tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10986064780512627242024-03-13T09:43:36.198-07:00The Ballet Boy Blog"What you put in is what you get out." -Peter StarkMisha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-25460626103063602982012-05-20T23:19:00.002-07:002012-05-20T23:20:00.036-07:00I blinked and a year went byOr at least that's what it feels like. I last posted about two weeks ago. And it feels like no time has passed at all. That same feeling extends across....well, life. You never believe it as a kid, but time goes fast. It's easy to miss life as it speeds by. I'm beginning to learn that. And as a dancer, that is a very frightening prospect.<br />
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Dancers don't have time. You have to spend all day every day or it isn't going to happen.You have until your late teens, early twenties to be ready for a job. And IF you get a job (which is near enough impossible in today's market), your career is likely to last you ten or fifteen, twenty AT THE MOST years. Time is of the element.<br />
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I was going to move on to the topic of performing in the Patel student recital and Swan Lake. But I've decided that that topic deserves it's own post, and so I save it. However, to save this post from vapidity, I am using it to make announcements for things to look forward to:<br />
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<li>Obviously, a post about the excitement of the recital, and more importantly; Swan Lake</li>
<li>Photos from YAGP, the recital, and Swan Lake (possibly videos too)</li>
<li>An advisory portion of the blog; so this can become useful to any ballet boys who might need a resource for anything from attire, training, personal work ethic, etc.</li>
<li>Homages; little diddies for those who've helped me on the way</li>
<li>How personal life can effect being a dancer, and vice versa</li>
<li>The plan for next year</li>
<li>And finally, what will become the continuity of the blog for the next few months; the SUMMER</li>
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As to why this post is being written at 2am, honestly, I don't know. Sometimes I just can't sleep.</div>
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<br /></div>Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-46839293536698320962012-05-06T16:41:00.000-07:002012-05-06T16:41:08.498-07:00To say that I've been busyWould be a huge understatement. With an AP World History exam looming in something like 10 days, and Swan Lake next weekend, life has been hectic. Rehearsals til 8:30 or 9 every night, then coming home and studying. I've barely had time to sleep, let alone blog.<br />
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And though it's been a busy couple of weeks, I've really enjoyed it. In class, Mr. Peter did the usual and pushed down on me when I was in a split. And I slid right down into one. Now, I still can't get quite to the floor without added pressure, but it's none the less an encouraging development.<br />
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In Swan Lake, I will be performing as a Court Gentlemen in the matinee and evening shows, and a Czardas dancer in the matinee. Performing in the show is half of the equation, and the other half is just being able to watch the rehearsals. Watching this epic ballet with Eddie Tovar and Hannah Bettes starring is inspiring beyond words. With the grand music and heartbreaking choreography, it's really one of the most beautiful ballets there is. For those in the Tampa area, I would encourage you to come see the show. It's going to be amazing and tickets are selling out fast.<br />
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The night before Swan Lake, I will be performing my YAGP solo in a showcase, which I'm really looking forward to. Having the opportunity to practice my variation again has been great because I've improved since I started, and have a fresh perspective on it.<br />
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I would write more, but I've got some more of that studying to do. I'll update as things happen. The year is beginning to come to an end. And that brings in a whole new era for ballet life.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-39969976461492486862012-04-04T18:22:00.000-07:002012-04-04T18:22:57.288-07:00Gradual progression is progression none the lessAnd the past week has been a testimony to that. I haven't suddenly slid down into an oversplit, press lifted anyone, or done an extraordinary number or pirouhettes. And I'd be lying if I didn't have that sort of expectation in the past. The thing about this sort of progress is that it's gradual. And things become easier indirectly. Trying again and again to pirouhette for the sake of a number is never going to get me there. But working on my balance will. Like I said, this week has not been filled with any revolutionary change or fantastic improvement. But it's been said that it's the little things in life that count so I'm going to go with that.<br />
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My experience in class varies class to class. The work I put in is pretty consistent, but sometimes it just depends on the luck of the draw. Which reminds me that multiple people have said to me that the luck of the draw principle is what separates students from professionals. Professionals make mistakes to, but the assumption is that our best day is their everyday. That they are completely consistent. I agree with this. It is a separating factor. But the only way to get to that point is to swallow your pride and push through. It's a good feeling when you happen to be doing well in a class. But it's an even better feeling when you start out the class feeling inhibited, and work through it so that by the end you ultimately had a good class. It's tempting to deceive yourself. But it's rewarding to surprise yourself.<br />
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In partnering class, after I had finished a combination with my lovely partner, Mr. Peter said, "That was good, Michael. You've improved". And I knew it. The improvement wasn't extreme. I still have trouble with a lot of lifts, but I have improved a little. And there's nothing more encouraging than that.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-56484782485968306112012-03-26T19:18:00.000-07:002012-03-26T19:18:45.979-07:00Putting in the timeIs a lot easier when you just allow yourself to do it, rather than force yourself. When I stretch, I'm often limited by my outlook towards stretching. It's work. It's something that has to be done. And therefore, I struggle against it and procrastinate. But today, I seemed to turn a corner in my desire for self improvement. I woke up feeling unusually energized, and decided to do various upper and lower body exercises. School went by with the usual level of mild intellectual stimulation, and being a Monday, my schedule gave me plenty of time to warm up before Mr. Richard Sias' trainee A class. Mr. Richard had quite a career as a professional dancer, and great teacher at the National Ballet of Canada. He is retired, and only teaches on Mondays, but I cherish his class. I worked hard, and got a lot out of the class, my most notable correction to lengthen my body in positions so as to take advantage of my proportions.<br />
