Tuesday morning -- Class with Mike

Mike is the most wonderful teacher.  His classes always make me happy.  I never sleep through the night, but I must go back to bed and rest for class.
...Class over and his dance company is rehearsing for a benefit performance tomorrow.  It's so inspiring to see his company dancers in class.  I wore my pointe shoes at barre and somehow my hip was better today but my feet wouldn't point!  After barre, I drank water for 10 seconds like one of my other teachers told me to and tried walking en pointe.  I noticed how weak my upper legs were.  Need to do leg lifts again, I think.
Center was walk out to front, developpe arabesque, lunge back in efface, soutenu, developpe seconde, developpe croise devant, walk off.  We practiced the arms and head positions over and over.  That is what I like about Mike, he pays attention to details.  Then we jumped:  temps leve arabesque, glissade assemble, faille, assemble, assemble.  Cool down was walk out at random, lunge, port de bras away and to the "audience."  We also practiced the first adagio facing away from the mirror, to feel it.  Of course, one girl went the wrong way, because the perspective changed.  I laughed, but I always do this, go the wrong way. Now what I do is pay attention to the steps, like Mike said, and then I don't get disoriented anymore.
...I have to continue to stretch out my torso and not sag, which I find myself doing.

Well, I went to the pool, which was a maze of little children learning to swim.  I heard the teacher talking about Michael Phelps and how, when you use your arms and legs together, you can get a lot of speed, but you have to skim the water and stay on top of it.  So I did my laps and then dried off...oh, and I forgot the pirouettes in class.  I guess I don't want to think about them, but they were: tombe pas de bourre, pirouettes en dehors, tombe pas de bourre, pirouettes en dedans; alternating.  We also did pique turns, inside and out! I tried something new, just trying to stay on the tape line.  It seemed to steady me to not be all over the place, like I am when I'm turning.

Later, a friend remarked I need to stretch a lot more, not bend my knees, and use my abs.  Now to watch TV...