Billy Elliot Stereotypes

From kindergarten until high school, I was a member of the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance. Up to 5 days per week, I would be at the dance studio taking classes, rehearsing for shows, and helping out in the less advanced classes. Regardless of skill level, Jean never hesitated to speak the brutally honest truth about students’ performances and she never settled for anything less than perfection. Jean would often preach that she is only the instruction manual and she cannot make us good dancers, we had to do that for ourselves. However, it was not her critique or teaching alone that motivated dancers to perform well, it was her relentless work ethic and commitment to her studio. As a 70 year-old women, Jean held classes as much as 7 days per

Billy Elliot, directed by Stephen Daldry, details the life of an 11-year-old working-class boy who is caught up in the poverty and violence of North-east England during the 1984 miner’s strikes. After a local ballet teacher discovers Billy’s raw talent for dancing, Billy decides he wants to be a ballet dancer. Billy had to overcome many obstacles in order to follow his new found dream. Two of these were family traditions and expectations, and social class. Billy also received help to overcome many obstacles, this help came from Mrs Wilkinson.

In “Showing What Is Possible,” Jacques D’Amboise reflects on an experience when a teacher helped him discover ballet. Madame Seda helped D’Amboise fulfill his talent. With ballet, he overcame the pressure to join a gang like his friends. D’Amboise was able to become a well-known ballet dancer with help from his teachers. When it was time to retire from dancing, he started the National Dance Institute. This project enabled D’Amboise to influence his own students around the world. An influential teacher can affect one’s future by challenging pupils to move past their comfort zones, teaching them to actively control their future, and setting up an environment where they can improve together.

As world has changed over the last century or so, the ballet world has been changing with it. There are many people who have helped shape that change. The changes in style were mainly influenced by George Balanchine. George Balanchine, a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer, also known as the father of American ballet, was the man who was said to have changed the style of ballet forever. Along with these changes in style came changes in visual design elements, inspirational figures, and changes in what the ballets themselves tend to rely on. Many of the features given to ballet in Russia in the 15th and 16th century still remain to this day, but many features have been altered to fit . Let’s take a closer look at what features truly

Classical Ballet is the epitome of class and sophistication, it is known for its meticulous techniques

Transitioning from one phase to another can be complex, and inevitably involves the overcoming of obstacles to experience new phases of life and social situations. An individual must reevaluate their social environment and society’s viewpoints on matters, such as gender roles and the expectations of others, to be subjected to a change in lifestyle. Stephen Daldry’s 2000 film, ‘Billy Elliot’, showcases the struggle of a young boy as he develops in his Northern England town and experiences a new love for ballet, an activity stereotypically reserved for petite females. His fight for a life in ballet corresponds his family’s protests against colliery closures. Similarly, ‘Anh Do’s Brush With Fame’ recounts Kurt Fearnley’s, the Paralympic hero,

An important idea in the film “Billy Elliot” directed by Stephen Daldry is the idea of not living up to the expectations of family and society and because of that, being trapped within these expectations. As Billy has grown up in a working class town where all the men are expected to go out and work in the coal mines after school, the idea of Billy being a dancer is an extreme polarity and therefore it leaves Billy feeling trapped and as though he is letting his family down. This idea is shown by the director through cinematography, dialogue and imagery

always been known for the risky and powerful movements which are often why dancers retire from the company. The dancer’s movements were often very intense and emotive, such as the “throws” across the stage in which the dancers would, almost violently, launch themselves across the stage in different forms (leaps, falls and flips to name a few). Another section where the movements were emotive is where the dancers were thrusting their hips in different positions to perhaps show sexuality in “self”.

