As I write this, I am watching an infomercial about something called "Yoga Booty Ballet," with my jaw hanging open slightly. It has exercises such as "Anti-ballet leg lift." I thought I had seen/heard everything with a starlet's recent promotion of an exercise tape that focused on getting into shape via lap dancing. I'm wondering if anyone can come up with some PG-13 ideas for the next exercise trend for 2005. It just strikes me as so incongruous to see a grandmother tearing up about how yoga booty ballet changed her life. Any ideas in this regard?

Nothing that I could post on a family message board!

I too have seen the info-mercial for "Yoga, Booty, Ballet." As a professional dancer, I find it to be insulting. It gives people the wrong idea about ballet. And to see the word "ballet" being associate with "booty" is degrading. I mean when I hear the word "booty," I think of Jennifer Lopes...and she in no way exudes any ballet qualities. This has been a discussion amongst some of my co-workers and I, and they agree. There definitely could have been a better name choice for the new exercise program.

Unless they change the meaning of "booty" back to "loot" and make the whole thing about a self-help course in becoming pirates!

Can't you see it? A cruise ship is overhauled by a pirate ship, and 128 Bayaderes board the liner, and kick everyone into submission and giving up their valuables, then sail away singing the vocal line to the Waltz of the Snowflakes from Nutz.

Mr. Johnson, you have missed your calling in life!

I believe the world could use a great ballet libreto-ist (whatever the word may be, I'm sure you get what I mean, even though I have butchered it terribly).

I'm looking for a story on a pink flamingo....any ideas?

Well, this is just off the top of my head, but it could be loosely based on the Norman MacLaren classic live-action animation short "Neighbors", where two men vie with one another to have THE perfect suburban front yard, and after all, what's a front yard without a pink flamingo? The contention of the ballet would be over who's got the flamingo, rather than a single flower.

Forgive me, it's early, and my machine just recovered from a crash!

OH MY GOSH! I went to the website becuase I wanted to see what this was about and they had this quote up there:


"The class mixes pliés, pop music and yoga—without the tutus of Tchaikovsky."
—Erin Chan, Los Angeles Times

Don't you think that's kind of insulting?

I think it's just a way of saying that you don't need to do it on pointe. It's also a way of having their cake and eating it -- dangling the "ballet" lure but with a kind of disclaimer.

They are going after a general customer base, after all, and don't want to intimidate them. Something along the lines of "You can have a ballet dancer's body even if you can't/don't want to dance ballet." Insulting? Vaguely, but what isn't, these days?

:glare: . No kidding.

Mr. Johnson,

Great story about the flamingo! Thanks so much. Now I can put this exquisite peachy-pink feather boa to use on the costume. What fun!

muchas gracias

We try, oh, and another dynamic - it shows at the outset that the men are best friends, and competition turns them into deadly enemies.

that makes sence. I think that's what they're trying to say. I don't think I thought about it very well....

Yoga bootie ballet ??? whaaat....that sounds really nutty...maybe the yoga people have breathed too much insence in and it's effected their thinking....

Andrew,

You don't have enough posts to get a Private Message, and I hope you don't mind that I'm posting this publically.

I noticed that there are quotes in your posts, and I'm not sure you mean them to be. If you want to reply without a quote, there are two ways to do this:


EDITED:

I'm sorry to have steered you astray in my first post. The "-Quote" isn't working anymore. Grrrr.

The only way to avoid having a quote in your post is to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Add Reply" button.

If you meant to quote, I apologize for butting in.

Helene