| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| About This Book | |
| |
| |
| Conventions Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| Foolish Assumptions | |
| |
| |
| How This Book Is Organized | |
| |
| |
| Icons Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| Where to Go from Here | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ballet Dancing from the Top | |
| |
| |
| |
| Curtain Up! Welcome to the Ballet | |
| |
| |
| Ballet for Life | |
| |
| |
| In the Beginning | |
| |
| |
| Watching Great Choreography for Inspiration | |
| |
| |
| Gathering Your Ballet Materials | |
| |
| |
| Staying Healthy and Avoiding Injury | |
| |
| |
| Getting Started: It's Easier Than You Think | |
| |
| |
| Why Being a Ballet Novice Helps You Enjoy Ballet | |
| |
| |
| |
| Stocking the Tools of the Trade | |
| |
| |
| Finding the Right Practice Space | |
| |
| |
| Practicing on a Ballet-Friendly Floor (or the Next-Best Thing) | |
| |
| |
| The Barre Essentials | |
| |
| |
| Dressed to Dance | |
| |
| |
| Choosing Ballet Slippers | |
| |
| |
| Keeping Your Hair in Its Place | |
| |
| |
| More Ballet Paraphernalia | |
| |
| |
| |
| Getting Toasty: Warming Up Your Body | |
| |
| |
| Getting Grounded: Floor Stretches | |
| |
| |
| Strengthening the Stabilizers | |
| |
| |
| More Strengthening: Floor Barre | |
| |
| |
| |
| Leaping into Ballet Basics | |
| |
| |
| Finding the Correct Ballet Stance | |
| |
| |
| Walking Like a Duck: Proper Leg Alignment | |
| |
| |
| Practicing the Positions of the Feet and Arms | |
| |
| |
| The Graceful Ballet Hand | |
| |
| |
| |
| Music, Maestro! | |
| |
| |
| Finding Musical Options for Each Exercise | |
| |
| |
| Counting It Out | |
| |
| |
| |
| Belly Up to the Barre | |
| |
| |
| |
| Basic Barre-Tending | |
| |
| |
| Standing at the Barre: Starting Position | |
| |
| |
| Small Knee Bends: Demi-Plies | |
| |
| |
| Adding Bends--The Port de Bras | |
| |
| |
| Rises to the Balls of the Feet (Releves) | |
| |
| |
| Big Knee Bends (Grands Plies) | |
| |
| |
| Extending the Legs (Battements Tendus) | |
| |
| |
| Drawing Circles on the Floor (Rond de Jambe a Terre) | |
| |
| |
| Practicing Your One-Legged Balance (Retire and Releve) | |
| |
| |
| |
| Stepping It Up at the Barre | |
| |
| |
| Melting into a One-Leg Knee Bend (Fondu) | |
| |
| |
| The Pas de Cheval (Horse Step) | |
| |
| |
| Striking the Floor with Your Foot (Battement Tendu Frappe) | |
| |
| |
| |
| Getting a Leg Up | |
| |
| |
| Extending Your Leg Slowly into the Air (Grand Battement Developpe) | |
| |
| |
| Kicking Your Leg Up, Controlling It Down (Grands Battements) | |
| |
| |
| A Combination for Developpes and Grands Battements | |
| |
| |
| Stretching Out Your Legs on the Barre | |
| |
| |
| Focusing on Releves | |
| |
| |
| |
| Center Floor, Anyone? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Getting to Center Floor | |
| |
| |
| Mapping Out the Room | |
| |
| |
| Positioning Your Body in Battement Tendu | |
| |
| |
| Lifting Your Leg Slowly (Developpe--Adagio) | |
| |
| |
| Lifting Your Leg Behind (Arabesque) | |
| |
| |
| Lifting Your Leg Behind with a Bent Knee (Attitude) | |
| |
| |
| An Adagio Combination | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ballet's Tasmanian Devil: The Pirouette | |
| |
| |
| It's All in the Spot | |
| |
| |
| The Pre-Pirouette: Turning on Two Legs | |
| |
| |
| Turning on One Leg | |
| |
| |
| Traveling Turns | |
| |
| |
| Whipping It Up: The Famous Fouette | |
| |
| |
| |
| Linking It Together: The Steps Between the Steps | |
| |
| |
| Galloping in the Air (Chasse) | |
| |
| |
| Gliding between Steps (Glissade) | |
| |
| |
| Doing the Three-Step | |
| |
| |
| Getting from One Place to Another | |
| |
| |
| Faking It Gracefully (Coupe) | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ground Control to Ballet Dancer | |
| |
| |
| Small Jumps on Two Legs (Petit Allegro) | |
| |
| |
