The words hardworking, determined and talented could describe a 300-pound fullback, but they also ring true for a 110-pound ballerina. Ballerinas live in a world where they are constantly challenging their bodies and striving for perfection to get that one chance at making it to the big time.\nSenior ballet majors' second semester is dedicated to practicing for the Spring Ballet, much like the culmination of a sports championship game. \nThe IU Spring Ballet is the seniors' final chance to perform publicly at IU and turn their hard work into a visible performance. The Spring Ballet, titled "Homage to Tchaikovsky," included selections of three different ballets of differing styles. All the ballets were set to music by Tchaikovsky. The Musical Arts Center was packed full of eager people waiting to see the last ballet performance of the year. The lines for the ticket booths were out the door even five minutes before the show started, and the show started five minutes late in order to give everyone a chance to find their seats.\n"I feel that this is one of the best ballet shows we've had in the four years that I've been here," said Nicole Harden, a senior ballet major.
The Ballet Student\nThe goal of becoming a ballet dancer is not an easy one to achieve. Most of the female ballet majors started dancing at the age of four, while male dancers usually start around age 10, though this is not a steadfast rule.\n"I started dancing when I was 10," said Julia Brumfiel, a senior ballet major.\nCollege is just a stepping stone for many ballet majors. Most ballet students hope to perform with professional ballet companies after finishing their degree.\n"Last year, only two graduates did not move on to professional careers," said Maliwan Diemer, public relations coordinator of the IU Ballet Theater, who also performed in the ballet at IU before graduating. \nWhen it comes to looking for a job, there are only a limited number of spaces in ballet companies around the world and far more ballet dancers. \nScouts do not come to the ballet performances looking for the brightest new stars. Diemer emphasized making it to the pros is no small feat. Aspiring dancers spend hours sending out audition tapes and attending auditions at "cattle calls." With the skills they have obtained in college, the dancers are better able to deal with the sometimes harsh realities in a ballet company.\n"They are much more equipped for hardships and difficulties," IU Ballet Professor Violette Verdy said.\nMany students also have back-up plans because they took advantage of the outside-field option of 27 credit hours in a different area of study. \n"I have been auditioning for ballet companies," Brumfiel said, "but if that doesn't work out, I would like to go to physical therapy graduate school."\nJust like all games for football or basketball players, a performance is only a small percentage of what goes into becoming a dancer. For ballet dancers, there is no off-season.\nKristen Baker, a senior ballet major, has a schedule packed with classes and ballet practice. She goes to academic classes from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then she has ballet classes until 5 p.m. The dancers normally dance for about six hours a day. \n"We cannot imagine how they do it. Their use of their time is amazing," Verdy said.\nDancers have different routines for dealing with the physical fatigue. Some take long baths while others ice their legs and feet. \n"I use a lot of Advil," Baker said.\nThe whole ballet department, consisting of 66 students, practices together in one studio. The professors work with the same students every day, allowing them to evaluate the students' abilities constantly.\nWhen casting a performance, the professors select small groups to rehearse for certain parts. The professors then get an idea of who will be best for the role. \n"There is a healthy competition," Brumfiel said. "It is a small department, so we are all friends."\nBaker said she felt all the hard work and the culmination of the performance is very rewarding.\n"We practice all year," she said. "The performance is finally an opportunity to share your work with someone else."
Precise Movements\nWhen the curtain rose to the sound of Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings," the stage revealed more than 15 female dancers in pale blue leotards and tulle skirts accented by soft blue light from above. \n"Serenade" was the first ballet choreographed in America by George Balanchine, a Russian choreographer. The movements in the piece were characteristic of the neoclassical form of ballet Balanchine started. \n"Music was number one to (Balanchine)," said Verdy. "Stravinsky was his great mentor." \nAccording to www.cmi.univ-mrs.fr/~esouche, a Web site that documents the history of ballet, dancers and choreographers, much of the ballet choreography uses the arms. The "Serenade" ballet is made for a cast of mostly women and the male parts in the ballet are not very demanding. The ballet is a remarkable tour de force, showing what can be accomplished with limited means, according to the Web site. \n"It is fun to dance because it is so intelligent, just the way he placed the dancers and their movement to the music," said Baker\nThe music began slowly and gained momentum throughout the piece, dictating the movements to change as well. This transformation was characterized by the female dancers changing from having tight buns to free-flowing hair. \nThroughout "Serenade," movements were very precise and included the interconnecting of arms to form shapes. The use of male dancers' strength to lift female dancers above the rest of the company gave an almost tiered effect to the ensemble's presence on stage. \n"I enjoyed the second half best," said Caron Sain, a graduate student studying arts administration. "It was very loose and modern with the flowing hair and tulle."\nAfter a short intermission, the audience was presented with a contemporary ballet choreographed by Jacques Cesbron, an IU ballet professor.\n"It was suited to the music," said Peter Jacobi, an IU journalism professor. "It moves in indirect directions frequently and I think he captured it in the movements."\n"Souvenir de Florence" concentrated on the use of smaller groups. At times, the stage resembled a three-ring circus with several groups to watch at once. \nOutfitted in muted colors like pale pink and flesh colored leotards, the dancers performed very physically challenging routines. "The Pas de Deux," an intricate dance for two partners, performed by Grace Schwartz, a freshman majoring in ballet performance and Joshoa Sutton a junior majoring in ballet performance, offered an example of the technically difficult nature of the piece through a number of lifts. \n"No one was posing, everyone was in constant movement," said Sabra Snyder, a graduate student studying journalism. \nA lit green background graced the backdrop as the curtain rose for the final act. "Sleeping Beauty, Act III" was the most classical of the three selections, said Diemer. Telling the story of Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund's wedding celebration, the ballet offered a contrast to the more contemporary pieces before it.\nThe choreography by Julie Kent, guest choreographer from the American Ballet Theater, kept it in the classical genre. All of the movements had to fit the characters. Puss in Boots and his companion imitated cats through grooming hand movements. Sleeping Beauty and the Prince held poses for a long time as if they were a newly in-love couple. \n"The steps are simple, but very classical," Brumfiel said. \nThe set and costumes represented the classical nature of the piece. Extravagant costumes on loan from the American Ballet Theater helped to develop the different characters. The courtiers were decked in costumes from the 1700s, including white wigs. Puss in Boots and his date arrived in full costumes of white, complete with cat masks. The female dancers were outfitted in classical tutus. The scenery of a full royal ballroom placed the characters in a credible backdrop. \n"I loved the acting," said Brumfiel, who played Princess Aurora. "I thought it was my chance to perform and express my feelings to the audience." \n-- Contact staff writer Jessica Dalsing at jdalsing@indiana.edu.
