Generosity in the Land of Ballet by Stephen Manes
Posted by: Administrator on 11.Dec.2011 13:43
When I talk about my new book, people often ask what one thing surprised me most about my travels in the world I call the Land of Ballet. What always comes to mind is a single word: generosity.
As a ballet outsider, most of what I thought I knew about the ballet life offstage came from movies and writings that emphasize ballet’s competitiveness, with the adjective “cutthroat” in there somewhere. Not to say that aspect of ballet doesn’t exist, but though it may make for good drama, it’s not the real story.
Again and again among dancers and teachers, I saw examples of generosity that were not simply random, but intrinsic to this world. The real-life counterparts of the ballet teacher who nurtures Billy Elliot and his talent turn out not to be the exceptions but the rule. The die-for-your-art histrionics of The Black Swan and The Red Shoesmercifully exist mostly in the realm of fiction.
Read full article here: http://wheresnowflakesdanceandswear.com/what-is-ballet/generosity
As a ballet outsider, most of what I thought I knew about the ballet life offstage came from movies and writings that emphasize ballet’s competitiveness, with the adjective “cutthroat” in there somewhere. Not to say that aspect of ballet doesn’t exist, but though it may make for good drama, it’s not the real story.
Again and again among dancers and teachers, I saw examples of generosity that were not simply random, but intrinsic to this world. The real-life counterparts of the ballet teacher who nurtures Billy Elliot and his talent turn out not to be the exceptions but the rule. The die-for-your-art histrionics of The Black Swan and The Red Shoesmercifully exist mostly in the realm of fiction.
Read full article here: http://wheresnowflakesdanceandswear.com/what-is-ballet/generosity
