WEEK #5: Wednesday
It’s Wednesday again! Got the middle-of-the-week blues? In today’s Coffee Break With the Ballet feature, “Then & Now,” we’re all about Energy!.
Then & Now
Whether contemporary or classical, 18th or 21st century, ballet can express humor, life, wit and joy.
Auguste Vestris (late 1700s)
Paul DeStrooper in The Concert at OBT (Photo: Blaine Covert)
OBT Asks Education & Outreach Director Kasandra Gruener:
“What have you learned about energy in your work with children?”
“OBT teaching artists provide dance instruction in local schools, building basic skills for all dance forms, especially ballet. One aspect of dance that students explore is the way they use their own energy—and they sure have plenty of energy to play with! Children love to use big energy—leaping, soaring, spinning, and are challenged to use controlled energy—moving softly, articulating, and balancing. One favorite activity asks students to mirror their partner’s energy, not just the shape of the way they move, but the quality of how they move. In this way, school children learn about themselves and others—a great skill to take into their lives after dance class!”
