It's summer...

...and I have been busy working. Now headed for the pool and plies.

October Thursday

Nature is so colorful lately, rainbow colors everywhere.  It rained this morning as I was going to the gym for yoga class and I barely made it but managed to fight the traffic somehow. Once there, the yoga teacher started his difficult class, telling me at the end, "with you, Dorothy, I think you don't push enough...etc.," and he says I could do so much better.  If I can do it, anyone can do it, he said in class, as he did handstands with piked legs. I did the wheel pose over a Swiss ball when he was walking in the room, and then he said in class, for you backbenders, you need to focus on bending the back in each pose and then it won't feel so difficult. He remarked I was getting ripped biceps from using my arms in yoga class.

In his class, I feel going into the poses deeper and deeper; toward the end of class, he twisted me on my tight left side so that I could feel what the binding position with hands clasped together behind my back with my knee pulled into my chest would feel like and I felt the muscles of my back getting some needed relief. Believe in yourself, I thought, as I left class and swam for a while.

Then I took Yasir to the park to play with his friends.  He had a great time wrestling with a boxer puppy, running with a Jack Russell terrier, and bouncing around with a young Great Dane. I walked home, taking in the colors of the park as the day came to a close.

I got home and realized I had just enough time to go to dance class at the neighborhood school, so I packed my clothes and got there, seeing the teacher taking a break outside the studio.  She asked me how I was and I told her about my foot, which I had hurt somehow, and was limping on for a week.  I think it was the plastic shoes I had been wearing at work, but I told her I now have some very good shoes and wearing compression socks helped the swelling.  I had wanted to go to the podiatrist but now it seems to be getting better.  "You need your feet to walk on," my sister said.  True, so it's epsom salt soaks for me, prescribed by the pharmacist at the local drug store.

Paradoxically, my feet feel better after ballet class, although I noticed today how flat they were.  I always had trouble pointing my feet in ballet class.  Some girls have such nice feet, I thought, but yoga classes have helped me tremendously in getting over my feelings of inferiority.  Yoga has balanced me to realize that nothing is as important as your inner self and no exterior entrapments should ever get you down.  We didn't jump in tonight's adult class, but we did do a full barre and some lovely turns in center.  It was nice to pirouette again, and yoga class has taught me also to examine how I am standing and correct my stance, the way my yoga teacher does, so when I noticed how I dumped my back while I was turning, I was able to fix it.  "Good, Dorothy," the dance teacher said!

The teacher focused on turnout in class tonight.  I had just been thinking about this very subject while in the pool at the gym, feeling how the water helps me rotate my legs and really feel which muscles to use.  They are the deep inner muscles and you can feel them working but can't see them, like something coming from the gut.  The teacher said to move the hip bones foward and allow the hip crease to happen without tilting the pelvis and looking like a drunk pigeon.  I believe the connection is in the inner thigh, which must move forward also, and the teacher also said to rotate the calves forward, so that everything is moving inside out, kind of like yoga, too.

I must work on my feet, I told the teacher after class, and she said, just worry about standing up. Stance is everything.  No more slouching, not if you want to dance...then I watched the advanced girls in pointe class, their teaher remarking, if you don't pull up your thighs, I will kill you.  I noticed how he corrected a girl who was not turning her head correctly, telling her to see her back before moving her head.  It's nice to be able to have a school nearby, I thought, as I walked home in the drizzly night. Dancing always makes me happy.

Another ballet class...

     Run to 5th, elonge arms, releve to 4th, developpe 2nd swinging arms, step arabesque, ronde jambe leg front to back, pas de bourre en tournant...nice.
     That was our opening combination, something new, which always makes me nervous.  When you take a class long enough, you become used to the teacher's style, as a substitute teacher told us last Saturday.  Her class was delightful, lots of chasses, body positions, very feminine.
     Today's teacher likes killer extensions, but I remember what my yoga teacher said yesterday, don't hurt yourself to please someone else.  He always tells us not to pay attention to the other people and just enjoy the moments for ourselves, very true. Still hard to do, but reinforcements and comments like this help you grow.
     Then we did waltz in line twice, two piques, and two fouette turns, in diagonal across the floor; also, chasse pas de bourre grand jete.  I wish my legs would open wider in the air, but my extensions are what they are, still, just taking class was good for my form.  We did a pirouette combination and I almost fell backwards in one pirouette, but I am taking more risks now in a positive way, I hope.
     After class I told the teacher I wasn't sure how much I could do because my foot was sore, probably from too much walking.  Since I was running late this morning and the buses were slow, I walked to the subway and then took a cab from the subway.  I told the driver I had to practically walk halfway to class and he said if I had good shoes I could walk better.  True, in fact, I just ordered some very good shoes online, getting ready for the cold...
     It was delightful to take the bus back to the end of the line into the park and the cold air and colors were so lovely.  I got home and tried to walk my puppy there but we got as far as the zoo and the clouds looked menacing, so we headed home, me going to the gym for a bit, just to stretch in the steam room and sauna, after walking underwater.  Contrast therapy, cold and hot, good for the muscles.
     It didn't rain except for a drizzle, but tomorrow is supposed to be windy and nasty.  I wish I could take more ballet classes like this and try to repair my turnout without forcing anything, and just letting my legs go under me, like in the fast music in class where we did the allegro combinations over and over.  Surprisingly, the more I did, the more energy I had.  I didn't get tired at all, probably because of my working out, and maybe even the long walks with Yasir, my puppy.
     Like my puppy, I am always happiest after working out, and I even eat better, too.  This is the life!

