Advent calendar
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Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #21: The grand battement “march”
Ballet classes seem to be full of things that aren’t quite what they should be: polonaises that are really boleros, waltzes that are mazurkas, mazurkas that ... -
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #19: Being late
Anxiety about turning up late for class or rehearsal is so basic to being a ballet pianist (for me, at least) that I almost forgot to ... -
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #18: Page turns
I’m not a particularly tidy or obsessive person, except when it comes to scores that I have to play from. If it’s for a performance, I’ll want ... -
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #16: Rehearsal marks
Above is a little fragment of daily life as a ballet accompanist – keeping your ears open while a rehearsal is going on so that when the ... -
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #15: Tempo
One way or another, tempo is at the heart of most of the anxieties in this advent calendar. Playing for ballet is like driving on a ...