The Dancing Plague of 1518

It all began innocently enough in July of 1518 in the town of Strasbourg. As the townsfolk went about their usual business of contracting incurable illnesses, a woman began to dance in the street. This might not sound too strange, but keep in mind that the age of people dancing unabashedly to their MP3 players in public, was still some 450 years away.

I guarantee that alongside today’s early morning Donald Trump Tweet, this is going to be one of the most unbelievable things you’ll read all day!

No word of a lie, the following is a true story.

Even Sean Spicer has confirmed the validity of the facts – PERIOD.

It all began innocently enough in July of 1518 in the town of Strasbourg. As the townsfolk went about their usual business of contracting incurable illnesses, a woman began to dance in the street. This might not sound too strange, but keep in mind that the age of people dancing unabashedly to their MP3 players in public, was still some 450 years away. This woman was not dancing to any music and was doing it during a time of widespread starvation and disease in the area.

So how long do you think she danced for? An hour? All morning? The whole day? She danced for around five days! The longest physical exertion I’ve done that comes close to five days was the time I watched the entire 10 seasons of Friends back to back. I can’t even imagine how sore her feet were, because my eyes were killing me by the time I had reached the episode when Phoebe sang smelly cat.

But this is where the story becomes truly odd.

Within a week, 34 more people began to do the same and within a month the figure grew to 400! Authorities became worried and consulted physicians who declared that the dancing plague was not caused by astrological or supernatural causes, but rather it was “hot blood” and a natural disease. You know one day it’s a cough and runny nose, the next day it’s an uncontrollable desire to dance continuously for 120 hours.

“Did you get food poisoning from eating those yellow mushrooms? Then it’s best you eat more of them”

To cure people, the authorities encouraged more dancing. (“Did you get food poisoning from eating those yellow mushrooms? Then it’s best you eat more of them.”) They went to the extent of constructing a stage and hiring musicians. The belief was that people just needed to dance the dancing out of their system.

And dance the dancing out of their system they did. To such an extent that some of them died of heart attacks, strokes and pure physical exhaustion.  At one stage the dancing plague was killing 15 people per day. I can only assume how fit the ones who survived must have become, Jane Fonda eat your heart out! In fact, a modern historian claims that a marathon runner wouldn’t have survived the ordeal these people went through.

There are some modern day theories about what caused this humorous… I mean… horrible, horrible plague. One idea is that it was caused by a mass case of stress-induced psychosis. Another theory is that it was brought about by food poisoning from a particular fungus that has properties related to LSD.

Thankfully there hasn’t been another widespread dancing plague that has inflicted people with an insatiable desire to dance, in quite some time. Wait a minute…

I forgot about the devastating dancing plague of 2012!

Ballet Masterclass

Following on from their successful 2017 Grand Audition, D&D Art Productions is running a summer intensive ballet masterclass in Barcelona. The ten day training program will start on the 17th of July and finish on the 27th. The programme is open to 12 – 20 year old ballet students.

Ballet Masterclass

Barcelona July 17 – 27, 2017

Following on from their successful 2017 Grand Audition, D&D Art Productions is running a summer intensive ballet masterclass in Barcelona. The ten day training program will start on the 17th of July and finish on the 27th. The programme is open to 12 – 20 year old ballet students.

Students will be given the chance to work with some of the best ballet professionals in the world. This year’s course will include

  • Ludmila Kovaleva (Professor of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, St.Petersburg)
  • Grigori Chicherin (Professor of the Het National Ballet Academy, Amsterdam)
  • Natalia Hoffmann (Professor of the Ballet Academy of the University of Music and Performing Arts, Munich)
  • Brian Maloney (Pedagogue of the Royal Ballet, London)
  • Daria Makhateli (Prima Ballerina Finnish National Ballet, Soloist Mariinsky Theatre, International Guest Principal Ballerina)
  • David Makhateli (Former Principal Dancer of the Royal Ballet, founder of the Grand Audition, director of D&D Art Productions)

We’ve partnered with D&D Art Productions to offer you a 15% discount off the total course fees. Simply type in “Dinamica Ballet” in the comment section of the registration page to receive your discount.

