Black Swan: Part 2

 In December 2010, the movie Black Swan was released to theatres. The story is based off the ballet, Swan Lake, and is about a young ballerina named Nina Sayers who gets the part of the Swan Queen. Only problem is that Nina is mentally unstable and the press for perfection pushes her over the edge.

This movie has been getting A LOT of hype. There have been many Oscar buzzes flying about for this movie, Rotten Tomatoes gave it a fresh review, and imdb.com has a very high rating currently for this movie, quite uncommon for a horror movie. The last horror that got this much hype was Paranormal Activity.

Unfortunately, like Paranormal Activity, this movie is just not scary. At all. If anything, it's just another gory, sexy comedy adventure. I was led astray when critics were calling it the next Red Shoes and a psychological horror because I got neither.

Granted, it wasn't a bad movie. I didn't fall asleep during it like Paranormal Activity. This movie is also quite original. I mean, how many ballet horror movies can you name? Yeah, I couldn't think of any either.

I don't know. I just didn't get the hype. Natalie Portman wasn't the best actress in my opinion either. I liked Mila Kunis who played Nina's (Natalie Portman) understudy, but I didn't get a WOW performance from Natalie. Then again, I never agree with what the Oscar picks so maybe it's perfect.

I did like how Tchaikovsky music was dispersed throughout the movie. Even the music in the restaurant was an elevator-ized version of one of the pieces. I was really hoping that the club scene would have Swan Lake techno music, but I was disappointed. I don't know, maybe it was Swan Lake played backward or something.

It's just not a scary movie. It's a nice movie. It's a funny movie. But it's not scary. They sort of forced symbolism on us with all the white/black/mirror image/hair-up/hair-down/yadda yadda that even someone who doesn't know crap about movies like me noticed. But it was a nice movie. I only paid five dollars for it so I can't complain.

I play Silent Hill and am a huge fan of that series. That basically translates to "I love symbolism!" and "I love psychological horror!" But this movie just made me laugh my head off. Because...it's funny. It really is. I would give you examples but I don't want to ruin it for you. My guess is people are going to see this and either see a very funny comedy or a terrifying horror movie. 

Since this is a ballet blog, I probably should comment on the dance portion. Though it was painfully obvious at times that Natalie wasn't doing her own dancing. At least they didn't force her to dance. They threw in a double and it looked fine. The ballet-filled sections were the best portion of film because it made the film take you into a world you may never experience for yourself. I really enjoyed these bits. In fact, I'd say I enjoyed these bits the most. Thankfully a good portion of the movie takes place in the theatre or during practice.

They also knew quite a bit about Swan Lake. Natalie would do the mimes that Odile performs and they would refer to certain portions of the ballet correctly. Though I do have to ask (and this is a spoiler. Highlight to expose) when she saw what's-his-name doing the "Black Swan" or Lily... why did he turn into the owl? Wouldn't that be incest? Was that intentional? IDK my BFF Jill.

Horror has a fine line between terrifying and hysterically funny. This movie was hysterically funny for me. Maybe others will be scared. 

Black Swan Drinking/Brain Freeze Game!

Take a swig when...

-Nina takes off her earrings

-Someone refers to her as a "sweet girl"

-Whenever Nina get's it on! And I mean whenever ;D

-Every time Lily says Nina will be/is wonderful

-Whenever Nina looks wide-eyed and confused. (Extra swig if her mouth is open!)

And that's seriously enough to get you wasted (or if you're underage, a very nice brain freeze from that slushie!)! Have fun! Hopefully you'll enjoy the movie more than me!

Black Swan- 6.5/10

Black Swan: Part 1

With the new movie coming out featuring a ballet theme, I thought it would be appropriate to have a few Black Swan themed posts.

For those who don't know, the Black Swan is a character from the ballet, Swan Lake, written by Tchaikovsky. It is one of the most popular ballets, and pretty much every little girl dreams of playing a part in this ballet. The Black Swan is the evil sorcerer's daughter, Odile (o-DEEL). The sorcerer disguises Odile as Odette so Prince Siegfried will vow his love to Odile, thinking it's really his true love, Odette. By dedicating his love to the wrong woman, Odette will be condemned to live as a swan forever. Odile is often portrayed in ballet as a seducer, evil, coy, yet extremely talented dancer. She wears black in place of Odette's white, and both characters are usually played by the same ballerina.

