#joffery ballet

[lovelyballetandmore]

Derek Drilon | The Joffrey Ballet

[15-lizards]

Friend was making me watch dance moms and I was relieving my ballerina days so here’s an ASOIAF dance studio AU for the soul

-Sansa is definitely one of the best at her studio she is the Lyrical queeennnn. One of the few competition dance girls who trains in ballet and is actually good at it. She doesn’t have insane flexibility but her technique is peak and she’s great at turn sequences. Always very consistent and stable. Gets mad when they have hip hop pieces cause she’s not good at it. Likes recitals more than competitions because she can do ballet more, tends to like the French style. Hair always sprayed and smoothed into a perfect bun even if she’s just going to class, not a single flyaway to be seen. Keeps a neat dance bag that she keeps her entire life in.

-Arya is only in there because Cat thought it would be cute to have the girls dance together. Immediately got proven wrong but she already paid for the full year so. DESPISES the slow ballet and contemporary pieces. Is a fucking prodigal jumper she can do switch leaps, ariels, toe touches, literally anything. Which means she likes the upbeat jazz and hip hop numbers wayyy more. Never has a neat bun it’s a miracle it can be tamed when she goes on stage. All of her tights have runs and rips up the sides. Stains on her leotard. Brings a Gatorade to class instead of a water and gets yelled at for it. Hides in the bathroom during ballet class.

-Dany has pretty good technique, nothing standout, but makes up for everything with her energy and facials. She’s got definite potential, but is unrefined. Pretty muscular and short because she used to do gymnastics. Really likes to try anything. Ballet, lyrical, jazz, contemporary, acro, hip hop, truly everything. Consistently places third in competitions, which pisses everyone else off because they think her technique isn’t very strong, and pisses her off because she wants to place first for once. Is currently working her ass off at the barre to focus on her basic technique, is improving at a rapid pace. Dance bag smells like actual ass, you can find probably anything in there though. Doesn’t wear any padding in her pointe shoes bc she’s kind of a psychopath.

-Marg is the top girl 100% she’s the teachers favorite. Every lead role and center position is hers. Sansa’s biggest competition but they’re such good friends and so nice to each other neither of them really cares. Focuses mostly on a slower Russian style of ballet, perfect for her long legs and arms. Every move is just so intentional and perfectly placed, she flows so well from step to step. Definitely is getting countless offers from academies, professional companies, and summer programs. Alwaysss has the cutest most expensive leotards and skirts. Makes sure to pull some of her curls out of her bun to frame her face. Makeup on during class that she somehow never sweats off. Usually super sweet but tends to be passive aggressive to other studios at competitions.

-Cersei who runs the rival studio, used to be a famous competition dancer, excelled at lyrical and contemporary. Makes all of her dancers take rigorous ballet, even if they’re just competition dancers, super adamant ab ballet as the basis for everything else. Notoriously insane with a hair trigger temper, but parents keep paying out the ass for her to train their kids because she produces results. Probably throws things if you fall out of a turn. Makes kids do pushups if they miss a step. Coddles Joff, Myrcella, and Tommen though, makes sure they always get good spots and roles. Jamie’s there to teach partnering sometimes but he always looks miserable and smells like cigarettes.

-Joffery is one of those insufferable tweens who gets special attention bc he’s a guy, a rare species in the dance world. But what’s even more infuriating is that he’s really good. Great flexibility, and focuses on big jumps and turns like most male ballet dancers do. Genuinely an enrapturing performer but never has any patience for his pas de deux partners, blames it on her if she gets dropped. A mean gay but no one’s really sure if he’s gay or not. Has a posse of tween girls that make fun of everyone not in their clique. Makes snide comments at the barre. Ridiculously cocky even when he falls out of his turns. Barges into the girls dressing room without asking. Demon child.

Bonus: Robb who has to take it because the football team needs to work on their balance or whatever. Really enjoys it actually and will defend it when Theon calls it gay. But don’t ask Theon why he kept staring every time Robb started stretching at the barre

[equallyshaw]

NO MORE SACRIFICES; MATTHEW TKACHUK.

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: none.

hope you all enjoy :)

—

third pov:

The lights dimmed, as she made her way to center stage. Her pointe shoes tapping on the floor of the royal ballet stage in london. Her last and final turn on this stage was going to be bittersweet. She was finally retiring as lead ballerina there, but excited to lead a life away from the stage.

