Friday and Scoopage

Scoopage, the Pilates instructor said, meaning to scope in your abdominal wall instead of stick it out.  Nothing should stick out, I guess.  So we had a traditional Pilates class, bridges, leg circles, side series, roll ups, and the like.  The teacher asked what we would like to work on in the future, and I said hip flexors, noticing how my hips were so wobbly in the side series, where you move your legs but not your hips.  This came into play again in tonight's ballet class.

First I went in the pool and walked around, not having time for a swim and wanting to get to class.  There were a lot of Academy students there as well as familiar faces from other places I have been.  It seems like after a while you see the same set of people who regularly go to class, although you don't really know who they are.  They are your dance buddies and the dance world is strange in that we know and don't know each other, but it's good that way and I guess it teaches you not to get personally involved in a professional sense.

It was the same class as before, with the same confusing barre combinations.  "First fifth, fifth first, fifth fifth, pas de cheval en croix, pique pique fifth,  pique pique seconde fifth, pique back swing, pique front fifth, pique side fifth, pique back fifth, fifth fifth fifth. (Degage combination).  Good for the mind.  Then in center we did the same tendu pirouette combination, also confusing: tendu front 2x, tendu back, tendu side side, tendu en croix, plie pas de bourre pirouettes.  Next was adagio: developpe croise, developpe arabesque, developpe ecarte, pique arabesque pas de bourre, inside turns.  Then more confusion in the jumps: 3x first, 3x seconde, 2x changements; then jumps echappe when assembles and also temps leves jetes with temps de cuisse.  The grande allegro was balance, balance, chasse pas de bourre pirouette, waltz in line, pique arabesque faille, step cambre attitude, pas de bourre en tournant, pirouettes with fouette turns.

Everybody in class is quite earnest and competitive in a good way and I enjoyed dancing once again with a wonderful teacher.  My turns are getting more solid from Pilates except for my still wobbly left leg; I asked a student about this and if she ever had this experience, and she suggested that I do in and out passes to strengthen the thigh.  It is always nice chatting with other students about dancing.  I did notice my stance in the mirror and tried to stand square.  I also tried to move my torso more, like the teacher in yesterday's class, to move the ribcage, but this flexibility will require more work tomorrow...