Saturday, March 26, 2011

Ball.et~B.al.le.t~La Belt


Ballet is a formalized kind of performance dance, which originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France, England, and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with most of the audience seated on tiers or galleries on three sides of the dancing floor. It has since become a highly technical form of dance with its own vocabulary. It is primarily performed with the accompaniment of classical music and has been influential as a form of dance globally. Ballet has been taught in ballet schools around the world, which use their own cultures and societies to inform the art. Ballet dance works (ballets) are choreographed and performed by trained artists, include mime and acting, and are set to music (usually orchestral but occasionally vocal). It is a poised style of dance that incorporates the foundational techniques for many other dance forms.

Classical ballet is the most methodical of the ballet styles; it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, Danish Bournonville ballet and Italian ballet, although most ballet of the last two centuries is ultimately founded on the teachings of Blasis. The most well-known styles of ballet are the Russian Method, the Italian Method, the Danish Method, the Balanchine Method or New York City Ballet Method, and the Royal Academy of Dance and Royal Ballet School methods, derived from the Cecchetti method, created in England. The first pointe shoes were actually regular ballet slippers that were heavily darned at the tip. It would allow the girl to briefly stand on her toes to appear weightless. It was later converted to the hard box that is used today.

Classical ballet adheres to these rules:

  • A postiton called 'plie' is used in almost every exercise
  • Everything is turned out.
  • When the feet are not on the floor, they're pointed.
  • When the leg is not bent, it's stretched completely.
  • Posture, alignment, and placement are vital.

This genre of dance is very hard to master and requires much practice. It is best known in the form of Late Romantic Ballet or Ballet Blanc, which preoccupies itself with the female dancer to the exclusion of almost all else, focusing on pointe work, flowing, precise acrobatic movements, and often presenting the dancers in the conventional short white French tutu. Later developments include expressionist ballet, Neoclassical ballet, and elements of Modern dance.

In Slavic folklore, the Firebird (Russian: жар-пти́ца, zhar-ptitsa, literally ember bird from птица bird Old Russian жар ember) is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land, which is both a blessing and a bringer of doom to its captor.

The Firebird is described as a large bird with majestic plumage that glows brightly emitting red, orange, and yellow light, like a bonfire that is just past the turbulent flame. The feathers do not cease glowing if removed, and one feather can light a large room if not concealed. In later iconography, the form of the Firebird is usually that of a smallish fire-colored peacock, complete with a crest on its head and tail feathers with glowing "eyes".

A typical role of the Firebird in fairy tales is as an object of a difficult quest. The quest is usually initiated by finding a lost tail feather, at which point the hero sets out to find and capture the live bird, sometimes of his own accord, but usually on the bidding of a father or king. The Firebird is a marvel, highly coveted, but the hero, initially charmed by the wonder of the feather, eventually blames it for his troubles.

The Firebird tales follow the classical scheme of fairy tale, with the feather serving as a premonition of a hard journey, with magical helpers met on the way who help in travel and capture of the Bird, and returning from the faraway land with the prize. The most popular version is found in the tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf.

The story of the Firebird quest has inspired literary works, including "The Little Humpback Horse" by Pyotr Yershov. Composer Igor Stravinsky achieved early success with a large-scale ballet score called The Firebird.

The Firebird concept has parallels in Iranian legends of magical birds, in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about The Golden Bird, and related Russian magical birds like the Sirin. The story of the quest itself is closely paralleled by Armenian Hazaran Blbul. In the Armenian tale, however, the bird does not glow, but rather makes the land bloom through its song. In Czech folklore, it is called Pták Ohnivák (Fire-like Bird) and appears, for example, in a Karel Jaromír Erben fairy tale, also as an object of a difficult quest. Moreover, in the beginning of this fairy tale, the bird steals magical golden apples belonging to a king and is therefore pursued by the king's servants in order to protect the precious apples.

The story of the firebird comes in many different forms. Some folk tales say that the Firebird is a mystical bird that flies around a king’s castle and at night swoops down and eats all the king's golden apples. Others say that the firebird is just a bird that flies around giving hope to those who need it. Some additions to that legend say that when the firebird flies around, his eyes sparkle and pearls fall from his beak. The pearls would then fall to the peasants, giving them something to trade for goods or services. In the most common version of the legend, a Tsar commands his three sons to capture the firebird that keeps flying down from above and eating his apples. The golden apples are in the Tsar’s orchard and give youth and strength to all who eat them. The sons end up barely missing the bird, but they catch one of his feathers that glows in the night. They take it to a dark room and it lights the room completely.

The Firebird by IGOR Stravinsky









The Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) is a small icterid blackbird that averages 18 cm long and weighs 34 g. This bird received its name from the fact that the male's colors resemble those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore.

Baltimore Coat of Arms

Baltimore Coat of Arms, Ferryland.
This coat of arms belonged to Sir George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, who arrived in 1627 and founded a colony of English Catholics at Ferryland. However this was a short-lived endeavour, as Baltimore quickly abandoned his colony SUPPOSEDLY due to the harsh winter climate. Sir George and his son Cecil were British subjects rewarded with land in the new world. George was a Secretary of State to King James I. He was at first rewarded with a title to land in Newfoundland. He later asked James I's son, Charles I, for title to land north of Virginia that would become Mar.y.'l'and. This land was not signed over until after his death and was given to his son Cecil. The Cal.verts were Roman Catholic, a religion which most inhabitants of the New World were prejudiced against. When Cecil Calvert, second Lord Baltimore, created the colony of Maryland, he formed it based on the ideas of freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Maryland, in fact, became known as a haven for Roman Catholics in the New World. Cecil governed Maryland for forty-two years. In heraldry, vert is the name of a tincture roughly equivalent to the colour "green". The English term comes from the French word vert for green.

The colour vert has been adopted as a symbol of the Muslim faith and is one of the Pan-Arab colors. As a result, many Islamic countries have a national flag containing a green stripe or have a flag with a green background. Vert is also common among the national flags of African countries; green is one of the Pan-African colours. Other countries have used the colour vert in their flags to represent the "greenness" of their lands and abundance of their nation.

The shortest blazon in the English language is "Vert", which is the blazon of the arms of Pupellin and the flag of Libya.

Vert is said to represent the following: