WEEK #3: Wednesday

Poor underappreciated Wednesday, equidistant from the weekends and sometimes the hardest afternoon to get through . . . Well, we’re on a mission to restore Wednesday’s reputation with today’s Coffee Break With the Ballet feature, “Then & Now,” where we talk about how ballet has evolved from past to present.

Then & Now

From pointe to pirouettes, ballet dancers can do amazing things with their legs.  Check out the incredible angles these women can create, while still balanced precisely on their toes! Edna Covey in a ballet burlesque for The Ziegfeld Follies (Photo: New York Public Library Theatre Collection)

Kathi Martuza in The Four Temperaments at OBT (Photo: Blaine Covert)

 OBT Asks School of OBT Director Damara Bennett:

“What is ‘turnout’ and why is it important?”

“Perfect turnout is when a person standing with equal weight on both feet points their toes away from their body with their heels together in a 180-degree angle.  Turnout is important because it helps create prettier lines, it promotes stability and balance, it allows greater range of motion, and it creates flexibility.  It’s the foundation of ballet.”