Main Piece: Saying “Merde” to ballet dancers in place of “Good luck” or “Break a leg” Background: This saying was told to me by my informant who has participated in various dance groups for close to 13 years. She is most formally trained in ballet through a local performing arts center known as KCYA. She… Continue Reading »
Main Piece: “So I did ballet for many years and usually when someone has a performance, at least where I grew up, you would say ‘break a leg!’ to wish them luck. It’s a weird thing. I don’t know where it came from. But…um… in dance we were never allowed to say ‘break a leg’… Continue Reading »
Informant (“A”) is a 19 year old, female from Rancho Santa Fe, California, and attends The University of Southern California. She is a Human Biology major. She is of European descent and her family includes her mother, father, and older brother who attends college in Texas. Informant has studied ballet for 17 years, including work… Continue Reading »
Item: Me: “Do people look for their specific lip marks when they come back?” Informant: “Oh god no, it would be impossible to find them.” In the informant’s ballet company, when a member was doing their last performance of a show (as in, your last ever Nutcracker performance), it was tradition to put on bright… Continue Reading »
Item: Me: “At what age did that start? I feel like it’s a little weird to encourage six year old girls to run around saying ‘shit’ in French.” Informant: “Hahah no no it started when you were like officially in a show at the company, like as an apprentice.” The methods for creating good luck… Continue Reading »