Ballerina

“I had always been proud of my body—its strength and grace enabled me to pursue my passions. But now it had become the enemy” (Bried). This is ballet, a wonderful but exhausting, beautiful but horrible art form and sport, and the ones who make the magic happen are the ballerinas. Onstage, they look stunning, all lean muscles and long lines and lovely faces, but backstage and beyond, it’s a different, gruesome story. The ballerina’s body takes a regular beating, every day, and though dancers are true athletes, it is hard for their bodies to keep up with their punishing daily regimen. Though ballet has its obvious benefits, such as keeping bodies extremely fit and muscular, it also has its weaknesses, such as its promoting of thinness and view of…

Lisa Macuja Elizalde: ‘Remembered for a long, long time’ Lisa Teresita Pacheco Macuja-Elizalde was born on October 3rd, 1964. She became the first Filipina Prima Ballerina, and the first foreign soloist to join the Kirov Ballet company. In a speech given 30 years later on March 30th, 2015, she stands on a podium in front the class of 2015 Ateneo de Manila University and made history. There was a turning point in Elizalde life that made her the person she is today. Elizalde speech is effective…

San Francisco but, sadly she is offered no internships. She feels internally conflicted over ballet and Madame dream for her to teach. She feels that ballet is over for her even though she still has a love for the dance. She is stuck between becoming a professional ballerina or becoming a ballet teacher. Consequently, she decides to go to Antarctica on a grant to study her ancestor, Robert Falcon Scott. She is lost in ice and snow with nowhere to go. The air is below freezing and there is barely…

her own identity or shape herself into a person. Instead she is made into what her father, husband, and society. Similar themes of male superiority can be seen in The Ballet Class by Degas. This painting, at first glance, may seem just as a frivolous painting of ballerinas practicing in front up their ballet master. But after further analyzation this painting provides great insight into gender norms of the time. This women are much more than the beautiful dancers in tutus they appear to be. They…

This excessively specific physique has become a sort of “job requirement” for ballerinas. Most are not born with the qualities that are required, meaning that they starve themselves almost to the point of death. These requirements do not make sense because in order for a ballerina to survive 8-hour rehearsal days, she must eat. If she doesn’t, she won’t be able to perform her best, and will in turn not look her best on stage. Weight and body image is something that Copeland, as well as many…

it has become one of the most popular styles of dance ever! The sacrifices are incredibly tough and the commitment is huge. You have to be very focused, determined and hardworking to be successful in this sport, you have to persevere and want to get better, much like any other sport. Ballet is a beautiful and elegant style that takes lots of skill and focus. Ballet takes hard work and full dedication and is a major commitment. To be good at ballet you will have to make sacrifices that you may…

One thing that happened this year with all the injuries was that Schevchenko, Lane and Brandt were now dancing the leads in ballets like "Le Corsaire" and others. This meant they were pulled out of dancing things like the Odalisque trio and someone had to replace them. Luciana Paris was injured and not dancing until the end of the season. So ABT had to dig into the corps de ballet for soloist women. The long neglected and pushed aside Zhong-Jing Fang was dancing the second odalisque…

"Power, technique, interpretative abilities, unmatched grace, solid jumps, and vibrant personality." These words instantly come to mind when you think of few unsurpassed dancers to ever showcase their talent. Talent is something he certainly had. One of the best ballet dancers, if not the best dancer, was born in Miami, while his parents were on vacation from Havana, Cuba. The same city where Gloria Estefan, mastermind behind, "Conga", and Alicia Alonso, the dance tutor to the young child. Even…

We’ve all heard the music from the famous Nutcracker during the holidays. The famous ballet is an annual favorite among many people. However, the work that goes on behind the scenes is extensive, and not always known to audiences. Dancers work hours on end to become better at their art. Some dancers, however, are not born with the “perfect dancer body.” Anna Pavlova, one of the most famous and revered ballet dancers, had to overcome the obstacles she was born with. Anna Pavlova was rejected for…

Ballet takes strength like a weightlifter, endurance like a swimmer, flexibility like a gymnast, grace like a diver and coordination like a hockey player. Ballerinas must combine all sports to complete a sport that many believe is easy. Ballet is known to be one of the most beautiful, yet difficult sports. Ballerinas gracefully glide along the stage almost as if it takes no effort. Many people travel all around the world to see a beautiful ballet since not everyone can perform them gorgeously. …