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In the next class, a partnering class also taught by Richard, we learned part of the Bluebird pas. I worked with a friend of mine, a tall girl, who I've been working with increasingly due to my height. Today, I felt really good about my partnering class, and having a good partner really helps. And this is not always about ideal size, etc. One of the best things about my partner is that she feels free to give corrections, which is great. Getting constructive criticism from a partner is the best way to learn that I've discovered.<br />
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After that, I spent just under an hour of my break stretching in an empty studio. This was a really rewarding experience. By the end of the day, after this extra application, and a ballet class and men's class with Peter, I asked Peter to push on my hip while I did my split, and I got to the floor. My back leg is still a little bent but I'm closer than I've ever been. Some more days like this one, and I'll have my splits before I know it.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-2576659222602675792012-03-25T18:20:00.000-07:002012-03-25T18:20:34.987-07:00The weekend was full of performancesBy both my classmates and a professional company. On Friday, I joined several students, parents, and teachers in the audience of Ferguson Theater at the Straz Center for "On the Edge", the contemporary show our studio was putting on. It included younger level hip hop recital pieces, contemporary ensembles choreographed by our resident contemporary teacher; Glynn Owens, and solos by those of us who had contemporary pieces shown in the Youth America Grand Prix. It was a really great show. The hip hop pieces were cute, the ensemble pieces were enjoyable, and the solos were personally my favorite. Everyone performed fantastically. I mentioned before the importance of learning from one's peers, and there are few opportunities to do so better than in performances. In a show; improvement, competition, and perfection fall to the side, and all that matters is selling what's there. Doing as many pirouhettes becomes landing whatever number of pirouhettes you do, and concentration is hidden by a smile. Pleasing the audience is more important than pleasing yourself, and the determination to finish on a good note is the main focus. And my fellow students did that well.<br />
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Saturday night was spent in the larger theater, Morsani, at the Straz Center. As a privilege of being a trainee, we were given free tickets to watch the Joffrey Ballet perform three contemporary pieces. This was again a great learning experience. Observing some amazing technique and performing by the specific dancers was ofcourse fantastic, but equally interesting was observing the overall. What worked and what didn't. What lines looked appealing and what looked confusing. The effect of lighting and costuming. The first of the three pieces was an interesting piece which seemed to me to be about a woman's journey through life with unanimously costumed men and women partnering her or dancing around her. I really liked the corps dancing in this. The formations and cannons that the men formed and the way the lead woman interacted with them was unlike anything I've ever seen before. And a reprisal of the opening choreography at the end struck home for me as a great way to tie it up. The second piece was darkly lit, and all the dancers were costumed in green shirts and green or black tights. The general mood and music of the piece seemed imperial, like something from George Orwell's 1984. A society of uniformity leaping at the chance to express something unique. This was probably my favorite piece, but there was one major obstacle which stopped me from allowing myself to love it entirely. The music, though I liked it, was too repetitive. The monotony of the beat and accents flowed smoothly into an effect which caused one's consciousness to drift into a blank state, and it required concentration to take in the dancing. In contrast to the first dance, this was comprised mostly of women, with only three men. I would be lying if I said that as a male dancer I did not find watching men dance generally more interesting and educational, and the men's dancing in this was exquisite. There was one dancer in particular whose efficiency and strength was specifically impressive, and the duet between him and one of the ballerinas was breathtaking. The third piece was inspired by the Victorian era. The stage had huge, heavy velvet curtains draped across the back and sides, and the dancers were clad in white pettycoats and corsets. And while the classical music of this piece was my favorite of all the music in the show, the costumes were my least favorite. The men wore white shorts with white sleeveless pettycoats and they looked incredibly strange. And the women were in skirts so long that they hid the positions of the legs, and later in skirts that didn't look period due to their shine. The corps choreography in this was also my least favorite, with extremely repetitive waves and lines. Once the piece broke down into solos and pas de deux though, I was hooked. The main pas de deux was the most memorable partnering of the night, host to dramatic moments and breathtaking choreography.<br />
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Overall, the Joffrey Ballet's performance was really great. I didn't care for some of the repetition, etc. but as a whole, I learned a lot from it and enjoyed it thoroughly. And as I sit on my bed this Sunday night, updating the story of my life, I feel only excitement for the week to come, because I will be able to think about what I've learned, and more importantly; apply it.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-45513345703163035412012-03-21T19:45:00.000-07:002012-03-21T19:45:08.819-07:00There are some daysWhen you feel fantastic. Today was one of those days.<br />
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I woke up in a state not uncommon to myself, and I guess not uncommon for most teenagers. Tired. Aching. Completely unenthusiastic for the day. School was okay. Not horrible but not spectacular. Today's a day that school gets out at 11:15, leaving only fifteen minutes to get the entire carpool group from school to ballet and change in fifteen minutes. Not my favorite. Got to Julio Montano's trainee A (the lower of the two trainee levels, in which i reside) class just on time. Good class. Julio is a Cuban teacher and certainly has la passion. His barre is very technically challenging and is one that I've had to learn the hard way to be especially studious about learning the combinations. His center often revolves around pirouhettes; all pun intended, and a particular style to his petit allegro and across the floor combinations akin to that of the ballet "Don Quixote". It was in his class that I first accomplished a consistent number of triple pirouhettes on my left (and least favorable) side. He's a brilliant teacher and I'm extremely lucky and thankful to have him. I felt alright in his class but the foot that I rolled over was bothering me and made turning and jumping on it an unpleasant experience which distracted me from my ability to work efficiently after barre.<br />
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Following his class, I had a rehearsal for "Aida" with Peter. He adapted the choreography of the men's section and it looks even better than it did originally, and frees up our mobility so that the opera director can make changes as needed. My foot was still hurting but not as bad now.<br />
