Archive-name: dance/ballet-modern-faq/part1
Posting-frequency: bimonthly
Last-modified: Sept. 30, 1996

================================
Part 1 of four parts
================================

    This FAQ is provided as is without any express or implied warranties.
    While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the infor-
    mation contained in this article, the author assumes no responsibility
    for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the
    information contained herein.

    Copyright (c) 1995, 1996 by Thomas Parsons; all rights reserved.  This
    FAQ may be posted to any USENET newsgroup, on-line service, BBS, or Web
    page, provided it is posted in its entirety, including this copyright
    statement.  This FAQ may not be distributed in part or in full for
    financial gain.  No portion of this FAQ may be included in commercial
    collections or compilations without express permission from the author.

Tom Parsons
Digital Technology Laboratories
Brooklyn, New York
twp@panix.com

================

*** New this release: ***

	Re-numbered questions (starting with 1.* instead of 0.*) for better
conformity to the HTML version.
	Added new Question 1.4: "Are there any other ballet/modern groups?"
Greatly expanded answer to Question 3.4, dealing with problems of dancers
starting in their thirties or later.  Added new Question 3.20: "I'm 5'7"
(or whatever) high.  Am I too tall for ballet?"  Expanded Question 4.8.5:
"Who was Didelot?"
	Added new Question 5.1 on dance notation.  (Many thanks to Sandi
Kurtz for reading this material over and making suggestions.)  Added
section (6.1.10) on dance photography; titles and comments contributed
by Jim Williams.
	Updated URL for Dance Links page.

================

Contents:

PART 1
    1. General information
    1.1. What is this group?
    1.2. Is there a group for modern dance?
    1.3. What is the difference between alt.arts.ballet and rec.arts.dance?
    1.4. Are there any other ballet/modern groups?
    1.5. How can I access this group?
    1.6. How can I post to this group?
    1.7. Are there any dance pages on the World Wide Web?
    1.8. I'm only a beginner; should I just shut up and listen?

    2. General questions about ballet
    2.1. What is ballet?
    2.2. What is modern dance?
    2.3. What is a ballet class like?
    2.4. What is a barre?
    2.5. Why do dancers take so many classes?
    2.6. Why do dancers wear such funny shoes?
    2.7. Why don't men dance on pointe?
    2.8. Why do dancers stand with their feet turned out?
    2.9. What are all these "positions?"
    2.10. What is "placement?"
    2.11. Why all that French?
    2.12. What are the most popular ballets?
    2.13. Where can I find books about dance?
    2.14. Where can I find dance videos?

PART 2
    3. Ballet, Modern Dance, and You
    3.1. When should I start taking ballet?
    3.2. When should I start taking modern dance?
    3.3. I'm in my early twenties; it it too late for me to start a
	    professional career in ballet?
    3.4. I'm 35 (or 45 or 55 or...) years old.  Is it ridiculous for me
	    to consider ballet classes?
    3.5. I'm thinking of returning to ballet after -- years; how should I
	    start?  Are there videos I can buy?
    3.6. Okay, I'm starting ballet.  What equipment do I need?
    3.7. I'm a guy!  Do I *have* to wear tights?
    3.8. Where can I buy dancewear?
    3.9. How can I make a tutu?
    3.10. How do I find/choose a school or teacher?
    3.11. How can I tell if a teacher is good?
    3.12. If the teacher makes me feel good, won't I become overconfident?
    3.13. I live in ----; where can I take classes?
    3.14. Where can I find out about Summer dance programs?
    3.15. I took my first class and I couldn't understand what was going on!
    3.16. I keep getting mixed up!
    3.17. What on earth is a "soo-soo"?
    3.18. What is "B-plus"?
    3.19. How can I learn to raise my leg over my shoulder, the way I see
	    other dancers doing?
    3.20. I'm 5'7" (or whatever) high.  Am I too tall for ballet?
    3.21. What is a career in dancing like?
    3.22. My daughter's gym classes are interfering with her ballet
	    training.  What can I do to make the school listen?

