Wednesday 8 February 2012

Crow Lake

Swans are graceful and elegant so it is appropriate that they have a ballet dedicated to them. Other birds, too, inspire poetry and music, crows among them.

Now, crows would be the first to admit that they do not have musical voices –far-reaching, attention-seeking, interesting, yes, but not musical. That is not to say that they do not appreciate the finer things in life – a cordon bleu meal, a night at the opera, glorious architecture, stunning art and ballet. We did not realise this – perhaps you, too, are ignorant of their sensitive nature.

The two crows who greet us each day in the forest (their names are Bill and Beatrice, by the way) noticed our scepticism about their aesthetic tastes and resolved to persuade us of their artistic leanings. We were treated to an impromptu performance of their latest oeuvre. Unfortunately they were still working on the choreography for their pas de deux so I can only show you stills from their solos. I think you will agree that their footwork is faultless. 

The photos were taken in poor light at sunset.
petit jeté(small jump)
petit jeté(small jump)
beginning of pirouette
petit saut (small jump)
 en pointe
completion of chassé 
échappé
For comparison I have downloaded a YouTube clip of Gillian Murphy, Principal Dancer of American Ballet Theatre, dancing Odile.

18 comments:

  1. Thank you for the beautiful Swan Lake. I miss dancing.

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  2. Beautiful photographs and a lovely post.

    Loved reading all of it and the links are great too.

    Hope you are having a good Wednesday.

    x Fiona

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  3. Bill and Beatrice are born ballet dancers, Janice, there's no doubt about it. The jeté, the en pointe, and the chassé are superbe.
    I'm sure they've earned a night out at l'opéra and cordon bleu pour deux.
    K

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  4. How lovely! I do like crows-such interesting birds. Great photos-you could make an animation of them to compare to the ballet. The children can usually do a good impression of a crow. What is the bird in your header? It is lovely. Another blog friend of mine Linda Sue also has a lovely bird as her header. They remind me of each other.
    http://ifeltit-poppiespoppy.blogspot.com/

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  5. Un très beau ballet du Corbeau :)

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  6. Bill and Beatrice are Beautiful!

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  7. So funny, Jabblog and very clever. Love it. You were very sharp with the photographs.

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  8. What a fun post! I've kept my eyes open for crows everywhere we traveled and love seeing the slight differences around the world. It's fun to see these graceful photos of that dramatic bird.

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  9. That is so cute. It does look like a dance. Ballet can be breathtaking. Beautiful.

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  10. LOL
    I've always like crows, but never knew they were so elegant. Wonderful post, great shots and your header photo is terrific!

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  11. What a fun post and great photos. Your writing style is fun and frisky.

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  12. Thank you all for your kind comments.
    @Sarah, the bird in my header is a Redwing, the smallest of the thrushes and a winter visitor to UK.

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  13. I adore Bill and Beatrice, they are so lucky to have such an appreciative audience.

    I think crows are beautiful and smart and often comical. Amazes me how many people don't like them or are afraid of them

    this is a delightful post

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  14. Bravo ! that's really a prima Ballerina ! Terrific pictures !
    We only have ravens and magpies here, all the little birds disappeared. (also because each household in the street has at least one cat) The magpies attack the cats and the raven make a lot of noise !
    It's still freezing cold here, tonight - 12 in Brussels !

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  15. Oh my goodness gracious! Those crows DO look like they are dancing. Picturing a "Crow Lake" Ballet makes me smile! Why not????

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  16. Oh, I love that you've captured the birds dancing! You've managed to make the crows look graceful.

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  17. No doubt your crows have taken ballet lessons!

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