Your pov:

I had spent the last 12 years of my life away from my friends and family, back home in Chicago. I had come to the Royal Ballet School when I was 13 years old, and now I was about to turn 25. I had left my friends and family in the rearview mirror, so I could chase my dreams. It was more than difficult to say the least. I especially had a hard time leaving the closest family friends ever: the Tkachuks. I had grown up with them in the summer times and when they would take trips to Chicago, and us to St.Louis. Which more often than not, included ballet competitions and intensives mixed in. At the prime age of 8, I was told by many top instructors at the Joffery Ballet Academy in Chicago that I had what it took to become a professional ballerina. If I sacrificed. Then when I was 10, I moved to NYC to go to the premier Joffery Academy, a step up from the Chicago one. Sacrificing half my year away from my parents. After that when I was 12, I had recieved an invitaiton to audtion for the Royal Ballet Academy in London, that is run by Queen ELizabeth herself. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I remember it vividly. My family and I were at our summer lake house in St Louis, that is right down the lake from the Tkachuks summer residence. I remember to this day, the moment my dad had handed my the letter. It seemed magical, the gold lettering transcribed with my full name on the front. Y/F/N, Y/M/N and Y/L/N. It was a bittersweet moment becuase then I would have to leave the U.S- fulltime. It wouldn't be like international competitions where I would go for a month and then come back. That I had routinely done, for the past few years.

It meant that I would be leaving my family, and the Tkachuks who again- were like family. I would also be leaving my best friend in the whole entire world- and simply, a pain in the ass: Matthew Tkachuk. He was so happy for me, but I saw the sad glint in his eyes of the future. I wouldn't be back for a long time, my parents were also ready to move there only daughter and there family to London full time if it meant that I could get ahead. That's what we did. So now, you see me as the Chicago transplant in the sometimes sunny but mostly gloomy, London. I even dawned a bit of a accent, if you asked my family back home.

It had been six years since I last saw Matthew and his family, when they took a trip to Scotland, where we met up with them. Matthew had just been drafted to the NHL, days beforehand and I had just turned 19. I had just made my debut solo, which also ended in a brief injury and so I was miraculously able to see them. It was like the ballet gods were giving me a moment, "you have this one time and then its back to hell." I loved ballet but it took so many oppurtunities to spend times with loved ones back home. As well as the grueling demands on a ballerina, the injuries and roadblocks it had. After I left home with my parents, I was never able to travel back to Chicago with them. The only time I had made it overseas was to NYC for a intensive that I was fortunate to run with the Royal Ballet School and had just barely scraped ten minutes to see Matthew, a year after they visited Scotland. However, we never did meet. I was thrown back onto a plane, before I could text him what was happening.

Our mom's would always joke that we were twos peas in a pod, destined for one another. One half of the coin. Yet, after I left that wasn't to be anymore. We were so close, it hurt (annoyed Brady) everybody around us to see what we were going through at the start of puberty. Yes, you can laugh. We were big babies, and it was a hard adjustment. More so him, but anywho. I stopped hearing about him after the Scotland trip which was more than okay. Our parents stayed in contact, but I continued on with Ballet and on the side, University. Thankfully, I did graduate last year with a degree in International Relations from the Univeristy College of London, after 5 years of balancing professional ballet and my studys. I always knew though, that I would want something that I could take with me wherever I go. That no matter where I ended up after I was done dancing, I could make a comfortable living. It also helped that I knew two other languages besides English, so the degree was going to be useful. After Scotland, besides us trying to see one another in NYC, I hadn't heard much after that. My parents stopped telling me about the family, which I was confused at first but again, paid no attention to it. I didn't have the time and could not afford to be bothered with it. The year after the Scotland trip, my parents made the hard decision of moving back to Chicago. It was time, and I supported them whole heartedly. It had been difficult to uproot us, but it was a choice that, so paid off. Yet, now they were surrounded by there family, friends and the Tkachuks who were in a catergory of there own and who had welcomed them back home with open arms.

It was last month when my mom and I had one of our weekly chats that she spilled the beans that the Tkachuks were coming with them to see my perform one last time. And I mean all of them. We had the pain in the ass Matthew, annoying but sweet younger brother Brady and the princess of them all- Taryn. Though, im sure now she hated the nickname, but loved it as a kid. My parents were in St.Louis when I made the call around 4 pm my time and 10 am there time. I had just gotten done with rehearsel for my last show:The Swan Lake, my first and only time I'd be performing as the Swan Princess, Odette. It was more grueling than the others I had done since I turned proffessional and that was because, it was simply The Swan Lake. No beating around the bush, on this one. I could not only let down my cast, but the public as well. I had a legacy to continue, and uphold. My parents saw how tired I was, but I brushed them off and told them that this was the last sacrifices I had to make. That I no longer would be apart from them, as well as my other family. I even joked that the first thing I would do was visit them in St.Louis, but I was not sure if I would even be accepted by our friends there. The Tkachuks and others, at this point. I had been away to long, and had change so much. I didn't even know what anybody sounded like anymore or what they did besides play hockey. I had no meaning in there lives anymore, which made me sad but I had accepted it years ago when I first began to sacrifice things in my young life. Yet, this was the final stretch. The final sacrifice I'd hope to ever make in my life, again.

