5 on Friday -- Set 249

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!

My husband and I had a great evening at the Sarah McLachlan concert here in Halifax last week.

This week's 5 on Friday includes songs from her concert set list. 

1 - Adia 

2 - Angel    

3 - Sweet Surrender   

4 - River

This one was a request from the audience -- could she sing a favorite Christmas tune?

   

5 - The Sound That Love Makes

This was the last song of her encore, a tune by Luke Doucet  

5 on Friday -- Set 248

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Now that November has arrived, it's time for my monthly feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

This will come as no surprise to any of you -- my favorite music of all is ballet scores.

I know -- shocking, right?

Here are five of my favorite ballet composers and the scores that launched their careers in that musical form.

1 - Swan Lake main theme - composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikoksky - 1876

Main theme begins at the 1:46 mark and ends at the 3:22 mark

2 - Romeo and Juliet main theme - composed by Sergei Prokofiev - 1935 

3 - The Firebird final theme - composed by Igor Stravinsky - 1910

Final theme begins at the 37:33 mark and ends at the 40:26 mark

4 - Giselle main wilis theme - composed by Adolphe Adam - 1841

Wilis theme begins at the 6:05 mark and ends at the 8:42 mark

5 - La Bayadere's Nikia theme - composed by Ludwig Minkus - 1877

Nikia (who is the temple dancer or bayadere of the title) theme begins at the 0:00 mark and ends at the 3:13 mark

I'm blogging at The Popculturedivas today

Join me at The Popculturedivas for Heroines and Vixens Panel at Hal-Con Sci-Fi Convention, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Dona Nobis Pacem -- 8 -- Blog 4 Peace

Once again it is my great joy to take part in Blog 4 Peace, started by Mimi Lenox over at her blog in 2006.

I missed the very beginning of her challenge, but it didn't take me long to discover her peace movement rippling out over the blogosphere. 2008 was my first Blog Blast for Peace.

Today Blog 4 Peace takes place across all forms of social media. On Facebook, on Twitter, on Pinterest, probably on Tumblr and Instagram and more than likely on other platforms I haven't yet heard about.

The challenge that goes out to all of us each year is to bring the ideal of peace to the forefront of our collective consciousness by flooding the internet with messages of peace. Mimi's event has grown over the years to include participants from countries all across the globe.

Today, from my eastern Canadian part of the world, I'd like to share a piece of ballet with you that deals with forgiveness.

Many people who are drawn to Blog 4 Peace find themselves disheartened by the state of the world, currently fighting its share of battles politically, socially and in its most primal form -- environmentally.

When faced with such Big Picture issues, we're often advised to look within ourselves as the starting point for change.

One of the most difficult feats to achieve for any person is to experience forgiveness.

As hard as it is, it's still more common to forgive someone who has wronged us than to forgive ourselves.

In this ballet -- Giselle -- a nobleman betrays the peasant girl he loves by forsaking her in favor of his arranged marriage to a woman from the aristocracy. When Giselle dies of a broken heart, the nobleman Albrecht visits her grave in the forest where he is in danger from the Wilis, the vengeful spirits of wronged women.

Giselle, who has joined the ranks of the Wilis, reunites with Albrecht and they dance a pas de deux (or duet) of forgiveness.

The dance language in this piece between Giselle and Albrecht uses trust movements, support movements, risk movements, balance movements (as she makes the decision to forgive) and symmetrical mirror movements (to show how this couple has achieved a deeper connection following her death, now that her spirit understands his true remorse and as he acknowledges his wrongdoing.) 

Because forgiveness is a means of letting go, of refusing to let negativity entrap our futures, on this Blog 4 Peace Day I offer forgiveness as something we can do within ourselves to effect change.

The piece I'm sharing with you today begins at the 4:45 mark, and ends at the 10:11 mark.

Giselle is performed by Natalia Osipova, and Albrecht is performed by Vladimir Shklyarov.