Mrs. Farrell’s book is quite technical when it comes to the lengthy descriptions of the dances she rehearses and performs; from a dancer’s view these varied conclusions of the types of movements she was dancing is quite astonishing. In fact, it adds a whole new level to the imagination that can come alive in a person’s thoughts when they read an expressive book. Although the technical explanations will excited, astound, and reveal how much passion and deep meaning ballet had in Suzanne Farrell’s life, but a reader, who may not be involved in the arts will be unfamiliar with the ballet and musical terms in

The history of ballet is rich, complex and full of powerful meanings depending on the time period. Ballet in the 15th century was seen as something that only select individuals could do, whereas, the 20th century ballet can be preformed by anyone. By thinking about how ballet performers have changed, a question may be thought is, have the people attending these ballet performances changed as well as the performers themselves? Today, children from ages two and up start taking ballet and family members come and watch their final recitals. National ballet companies are also an event and often draw attention to the higher-class individuals who have a taste for ballet. The ballet world could be seen as to having a quite array of attendees, events and functions, but that might not have always been the

Dance critic Théophile Gautier states, “Nothing resembles a dream more than a ballet...” (Anderson 77). The effortless technique of the ballerina paints most ballets as exactly this. Consequently, there is more to a ballet than technique and dancing. Different types of ballets and their structural components separate one ballet from the next. It is important to understand the difference between the two main types of ballets: Romantic Ballet and Classical Ballet. Romantic ballet in the 19th century differs from Classical ballet in the 20th century structurally, technically, and socially. The two dance forms also vary in costumes and narrative. However, with all of those differences, they both use ballet technique for a specific purpose.

All six dances in the ‘black and white’ ballets are based on sexuality. The male

Perhaps the very first image the general public would see in their mind’s eye, upon hearing the word “dancer”, is that of a darling little five year old girl in a pretty pink tutu and delicate ballet slippers stepping into her local dance studio for the first time. Take someone a little deeper into that thought, and they might see an overly thin, pale sixteen year old young woman, with collarbones and ribs showing working herself almost to death to earn a minor part in a dance chorus. Suggest that someone describe a dancer in the height of their career, and you might hear of a Prima Ballerina with the Moscow Ballet. Ask someone to visualize a dancer in later years, and they might picture an older woman with a greying bun atop her head, leading a class or perhaps helping younger dancer perfect a performance, who is likely ailing

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake was first performed at the Sadler Wells Theatre in London in 1995. Bourne's version of Swan Lake is the longest running ballet in London’s West End and on Broadway. It has been performed in a number different countries such as United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Israel and Singapore. Mathew Bourne’s rendering is best known for having traditionally female parts of the swans danced by men. Graeme Murphy version of Swan Lake is not so much a battle between Odette (Good) and Odile (evil), which is presented through the original Swan Lake. But it examines love and betrayal, and other elements of the original story. Through comparing and contrasting Acts 2 and Act 4 of Graeme Murphy’s rendering of Swan Lake and Mathew Bourne's Act 2 and Act 4, this essay will interpret and evaluate how each choreographer portrays movement and non-movement components throughout their piece.

Whether rooted deeply through generations of a family or formed through an experience, passions and fascinations are what drives us, humans, to be who we truly are. At this point in my life, I do not want to reach comfort or perfection, but rather feel composed and confident in what I chose to merge my ballet skills with. When I dance, I escape reality and feel a pure exhilaration.This sensation shapes my curiosity and interest in the human anatomy. From the elements that make it up to ways in which people individually move their bodies, the human body is absolutely fascinating. Specifically, I am passionate about teaching ballet to younger students. By introducing ballet to kids early on, they will experience the same joy almost all dancers feel for a longer period of time. When I’m dancing I’m challenging your mind, releasing endorphins, and working hard. I am also eager to own my own business linked with teaching that will provide people with affordable dance equipment, and even more crucial, advice on what suits each person's personal needs. I know as I grow old my body will not be as capable as it once was, but I’m dedicated to spreading my appreciation of ballet to others. Overall, my passion for ballet and how I can utilize it to positively impact society as an entrepreneur has developed through the inspiration of my grandparents, the creativity of my former dance teachers, and my interest in the human bodies relation to ballet.