Third POV:

It was a rainy evening on this August night, typical weather here in London. However despite the weather, the Tkachuks and the dancer's family were in high spirits. This would be the first time, the Tkachuks had seen the girl in over six years. They were excited to see her but nervous. Her life had changed over the years, in addition to Matt's and Brady's. Matthew in particular, was nervous that she wouldn't like him. Even as a friend. He was on pins and needles the whole day, pacing and absent mindly shaking his leg when sitting. The dancer was meant to meet up with her family and them for breakfast, but she had a last minute meeting with the Royal Ballet, so she had to have a rain check. She'd have plenty more oppurtunties, to have breakfast with them back home. Not seeing her like he was supposed to, made Matthew a little annoyed. Again, something came up but atleast this time he found out as soon as she did. There was no 15 hour stretch of waiting. No, Matthew did not wait 15 hours at the coffee shop but he waited 15 hours that included a game + a plane ride back with a annoying Jonny. Atleast this time, he knew when he'd see her again.

The two family's made there way towards the theater, taking in the lined street lining the front and back of the opera house, transporting you back to another time. Matthew saw the hussle and bussle of London and imagined her life here these past 13 years. He imagined the early morning and late night rehearsels that ran into the wee hours of the night. He imagined the late night food runs, the parties she hit up when her university and dance schedule allowed it. He even imagined her going on dates, receiving flowers and spending the night with somebody that was not him. Call it unrequited love, but he didn't care. Call him a hopeless romantic, but even as at a young age when his mom's would say they would be perfect together when they were older and they'd both fake gag and say they both had cooties- he had liked her then and had grown even more attached through late night youtube deep dives of her interviews, instagram, his mom's facebook and performance's he'd catch online at all hours. Matthew had never stopped following her life. She had though, and Matthew knew that once she went radio silet six years ago- he was afraid that they would never see one another again. Never speak again. However, as the hockey gods would have it- a trip to London to see her officially retire was granted. He thanked whoever said he could have a un beatable off season moment and ran with it.

"God, this is gorgeous." Chantal Tkachuk stated as they walked in. The dancer's mother nodded, "One of the most prestigious opera and ballet houses in the world." responded. "She's one lucky girl, to be here and do what she has done." Keith Tkachuk responded and her dad agreed. "Who would of though we'd all be here, huh? Still doesn't get old." He commented. It was gorgeous, Matthew thought. She was in heaven all these years, performing at the best place in the world for Ballet. This was where she belonged, even after all the sacrifrices she made that hurt the boy. "Our seats our this way." The dancer's father said, pointing up the starewell that led to the boxes. The dancer's family had been awarded there typical box that they got when they lived in London. The dancer would know to look up there, when the time came. She always did.

The dancer behind stage, stretched and turned and did side tilts. Loosening up her body, that had been beat down over the year. She was happy this was her final trip on the stage but was sad, that it was actually coming to a close. She had originally agreed to perform until she was 30, but after 13 years she had had enough in London. Her body had had enough. Now with a degree, she had a way out. A way out of the sacrifices she had made, to achieve her dream. Her new dream now was to leave happy and satisfied. Her parents and the Tkachuks saw the lights flashing, which meant that it was almost time for the performance to begin. Matthew looked around, taking in the grand theater that would never been built in the U.S. It was to grand, too much history and elegance filled the theater. Hell, the cobblestones should have been a sign. "Its time." The dancers mother said grabbing ahold of her husbands hand, and they shared a brief look. One of love, sadness, grief and a breath of relief. There girl was finally coming home after many years, but not without one last grand performance.

Her nerves grew as she came on to perform, Pas De Trois- her opening duet with a male partner. Her moves, turns and leaps were all graceful. She moved fluidly throughout the duet, drawing in the Tkachuks with move after move. The first duet ended, in enormous clapping and whistles. This is what they had been missing out all these years, Matthew thought. He was hooked, he could not get enough. "I cant believe thats Bun Head in the flesh." Brady mused to Matthew, using a old nickname they had for the girl. Intermission came and went, the families ready to see what was next.

The dancer waited behind the curtain for the final call, her final turn and leap with her partner. She spun out onto the stage, falling into the arms of Prince Siegfried. He spun her around, showcasing her pointed legs and feet before setting her back on the ground, to help her spin. Matthew shifted to leaning on his knees, watching the dancer perform the final duet-- a duet between the good and evil. The dancer ran into the arms of the evil and stretched her body as far as she possibly could as the dancer raised her over his arms. As soon as she was put back onto the ground, the music tempo picked up, the lights began to darken and ligthen up every few seconds. The music ended, and she was now off the stage about to begin her final solo. Her dance partner and friend Eric, gave her a big hug. Letting her know that he had enjoyed dancing with her this season, and that she was going to rock it.

She hummed as the music began before walking back out to the stage. She took the music and ran with it, she immersed herself into the final song of her career. Taking the audience on a journey, and one that ultimelty led to her character dying. She spun once more, landing her signature 12 pirorette's before gracefully falling to the floor before covering her leg and then it was over. She stayed in the position for about five seconds, before turning over onto her side and standing up. The darkness of the stage, engulfed her and allowed to trot offstage. The Tkachuks and the rest of the crowd, stood on there feet to applaud the dancer on her solo. She had gratfeful tears pool at her eyes as she was engulfed in many arms as they enclosed around her. She had did it, she had moved the last piece in the puzzle.

