I was wondering, why are these ballet dancers dancing? Many people do what they do for the money... but that sounds unlikely here. There has to be more here.

Is it something that was encouraged by parents?? or was it just something simple like "I hear the music and I just want to dance". Or is it that you like to perform and be on stage... or is it something a bit more esoteric.

A person does Yoga for the mind and body, I was thinking that the movements in ballet may have that kind of effect... lifting the mind, body and spirit.

So I was just kind of curious, why do you dance?

Well Ronny, I think you'll get an all of the above answer for all the reasons you mentioned.
What I always find interesting is how many people "happened" upon there first ballet lessons. Many an interview have uncovered the unruly, uncoordinated or even someone with a physical ailment who went to a ballet class and as they say, the rest is history! (lucky for us)

There are so many reasons people love to dance! I know some people who think it's great exercise, others who love moving to music. For me, it's just a wonderful feeling to try to express myself through movement. I happen to love the classicism of ballet and the discipline required. It's like a whole other world. I must admit that my Mom raised me on classical ballet (thank god for PBS!), and she always wanted to learn but never had the chance to. I'm still trying to convince her to go to a basic class. She thinks it's absolutely beautiful and would want nothing more than to have something "take her away!"

Ronny:
I dance because I love it and it's good exercise, but mostly because I love to dance. I may not be the best dancer in my school, but that doesn't matter to me.
I also dance because it's my stress release valve. I can go to class really mad at people but when I come out, I feel better and I'm happy again.

d_frog [img]cool.gif[/img]

With my daughter, ballet just happened. She had wanted to take gymnastics, but I knew she was a bit chicken at the time, so I offered her ballet as a compromise. "It will be good for you if you want to do gymnastics when you get a little older." Well, after two classes, she never uttered wanting to do anything else. Now at almost 15, I look at her schedule and am constantly amazed she never whines that she doesn't FEEL like going to class tonight, she ALWAYS wants to be there. I also find it most telling that when life is tough, as it can be at times, ballet is where she NEEDS to be. I remember when her grandfather passed away, ballet was where she found the most comfort. It was fascinating to watch her grief turn to comfort as she danced "for him" that week.

Beautiful Answers... thanks.

Its great to hear that the dancers are as happy as they look. So, it's not just acting, they love doing it too. That will help me enjoy the performances more. Thanks.

I dance because I love music. Just sitting and listening to music isn't enough, I have to feel it/BE with it. If I'm some place (such as a concert) I'm not just listening, I'm dancing in my imagination. It's just real intense for me. I wish I was a better piano player so I could compose and then choreograph to it, that would be the ultimate. Dance also lets me express myself better than I can otherwise. Emotions can come out, feelings, sensitivity. Andy

Ronny, I am so glad you asked this question -- it is a GREAT question, one I think about almost every day, and as life goes on I come up with different reasons........

I'm remembering my teacher Sally Streets, who one day remarked off-hand, "Ballet is one of those things you do in order to find out why you do it...."

That struck me as profound -- that ballet is a kind of quest, it's something I do in order to find out about myself... partly to master my inner world, to see if I can find my way around inside myself well enough to (say) get my left foot to push from the toes as it leaves the ground and heads for my right knee as I spring up onto the right foot and start to turn..... and I'll go back again tomorow, just as if I were a 14-year-old with the potential of a career in front of me, to see if I can do it better tomorrow... ("Paul to toes, Paul to toes, do you read me?")

I'm sure we're all familiar with that. I also love the way ballet tells me where I am, in a more general sense -- knowing where my front side-back-sides are, my orientation toward the audience, and having that special relationship with the center of the earth, the fantastically rich sense of where DOWN is, it makes me feel expansive and confident, I KNOW WHERE I AM, in a way I don't so often in life.

And then I can get all that into my unconscious, my toes act like antennae, I don't have to think about it but can listen to the music and respond and dance, even in class.......


I also like the way time passes when I'm dancing -- it's so eventful; when I was a boy, every five minues was full of events. Now that I'm an adult, it seems the day goes by incredible fast, the week goes by so fast, half the month has gone by, and what happened? But in class, or dancing, time slows down, and lots happens....