Don’t miss out, the deadline is June 20th!

Register online here: www.ddballetintensive.com

Another successful Grand Audition

The hard work of organizing this year’s Grand Audition has brought about another hugely successful event. In case you’re not familiar with the Grand Audition, the event offers young dancers the chance to take part in a single audition for a number of different ballet companies from around the globe.

The hard work of organizing this year’s Grand Audition has brought about another hugely successful event. In case you’re not familiar with the Grand Audition, the event offers young dancers the chance to take part in a single audition for a number of different ballet companies from around the globe.

This year’s occasion had artistic directors from France, Canada, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, Panama, Russia, the USA and the Czech Republic. Dinamica Ballet were also there. We partnered with event organisers D&D Art Productions and provided our PINA freestanding ballet barres for the dancers to use.

At the end of it all, the 2017 Grand Audition has lead to 24 job offers and 37 interviews for the dancers involved. We wish all the participants the best of luck in the future. If you missed out this year, there’s always the 2018 event which has been confirmed to take place again in February in Sant Cugat.

Dinamica Ballet partners Dance Worldcup Spain

This weekend, the Dance Worldcup Spain (DWS) event will be held at Burgos. From the 17th to the 19th of February, young dancers will compete for a position in the Spanish national team. Dinamica Ballet have partnered with DWS and are providing our PINA and ISA portable ballet barres.

This weekend, the Dance Worldcup Spain (DWS) event will be held at Burgos. From the 17th to the 19th of February, young dancers will compete for a position in the Spanish national team. Dinamica Ballet have partnered with DWS and are providing our PINA and ISA portable ballet barres.

A number of different dance categories are available for participants to compete in. Dancers will be judged by a panel of experts and the best performers will join the Spanish team that will travel to Germany to compete in the finals of the international Dance World Cup running from the 23rd of June to the 1st of July.

The Dance World Cup is a huge event which sees non-professional competitors representing 47 different countries from as far as wide as the USA to Australia. Some of the past finals have been held in France, Italy and England. The competition is akin to the Olympics, right down to the opening ceremony on the first day and the awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals to competitors.

Dinamica Ballet wish the best to all the participants at this weekend’s Dance Worldcup Spain qualifications and we’ll be keenly looking forward to the final in Germany later in the year.

100th barre sold online!

Most people have a tradition of celebrating milestones, the most common of which are probably the Birthday, the Wedding Anniversary and England’s sole 1966 world cup win. Today, Dinamica Ballet are celebrating a milestone.

Celebrating milestones

 

Most people have a tradition of celebrating milestones, the most common of which are probably the Birthday, the Wedding Anniversary and England’s sole 1966 world cup win.

However, milestones can vary from the lame “Hey it’s the weekend again, let’s celebrate with moderate amounts of alcohol and respectable behaviour” to something hard won, such as scaling Mount Everest. (…or even not scaling Everest, as these two people eventually took “acclaim” for. *click me*).

Today, Dinamica Ballet are celebrating a milestone. It’s a momentous occasion that puts the two billionth copy of the Angry Birds apps in the shade. Just in case this article’s headline is a little too ambiguous for you, let me explain it in a long winded roundabout kind of way to make things clearer.

Since we recently launched our online shop, we’ve seen a steady increase in our sales of ballet barres. And damn, why wouldn’t we? We’ve been offering an easy and convenient way for people to purchase our equipment, including free shipping to most countries within Europe… and even the UK! (That was a Brexit joke by the way).

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment for the past week and now I’m ecstatic to the point of dribbling down the front of my shirt as I type this, because….

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve now sold our 100th barre online!!!!!

 

And boy are we celebrating! I’ve just thrown in “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac on the CD player and the boss has let us turn the volume up to the second notch… oh wait a minute…. he’s just asked me to turn it off… Anyway, when it comes to partying, the Dinamica Ballet crew know how to do the aforementioned thing in a manner which most of you would label as “crazy”. I’ll get the first round in!

