A year of ballet playing cards: #40 The Csárdás (1D)
Diamonds: a set of pieces in 4: See the Year of Ballet Playing Cards information page 1D (#40): Liszt Hungarian Dance No. 6 in D flat (opening) – Download file…
Happy 2015: A new year’s ramble about Black Swan and other ballet anomalies
As it’s the first day of a new year, I’ve decided to do something about one of the greatest annoyances in my list of ballet-pianist anxieties: the Black Swan female…
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #25: 9/8
I was tempted to put the ballet-class equivalent of the Holy Family on the 25th of this advent calendar, to finish off the series with a heart-warming sentimental twist that…
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #24: Happy birthday
Special occasions make me nervous. Take birthdays, for example. It’s someone’s birthday, and so one of the dancers comes up before class and says “Can you play happy birthday for…
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #22: Inappropriate music choices
When I say inappropriate, I don’t mean in 4/4 rather than 3/4, or a barcarole instead of a mazurka. I mean inappropriate in the sense of “Oh no. Let the…
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 add it to my…