That's partly why I go to the teachers I go to -- Sally, and Susan Weber (who also teaches here in Berkeley) give you such interesting combinations, they appeal to the imagination so strongly, it's like going to a movie at 9:30 in the morning..... Well, there's always the stuff where you feel like if I have to do another grand ronde de jambe en l'air coming from the back, I'll keel over..... but actually, they don't give much of that, and they DO use the music appropriately -- rondes de jambe en l'air feel very different when you do them to a tango than they to a waltz (they're fatter circles when it's a waltz).

Sally will actually vary the accent, so you'll do several in a row, but the emphasis on the first is the pull-up on the back of the thigh as you bend the knee,on the others it's on the roundness of the little circle as it comes forward.....

And Susan's got me so I can feel my low ribs when they start to go out -- fantastic development...
That belongs on the brag board.....

I'm not a kid any more, and I didn't start
dancing ballet-- I started with rock and roll, and I loved it -- the bop, the funky chicken, the dog, the QT, the twist, the birdland, the funky Broadway, all the funkies, I really loved those...
soI have to say, there are kinds of ballet I don't like, because they're too square.... as dances. I don't like it if it's not musical.

The kind of class that GETS me square, I LOVE that...... i'm one of those twisty people ,so it's harder to keep my ribs in place or my shoulders over my hips -- so a class that can help me get squared off enough to do a double tour and land is a great class....

But a class that's glissade jete glissade jete glissade assemble E-CHAP-PE makes me feel ground down. the kind that wakes me up , well, Sally gave a very simple combination the other day, first thing in the center, where you did tendus in second coming forward, 4 of those, with an over pas de bourree, tendu under, pas de bourree under, and a tendu over. It was almost the same moves, but really the foot version of a tongue-twister -- EXCEPT, and it's a BIG exception, the whole thing had this delightful rhythm, it fit the music like a glove, and felt like a dance.

[ March 20, 2002, 09:23 PM: Message edited by: Paul Parish ]

I dance because it's one of the most up,perfect feelings of beauty and expression I can feel.I am a musician(pianist) and I also love singing.Dancing is part of this musical soul,I guess!I have studied ballet for my whole life and I'm in my forties and I'm sure I'll dance till I can't!My whole family is musical and we have a dancing home!I know many dancers will tell you they just have to do it!

What a lovely way to begin the day - by reading everyone's thoughts on why they love to dance - or why their children do! The sun is shining and even if it was not, I think I'd feel happy just reading this thread.

I am not a dancer, sadly...though I used to love to dance to Van Morrison et al!

However my daughter is a ballet dancer - a young one...and she has always loved to dance. Perhaps it all started when she was a baby and I danced with her in my arms to whatever music I had playing at that moment?

Wonderful picture BW... you dancing with baby in arms. That's a great picture.

That is something that needs to be IN a ballet. Wouldn't that be great to see that on stage... a mother so overjoyed with life and her child that she just takes flight with her child. A wonderful picture and would make a great scene in a real ballet.

The usual story. I did it when I was 7-9ish. I took it up again a couple of years ago after being inspired by beautiful dancing from the RNZB in Cinderella. I read books and phoned some schools and know I'm adoring it more than ever! I love ballet music and have lots of cds etc.
I can say that ballet has given me a joy of dance and music for life. I don't want to be a pro, I just love to dance,

Thanks for the other incredible msgs,

See ya's,
Em

Poppiedancer, thanks for coming over to share your joy of ballet with the rest of us! I was just thinking that unless someone's family were very "into" classical music, that in our culture they would not have too much real exposure to it... Don't know if it's any different for you down in New Zealand or not - so the fact that one can learn to fall in love with the music is just one more draw for the art, isn't it?

I would bet that many a young person, certainly in the USA, would never have been open to classical music if it were not for putting on their ballet slippers.

P.S. Ronny, glad you enjoyed the image of my daughter's intro. to dance.

No, in NZ, we aren't very classically minded:) But in my family, we have alot of exposure to classical mucic. I play the piano and the viola. I have tried the flute and the oboe. But thats just me! My brothers play the violin(the two older ones do)and one plays the clarinet. Music has always been a big part of my life, I guess I take it for granted. Some of my most irritating agruments have been about who will choose the 'dinner music'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But just recently (about the time I restarted ballet) I did 'fall inlove' with classical music.
Thanks for asking!
luv,
Em

Thanks for the posts Poppiedancer... its always so exciting to hear from people all over the world and hear what is going on here and there. Dinner music sounds great, I didn't start doing that until recently since it was never our family tradition, but come to think of it my father was in his late 80s and still loved to dance! So maybe the tradition is not there, but it is in the blood you might say.

