Encounter at a barre

[sistermagpie]

ETHAN STIEFEL WAS IN MY BALLET CLASS TONIGHT!!!!!



AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHH!

AND HE WAS RIGHT NEXT TO ME AT THE BARRRRRRE!

AAAAUUUGGGHH!!!

Why, it was just like Center Stage, only Ethan didn't take me back to his apartment on his motorcycle and sleep with me, then choreograph a dreadful ballet and offer me a spot in his company!

I saw him as we were walking in, and I did that double take that you do when you see someone famous, there's that shock of familiarity? Then we walked in and pulled out one of the portable bars and the other ones were full. So we ended up at the same barre. It was only then that I realized that this meant when we turned one way I could admire him, yes, but when we turned the other way he would be...watching me. Ethan Stiefel, principal dancer of ABT was watching me.

Needless to say I was useless at remembering any exercises whatsoever. I spent all the time the teacher was giving it to us trying not to look at him--at the soul patch (WTF?), the baggy pants and those funny booties he wore--just like he did in that Born to be Wild documentary. Or thinking stupid things like, "If we end up going across the floor together in the grande allegro, it would be like we were doing a pas de deux!" (as if I'd ever go across the floor with him) or "Maybe he'll come back sometime and bring his friends! Naturally if we had a balance I would hold it really well when I was looking at him, and he was facing me I fell over like a ten-pin.

Not that this made that much of a difference. It's not like he walked in and said, "Okay bow-legged girl with the glasses and the Nightwing tee-shirt, let's see if you can outdance ME!"

He left after the barre, which wasn't surprising, even if of course it was disappointing not to get to watch him dance. I was so relieved and giddy after that I had a great class. This is better than the time Madonna popped into a class I was taking--far better. Ha! Also, he's much cuter in person. And I hope this isn't politically incorrect to say but he just seemed so straight. I never realized it before, but I don't think I'm used to ordinary-seeming straight guys in ballet class.

And the other good thing about it is last night P and I were talking about what we were going to work on next. We had this idea we were working on a year ago we just couldn't get to gel, so we put it off and worked on the series we're shopping now. Last night we started talking about what to do next and we were both kind of like, "Do you want to think about E at all?" It turned out we both totally remembered everything and really wanted to do it--and we think all the work we did last year on the other thing taught us a lot of things (we still have our notes and everything). We could see things in a much better way that would maybe work. We are very psyched about this, because we love that idea and that world we created and really didn't want it to never come to anything--and by anything I mean we'd never write the story the way we wanted, not that it would never be published. We'll worry about that later.

Anyway, clearly Ethan showing up in my class is a sign from the universe that this is what we should be doing, because ballet figures prominently in this particular idea. It's just that simple.

*Does piquet turns around desk* Tralalala!

Comments

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

Heeeeee! It totally makes complete sense that you do ballet :D :D! I can sort of see you in my mind's eye, and now I'm like, nodding. Hee.
Also.
OMG HE'S GORGEOUS!!1 >:O!! *dies* AND HE KINDA LOOKS LIKE QAF!JUSTIN!! AHAHA. Omg so great :D :D!

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

And omg I was totally looking at the ABT homepage and going, 'omg, they all look rather gay' -.- *laughs!!*

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. Very gay. It's one thing when they're in costume but even their headshots look so very gay.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Oh, he does TOTALLY look like Justin! Only with a better body and better posture.:-)

[yourpoison.livejournal.com]

AHAHAH then it's totally too funny that his name is 'Ethan'. *evil laugh*

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Ha! See, it all connects!

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

So this man walks into a barre...

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Heh. Best barre story ever!!!

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

I saw an interesting mini-documentary on tv about him and 3 other dancers, have you seen it? I forget the title ... And it felt like the filmmakers went a little over the top with portraying him as both American and SO STRAIGHT THAT IT HURTS and filmed him on motorcyles and the like, but ... he seemed pretty nice and talented.


-brodie

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

I should have said - three other male dancers, none of whose names I recall (cheese grater memory) but they were all fantastic and amazingly talented. But he was the only American, and this seemed to garner him special attention, or so it felt. One of the other guys was also straight (with kids) and was unbelievably attractive, another one was Russian, and the fourth was openly gay and very cool.

