I haven't written about my activities for a while and I need to get back on track because things have a way of slipping away if you don't pay attention. Time just drifts aimlessly by sometimes and we often have nothing to show for it, so I need to get back on my toes....my puppy was found eating my pointe shoes but I managed to salvage them before they were completely ruined. Now to fix the ribbons and straps on my ballet slippers. Puppy takes a lot of my time lately, but he won't be a puppy much longer and it's such a sweet time. Well...
I went to morning class because puppy kept me awake with his activities. I was going to sleep but he kept nudging at me to wake up, like he knew what I wanted to do, and that if I did it early, he would have more time with me. So I went downtown, kind of sleepy, into class...
There were only about 6 people in class, which used to make me uncomfortable but now I am used to it, since ballet is not as popular as hip hop or jazz, it seems, but I actually like pretending to be a fairy princess. The teacher interrupted me at one point to say, Dorothy, listen to me, I am saying....when I asked her a question about engaging the glutes in turnout. The whole class focused on turnout and moving the thighs inside the joint without disturbing the hips or torso. Since the teacher said to use the backs of our legs and hold our muscles, the question came to mind about what muscles to use, and just as someone else always said, you never relax these muscles. "Let them pay rent," as the teacher said.
After class, another student asked if there were exercises to get these turnout muscles stronger and the teacher spent some time showing us what she used to do when she was dancing, saying that the exercises, the clam, turning the leg in and out in parallel, pushing against a wall, were tedious but, if done, class will seem easier and you will be working correctly and not just faking it. Really, it is the only way to get better and the teacher said there will be a difference in the way a jump looks and the way it feels and it will lead to stronger dancing.
Then I got home and took puppy out and he was surprisingly good, walking nicely on his leash with the help of his new harness. We went to the beach and to a little park near the boulevard. When we got home, I got ready for the gym and Pilates and yoga. Taking these two classes together really has boosted my stamina, although it was hard at first. Now I can get through both and after Pilates, yoga was very relaxing. My favorite teacher who is a dancer taught and he always gives me new insights into the practice of yoga. After class I just floated home, feeling 10 years younger...
I went to morning class because puppy kept me awake with his activities. I was going to sleep but he kept nudging at me to wake up, like he knew what I wanted to do, and that if I did it early, he would have more time with me. So I went downtown, kind of sleepy, into class...
There were only about 6 people in class, which used to make me uncomfortable but now I am used to it, since ballet is not as popular as hip hop or jazz, it seems, but I actually like pretending to be a fairy princess. The teacher interrupted me at one point to say, Dorothy, listen to me, I am saying....when I asked her a question about engaging the glutes in turnout. The whole class focused on turnout and moving the thighs inside the joint without disturbing the hips or torso. Since the teacher said to use the backs of our legs and hold our muscles, the question came to mind about what muscles to use, and just as someone else always said, you never relax these muscles. "Let them pay rent," as the teacher said.
After class, another student asked if there were exercises to get these turnout muscles stronger and the teacher spent some time showing us what she used to do when she was dancing, saying that the exercises, the clam, turning the leg in and out in parallel, pushing against a wall, were tedious but, if done, class will seem easier and you will be working correctly and not just faking it. Really, it is the only way to get better and the teacher said there will be a difference in the way a jump looks and the way it feels and it will lead to stronger dancing.
Then I got home and took puppy out and he was surprisingly good, walking nicely on his leash with the help of his new harness. We went to the beach and to a little park near the boulevard. When we got home, I got ready for the gym and Pilates and yoga. Taking these two classes together really has boosted my stamina, although it was hard at first. Now I can get through both and after Pilates, yoga was very relaxing. My favorite teacher who is a dancer taught and he always gives me new insights into the practice of yoga. After class I just floated home, feeling 10 years younger...
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