Autumn Saturday

I haven't written for a while, so, for a quick catch-up, I have discovered yoga! I took a break from my usual non-stop dance classes to learn yoga, practicing it almost every day in the summer and now continuing into the fall.  My form and posture has improved and I have gone down one dress size, too. I am really fortunate that I can always go to my gym when I want to work on myself.  I was going to lots of dance classes but not really improving significantly because I first had to fix certain problems of form and also change my approach to training, to become more focused on the discipline of it and not just to have fun dancing.

So, today I attended a free yoga class at a yoga shop in my neighborhood and then I went to my local ballet school.  I met my neighbor whose daughter was all dressed in pink, about to take class. I wore my usual basic black leotard, pink shoes, pink tights, and a lavendar knitted warmup brief, which I took off after barre so I could see my lines better in center.  I don't like a lot of coverups because it distorts the line and hides flaws which should be fixed, something I learned over the years from some very good teachers.

This intermediate class was sparsely attended, which is my favorite kind of class, because the teacher can really scrutinize you.  We did a very correct barre, focusing on lifting the head up and not looking down at the feet to see what you are doing, because lowering the head makes you lean forward, which ruins your erect spinal posture.  The teacher talked about being able to feel yourself in space and not just to see yourself visually. In arabesque, for instance, she said it is not the height of the leg but the way it goes out as far as it can reach.  Similarly, when doing chasses in center, she told us to really chasse out because this develops power.  She corrected my passe balance at barre and told me not to contract my hip but really let it move forward.

During barre, after warming up a little privately before class, I decided to purposely stand forward of myself, like the other teacher who usually teaches this class (she had just had surgery so we have a very good substitute teacher) so as not to slump into my side.  I noticed, too, that I could stand to turn out more on my supporting leg and use the bottom of the turnout, rotating more, which creates the correct shape.  The teacher made us do an exercise where we held the knee in the passe leg and let the whole hip go down and under, kind of like turning inside out in yoga.

After class, I ate lunch and took out my puppy, training him a little, too, walking him backward and then changing directions, which he did happily, on a windy fall day...now I'm home, thinking about ballet and how the same principles apply to ballet positions that I have learned from other sports and it shouldn't be so intimidating.  Sometimes it's good to take a few steps back, pardon the expression, to learn how to move forward...
Exercises
1. demi plies with grand plies, rise and balance.
2. tendus from 5th position, coupe inside leg over, changing.
3. Balancoires with passe through.
4. Frappes with double frappes to the side.
5. Developpes and envelopes
6. Grand battements.
Centre:
1. Adagio(to come)
2. Chasses to 4th position, chainnes, balance en tournant, pose to 5th position.
3. Saute arabesque, arm en haute, pas de bourres. En diagonale.
(Much time was spent correcting body stance, turnout, and epaulment.) 
Notes: Use the arms like heavy curtains and really move them to extend the back.  Elongate the legs. Move your head.

Terrific Tuesday!

Wow!  Two ballet classes today, with my favorite teachers!  I think for you, the evening teacher said, you need to find the structure of the step and make your movements clear and really feel the energy.  Don't try to control everything.  You have to take a risk and find for yourself where is your center.  You will find it and then you can move.  I told him mentally I understand but physically it's hard.  It's hard, he said, but it's there.  The steps are the path but you can play with the steps and find for yourself the movement.  Don't try to control it, just feel it.

