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state law. This

1:24

is but why. A podcast for curious

1:26

kids from Vermont Public? I'm Jane Lindholm

1:28

I host the show. You send us

1:30

your questions about the world around you

1:33

and it's my job and the job

1:35

of my colleagues, my teammates to search

1:37

high and low for interesting people that

1:40

we can interview so you can get

1:42

answers. We love answering

1:44

all kinds of questions and it is

1:46

so cool that technology allows us to

1:48

talk to interesting people no matter where

1:50

they are right from where we are

1:52

in Vermont. But when we get a

1:54

chance to go on a field trip,

1:56

we get really excited. Do you like

1:59

going on field? Recently

2:01

we went to New York

2:03

City and our first stop

2:05

in the city was in

2:07

Harlem, a neighborhood made famous

2:09

by an artistic and cultural

2:11

movement called the Harlem Renaissance

2:13

that took place a hundred

2:15

years ago. This celebration and

2:17

blossoming of African American art

2:19

and culture had profound effect

2:22

on American society, and Harlem

2:24

is still a place that

2:26

supports and celebrates Black Americans,

2:28

dance, theater, writing, and music.

2:31

We were visiting Harlem to pop

2:33

in on a professional ballet company

2:35

called Dance Theater of Harlem or

2:37

Dth. This multi

2:39

cultural group of dancers was hard at

2:41

work rehearsing and preparing for D T

2:44

to see specific season launching in New

2:46

York City just two weeks from the

2:48

day of our visit. When.

2:51

We arrived at the rehearsal space

2:53

to dancers and dunno and Derek

2:55

Brockington we're working on a do

2:57

when. A dance and few

2:59

people will be performing on stage.

3:04

Being disclosed. To

3:09

me. And

3:12

they're able to move their bodies in

3:14

such precise. And beautiful ways with

3:17

balance and elegance and a com

3:19

look on their. Faces Not at

3:21

all like the intense concentration that

3:23

would be written all over my

3:25

face. Or how sweaty and a hot I would

3:27

look. After they finished

3:30

the sauna, the rehearsal director one.

3:32

Car last thing. Well, I stepped forward

3:34

to give them some suggestions. That the

3:36

that. eleven. Try to

3:38

do it again and Micheletti

3:40

before like Easy Golf Club.

3:43

Juan Carlos didn't make up the steps

3:45

the ballet dancers were doing. that's the

3:47

job of called a choreographer but he

3:49

is kind of like a teacher or

3:51

coated level to helping make sure they

3:54

learned. Movement and then put

3:56

them together just right. Good

3:58

guys. A. There is a

4:00

moment that you bought those this position

4:02

if you do that the same time,

4:04

he looks nice to me. gloom. Say.

4:09

Yes, yeah for her

4:11

controller. Knows what it's like to

4:13

be in these dancers shoes because he used

4:15

to be a dancer would dance theater. Of

4:18

Harlem. my job is to

4:20

these in the choreography eve

4:22

they know the bees I

4:24

have pressure of bait. definitely

4:26

better am sad. Make.

4:29

Sure that the to. This. Saves

4:31

had their with his should

4:33

be done ah technically artistically

4:35

pushed into they will have

4:37

more of an artisan or

4:39

his answer. When they were

4:42

done rehearsing, Derek and Lindsay pulled up a

4:44

couple of chairs and we sat down to

4:46

get answers to your ballet questions. My.

4:51

Son. Either way, my for his.

4:54

Lindsay Done now and Derek Brockington

4:56

know their ballet history. Cel.

4:59

Valley started and. Franks quits

5:01

and seventeenth century to lily

5:03

the thirteenth. Love to

5:05

the specs a car as on

5:07

the dance and entertainment and he

5:09

himself wanted to be on stage

5:12

so they be sent off sensing

5:14

so everything is turned out and

5:16

it was to sell off the

5:18

beautiful greens accessory gowns and they

5:20

would walk. Around on states

5:22

and the. Next century and the

5:24

eighteenth century the Russians took it and

5:27

they started making big story that place

5:29

that we still enough to then like

5:31

Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, some of those

5:34

type, The Dalai. Stories I was gonna

5:36

say read: jump forward to George Balanchine

5:38

creating the neo Classical style where it

5:40

becomes more dancing for the sake of

5:43

dancing and so on. It's really great

5:45

to see the evolution of valor him

5:47

what it can become. What?

5:49

Would you say ballet as today? That.

5:52

Can be anything you wanted to be really mattered.

5:54

I think we're opening up so that everyone has

5:56

access to at his heart was meant for one

5:58

group of people. They can be meant

6:01

for anybody in you can do anything with

6:03

that. I think

6:05

ballet to find that expression. So you

6:07

can move your body and express emotions

6:09

and any need to. Sell

6:11

For people who think now ballet is

6:14

just people in two two's dancing to

6:16

very old muzak that has nothing to

6:18

do with the modern world. That's wrong.

6:20

That's not how we should think that

6:22

ballet anymore. Definitely not.

6:24

We think of ballet, had to

6:26

move at the vocabulary for your

6:28

body so he can use to

6:30

cycle use english and we can

6:32

tell stories or we could talk

6:35

about the news that leaves the

6:37

vocabulary as ballet to say whatever

6:39

we wanna say so it doesn't

6:41

After the an old story with

6:43

classical music against their of Harlem

6:45

we actually like to use music

6:47

from also says i'm time periods

6:50

and air as we have a

6:52

ballet to mode. On music So

6:54

a lot of that music that

6:56

people really till today tix. When.

6:58

You think about ballet. One of the

7:00

things you might picture is a dancer

7:03

standing right on the tips of her

7:05

toes, leaping, stretching, or spinning, When

7:07

a ballerina dances on the tips

7:09

of her toes, she needs special

7:11

shoes called pointe shoes. Hi.

7:14

My name is Karim. I'm seven

7:16

years old, I live in Phoenix,

7:19

Arizona and my question is how

7:21

do you mean screen is Valerie.

7:25

That's a good question Karim, there

7:27

are points you makers and it

7:29

is put together kind of like

7:31

paper must say. So it's a

7:33

letter material, a layer of glue,

7:36

another layer of material around a

7:38

sort of moldings, and then you

7:40

let it dry recover in satin.

7:42

And then it's ready for as to where,

7:44

though, It's. A it's a long

7:46

process and then the places as we

7:49

were them as seat flat and we

7:51

work in them and they break down

7:53

so they actually don't last very long

7:55

and I'm a dancer can go through

7:57

of to a pair day sometimes. That

8:00

grill as it gets hot and wet.

8:02

It breaks down. Typically.

8:05

Were strictly only female. The answers were

8:07

pointe shoes but sometimes that have been

8:09

changing and sometimes people decide they want

8:11

to go on point. even if they're

8:14

male dancers. how do you decide who's

8:16

going. On point and when. And

8:18

on point means dancing on your toes

8:20

in a special shoes. And will

8:23

face it's very important that it's build the

8:25

strength in your legs and before anyone does

8:27

some point and so usually around the age

8:29

of eleven. that's when your bones have finished

8:32

developing to a point that they can support

8:34

your body weights and that you can learn

8:36

enough technique in order to go and points.

8:38

These days I think it's a matter of

8:41

interest. If you want to do it, you

8:43

can do it with easier boy or. Girl

8:45

Sarah you ever gone points I have not

8:47

been on point know by our there's so

8:49

many things about it by a swing thinks

8:52

her see and islam a great things you

8:54

learn from it and it's a it's really

8:56

great school. My mean

8:59

face. Time

9:01

in years old and I.

9:03

Live in Raleigh, North Carolina and

9:05

Nine Close Season is why you

9:07

ballerinas way ballet says, can you

9:10

talk a little bit about what

9:12

you put on your feet and

9:14

how that assists you to do

9:16

your job and dancing? Derek. Will

9:18

start with here says well I know for

9:20

the men we have our a flat

9:22

shoes and they really operates just as a

9:25

tool that we can use to and hands

9:27

are dancing and a has a little

9:29

part on the bottom so that we don't

9:31

get stuck to the floor and they

9:33

come in various styles. They have our canvases

9:35

leather shoes and I it's really cool cause

9:38

you can you can get customers who

9:40

sits directly to your feet so it's really

9:42

just about making it the best for you

9:44

and and how you wanna dance. And

9:46

does it help you not to slip on the floor? Yes

9:49

that makes it very sticky and

9:51

after not slip. And

9:53

see what about you? You have a couple

9:55

different kinds of shoes that you can wear.

9:57

Ideal. I usually start. In the morning and my. The

10:00

flat seals and that Sydney say that the

10:02

muscles and my feet are nice and warm

10:04

and then once they get halfway through class

10:06

I like to put on my point. She

10:08

is an An start warming up my toes

10:10

and getting ready for my rehearsal day. And.

10:13

We were point seals on because of

10:15

the reinforced sides. It helps us down

10:18

on our toes so it's not as

10:20

hard as as if you had no

10:22

no support from so it's still. Sometimes

10:25

it takes a little practice, sometimes of

10:27

the little painful but it definitely helps

10:29

have point. She is. Hang

10:32

on a minute. You just said class.