| Small Jumps on One Leg (More Petit Allegro) | |
| |
| |
| Brushing Your Feet into a Jump | |
| |
| |
| Traveling Jumps | |
| |
| |
| |
| Getting More Air Time | |
| |
| |
| Doing the Impossible: Stationary Jumps | |
| |
| |
| Jumping Across the Floor (Grand Allegro) | |
| |
| |
| The Reverent Stretch and Bow (Reverance) | |
| |
| |
| |
| Living the Ballet Life | |
| |
| |
| |
| Partners Aren't Just for Square Dancing | |
| |
| |
| Partnering 101: Finding Her Balance | |
| |
| |
| Promenading | |
| |
| |
| What Did You Have for Dinner Last Night? Lifting Safely | |
| |
| |
| Don't Try This at Home! Lifts to Look for in Performance | |
| |
| |
| |
| Exploring Choreography | |
| |
| |
| Classical Ballet Constants | |
| |
| |
| Applying the Steps to the Great Choreography | |
| |
| |
| Dancing with a Modern Flair | |
| |
| |
| Basic Guidelines of Choreography | |
| |
| |
| Getting Inspired by Others | |
| |
| |
| |
| What the Heck Are They Saying? The Art of Ballet Mime | |
| |
| |
| Telling a Story with Gestures | |
| |
| |
| Understanding the Basic Principles of Ballet Mime | |
| |
| |
| Mastering the Most Common Gestures | |
| |
| |
| Famous Examples of Ballet Mime | |
| |
| |
| |
| Watching Ballet in Action | |
| |
| |
| Getting Ready | |
| |
| |
| Arriving Early | |
| |
| |
| Can I Wear a Codpiece to Romeo and Juliet? | |
| |
| |
| A Pre-Ballet Food-Lover's Manual | |
| |
| |
| Knowing Where to Sit--and Getting the Best Ticket Deals | |
| |
| |
| Who to Bring, Who to Leave at Home with the Hamsters | |
| |
| |
| Ballets to Attend--or Avoid--on a Date | |
| |
| |
| Understanding What You Are Watching | |
| |
| |
| Life in the Wings | |
| |
| |
| Unstrung Heroes--The Ballet Orchestra | |
| |
| |
| Basking in the Afterglow | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Part of Tens | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Ten Most Commonly Used Ballet Steps | |
| |
| |
| Small Knee Bend (Demi-Plie) in Fifth Position | |
| |
| |
| Leg Stretch (Battement Tendu and Degage) | |
| |
| |
| Developpe | |
| |
| |
| Leg Lifted Back (Arabesque) in First Position | |
| |
| |
| Leg Lifted Back and Bent (Attitude) | |
| |
| |
| Outward Turn (Pirouette en Dehors) from Fourth Position | |
| |
| |
| Forward Jump with Split (Grand Jete) | |
| |
| |
| The Gliding Step (Glissade) | |
| |
| |
| The Famous Fouette--Count 'Em, 32! | |
| |
| |
| Double Turn in the Air (Double Tour en l'Air) | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Best-Loved Classical Ballets | |
| |
| |
| La Sylphide | |
| |
| |
| Giselle | |
| |
| |
| Don Quixote | |
| |
| |
| Coppelia | |
| |
| |
| La Bayadere | |
| |
| |
| Swan Lake | |
| |
| |
| Sleeping Beauty | |
| |
| |
| The Nutcracker | |
| |
| |
| Romeo and Juliet | |
| |
| |
| Cinderella | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Great "Contemporary" Ballets | |
| |
| |
| The Rite of Spring | |
| |
| |
| Serenade | |
| |
| |
| Pillar of Fire | |
| |
| |
| Rodeo | |
| |
| |
| Fancy Free | |
| |
| |
| La Fille Mal Gardee | |
| |
| |
| Song of the Earth | |
| |
| |
| Forgotten Land | |
| |
| |
| In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated | |
| |
| |
| The Hard Nut | |
| |
| |
| Othello | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Ten Best Ballet Terms for Cocktail Parties | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Fascinating Facts about Professional Ballet Dancers | |
| |
| |
| The Discipline Needed to Be a Dancer | |
| |
| |
| A Dancer's Schedule: A Day in the Life | |
| |
| |
| What Dancers Actually Eat | |
| |
| |
| The Hierarchy of a Ballet Company | |
| |
| |
| The Mysterious Pointe Shoe | |
| |
| |
| Why Macho Guys Dance | |
| |
| |
| Women, Pregnancy, and Performance | |
| |
| |
| Why Some Ballet Dancers Need Hip Replacements | |
| |
| |
| Party versus Performance | |
| |
| |
| Early Retirement | |
| |
| |
| Why It's All Worth It | |
| |
| |
| Glossary | |
| |
| |
| Index | |