The crowd's applause grew louder and louder, as the dancers came out.Eric, the prince had recieved the loudest of the night so far as he came out. The ballerine took in a big breath, before trotting out herself behind the dancers and took her place in the middle of them for a brief second before moving her way up to center stage. She beamed a grateful and sad smiled, as she bowed. She looked up at her parents box, and saw the tears they were wiping away in between clapping. She saw the young princess who had a fiery side to her. She saw the younger brother who had made her and Matthew's life hell for so many years. She saw the two people she saw as an extension of her parents, providing many hugs and advice when she was younger. And then her eyes fell on the curly brunette who had always been an ass to her, but somehow she loved him even more because of it. Her crush never wavering all these years. She gave them a big smile, and returned to the crowd. The audience threw single roses on the stage, as Eric walked out with a bouquet of peonies and roses, her two favorites. Eric took her in his side and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The dancer erupted into tears as she pulled him in for a full on hug. After parting, she looked back towards the wings and saw the directors coming out. They smiled at the young dancer, before hugging her. "We would like to thank y/f/n, y/m/n and y/l/n for all her years here at the Royal Ballet. She has been with us for 13 wonderful years. Through many sacrifices, injuries and setbacks she has taken her final leap here on this stage tonight. Join us in giving her one last applause, for Miss Y/L/N." John the main director said into the microphone. The dancer looked out towards the crowd once more, and took one last deep bow. Her sacrificing was now over.

Matthew and the rest of the family waited back stage, for the dancer to finish saying goodbye to the cast and crew. Matthew hopped on his feet, nervous as ever. Brady couldn't help but laugh, and Taryn couldn't help but gush over the ever in love boy. The dance stepped out of wings and made her way to where her parents were. As soon as she saw them, she took off into a jog. They wrapped in a big hug, with some tears coming from the parents eyes. They parted, and showed her the peonies they had picked up for her and she smiled and thanked them. She then looked past them and saw keith and Chantal. She beamed at the two going in for a hug from Chantal first, "You were beautiful. Exquisite." She exclaimed and the dancer thanked her. She moved towards keith and he wrapped her in a fatherly hug that she had missed, "You were a rockstar, out there kid." he beamed and she giggled and thanked him. She moved towards Taryn and smiled widely, "I havent seen you since you were this high." The dancer joked and pointed to how short she was before. "And you, the most annoying prankestor." The dancer said moving onto Brady who rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous, that you couldn't one up me." He mused causing the group to laugh. She moved out of his arms and looked towards the curly hair boy, she had missed so much. "And the best partner in hockey would of had to have been you." She mused and he chuckled as she moved in to hug him. It was just as she remembered. But now older, stronger and more intimate. She moved out of his arms, much to quick to both there dismays. She beamed at the group, "I have one last look at my dressing room and the stage and then we can feast!" She said joyfully and they all nodded, telling her to take her time. They'd be here for as long as she needed to be.

She took a second to glance up at Matthew as the rest of the group began to chat with eachother and John the director who went to greet her parents. "Do you wanna come with me?" she asked the hockey player and he nodded before following after her. "This was my nook for so many years." she said as they walked into the room. He took in the pictures, nick nacks and flowers that dawned the room. The hard wood creaked under there feet as they moved in. He took in all the pictures that lined the wall and saw one that was familiar, "I haven't seen this one in years." He commented on one that they both were in, back when they celebrated Easter together as a family. They had chocolate smeared on there faces with her childhood room in the background. "Yeah..I could never part with that one. Or this one." She said pulling off another picture from the wall. "Oh I rememember this one! You won that day, though I may have let you won." he joked causing her to roll her eyes. It was them on the ice together in St.Louis during the Christmas holiday. They had gone on the backyard ice, Matthews dad had made, and shot pucks on one another with Brady and Keith. "This was right before I left actually, for the Spring semester." She stated and Matthew nodded as she moved into his side a little closer than he would have thought she would be. She didn't realize how close she was until she felt an arm around her lower back, pulling her in closer. She smiled softly, before looking at some other pictures on the wall in front of them. "This was my first day at the academy, where I surprisingly fit in. I thought me being American would have made people not like me. But I wasn't alone, I had two other dancers from the states to keep me company. And this one, it was my senior performance. My first solo here. I think if I wanted to, I could perform that with my eyes closed." She mused. "I'm sure you could." he responded, feeling her giggle throughout his body. He looked down at her, smiling like an idiot. She looked back up at met his eyes, and blushed like an idiot.

"I missed you a lot." He softly said and she was taken back. "Oh, uh yeah me too." She said genuninly. "It definitly got lonely over on this side of the pond." She mused and he smiled back. "You and your british lingo. Im not sure if I like it." he chuckled. "Oh, then you probably don't like my accent." she responded and he shook his head. "No, I do like it. I think it's cute." he confessed and she gave him a small smile. "Well, I think your accent is cute too. It's a change from what i've been hearing all these years." She joked causing him to now blush. "How about when you come back to Chicago, we get that coffee that we were supposed to get?" He mused as she moved away from him to collect the rest of her items. She turned around and smiled, "I'd like that very much Matthew, nothing more to sacrifice." She smiled. He moved closer to her, her nerves growing more and more. "Would it be wrong if I kissed you?" He asked and that threw her off guard before nodding yes. "I thought you'd never do it." She said before he cupped her cheeks and kissed her.