 

bottled-water

(*WARNING! Always drink in moderation. Too much bottled water can cause dizziness*)

 

It’s all thanks to you, our precious clients, who trust in Dinamica Ballet to provide high quality ballet barres and I’m certain it won’t be long before I’m back here writing about our 1000th online sale with a series of perplexing comments and random photos. Do you know why? I’ll tell you why:

 

The entire range of Dinamica Ballet portable barres are now available online

 

It’s no longer just the PRIMA and ISA, we’ve now got the MAURICE and PINA on there as well. So I think I’m going to need to top up the fridge soon with more bottles of Evian!

Grand Audition 2017 opens for registration

Dinamica Ballet has partnered with D&D Art Productions to bring you Grand Audition 2017 which will be held right here in Barcelona on the 7th and 8th of February. The Grand Audition provides the opportunity for dancers to do a single audition for several international ballet companies at the same time.

Dinamica Ballet has partnered with D&D Art Productions to bring you Grand Audition 2017 which will be held right here in Barcelona on the 7th and 8th of February. The Grand Audition provides the opportunity for dancers to do a single audition for several international ballet companies at the same time. Open to professional dancers and graduate students from 17 to 25 years old, representatives from the following dance companies have so far been confirmed:

  • Ballet de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux – France
  • Ekaterinburg State Academic Ballet Theatre – Russia
  • Finnish National Ballet – Finland
  • The National Ballet of Canada – Canada
  • Norwegian National Ballet – Norway
  • Ballet Nacional de Panama – Panama
  • Mikhailovsky Ballet Theatre – Russia
  • Atlanta Ballet – USA
  • The Czech National Ballet – Czech Republic

The idea is so clever you wonder why job applications can’t be done in the same way. Imagine only having to do one interview with the opportunity to be employed by several important businesses!

Registration for the Grand Audition 2017 is now open and you can apply to take part by going to the official website: www.grandaudition.net. The deadline is January 6th 2017, but don’t delay because the application process may close earlier if the applicant limit is reached.

Guess the dance films

Love dance? Love film? So how much of a dance film buff are you? Can you guess the following eight films about dance from these brief (and not completely inaccurate) descriptions? Click on the “Answer” buttons to find out. No cheating!

Guess the dance films

Love dance? Love film? So how much of a dance film buff are you? Can you guess the following eight films about dance from these brief (and not completely inaccurate) descriptions? Click on the “Answer” buttons to find out. No cheating!

Number 1:

A well to do family whose youngest daughter has lovingly / patronizingly been nicknamed “baby”; stay at a resort for their summer vacations where the resort’s performance staff have late night parties that involve “(insert adjective here) dancing”.

ANSWER

Number 2:

A teenager from Chicago discovers to his great shock and horror that the generic god-fearing small American town where he’s just moved to with his mother has banned dancing and rock music.

ANSWER

Number 3:

Uninterested in the “masculine” pursuit of boxing and the pleasures that come from repeatedly punching someone else in the face, our film’s protagonist one day notices a ballet class and immediately takes an interest.

ANSWER

Number 4:

An Australian ballroom dancer….. (Need I say more?)

ANSWER

Number 5:

Unable to convincingly perform the role of an evil character in a ballet, the female lead of this film pops some ecstasy, has vivid sexual fantasies involving a female colleague and spirals into madness which naturally leads to her performing spectacularly well on the opening night AND bleeding profusely from a self inflicted wound.

ANSWER

Number 6:

With the advent of talking pictures, a silent movie star struggles to find success with amateurish dialogue and his co-star’s grating New York accent. Fortunately his recent love interest and his long time friend (the film’s persistent “third wheel”) create a highly successful talking picture musical.

ANSWER

Number 7:

The monotony of his dead-end job and living under the roof of his parent’s home is broken each Saturday night when our main character dances at the 2001 Odyssey club to the most famous over indulgence of falsetto singing, baseline driven 70’s disco track known to humankind.