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After that, i had a fairly long break. So I stretched, changed into my ordinary clothes, did some homework, read some of my book; Plato's "Symposium", and went for a walk with some friends, enjoying the sun. I had enjoyed the past two days of near breakless scheduling, but I was happy for the chance to relax.<br />
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Then it was another technique class, this one with Peter. Peter's style is much different to Julio's. Julio's combinations are long and part of the difficulty is learning them fast and remembering them while still focusing on technique; a useful skill. Peter's combinations are shorter, and simpler, but because of his stress on technique and the Balanchine inspired speed that he often applies, they are still very effective. I struggled in Julio's class in the morning. But by now the swelling in my foot had gone down and I was in the top of my game. My feet seemed to point more, my leg seemed to go higher, my split seemed closer to the floor (with a little help from Peter), my turns felt better, and this encouraged me to push harder. I was drenched in sweat before barre was over. I went with both groups during center combinations. Before getting water during our barre-center break, I did a few reps of pressing the center barre, which I repeated after class. Peter commented to some parents observing the class;<br />
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"Good, Michael. As you can see, Michael is going to be getting the tall girls. And you can make a career out of that. Press lift the tall girls and do a double toure and you're set."<br />
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Some times, work can be drudgery. You put everything into it and nothing seems to come out. But those moments when you begin to see the tiniest benefit from only a small portion of the work that is to come? That is inspirational. I didn't do a new trick or leap to a new height. But today, my leg seemed a little higher and a little more turned out in a developee and it seemed easier to push myself to maintain that. And that's a start.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-73906064747829943492012-03-20T15:24:00.001-07:002012-03-20T15:35:55.301-07:00The past four months have been a roller coaster rideAnd that roller coaster ride started the very same day that I last updated my blog. On Tuesday, December 21st, after typing the last word (which incidentally was "week"), I got ready for my first volunteer ballet class at my old studio; Ithaca Ballet.<br />
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My mum being not a long time out of the hospital, my dad arranged with family friends to be at the house whenever he wasn't, so that someone could help her in case of an emergency. 24/7. A friend who used to work with my mum arrived at my house minutes before we left. Once we were a minute or so from the studio, my dad received a call from this friend saying that my mother had just passed out. She came to, and was alright. I took my class, was picked up and taken to the hospital. If memory serves me, which it admittedly might not as I'm not as studious of the technical side of my mother's condition as my father, than this passing out was an episode of ventricular tachachardia. This led to discussions and consultations and decisions and the end result was my mother being driven in an ambulance to Westchester Medical Center, where my father would go in the morning. Christmas break was spent in the Intensive Care Unit. My mother was in good hands, and so at the end of the break, I flew back down to Florida to resume my schooling and ballet.<br />
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Preparation for 'Nutcracker' gave way to preparation for 'Gaspar; a Pirate Fantasy', a show that some Patel students performed in with dancers from a local company called 'Ballet Fleming', run by Christopher Fleming. I was to play the part of a militiaman. There was some character dancing, but the real highlight was of course the scene in which the militiamen and pirates engaged in an epic duel with our swords. I'd taken three years of fencing in middle school, so I was familiar with foils, but none the less excited to be doing some stage combat; something completely new. I learned the positions and sequences and choreography, and the novelty of it was fantastic.<br />
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A huge part of this time was also dedicated to preparation for the Youth American Grand Prix. I had been practicing the classical variation from "La Fille Mal Garde", learning the technique and character of it and rehearsing it constantly to perfect both. It was coming along, and I naturally thought that it wasn't enough. But Peter Stark said something that really impacted me;<br />
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"Michael, it's not perfect. There are some things you need to work on. But it's improved a lot. I don't care if you make it to New York. Because two months ago, you couldn't do this variation. And now you can. And that's what matters. That's why we do this. So, to me, you've already won."<br />
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I didn't have any expectations, but I was none the less excited to perform.<br />
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Some time, probably two weeks after I arrived home in Tampa, and Jackson (18 year old Patel student, whose house it is I stay at and whose family I am forever grateful to) and I were driving home from ballet with another ballet boy who was staying with us for the week. I got a call from my dad saying that my mum had suffered a stroke and it wasn't looking very good. You can never prepare for how you're going to react to things like that, there are very few times that my reactions aren't.....underwhelming. I listen to what's been said. I think about it. And yet it seems to take time for the impact to sink in. So I went home. I ate dinner. Did my homework. Went to bed. I was awakened by the sound of my phone's vibrating scratching on the wooden windowsill by my bed. My father told me that the situation with my mother had worsened and she had a 40% chance of surviving the weekend (this was Thursday evening, or I suppose technically Friday morning). I woke my host father and he drove me to the airport. I flew up. And the next week is among the worst of my life.<br />
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My mum did survive the weekend. And despite a seemingly nonstop list of inhibitions creeping into any hope of stress release for the following week, she survived that too. She came out of the 8 day period in which the risk for serious brain damage from the stroke was finally ceased. Her immediate heart problems were under control for the moment. So on Wednesday night, the details for my return to Tampa were arranged. I flew in Thursday morning, going literally from the airport to the Patel Conservatory, immediately starting on my first ballet class in a week. My muscles were cold and I felt like it had taken no time for my muscle memory to be slighted. After several intensives, classes, and a slightly absurd mix of calm and stress, Thursday and Friday passed. I never did get to perform in Gaspar, but this obviously was not a concern at the time. But Saturday was the day of the Youth American Grand Prix Regionals in Tampa. I wasn't as ready as I would've been without the break, but I was as ready as I was ever going to be. I performed my solo with my best effort and enjoyed the experience. The time surrounding it required adjustment. It's always strange when everyone around you assumes that air of courtesy, when people's sympathy comes out in unusual niceness. It's not something I minded, and I appreciate it, but it was strange to be aware of the deliberate thought process that was undertaken in people's behavior towards me.<br />
