Dancing And Ballet Essays - Ballet Teachers, Ballet Choreographers

Dancing and Ballet Dancing and Ballet Dancing is the art of moving the body in time to music. Dancing is both an art and a form of recreation. Most people dance to have fun or to entertain others, but dance can also be used for communication. Dancers express feelings of joy without saying a word. Since prehistoric times people have danced, and there are lots of kinds of dancing. There is folk dancing and religious dancing, popular dancing and theatrical dancing, to name a few. Out of all dancing, theatrical is probably the most entertaining. Theatrical dancing includes ballet, jazz, tap, and musical comedy. Theatrical dancers may take great personal satisfaction in creating something beautiful. However, their enjoyment is not as important as their ability to interpret the dance to the audience. All types of dancing require practice and technique, but probably none require as much as ballet. Ballet dancers seem to ignore the law of gravity as they float through the air in long, slow leaps. They keep perfect balance while they spin, and at times, their feet move so rapidly that the eye can hardly follow the movements. Women often dance on their toes while men lift them up like they were as light as feathers. Ballet dancers take joy in controlling their bodies, but they can only perform difficult steps after many years of training. Ballet classes are held for both professional and beginning dancers. Because professional dancers must keep in shape, they usually take at least one class daily. Beginning students may take anywhere from three to ten classes a week to improve their technique. Ballet classes begin at the barre where dancers develop better technique. Later they move to the center where they do exercises to strengthen and improve their dancing. Next, the women sometimes work on pointe , and the men will work on big, energetic jumps. When developing a ballet, many people must work together to make it the best show it can be. There is a choreographer (one who composes dances), an orchestra and a composer (though some ballet companies use recorded music), people to make scenery, costume designers, and most importantly, the dancers. Ballet dancers have short career. Most become professional before the age of twenty and retire by the age of forty-five. Good dancers by far out-number good jobs. Some dancers may spend many months auditioning - only to be turned down. Dancers' lives are not easy. They have to attend many rehearsals and have little time for anything else. The average pay isn't very good, though star performers can earn large salaries. Dancer's career problems are sometimes too much for them, which is very sad since dancing is such a beautiful art. GREAT DANCERS Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) Anna Pavlova was a Russian ballerina who was known for her gracefulness. She is best known for her three minute solo of "The Dying Swan". Pavlova traveled all over the world and could often make people cry when she danced this piece. She studied at the Imperial Ballet School and then joined the Imperial Ballet Company. In 1906 she became prima ballerina of the company. She later formed her own company and took it on tours until the time of her death. Enrico Cecchetti (1850-1928) Cecchetti was one of the greatest ballet teachers of all time. He also helped train many great dancers of the 1900's. He was known for his technique and speed. Cecchetti is best known for his leading male role in "La Scala" and the Bluebird role in "The Sleeping Beauty". He was born in Rome and began teaching in 1890. He taught at the Imperial School of Ballet and later became an instructor for the Ballets Russes de Diaghilev in Milan, Italy. In 1918 he opened a private school. He was the last great dancer of the strict Italian tradition. George Balanchine (1904-1983) Balanchine was a Russian choreographer who developed a new trend in American and European Ballet. His ballets usually weaved designs inspired by music instead of telling stories. Balanchine was born in St. Petersburg and left Russia when he was twenty to join the Sergei Diaghilev Ballet Company in Paris. He then became its leading choreographer. Balanchine came to the United States in 1933. He founded the American School of Ballet whose performing company became the New York City Ballet in 1948. Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948- ) Baryshnikov is currently one of the worlds leading ballet dancers. He performs in a style called bravura which features brilliant, daring dancing. He is known for his highly developed technique. He was born in Riga, Russia, and began studying ballet at age twelve. At the age of nineteen he had become a soloist with the

The History of the Hand Grenade

The History of the Hand Grenade A grenade is a small explosive, chemical, or gas bomb. It is used at short range, thrown by hand or launched with a grenade launcher. The resulting powerful explosion causes shockwaves and disperses high-speed fragments of the metal, which provoke shrapnel wounds. The word grenade comes from the French word for pomegranate, early grenades looked like pomegranates. Origins Grenades first came into use around the 15th century and the first inventor cannot be named. The first grenades were hollow iron balls filled with gunpowder and ignited by a slow burning wick. During the 17th  century, armies began to form specialized divisions of soldiers trained to throw grenades. These specialists were called grenadiers, and for a time were regarded as elite fighters. By the 19th century, with the increased improvement of firearms, grenades popularity decreased and largely fell out of use. They were first used extensively again during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). The hand grenades of World War I can be described as empty cans filled with gunpowder and stones, with a primitive fuse. The Australians used the tin cans from jam and their early grenades were nicknamed Jam Bombs. Mills Bomb The first safe (for the person throwing it) grenade was the Mills bomb, invented by English engineer and designer William Mills in 1915. Mills bomb incorporated some design elements of a Belgian self-igniting grenade, however, he added safety enhancements and upgraded its deadly efficiency. These changes revolutionized trench-war combat. Britain manufactured millions of Mills bombs pins during the course of World War I, popularizing the explosive device that remains one of the most iconic weapons of the 20th  century. Other Types Two other important grenade designs that emerged from the first war are the German stick grenade, a narrow explosive with sometimes troublesome pull chord that was prone to accidental detonation, and the Mk II â€Å"pineapple† grenade, designed for the U.S. military in 1918.