Michel Maling 
I always enjoy researching and finding out the history of dance and Marius Petipa (1818 – 1910) and The Imperial Russian Ballet come up so often in my reading that I thought that it only fitting to write a bit about him. Marius Petipa is the colossus of nineteenth-century ballet. Other choreographers may well have … Read more
Let’s take a look at the life of Walter Gore and Street Games which was his best-known pieces of choreography. So who was Walter Gore? He was the choreographer of Street Games which was a one-act Ballet. Walter Gore was also one of the first male dancers to make a reputation at Marie Rambert’s Ballet … Read more
The term ‘Fondu’ in ballet means melted. Think of a fondue meal with melted cheese. Fondu in ballet is the melting or bending of the supporting leg with coordination. At the barre, dancers do an exercise called battement fondu. This is the bending and stretching of the supporting leg while coordinating with the bending and … Read more
All dancers want to feel comfortable in their ballet practice clothes. Nowadays you get such beautiful and practical ballet practice clothes, that there is no excuse not to be both comfortable and look gorgeous. The fabrics these days also allow for more ease of movement and have good absorbent qualities for comfort even when you … Read more
Are you ready to take your dance warm-ups to the next level? Look no further than the Bloch Women’s Warm-Up Bootie Dance Shoe! These cozy and stylish booties are perfect for keeping your feet warm and ready to move on the dance floor. Whether you’re preparing for a performance or just want to stay comfortable … Read more
Andrée Howard was born in 1910. She was a pupil of Marie Rambert and also studied with the great Russian teachers in Paris; she spent a short time in the de Basil company and danced in early performances of Massine’s Les Presages and made her first attempt at choreography in 1933. Returning to London and … Read more
Shadowplay ballet is a one-act ballet that was choreographed by Tudor and first performed on the 25th of January 1967 at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The music was by Charles Koechlin (Les Bandar-Log and La Course de Printemps). The scenery and costumes were designed by Michael Annals. What Was Shadowplay Ballet All … Read more
As a dancer, it is great to know how to apply eyeliner to make eyes look bigger, as well as get your stage makeup just perfect. It is not just about the eyeliner, but also about the rest of your eye makeup. Here are some tips for applying makeup for that big performance or even … Read more
Rond de jambe a Terre literally means ’round of the leg across the floor.’ Rond de jambe en L’air is a circular action with the working leg in the air but is different from what we are discussing today. A straight working leg moves in an arc while the toes lightly touch the floor. The … Read more
My pupils often ask me why we need to do battement tendu in ballet. Although it does seem like a mundane exercise, there are many good reasons that dancers should be practicing their battement tendu as often as possible. Balanchine quoted “If you just do battements tendu well, you don’t have to do anything else.” … Read more