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But my performing, social, and academic life had all had the volume taken down. I had spent a week expecting the imminent death of a loved one, and after that I felt like not doing the absolute best I could've in a competition was something not to be taken heavily. I was pleased to simply be there and that was enough.<br />
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Sunday was the gala, and is beyond description. Jeffrey and Lia Cirio returned to the stage here in Tampa, joined this time by some of the best dancers in the country, coming from a variety of companies; Boston Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet. They were also accompanied by outstanding teen dancers who had previously won the YAGP, and came from all over the world. I'm not ashamed to say that some of the dances brought tears to my eyes, and all of them left me gasping for air and my hands sore from applause. And oddly enough, seeing everyone from a 13 year old boy to a principal artist dance spectacularly didn't have the effect that I might have predicted. Rather than feeling insecure, and discouraged, I felt inspired. The "one day I could do that" feeling spread as the dream was dangled in front of me. It takes work. No one on that stage was born with that ability. Genetics help. "Being a natural" is a commonly misapplied dismissal, but there are exceptions. Some people are born with the bodies that make it easier than for other people. But that only goes so far. Beyond that, dedication is key. I'm skinny as a rail. My body is tight and inflexible. But I'm unusually tall (I've grown in the past few months, and I've reached a solid 6'2'', near enough 6'3''), and my long legs in comparison to my body are ideal. I have a chance. But that's up to me.<br />
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<img src="http://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00207/wek_ballet011912_207226c.jpg" /><br />
(Jeffrey Cirio in a photo often used as a promotional picture for the YAGP)<br />
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Once again, I refer to Peter Stark's inspirational words; "What you put in is what you take out."<br />
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It's simple. But it's the truth. If I don't work on my splits everyday, then I will never get them. If I don't work my muscles everyday, I will never improve them. Procrastination is self pity and work is self empowerment. And that's what I took from the gala.<br />
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A week after YAGP, I got a call from my dad again, this time right before a ballet class. This was the best news I'd received on the subject; they had found a heart for my mother. I flew up again. She had a heart transplant. They monitored her progress. I don't know exactly how long I was there. A few days. My mother continued to get better and the assurances were that everything was going to be fine. My mind was put at rest for the first time since the Tuesday before Christmas. By now, it's early February.<br />
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During this jumble of medical issues and ballet performances, the height of the summer program audition season was happening. The months of January and February contained weekends spent solely at the Orlando Ballet; the site of many auditions. My results were as follows:<br />
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Not accepted into the School of American Ballet.<br />
Accepted into the American Ballet Theater School, but without scholarship.<br />
Accepted into the Pacific Northwest Ballet School with a half tuition scholarship.<br />
Accepted into the Miami City Ballet School with a full tuition scholarship.<br />
Accepted into the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School with a full tuition and housing scholarship.<br />
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The fact is that year round and summer training depend entirely on scholarship opportunities. With that said, I have chosen to attend the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School Summer Intensive this year, and will be returning to the Patel Conservatory Next Generation Ballet here in Tampa for the year next fall.<br />
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February 9th comes around, and I turn 16. And for the first time in awhile, I have an extended period of time in which normalcy reigns. I get caught up in school. I have the time to work on ballet for real. We begin rehearsing for "Aida", an opera being performed locally that requested we dance in. It is an Egyptian theme, and I will be one of several gold statues. The portraying of this is simply the men spray painted gold, clothed only in a dance belt. I'm not really uncomfortable with this, except that I want to work on my abs more before performing.<br />
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Days become weeks. Spring break comes and goes. My mother's recovering fantastically, and will be able to go home this week. Now that her health is no longer the same kind of issue as it was, the normal turmoil of family life returns. My reactions are once again underwhelming.<br />
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I begin to notice changes in myself. I've gotten taller. And despite the fact that I am still extremely dissatisfied and insecure about my muscularity, I've gotten stronger. I can press the center bar, something that when first attempted in a men's class several months ago, I couldn't do. I work with two 20 lbs weights everyday. I work as hard as I can in dance and delight in every little improvement. It's gradual progression, but it's progression. The other day in partnering class, I was able to lift a girl into what's called a "bluebird". Again, this is no great feat. But it's something that I couldn't do before and I guess that's something. A change which is perhaps more important is my approach to ballet mentally. I watch more. Someone in class today got appraisal from Peter about how they held their torso during pirouhette. So I watched how he turned, and I held my torso in a similar way. And when I turned that way, the turn was a little easier. I've come to practice what I already understood in theory; that watching what other dancers mistakes and talents can be hugely helpful to correcting my own technique.<br />
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During my spring break, I took a class at Ithaca Ballet. It was a good class. I became aware of differences in training, and the largest is intensity. Doing it six hours a day is meaningless without applying one's self. And I was sweating buckets after the first combination. I also found the floor incredibly difficult to work on. It wasn't sprung and it was slippery. Turning was difficult, and all of your weight sunk into the ground when you landed from a jump. Which might not have helped me when I did so, and rolled onto my foot. It's been four or five days and several packs of ice, and the pain in my foot is only now beginning to ease.<br />
