Edgar Degas, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, 1878-1881, yellow wax, hair, ribbon, linen bodice, satin shoes, muslin tutu, wood base, overall without base 39 x 14 x 14 inches (National Gallery of Art #1999.80.28).

"This is the only sculpture Degas exhibited in his lifetime."

"Edgar Degas had a passion for illustrating the ballet and ballerinas in action; the guy lived, breathed, and loved to watch how ballerinas would practice their routines and perform on stage in front of hundreds of people at the Paris Opera Ballet. The ballerinas there were often referred to as “opera rats” (since they were small girls who would prance around the stage) and my favorite is Marie van Goethem."

"Marie was special because Degas didn’t only choose to paint her, but he made a sculpture of her that will forever be loved and here’s why: normally, sculptures only consisted of one medium (which at the time was heavily bronze-based) though Degas thought outside the box and the Little Dancer sculpture is made out of clay and wax and includes real garments that ballerinas wore such as a tulle tutu, a corset, real ballet slippers, lace wrapped around her legs, and a ribbon in her hair. You would think that when Degas exhibited his sculpture the crowds and judges of the Salons (annual exhibitions that required artists having their works approved by a committee) would love it for its originality, but sadly, it caused uproar."

"See, Marie, who came from a low class Parisian family, was only 14 years old when Degas decided to make a sculpture of her—the sculpture is called Little Dancer of Fourteen Years— and because of her age, she was described as looking like a monkey, being very ugly, coming from the lowest of the classes, and not worthy of being made into a sculpture. Regardless of the negative criticism the sculpture received when it was exhibited in the 1881 Impressionist Exhibition, the Little Dancer of Fourteen Years is today very popular and loved by all, and there are over 20 bronze copies in the U.S. and Europe for you to go and see, each with a real tulle tutu and hair bow." -Yarden Elias, Rutgers

Jay Edgar Tutu DezMonde "is a maquette for a larger 39 inch (the size of Degas' dancer sculpture)version I plan to do. It's sculpted in Chavant Le Beau Touche' brown oil clay, 16 inches tall. The base is 7 1/2 inches square. The tutu won't be cast." -Chuck Williams, 715u272v1750

Barack and Michelle Obama doing pushups with Bishop Desmond Tutu

Translated Polish to English: Michelle Obama (47 years old) is not afraid of any work! In fact the width of her shoulders has been commented on by those who know a lot about lat dancing. Obligations of a first lady of the United States are sometimes surprising. During a visit to South Africa, the wife of Barack Obama (50 years old) played ball, and then did pushups. All this, in order to promote healthy lifestyles among people of Africa. Michelle generously threw herself on the floor and began to push like the Terminator(to terminate Arnold). Has not lost confidence, even if pumping(to t