See some of these videos for clips of Odile's role:
Black Swan Competition (only 14 years old! See why being 20 is a little old? lol)
Pas de deux
von Rothbart and Odile's Entrance
Another entrance clip (7:30 is when they enter)
Another variation
I absolutely love the music for the very first video. I'm actually not quite sure what the title is called for that particular bit (I only know the popular ones like the coda. See above embedded video for that music piece).

FUN FACT TIME!
Odile is a name of German origins that means "wealthy child." Odette is a French name that also means "wealthy child." Both names are a form of the name, Odilia. Looks like they couldn't have picked a better name for these two!

I've already been to see the Black Swan movie. All that's left is to write a review on it. Also paired with the Black Swan theme is going to be a review on the book, The Black Swan, by Mercedes Lackey. Once those are all finished, I have a couple more ballet-themed exercise videos to review.

Review-- Element: Ballet Conditioning

Phew! I've been posting so much lately since I started this blog after I actually started making records of my progress. Well, I decided I should probably stop being so self-absorbed in my blogs and write a couple reviews!

So my first review is on a exercise DVD called Element: Ballet Conditioning. Element is a group that puts out various exercise DVDs for pilates and yoga. One of their more popular DVDs is the one that incorporates ballet exercises into the routine.

Menu screen

 The setting is what almost looks like a country club or an outdoor wedding plaza. It's next to a pool with pillars, landscaped with flowers, and located conveniently next to the ocean. I actually really like the location they picked for the exercise. It beats a studio lit by florescent lighting. Everything has a contemporary feel that makes it relaxing and fresh.


The workout itself is a toughie. Just because it says ballet on it doesn't mean this is gonna be all fun and tutus. The length of the workout is fifty minutes. I feel that it is just right considering most ballet classes I know of go for at least an hour. What I also like about the exercises is that it also warms you up. You don't have to worry about doing it yourself before popping it into the DVD player.

Warming up for some ballet exercises!

My legs kill during the pliés, and that burn feels oh so good! I want to say over half the DVD features barre work, or in this case, chair work. The chair is nice and does the job, but I really need to place something heavy on the seat part so it doesn't tip on me. There is a lot of exercise and heat building in the legs and butt during exercises with the chair. Trust me. It kills.

Another barre exercise working on attitude. Feel the burn!

The camera changes often so you're not bored of looking at the same old thing all the time. It also zooms in and shows a majority of her body so you can compare your movements to hers.  The instructor gives great cues about which move she's going to move to next. She doesn't stress the knees going over the feet as much during first position pliés, which I find a lot of beginners like me doing, but she does do so during second position pliés. I also wish she would remind us to breathe more since I often find myself holding my breath instead of relaxing and letting go, but overall, she does an excellent job and has a great narration voice.

Cardio workout using jumps and kicks

Floor work has some kicks and jumps. This acts as the cardio portion of the exercise. I wish they added a bit more for this part, but I can sort of see why they stopped. As a beginner, I have a lot of trouble balancing during the kicks. As for jumps, I can't seem to get well enough off the ground for the changements. The creators of this DVD correctly assumed that more than just seasoned dancers would purchase it. Thus, simple steps, leaps, and jumps, though the cardio could be extended slighty longer.

The ab workout is challenging, but it'll be worth it!

Finally it's the tough ab workout. UGH. This is hard stuff! Which basically means that it's really good for me and everyone else interested in dance. I've never done pilates before, but I'm fairly sure she uses a lot of pilates moves for the ab portion. There are no curl-ups with bent knees and hands behind the head for this DVD! And quite honestly, I really like it for that. Not only do these ab workouts benefit your core, but they will also help you stretch your legs for kicks and splits. Despite all my ab classes at school, I still cannot make it through without stopping a couple times. Hopefully that will improve!


Last but not least is the warm-down. This is mostly stretching the legs and abs after a long workout. It must do the job because I'm never too sore after working out with this DVD.