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Yesterday, I had my first men's class with Peter in possibly over a month (what with my absences in family crisis and his own trip to another dance competition in South Africa with another Patel student; Hannah Bettes, who is famous for her talent in the ballet world, despite being only 15. By the end of the unusually short half hour session, all of the boys, even the strongest, were unable to do a single pushup. Complaints about sore arms were not uncommon by the boys today. Yet I'm already feeling the benefit from working that hard on things like that.<br />
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Another event was the arrival of a new boy in our trainee program. He's a 14 year old. Very good and very strong. All of the boys challenge each other to turn more, leap higher, be more flexible, be stronger. Another addition to that is only a positive thing.<br />
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And with that, I conclude the first of what I intend to be a much more frequently updated blog. The last four months have been a roller coaster ride. But that's over now. Today is the twentieth of March. Now, I'm free to work and improve. Now I'm free to dance.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-66757112416938796872011-12-20T11:50:00.000-08:002011-12-20T11:50:04.845-08:00"Winter holiday" breakChristmas, or for those who don't celebrate it; Holiday break is upon us and it means that things have finally slowed down enough for me to update this seemingly forgotten blog.<br />
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I'm sitting in my room at my home in upstate New York, my arms slightly sore from my first workout with "perfect pushup" brand pushup handles. They rotate as you do a pushup, working both tricep and bicep. It's a harder workout, but more productive. Reccomendable. I am definitely taking these back to the sunshine state. Frank Sinatra is playing softly on my ipod and it's nice to finally have the chance to relax. The past few weeks have been great, but completely insane.<br />
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I left off with the Indian festival, in which I was performing as part of the Spanish corps in an excerpt from 'Nutcracker'. This went fairly well. We felt a little out of place as the only ballet dancers and non-competitors, but it was a chance to practice performing.<br />
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More and more rehearsals with more and more intensity were scheduled, and 'The Nutcracker' was looming. In my parts as party parent, mouse, spanish corps, russian corps, and matryshka doll, I performed as a few different things every night. More on that momentarily.<br />
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I feel obliged to mention that there was a week where ballet seemed not to matter. Nor did school. Worried about my mother, who was in the hospital due to her serious heart condition, I let things slide. The stress of this, as well as my insecurity about my progress in dance, the struggle to keep up with homework, etc. became such that I wanted everything to stop. I missed classes at school and Patel, and Peter, my surrogate father John, and later a friend talked to me and made me realize that this sort of falter could only serve to harm. These lapses in judgement were behind me, and so I focused once more on doing the best I could. A week later, and we were on the stage.<br />
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Before that though, we were honored to have a class, a master class, and to watch an intensive taught by Bruce Marks, who then watched our 'Nutcracker' rehearsal. He's got a ballet history as long as your arm, from principal to artistic director. He talked about dance as a movement and not as positions. He talked about feeling and not counting the music. He talked about character, artistry. I learned a huge amount from him and I hope to meet him again someday soon. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxnZGbiRP2C2DIKwEctYLnbffNvcDc4T5xB-t_4WjSMc2q30O8MI9BB5RUhtqQDYg3ZdWVJCaTVS89_b6edi7wj4rBncgt0p7G_sP5kx8j9GXEiXMLirb6sd3v3u-oszAxsivp29b5xJL/s1600/Bruce+Marks+Master+Class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxnZGbiRP2C2DIKwEctYLnbffNvcDc4T5xB-t_4WjSMc2q30O8MI9BB5RUhtqQDYg3ZdWVJCaTVS89_b6edi7wj4rBncgt0p7G_sP5kx8j9GXEiXMLirb6sd3v3u-oszAxsivp29b5xJL/s320/Bruce+Marks+Master+Class.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a photo of the trainees with Bruce Marks after his amazing class. Thank you to him for taking the time for us. I know I'll never forget it. <br />
There are two things about 'Nutcracker' that created a fantastic experience. The first is obviously to simply be a part of it. To get to perform. The second was to get to watch Boston Ballet soloist, and a definite hero of mine, Jeffrey Cirio, as well as Miami City principal Katia Carranza and ex-American Ballet Theatre principal Jose Correno dance. The experience of Carreno, the crispness of Carranza and the skill of Cirio made for an amazing thing to see. Being closer to my age, I connect more to Jeffrey Cirio than the others. He's inspirational in many ways. His dancing makes me want to be like him. However, I also realize that I am not going to be the same type of dancer as he is. Jeffrey Cirio is only twenty years old, and is a soloist. He won competitions as a child, and is one of the "wonderkinds" that Peter Stark is known to produce. I am not. I don't feel that I really fit the "prodigy" image. I'm fifteen, six foot one, and I'm still catching up. I'm in for the long haul, and I'm fine with that. Being taller, etc., I am going to be a different dancer to Jeffrey. My dream is to dance like David Hallberg, a quite tall dancer. But despite the fact that I know I will not be like Jeffrey, there is one thing that I aspire to take after him. Jeffrey Cirio has an incredible work ethic. He's had to work very hard and mature to get to where he is. To get to the big leagues with people like Jeffrey Cirio, you have to be obsessed. <br />
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I saw David Hallberg on the Colbert Report, and he said that despite starting at 13, he was obsessed with ballet and this obsessive work ethic got him to be the first american principal at the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia. Hearing it from different sources solidifies it, but it is a fact that you have to work hard to get anywhere in the dance world. <br />
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Since 'The Nutcracker; the Imperial Ballet' is over, I've come home for the holidays. My mom is out of the hospital, but will be going to Westchester to the hospital there next week, to await a heart transplant. For the moment, we are enjoying our Christmas. I will be stretching, working out, and taking vollunteer dance classes at my old studio daily, and this is looking to be a good week.<br />