PART 3
    4. Ballet history
    4.1. Who invented ballet?
    4.2. I thought ballet was a Russian art.
    4.3. When was the first ballet?
    4.4. What is the oldest surviving ballet?
    4.5. When was the first ballet school started?
    4.6. How did ballet develop after the founding of that school?
    4.7. Who was Noverre?
    4.8. How did ballet develop in the nineteenth century?
    4.8.1. Who was Carlo Blasis?
    4.8.2. Who was August Bournonville?
    4.8.3. The primacy of the ballerina
    4.8.4. Ballet in Russia
    4.8.5. Who was Didelot?
    4.8.6. Who was Petipa?
    4.9. Dance in the 20th century
    4.9.1. Who was Diaghilev and what did he do?
    4.9.2. Who was Fokine?
    4.9.3. Who was Balanchine?
    4.9.4. The beginnings of modern dance

PART 4
    5. Miscellaneous questions
    5.1. Is there a way of writing down dance, the way we write down music?
    5.2. Is there software for doing choreography?
    5.3. Is there software for my dance studio?
    5.4. What is Contact Improvisation?

    6. Reading List
    6.1. Books
    6.2. Periodicals

    7. Organizations
    7.1. General
    7.2. Organizations offering help with eating disorders


================


1. General information

In a group as young as this one was when this FAQ was first written, we
didn't have enough data to identify "frequently-asked" questions, with a
few exceptions; hence many of the entries were answers to questions that
we might reasonably *expect* to be frequently asked, or at least wondered
about.  I chose to discuss things that I myself had wondered about; things
that, I surmised, beginners and non-dancers must wonder about (since this
group is specifically intended to include them); a few technical points
(well known to dancers but not to spectators); and a fairly extensive
history of ballet from 1489 to the close of the Diaghilev era.  Coverage
has since been expanded in response to requests and suggestions from the
group.  The FAQ ends with some questions that don't fit well into the other
categories, a list of references and periodicals, and a list of dance-
related organizations.

This FAQ is posted bimonthly (on even-numbered months) in alt.arts.ballet,
the Dancers' Archive, and also to rtfm.mit.edu, where most FAQs are
available through anonymous FTP.  It can also be found on the Web at
	http://www.math.ucla.edu/~eijkhout/ballet_faq.html
and is also reachable from
	http://www.ens-lyon.fr/~esouche/danse/FAQ1.html
although these may not always be the latest versions.  Victor Eijkhout
also recommends
	ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.arts.ballet/
or	http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/internet/news/faq/alt.arts.ballet.html
which also have the dancewear FAQ (see next paragraph) and Brad Appleton's
FAQ on stretching (see Question 3.17).

This FAQ and several others can also be obtained by e-mail from the
Dancers' Archive.  Email dancers-archive@world.std.com with _one_ of the
following "get" commands in the _subject_ line.  You will get from 1 to 4
emails back, depending on which FAQ you requested.  Here are the commands:

get aab-faq
get dancewear-faq
get rad-faq
get stretch-faq

The word 'get' must be specified as shown above, otherwise the email server
won't know what you want to do.  The word 'faq' can be capitalized, but
the other words (rad, stretch, dancewear, and aab) cannot. 'faq' cannot be
mixed-case.  For this FAQ, request aab-faq; for the dancewear FAQ (next
paragraph), request dancewear-faq.  The other two: rad-faq is the FAQ for
rec.arts.dance and stretch-faq is for Brad Appleton's FAQ on stretching
(see Question 3.17.)

There is also a FAQ listing suppliers of dancewear, updated bimonthy (on
odd-numbered months--alternating with updates to this FAQ).  That can also
be found in the Dancers' Archive and in rtfm.mit.edu.

Amy Reusch has assembled a FAQ containing advice for aspiring dancers who
wonder whether they should include college in their plans.  It can be found
in the ballet-modern directory of the Dancers' Archive under the name,
Schooling-FAQ.

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Eliot Aronstern, Lise Brenner, Victor Eijkhout, and Lance
Westergard for reading the first draft and providing valuable comments and
suggestions.  Thanks also to Robert Atwood, Randy Barron, Eileen Bauer,
Melinda Buckwalter, Laurel F. Brady, Bonnie Brooks, CarlosC14, Mark
Coniglio, Alan Corneretto, Nancy Dalva, Danczarina@aol.com, Callum Downie,
William Fitzgerald, Claudia Folts, Robinne Gray, Lisa M. Hahn, Steve
Keeley, Kathy Kerr, Keith Knox, Sandi Kurtz, Debby McConnell, NextStage
@aol.com, Bob D. Peterson, Roger Plaut, Amy Reusch, Jessica Schein, Shannon
(swilson769@aol.com), Tim Scholl, Estelle Souche, Phyllis Stein, CHO
Tomoko, Vanessa (marinovan@aol.com), Kimberly Wallace, Karen Ward, Jim
Williams, Leigh Witchel, Mark Zetler, and many other contributors to this
group whose postings (and corrections) are gradually finding their way into
this FAQ.


