In December, I was lucky enough to dance with the Moscow Classical Ballet!
The Moscow Classical Ballet is a ballet company from Russia. They have won 15 Gold medals for their performances and come to the US every year with "The Nutcracker".
"The Nutcracker" Ballet is based on a German fairy tale and is written by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky.
Tchaikovsky lived from 1840 to 1893 and followed a musical carrer against the will of his parents. I am very happy he did, because I really like his music!
He composed symphonies, operas, chamber music and famous ballets like "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker".
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| Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky The Moscow Ballet needed girls for a Christmas scene and 12 girls from my dance school were picked to dance with them. I was so excited to be one of them! |
Eight of us played little girls in fancy dresses and 4 of us played mice. I was picked as a little girl.
We did not have a lot of practice time and needed a translator, because everyone spoke Russian.
There were Russian signs everywhere, so the dancers would know where to go backstage.
I adored the ballerina who was assigned to be my mom on stage. She spoke English and helped to ease the butterflies in my stomach.
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| My stage mom and I |
Our parts were small, but performing with world class dancers was thrilling! I don't even remember seeing the audience!
My real mom helped us girls to get ready for the show and watched from backstage.
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| View from backstage |
Some people say that ballet is easy, but everything in ballet is supposed to hurt!
I started two years ago, it is hard work, but I really love it. My ballet teacher is always sweet and patient and makes me want to practice all the time. She says the more you work on becoming a better dancer, the less it hurts.
My dream is to be "en pointe" ( dancing on the tip of your toes wearing special pointe shoes), but it will take me another three years to earn this special privilege.
My dream is to be "en pointe" ( dancing on the tip of your toes wearing special pointe shoes), but it will take me another three years to earn this special privilege.
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| En Pointe |
Maybe I can be a prima ballerina one day!
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| Ballet Barre Practice |
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| First Testing |
What's your passion?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
ReplyDeleteDear Kelly,
What a wonderful second post about your experiences with ballet. I love the photos that you included. They really helped tell the story! Well done!
Did you learn any Russian while dancing with the Moscow Classical Ballet? Did you notice anything unusual about some of the letters?
You asked your readers about their passion. Passion is an intense enthusiasm or interest in something. I am passionate about teaching. Watching a young child learn and grow brings me great satisfaction.
I work hard, like you do with your ballet, to learn as much as I can. I follow and learn from people who have more experience than me or that I think I can learn from. Teaching is very gratifying for me.
It's good to pick a career that you enjoy doing. Of course you have to consider the kind of lifestyle you'd like as an adult, but try to find something that you're passionate about! It certainly makes life more pleasurable! :-)
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
@Mrs.Yollis
DeleteThank you for leaving such a great comment.
No, unfortunately I didn't learn any Russian. That would have been fun though! The Russian alphabet looks different from ours. Some of the letters have dots above them.
Did you know, that the original Russian alphabet was invented in Bulgaria 10th century AD?
It has 33 letters. The English alphabet has just 26!
I would love to be able to talk to Russian dancers and ask them lots of questions. Maybe I will learn Russian one day!
I hope my career will have something to do with dancing.
How did you decide to become a teacher?
Love,
Kelly
@ Kelly,
DeleteХорошая работа! (Good job in Russian! That is what Google translator told me!)
I think that Mia and Sarah both speak Russian. We'll have to ask them if they would be able to teach us a few phrases.
You asked how I decided to become a teacher. I always enjoyed working with children. One of my first jobs was as a camp counselor. Helping children learn and grow has always brought me pleasure. It still does today. :-)
What are some other jobs that you could do in the field of dance?
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@Kelly,
DeleteI really liked your post about dancing with the Russian ballet. I think you were a beautiful ballerina.
@Mrs Yollis,
The meaning of good job is that you have a good job for work. If you want to tell someone that they did good, you would say very good! Ochenʹ horosho (Очень хорошо).
Your friend,
Sarah
Dear Kelly,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous post!
I am a dancer as well. I do ballet and hip hop. My teacher says the same thing your teacher says. She always pushes us more and more. I have never been in a really BIG show but I hope I will be in one soon.
When is your dance class start? Do you do any other types of dance?
Sincerely,
Acacia
Dear Acacia,
DeleteI've been dancing for 3 1/2 years now.
Classes always start in September and there is a summer break. I used to take Jazz, Pop Theatre, Tap and Hip Hop classes, but now there is only lots of Ballet.
This summer I'm taking a Ballet summer intensive for the first time. That's Ballet 5 times a week from 9 to 4! I'm expecting tired feet!
Have you ever taken summer dance classes before?
Love,
Kelly
Dear Kelly,
ReplyDeleteThis is an absolutely wonderful post. Your interest in ballet reminds me so much of my niece, Tara.
As Tara was growing, ballet was an important part of her life. She achieved En Pointe and went on to qualify as a ballet teacher. She performed in many Eisteddfods for her ballet but never had the opportunity you have had to dance with the likes of the Moscow Classical Ballet.
Her dream was to get a degree in university and gain entry into Australia's National Institute for Dramatic Arts (NIDA). She wants to design costumes for ballet, theatre and possibly movies.