  

Workout: 9/10

Instructor: 9/10

Setting: 9/10

Camera: 10/10

Level: Advanced-Expert
Is it actually ballet? Yes

Overall: 9/10

This is an excellent workout. It does exactly what it says it will do and does so very nicely. The camera made it easy for me to mimic her moves. The instructor does a nice job and can clearly accomplish the moves she asks of us. She's happy but not sickeningly so. By the end of the day, I feel properly worked out, and for only $10 at Amazon.com, it's also a great deal for fifty minutes of exercise.

Football and Ballet ARE Related and Other Exercises

I was speaking with a friend last week during classes, and I brought up how I wanted to go en pointe. And she said (real polite, mind you, as to not crush/shatter my dreams), that she heard it could do permanent damage to my ankles and toes. When she said that, I remembered my ballet teacher saying a long time ago that if I wanted to go en pointe, I would have to see the doctor to see if I was ready for it. Now that's a big turn off. The permanent damage, not the doctor trip.

BUT...and this is a big BUT... I immediately thought about football players and hockey players. Lots of them have had spine damage, head damage, maybe lost a couple teeth here and there--yet they continue to play. Why is that? Because they don't care. They love what they do so much that it doesn't matter anymore, and that's how I feel. I just want to dance. I'm not going to have this body for much longer anyway, and my body will probably benefit from the muscular endurance, flexibility, cardio more so that it will counter-balance any toe damage.

Anyway, enough about me. Here are some fabulous videos I found while scrounging around on Youtube:

Stretches for Home

This first video is an exercise video. This stretch is used to improve many things from kicks to splits.

Learn How to Pirouette

This is another excellent video for an introduction to pirouettes. Damn these things are hard! I can get two if I'm lucky, but hey, I'm just starting so I'll take it easy on myself.

Phew... I'm tired. Went to see Rocky Horror late last night, but I still want to get at least 50 minutes of exercise in so I don't drop any muscle for next dance class in a couple weeks.

Mr. Ollivander's -- The Ballet Shoe Version

BUYING BALLET SHOES IS A NIGHTMARE. Even though I'm in the Chicagoland area, I cannot find any place to fit me for shoes. When I was little, there was a store I went to to get my shoes fitted, but when I went there, it was gone--some knickknack store was in its place. The only brand I know is Capezio's since my dance team shoes were from that brand. So I checked their site, and.....their site's down. More specifically, their shopping cart is down and it's been down for quite some time.

I need new shoes because, guess what, I signed up for adult classes at my local park district! There are only three classes, but it is by far the cheapest price for classes (about $15/class) and it's the only thing my college-bound ass can afford. This means I'll have to get a job to pay for these. Wish me luck finding one.

Anyway, back to the shoe problem. I order some Capezio canvas shoes off Amazon for about $15. That didn't sound too bad. I ordered them as the description said, by my street shoe size. So I order 7M and wait as patiently as possible for my shoes to arrive. At last, they come. I try them on and...they're tight. Way, way too tight. I frowned a little but decided there must be a way to break them in. After all, this is my size...right?

My canvas shoes. Look at that lipgloss stain on the elastic!

  I sew on the elastic straps to see if that helps (it doesn't). In the process, I get lipgloss on it and therefore can't return the product. I tried stretching the shoes with ice. No avail. I cannot even spread my toes in these puppies.

That little bump in the middle is my toe bending. Waaaay too tight.

 
So, finally defeated, I decided to buy another shoe a whole size up after reading a dozen reviews and rediscovering this video: Ballet Shoes: How to Find the Perfect Ballet Shoe for Your Feet .

The next shoes I bought were twenty-dollar, leather shoes. I bought a size 8 this time in hopes that my toes wouldn't curl up at the tip. I put them on and...they're a bit too big. UGH.

Leather shoes

 
They bunched around the side and there was a little space by my heel. It didn't fit me like a glove like the video said it should be. This would be so much easier if I had a dance store or some place to go! I tried tightening the drawstrings, and though it caused the leather to bunch a bit at the sides, they fit me much better. Now they feel pretty snug.

Already I like the leather much better than the canvas. Since my first class was coming up, I didn't have time to trade in for a half-size lower to see if they were better, so I must use these. I figure I can ask my teacher if they are too loose for dancing.