1.1. What is this group?

	The purpose of alt.arts.ballet is to provide a forum for people
with an interest in ballet and/or the more modern outgrowths of classical
ballet.

	All questions, comments, information and discussion pertaining
to ballet and/or modern dance are welcome, and ALL members of the ballet/
modern dance community (e.g. dancers, choreographers, fans, students, etc.)
are encouraged to participate.


1.2. Is there a group for modern dance?

	This is it.  Don't be misled by our name; modern-dance people post
here frequently and are welcome here.


1.3. What is the difference between alt.arts.ballet and rec.arts.dance?

	Our group branched off from rec.arts.dance.  Eliot Aronstern
founded alt.arts.ballet, in May 1994, to provide an on-line locale for
discussion of any and all topics related to ballet and modern dance as a
performing art.   The primary focus in rec.arts.dance is on discussion of
social and competitive partner dancing, although there remains some degree
of overlap between these two groups.


1.4. Are there any other ballet/modern groups?

	No; this is it.  But there is a ballet chat group on the New York
Times board, accessible though America OnLine.  To access it,

	1)  On the AOL "Main Menu", go to "Enertainment"
	2)  On the right side of the "aol.entertainment" menu, there is
		"the index", scroll down to "New York Times @times" file
		and click on.
	3)   At the "welcome to NY times" menu, click on "Message Boards"
		at the bottom.
	4)  A the "@times message boards" menu, click on "list categories"
		at lower left.
	5)  Scroll down till you see "Music & Dance", and click on it.
	6)  Scroll down and you will find the following categories:
		"Ballet Students"
		"Gone Dancing"
		"Dance Styles, Dance Careers"
		"The Ballet"
		"Singers, Dancers, Musicians"

(This information supplied by Danczarina@aol.com.)


1.5. How can I access this group?

	Direct access to the group is available via news readers at most
sites.

	If you are unable to access alt.arts.ballet, please make a request
(to your local net news administrator) to have this group picked up on your
local site, and/or contact Eliot (eliot@netcom.com) directly by e-mail for
assistance.

	For a mailing-list subscription, e-mail to majordomo@world.std.com
from your account; make the body of the message
	subscribe ballet-modern
If you ever want to terminate your subscription, e-mail to the same address
with the body
	unsubscribe ballet-modern

	Postings to this group are archived in Dancers' Archive (maintained
by Eileen Bauer, ecb@world.std.com).  To access Dancers' Archive, do an
anonymous FTP to ftp.std.com or use the gopher to access Dancers' Archive.

	Eileen now also offers a daily digest of alt.arts.ballet.  To
subscribe to it, email dancers-archive@world.std.com with with either the
subject or the body containing the line:
	subscribe ballet-modern-digest
Subscribers will receive one post per day, probably averaging ~50k.  (The
digest is automatically purged of spams, by the way.)  If you are already a
subscriber to the ballet-modern mailing list, this is a separate service
and you will NOT be automatically unsubscribed from the regular list.

	The Dancers' Archive now offers a search facility.  To search for
any word or phrase, send an e-mail to:
    dancers-archive@world.std.com
In the "Subject:" line, write
    find ballet-modern <expression>
where <expression> is the word or phrase you wish to find.  Examples:
    To: dancers-archive@world.std.com
    Subject: find ballet-modern nureyev
(capitalization is ignored; Nureyev, nureyev, and NUREYEV all work).
    To: dancers-archive@world.std.com
    Subject: find ballet-modern Antony Tudor
(The search facility also accepts the abbreviations `bm', `b-m', or
`ballet' for `ballet-modern'.)  The search facility sends you an e-mail
reply listing all instances of the expression, with the path name, the file
name, the line number, and the text that included that expression.  Very
handy.  You can search other archives at world.std.com; there's a file
there that gives full details.