ANSWER

Number 8:

This film follows some teenagers as they audition for the New York School for Performing Arts, right through to their graduation, which includes pleasant scenes such as a student considering suicide and another who has an abortion so as to avoid jeopardizing her career. Let’s just assume they all live happily ever after.

ANSWER

So what was your total: ?/8

iokasti method

The ancient Greeks created gods that personified their natural world. The sea was represented by Poseidon, love and beauty by the goddess Aphrodite and the sky by Zeus. They prayed and made sacrifices to their gods and the tales from their mythology have persevered to the present day. But our practices have evolved and we no longer beg deities for good fortune. So what is the modern recourse for someone seeking an improvement in their health and wellbeing?

What is the iokasti method?

The ancient Greeks created gods that personified their natural world. The sea was represented by Poseidon, love and beauty by the goddess Aphrodite and the sky by Zeus. They prayed and made sacrifices to their gods and the tales from their mythology have persevered to the present day. But our practices have evolved and we no longer beg deities for good fortune. So what is the modern recourse for someone seeking an improvement in their health and wellbeing?

Part Hebe part Hygeia

Iokasti is a goddess in all but name. She is a living embodiment of eternal youth and her studio is a place of worship for those seeking a love and confidence of themselves. Whilst marble temples lay dormant with spoilt offerings and unanswered prayers, Iokasti delivers her blessings to each and everyone who performs her ceremonies – the iokasti method.

“Give me twenty three minutes of your day and I will give you the body of a dancer”

No bloodletting required, but a small commitment of your time is richly rewarded! The iokasti method improves your posture and excess weight is banished from your body without the need to sacrifice the pleasure of eating. Iokasti shows you a way to have satisfying meals that are also healthy and natural. Over time you will reconnect to your self-esteem, sensuality and feminine being.

You won’t run through repetitive routines, her method is more akin to dance than an exercise regime and with this comes both the health benefits and the joy of movement. The symmetry between wellbeing and dance is paralleled with Iokasti and our PRIMA ballet barre: her methodology performed on our dance equipment.

“I’ll be by your side with every step you take”

Iokasti has spent a life of dancing. Her love of body movement led her to train in ballet, contemporary dance and acrobatics. Her passion ran strong and her training translated into professional work as a dance and circus artist in theatres throughout Europe. She has infused this wealth of experience into her self-named method and is now dedicated to helping others stay in shape.

This is not mythology; it’s methodology!

Click here to find out more about the iokasti method

BARREtoned member discount

How do you feel after a workout? Ouch? Phew? *sob*? Zzzz? I think I fall somewhere between “phew” and “zzzz”, a combination of relief and exhaustion which doesn’t particularly bode well for my motivation to return to the gym. But workouts don’t need to leave you this way.

BARREtoned member discount

How do you feel after a workout?

  • Ouch
  • Phew
  • *sob*
  • Zzzz

I think I fall somewhere between “phew” and “zzzz”, a combination of relief and exhaustion which doesn’t particularly bode well for my motivation to return to the gym. But workouts don’t need to leave you this way. Wouldn’t it be far better to finish feeling happy? Wouldn’t it be great to feel more and more energetic after each session? Wouldn’t it just be absolutely all-round fantastic if you left feeling confident?

I know you’re all nodding your head in agreement thinking, “Yes it would be great but that kind of workout only exists in the realm of fantasy”. And that little sadistic part of you is probably subconsciously thinking that an exercise regime that doesn’t leave you browbeaten is not real exercise. After all, if you don’t go home in agony and feeling like a worthless sack of flesh and bones, then you haven’t gained any benefit from going to the gym, right?

Wrong!

You may be familiar with barre exercise methods that combine postures from ballet with small controlled movements to promote toned muscles and a streamlined flexible body. And you may also be dismissive of such classes because they don’t involve 5’000 kg dumb-bells and bulking up to dinosaur proportions. (Hey guys, I’m looking at you) But these types of workouts are precisely the rewarding and enjoyable experience that most people crave.

