Ballet Illuminations by Singapore Dance Theatre performing in KLPAC 6-7 April 2012


Ballet Illuminations by Singapore Dance Theatre

Singapore Dance Theatre & The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre present Ballet Illuminations.

SDT will perform on 6 and 7 April at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac), and are supported by YTL Corporation Berhad and the National Arts Council, Singapore.

Featuring Maninyas by Stanton Welch,Nutcracker, Pas De Deux by Janek Schergen, The Winds of Zephyrus by Edwaard Liang and Serenade by George Balanchine, Ballet Illuminations is a perfect display of verve and vitality that is synonymous with SDT’s unique identity as a company that is equally adept at these challenging and varied genres of dance.

6 & 7 April: 8.30 pm (Evening) / 7 April: 3pm (Matinee)
Pentas 1, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac)

Tickets: Evening performance: RM43, RM18 (students, disabled, senior citizens & TAS card members)
Matinee Performance: RM33, RM18 (students, disabled, senior citizens & TAS card members)
Tickets for 4 people: Standard tickets for 4 at RM150 (usual RM172), Not applicable for concession tickets
YTL Platinum members: 20% off standard price tickets, Not applicable for concession tickets
TAS members: Standard price tickets at RM18, Not applicable for concession tickets
School Booking: With every booking of 10 tickets, 1 complimentary ticket will be provided for the chaperone teacher. Please contact Joanna at 603- 40479000 or email joanna@klpac.org .

Maninyas by Stanton Welch

Originally created for San Francisco Ballet in 1996, Maninyas was Mr. Welch’s first commission outside his home company, The Australian Ballet – his first American exposure, which led to commissions with other companies. The piece consists of a series of pas de deux and pas de trios which depicts the process of “unveiling” that takes place when individuals get to know each other better. As people become familiar with one another, they “take off their veils”. Maninyas is set to Australian composer Ross Edward’s Maninyas – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.

Nutcracker Act 2, Grand Pas De Deux by Janek Schergen

The Nutcracker Ballet is based on the story “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice” written by E.T.A. Hoffman. Although what is seen on the stage today is different in detail from the original story, the basic plot remains the same; the story of a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads. In Act 2, The Prince escorts Clara to the Land of Sweets where they are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Prince tells her about their daring battle with the army of mice and she rewards them with a celebration of dances. As a finale, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier dance a beautiful Pas De Deux / French for “step for two” (Dance for two performers).

The Winds of Zephyrus by Edwaard Liang

Created especially for Singapore Dance Theatre by Edwaard Liang – The Winds of Zephyrus brings contemporary dance to stratospheric heights with dancers portraying the wind in all its forms. Winner of the Prince Prize Grant for Choreography and the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, Edwaard Liang’s pieces have been performed all around the world by companies such as New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Shanghai Ballet and most recently the Joffrey Ballet. This is his second work for SDT, following the piece titled As Above, So Below which was featured during Da:ns Festival 2010.

Serenade by George Balanchine

Serenade is a milestone to Balanchine, so as it is in the dance history. It was the first ballet George Balanchine choreographed in America. Serenade has come to be considered the signature piece of the New York City Ballet and is one of Balanchine’s most widely performed works. The intention of the work was to show the ballet students how dancing on stage differs from class work. Balanchine embraced the conditions and incidents in the class into the choreography. Balanchine was never content for ballets to stay in the past and kept revising Serenade to keep it modern throughout his whole choreographic career.

The Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) was founded in 1988 with seven dancers by Goh Soo Khim and the late Anthony Then. Since then, SDT has developed into Singapore’s premier professional dance company comprising 34 dancers. In the course of each year, the Company performs five to six seasons, including the widely popular Ballet Under The Stars at the Fort Canning Park.

The Company’s repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary ballet, from renowned choreographers like Goh Choo San, George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian, Stanton Welch, Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Xing Liang, Mauricio Wainrot, Val Caniparoli, Graham Lustig, David Dawson, Jorma Elo, Edmund Stripe, Adrian Burnett, Edwaard Liang and Nils Christe. In 2009, Janek Schergen took over the post of Artistic Director of SDT. Under his leadership, the Company has made new achievements in the international and Singapore dance arena.

For more information, see http://www.klpac.org/?p=5707

Amazing 5th Year Vaganova Student Beyond Anyone's Imagination



The opening pirouette from a grand plie is beyond anyone's understanding. She makes a complete pirouette, which is nothing special, but she finishes on balance and maintains that balance for a long period, with a perfect passe to a develop front, all on balance,until the exercise forces her raised leg to pass through first position, which forces her to lower her heel that has been balancing from the beginning of her pirouette. She never takes that heel down, until the exercise forces her to pass through first position.

Amazing!

Ballet for the Body: Adult Classes


All women envy the dancer. Yes, they are coordinated, artistic and trained athletes. But mainly, we envy them because of their perfectly sculpted, toned physiques. As someone who has endeavored practically every mainstream sport, I can proudly say that when I trained in ballet and jazz, my body was the leanest and lightest it has ever been.

So what is it about this gentle training system that keeps the body so thin without adding bulky muscles? If you haven’t noticed, ballet has similar characteristics and benefits as that of yoga and pilates, except it works to turn your hip and legs outward. It focuses on flexibility, while also strengthening your muscles with certain held positions. The constant stretching also works to elongate your muscles, which keeps everything longer and thinner. Since ballet never requires you (the female dancer) to use any outside resistance, except the weight of your own body parts, the muscles remain lean.

Ballet is a very disciplined, highly technical activity that does not put an abundance of strain on the body, like other rigorous sports. It also works to train the body to dance in perfect symmetry, which after years of training can be extremely rewarding.

Recap on the benefits:

-Constant stretching elongates the muscles
-Held poses tone muscles, especially the core
-Constant movement burns calories
-Never uses more than own body weight for resistance

Adult Classe in Bangsar Village 2:
Yes, putting on a leotard and tights can be a little intimidating and downright scary for some of us. But don’t worry, adult classes are geared for those who would simply like to enjoy the many benefits of beautiful ballet dancing.

Fit For 2 Studio
Lot 3F-1B, Third Floor, Bangsar Village II
2 Jalan Telawi 1
59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 2287 5001
Fax: 03 - 2287 5002

E-mail: mariani@fitfor2.com.my
http://www.fitfor2.com.my/

American Ballet Theater Spring 2011, New York City












Finally, I get to watch my favourite ballet big names perform live at the Metropolitan Opera House, NYC.

I watched Julie Kent in Cinderella, Alina Cojocaru in Coppelia and Gillian Murphy in Swan Lake! I absolutely love watching them!

Check out ABT's official website: http://www.abt.org/

A week at the Prix de Lausanne 2010



Found an interesting video about contestants of Prix de Lausanne. Sneak peak into a week of rehearsal and competitions of this prestige classical ballet competition.

Darcey Bussell Documental #2

Darcey Bussell Documental #1