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Not only a dancer
We don’t just dance…
Some of us love to cook in our spare time…
and some of us are sports fan…
others have a passion for blogging…
(read Jessika’s blog here)
and a few of us can’t go a day without playing guitar.
We eat it, breathe it, and some of us dream it. Ballet is our life. But we all have our second loves outside of the studio.
Not Just Ballet
I present to you another backstage “moment”… to be honest, I feel a little guilty when I know they have no idea I’m filming, but sometimes the opportunity is just too good to pass up!
The story here is that the dancers were performing excerpts from our upcoming production Don Quixote at a DISCOVER DANCE performance. And while the young dancers were strutting their stuff on stage, the professionals off stage were whipping out their own dance moves as well. And I’m not talking about ballet.
The Ugly Truth
While everyone in the audience gets to see the ballerinas in their pretty pink pointe shoes, not everyone gets to see what is happening underneath those satin shoes. What is my toe armor? Masking tape on the big and little toe with a paper towel in each foot for cushion.
No two dancers do exactly the same thing. Check out these tape jobs.
Still think ballet is pretty?
The Fallen Headpiece
A fun part of my job is getting to occasionally shoot video backstage. I grew up dancing, so it feels familiar, but I’ll admit, it’s SLIGHTLY different since it’s one of the highest caliber ballet companies in the country…
…but whether you’re a part of a big scale professional company or a small local ballet school, live performances can always be unpredictable! Last year, I was following/filming Jessika during Nutcracker and I captured these dancers’ dilemma of what to do when a snow hair piece hits the stage:
Listening in the Orchestra
I am in love with music. It is music that initiates my movement; that inspires the emotional content within the form that my body creates. Naturally, I love live music most of all. So when PNB Music Director Emil de Cou offered me the opportunity to be in the orchestra pit during some of our shows, I took full advantage. The pictures below were taken during Afternoon of a Faun (Deubssy) and the balcony pas from Romeo et Juliette (Prokofiev), two of my all time favorite pieces of music. The intensity of this magic being created at such a short distance was something I will never forget!
Enjoy! Chelsea
PNB Music Director Emil de Cou
Corps de Ballet member Leah O’Conner listening with me
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