Something, they both had waited for all these years.

Finally, she no longer had to sacrifice her life for her dream. She now could (eventually) reside in sunny Miami with the curly haired boy who had stolen her heart many summers ago.

@yourusername: from my debut to swan lake, miss bunhead has taken her final bow. Thankyou @royalballet for everything these past 13 years, I am not more than ready to spread my wings and return to the motherland. Can't wait for this new journey!!!

23.4k likes, 1.2k comments.

@bradytkachuk: great, now youll be even closer to me. i prefer an ocean between us.

@yourusername: deal with it bud !

@taryntkachuk: go away dude

@taryntkachuk: super excited to have you home!

@yourusername: i cant wait to spend all my time with you!!

@matthewtkachuk: what about me? ive missed u too bunhead :(

@yourusernamed: haha yes, ill have more than enough time for all. besides lady

@taryntkachuk: haha love that nickname

@matthewtkachuk: hahah lady brady

@bradytkachuk: hate you all

@matthewtkachuk: congratulations on your retirment you old lady! gratfeul I got to watch you one last time...definatly a change from when you were 10.

98k likes, 3.4k likes

@yourusername: aweeee matthew! you sap

@taryntkachuk: sappy matty

@bradytkachuk: i like that name

↳

>@yourusername

: lol

@bradytckachuk: somebody cried

@taryntkachuk: not me!

@yourusername: mattty the sap cried? that makes me love him even more lol

↳@matthewtkachuk: omg stop lol

@randomuser: i wonder if they are dating?

@randomuser2: aweeee matt sounds sweet

@randomuser3: shes a badass

@randomuser4: she seems sweet, i hope they are dating

@yourusername: lol people, we are just childhood friends! that is all

@bradytkachuk: childhood sweethearts** @taryntkachuk: ****

@randomuser5: lol even they know whats up

@yourusername: bud bud lets not

@matthewtkachuk: yeah bud lets not @bradytkachuk: just waiting for the moment you two announce it;)

—

I hope you enjoyed!! I would love to do a second part, if you would like! Please like, reblog and if possible: give me a follow to read more stories and blurbs :)

[ballet-symphonie]

Your favorite versions of Swan Lake, Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere and Romeo&Juliet? Appreciate it if you add the reasons, thanks!

Swan Lake: Hard to go wrong with the classic Ivanov/Petipa version, even though the end isn't quite right. Hate, hate, HATE lots of ABT's Swan Lake (especially their obliteration of the 4th act) but they get the dramatic double suicide right, so does the post-soviet Grigorovich version. The ROH's version by Scarlett is also quite nice.

Nutcracker: I actually don't care? I think it's so cool that every company shares this ballet yet does it a bit differently. However, I have to say that I'm partial to Mariinsky's snow scene, the Bolshoi version of Sugar Plum/Masha, Balanchine's Arabian and Joffery's humorous take on Mother Ginger.

La Bayadere: I can't pick between Ponomarev and Vakhtang Chabukiani (MT) version or Grigorovich's (BT), probably because they're not drastically different. The purity of the MT shade act is otherworldly but the three-level ramp at the Bolshoi is also epic. Honorable mention to Makharova's version, limited to the Temple Destruction act and that stunning, harrowing 'red' Gamzatti variation.

Romeo and Juliet: The Cranko version, refined, old-school, tender yet loveable and memorable choreography, and Macmillian's version is very moving as well, but also Neumier... so many good R+J

Sleeping Beauty: just not Nureyev's version, anything else is fine. Mariinsky's is also waaaaay too freaking long. Fun fact, this is my favorite of Ratmansky's reproductions he's done, the stylistic antiquity suits Sleeping Beauty better than other ballets.

Probably forgot a lot of good ones, but oh well haha

[davidkarofskyindie]

theindieflash (Clark/Mike)

@theindieflash​ liked THIS for a starter

Every year someone from the local graphic design college was asked to do the flier for the end of year gala at the Joffery Ballet Academy of Dance. This year was Clark’s chance, it was a big responsiblity and he’d been up all night trying to work out what to do. Coming up dry, he took his basic first draft layout and headed to the Academy and snuck into the auditorium. As he had hoped, he saw someone practicing and was watching from the shadows, enthralled by how the man moved so gracefully and how he could see every muscle flex with each motion. Just standing there watching, Clark pulled a pencil out of his pocket and started trying to sketch something on the center of the poster but he was so distracted that he didn’t have a good grop on his notepad and it fell, landing with a thud that echoed in the large room. He was dark red when he realised he couldn’t hide anymore and awkwardly stepped out of the shadow to grab his folder “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude I just... I’m so clumsy, I’m sorry” he said, almost wanting to run but he was unable to because he was just too enthralled by the dancer before him.