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More as it happens.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-62284432405239885922011-11-12T07:12:00.000-08:002011-11-12T07:12:26.688-08:00Photos from the NGB Summer Intensive<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5sERVLlHuO-di8aFqnn4h3AhDVs36qSLwlsuEKb2to5NHN9XC_Sm4HngOlOCcHEggiaXcjsCPhwo2_Cm3q0MKyw6ZM7adbTuYuMpRkvJ6j4t2JobfZYw4MWBmIISE_4v5drHpIRXQAFN/s1600/Don+Q+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5sERVLlHuO-di8aFqnn4h3AhDVs36qSLwlsuEKb2to5NHN9XC_Sm4HngOlOCcHEggiaXcjsCPhwo2_Cm3q0MKyw6ZM7adbTuYuMpRkvJ6j4t2JobfZYw4MWBmIISE_4v5drHpIRXQAFN/s320/Don+Q+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyS2_R3LklRVD2o1dpDaz771s0edE4Qr2THgEDsIVIotFhGz9KtUiVNji7QYR84N9cp77jrZY9xfH0PErjBqLAtJyk9k2k9vcj6RBKGKODeR9wiweYoBUaghRoj_DgurYSUclG2xEY8pfo/s1600/Don+Q+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyS2_R3LklRVD2o1dpDaz771s0edE4Qr2THgEDsIVIotFhGz9KtUiVNji7QYR84N9cp77jrZY9xfH0PErjBqLAtJyk9k2k9vcj6RBKGKODeR9wiweYoBUaghRoj_DgurYSUclG2xEY8pfo/s320/Don+Q+2.jpg" width="239" /></a>Don Q Rehearsals. Learning how to use capes in dance, etc.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv24JWgNbUEJy3Lx_VSxD66bwS0xAuBUehEKul-f9gyBGRh2vBJi66ehKgbeXjAmylYO8GjjVnAaswLJqP6YG7OVgNLReYsYGIsORRYreQgH0Ov3XkmvXhFtTm7ZTusuGKNjQOK7Xxyu_k/s1600/Choreography+Rehearsal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv24JWgNbUEJy3Lx_VSxD66bwS0xAuBUehEKul-f9gyBGRh2vBJi66ehKgbeXjAmylYO8GjjVnAaswLJqP6YG7OVgNLReYsYGIsORRYreQgH0Ov3XkmvXhFtTm7ZTusuGKNjQOK7Xxyu_k/s320/Choreography+Rehearsal.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> (Left to right) Me, Kemper, and my roomate Elijah. We choreographed a piece together for a class taught my Greg Ruffer.<br />
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The men performing the piece from Don Q<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7AfFHZANDScKPhiw4tC5eXKjrCU9f-5dbex1KoO2l23C7h3ZEoRZIrou5HRuxnF9urDCsEuQr1dYJPRj_JmiyruSEi3JKxYG5XHn-3b2LiDhW5zS2Vyg65Xx1AHOtbUShO1HB33lGEeM/s1600/Don+Q+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7AfFHZANDScKPhiw4tC5eXKjrCU9f-5dbex1KoO2l23C7h3ZEoRZIrou5HRuxnF9urDCsEuQr1dYJPRj_JmiyruSEi3JKxYG5XHn-3b2LiDhW5zS2Vyg65Xx1AHOtbUShO1HB33lGEeM/s320/Don+Q+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcPVmqy6tNW4qZ_ORqJBDFjE6HfMoocQ8l8JSHTkVMPNi0L2ohMRLRB5Z9nm4WfaCd2u8tCaFkPVm0y-IhDP_l0tYBYuhDj-m6s_JRaLkD0s17_aQIyg_Q4fbBVo87na7_f_bt2U9dXcN/s1600/Mens+Class+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcPVmqy6tNW4qZ_ORqJBDFjE6HfMoocQ8l8JSHTkVMPNi0L2ohMRLRB5Z9nm4WfaCd2u8tCaFkPVm0y-IhDP_l0tYBYuhDj-m6s_JRaLkD0s17_aQIyg_Q4fbBVo87na7_f_bt2U9dXcN/s320/Mens+Class+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Photos from Mens Class<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO04xaKcpKTQp_UhbgYp-xBZBD7CJOnEg6q5sqe2jmTLPammzlF2PF3wxnmAmIHMRIsFcR5_tovJwFsWkLnKS7MKNo8znx4vu4nqjtzlnYywqo4ZEbFXqkpOvNb6lJSoyOtCNkzWyem6fw/s1600/Mens+Class+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO04xaKcpKTQp_UhbgYp-xBZBD7CJOnEg6q5sqe2jmTLPammzlF2PF3wxnmAmIHMRIsFcR5_tovJwFsWkLnKS7MKNo8znx4vu4nqjtzlnYywqo4ZEbFXqkpOvNb6lJSoyOtCNkzWyem6fw/s320/Mens+Class+2.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfZCZwfxXg_i58xEY1C0WXhLR-pNH0fgqPIjL_PexO_n1FCN6JevPf_2xlL8Sa2uCM6aGbulEhcJ9xb0cm9R0oDVy9-3kP74ia954JnS0uk2W2W3tdklg6jfx97cLG3A2gAV_lTpPglQJ/s1600/Mens+Class+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfZCZwfxXg_i58xEY1C0WXhLR-pNH0fgqPIjL_PexO_n1FCN6JevPf_2xlL8Sa2uCM6aGbulEhcJ9xb0cm9R0oDVy9-3kP74ia954JnS0uk2W2W3tdklg6jfx97cLG3A2gAV_lTpPglQJ/s320/Mens+Class+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWjsQGOGcGqnes2Vd1qUY1WUX53fDL36uZay02yyJWNl2j4T2L3lQCbU-xq_dMvhwclJRgNHBee4BaQ1KhqmkKrAn-ZfW8VqW5RvUU6PT-ELwPj-JPz20T30uMg47t8-J5sIZL1nYHDkr/s1600/Mens+Class+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWjsQGOGcGqnes2Vd1qUY1WUX53fDL36uZay02yyJWNl2j4T2L3lQCbU-xq_dMvhwclJRgNHBee4BaQ1KhqmkKrAn-ZfW8VqW5RvUU6PT-ELwPj-JPz20T30uMg47t8-J5sIZL1nYHDkr/s320/Mens+Class+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is what my split looked like towards the end of the Summer (that's me in the shorts)Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-21927382146574044322011-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:002011-11-12T07:00:25.850-08:00It's been too long since I postedWaay too long. I have been pretty busy and I guess living life gets in the way of writing about it. Anyways. Where was I? <br />
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Before I went to the Patel Conservatory for the summer, I took a couple classes in Washington Dc, first with Kee Juan Han (the man who taught David Hallberg) at Washington Ballet, and then at the Kirov Academy. The first was a good experience, although I was completely disorganized. My ballet shoes didn't fit properly and kept falling off. My tights had no elastic sewn in and were held up purely with an external one, and were blue. my t-shirt was baggie, my hair was too long and though my attitude was good, my attire was such that I felt thoroughly embarassed. Still, I had a great class with Kee Juan Han and he invited me to attend his variations class. I had never been to a variations class before, but I had recently gotten to "understudy" Blue Bird in Sleeping Beauty and so it was lucky that it was the variation we were to learn. I watched as children a year or two younger wiped the floor with me and I got a reality check. I had to catch up. I had no technique yet. I had potential. Kee Juan Han said that if I were to attend, I would be in the junior level, not pre professional. This made me a little sad because I was expecting to be pre professional. But looking back, he was right. I'm not pre professional yet. I do need this year to catch up. Like I said, I got a reality check.<br />
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My class at the Kirov was a completely different experience. I had my attire a little more figured out as it was the next day. I did not have the problem with my shoes. None the less, the experience seemed negative while I was there. The class was three hours long (for those who don't know, the average ballet class is an hour and a half). An hour of barre, an hour of center work, and an hour of jumping. You balanced for as long as the teacher told you, and I was standing next to a boy who was also named Michael Hill and so recieving corrections was confusing. Almost all of the boys were older than me, but they were all amazing. They were strong, and had very good technique. I enjoyed the class, but if I'm honest, I was watching the clock for the last hour and a half. I hurt everywhere and all I wanted to do was lay down. Still, proud and competitive that I am, I made myself try my hardest the whole time. <br />
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My day in DC left me tired, insecure, inspired, and challenged. While I was stressed at the time, I came away from the experience with the knowledge that two of the hardest days of dance of my life had not killed me. This was reassuring beyond measure. <br />
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The day came when I flew to Tampa to the Patel Conservatory for the Next Generation Ballet Summer Intensive. It was one of the best experiences of my life. It's true that when I did the summer program at Ithaca Ballet, I saw a good deal of improvement. Summer programs have that effect. Something about the longer hours and the change in pace makes it easier to make leaps in technique. But the Next Generation Ballet intensive was fantastic. We trained under Peter Stark, Julio Montano, Ivonne Lemus, Richard Sias, Glenn Owens, Jeffrey and Lia Cirio, and many other teachers throughout the intensive. On the weekends we went to amusement parks and the beach and stayed in "dorms" at the hotel across the street from Patel every night (I'd like to take the time to mention my roomate Elijah. We had a great time, and motivated each other to work on pushups, situps, and splits in the evening). Technique, stretch, partnering, contemporary, jazz, variations, mens, and other classes were available, as well as rehearsals for the end of summer performance. I got to perform alongside Simon Wexler and Jeffrey and Lia Cirio. Seeing what real professionals danced like was an experience beyond description. <br />