	Two gopher routes to the Archive:  (1) gopher gopher.std.com and
wander down the nonprofit menus until you get to Dancers' Archive.  (2)
gopher gopher.panix.com, select New York Art Line, then Music, Performance
and Dance, and then the Archive.  Some Web pages also include links to the
Archive.


1.6. How can I post to this group?

	You can post articles to this group with your newsreader.

	If your provider won't support access to the alt. hierarchy, you
can also post here by e-mail via one of the following addresses:
	alt-arts-ballet@news.demon.co.uk
	alt.arts.ballet.usenet@decwrl.dec.com
	alt.arts.ballet@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca


1.7. Are there any dance pages on the World Wide Web?

	Yes.  Web pages are generally a mixed bag; some pages are just
lists of links to other pages; some are still under construction; and some
are full of information and pictures.  Amy Reusch has compiled an extensive
list, which is posted at intervals on alt.arts.ballet and is also available
from the Dancers' Archive.  The following entries are pointers to lists of
pages.

Dance Index Resources:
----------------------

   The Dance Links webpage, the work of Amy Reusch, Jim White, and Jon
   Wright.  Contains all the dance links Amy Reusch has collected for
   alt.arts.ballet:
        http://www.physics.purdue.edu/~jswhite/dance_links.html
   or
        http://www.dancer.com/dance-links

   Cyberdance:
        http://www.thepoint.net/~raw/dance.htm

   NY Int'l Ballet's Listing of Dance Events
   (Online form to post your dance event too!)
        http://www.weblink.com/nyibc/Events/events.html

   Index of Dance Urls
        http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Dance/

   Dance On The Web (Artswire/DanceUSA's WWW Virtual Library dance site
   index)
        http://www.tmn.com/Artswire/www/dance/browse.html

   Dance Directory at www.cyberspace.com
        http://www.cyberspace.com/vandehey/dance.html

   Dancers Archive Gopher (where alt.arts.ballet is archived)
        gopher://ftp.std.com/11/nonprofits/dance/

   A Dancer's Page
        http://www.phantom.com/~netrunnr/dance.html


1.8. I'm only a beginner; should I just shut up and listen?

	Victor Eijkhout, in the FAQ for rec.arts.dance, asks this question
and answers it as follows: "No.  Tell stories about your experiences, or
post questions and listen to the--no doubt conflicting--answers you'll
get."  (But read this FAQ first.)

	If you're new to the Net, it's a good idea to look around at
various newsgroups and get a feel for the way things are done.  There are
virtually no rules, but there *are* customs.  On the news.answers group you
will find a number of useful documents for familiarizing yourself with the
Net.  I particularly recommend:-
    A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Commmunity
    Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Usenet
    Hints on writing style for Usenet
    Rules for posting to Usenet
(I said there were virtually no rules; that last document would be better
named, "Guidelines for posting....")


================================


2. General questions about ballet

	The entries in this section and the next are largely for beginners
and non-dancers.  They may not all be "frequently asked" on the Net, but
they are certainly frequently asked, or wondered about, by beginners in
class or by people who go to ballet or modern dance performances.

	Note: Ballet terminology is largely French (see question 2.10), and
since the 7-bit ASCII code does not include accented characters, we are
resorting to printing the accent just before its vowel; thus assembl'e,
encha^inement, terre-`a-terre.  It looks strange, but omission of the
accents looks stranger and may sometimes lead to confusion.  (If you put
the accent after the vowel, then a plural like assemble's looks like a
possessive.)


2.1. What is ballet?

	There are many definitions; here's one of the earliest:  Ballet is
"the geometrical groupings of people dancing together, accompanied by the
varied harmony of several instruments" (Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx, writing
in 1582).  This definition omits one feature commonly associated with
ballets: they tend to tell stories.  (Beaujoyeulx's own ballet told a
story.)  On the other hand, many modern ballets--for example, many of
Balanchine's--have no explicit plot.  So we might also say, ballet is
dancing done as a theatrical performance--as an art, in fact--frequently
telling a story, and drawing on a tradition of expressive movements dating
back to Beaujoyeulx and probably earlier.

	Ballet normally consists only of dancing and music.  But a few
ballets have been choreographed for performance without music, and some
ballets have included singing or recitation.  Beaujoyeulx's ballet called
for speeches from some of the characters, and the ballets of Jean-Philippe
Rameau (1683-1764), called "ballets" on the title-pages of their scores,
are actually opera-ballets.  But normally it is expected that any story
incorporated in a ballet will be conveyed by dance and mime alone.

