| Miami City Ballet | |
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dkchristi Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8594 Registration date : 2008-12-29 Location : Florida
| Subject: Miami City Ballet Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:00 pm | |
| After all the on and off's of the power, my television ended up on the Miami City Ballet. I have so many thoughts about the dancers. They appear very young (i'm getting older; of course they appear young). They appear very thin. My memory of ballet troups was their developed bodies, not thin. They almost look gender neutral, the boys and the girls. I marvel at the talent. Each must have high hopes for their futures. I imagine they work long and hard to reach this level of perfection. Yet, I imagine they are not very highly paid. I am also surprised that a Miami City Ballet would look so white. Miami is an international city. I also imagine many of them like many authors will work hard all their career to be the top performer and many will not achieve that goal. Since they look so young, older dancers - they must go on to teach in dance schools or find other occupations. Yet, like authors, they are compelled to follow their art and believe in themselves and their career.
Any thoughts? About my thoughts? Any ballet critics out there? I am not a ballet critic; I just appreciate the talent and the perfection of the human body to achieve such great performances. |
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joefrank Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8210 Registration date : 2008-11-04 Age : 75 Location : Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:12 pm | |
| 10/29/2011 DK.. Here's one of my art on ballet.. Cheers..Joe |
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Shelagh Admin
Number of posts : 12662 Registration date : 2008-01-11 Location : UK
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 2:35 am | |
| It's a good analogy, DK. If dancers do not practise every single day, the unused muscles ache when they pick up on the exercises again. Even when they are ill/tired/on holiday, they still practise every day.
I'm working on a sequel and find that I have to write every single day to keep the previous chapter in my mind. My husband is reading the chaptrs as I write them. It takes him approx twenty minutes; that's three chapters/hour. Readers, therefore can remember what they read an hour ago when reading the book. For me, three chapters takes fifteen-sixteen days to complete. At the end of that third chapter, I have to remember everything I wrote several days ago, not less than an hour ago. It's quite a juggling act. When authors take years to write a work of fiction, it must involve a great deal of back reading before the author can move the story forward; a real catch twenty-two!
Lovely artwork, Joe! |
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Abe F. March Five Star Member
Number of posts : 10768 Registration date : 2008-01-26 Age : 85 Location : Germany
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 2:44 am | |
| I've often thought about those artists. What they appear so easy and with such coordination took much work to perfect. Shelagh also makes a good point about writing. A good book means that the author spent hours, days and even months to perfect. |
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joefrank Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8210 Registration date : 2008-11-04 Age : 75 Location : Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:07 am | |
| 10/29/2011 Yes, writing takes time, I have been trying to decide to either continue my murder mystery or the sequel to Dusty ? I can't decide plus I have in the works a horror murder mystery that takes place in Santa Fe New Mexico and another book with an outline on Ancient Egypt ? DK..Here's another ballet painting for you, I saw the show here on PBS. Cheers..Joe.. |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:47 am | |
| - Quote :
- I am also surprised that a Miami City Ballet would look so white. Miami is an international city.
Are you also surprised at how black the Miami Heat is? |
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dkchristi Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8594 Registration date : 2008-12-29 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:41 am | |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:47 am | |
| Miami is an international city, yet its premier basketball team is almost all black. I'm just wondering if you've given any thought to why that is (and if it should be remedied). |
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dkchristi Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8594 Registration date : 2008-12-29 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:10 am | |
| I know even less about basketball than I do about ballet. |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 10:47 am | |
| The Heat's dancers (they don't have cheerleaders, they have dancers), have a huge lack of diversity, too. They're almost all black or Latina. You'd never guess Miami was an international city looking at them. |
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dkchristi Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8594 Registration date : 2008-12-29 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:29 pm | |
| When I worked there, we only had two "white girls" among sixty professional employees, the attorney and me. Perhaps the demographics are more favored toward dark skinned origins than white skinned. That would explain the basketball team and their dancers. That does not explain the ballet. |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:45 pm | |
| Earlier you said Miami was an international city, now you're saying it's a "dark-skinned" city. Or is that what you meant by international? Either way, it how does it explain why you were one of only two white girls in your office? Businesses and activities in white majority areas are told to go out and RECRUIT other ethnicities, so why didn't/couldn't that office? Or is "diversity" just a one-way street?
About your original question. Does equal opportunity mean equal outcome? If there are no black or Hispanic ballet dancers, is that due to racism, lack of opportunity, or lack of black and Hispanic interest? What was the ballet audience like, were there lots of blacks in it?
I personally have wondered why there are so few black participants in water sports and outdoor sports, not to mention hunting and fishing. Are the outdoors not open to all? Is there lack of interest? Is hiking and renting a boat or surfboard prohibitively expensive? Or what? |
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Shelagh Admin
Number of posts : 12662 Registration date : 2008-01-11 Location : UK
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:28 pm | |
| Sports tend to be self-selective and it really doesn't matter about skin colour. You don't see professional basketball players under six feet tall. Sprinters need fast-twitch fibres in their muscles, distance runners need good oxygen uptake, swimmers need good buoyancy. It's what's under the skin that matters. Black athletes run faster than white athletes because of their anatomy not their skin colour. They have a lower fat to muscle ratio, which means their legs sink in the water. We all have different aptitudes depending on our body type. Skin colour is just melanin (white people do not want to be black because of the prejudice, but they do want to tan). We are full of contradictions. |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:32 pm | |
| While I agree that sports are self-selective, I have a hard time believing that black people avoid water sports because their legs sink in the water. Maybe they're generally just not interested in them.
