Democracy: the ballet work
An American interpretation of the Nutcracker and the influence of LA COSA NOSTRA
M usic has been the background of my daily life forever, including the finals during my school years. My parents gave up lecturing because it was distracting, as I managed to be an honor student. Needless to say, dancing was a normal activity.
Archeology had already shown the evidence that before the invention of the written languages, dance was a form of telling stories from one generation to another. The different cultures created their own dancing styles, expressing healing rituals, ecstatic trance dances, war dances along with their social development, which still continues to these days.
As an example, Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, as a performance dance, later on changing into a concert dance format in France and Russia. Along the centuries it became a highly technical style of dance, developing its own vocabulary, same as technology has been doing in our time. Everything follows the same evolutionary process, Including, how we use, define nouns, adjectives, verbs, covfefe, moron, idiot, boom boom boom, genius, awesome, values, traditions, patriotism, social affiliations, organizations, etc. La Cosa Nostra is a perfect example of a tight family style organization with clear use of traditions, and values and it's own technical terminology.
The performance dance was turned into dance work, deposited into the hands of a choreographer to create all the necessary movements, following the creative idea of a musical composer (who sets the tone . . .) to ultimately go into a production, which in turn, can be defined as a classic, a success or a bomb. Each production follows the same process, as choreographers come and go.
The ensemble: few will remain popular as long as they continue to have the public support, which in fact are the ones who decide who they think masters the best Battement en Fonde ever, the Grand Fouetté, Five double tours with perfection, the most incredible seven double with additional triple Fouettés like feather, or the Cheshire cat lift. That’s entertainment or life itself.
The Nutcracker is the production dance work that comes to mind due to its name, and as a yearly mood-setter for the holiday season in the performing art: tradition, family values, togetherness, and all of the theatrical pageantry we go through at the end of the year. The first original production was performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 18 December 1892. After all these decades, there has never been a producer, or composer with a new alternative for the season.
When you think of it, why bother? Looking upon the times we are living, can you think of a better title, for a ballet composed and designed by brilliant Russian artists, paradox? 
It is similar to history, which keeps repeating the same issues from the caverns to the 21 century. You would think nuclear capacity, spacewalking, the possibility of urbanizing planet Mars would open the mind for humans' self-improvement. Hard to crack the nuts in political leadership too.
In ballet, the end of the year will keep offering the Nutcracker interpretation with a new production through the work of a different ensemble. While in politic we have to put up with the same ensemble of nuts, in which none have really been cracked or smacked. They continue to be in one piece, surrounding the prima ballerina of the same production, but diligently voted in by a group of people with a short vision for the future of the nation.
As a technical dance work they are in essence an assemble and, no matter how many variations, the basics are always the same. More like tendu en avant, moving as a ballon.
The problem has been that none had a great ballon during the election year, as their landing was not gracious or smooth. In 2016, maybe one seemed to have in the beginning, a good ballonné like Bernie. But, he only was able to bend his knee to a sur le cou-de-pied position at 45 degrees. That is, a petite ballonné. Let’s face it, no candidate will ever win inside a capitalist society by promising lots of freebeess or social benefits for the needy. Only no-tax for the 1% who pays for the massive fake news propaganda.
I thought Hillary' s ballonné would get to the 90 degrees. But she received a bas on battement, grand from: the FBI, the Republican persecution committee, and plenty of misogyny. For heaven's sake, have you forgotten that she is a woman? It has been few years since the 2016 election, and they continue to compete with her. Naturally, she still is the most qualified leader for the role. Nevertheless, the audience has always chosen reality TV characters or “vulgarians” because they make better scandalous spectacles.
I must say, that even though the Nutcracker is a classic battement Fondue --please, don't confuse it with the Swiss melted cheese dish as it has an e after the u. We must remember that anything Swiss only enters the conversation when we mention watches or money from dictators,stolen art works, mob, corrupt politicians or any other powerful forces with hidden money-- the political dance work was more of a battement jeté, grand. By the way, is a term and style used more often in the Russian school to describe how a grand battement is “thrown” (clearly, Facebook can attest to it, and the no-actions from the unpatriotic party in power, hungry for Putin’s bare chest and their systemic love for bigotry and hypocrisy). Closer to a batterie mixed with jeté battu.
In all, these last two years have been like The Nutcracker ballet work has always been (and forever will be) a ballet blanc (regardless K West idea about slavery or Ben Carson) in which the various dancers are still doing the port de bras to accuse Hillary, in a way that reminded us the infamous familiar scenes of 1933- 1945, with the support of plenty of balletomane (fans) in frantic trance screaming “lock her up,” continuing throughout 2017 and beyond. Or, until the 99% public wise up.
I must mention, again, that balletomane is a word invented in Russia (around 1930) with the suffix-mane coming from the word “mania” (for maniac). Putin has finally turned into the muse of America’s idea of democracy, with full support by the majority party, clearly betraying the principles of the American Constitution, supported by a hungry mob of capitalists who love to deal with the Russians oligarchs. The obsession with his naked toned torso on top of a horse, dipping inside a pool of ice proving faith in God or shirtless fishing helped to raise his poll numbers, as narcissism is on high demand, together with assault on women. Let’s face it, with demand for Erectile Dysfunction throughout the entire political spectrum, and corporation “elite” aging, envy about his physical condition is high.
It seems to me that the system is really brise vole (not to be confused with the small rodent used to study monogamy in humans. Although, it seems that there is a parallel between rodents and democracy. Hum . . . something to think about) and, it will take a great effort to straightening it as it looks more as a camber, quasi like chaines. It will need a lot of changements to chasse, but in a technique closer to chasse en toumant.
The press was rejoicing throughout the unfolding events due to ratings. I can clearly state: they are willing to battement degage used in Cecchetti technique, even if their reputation is on brise forwards or backwards or brise vole, without thinking about using balance during a cabriole, double. Naturally, lately, after the attack of being the enemy of the country, they have been remembering on how to spell accountability, and actually, using it. A touch late I'm afraid.
I guess the future of democracy, the dance work of the political system at the moment, is between chaines turns, chasse en tourmant, and at the hands of a choreographer/ballerine , who has no clue what a cinq is. Although, he is an expert in “battement en cloche” doing the compound step, without thinking about any contretemps, as he is used to perform many coryphée without accountability.
In the meantime, braise yourselves for the coupe-chasse en toumant before a saute basque. Try to practice your croix, en with your legs (it’s hard, as it is easier with the hands . . . ) taking it all in en dedans, and degage (not easy, as you have to développé a stomach for the banquette . . . ). Or, choose the easiest détourne on demi-point, which is something you hear a lot, and translate it as “having an open mind” while democracy is devant in an échappe right in front of your eyes, in the hands of a reality etoile TV doing finger turns.
In my case, I have been trying to control my fouette saute in order not to fondu my positive outlook in life. The universe has shown it has survived all the flic-flacs en dedans, and en dehors humans can do, because it can revenge back.
At the end of the day, history has proven over and over again, life can perform the fastest grande finale with a gargouillade mixed with rond the jambs, that will take you running for your life in a grande jeté. You can scream all you want and try to beat as fast as you can your pas de bourree, but you cannot fight its cycles.
Marcel Proust: As long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say what they think, free to think what they will, freedom can never be lost and science can never regress.