	An answer along different lines might be that ballet is the foun-
dation of all of Western theatrical dance.  People aspiring to be modern
dancers or to be dancers in show business are frequently advised to start
with ballet before specializing in these other forms.  Many people in the
rec.arts.dance group also report that a grounding in ballet makes you a
better ballroom dancer.


2.2. What is modern dance?

	Modern dance (sometimes just "modern" for short and also called
"contemporary" in Britain and on the Continent) is the name given to a
dance tradition that arose as a reaction to ballet.  It may have started
as a rebellion against the formalism and conventions of ballet, but it was
probably also a reaction to the sorry state of Western European ballet in
the late 19th century (see question 4.8.4).  It also arose out of a desire
to express things and feelings that were thought appropriate to the new
century, things that, it was felt, the traditional ballet vocabulary
couldn't express.  It rejected many of the conventions of ballet--turnout,
pointed feet, the stated positions, the attempt to defy gravity with leaps
and other steps of elevation, dancing on pointe, the use of ballet shoes,
and so on.

	The two styles have borrowed from each other to the point that the
lines between them are becoming blurred.  For a discussion of whether there
is or still ought to be a distinction between ballet and modern dance at
this late date, see the file modern-vs-ballet.txt or scan the archived
material in the ballet-modern directory, both in the Dancers' Archive.  Tom
Parke <itcp@praxis.co.uk>, posting in rec.arts.dance, offered the following
definitions:

	If the dancers are attempting to prove that gravity does not exist,
	    then it's ballet.
	If the dancers are attempting to demonstrate that gravity does
	    exist and it's a bitch, then it's modern.
	If the dancers are attempting to demonstrate that gravity does
	    exist but they'd rather die fighting it than give in to it,
	    then it's jazz.


2.3. What is a ballet class like?

	A ballet class is a carefully graded sequence of exercises lasting,
typically, an hour and a half.  The work falls into three parts.  The first
part consists of stretching and warming-up exercises done with the support
of the barre (see question 2.4).  You may spend anywhere from forty minutes
to an hour at the barre.  Then you move to the center of the studio to
work without support.  The second part of class, called _adage_, consists
of slow work in which the emphasis is on sustaining positions and on
balance.  The final part of class, allegro, consists of fast work, mostly
combinations (sequences of steps) with the big jumps and turns that make
ballet such an impressive and dazzling sight.


2.4. What is a barre?

	The barre is a handrail, approximately waist-high, that dancers
use to steady themselves during the first part of a ballet class.  The
barre provides a reference point; it can be used to provide resistance,
as when you press down on it to lengthen the spine; and it is your first
partner.  "Barre" is also a shorthand term for exercises done at the barre;
dancers frequently refer to "doing a barre," for example to warm up just
before performing.


2.5. Why do dancers take so many classes?

	Because dancers must practise under supervision.  In ballet so much
depends on the movements and positions of the dancer.  A pianist, who may
also practise for several hours each day, can monitor his or her playing by
listening; but when dancing you cannot always watch yourself, mirror or no
mirror, and in any case you need constant guidance and correction from an
informed and impartial observer.  So where the pianist can practise alone
each day, the professional dancer must take daily classes.

	For the serious dancer, the first ten years are a time when intense
class is vital.  This is the time when repeated practice gets the steps
"into your muscles"--gets them into your unconscious, so you can do them
without thinking and can link them into combinations at a moment's notice.


2.6. Why do dancers wear such funny shoes?

	Do you mean ordinary ballet shoes or women's pointe shoes?
Ordinary ballet shoes are peculiar in two respects: they have no heels and
paper-thin soles, and the shoes are identical for right and left feet.
They have had no heels since the time of Camargo (about 1720), who had her
shoes made without heels so she could pass her legs from front to back more
easily and so her heels would be right on the floor and provide a more
solid impetus for jumps.  The custom of making separate shoes for left
and right feet in general is only a little more than a century old; this
innovation was somehow never picked up by the makers of ballet shoes.  The
shoes acquire left- or right-footedness through use.

	Pointe shoes have reenforced toes to provide extra support for
dancers going on pointe.  Toe-dancing is literally that: the dancer's full
weight is supported on the tips of her unbent toes.  As you can imagine,
the force on the toes is considerable; the reenforcement distributes this
force over the entire tip of the foot.  Dancers usually add padding of some
sort inside the shoe to cushion their feet further.