[ohiorp]

Meet MICHAEL ROBERT CHANG JR. The FORTY-THREE year old CISMALE  born on OCTOBER 28TH  who appears to look a lot like HARRY SHUM JR. He is a SINGLE FATHER and he is currently TAKEN.

Positive Traits:

Knowledgable

Good-Natured

Sensitive

Negative Traits:

Emotional

Quirky

Timid

Character Points:

Graduating from McKinley gave Mike new purpose in life. Though his senior year was filled with the expectant drama and the unexpected breakthrough with his father, but he was ready for this new chapter. He was finally able to do what he loved without the negativity that came from his father and he wasn’t going to let it go to waste. It surprised him how well his father was taking the fact that he was going off to a dance school, let alone Joffery Ballet. Sure there were moments his dad was afraid he wouldn’t be able to make a stable career out of dancing, but this time Mike wasn’t alone. He had his friends and his mom to help convince his dad that he would be okay.

And he was. Back in high school he tried to keep a low profile, do his work, hang with friends, and get out. He stayed in the background when he had joined football and Glee Club, doing everything he could to stay under the radar as much as possible. Once he attended Joffery, all that changed. He was finally able to be who he wanted to be all this time; he stood out in all his classes and all the showcases, being one of the top dancers of his graduating class. But there was something missing. He loved dancing, and he loved creating. But, he also loved teaching. He figured his years helping the glee club, while he was there and continuing on after he graduated every once in a while, had changed his dream a bit. He wanted to continue to dance, always, but now, he wanted to help others reach their dreams.

He was living his own dream, now. He still danced, he had his own studio, he had a family he loved and who loved him back. Or so he thought. Mike was riding on cloud nine until he walked into his studio one day. He hadn’t planned on going in that day, taking the day off to spend with his family, but he had forgotten a delivery was coming and wanted to be there. Instead of seeing the delivery man when he walked in, he spotted his best friend and co-owner, pulling his wife’s shirt off before their faces reconnected. It broke him, ruined him to know that the woman he gave his whole heart to could break it in a second with the man he thought had his back; that they could do that to him without a care in the world.

Secret:

Divorced his ex-wife because she was cheating on him with his co-owner, who  he ended up firing

[coffeeaddictstudies-blog]

10 years, 10 goals

thank you so much for @ploverstudies for tagging me!!!

Rules: list 10 goals you have for the future, write it down or save it somewhere you can find it again then tag 10 people :)

1. be able to speak Korean, Chinese, and Japanese fluently. 

2. graduate at the top of my class in 2020

3. get my bachelors in dance and in some sort of math or science im not quite sure yet.

4. get to a point where i can forgive myself for my mistakes instead of tearing myself apart.

5.  become a world renoun dancer with the Joffery ballet or the American Ballet Theater 

6. find a way to forgive the ones who hurt me the most over the years.

7. travel to every continent 

8. move to japan with my best friend. 

9. learn how to play the guitar

10. be a photographer for fun, just of pretty landscape or something not professionally 

 i will tag @hobifulstudies @gottastudygottadosonow @sleepy-yoongi @meg-is-studying @hoshi-studies @studytuna @studytuna @tbhstudying @lattetudes @mildlineurs

[queenofairandsnarkness]

Rhaenys and Joffrey, His ego is so visible; I can almost watch it grow.

TC looked at the skinny, boy-band-blonde, wondering why Rhaenys was giving him that particular smile. Generally, it took child abusers, people who drugged their buddies for fun, or heavy-duty Pentecostal preachers to get her that annoyed.

Though fact that Tyrion had made a noisy and public donation to the hospital “to make sure Rhaenys actually showed up to the wedding” probably didn’t help. (Toph had laughed and said he was fine with selling them out, Shannon had offered to help plan horrible revenge for how embarrassed Rhae was.) The heels also probably weren’t helping her temper. Something about ballet and being tall made her hate heels. He was tall enough that she still barely reached his eyebrows in them, and he wasn’t complaining about the scarlet dress that Arianne had left for her, and the way it didn’t exist down her back, showcasing the tattoo of a dragon curled around a spear making its way up her spine. 

“Oh, look, it’s the changeling whore. Did you seriously pay someone to come with you, or did Uncle arrange it for you?” the boy asked. His suit probably cost more than TC made in a month, and still didn’t fit him right- drugs, possibly? Drugs and booze.

Rhaenys’ heel hit his shoe before he could respond. “Joff, how utterly unlovely to see you. I was so hoping that you’d get the help you so desperately need by now. And just because you couldn’t get a partner to stay with you if you chain them up in your basement- and all your uncles check, trust me- doesn’t mean that we all need to do so.”

“Did you tell Sansa I’ll be by to see her?” There was something faintly creepy in his eyes, and TC subtly shifted to intercept him if he dove for Rhaenys.

Not that she couldn’t handle it. But still. The guy clearly wanted to be punched, and Tyrion wanted Rhae to be at his wedding.

“That would violate your restraining order,” Jaime Lannister said, grabbing the boy by the elbow.