10:34

And I think sometimes we feel like

10:36

once we have practiced in practice and

10:38

practice as kids and then we become

10:40

professionals. We don't have to have class

10:42

anymore and we don't have to practice

10:44

because we know how to do it.

10:47

Are you telling me? Even as professional

10:49

dancers, you take classes, You practice and

10:51

practice beyond just rehearsal. That's.

10:54

Right? We take class every day we

10:56

consider it or warm up to get

10:58

our muscles into safe and ready to

11:00

go. That way we don't enjoy ourselves

11:02

in rehearsal and we're always trying to

11:04

get better as ballet dancer. So class

11:06

at the place that we do it.

11:09

Mining as much as in Chicago. on

11:11

off and five use of. To.

11:15

You better at things. I think

11:17

I'm especially with. Then there's something that

11:19

we call muscle memory. so you're trying

11:21

to make your muscles do it without

11:23

you having to think about it. And

11:25

so that's why we practice so much

11:27

in that way that. Works is so

11:29

when you do it over and over it

11:31

becomes a pattern in your brain that then

11:34

you can just doing. Guess.

11:36

I'd say that repetition is cuba. Also that

11:38

you are going to have a bad and

11:41

good days. it's a goes up and down

11:43

but just know that you're when you're doing

11:45

every day are you practicing and it's always

11:47

a are gonna keep getting better and the

11:49

you will have down's by your got your

11:51

thighs are going to be way higher We

11:53

were thinking about it earlier and we were

11:55

like. It's like tying a seal as I

11:58

remember. When I first started time I see. It

12:00

was really difficult and it took me a long

12:02

time and I had to think about it really

12:04

hard and and I'm to replace. I don't even

12:06

think about it. Coming. Up his

12:09

dance. A sport. But

12:12

first a message for the adults who

12:14

are listening. Support for a show comes

12:17

from Oak Meadow How his school going

12:19

this year is. The answer is not

12:21

great. Maybe. It's time to

12:23

rediscover the joy of learning. Oakmeadow

12:25

provide student centered home schooling curriculum

12:28

and teacher supported distance learning for

12:30

k through twelve. To learn how

12:32

home schooling can work for your

12:35

family. visit oakmeadow.com. This

12:38

is but why a podcast? Her

12:40

curious kids. I'm Jane Went home.

12:42

We're at Dance Theater of Harlem

12:44

today, learning from dancers Lindsay Done

12:46

now and Derek Brockington One of

12:48

you had a question about the

12:50

incredible strength and skill it takes

12:52

to do ballet and whether dancers

12:55

should get more credit as athletes.

12:57

Say. My name is Mary and

12:59

of years old I live in Eden

13:01

Prairie, Minnesota. I want to or dance

13:03

and to miss six points and if

13:06

so what is the general public think

13:08

of them Are with law Have begun

13:10

stance first an dance It because my

13:12

dad is actually a coach so I

13:14

always wanted it to be considered a

13:16

sport as well. And it is very

13:18

very athletic in the sense of how

13:20

he train and how much effort we

13:22

put in. But it's also an art

13:25

form and that comes back I think

13:27

to the. Expression. And we're not

13:29

necessarily competing for who will win

13:31

or beat the other team. Were

13:33

doing it for the love and

13:36

the beauty and nice. That's what

13:38

makes it. An. Art form that

13:40

cause people to recognize how athletic

13:42

it is for saw a man. And

13:45

the thing about dances were doing the same

13:48

thing that maybe football players are doing where

13:50

we have this huge audience watching us and

13:52

we have to make it look easy and

13:55

that is one is a big things that

13:57

I think they have separate itself from so.

14:00

Can I think it can be both? As

14:02

for an an art form, it's just different

14:04

qualities. Marin is a dancer

14:06

and a gymnast and feels like they

14:08

don't get enough credit for that and

14:10

that people are often telling Marin with

14:12

that's not a real sport and it

14:15

doesn't feel great to be told it's

14:17

not a sport because it sort of

14:19

feels like they're not respecting how strong

14:21

you have to be and how much

14:23

you have to practice and what skills

14:25

you need didn't have to do. You

14:27

feel like you get respect for the

14:29

strengthen Atlanticism that you have in this

14:31

profession. Low.