This conversation all came about after a very "structured" class with adult women.  I was thinking about the morning class and how the teacher said to use your turnout while you are moving.  So I told the evening teacher that I was trying to work on my turnout, especially with the supporting side, because otherwise you are imbalanced.  Hence, the conversation about balance.

Now suddenly I feel very tired but more will come soon...

Summer Master Classes...

It was an exciting week at the local ballet school, with a special guest teacher who recently retired from dancing and has won many awards.  I was honored to attend some of his classes.  The classes went beyond technique or steps or exercises and I could feel artistry, something which happens too infrequently. Most of the time we are taking classes and trying to stay motivated and then when a true artist comes our way, we find ourselves inadequate and unprepared.  Really, it is up to you to make dancing what you want it to be...

So the first day this guest teacher did something really cool in center.  It was a pirouette combination, after a barre that focused on moving the head and really standing tall and using the arms and generally becoming bigger than life.  It is what makes dancing interesting, he said.  During the pirouette combination, which went something like tendu croise and derrierre and seconde and then chasse pas de bourre in efface, the teacher made us pair up with a partner and told us to look at our partner during the entire combination.  The mirror is an evil person, the teacher said, don't look at yourself in the mirror.  Yes, I thought, this is what dancing on the stage with other dancers must be like, relating to the other person.

I skipped a couple of days (master classes are expensive) and returned to the class...this time the teacher said to the class to finish the combination you are doing, not just to end it or abandon it, because people are watching.  He talked about watching a performance in Washington, D.C., where the front dancers in the corps all looked nice but the dancers in the back just slacked off and it looked terrible.  Don't think people don't see this, he said.  Every step you take somebody is watching, so you need to present yourself, your best 5th, your best port de bras, and then end the step as gracefully as you started it.

The next day he continued with moving the head with the arms and correctly using the leg muscles. I watched the teacher a lot to see how he used his body and because he was just so interesting to watch in general. In the whole class, this teacher was the best dancer of all. After this class I watched him teach the pointe class and how he said to the girls to open and close the arms when turning and, when moving the feet, to arrive through the same place.  Make your feet go in a line and arrive at the same place, no waivering.  During class, he said this, too, to be true to the positions, not to fidget at barre because this leads to fidgeting while doing pirouettes and so on.  Always do the movement with the correct execution and don't make unnecessary movements, kind of like what a horseback riding teacher once told me about economy of movement...

Finally, today, he asked, what did I tell the girls yesterday about the arms, and since I had been watching the pointe class, I knew.  In fact, one of the teachers of the school remarked to another teacher, you can learn a lot by watching.  I always enjoy watching the young girls learning how to dance...it is so charming to see them emerge into graceful dancers, something I never had as a child, since I started dance late.  I often imagine what it would have been like had I started early and if I would have ever made it...but I nevertheless take my dancing very seriously, because I enjoy it so much and it is one of the things in my life that will always be there, even when I stop.  It will always interest me.  I always read books about dance and watch dance and it will always be a part of my life, although I can't imagine not dancing.  But, for now, I will continue to learn...

So the teacher left us with the thought of using the face and making the movements "more than what you think."  Stand tall, taller, like your head is trying to touch the ceiling...when you do soutenus, I want to see your face.  Your face, turn, your face, not your bun.  Also, he corrected me during the week and told me to hold my stomach in and not to stick out my back.  There was a lot of emphasis during the week on holding the back and holding the chest up.  "I would rather have you stick out your ribs than slump," he said.  Significantly, today, he told us that when we prepare to pirouette, we need to go through our working foot when we tendu back to prepare to turn, because it is the use of the feet that makes the turn happen.  He said also not to crash down in our jumps, illustrating with his noiseless feet how we should come down from a jump.  I tried it that way and it felt so much lighter but, most of all, it really aided the movement and made it much more effective.

As for combinations and learning steps..."let's learn this," he would say when showing a combination, I got the idea that you really need to concentrate on what you are doing at all times.  He would often say during the week, if you are in the third group, I expect it to be perfect, because you saw all the other dancers do it. You know what happens when you make mistakes, he said, you must do it again until it is perfect.  No mistakes!

I really hope this teacher returns next summer and during the next year, maybe I can apply some of the things we did in class and really think about how I am dancing.  I heard him say to another teacher one day, while talking about what another teacher said...you know when you make a mistake, you know when you do it wrong...you know.  In other words, you must fix it and dance beautifully, because you love it.

These were my impressions of class this week and I will hopefully try to add more detail as I remember it. It was a lovely week and I have many memories of how I danced and what it felt like to learn how to dance beyond the steps, how to make it come alive...