2.7. Why don't men dance on pointe?

	Dancing on pointe lends an etherial, weightless appearance to the
performer.  This was part of the romantic image of Woman, and it has per-
sisted, in one form or another, to this day.  Call it sexist, if you will;
it probably is.  But men *do* dance on pointe, on rare occasions.  They
may be deliberately dancing women's roles, as in the Ballet Trockadero.
Some choreographers have had men wear pointe shoes for special effects;
posters in this group have instanced Sir Frederick Ashton's _The Dream_
(based on _A Midsummer Night's Dream_), in which a man wears pointe shoes
to represent Bottom's hooves (when he has been turned into a donkey), Mark
Morris's _Hard Nut_, (based on the _Nutcracker_), and some versions of
_Cinderella_ and of _La Fille Mal Gard'ee_.  In addition, some men also
find pointe work good for strengthening the arch of the foot.


2.8. Why do dancers stand with their feet turned out?

	For greater freedom of movement.  Many of the steps in ballet are
done with the leg extended; the kicks we associate with a chorus line are
like this.  For various reasons having to do with the structure of the hip
joint, a dancer can obtain the greatest extension if the leg is rotated
outward, away from its usual position.  This rotation means that you can
move to the side as readily as to the front or back.

	You also frequently need to change the position of the feet, from
right foot in front to left foot in front or vice versa.  One of the most
elementary jumps, called a _changement de pieds_ ("change of the feet";
_changement_ for short), consists of nothing else: jump up and land with
the other foot in front.  These changes must be made very quickly, and
again they can be done most easily if the feet are pointed in opposite
directions.

	This position of the legs is known as turnout, and it is probably
the most conspicuous aspect of balletic posture.  As this description
implies, it is mostly a practical measure, although it may be done for
appearance as well.  In the first ballets, the dancers performed in the
middle of the hall, surrounded on all sides by the audience.  When ballet
moved to the proscenium stage, in the middle of the seventeenth century,
men began to dance turned out.  This has led historians to suggest that
turnout originated because it looked better on stage.  But it may have been
because extension showed to better advantage on the stage and that dancers
turned out for the sake of greater extension.

	Turnout does not begin from the ankles.  You do not force your feet
into that position and let everything from there on up follow.  Turnout
begins at the hip joint, and it is better to be turned out imperfectly from
the hip than to strain the joints at the ankles and knees.  Indeed, few
people can turn out perfectly, with the feet pointing in exactly opposite
directions, unless they have started as children (and sometimes not even
then), and boys are not expected to be as turned out as girls are.

	For additional information, see the file, why-turnout-in-ballet.txt
in the Dancers' Archive.


2.9. What are all these "positions?"

There are positions for the arms, and the feet.  Different schools number
the arm positions differently, but the positions of the feet have been
fixed since the time of Beauchamps (Question 4.5).

	The positions of the feet are as follows:  In first position, the
heels are together.  In second position, the feet are separated so there is
a distance between the heels roughly equal to the length of a foot.  In
third position, one foot is right in front of the other, with the two feet
partly overlapping.  In fourth position, one foot is in front of the other,
but there is a space between the feet.  Fifth position is like third,
except that the overlap is complete.

	If we represent the foot by o---- (where o is the heel), and if the
feet are fully turned out, then we can sketch the positions as follows:

        First:  ----oo----              Second: ----o    o----


        Third:      o----               Fifth:      o----
                  ----o                             ----o

                                o----
                    Fourth:

                                ----o

These are the basics, but there are some fine points.  The Cecchetti fifth
is a little less strongly crossed than a Russian fifth, and dancers make a
distinction beween a closed fourth (shown) and an open fourth.


2.10. What is "placement?"

	Placement is, roughly, alignment of the body.  Becoming properly
placed means learning to stand up straight, with hips level and even,
shoulders open but relaxed and centered over the hips, pelvis straight
(neither protruding nor tucked under), back straight, head up, weight
centered evenly between the feet.  This posture is frequently described as
"pulled up," but it is also a relaxed posture; you aren't tensed up like
a soldier standing at attention.  (A teacher once said you should imagine
that you are suspended by a thread attached to the top of your head.  This
suggests both the "pulled-up" and relaxed aspects of good ballet posture.)
And as you dance, you seek to maintain this posture except when the step
requires something different, like the slight forward arch of the spine
that accompanies an arabesque.


