Why study Ballet? (On the Town!)

Last night I was tremendously fortunate to see On the Town on Broadway! It is playing at the Lyric Theater on 42nd Street and stars Megan Fairchild, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet. She is amazing. In fact, all the dancers in the cast are stunning–and not just the ladies with legs for days. The guys are equally gorgeous and can jump and turn, and they partner Megan and the other women beautifully. The show was phenomenal, and we left singing the music, totally inspired.  Go see it!

What’s really great about seeing On the Town, and the exciting choreography (by Josh Bergasse, very loosely drawn from the original by Jerome Robbins) is it is all ballet based! Sure, they aren’t wearing tutus (I take that back, there is a moment in the Natural History Museum scene–the girls turn into prehistoric birds it’s hysterical, you have to see it!) but most musicals use some ballet because well trained dancers make it look easy, and when it looks easy, and like that much fun, it makes the audience want to dance too! Visually the lines of the body of a ballet dancer are appealing and classic, and make the dancers look like their legs go on forever, which makes the musical look beautiful. And the athleticism of ballet makes dancers exciting and agile–they are able to jump and turn and lift the dancers–or be held aloft high in the air.

Because of the way ballet builds the body in strength and flexibility, ballet is the best foundation for any form of dance or movement you want to study–even acting. Studying ballet will teach you awareness of your body, and awareness of space. You will learn alignment and body placement. Your walking will have more grace and fluidity. Your posture will improve, and the lines of your body will lengthen. You will learn musicality, rhthym, and your brain will benefit as you learn steps and combinations. And if all that is not enough–ballet dancers all have great derrieres!

So go see On The Town to be inspired and laugh and hum the tunes, and I’ll see you in class!

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