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Famous Ballet Dancers
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Published: August 23, 2007
A ballet dancer, unlike any other dancer, makes the steps of the dance look natural and graceful. However the classical dance is actually anything but; ballet dance is grueling and complicated, and a light, floaty ballet dancer actually employs painstaking effort and technique to appear so. The dance that seems to defy gravity on the stage can only be performed after several years of training at a ballet school.
All those with the intent to become famous ballet dancers should start taking ballet lessons when they are young, usually between eight and 10 years old. Young ballet dancers must attend three to six lessons a week by the time they are 12. This will set them on the path to be dancing professionally by age 20. Within a company however, dancers must work even harder to keep their bodies in prime physical condition; their love of ballet and dancing is a strong motivational force for these dancers to continue this taxing career. Complete mental and physical dedication is a requirement to be a famous ballet dancer; retirement is typical around age 45.
Though ballet has been especially prominent in Italy, France and Russia, the countries where it originally flourished, a young ballet dancer can find good training at several schools around the world. Famous ballet companies also offer schools; the Kirov Ballet Company in Russia, the School of American Ballet in New York City and the Royal Ballet School in London are all excellent examples of such institutions, and are alma mater to many famous ballet dancers.
Male ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the most recognizable names in ballet today. Born in Latvia in 1948, Mikhail began dancing when he was 12 under the training of Alexander Pushkin in St. Petersburg, and enjoyed a career with both the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet, retiring in 1989. The bravura of his dance and his skill in the adaption of each character he played earned him stand out fame. He has also graced the film industry as well as Broadway with his artistic touch; ballet also benefited from his choreography work on the popular Don Quixote and The Nutcracker.
Another famous male ballet dancer was Erik Bruhn. Born in Denmark in 1928, he was praised as the possessor of perfect technique and style of his generation. Bruhn trained at the school of the Royal Danish ballet and went on to perform lead roles in several well-known ballets, such as Swan Lake. He was also master of the pas-de-deux. After retiring from performance in 1970, Bruhn continued to impact ballet by serving as director of the National Canada Ballet, where he worked to evolve Canadian choreography until his death in 1986.
Considered the most famous ballerina of all time, Anna Pavlova carved a truly remarkable career in ballet. Born In Russia in 1882 premature and a frail child, Anna was not slated to be a young ballet dancer. After her first ballet enchanted her, she was told she was too young to join the Russian Imperial Ballet, and had to wait two years before she was admitted to the Imperial Theatre School. Finally a student, this young ballet dancer toiled for years and eventually found herself prima ballerina, or top female ballet dancer of the Imperial Ballet. Her technique and acting earned her notoriety, as audiences found themselves immersed so deeply in her performances, that witness and ballet critic C. W. Beaumont declared, it "seemed a mockery to applaud when the dance came to an end." Living a dramatic life, her health finally failed her at age 49, when she succumbed to pneumonia. She still remains an inspiration to all young ballerinas today.
A ballet dancer leads and extraordinary life. Hard work, dedication and the love of ballet will be essential for a ballet dancer to find success within a school, and later, a professional company. The dance is a beautiful and sublime art, a gift which ballet dancers bestow upon the audience. The audience remains captivated and grateful.
Sources:
Wallechinsky, David & Irving Wallace. "Biography of Famous Russian Dancer and Ballerina Anna Pavlova Part 1." The People's Almanac. 1975-1981. Trivia-Library.com. 8 Aug 2007. http://www.trivia-library.com/a/biography-of-famou s-russian-dancer-and-ballerina-anna-pavlova-part-1 />
"Ballet History." Dance4it.com 8 Aug 2007. http://www.dance4it.com/ballethistory.htm.
"Great Dancers." Dance4it.com 8 Aug 2007. http://www.dance4it.com/greatdancers.htm.
All those with the intent to become famous ballet dancers should start taking ballet lessons when they are young, usually between eight and 10 years old. Young ballet dancers must attend three to six lessons a week by the time they are 12. This will set them on the path to be dancing professionally by age 20. Within a company however, dancers must work even harder to keep their bodies in prime physical condition; their love of ballet and dancing is a strong motivational force for these dancers to continue this taxing career. Complete mental and physical dedication is a requirement to be a famous ballet dancer; retirement is typical around age 45.
Though ballet has been especially prominent in Italy, France and Russia, the countries where it originally flourished, a young ballet dancer can find good training at several schools around the world. Famous ballet companies also offer schools; the Kirov Ballet Company in Russia, the School of American Ballet in New York City and the Royal Ballet School in London are all excellent examples of such institutions, and are alma mater to many famous ballet dancers.
Male ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the most recognizable names in ballet today. Born in Latvia in 1948, Mikhail began dancing when he was 12 under the training of Alexander Pushkin in St. Petersburg, and enjoyed a career with both the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet, retiring in 1989. The bravura of his dance and his skill in the adaption of each character he played earned him stand out fame. He has also graced the film industry as well as Broadway with his artistic touch; ballet also benefited from his choreography work on the popular Don Quixote and The Nutcracker.
Another famous male ballet dancer was Erik Bruhn. Born in Denmark in 1928, he was praised as the possessor of perfect technique and style of his generation. Bruhn trained at the school of the Royal Danish ballet and went on to perform lead roles in several well-known ballets, such as Swan Lake. He was also master of the pas-de-deux. After retiring from performance in 1970, Bruhn continued to impact ballet by serving as director of the National Canada Ballet, where he worked to evolve Canadian choreography until his death in 1986.
Considered the most famous ballerina of all time, Anna Pavlova carved a truly remarkable career in ballet. Born In Russia in 1882 premature and a frail child, Anna was not slated to be a young ballet dancer. After her first ballet enchanted her, she was told she was too young to join the Russian Imperial Ballet, and had to wait two years before she was admitted to the Imperial Theatre School. Finally a student, this young ballet dancer toiled for years and eventually found herself prima ballerina, or top female ballet dancer of the Imperial Ballet. Her technique and acting earned her notoriety, as audiences found themselves immersed so deeply in her performances, that witness and ballet critic C. W. Beaumont declared, it "seemed a mockery to applaud when the dance came to an end." Living a dramatic life, her health finally failed her at age 49, when she succumbed to pneumonia. She still remains an inspiration to all young ballerinas today.
A ballet dancer leads and extraordinary life. Hard work, dedication and the love of ballet will be essential for a ballet dancer to find success within a school, and later, a professional company. The dance is a beautiful and sublime art, a gift which ballet dancers bestow upon the audience. The audience remains captivated and grateful.
Sources:
Wallechinsky, David & Irving Wallace. "Biography of Famous Russian Dancer and Ballerina Anna Pavlova Part 1." The People's Almanac. 1975-1981. Trivia-Library.com. 8 Aug 2007. http://www.trivia-library.com/a/biography-of-famou s-russian-dancer-and-ballerina-anna-pavlova-part-1 />
"Ballet History." Dance4it.com 8 Aug 2007. http://www.dance4it.com/ballethistory.htm.
"Great Dancers." Dance4it.com 8 Aug 2007. http://www.dance4it.com/greatdancers.htm.
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