Although I have gotten the opportunity to do 5 dance performances at UWC, none of them have been Ballet-related, which is an unfortunate downfall of doing a dance style that is typically considered rather boring to watch. However, dance showcase this year has the theme of “Night at the Movies” which actually contains some ballet movies featuring classic stories and variations.

This year, there is a ballet dance called “Pas de Quatre”, which is the dance of the cygnets in the ballet Swan Lake, used in the movie “Black Swan”. I’m really excited to do this variation, as Swan Lake is truly one of the most class ballets there is, and the music for the piece is very iconic. The downfall is that we are following the real variation almost exactly, and while we all are ballet dancers, the choreography is designed for far more experienced dancers than we are.

So far, we have managed to learn the choreography at a slower rate, but much of the difficulty relies in the stamina and speed, the head movements, and the fact that you must dance while holding each others hands. I enjoy the dance because it is truly beautiful, but it is painful and difficult to dance. I don’t think any of us mind, but it is quite the challenge to learn.

I have high hopes for the performance though, to finally have the opportunity to show my favorite style of dancing and because it is rarely done.