There is an all-black ballet, btw, the Alvin Ailey. FWIW. |
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Shelagh Admin
Number of posts : 12662 Registration date : 2008-01-11 Location : UK
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:48 pm | |
| Why black athletes run faster and swim slower:
http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/scientists-theorize-why-black-athletes-run-fastest-0934/ |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sat Oct 29, 2011 2:05 pm | |
| YK, I've always wondered why it's ok to say it's science-based that some ethnicities are better in sports than others, but it's racist to say the same about academics. There are dozens of reasons given for why there's such a disparity in academic achievement between blacks/hispanics and whites/asians (not just in this country, but everywhere), but you'll never read one like on the website you referenced. |
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alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 4:36 am | |
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dkchristi Five Star Member
Number of posts : 8594 Registration date : 2008-12-29 Location : Florida
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 6:04 am | |
| Thanks for the responses to my observations of the Miami Ballet. Joe, your paintings are wonderful. Thanks for noting my observation that there is a comparison to the art of writing.
I had several observations about the ballet; but they were not intended to start a debate on race.
Thank you Shelagh for attempting to bring a touch of science to the issues raised ;however, much of it is theory. Science often starts with a premise and searches for facts to prove it.
Just like all issues of immigration and racial differences, they will be non issues for future generations because of a global world that becomes better educated. Education is one route to discovering that skin color is part of our beautiful diversity, not a reason for bias.
I just assumed that Miami is such a vibrant and diverse city that the Ballet would reflect it. Skin color is part of Miami's diversity; however, the diversity is not just in skin color, and I am sorry this post was shifted in that direction and that I even attempted to reply. |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 6:17 am | |
| Why are you sorry? Your made some observations, one of which was race, and got a few responses, mostly pictures of ballerinas. The thread wasn't going anywhere else.
If you just wanted another happy thread, you can rescue Alice's "what not to eat" thread that's sinking to the bottom of the page. Or if you wanted responses that agreed with your inference that the Miami Ballet is racist due to its all-white makeup, maybe you should have been clearer about that. |
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alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:00 am | |
| - LC wrote:
- Why are you sorry? Your made some observations, one of which was race, and got a few responses, mostly pictures of ballerinas. The thread wasn't going anywhere else.
If you just wanted another happy thread, you can rescue Alice's "what not to eat" thread that's sinking to the bottom of the page. Or if you wanted responses that agreed with your inference that the Miami Ballet is racist due to its all-white makeup, maybe you should have been clearer about that. We are still waiting to hear what you don't like to eat. You may begin the threads and I will critique them. |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:04 am | |
| - Quote :
- I just assumed that Miami is such a vibrant and diverse city that the Ballet would reflect it
Ballet is like basketball in that the racial makeup of the players has nothing to do with the city. "Miami ballet" just means it mostly performs in Miami. I'm sure its management places ads in trade magazines that are read all over the country and world for auditioners. BBall teams are made up of people who are swapped from other teams and who try out from other states and countries. So we're back to why do some ethnicities gravitate towards certain sports and activities.
Last edited by LC on Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:06 am | |
| - Quote :
- You may begin the threads and I will critique them.
Actually, Alice, you already critique threads by putting "hijack" signs in them when you think they're off-topic, and complaining that they're not "tempered" enough for your liking. Whats-her-name, the small publisher who used to post here, did the same thing. I already start plenty of threads as I have time. |
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alice Five Star Member
Number of posts : 15672 Registration date : 2008-10-22 Age : 76 Location : Redmond, WA
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:18 am | |
| - LC wrote:
-
- Quote :
- You may begin the threads and I will critique them.
Actually, Alice, you already critique threads by putting "hijack" signs in them when you think they're off-topic, and complaining that they're not "tempered" enough for your liking. Whats-her-name, the small publisher who used to post here, did the same thing.
I already start plenty of threads as I have time. Correction: I was not critiquing the thread--merely disagreeing with a poster. I noticed you removed the posts. Good thinking. I applaud your discretion. |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:18 am | |
| - Quote :
- I just assumed that Miami is such a vibrant and diverse city that the Ballet would reflect it
Another thing -I notice you wrote "vibrant" as well as "diverse." I often see those words paired together. Does that imply that cities that aren't diverse aren't vibrant? I ask because awhile back I read a newspaper article that discussed how a formerly white neighborhood in the midwest somewhere was becoming more "diverse and vibrant." I always want to ask in such cases, " Was it not vibrant before? Was it lacking in vibrancy? And if it was so un-vibrant, why the hell do all these "vibrant" people want to move to it? |
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LC Five Star Member
Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28
| Subject: Re: Miami City Ballet Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:20 am | |
| - Quote :
- Correction: I was not critiquing the
thread--merely disagreeing with a poster. What exactly were you disagreeing with? |
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