“Sansa?” TC said. “Your sister in law?” Rhaenys nodded, lips thinned out. “The one you told me to sit next to when I met your family because she would handle it if anyone tried to be rude when you weren’t looking?”

“Yup.” Rhaenys said. “May the scumsucking dickface’s balls rot off and the coke he does shred his nose. May his outside turn as vile as is inside his, and may every girl who he meets sees how awful he is and gets away unscathed. May he die alone, with no comfort received and no harm left behind.”

It had the air of one of her rare Curses, and TC grinned. “How long have you been crafting that one?”

“Since Tyrion found out about that Joff was abusing his girlfriend, may have paid someone to murder her father when he found out, and sent her to me since I was the farthest from Gotham,” she shrugged. “So... ten years? They come out when they come out.”

“Gotham crazy,” he sighed. He’d been here since his discharge, and he still didn’t get it. It was interesting, but some things only apparently made sense to people who were born here.

“Being fair, a white rich guy can almost always get away with hurting his girlfriend,” she pointed out.

“Doesn’t make it right,” TC looked over at where Joffery was sitting with a timid looking girl in a short pink dress, a souped-up blonde sniffing down behind them.

“That is why we have the Bats and friends,” Rhaenys grinned. “And other darling knights errant, trying to make the world a just place.” 

“I think that was a dig at me,” TC said, grinning.

She kissed his cheek. “An observation. Though I do worry, sometimes. Remember we’re here for when things go wrong?”

“I will. Remember I’m here for when you need to start a barfight?” he said, remembering what Tyrion promised for his reception.

She raised her eyebrows, looked at him. Looked at Joff. Looked at the church ceiling. “His ego is so visible; I can almost watch it grow.” She sounded very mild.

“No arguments from me,” TC smiled, letting an older woman get ahead of him. She pinched his ass, and Rhaenys smirked.

“Jordan and Toph will murder me,” she said. 

“I take full responsibility,” he said. “Unless I get pinched again. Then it’s your fault.”

“See if we can check with the bride and groom, first,” she said. “I mean, I know Tyrion won’t give a damn, but still.”

“It’s a plan,” he said.

i write stuff

[ramrodd]

If Julian Castro runs for president in 2020 will Trump nickname him "Fidel" because of his last name "Castro" since he calls Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas"?

In regards to nicknames, getting to the bottom of the relationship between Duck Ass Don and Roy Cohn can be a hairy affair.

COMMENTARY:

Hard to say what Duck Ass Don might do but he may lose his enthusiasm for nicknames as the origin of his Studio 54 handle begins to circulate.

I only went to Studio 54 once with a covey of dancers from the Joffery Ballet Company. Like George Kastanza, I couldn’t have gotten in by myself, but I was with them and the doormen waved us all in.

Apparently, Trump had been there and left, because there was a certain frisson he left in his wake that the girls noticed but I had no clue. They asked around and the gay bartenders said that Donald Duck Ass and The Duck Ass Don had been there. Again, clueless, I asked who that be and everybody said “Trump” and he got his nickname, in part, for his hair style.

But it was a little more complicated than that. The dish was that Rus Tamblyn was one of Roy Cohn’s favored types for his harem of gypsies and rent boys and, from the back, Cohn was reminded of Tamblyn when he was rimming Trump’s asshole.

And Trump enjoyed pleasing Cohn. Everytime he combs his hair in the mirror, he is reminded of the good times he had with Roy Cohn.

[lovelyballetandmore]

Derek Drilon | Joffrey Ballet

[katwildish]

Join us Sunday November 26 Www.KatWildish.com #masterclasses #privatetraining #worldwidedance #nyc #peridance #gibney #balletarts #katWildish #HSAdance #paceistheplace #joffery #enpointe #nycdancers #pointe #yourstudio #ballet #danceteacher #katwildishballet (at Ft Lauderdale Beach)

[ladybuginthetardis]

I know i need to get my shit together before sunday cause of summer intensive auditions but i know thats not possible and since before new years I've been telling myself that I need to get my shit together for these auditions and I planned on doing 3 but I am only going to do 1 (depending if I can actually get there) so yeah I may not even be able to go to one summer intensive audition this year leaving me with 1-2 years left of possible summers that I can go to intensives at. All because I cant get my shit together.

[eorzea]

Did I ever tell the story of how I planned out a long multi chapter fic featuring a modern!Ballet!Friends to lovers! Au for Sansa and Margaery?? Where sansa likes Joffery, he starts dating another girl in the ballet company (Margaery) and Sansa gets jealous, but Margaery has no idea so she befriends Sansa and slowly Sansa realizes she’s not jealous because of Joffery, she’s jealous /of/ Joffery for being with Margaery. And in the end they end up together??? Because part of me is debating writing it

[musicainextenso]

Welcome, followers, to this week celebrating music and dance!  Here in the West, we tend to treat these like completely different topics, but this really runs counter to the human spirit, and I often wish we spent less time compartmentalizing our arts.  So here we are, for a week at least, considering these two art forms as they work together. 