Why do I dance? Why do I live? For me life is dance. This may sound profound (or profoundly stupid!) but my life is dance, everyday I wake up happy (or nervous) because I have a class to go to. You cannot dance professionally unless life is like this every cell in your body has to want to dance. By the way I do have other interests and friends (lol) but ballet is too important to me too explain in words, although some days (very few) I wish that I was like poppiedancer and didn't have the stresses and strains of professional life.

Odette, I think your answer is lovely. I would guess that your very answer rings true for all serious dancers - it would have to be!

As a matter of fact, I only recently received a letter from someone telling me that a mutual friend had given up her budding career in ballet - the short version of the explanation was that this person had come to doubt her abilities... When I read your post tonight where you said: I couldn't help but recall this recent letter.

Thank you for letting us in on what your own dancing means for you. You're very fortunate to be doing what you truly love.

It wasn't anything that "just" happened. I actually started ballet at age 4, but back then I HATED it! I would beg my mom to let me quit, and the ballet teacher begged my mom NOT to let me quit because she said I had so much potential.. But back then I just didn't care.

When I became a pre teen I felt more and more urged to just "move". I *had(now I have) never been to a real ballet before.. I even had no idea ballet dancers danced actually on their toes.. I just thought that was something ballet dolls only did(lol).

Then one day I did see a ballet dancer. And I couldn't take my eyes away from her. I KNEW then that I wanted to dance ballet. I started thinking I would never get to pointe.. I just wanted to have ballet class once a week for recreation. After my first class, I realized that I loved ballet so much I HAD to become more serious.

Here I am now, 6 months into pointe work already. When I was younger, I never believed I could do it. Now I know that I've finally found something other than animals and nature that makes me as happy as can be!

That is how and why I became a dancer. I'm not sure if I want to make a career out of it(I've heard a lot of pros start to hate ballet) but I WILL continue taking it until I finish school, which is a long time

Maybe I'll change my mind along the way though.....

i saw the post and i couldnt resist answering. my friends ask me that all the time.....with all the sacrifices you have to make, the pain youve got to go through (i wear sandals....they see the feet) why do you dance? well in knd we were watching one of the girls recital dance, tap- from the day all i could think was i want to be a ballerina....the idea stuck and it went from a little kids silly idea to a passion. dance is everything. when i dance its a different world. im not doing it bc i need the exercise or i need something to do. i dance bc i have to. if i go 2 hours without thinking about dance its amazing! dance is a way for me to express myself, have fun, and get away from the world! dance, for me, is life!

I dance because it makes me feel special and beautiful. When I was younger, I took dance but didn't really appreciate the way i do know. All through high school I felt like I was missing something, but I didn't know what. Finally, at the start of my Senior year, I signed up for an adult ballet class. I immediately fell in love with ballet. Even though I am too old for a professional career (im 19 now), I love it. I am not fat, but I am not real skinny either, and yet i never felt beautiful until I started ballet. Now I feel beautiful. I will be starting pointe next year, as a 20 year old, something I never though I would do, and it is one of the biggest things i feel I've ever accomplished. Yes, dancing is very good for my self esteem.

Thank you Paul for writing exactly how I feel about dance. The first few paragraphs are so very true for me.

I dance, simply, because it is my natural way of moving. I dance because this is a very powerful way to convey all the feeling and emotions inside me. I dance, because that is when I feel complete despite the many technical flaws I make.

My dancing days are long, long over, but I have managed to recapture some of the joy I felt in moving and stretching my body by swimming! It's a great feeling to hurl myself through water with a rhythmic stroke, point my toes and go! It's also nice to see how your legs float up into very easy battements.