With a love of ballet and the opportunity you have had, I'm sure when your ballet instructor knows your ready you'll achieve En Pointe. When I have filmed ballet for a ballet school here, I'm always fascinated by the way the older girls can walk on their points. It takes a great deal of strength and practise.
Keep up the ballet. It's one of the most beautiful forms of dance. :)
@RossMannell
Teacher, NSW, Australia
Dear Mr. Mannell,
DeleteI really loved your comment!
I wished, I could see Tara dance! I think it is very cool that she wants to design costumes.
Does she like teaching ballet?
Did you cherish teaching ? What's your passion now?
Love,
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteIt's your blog-buddy Emily.
I love your second blog post about ballet. You are so lucky to have have danced with the Moscow Ballet company!.
I have performed in The Nutcracker too, and The Sleeping Beauty, which was also written by Tchaikovsky. Both times I have been a flower fairy - a lilac and a rosebud (just small parts).
Your backstage photos are fascinating. Your costume looks amazing too.
Thank you for putting my blog link in your sidebar, when I get back to school I will put some new stories and pictures up.
Keep up the great writing,
Love Emily in New Zealand.
P.S. I fed Hedgy a strawberry and he did a bouncing ball trick - it was cute.
Dear Emily,
DeleteSo great to hear from you!
How long have you been dancing? What is your favorite part about ballet?
I think that performing is my favorite. The costumes for our parts in The Nutcracker were beautiful, but we had to fix them with lots of safety pins. I am glad that the audience was far away!
Are you enjoying your summer? It is winter here and it's too cold for swimming but mostly warm enough to wear a short sleeved T-shirt. I'm so glad to live in Southern California. All my German relatives say, that I am the luckiest girl in the world.
Love,
Kelly
Dear Kelly,I love your blog! That's so cool how you got to be in the Nutcracker.i love Hedgie and your Voiki.
ReplyDeleteMy passion is drama and acting in musicals and plays. I have been in plays -Beauty and the Beast, Wicked, and Hairspray. Right now I am starting a new production The Wizard of Oz Meets the Wiz. I hope to be a famous actor or director.
Love,Alexis
Dear Alexis,
DeleteThank you for commenting!
I will definitely come and see your next performance. Sydney told me, she is in it too.
I wished I had seen your other plays!
I am sure that you are going to be a great director!
Love,
Kelly
Hi Kelly, your blog is amazing and your Voiki is beautiful. I love the photos you shared with us on your big day at the Nutcracker. Keep on Practicing and you will be on Toe Shoes soon.
ReplyDeleteRight now my passion is crafts - jean purses. My sister and I created a purse made out of jeans. My passions change from time to time - Sometimes its reading, sometimes its sewing, sometimes its shopping, and sometimes it just power walking in my neighborhood.
I love your blog.
Lotsa Love, Monica (Alexis' Mom)
Dear Mrs. Golin,
DeleteThank you for your kind remarks!
My mom is not the biggest fan of crafts, but she power walks and reads a lot.
I think, when I grow up, shopping will be my passion too!
Love,
Kelly
Dear Kelly,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love the Nutcracker! It is one of my favorite shows. My mom took me when I was little. I adored the way the ballerinas moved their arms, feet, and their body so much! After the show I asked my mom if I can do ballet and she said yes! I've been doing it ever since. After a year, my mom opened a dance studio! So I started to dance there.
After my second year of dancing, I got invited to do a show. Swan Lake. That is funny because the same composer did both of our shows. "Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake." They are both beautiful shows. I've seen both and been in one. My favorite would probably be "Nutcracker."
I've been dancing for 6 years now, so for my last birthday, I got point shoes! The first month having them, I had more than a hundred blisters on my toes! After I got the hang of it, I got pretty good. Now I can do an arabesque on my point shoes. The reason why you are not allowed to get point shoes yet is because if you fall, you can easily sprain or brake a bone. Or, if you get the wrong size, it is very dangerous. If you work really hard, you can get them.
What ballet show is your favorite?
Sincerely,
M♥a
Dear Mia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great comment!
I am amazed that you are already En Pointe. My teacher says that your feet are not ready before age 10 or 11! What school do you go to? Do you dance every day? Is being En Pointe your favorite?
I have not seen Swan Lake but I we have tickets for a performance this summer. I can't wait to see it!
Love,
Kelly
Accidently deleted post form Emily!
ReplyDeleteDear Kelly,
I started dancing when I was 6 and had lessons for nearly 4 years. I haven't practiced in a while though. My favourite part was performing too. I liked getting dressed up backstage and dancing in front of the audience. It was great.
I have been having a great summer - I have visited my relatives a lot. I think you are very lucky to be living in Southern California too, but it is fun to make snowmen in winter when it snows!
This year I am going to learn how to play the ukelele.
Your blog posts are awesome. I wonder what you will write about for your next one...
Love Emily.
Dear Emily,
DeleteThank you for your wonderful comment. It's fun to have a blogging buddy! My next post might be about my skiing trip to Big Bear, or about a leisurely afternoon on the field.
I love the snow and sometimes I wished we had a real winter, so I could build a snowman too.
Our winter feels more like summer.
It's so cool, that you are going to learn how to play the ukelele. I hope, that you are going to have a post about it.
When does your summer end?
Love,
Kelly