I’ll begin with Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), created for the Ballet Russes for its 1913 season. It is one of the most well-known collaborations in the history of music and dance, despite the fact that, between its initial short run at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris (followed by four performances at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane) and its reconstruction by the Joffery Ballet in 1987, Vaslav Nijinsky’s original, highly controversial choreography was accepted as completely lost. And lost it was! Sergei Diaghilev, the famous impresario of the Ballet Russes, despised the idea of filming ballet. When his partnership with Nijinsky broke down, followed by Nijinsky’s departure from the company, the ballet was re-choreographed by Léonide Massine. Meanwhile, Nijinsky succumbed to schizophrenia, withering away in a series of psychiatric hospitals and asylums, his unique genius lost to the ages.  (Recommended reading: Richard Buckle’s Nijinsky: A Life of Genius and Madness and this article about the Joffery reconstruction.)

The piece famously caused a riot (or more accurately, a “near-riot”) when it was first performed in Paris, with its dissonant musical palette and angular, emotionally abstruse choreography, after what had been a volatile rehearsal process between Nijinsky and his dancers, with questionable support from Stravinsky, who originally seemed approving of the project, but later referred to Nijinsky’s dancers as "knock-kneed and long-braided Lolitas.”  Outside of the famous “riot,” however, reviews of the piece were generally mixed.  Some praised the originality of the production and Nijinsky’s fresh work but disliked Stravinsky’s score. Others praised the score, but denigrated the choreography as uncivilized.  Giacomo Puccini famously described it as “the work of a madman.”  And after all, perhaps it was. Whether Nijinsky’s choreography should be assessed as a symptom of his schizophrenia is much discussed (and often dismissed as insulting), but the question seems too simple to me. The truth is, wherever Nijinsky’s inspiration sprang from, it seems now uniquely suited to Stravinsky’s tense, rhythmic score—heartbreaking in its violent sadness, particularly during the sacrificial maiden’s final, terrified dance.

For an alternate look at the reconstructed choreography, I recommend this performance from the Mariinsky Theatre.  In my view, neither company quite manages the precision that one would expect from Nijinsky (at least based on writings about his rehearsal process), but there are ways in which each version is superior. The Joffery company’s production is more emotionally fraught (especially Beatriz Rodriguez’s raw performance as the sacrificial maiden), while the Mariinsky’s is more fluid (which may or may not be in keeping with Nijinsky’s vision).  Both are worth watching. 

More to come this week!  - Melinda Beasi

[ballet-symphonie]

You probably don't follow this company closely but I just need to brag about my fellow Portuguese citizens and wonderful young dancers António Casalinho and Margarita Fernandes. They're 18 and 17 respectively, hired straight as soloists, did very well in soloist parts through the season in Swan Lake, Giselle and Cinderella and tonight they debuted Franz and Swanilda! I only watched one clip of António yet and this kid will never cease to amaze me. He has been the best known dancer my country since he was 13 and the fact that people know is name is a miracle because my country only cares about football and has the retrograde mentality of "Ballet is for girls" . He put a beautiful and talented face to ballet and he's inspiring many little boys in this country.

As for Margarita, this kid has taken every challenge sent her way with such poise, grace and hard work. Her mother trained her and it's very obvious she was pushed and worked very hard to get there.

Other than Marcelino Sambe, my country has no big name ballet dancers. I'm ridiculous proud of them.

I don't talk about this company much but I have a few friends and former classmates now working there, so I usually hear the big updates from them haha.

António Casalinho is a crazy talent. Like people literally gave up when he was announced as a competitor of PDL. He's won YAGP how many times? Now, of course, medals don't make a career but when THAT MANY people are in agreement about someone's talent....he's got something really special. I'm glad he's gaining more popularity and recognition outside of ballet.

Margarita Fernandes is very promising as well, but I think she could have benefited from a year or two at a big finishing school to clean up some details. She had the time, wasn't she only 16 when she joined? But I understand that she and António were presented as a package deal, and I certainly don't blame her for not walking away from a soloist contract, that would have been insanity. I know she's been working with a legendary mentor Maina Gielgud so I have confidence in that collaboration to help her to grow! I'm excited to see both of them in the future, hopefully together as they do really dance well together (Of course, this is the benefit of having the same training!)

You have Telmo Moreria too! The double prize winner of PDL, danced with ABT and Orlando ballet and is now a head ballet master at the Rock School for Dance Education. He's' choreographing all over right now, at Ballet San Juan, Joffery Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet.

[vheesch]

Saw the ballet Swan Lake for the second time this past winter at the Bali Theater in Zhangjiagang. This time the performance was by the Russian Ballet Company, the first was performed by the Joffery Ballet (N.Y. co.). Odette (Alisa Voronova) movements were elegant, and magical; she glided into each movement like silk cutting through the air in slow-mo. I was just a little disappointed because the company cut two of the smaller ballet pieces from it. I don’ t know if the reason I feel the Joffery Ballet did a better job is just due to the fact of seeing the ballet for the first time or not.

Went with a friend of mine who had never been to a ballet. He thought he’d like it just “so so“ but walked out with a big grin telling me the drinks were on him.