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Naturally, after such an experience, I wanted to go to the Patel Conservatory year round. But there was a lot to figure out. <br />
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I have to go now as the day's beginning. Tonight I am performing in the Indian Festival, in front of Dr. Pallavi Patel (namesake of the Patel Conservatory). I am performing in the corps of Spanish from our Imperial Nutcracker as well as in a contemporary piece choreographed by Glenn Owens.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-38579720924682769532011-10-23T12:25:00.000-07:002011-10-23T12:25:31.381-07:00Inspiration: From tv as well as practiceI do not regret my decision to go to SAB. I've missed out on a whole year of intense training, that would have made me a stronger dancer. But I don't regret. Because it wasn't the right decision at the time. Though I knew it was a really great opportunity, I didn't want to go. My heart was in my school, friends, and hometown. And that's ok. But over that year, my love of dance grew. And I found something that is necessary for anyone to pursue a dream; inspiration.<br />
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My father is a documentary buff. I won't lie, I didn't always like it. Sometimes I would have much rather watch a movie or an episode of Family Guy than a documentary about a kid from the Royal Ballet. But he made me sit down and watch a couple. And I was hooked. Soon, I discovered a great site called "Dance Channel". I watched pieces choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. I saw master classes taught for Carlos Acosta. I saw ballets from Royal, ABT. I went to see "Mao's Last Dancer". And the underlying theme of viewing all of this, is an thought that recurred every time I did: "I wish I could do that." <br />
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I thought than in turning down SAB, I had turned down my chance at a career as a dancer. And last spring, I began talking to my parents about this. They said that they would support me if I wanted to try, but that this would probably be the year that would decide what my chances were.<br />
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And then, in my watching of ballet videos, I found two dancers that changed my life.<br />
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The first was in a documentary about the English National Ballet. A 26 year old soloist was getting a chance to do the principal role of Romeo and Romeo & Juliet. And that was reassuring. Not all of the principals out there had their roles starting at 18 or 19. Some come a little later. I don't remember this dancer's name, and I've been trying to find him. But so far I haven't.<br />
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Another concern of mine was my height. I'm likely to be 6'3'' if not more. And looking at Baryshnikov and others, I thought that dancers had to be small. Then I saw a short about David Hallberg. Not only did he only start training when he was 14, but he's tall. He was a principal with ABT(although now he's moved to Russia to dance with the Bolshoi). He made me believe that I had a chance.<br />
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And so, in the late spring (way too late to be doing this), my dad began sending out emails to people in the dance world. I got accepted into a few places, but only some give scholarships. I quote Peter Stark (the other day in rehearsal): "Michael, I accepted you with a full scholarship into my summer program because I saw a picture of you. You have a dancer's body. Show off your legs when you dance".<br />
(Paraphrasing)<br />
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And so I went to the Next Generation Ballet summer intensive at the Patel Conservatory. And here I am.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-51006501243564379262011-10-21T13:27:00.000-07:002011-10-21T13:27:14.413-07:00Ballet and MeMy mom took classes when she was a kid, and when she met my dad in drama school in Enlgand, they both had to take ballet. And they thought it'd be a good idea to introduce me to it, as it can be a really great way to get fit. So when I was five years old, they made me take a ballet class at the Joffrey Ballet School in Manhattan. After that, it was up to me. So for years, I took classes a couple times a week with them, excepting ofcourse a brief time where I switched to the Alvin Ailey School. In 2005, my family moved to Ithaca, New York. So I started taking classes at the Ithaca Ballet. This was very different. And as a kid, it was a lot more fun. There were fewer people, so I got more attention as a boy. And I got to perform in shows like Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty. Party child, dwarf, village child, party teen, Nutcracker Prince, toy soldier, russian boy, villager, marzipan. I did three or four shows a year, and several roles in each. It was the most exciting thing to do as a child. <br />
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Admittedly, I was a normal, misbehaving little boy. I loved performing and rehearsals, but classes sometimes bored me and I would get into all sorts of trouble with the other boys, talking, etc. <br />
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When I was about 12, this started to change. I started to become more studious, and began liking ballet more. Johann Studier, once a dancer with the Houston Ballet, began teaching a boys class once a week. This was amazing. I got to work on boy things! Jumps, turns. It was so fun. And I began getting better roles in shows as I was older. And if I'm honest, having the competition of a couple other boys really helped to push me aswell. Then, sometime last year, Johann started teaching a partnering class. Rehearsals often pushed it to the side, but I got to take partnering once every month or two.<br />
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Then, one Wednesday, my dad drove me to the big city to take an audition class at the School of American Ballet. Just for the experience. It was more intense than any I'd ever had. I loved it. I wanted to pass out before petit allegro. My teacher, Mr. Jock Soto, offered me to sit down. I didn't take him up on this, and pushed through. I was exhausted, but I felt good. A week or so later, I got a call at school from my dad, letting me know that SAB had offered me a full scholarship to start their year round program immediately. At first, I leapt at the chance. Then I went back to class with my friends. And I went to ballet (by this point, I was part of the Ithaca Ballet Company, and had grown close to everyone there). And I suddenly realized what I would be leaving. And I didn't really want to be a dancer. So I was torn. After two weeks of "should I stay or should I go?", I decided to remain in Ithaca.<br />
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During the early winter/late spring of last year, I started watching documentaries about professional ballet.<br />