14:33

I have tried to stop thinking about

14:36

what other people think and do it

14:38

just for me because usually when I

14:40

could focus on other people's opinions athletes

14:42

me down a hole that isn't necessarily

14:45

healthy. and so if I enjoy it

14:47

and I'm doing what I wanna do,

14:49

then. That's what I go with. I

14:52

agree. My

14:55

name is Julie and I'm

14:57

says in New Zealand and

14:59

some Cambridge Massachusetts in. My

15:01

question is why do people

15:04

dance. To the Love dance. Since

15:06

the beginning of time since we

15:08

get recorded like a cave drawings,

15:10

there were pictures of people dancing

15:12

around a campfire or something. you

15:14

know, So you can dance out a

15:16

celebration out of to lay some that

15:18

he says do it took like call.

15:20

The rain on at those kind

15:23

of been so there's many many

15:25

reasons. eaten, Dance. I think for

15:27

me I dance because I love it when

15:29

I hear music and I hear that the

15:31

it's it's the only thing I want to

15:33

deal and I think I'm like is about

15:35

doing things that make you happy to sell

15:37

society him. People can dance for

15:39

a. Multitude. Of

15:41

reasons are so many and I think that for

15:44

me I dance because it is a way that

15:46

I can express myself. I don't always have my

15:48

way with words so dancing is a great way

15:50

for me to get out what I want to

15:52

say or to make somebody else feel something and

15:55

I think that a super important to like why

15:57

I I do what I do. What?

15:59

Do you feel like. They're expressing when you're

16:01

dancing. I'm expressing my my

16:04

my own emotions, I'm expressing

16:06

our intention for my work

16:08

and ah I am also

16:11

just. Doing. It so that

16:13

other people can see that they can do

16:15

it too. I feel like I'm but the

16:17

part of my dancing is is not only

16:19

just for myself what I'm doing A so

16:21

that people who are watching marry can believe

16:23

that they can do it to. Can

16:26

you tell us a little bit about

16:28

what you were rehearsing that we just

16:30

watched a minute ago and lightyear preparing

16:32

for, right? So

16:35

we were worse. Game on I William

16:37

for sites Blake works for the Bar

16:39

project and that was the opening Potted

16:41

A and we are getting that ready

16:43

for our New York season at New

16:45

York City Center. I It is one

16:47

of the opportunities that defeat of Harlem

16:50

gets to perform in New York City

16:52

and we look forward to a lot

16:54

of our friends other company can com

16:56

and it's just a really big events

16:58

and and so that is kind of

17:00

what this are. all of these dancing

17:02

all these rehearsals are for. Do

17:05

you get nervous when it's time for a

17:07

big performance? Sometimes

17:10

ideal I think because I want to

17:12

do well Then that makes me feel

17:14

a little nervous and a little today

17:16

that I try to set tell myself

17:18

that that's the reason and user extra

17:20

energy to to help me as same

17:22

brain it. Lindsay. Done

17:24

now. Had one more thing she wanted

17:27

to make sure all of you listening

17:29

understand. No matter who

17:31

you are let color you

17:33

I how tall are so

17:35

it on. What kind

17:37

of here you have no matter who you

17:39

are. If you have something and you apply

17:42

your left flat you can make Athens that

17:44

just keep believing in yourself and I think

17:46

the well as the coming of that i

17:48

am lines with place every day so maybe

17:51

at your the pace in out there to

17:53

make. Teams in the world. That's

17:56

it for today. Thanks. Very much to Dance

17:58

Theater of Harlem and as. Actually Derek

18:00

Brockington and Lindsey Darnell for

18:02

exploring questions about ballet and

18:04

dance. Now, if

18:07

you have a question about anything,

18:09

send it to us. Have an

18:11

adult help you record yourself, asking

18:13

if you can do it using

18:15

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18:17

an adult spent phone. Then have

18:19

your adult send your audio file

18:22

to questions at butwhykids.org or go

18:24

to our website butwhykids.org to upload

18:26

the file directly. We

18:28

know it can be really frustrating when

18:30

your questions are answered right away that

18:32

it's really helpful to hear from you

18:34

because getting your questions helps us understand

18:36

what kids around the world are curious

18:39

about and it guides what topics we

18:41

do next. And if you haven't listened

18:43

back to all of our episodes yet,

18:45

we have more than two hundred. check

18:47

through our archives to seize your question

18:49

has already been answered. Our

18:52

show is produced at Vermont Public by

18:54

Qian assess Skyn Melody. Both debt and

18:56

me Jane went home and it's distributed

18:58

by P R X. Our theme music

19:01

is by Luke Reynolds. Special thanks this

19:03

week to Jelly Palumbo who came along

19:05

with us to produce some videos of

19:07

our visit to Dance Theater. Of Harlem.

19:10

You'll be able to find those videos

19:12

on our social media chance. We'll be

19:14

back in two weeks with an all

19:16

new. Episode: Until Then,

19:18

Stay Curious!