After dance class, my senses are always sharper. As I walked home, the cold spring air didn't seem as cold, but then I did stop at the gym on the way home to soak in the whirlpool, steam bath and sauna, which I hadn't done lately. I tried to swim but did not want to walk home with wet hair, so this will be on my agenda tomorrow morning, before Pilates class.
The adult ballet class was spartanly attended and two people dropped out, making it even harder for the remainder of class, but I enjoyed the extra exertion. I only do better when I am near the point of fatigue anyway, because it's in my peasant blood, I guess, to finish something no matter what. We did a nice warmup barre and the teacher told us to focus on pulling up the backs of the legs all the way up and I needed this reminder because I always tend to have my knees slightly bent.
Before class I asked the teacher if she had ever experienced back problems and asked her what I could do and she recommended arching my back more, which is what another teacher said. During the end of class, she also told me not to bend forward when I did plies, after I asked her how to stop a pirouette. Just bend down, she said, and I again complained that my back wouldn't let me...it is often hard to do plies because of my stiff back and I think it is because of years of training in the old days where they always told you to have a straight, flat back. Now, everyone knows there should be a natural arch in the spine.
That is why I appreciate the gym and working out, and learning about the body, but there is nothing that has ever kept me in shape as much as ballet. It has always helped me stay slim and vibrant and also feel feminine. The gym is great but the danger is to be too sporty and when form is gone, so goes grace, I think. That is why I am such a stickler, and it was good to be in class again after being depressed after hearing about a rude comment about me in yesterday's class. I know that people may laugh at me for having such discipline, even in my eating habits, which have radically changed over the years so that I can't imagine not eating healthy, but it is my way and I never feel my best when I veer off my track.
Now I am with puppy again, whom I took out in spurts today because of the cold, and we are winding down, although puppies will be puppies...
Class:
1. Tendus sideways with circular arms, chasse pirouette en dehors, rotation, pirouette en dedans...
2. Adagio: Stand 5th position, move arms to side and then to 3rd position, rotate arms in elonge, circular port de bras, pirouette en dedans, rotation, pirouette en dehors, developpe a la seconde, ronde jambes en l'air, plie, dedans turn, chainnes...
3. Jumps changements to echappe releve, 5th, glissade assemble, glissade assemble, assemble, assemble, jete, jete.
A great part of this adult class was devoted to corrections and body alignment, with emphasis on port de bras and coordination.
The adult ballet class was spartanly attended and two people dropped out, making it even harder for the remainder of class, but I enjoyed the extra exertion. I only do better when I am near the point of fatigue anyway, because it's in my peasant blood, I guess, to finish something no matter what. We did a nice warmup barre and the teacher told us to focus on pulling up the backs of the legs all the way up and I needed this reminder because I always tend to have my knees slightly bent.
Before class I asked the teacher if she had ever experienced back problems and asked her what I could do and she recommended arching my back more, which is what another teacher said. During the end of class, she also told me not to bend forward when I did plies, after I asked her how to stop a pirouette. Just bend down, she said, and I again complained that my back wouldn't let me...it is often hard to do plies because of my stiff back and I think it is because of years of training in the old days where they always told you to have a straight, flat back. Now, everyone knows there should be a natural arch in the spine.
That is why I appreciate the gym and working out, and learning about the body, but there is nothing that has ever kept me in shape as much as ballet. It has always helped me stay slim and vibrant and also feel feminine. The gym is great but the danger is to be too sporty and when form is gone, so goes grace, I think. That is why I am such a stickler, and it was good to be in class again after being depressed after hearing about a rude comment about me in yesterday's class. I know that people may laugh at me for having such discipline, even in my eating habits, which have radically changed over the years so that I can't imagine not eating healthy, but it is my way and I never feel my best when I veer off my track.
Now I am with puppy again, whom I took out in spurts today because of the cold, and we are winding down, although puppies will be puppies...
Class:
1. Tendus sideways with circular arms, chasse pirouette en dehors, rotation, pirouette en dedans...
2. Adagio: Stand 5th position, move arms to side and then to 3rd position, rotate arms in elonge, circular port de bras, pirouette en dedans, rotation, pirouette en dehors, developpe a la seconde, ronde jambes en l'air, plie, dedans turn, chainnes...
3. Jumps changements to echappe releve, 5th, glissade assemble, glissade assemble, assemble, assemble, jete, jete.
A great part of this adult class was devoted to corrections and body alignment, with emphasis on port de bras and coordination.
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