I dance becaues I love it. I took lessons for years from a "dolly Dinkle school" in the worst sense of the word. As a young child i never learned proper technique and was put on pointe way to early(at age 11) but I still loved to dance. When I left that studio, I had to start over and relearn good technique, something which I work on to this day.
But I love dancing, I love going to class and working and trying to perfect each little step, knowing i'll never be perfect, being able to feel the music and perform and just be on stage

I love to watch dancers on tv, movies, theatre etc... and to work at becoming better. It's a huge part of my life and always will be

My mom took me to my first ballet class when I was four years old. Twenty-seven years later, I still go to class. I simply cannot imagine not having ballet in my life. I have worn out VHS tapes watching the same beautiful performance over and over. I am constantly overcome with the feeling of "I have to dance now!" and I will go scampering around my house - twirling here, an arabesque there, trying not to knock over my husband.

Ballet is beautiful. I love everything about ballet. I dance because it is my life.

I'm not really sure why I dance. I've pretty much always wanted to be a ballerina every since i watched my sister's first ballet class. It definetly doesn't have anything to do with the music because I personally hate classical music. I definetly prefer punk and metal which seems weird for a dancer. It might have to do with expressing myself. I've never been too good with words and stuff like that and ballet has given me a way to express myself. It is also love for performing because there were nomorus times that I thought of quitting, :eek: but then I thought of never performing again and I had to keep dancing. I live to be on stage and the best way I know how is to dance! It also really keeps me in shape.

(Personal information relating to location of studio deleted by moderator in accordance with board policy)


Okay back to why I dance. I absoultly LOVE partnering!! When I was a little girl my dad used to lift me up to the ceiling and partnering is the only way i know how to recreate that feeling.

Thanks for listening to why I dance.

I have been "dancing" for the last 5 months after a 23 year break. I don't feel like I am "dancing" though as I still feel rather self-conscious a lot of the time in class. Because I don't feel like I am "dancing", I ask myself every day, why am I taking ballet again? Afterall, it is expensive and uncomfortable a lot of the time. (I am always sore after class!!) What am I getting out of this? Do I do it for the exercise? No. That is definately not it. I am a fitness instructor (part-time now) and I am both aerobically fit and strength-fit from other programmes. I do not need ballet for exercise. Even my flexibility is good without ballet...

If I am honest, I do not say to myself "I need to dance"... and yet, when enchainments in the centre come together for me I get a huge thrill! Wow - is that really me getting the steps, arms and head movements all working together? Is that really me DANCING!! Yes, that is a thrill! But I also get a thrill when I see myself in a static balletic pose. I have spent sooooo many years feeding my ballet hunger looking at pictures in books. I get a kick out of a dancer's beautiful physical line without the movement to music! I can enjoy the physical strength, flexibility, turnout, line, extension, whatever as well as expression, dramatic lighting, a sumptuous costume etc etc.

To come back to the original question - why do I dance? There are many reasons it seems. And I am proud that I finally got up the courage to go back to ballet classes. And I am always proud to tell people that I "do" ballet. I wish I felt proud of my "performance" in class more often (*LOL*) but I know I can only improve!!

Sorry to ramble. I hope what I have written here makes sense...

Podiumstar

Dear Podiumstar,

This is not a ramble at all, you are speaking from the heart and I enjoyed every bit of it along with all of the others responses that have come to this simple question.

Reading all of these responses has been a great joy.

I feel a little like the woman working in a factory in Studs Terkel's Working.

"Whatcha know is whatcha do!";)

hello everyone - I do not know (again!!) if this is the correct place to post this so please move it if unproperly placed.

I do ballet seriously - but I also dance tango (for fun, but I also make stage appearences once in a while). This weekend I sort of "abused" this tango thing, and I ended up with achy metatarsals, and a cramp sensation in my arch (say; i was 8 hours in high heels, dancing for most of the time). This made me think that perhaps my feet are not "prepared" for the tango because of they are , you know, quite adapted to the pointe shoe (I have quite a high arch). I shall need to perform ballet again in about 20 days.

Have you heard if dancing in high heels is incompatible with dancing on pointe? Is it advisable to devote to only one of these dance forms for health reasons?

thanks for your advice!!

Silvy

I don't know if tango dancing and pointe are incompatible, Silvy. :confused: It would seem that your heels and pointe shoes would probably make your feet bend in very different ways, depending on your particular anatomy.

But WOW! I am very impressed by your ability to dance in high heels for eight hours! Congratulations to you!