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And everything changed......Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-84455123120892186862011-10-21T05:21:00.000-07:002011-10-21T05:21:01.016-07:00The reality of it1.) Contrary to popular belief, not all ballet boys are gay. I am completely straight, and that's me. I don't have a problem with people who aren't, it's just my preference. I honestly can't blame people for ignorantly believing that ballet dancers are gay because the truth is that a lot of them are. I'm not encouraging stereotyping, but the majority of ballet guys are gay and so I can understand why outsiders would make the assumption. However, what bothers me is when people do not respect such an obviously fragile topic. People need to respect the sexuality of others, and need to take their word for it. <br />
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Over the years, I have taken a lot of crap for being a dancer. That's just the way kids are. I never used to like telling people that I was a ballet dancer so i avoided the subject entirely. As my peers have matured over the past few years, I've grown completely comfortable with it. I tell people that I'm a dancer and that I'm straight and people accept it openly.<br />
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2.) Another reality of the dance world is that there are quite a lot of smokers and drinkers. I've seen quite a few documentaries about professional dancers, and some of the principals were sharing a bottle before going on stage. And they all party after the show. This is obviously something to be wary of because getting introduced to the wrong things at the wrong time could be damaging. <br />
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3.) And lastly, I would like to broach the subject that many would probably rather not admit. We have American Idol to thank. Because that competition led to shows such as So you think you can dance, etc. and this has led to popular interest in dance. Which has been benefitial to the industry.<br />
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4.) This is an unquestionable reality. <br />
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Dancers have short careers. We have to train intensely from as early as possible, and few of us will keep a professional career going past 40. It's just the way of it. However, when you've dedicated your life to something, just abandoning it at middle age is hard to do. So most artistic directors you will find were once professional if not principal dancers. <br />
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Our injuries are common. Our opportunities few. Our careers short.<br />
But you don't do this because it's easy. You do this because you want it. You need it.<br />
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You love it.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-49831949113856286612011-10-19T17:56:00.000-07:002011-10-19T17:56:07.747-07:00It's not all fun and gamesBallet is hard. <br />
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It takes discipline, dedication, memorization, adaptivity, strength, flexibility. I leave school around 11:15 every day, and class starts at 11:30. The day starts with a ballet technique class. The schedule varies day to day, but after that, I have anywhere from 2 to 6 more classes or rehearsals. I often get out at 8:30. When I get home, I'm usually exhausted. Homework, dinner, and stretches, pushups, and crunches. The latter three get chucked to the side way too much. The most difficult things is keeping up with independent excercises, because in the spaces between being busy....I just want to relax.<br />
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<u>My challenges</u><br />
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<ul><li><strong>Splits</strong>- it used to be that men who could put on a pair of tights could get top notch jobs as dancers. But it isn't the 40's anymore. GUYS HAVE TO HAVE SPLITS. One leg in front, one behind. 180 degrees. Over the past few years, my previous instructor had been telling me to stretch and I just wasn't. But I didn't want to be a dancer and so it didn't matter. A bit before the summer, I decided that I did. More on that later. Point is, I had to start working on my splits. So thank god for Peter Stark. He pushed me to do them. A lot. My summer roomate and I worked on it every night. And now I continue to daily. And I am really close. I plan on having my splits in the next week or two.</li>
<li><strong>Strength</strong>- I'm 6'1''. I weigh around 135 lbs. I am a very, very skinny boy. I am the weakest boy at the ballet. This doesn't really bother me. Except partnering class. When I attempt to lift girls.......it's the most embarassing thing. But it's a process. I'll get there. But right now........it's the thing I reeeeally have to work on.</li>
<li><strong>Technique-</strong> I am blessed with what Julio Montano calls "monkey body". My legs are long, and my torso is short. My legs are longer than anyone I've ever seen. This is VERY good for dance. And I work really hard. So I'm not so worried about this. It'll come. But the strength and flexibility stress me out.</li>
</ul>There's a lot to write about, but I guess this is a start. I'm tired, and I had a migrane today (I get those) so that's all for now.<br />
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Next: deciding to become a dancer, and the interesting situation that is living with a host family and dancing more than being in school.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1098606478051262724.post-38346681074891946682011-10-17T19:37:00.000-07:002011-10-17T19:37:32.605-07:00My name is Michael Hill, and I am training to be a professional ballet dancer. In this blog, I hope to dispell myths, catalog my progress, and gain information on this. For starters, I'll give a little background info on me as a dancer:<br />
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5 years old- started dancing at the Joffrey ballet school in Manhattan. Danced there for a couple years, under Miss Stephanie, Miss Liz, and others.<br />
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At around age 7- I danced at the Alvin Ailey school in Manhattan. While the ballet training was good, and the chance to take African was fun, it wasn't really working out and so I went back to Joffrey.<br />
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Age 9- In 2005, my family and I moved out of NYC, and went upstate to Ithaca, NY. I began dancing at the Ithaca Ballet. This was a very different experience. The other schools were all about uniforms, and recitals. This was a more relaxed, performance based experience. I performed in Nutcracker, among other shows, every year, and this is what really got me into dance. I was taught at first by Miss Gunilla, but later by ex-Houston ballet dancer Johann Studier and IB artistic director Cindy Reid. I danced there from 2005 until the end of the school year in 2010 (around 5 months ago).<br />
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This summer I attended the Next Generation Ballet camp in Tampa, Fl, under Peter Stark. I am now attending the year round program.<br />
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This is the thesis statement, if you will, of my blog and I plan to elaborate on all of my experiences as the blog goes on. <br />
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Welcome to the Ballet Boy Blog.Misha Hillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01918308575138749858noreply@blogger.com0