Really Monday night still...tired after ballet class followed by Pilates and then yoga, but it was worth it because I feel great. However, the yoga teacher was right about too much activity keeping you up all night. Better to work out during the day, I guess. Anyhow, Yasir, my puppy, had a good run in the sand at the beach again. I am taking advantage of his size to let him go because when he is older and stronger he will not be so easy to contain and also, people think he is cute and he gets away with it...
I went to a new class in the South Loop area today but it was cancelled since no one else showed up. But, the teacher said he is looking for some students to put on a performance and asked me if I was interested, wow! I think a performance would really motivate me, too, to get really better, since I would be in the public eye. So we talked and he said he admired my dedication and how I work. He told me dance is his passion and so, naturally, with passion comes work and dedication to perfect the thing you love, I think.
So I returned home in the chilly afternoon and took my puppy for a walk and then headed for class. After my conversation in the morning, I really applied myself in class and the teacher likewise worked with me more, saying things like, curve your arms more and keep them in front of your body, tuck in your stomach when you turn, move your head more, more energy, jump higher...it was great to be treated like a colleague...
In yoga class, the teacher corrected my shoulders and I asked him how he did it, because I could really feel the difference in my stance, and he said he just pulled my shoulder blades down. This is the key, to keep the bones down and not lift them when moving, as in ballet, when the teacher said, "put your hand on your waist and don't move it." Pilates was rough, it seems harder now. I think I am reaching a plateau and hopefully a new level, now that I understand and feel my core. Now the next step will be to use my muscles better.
Ballet class:
Barre:
1. Tendu point roll through arch, place foot down, plie; en croix.
2. Tendus with plies; port de bras.
3. Tendus en croix, degages in 1st with arms.
4. Ronde jambes with fondus, developpe front to passe to arabesque; penches.
5. Turns at barre with balance in a la seconde.
6. Frappes en croix with doubles to side, repeat on demi-toe.
7. Rende jambes en l'air with fouette turns.
8. Developpes, heel in hand stretch.
9. Grand battements with swing arms.
Center:
1. Tendus forward a la seconde, degages to side, plie passe pirouettes.
2. Chasse pas de bourre pirouettes en dedans, pirouettes en dehors ending in arabesque fondu.
3. Adagio: Tendu croise devant, step with arms an haute, developpe ecarte, fouette to arabesque, promenade in attitude to third arabesque, fondu, pas de bourre, pirouettes.
4. Balance front and back, pique turns, coupe grand ronde jambe to pirouette; try pirouettes a la seconde in en dedans.
5. Jumps: changements with echappe pas de bourre sou sou balance.
6. Glissade assembles with sissonnes changing in seconde, pas de chats with 5th arms.
7. Temps leve arabesque, skip pas de bourre, arabesque temps leve with 2nd arm; repeat reverse -- tricky!
The teacher made comments about getting the combinations right, saying that in a company when a director says something, you must do it immediately, not the third time you hear it, because companies don't have money to pay for lengthy rehearsals. Also, move the head when you jump, don't sit in plies. Watch yourself in the mirror sideways like you are somebody else, she said. This was really helpful...
Yoga: sun salutations, warrior 1 and 2, triangle, reverse triangle, chair pose, lunges, boat pose, inversions. Enjoy the new space you feel...
Pilates: move arms across body, bridge poses, roll ups, rocking body, planks with leg lifts back, pushups, side series with leg extensions, teaser...
...Tuesday ballet class was another audition class, lots of dancers:
1. Tendu combination: tendu 2x croise devant, cou de pied, tendu side to back, tendu epaule, efface, tendus side to other side; repeat reverse and then away from mirror.
2. Soutenu releve ecarte tombe pas de basque, waltz in line, chasse pas de bourre pirouette en dehors.
3. Jumps en face, turning, 1st, 2nd, changement, plie rest.
4. Zig zag grand jetes.
5. Cool down stretch, hands on floor.
We went over the second combinaton at length, with arm corrections and this teacher 5-point pirouette: broad shoulders, press leg into ground, and suddenly I felt like I was pirouetting around on one leg!!!
--Today I tried to pay attention to the teacher, even though I had done this barre so often, after the conversation yesterday about respecting class, I will pay more attention to other people and not be so, well, self-centered...
Then it was time for the gym, where they are having their annual March Madness, and I headed for the Pilates stretch class, a lot like yoga except not as ritualistic. We did hamstring stretches, stretching our head sideways, shoulder rolls, arm stretches...then I opted to go to the Pilates room, skipping yoga this once, and I got to use the Reformer and Cadillac machines. After this I felt really tired and tried to swim but the gym was crowded because of the free food and music and so I walked underwater for a while and went home to play with puppy!
Reformer: Press pelvis down and contract abs, really push everything down, legs in straps, push legs away at 45 degrees in a Pilates plie. I could feel the traction and resistance.