I don't think that there's any longterm incompatability with wearing high heels and pointe work. But there is a story here:

My first teacher had been wearing heels since she had been 16 years old, and when she married, and was in her first pregnancy, the doctor told her to stop wearing heels and wear flat shoes with a low heel. Her feet hurt her so badly that she was in tears, and the doctor said, "Oh, for heaven's sake, go back to the heels!";)

Both to Mr Mel and to Carbro:

Quite a story that about your teacher with the heels - shud it mean I should be ON POINTE all the time!!! By the way, yesterday I took my first class after that tango abusing, and my feet do feel better now!!!

Of course, I was in high heels for 8 hours, but I was not dancing non-stop for all that time. You know, a tango ball (which is called a "milonga") consists of, say about 6 tangos (or waltzes, or milongas), followed by a pause (intended to switch partners), and then 6 tangos again. And of course, it depends on whether you are lucky enough to be invited to dance again after the pause!!!

thanks for your feedback.

Silvy

I've been reading this thread with great interest as I know the difficulty of the situation from talking to dancers and teachers who work here. I do have a question that I hope someone could answer for me. My son will be spending the next year studying in England and on the net I was told that he didn't need a student visa. We just got his passport but want to get a visa for him anyway as he might be doing some travel to other countries through his school and just want to play it safe. I've tried countless times to call the British Consolate to speak with someone but can only get recordings. My question...can he apply for a visa when he gets to England? Time is not on our side at this point and this seems our only alternative. Thanks, Tango

Hi!
I'm also studying in the UK this fall, and I sympathize about the lack of information from the UK consulates. Luckily, the school I'll be attending has provided a lot of information on their website.

US citizens do not needs visas, HOWEVER as of November 13th, the law in the European Union is changing and all US citizens (and citizens from nine other non-visa countries) who are staying in the UK longer than 6 months will need to get an entry certificate, which will be inserted into their passport. I highly reccomend getting this done BEFORE your son leaves the U.S. as there may be a lot of people going to the US consulates in the UK trying to get the new paperwork done before the final date and it could be difficult if your son is not near a US consulate or embassy. The paperwork can be done at one of the US consulates in the UK.
Info on the rule change can be found here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/internat/entry_clearance.html

It is especially important to get this done now if your son intends to travel outside the UK while he is at school, as it will make it much easier for him to travel and he may need a visa to visit some countries (there is a Schengen visa, which will allow you to travel around the following countries for a visit during the course of one trip (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden) . It is also important if your son intends to do any work as student, as the UK is very strict letting non-citizens work.

Your son will need to fill out two forms: IM2A (general room) and IM2S (student form) and take those along with his passport, a letter of acceptance from the school in the UK, proof of money to pay for ALL expenses (copy or original of bank statement/scholarship forms etc.), two passport sized photos and if he's doing post-grad study, proof of graduation from a college/university in the US (official transcript). I believe the student forms cost 36 pounds, payable in cash or money order (I'm just bringing lots of cash).

The forms can be downloaded from the UK Visa website, which also all plenty of information:

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pa...d=1014919208354

Though some of it is specific to Univ. Edinburgh, their international student section has a lot of really useful information (especially the pre-arrival and immigration section):

http://www.ed.ac.uk/internat/

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me or e-mail me through my website (www.sabworkshops.org).

Cheers!
Kate

Kate...Thankyou for such a detailed answer to my question! Some of the information I was aware of and some I was not. You have been a great help and am getting on top of this immediately! Wow, how utterly complicated and tricky this can become...especially for the common lay people! You seem to know your stuff and I will contact you if I get in trouble along the way! (If you don't mind that is)? Hoping your entry goes smoothly! Tango

Tango

The information Kate has given is spot on, but if you have any problems I may be able to help you with contact details of named UK Visa contacts in the US - just let me know where you are and I'll see what I can do.

If all else fails, get to the Visa Office in Croydon, south London as soon after arrival as possible and queue! My Japanese student hairdresser tells me he started queueing at 5 a.m. .......

Jane

Thankyou JaneD! There is no emergency as yet as our plans now are to do a 'walkin' visa application when we go to N.Y. in a few weeks. They say it is most likely sameday service and I'm banking on that! May I ask what exactly does QUEUEING mean...never heard that before? Tango

Queueing is standing in a queue, standing in a line Don't wait until the last minute!

