how old you
are, you can always stop by to take some
lessons. It could also help you in improving
your posture and your reflexes. Ballet is truly
a fascinating dance genre that gives the dancer
a feeling of beauty, grace and discipline. One
of the most fascinating moves of ballet would
quite aptly be dancing on your toes. The scene
from Titanic in which Kate Winslet does a toe
stand demonstrates ballet in its rawest form.
And the reaction that she got from the
crowd(that of astonishment) simply proves that
ballet is one thing that can capture the
audience’s attention.
So yeah, why not consider taking up ballet as a
hobby, besides, unlike other forms of dance,
ballet quite has the ability of transporting its
audience to a different world altogether.
Practice, hard work and dedication is needed in
order to take this hobby seriously and along the
way you are bound to have some fun and learn
some of the lessons that life has to teach
you.
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