Cadillac: Arm presses really worked my midback, hard to press bars away, and then pick up pelvis in bridge while pressing arm bar. This was extremely exhausting because I used muscles I never used before, the fine ones right into the joints. Grueling but really worth it, like everything that is hard, you feel great afterward.
I went to a new class in the South Loop area today but it was cancelled since no one else showed up. But, the teacher said he is looking for some students to put on a performance and asked me if I was interested, wow! I think a performance would really motivate me, too, to get really better, since I would be in the public eye. So we talked and he said he admired my dedication and how I work. He told me dance is his passion and so, naturally, with passion comes work and dedication to perfect the thing you love, I think.
So I returned home in the chilly afternoon and took my puppy for a walk and then headed for class. After my conversation in the morning, I really applied myself in class and the teacher likewise worked with me more, saying things like, curve your arms more and keep them in front of your body, tuck in your stomach when you turn, move your head more, more energy, jump higher...it was great to be treated like a colleague...
In yoga class, the teacher corrected my shoulders and I asked him how he did it, because I could really feel the difference in my stance, and he said he just pulled my shoulder blades down. This is the key, to keep the bones down and not lift them when moving, as in ballet, when the teacher said, "put your hand on your waist and don't move it." Pilates was rough, it seems harder now. I think I am reaching a plateau and hopefully a new level, now that I understand and feel my core. Now the next step will be to use my muscles better.
Ballet class:
Barre:
1. Tendu point roll through arch, place foot down, plie; en croix.
2. Tendus with plies; port de bras.
3. Tendus en croix, degages in 1st with arms.
4. Ronde jambes with fondus, developpe front to passe to arabesque; penches.
5. Turns at barre with balance in a la seconde.
6. Frappes en croix with doubles to side, repeat on demi-toe.
7. Rende jambes en l'air with fouette turns.
8. Developpes, heel in hand stretch.
9. Grand battements with swing arms.
Center:
1. Tendus forward a la seconde, degages to side, plie passe pirouettes.
2. Chasse pas de bourre pirouettes en dedans, pirouettes en dehors ending in arabesque fondu.
3. Adagio: Tendu croise devant, step with arms an haute, developpe ecarte, fouette to arabesque, promenade in attitude to third arabesque, fondu, pas de bourre, pirouettes.
4. Balance front and back, pique turns, coupe grand ronde jambe to pirouette; try pirouettes a la seconde in en dedans.
5. Jumps: changements with echappe pas de bourre sou sou balance.
6. Glissade assembles with sissonnes changing in seconde, pas de chats with 5th arms.
7. Temps leve arabesque, skip pas de bourre, arabesque temps leve with 2nd arm; repeat reverse -- tricky!
The teacher made comments about getting the combinations right, saying that in a company when a director says something, you must do it immediately, not the third time you hear it, because companies don't have money to pay for lengthy rehearsals. Also, move the head when you jump, don't sit in plies. Watch yourself in the mirror sideways like you are somebody else, she said. This was really helpful...
Yoga: sun salutations, warrior 1 and 2, triangle, reverse triangle, chair pose, lunges, boat pose, inversions. Enjoy the new space you feel...
Pilates: move arms across body, bridge poses, roll ups, rocking body, planks with leg lifts back, pushups, side series with leg extensions, teaser...
...Tuesday ballet class was another audition class, lots of dancers:
1. Tendu combination: tendu 2x croise devant, cou de pied, tendu side to back, tendu epaule, efface, tendus side to other side; repeat reverse and then away from mirror.
2. Soutenu releve ecarte tombe pas de basque, waltz in line, chasse pas de bourre pirouette en dehors.
3. Jumps en face, turning, 1st, 2nd, changement, plie rest.
4. Zig zag grand jetes.
5. Cool down stretch, hands on floor.
We went over the second combinaton at length, with arm corrections and this teacher 5-point pirouette: broad shoulders, press leg into ground, and suddenly I felt like I was pirouetting around on one leg!!!
--Today I tried to pay attention to the teacher, even though I had done this barre so often, after the conversation yesterday about respecting class, I will pay more attention to other people and not be so, well, self-centered...
Then it was time for the gym, where they are having their annual March Madness, and I headed for the Pilates stretch class, a lot like yoga except not as ritualistic. We did hamstring stretches, stretching our head sideways, shoulder rolls, arm stretches...then I opted to go to the Pilates room, skipping yoga this once, and I got to use the Reformer and Cadillac machines. After this I felt really tired and tried to swim but the gym was crowded because of the free food and music and so I walked underwater for a while and went home to play with puppy!
Reformer: Press pelvis down and contract abs, really push everything down, legs in straps, push legs away at 45 degrees in a Pilates plie. I could feel the traction and resistance.
Cadillac: Arm presses really worked my midback, hard to press bars away, and then pick up pelvis in bridge while pressing arm bar. This was extremely exhausting because I used muscles I never used before, the fine ones right into the joints. Grueling but really worth it, like everything that is hard, you feel great afterward.
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