Thankyou Alexandra for the definition! We are trying to get our application in as quickly as possible and in the safest manner. The walk-in does
seem the safest way to go as opposed to mail delivery (5 wk. wait). I don't like the idea of mailing his passport along with the application...too many what ifs involved! I hope when we get to N.Y. we don't run into any problems. :sweating: Hopefully I will post when we get back just how easy it was...queueing and all!

if you are going to the UK, you are going to the right place to FIND OUT!

I'm not sure that dancing en pointe is incompatible with any other dance form, but it does perhaps require more attention to the feet.

I danced with a company whose repertoire included works from virtually every country. The tango has long been part of our repertoire, and there were long hours of rehearsals involved. You didn't say what kind of heels you were wearing. We typically wore character shoes with approx. 2-1/2" heels. I was doing pointe class during those years, and I don't recall a problem. I have a friend from Argentina who is responsible for bringing some incredible tango shows here, and those women DO wear higher heels. The shoes are to die for -- almost literally. Gorgeous to look at, but perhaps a lot more painful. And I have to say, that I have never seen such sinewy dancers in my life. I didn't know women could be that thin and at the same time so extraordinarily strong. But to get back on point, pardon the pun, no dancing in character shoes ever posed a problem for my ballet work, whether it was Uzbekistan or Brazilian, etc. etc.

There are, however, other dances that have posed some problems. Our Basque suite required a good deal of dancing consistently somewhere between a demi-pointe and a flat foot -- that can be a strain. Also, I noticed that when I danced a good deal in character boots, it was not all that conducive to ballet. What I mean is that I really needed to work harder on stretching the foot after all that stomping. I also noted that one of our dancers whose specialty was Flamenco seemed to have difficulty really pointing her foot in a ballet slipper. I guess it's the articulation of the foot that seems challenged by all that character work. And -- it's just plain hard on the tootsies. They need special care -- soaks and massages and so forth.

Many years ago, I had a ballet professor who advised us to never wear anything higher than a "Cuban heel" (so as not to shorten the achilles tendon). I don't think any of us really understood what that was. I thought it was perhaps the same as a "squash heel," which was in fashion some time ago. And yes, I can see how that can be more comfortable than a totally flat shoe. That's why the teaching shoe has that little heel. Seems to provide some relief.

There has also been some debate as to whether a lot of walking is good for a dancer. Well, it's too late for me if it is. I'll walk as much as 10 miles a day, just getting to and from wherever. But -- I wear shoes that REALLY cushion and that have a wide toe box. I worked for a lovely woman for many years, teaching in her studio, and she always wore these pretty little flats on her delicate feet, and I thought that was so pretty that I went out and bought some delicate little flats so I could look like that. That lasted about one day. My feet ached. If you're going to do some real walking, then fashion stops at the ankle. (Although practical shoes are getting more attractive).

And -- for some reason, fashion boots don't pose a problem for me. I wear them on occasion, and they don't bother me the way other fashion shoes might.

I took some classes about 12 years ago while sojourning in Philadelphia from a wonderful modern teacher there, and I'll never forget her going around the room and checking the knuckles in our feet. She said they should be as prominent as those in our hands. There were one or two men in class that had no problem in this regard, but several of the women in class had problems even finding these knuckles. The teacher had to really push them out for the students. Apparently, if you walk in heels enough, those knuckles will get lost and never return. All you need to do is go back and look at fashion magazines from the 1980s and you'll see nothing by strappy sandals posing as harbingers of problems to come. She suggested a variety of exercises and although I was a serious walker, I took these exercises to heart. Things like picking up a pen with your toes and trying to write your name. To this day, I do a lot of "monkey toes" exercises to keep my feet articulating and strong.

On the Links forum, I finally got around to reading some of this past week's posts: click on this and scroll down until you come to "the cruelest profession" by Toby Tobias



Read on, enjoy it and see what you think.

All-
I am going on a short trip to Vienna, Athens, Bucharest and Sofia in the middle of September.

Does anyone know of any performances, open adult classes, or interesting ballet shops in any of these cities?

Sadly, there is only opera at the Vienna Opera on the days I'll be there.

