A Classical Bun

It's spring concert season, which means that I'm about to see a bunch of doorknobs on top of people's heads masquerading as ballet buns. A ballet bun is very flat and you can see the final coil of the bun on top of the dancer's head when she looks straight forward.

I like the tutorial above even though is was done very quickly. (You can see a little bit too much hair on top of her head, but it's still a good example.) For a performance I am sure the dancer wets her hair, uses gel, takes more time, and gets it just a little bit flatter. If you have thick hair you may need to coil your hair in two sections (that's what I need to do to make it really flat. I also need to start my pony tail just a little bit higher.) It will take you a little time to figure out the best place on your head for your pony tail, and how many sections work best for you.

I would like to take this moment and plead with you not to use a Hairgami for your performance. The buns are simply too tall. If you really want to make me happy you'll use bobby pins or hairpins with your Hairgami in class so that your bun stays attached to your head instead of flopping around, but that would be icing on the cake. I would be satisfied if you simply took the time to make a real bun for your performance.

Again, a ballet bun is very flat and you can see the final coil of the bun on top of the dancer's head when she looks straight forward.

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These buns aren't quite high enough for a performance, but they are nice and flat

P. S. The YouTube clip was posted by Greenville Ballet School in Greenville, SC. I'm unfamiliar with the school, but if they're willing to teach you how to do your hair they're probably worth looking into. Just in case you're looking for a school in the area.

Where I'll Be Tonight

My tickets for tonight

Tonight I'll be seeing Center Stage's production of The Wizard of Oz. I'm excited to see the show and I have high expectations. Center Stage is an excellent studio and they have the good fortune of having my friend Melissa as their ballet director. Melissa has been making regular mentions of the rehearsals on Facebook, so I know they've been working really hard on this show.

If you're in the area, there may still be tickets available. The show is at Timpview High School and starts at 7:30. It's going to be a great night!

Trying Something New

I decided I wanted to try something new; dance in a style I'd never tried before. I found a modern group called Artists, Interrupted who were looking for a dancer and it seemed like a perfect fit. I have learned a lot of things.

• This is the first piece I've been in where the music is tertiary, at best. The entire piece was choreographed and rehearsed without ever using music. We finally ran the piece with the music at our last rehearsal, just to get a vague feeling for it. (We perform on Saturday.) The music is kind of the same note over and over, with no discernible phrasing and no difference in intensity or volume. So it doesn't matter that I utterly ignore it when I dance because no one else is bothering to count it either.
• This is the first dance I've been in that is so closely tied to text. The choreography is based off of a Shakespearean sonnet and each word gets a movement--one movement, no more and no less. I'm used to telling a story based on text. I kind of feel like Jeffrey Tambor in Muppets From Space during his "welcome to Earth" bit.
• I learned that there isn't a map of the Salt Lake City Public Library online. Sure, I know where the building is, but I'd like to know where to find the Urban Room. And I wonder if it was named after Urban Meyer? 
• I'm trying really hard to look less "ballerina" and more . . . whatever it is I'm supposed to look like. I may not be succeeding here.

All in all, I'm glad I tried something new. If you want to come watch, the performance is this Saturday (March 23) in the Urban Room of the SLC library at 1:00 p.m. It's free.

And there's no picture for this post because I don't have an attractive picture of me from rehearsals.

The Newest Breathtaking Dying Swan

I love ballet but we have nothing that compares with this Dying Swan. I am torn between wanting to learn how to do this and seriously doubting that this is physically possible for me. It looks like I'll become an adult beginner soon.

I am completely mesmerized by this.

Where I'll be Tonight

I'm excited to be seeing Provo Civic Ballet tonight! This preprofessional company always delivers a beautiful show. Since my husband is busy with graduate school, I'll be taking my daughter to the show and she's just as excited as I am. My little girl is getting a little burned out on ballet classes so I'm glad that there are elements of dance that she's still enthusiastic about. I'm not sure if this performance will inspire her to continue her training or if she is transitioning into a lifelong audience member, but either way tonight we will have a great time.

Oh, and if you'd like to come the performance is at the Covey Center for the Arts.