When we just arrived into the Paris Opera Ballet, we are always understudies ("Remplacants" in French) for the performances at first. It's one of the most difficult positions in a ballet performance since understudies seldom get to dance during the rehearsals. They would just watch and learn every spot of the corps de ballet at the side. I can tell you that it's a horrible thing when we are called to replace an injured dancer only 10 minutes before the start of the show! So the understudies must know the choreography, each spot, all the patterns, the musicality..... very well in order to be able to replace somebody at the very last minute. However, since we don't have to dance during hours, days and weeks of rehearsals, those who lose their self motivation would just sit there and wait for the end of the day without paying attention to every correction that the ballet masters give to the dancers. Also because the ballet masters would only look at the dancers who are actually dancing during rehearsals and kind of ignore those who are learning at the back. I feel that the understudies need to have a strong self-motivation to mark all the steps at the side every single time when the dancers rehearse instead of just sitting there. This year I'm trying to finnish my French A-level exam (Baccalaureat). I only have got one more year to go then I will have an A-level academic certificate. However, since I'm no longer in the school, I will have to study everything by myself. This situation reminds me a lot of my role as an understudy now in the Paris Opera Ballet. I need very strong self-motivation to study everything by myself. When I have some free time, I could choose not to study like I would choose to just sit down during the rehearsals. But what head would keep telling me to try my very best and thus drive me to study whenever I can and to mark the steps all the time with the dancers!! This year is the year of the self-motivation challenge. Chun Wing, I hope that you could do it!
3 Comments
Invisible Wings
23/9/2015 01:24:19 am
But I still hope you would be picked to replace some injured dancer because I am confident you would do a great job! I am sure you would shine!
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