Well we're back from N.Y. with Visa in hand and it was a painless experience :sweating: Because I had all the neccesary papers the whole process took less than 45 min. Queueing time was about 15-20 min. but only because we arrived there about 8:15 AM(before the crowd started piling in). They say that it opens at 9:00AM but in reality after a short wait downstairs they let you go upstairs by 8:30 and open their windows about the same time. My son did not need to be there for us to get his visa (a worry)as long as we had his passport and ALL of the documents they requested. You might have to go and come back an hour or two as they process everything (we only had a 10 min. wait) but you get your visa 'same day' as they say. Most visas are done by mail which can take 5 weeks or more depending on any problems arising.
SNEDS...sorry of your problems at the visa office and hope you won't experience any more when you get to Europe Tango

Sadly, we seem to be not well-travelled, koshka

Bumping this up to see if anyone can help!

You could try this link, or one with the beginning of this one.....

http://www.nethotels.com/events/english/Ev..._max=11&Group=7

I got it from clicking around in this one:

http://www.wien.gv.at/english/

(go to calender of events, or something like that)

Good luck!

-d-

I just checked the ballet-tanz web site. They used to have a WONDERFUL calendar of every dance company in Europe and what they were doing, but it doesn't seem to be there any more.

They do, however, have a message board. There are several other "I'm going to be traveling to Germany, could you recommend classes," etc. posts, where people have posted an email address. I don't know if you'd get a response, but it might be worth a try.

http://www.ballet-tanz.de/en/base/f_kont.html

It’s the opportunity to dance to the inspiring great classical music in the performance pieces that keeps me working diligently all year long in class. I’m really drawn toward doing more than just listening to an intensely emotional piece of music. The better dancer I become, the more I can consciously enter into this experience with the music. (I’m afraid my consciousness is sill pretty involved with “which foot or which step comes next?”, but it keeps getting better)

To dance well with a partner who shares my values and passion for the music is, I feel, as close to a joyously fulfilling relationship as two people can have, outside of a really good relationship in the much more complex and difficult “real world”.

I like the strong traditions of ballet that separate it from the world outside. I can’t think of any other activity that allows for intimately and intensely sharing beautiful experiences with another person in such a relatively straightforward simple environment. Giving and receiving trust, appreciation and care seems central to a good partnering relationship. Learning such principals of good dancing and partnering, as well as the experience of dancing interesting roles onstage, are giving me a clearer understanding of life and relationships outside of the dance studio and the stage.

I short, I dance ballet because I love it.

I wrote this poem after the last Nutcracker I was in (I was given TWO different partnering roles in the same production, Oh Boy!)

STEPS FOR TWO

Two worlds apart
The “Real” and the “Romance”
One where I live,
One where I dance.

Love fulfilled with
Trust, Appreciation and Care.
We all seek it in our lives,
Both to receive and to share.

Simple in it’s beauty,
Profound in it’s force,
Pas de Deux: Steps of Love;
Two brought together on course.
Scott Roskam

I guess I sort of got thrown in there when I was about 6, not really knowing how important it was going to be to me until I turned 11 and quit. After quiting it made me realize how much I loved to dance and that I didn't just want to do it I had to. I started again when I turned 14.
*If you read the quote under this it pretty much explains it, dancing just makes you feel good!

ilive2danz - I too learnt the extent of my love for ballet after giving it up and then picking it up again. I feel so proud of doing ballet, and of my tiny involvement in its world. Its such a rich and longheld, beautiful tradition that I want to imerse myself in it. Ballet has the ability to make me feel beautiful, because I am using my own body to make something lovely; it really is great for the self-esteem. I too feel that just listening to music isn't enough-I have to dance to it. I dont know why, but I just have to-I can't sit still!!

Also, I love the fact that ballet is always a challenge, and you can just keep on improving. I think that I like this factor partly because in some lessons at school, I am perpetually bored, because there are not enough challenges. There are some classes that I can just do well in without really trying, so in a way it's less satisfying to suceed. However, in ballet I have never experienced this. I work for what I can do :sweating: . And when I can do it, it is an enourmous pleasure. Some of the other girls in my ballet class complain that it is all excercises, but, though it may sound silly, I love each excercise because to me it is a dance in itself.

There is something that makes me want to dance. Even in the supermarket!! . Dancing makes me feel so happy . Sorry about me rambling on, people. I guess, what I am trying to say is that ballet makes me happy in a way nopthing else I know does. I love it!