Posts filed under: Ask Colin

Dear Colin,
I read that The Australian Ballet is touring to New York in 2012 and performed in Japan last year. How regularly does the company perform outside of Australia?
Junichi

Dear Junichi,
The Australian Ballet made its first overseas tour in 1965 when invited to represent Australia at the first Commonwealth Arts Festival in Great Britain, and since then the company has made 30 International tours. On our 2010 Japan tour we performed two Graeme Murphy works – Nutcracker: the story of Clara and Swan Lake. Both of these major works highlight the dancing and acting ability of our company’s dancers and our attention to high production standards. Incidentally these are the reasons the company is being continually invited to visit so many overseas cities. (more…)

Hi Colin,
I am a young male ballet dancer, since I was in my very early teens my hairline started to recede. Currently I’m 18 and I have very thin hair. I am hoping to soon start auditioning for companies, but I am wondering if balding will hinder me in any way in gaining employment. And if it does stop me, are there any ways I can cover it up? Such as getting professionally fitted wigs for auditions and performances. I understand that the world of ballet is very appearance orientated however does it really matter at the end of the day? Will I be forced to explore more Contemporary and Modern companies because of balding?
Thanks, Stan.

Hi Stan,
Since receiving your query I have been checking out the hairlines of the male dancers in The Australian Ballet. I must say I have received some very strange looks in return!  However, my research does prove something that I want you to understand, and that is that I hadn’t particularly noticed their hair before you wrote.

What I, the audience and artistic directors notice, is their talent. To have an advanced technique, the ability to make clean, easily readable classical ballet shapes and an engaging personality is important, hair length, colour and style, less so. (more…)

Hi,
I am 14 years old and I have been dancing for 11 years. I was just wondering if you knew any good ways to strengthen my legs for jumps, because however hard I try I just can’t seem to jump any higher and in my solo I just can’t seem to get any jumps the height they need to be.
Thanks,
Chelsea

Dear Chelsea,
The height of a dancer’s jump depends not only on training but also the physicality of the dancer.  The dancer’s build is key, in particular their alignment, the strength and length of their legs and feet (to enable a fast and strong push-off from the floor) and neuro-muscular efficiency, which can be made more efficient by repetition of suitable exercises. (more…)

Dear Colin,
My teacher insists that her students, when they change sides during barrework, always turn towards the wall. This seems silly to me. Surely a dancer should turn towards the audience or, in this case, the centre of the room? Is this just ‘tradition’ as she says?
Indianna

Dear Indianna,
Your teacher is right in both cases. Yes, dancers, including professional dancers, always turn “towards the barre” when they change sides during the barre work. And yes, it is part of our tradition. The barre is considered ‘a partner’ during these preparatory exercises and the barre itself is considered to be your partner’s arm. This is why your turn towards your barre/partner and why, incidentally you use a light grip when you are holding the barre for support.

Best wishes for a good relationship between you and your partner!
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Dear Colin,
I was interested to read your advice about the modern, healthier approach to protecting dancers bodies. My twelve year old dancer has just, in the last two weeks, gone en pointe and whilst she is delighted, I still have concerns about her feet being damaged. She was assessed by a podiatrist and physio and had her pointe shoes fitted with care. But then, I was surprised and dismayed to find that her ballet teacher had nothing specific to teach the girls about dancing en pointe. They joined the older girls, already experienced, and were told, “try to stay over your feet, and if it hurts, stop.”

Is this really sufficient? Is there nothing specific to beginning pointe shoes that they need to be taught? Should I just stop worrying?
Regards,
Jill

Dear Jill,
The first steps in anything we do are the most important ones. A bad start to reading, writing or arithmetic takes intensive coaching to correct and the same is true of movement skills. So we at The Australian Ballet believe that a slow and careful introduction to pointe work is the best way to master the skill. Even when one of our dancers returns from injury we demand that she is able to perform 25 slow calf rises with ease before she is allowed to commence any pointe work.

Of course pointe work cannot be self-taught and during the first period of training each student needs careful instruction and guidance in the correct way of dancing en pointe for the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student. (more…)

Dear Colin
I am thirteen and have been doing ballet for 7 years. I love ballet and want to be a professional ballerina when I’m older. How many classes (or how many hours) should I be doing a week to help me improve to be a ballerina. Also, how much practice should I be doing a week?
Thanks for your time,
Colleen

Dear Colleen,
Your question is a bit like the classic “how long is a bit of string?”. Each student, because of their body shape, their ability to understand and to apply correction, and their temperament requires a different schedule of training. Even the student’s height and physicality should be taken into account before a training regime is undertaken. Also you should know that at 13 years of age your body is still developing so it should not be over-taxed with physical exertion. (more…)