Celebrate These Quirky February Holidays with Ballet Videos
Need an excuse for a YouTube ballet break? Probably not, but just in case, here are videos to celebrate some of this month’s off-the-beaten-path holidays.
Lame Duck Day (February 6)
Did you know that February 6 is Lame Duck Day? “Lame duck” can only mean one thing in the realm of ballet: those love-them-or-hate-them turns that pop up in center combos and onstage in Odette’s Act II variation. Enjoy Marianela Nuñez‘s dreamy sequence of lame ducks (aka pique turn en dehors) in The Royal Ballet’s 2009 Swan Lake. It’s not hard to see why she was chosen to reprise the role in the company’s much anticipated new production last year. (When you think about it, though, it’s kind of ironic that the Swan Queen performs “lame ducks,” isn’t it? Then again, the Little Swans dance the “step of the cat”!)
Umbrella Day (February 10)
Apparently we also have a day to honor umbrellas. You know the saying about learning to dance in the rain—and if you can dance in the rain with your crush, it’s twice the fun! In this adorable, romantic pas de deux from the 2011 Bolshoi Ballet Academy’s production of La fille mal gardée, then-students Joy Womack and Mario Labrador dance under an umbrella as Lise and Colas. #OnstageRelationshipGoals
Cherry Pie Day (February 20)
February 20 is Cherry Pie Day! There aren’t a lot of ballets that depict eating onstage. But in this playful, lighthearted moment from Sir Frederick Ashton’s A Month in the Country, former Royal Ballet principals Sarah Wildor and Bruce Sansom share a snack of cherries. Then, they burst into a joyous, energetic duet (a little sugar will do that, right?).
Public Sleeping Day (February 28)
This February 28th, we honor the power nap. Princess Aurora’s tips for sleeping in public? Pick a comfy tutu to nap in, skip the covers and, above all, remember to turn out and point your feet. In this 2015 clip, Royal Ballet principal Sarah Lamb rocks the technique of onstage balletic sleeping as Steven McCrae’s Prince arrives to end the 100-year nap and get everyone back on their dancing feet again.
