Summer Glau insight by AngusThermopyle

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Summer Glau insight

POSTED BY: ANGUSTHERMOPYLE
UPDATED: Saturday, March 25, 2006 08:42
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Friday, March 24, 2006 10:26 PM

Well, not so much an insight.

Whilst watching Firefly some time ago I mentioned to my girlfriend that I thought Summer Glau had probably done some dance training. She asked me why. I said it was the way she moved. She had a certain poise and grace, and I noticed she pointed her feet in quite a balletic way.

Well, I'm currently rewatching Angel series 3 and it's the Waiting In The Wings episode. She's the prima ballerina. Guess I was right, huh?

www.ChAoS-ImAgErY.com

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 4:56 AM

PENGUIN

In one of the commentaries Joss says that Summer acts from the feet up. If you watch her she really does!

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 5:08 AM

GREATBLACKTHORN

She went to ballet school.

She'll turn you in before you can say "Don't turn me in...lady..."

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 5:08 AM

CHRONICTHEHEDGEHOG

She has a long history of dance, being a prima-ballerina until she became an actress.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 5:36 AM

ANGUSTHERMOPYLE

Quote:
Originally posted by chronicthehedgehog:
She has a long history of dance, being a prima-ballerina until she became an actress.

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Read my fanfic!
http://www.fireflyfans.net/sunroomitem.asp?i=8267]

She was certainly not a prima ballerina, having watched her dance. I'm no ballet expert, but she does seem to lack of fluidity to her dancing. I noticed it as I watched the latter part of the episode. She probably had training in dance but I'd guess she's never danced professionally. She has the posture and grace of someone whose studied it, probably as part of a drama course or went to ballet classes as a child. I would doubt very much she's been in any established productions and a prima ballerina is the lead female dancer - like Darcie Bustle or Dawn French.

www.ChAoS-ImAgErY.com

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 5:41 AM

CHRONICTHEHEDGEHOG

Um, pretty sure she was. Just check out any biography of her on the net.

From Summer-Glau.net:
A rigourous ballet training schedule required that Summer be home schooled by he mother from grades 3 to 12.
Summer trained and performed as a dancer throughout her teenage years until a serious injury forced her to take time to heal.

From imdb.com:
Summer is a native of San Antonio, TX. She's been a premier ballerina most of her life.

Joss hired her for that episode of Angel because she was a dancer.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:17 AM

ZOID

chronic and angusT:

My understanding was that Summer had to quit ballet because of that injury. Yes, it took a long while to heal; but as with sports-related injuries, it also left her unable to perform to her previous standard. She has said in an interview that when she gave up ballet, she took up acting.

My analysis is that she has good mobility on the repaired (EDIT: 'foot'), but that it affects her dancing 'flow and grace', as angus observed. In any case, she was a professional ballerina for years.

...As was Neve Campbell, btw, who also took up acting after a serious injury (per her recollections on "Dinner For Five", a series on IFC that I highly recommend to those who are interested in the inside scoop on moviemaking). If Joss ever needs another psychic assassin to pit against River, Ms. Campbell might be a good fit in the part.

I love ballerinas' feet. They are not beautiful per se, but you can see the skill written on them, like a guitarist's fingers or a pianist's hands. These are the instruments though which their art/soul flows.

Just saying...

Casually,

zoid

P.S.
If this ballerina-foot fetish makes me a perv, at least I'm in good company. Joss is clearly obsessed with Summer's feet too, and has admitted as much.

P.P.S.
"Dinner For Five", tonight (25 Mar 06) at 7:30PM, on IFC. I've written the show thru ifctv.com suggesting they have the Firefly crew on -- that would be a great show, imo -- but no luck thus far. Maybe one or two of y'all could drop 'em, a line, too? It's four guests plus J. Favreau, so, I'm thinking Joss (for obvious reasons, plus he and Jon share a fanaticism for comics), Nat (because he could also reminisce about working with Spielberg), Adam (because he once worked with Kubrick), and most probably Alan because of his breadth of experience (i.e., Broadway stage work) and because he's more quick-witted and a ready conversationalist than the other cast members. But, the first three nominees should be a slam dunk...
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"I aim to misbehave." -Capt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity, a.k.a. 'the BDBOF'

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:28 AM

DONCOAT

Summer's injury was to her foot, not a knee.

She was dancing lead roles in a regional ballet company, and hoped to move up to the Houston Ballet (one of the top companies in the country) in the very year that her injury occurred.

She compounded the initial injury by continuing to dance on her bad foot for several months. It was a secondary injury during that time that ended her ballet dream.

She moved to Hollywood seeking a career in other kinds of dance first, before landing the acting roles. Her injury prevented her from dancing en pointe, but she was still able to dance less demanding styles (as in Safe, for example).

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I don't disagree on any particular point.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:42 AM

ZOID

DonCoat:

Thanks. I hadn't read precisely what the injury was. I assumed, incorrectly, the knee. Having suffered a rupture of every ligament in my left knee, I can tell you that I will never be the same. I guess they'd call that 'projection'...

v/r,
-zed

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