Summer night...

It's lovely outside.  I just took Yasir for a walk around the neighborhood.  There were some horse carriages passing through and he stopped when he heard the hoofbeats.  He is so alert in the evening, always looking around.  I spent the day in the suburbs to take class with one of my favorite teachers, even though I had worked the night before and just barely made it there.  I was lucky I made all my train/bus connections!

Class today reinforced what a Pilates/dance teacher at Joffrey Academy told me in class on Friday afternoon.  It is so important to understand how movements are executed in order to perform them effectively.  She talked about how children are corrected at an early age like this but, sadly, adult students don't always get this type of attention, or it doesn't sink in until injuries and aches and pains happen which make you think about how you are doing things, as with me.

The Pilates teacher corrected the placement of my hips, telling me to keep them down and to hold the sides and later she explained about the psoas and obliques to me after class.  In order to allow the arms and legs to move, space must be created in these areas.  They also wrap into the back and if something is not correct, you will feel a pain.  Also, she said in class how the large seat and thigh muscles always want to take over, the same thing Saturday's teacher said to another girl in class.

There are exercises to do to pinpoint the areas that should be working, namely, the backs of the legs and inner thighs.  In doing the standard clam, the movement of these muscles is felt at the top of the clam movement.  Also, it is effective to wrap a theraband around the thighs and try to move the thigh in and out, or bend and extend the leg into the floor while sitting down...

I told the Pilates teacher that the problem is in the turnout and there is no exercise except dancing that will develop this.  So, dance I must.  It is such a contrast to the gym in that I must feel more "feminine" and lighter in my movements.  More girly.  I looked at myself in the mirror and saw also how my feet were starting to sickle, even my good right foot!  The feet must turn out, too...

So I asked the teacher today how I can be stronger in demi-toe and how to keep my legs straighter and he said it is because I have weak calves in comparison to my thighs and when I am at the gym I should work on my calves.  So, once I got home and finally got to the gym, I went for a swim but since I was tired and the water was cold, I just did laps with the noodle, which is a good workout, too.

But, the point is, everyone is so concerned about having a workout and burning calories.  If you want to dance, I thought, it is the knitpicky things that must be done, as I said to the ballet teacher today.  So, I spent some time in the water doing calf lifts against the resistance of the water, as well as rehashing some of the steps we did today, like developpes, tombes with pas de bourre, noticing how my legs were moving underwater.  I saw how tight my upper hamstrings were as I did a "barre" stretch at the side of the pool and what was necessary to do a good releve, trying to keep my feet from sickling.  Hard work, but now I feel so much better...

Saturday

Sad to see spring go.  It's my favorite season and I have accomplished a lot and there were changes, too, such as getting a new job in a restaurant.  This last week I was busy taking ballet classes almost every day at Joffrey Academy with the artistic director, a treat, since he is such a good technical teacher.  It was also nice to see his academy students in class.  They are so accomplished, and all the girls took class wearing pointe shoes and they made pirouettes and jumps on pointe look effortless, although I know they work hard to get to this level.  It is such a pleasure to take a class where everyone is so dedicated.  Even though the class was really over my head, they all accepted me as one of their own, including the teacher.

Some dance moves:
Barre
1. Foot cominations facing the barre:   point, flex, tendus, cambre back, port de bras.
2. Plies with port de bras, elonge arms, head moving with arms.
3. Tendus a la seconde with demi-plies, inside tendus, demi-plie, balancoire, tendu front with inside foot to balancoire back, tendu 5th to reverse.
4. Degages front 2x with piques, back 2x, side through 5th, cambre front, back, side, penche, developpe with inside leg.
5. Ronde jambes with fondus, developpe passe, balance with foot into ankle, arm elonge.
6. Double fondus with ronde jambes, developpes ecarte, attitude balance, extend.
7. Battements one slow, 2 fast, en croix.
8. Stretch.
9. Releves facing barre with force pointe, developpe arabesque to passe balance.
Center
1. Developpe croise, ronde jambe en l'air to arabesque with elonge arms, balance.  Balances side to side, run to arabesque elonge, lame duck turns.
2. Grand plie in 4th position, pirouettes, promenade in atttitude to arabesque extend, fondu, pas de bourre, attitude turns.
3. Developpe seconde, tombe pas de bourre, pirouettes, run around, soutenus with inside pique turns.
4. Jumps: changements with quatre beats, glissade side to side, reverse with glissades over.
5. Pique arabesque, passe to lunge, repeat, waltz in line, soutenu, pirouettes, arabesque balance.
6. Chasses with grand jetes a la Bourneville.
7. Reverence, port de bras front, back, side.

