By Christina Hecht Former-president and current member of BRAVO, an active group that contributes thousands of hours of volunteer assistance every year and provides vital services to support SF Ballet. May 3, 2010
BRAVO volunteers have five children to chaperone in each performance of Romeo & Juliet. Backstage with the children this evening, I had a special treat: watching Marty Pistone, the fight director on this production, teach them stage combat techniques for the performance.
In the production, the two little boys mimic their elders with some mock fighting. Marty included the girls, too, as he taught the boys their moves. “En garde! Now, advance! Cut one! Cut two!” he instructed the 11-year olds.
The children, with their ballet training, caught on quickly as Marty taught them the basic choreography for a good fight. Advance and retreat, lunge, evasion, and then some fancier work: “moullinet” (a windmilling of the weapon) and “balestra” (described by Marty as a swashbuckling kick).
Safety concerns were not overlooked. Marty taught the children to point their weapons at very specific zones of upper arm and thigh. “I’ve got to have you onstage for the next show!” he reminded his students.
Later, after the children were costumed and waiting in the wings for the Act II rehearsal to begin, I had a chance to chat with Marty, who comes to us from The Society of American Fight Directors. “This is stage combat, not competitive fencing, so it’s meant to create the illusion of a fight,” Marty told me. He led me to the rack of weapons, part of SFB’s prop department, and explained that they had matched the fight moves and the weapons used, to the time period in which the original play was set.
So when you attend SFB’s Romeo & Juliet watch for the weaponry (that is, if you can spare an iota of attention from the sheer drama of the sword-fighting), you’ll see a number of different weapons. The older lords use the broadsword, reflecting their generation. Most of the young men fight with a rapier in one hand and a short parrying dagger in the other. The item that looks like a small shield is a buckler. However, Tybalt, who exemplifies the French school of fighting, carries a main-gauche for his parrying dagger. The main-gauche (or “left hand” in French) has a broad metal piece to protect the hand.
Speaking of metal, I asked Marty about the manufacture of these weapons. They are historical replications made by American Fencer Supplies and sword maker Neil Massey from Rogue Steel Co. in Chicago, carefully maintained and repaired by our prop department. The leather scabbards were especially created by a leather-worker. At that point Assistant Stage Manager Tiffani Snow came over and said “You’re wanted on stage,” to Marty, leaving me to reflect, once again, on all the wonderful experiences that have come my way through BRAVO volunteering!
A Lesson in Swordfighting
Former-president and current member of BRAVO, an active group that contributes thousands of hours of volunteer assistance every year and provides vital services to support SF Ballet.
May 3, 2010
BRAVO volunteers have five children to chaperone in each performance of Romeo & Juliet. Backstage with the children this evening, I had a special treat: watching Marty Pistone, the fight director on this production, teach them stage combat techniques for the performance.
In the production, the two little boys mimic their elders with some mock fighting. Marty included the girls, too, as he taught the boys their moves. “En garde! Now, advance! Cut one! Cut two!” he instructed the 11-year olds.
The children, with their ballet training, caught on quickly as Marty taught them the basic choreography for a good fight. Advance and retreat, lunge, evasion, and then some fancier work: “moullinet” (a windmilling of the weapon) and “balestra” (described by Marty as a swashbuckling kick).
Safety concerns were not overlooked. Marty taught the children to point their weapons at very specific zones of upper arm and thigh. “I’ve got to have you onstage for the next show!” he reminded his students.
Later, after the children were costumed and waiting in the wings for the Act II rehearsal to begin, I had a chance to chat with Marty, who comes to us from The Society of American Fight Directors. “This is stage combat, not competitive fencing, so it’s meant to create the illusion of a fight,” Marty told me. He led me to the rack of weapons, part of SFB’s prop department, and explained that they had matched the fight moves and the weapons used, to the time period in which the original play was set.
So when you attend SFB’s Romeo & Juliet watch for the weaponry (that is, if you can spare an iota of attention from the sheer drama of the sword-fighting), you’ll see a number of different weapons. The older lords use the broadsword, reflecting their generation. Most of the young men fight with a rapier in one hand and a short parrying dagger in the other. The item that looks like a small shield is a buckler. However, Tybalt, who exemplifies the French school of fighting, carries a main-gauche for his parrying dagger. The main-gauche (or “left hand” in French) has a broad metal piece to protect the hand.
Speaking of metal, I asked Marty about the manufacture of these weapons. They are historical replications made by American Fencer Supplies and sword maker Neil Massey from Rogue Steel Co. in Chicago, carefully maintained and repaired by our prop department. The leather scabbards were especially created by a leather-worker. At that point Assistant Stage Manager Tiffani Snow came over and said “You’re wanted on stage,” to Marty, leaving me to reflect, once again, on all the wonderful experiences that have come my way through BRAVO volunteering!