what does ballet mean?

Campestral · 8th June 2007, 9:40pm

there is ballet on bbc2 just now and i can't figure it out. apparently darcey bussell is a legend in the ballet scene but what does it mean? it looks to me like it's just an exhibition of the body and it's physical prowess. i'm comparing them to actors but i don't see the ideas they are trying to convey. i've read people saying ballet is full of sex but that looks like it's only because the men and women have trained bodies. so is it just pretentious upper class nonsense or is there something i'm missing? i like the classical music they are dancing to but music is universal when it comes to conveying ideas. i would like to understand high brow ideas but there is nothing worse than liking something you don't understand so what is it?!

endless psych · 8th June 2007, 9:47pm

Quote:

ballet Show phonetics
noun [C or U]
(a theatrical work with) a type of dancing where carefully organized movements tell a story or express an idea:
a ballet dancer
By the age of fifteen he had already composed his first ballet (= music for a ballet).

Ballet is theatrical dance essentially. Pretty movements to pretty music to convey a story. Opera for the physically fit with shite voices if you will.

Brookie · 8th June 2007, 9:49pm

i used to do alot of ballet. I have awful problems with my feet and achilies. Tis punishment for the body lol

**LesMTS** · 8th June 2007, 9:50pm

They're very talented athletes but I prefer gymnastics. Same thing, less pretense.

endless psych · 8th June 2007, 9:52pm

I wonder if in a few hundred years or so the likes of the bootleg beatles, and their ilk, will be derided as pretentious?

TehBunny · 8th June 2007, 9:53pm

CampMate, you need to hook yourself up with some Wikipedia, seriously.

It'll answer all the questions you seem to have about everything and save you posting on this here forum.

My mate does Ballet as part of her course. I'm blatantly jealous..used to do it when I was little. Cost too much to keep at it though. :/

Brookie · 8th June 2007, 9:59pm

also you end up with huge legs which i still stuck with

Campestral · 8th June 2007, 10:02pm

only person who said anything that made sense is lesmts, they are just like glorified gymnasts. if you knew what ballet meant tehbunny then you would just say it rather than saying the pretentious get out clause and mention wikipedia. you mighta used less words just saying what you think it is and why it makes sense

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brookie

also you end up with huge legs which i still stuck with

huh? bussell doesn't have huge legs. you went to mcballet

Brookie · 8th June 2007, 10:03pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Campestral

only person who said anything that made sense is lesmts, they are just like glorified gymnasts. if you knew what ballet meant tehbunny then you would just say it rather than saying the pretentious get out clause and mention wikipedia. you mighta used less words just saying what you think it is and why it makes sense

huh? bussell doesn't have huge legs. you went to mcballet

i mean muscle wise

endless psych · 8th June 2007, 10:03pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Campestral

only person who said anything that made sense is lesmts, they are just like glorified gymnasts.

I'm not sure how ballet dancers would take that... or gymnasts for that matter... There are similarities granted, in athleticism and aesthetics also I suppose. The crucial difference being ballet has something of the thetrical about it.