And then, at the end, they all danced together in something that was choreographed for all of them.

Does this sound familiar?

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Definitely! That's the "Born to be Wild" documentary. Actually, he's not my favorite of the four. I love Angel Corella, who is from Spain, and Jose Corenno who's from Cuba a lot. Angel Corella reminds me of Paul McCartney, he always looks so happy. I remember somebody once describing him by saying, "It's just like nobody told him you should feel silly jumping around in a frilly shirt and tights pretending to be a pirate."

And yeah the so went overboard on the whole, "He's so straight!" thing in that video--they just loved that motorcycle. (Though seeing the little girls at his old ballet school getting all silly was cute.) In person--at least in that short time I was staring at him casually observing him, he was much more normal.

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

That's it! I happened to randomly tape it one night, thinking it might be good, and I really enjoyed it. Even if the slant was sometimes a little cheesy ;-)

The producers seemed to adore Jose Corenno, didn't they? IIRC there was some amazing footage of him dancing with his, um, sister? Former dance partner? in a very casual, non-ballet setting, and he was so fluid and lovely to watch.

Who was the Russian dancer? His segment broke my heart with its images of little kids training in singlets and hopinghopinghoping to succeed. He also had these sensational, er, leaps? (not, not ballet-conversant).

So why did he drop into your class? Just random chance?

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was his sister he danced with. I saw a tape of them at this ballet competition that's really important--it was the year he won and everybody was just like WOW WOW WOW look at this guy!!!

The fourth guy is Vladimir Malakhov from the Ukraine. And yeah, his segment really was heartreaking! And I think his being from the Ukraine was even a mark against him in Russia? I remember in that same video about the ballet competition there was a couple from somewhere around there where they had to fight to even get there and then I think they had no costumes so people had to chip in for them--but they did really well.

I think he knew my teacher because they were saying hello before class. Those guys do take classes at places like Steps and Broadway Dance, I know, but usually I think they take class during the day and this was in the evening. Sometimes people will come to a warm up before doing their show at night.

[tinderblast.livejournal.com]

So, I'm sort of unfamiliar with this new but interesting world - you're saying that professionals sometimes take dance lessons with not-so-mere mortals just to warm up, keep in contact, etc.? So it's not world-shattering that you'd see someone who's sort of a superstar in that sense? That's interesting.

Vladimir Malakhov - wasn't there some controversy touched upon in the documentary about him not being given roles? Was that due to his ethnicity? It's vaguely trickling back to me now. Does he live in France or the USA now?

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, they'll take regular classes. I seem to recall people seeing Barishnikov at Broadway Dance once! But there are classes at ABT, etc., I think, so they don't have to go to the public schools--I think they just go if they like the teacher etc.

People in Broadway shows and other professional dancers take classes there all the time, though. In New York a total amateur could easily find themselves in a class with professionals. Which is great because you get to watch them dance for free! Sometimes they'll do master classes, too, where famous people will teach.

I remember there was soemthing about VM with the roles etc. and I think it might have been because of that...damn, now I can't remember the story but yeah there was something. Oh wait! Wasn't it that he wasn't offered something at home because he was Ukranian, so he did a competition and got offered something in another Ballet company, and then they offered it to him and he was like, "Too late. See ya!" I think it was something like that.

[closet-geek.livejournal.com]

OMG it's Cooper Nielson! (Nielsen?) I was so in love with that movie when it came out, and I find excuses to watch it when babysitting younger kids or with my friends. (Granted, I thought the majority of the acting could've been better, but I like the director and I generally love movies, books and television shows about ballet anyway.) Any other wonderful stories about your dance class? You mentioned Madonna...;)

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

OMG it's Cooper Nielson!

That's the one! And of course I was thinking about the movie the whole time. And trying to not laugh.

Madonna was one time doing auditions at a studio where I was taking class. One day during class she sort of stepped inside and the teacher shooed her out and then, after she shut the door, she blinked and said, "Oops. That was Madonna."

She was very cool, apparently. Wasn't overly demanding or anything, and she was nice to the kids who were at the studio. I think those were my only in-class celebrity stories. Although I used to take class with Patricia Kalember who has been in a lot of things--she was on Sisters and 30something. I don't know if she's on anything now, though. She was in Jacob's Ladder too.