So put a tick next to my three earlier rhetorical questions, because BARREtoned of the UK offer a workout that will leave you feeling happy, energetic and confident. I should be putting an exclamation mark at the end of that sentence, but I’m going to save them for what comes next.

Just like if the end of global warming were followed by world peace: the good news just keeps rolling in. If you can’t attend a BARREtoned class at their London studio, don’t worry. BARREtoned have online classes of easy to follow videos! (Exclamation mark number 1)

If you don’t have a ballet barre at home, there’s no need to fold your arms and have a strop in the corner. We at Dinamica Ballet now offer ALL BARREtoned members a 20% discount on our 1½m PRIMA ballet barre and what’s more, you can purchase it through our online shop! (Exclamation mark number 2)

Is this not just pure awesomeness? (Rhetorical question number 4)

Tear up that gym broacher promoting an hour of being shouted at by an ex high school PE teacher. Ignore those messages on your phone, persistently reminding you kindly that you can pay someone to run your body into the ground. Set fire to the reams of junk mail with nauseating colours trying to infiltrate your mind with the summer body look that only requires a single debilitating hour per day contorting your body to all manner of exercise machines…..

*catch your breath*

BARREtoned is in town and working out has never been more fun and rewarding.

Yoga & More “temple of the senses”

I don’t think I’m the only one who experiences a yearning for satisfaction that ultimately seems unattainable. I used to believe that personal and professional success would fulfil the feeling of inner emptiness; that achieving my heart desires would bring me happiness.

Yoga & More “temple of the senses”

“Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have” ~Hyman Schachtel~

I don’t think I’m the only one who experiences a yearning for satisfaction that ultimately seems unattainable. I used to believe that personal and professional success would fulfil the feeling of inner emptiness; that achieving my heart desires would bring me happiness. Just like a kid tearing open a Christmas present and screaming “I said I wanted GTA 5, not 4!!!”, I’ve found myself continuously dissatisfied with what I have and always wanting more. Somewhere in my life I must have taken a wrong turn. The advertisement promised me utopia, but all I got was a $50 tub of face cream to cover over my ‘worry lines’.

*sigh*

Alright, so maybe I’m not a good case example of having achieved ‘personal and professional success’, but you don’t need to look too hard to find people we aspire to be who are unhappy in their own lives. Just think of the terminally miserable Morrissey, surely if I was him, wouldn’t I be happy? Or the numerous celebrities and wealthy people who struggle with drug addiction, broken relationships and depression. The problem is, even though I understand it’s futile to expect happiness is only a few hundred thousand dollars away (and then some), I don´t know how to ‘want’ what I already have.

So now what?

Ferri Djabbari understands this emotional predicament. He understands it so well in fact that he offers an opportunity to escape the vicious circle and the feeling of restlessness, inner emptiness and dissatisfaction. In 2008, Ferri and his colleagues opened Yoga & More with the conviction that Yoga helps people learn how to find the value in themselves and not be dependent on external factors. In other words, finding happiness and fulfilment in what you have… or more accurately, in what you ARE.

Yoga & More or the “temple of the senses” as it has been described, is located in Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany. Here you’ll be guided in reaching a “state of calmness and tranquillity and experience acceptance of what is”. It offers a spa area and spaces to relax and meditate and a range of carefully selected, quality items that help bring the body and soul into harmony. And no, I’m not talking about audio CDs of soothing whale sounds.

But Yoga is not just a spiritual experience, it also offers health benefits. If you go along to Yoga & More, you can also take part in one of their “Yoga Barre Fusion” sessions and experience our ballet barres. We provided the centre with our MAURICE portable ballet barres and ARABESQUE-DOUBLE wall mounted barres and with their smooth natural wooden beams, we think they’ve added some sensuality to the “temple of the senses”.

So why not try them? Get yourself over there and be advised by friendly and knowledgeable professionals or just enjoy the atmosphere in the lounge with a nice cup of tea and a chat. Remember, Yoga doesn’t mean a disconnection from the world, but rather a deeper understanding of it through the individual.