2.11. Why all that French?

	The first ballet school was in France, and the terminology was
crystallized there.  Nearly everything in ballet is described by a French
word or phrase.  (You even wish dancers good luck in French.  Actors wish
one another good luck before a performance by saying, "Break a leg!"
Dancers say, "_Merde!_")  The drawback of this is that you must learn the
French names for the steps and movements; but you would have to learn
*some* names in any case, and the advantage is that you can take a ballet
class anywhere in the world and, no matter how unintelligible the rest of
the talk is, the terminology will still be in French and you will
understand it.


2.12. What are the most popular ballets?

	Estelle Souche ran an informal poll of alt.arts.ballet in March,
1995, asking people to list their six favorite ballets.  The results of
this poll may or may not be representative of the population as a whole,
but here are the ballets that got two or more votes.  Note that some
ballets, like _Romeo and Juliet,_ exist in more than one version; the
different versions had to be consolidated in tabulating the result.

	_Swan Lake_ (Petipa): 22 votes

	_Romeo and Juliet_ (MacMillan, Cranko, Van Dantzig, Smuin or
others): 17 votes

	_Giselle_ (Perrot-Coralli): 14

	_Serenade_ (Balanchine): 12

	_Don Quixote_ (Petipa): 10

	_Sleeping beauty_ (Petipa): 9
	_The Four Temperaments_ (Balanchine): 9

	_La Sylphide_ (after Taglioni or Bournonville): 5
	_Coppelia_ (after Saint-Leon): 5
	_La Bayad`ere_ (Petipa): 5
	_The Nutcracker_ (Petipa): 5
	_Green Table_ (Jooss): 5
	_Jewels_ (Balanchine): 5
	_Symphony in C_ (Balanchine): 5
	_A Midsummer Night's Dream_ (Ashton): 5

	_Les Sylphides_ (Fokine): 4
	_Concerto Barocco_ (Balanchine): 4
	_Apollo_ (Balanchine): 4
	_Push Comes to Shove_ (Tharp): 4

	_Le Corsaire_ (after Mazilier): 3
	_Agon_ (Balanchine): 3
	_Rodeo_ (Agnes De Mille): 3
	_Diversion of Angels_ (Graham): 3
	_Monotones_ (Ashton): 3
	_Le Jeune Homme et la Mort_ (Roland Petit): 3
	_Revelations_ (Ailey): 3

	_La Fille mal gard'ee_ (after Dauberval): 2
	_L'apres-midi d'un faune_ (Nijinski): 2
	_Rubies_ (Balanchine): 2
	_Who Cares?_ (Balanchine): 2
	_Stars and Stripes_ (Balanchine): 2
	_Rubies_ (Balanchine): 2
	_Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux_  (Balanchine): 2
	_Lilac Garden_ (Antony Tudor): 2
	_Acts of light_ (Graham): 2
	_Clytemnestra_ (Graham): 2
	Dance interlude in _Oklahoma_ (De Mille): 2
	_The Concert_ (Jerome Robbins): 2
	_Taming of the Shrew_ (Cranko): 2
	_Aureole_ (Taylor): 2
	_Hard Nut_ (Morris): 2
	_Gloria_ (Morris): 2
	_Da Mummy, Nyet Mummy_ (Christopher d'Amboise): 2
	_Cinderella_ (various productions): 2


2.13. Where can I find books about dance?


2.13.1. Bookstores

	Some of the larger bookstores may have special sections devoted to
dance.  For example, Barnes & Noble's main store in Manhattan (5th Ave. and
18th Street) has such a section.  Bookstores located near performing-arts
locales may offer dance books.  Otherwise, you will have to resort to
specialty stores.  Here are a few; others will be added in time.

Dance Books (London)
   15 Cecil Court
   London WC2N4EZ England
   441 836 2314
   Fax 441 497 0473
   e-mail: dances@dircon.co.uk

The Ballet Company
   1887 Broadway
   New York, New York  10023
   (212) 246-6893
   Fax (212) 246-6899
      Collectibles, books, videos, apparel

The Dance Mart (books and memorabilia)
   Box 994
   Teaneck, N. J.  07666
   (Send them a large stamped envelope and they will send you a catalog.)

Golden Legend, Inc.
   (Member Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America)
   7615 Sunset Boulevard
   Los Angeles, Calif.  90046
   (213) 850-5520
   Fax (213) 850-1524
   e-mail legenda@ix.netcom.com

JB Muns
   Fine Arts Books
   1162 Shattuck Ave
   Berkeley, Calif.  94707
   Dance/Music Catalogue #156

Original Music (books and videos, mostly non-Western and "ethnic")
   418 Lasher Road
   Tivoli, N. Y. 12583
   Phone 914-756-2767
   Fax: 914-756-2027
   E-mail orimu@aol.com

Princeton Books
    POB 57
    Pennington, New Jersey  08534
    (800) 326-7149
    http://www.dancehorizons.com


2.13.2. Libraries

	Among libraries, the best known collection in the United States is
the Dance Collection of the New York Public Library, located at Lincoln
Center.  They have an on-line catalog; to access it,
	    telnet nyplgate.nypl.org
and respond to the login prompt with
	    nypl
At this writing (Mar., 1996), the on-line catalog is accessible only during
the hours when the library itself is open.

	In Washington, D. C., the George Washington University has a Dance
Archive.  For an informational brochure, contact
	Cheryl A. Chouiniere			Phone:	(202) 994-7549
	Manuscripts Librarian			Fax:  (202) 994-1340
	The Gelman Library
	The George Washington University	Bitnet:  indmss@gwuvm
	2130 H Street, NW			Internet:
	Washington, D. C.  20052		    indmss@gwuvm.gwu.edu



2.14. Where can I find dance videos?

	There are two lists put out by the Dance Films Association back in
1986:
	- Modern Dance & Ballet On Film & Video: A Catalog
	    ISBN 0-317-41588-3
	- Dance Film and Video Guide
	    ISBN 0-87127-171-0

	There are also the following sources.  (Most of this list
contributed by Sandi Kurtz.  Annotations are hers except as noted.)

Corinth Video
   34 Gansevoort Street
   New York N. Y.  10014-1597
   (800) 221-4720
They send out a quarterly newsletter and four-page price list with
approximately 150 ballet tapes and several hundred other tapes of Opera,
Film Classics, and Theater.  (Bob D. Peterson)

Home Vision
    POB 800
    Concord, Mass.  01742
    (800) 262-8600
Some PBS.

Kultur
    121 Highway 36
    West Long Branch, New Jersey  07764
    (800) 4KULTUR
    (201) 229-2343
    kultur@monmouth.com
Relationship with the Bolshoi, large lists of Bolshoi rep, mostly ballet.

The Ballet Company
   1887 Broadway
   New York, New York  10023
   (212) 246-6893
   Fax (212) 246-6899
      Collectibles, books, videos, apparel

M.A.D. Degrees Productions
    P. O. Box 2945
    Beverly Hills, Calif.  90213
    (800) 326-4997

New York City Ballet Gift Shop
    New York State theater
    20 Lincoln Center
    New York, New York  10023
    (212) 870-4232
    fax: (212) 870-5693
    e-mail: nycbtick@interport.net
    web: http://www.nycballet.com/

Princeton Books
    POB 57
    Pennington, New Jersey  08534
    (800) 326-7149
One of the best modern dance lists as well as ballet.

Unlimited Dance Files (Florida)
    PO Box 160335
    Miami, Fla  33116-0335
    (800) 430-4297

Video Artists International
    POB 153, Ansonia Station
    New York, N. Y.  10023
    (800) 338-2566

View Video
    34 E 23rd Street
    New York, N. Y.  10010
    (212) 674-5550


	There is also a ballet CD-ROM available; this shows the execution
of hundreds of ballet steps, with information on correct execution and even
a guide to pronunciation.  It also contains a brief history of ballet and
interviews with a number of professional ballet dancers.  The CD-ROM, which
is available in both Macintosh and Windows versions, is obtainable from

    Performing Arts Video, Inc.
    Ballet CD-ROM
    P. O. Box 193121
    San Francisco, Calif.  94119-3121
    (800) 600-6568
    http://www.pav.org/ballet.htm

At this writing (June, 1996), the price is $59.95 plus $5 for shipping.

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Continued in Part 2....
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http://www.panix.com/~twp       |              --Lily Tomlin