Then today I took class with a substitute teacher who was none other than a Joffrey company member and this wonderful flowing class was much appreciated because it resolved the tight muscles I had developed duriing a week of grueling classes with the artistic director.  Nevertheless, I feel great and although I am tired and feel broken all over, it feels great to really use my body and I learned what it feels like to dance to full potential.

I will always remember how this teacher said to me to extend my arms out away from my body, something another teacher recently said, too.  Bend the body opposite the croise tendu, use the torso.  This teacher's torso is so flexible and when he said to a very accomplished young girl to really look up in arabesque and move her hand up, using the torso, I could see how this would alleviate much pain in the back from slumping and not pulling up out of the joints.  Also, jumping is easier this way...

Class
Tendus, really savor the experience, port de bras, let it go, easy, dance with the rhythm; in center, tendus croise, side, passe pirouette, move the arm forward and elongate into the turn; developpe croise front and back, efface to passe to seconde, tombe pirouettes; walks, pique arabesque faille, soutenu, inside pique turns; developpe front, chasse assemble; jetes with assemble; step jete pique passe 2x, jump second 1st, 5th, 5ths; menage waltz-in-line, jete entrelace, temps leve 2x, glissade jete.

Sunday I awoke with dancing...

...9:30 am, my alarm was not set properly (I can't see because my puppy ate my glasses!) and class is at 10:30, so I brushed my hair, my teeth, threw on my clothes and walked down the street past all the art fairs and there was no bus, walked as far as I could, then took a cab, and got there early.  The door was still locked!

Started reading my smartphone and then the owner of the studio unlocked the door, I almost ran into her, apologizing because I couldn't see, in fact, walking across the street earlier, a "lady" yelled out her car window, look where you're going, ha, ha...

Class resumed as usual, starting with force arch, demi-plie on both sides, grand plies, facing barre, with releve balance -- every time I balance my knees look crooked, and this teacher will always correct me for that, saying, straight knees, tighter.  Today, though, I had trouble with my usually good turnout.  Last night I was so stiff, I went to the gym and was happy just to go to the sauna, steamroom and whirlpool.  My new part-time job at the restaurant is taking it's toll, I guess...

The job is nice, I like it, but will they like me?  This week my hours were cut and the boss even mentioned there is someone else who really wants the job.  I try not to stress, but you know from reading my blog that I always do.  It's just a job and I'm too old to really care...I think I fear I will lose face and what will people think.

Even in class, the teacher said, you cringe and mentally tell yourself you can't pirouette and set yourself up for failure because you worry that it doesn't look the greatest, so you give up.  Today I read something about being able to accept your faults, but, getting back to turnout, my barre turnout was good, but as another teacher pointed out, it's going through the movements turned out that is hard.  Yes, I saw how my legs wanted to tangle inwards.  So when we stretched, I did a yoga straddle and then it was even harder to turn out after this parallel stretch, but now I was aware of the difference and how I needed to constantly bring my knees back and not "cringe."

As for pointed toes, the teacher said, you, you need to stand by a wall and just push out your foot, forget the theraband.  We spoke about flexibility and how I saw a really flexible girl, but her friend commented that at this point, it also becomes a matter of strength.  I told the teacher about a contortionist I saw on the web and he said it's not good and damages your cartilage.  Stretching reasonably helps, he said, if you do it the right way...

Barre
1. 2 grand plies with port de bras, front, side, back.
2. 4 tendus front, 3 side, 4 back, balancoire to reverse; penches and passe balance.
3. Degages from 5th front, side, back, plie; reverse.
4. Passe balances; repeat.
5. Fondu front demi-toe, battement front, balance; repeat en croix.
6. Developpe a la seconde, ronde jambes, ronde jambe en l'air to arabesque, balance.
7. Frappes en croix, 2x front, side, back, sou sou coupe balance.
8. Grand battements 1x, 2x fast en croix.
Center
1. Tendus a la seconde backwards, tendu croise front and back, glissade, glissade passe balance.
2. Coupe arabesque plie, releve, passe balance.
3. Passe releve, 4th, pirouette, reverse, pas de bourre releve, plie pirouettes.
4. Adagio: Developpe seconde, ronde jambe en l'air to arabesque with port de bras from seconde to high 5th, releve balance.
5. Changements with echappes and passe balance pirouette.
6. Changements with echappes and assembles, coupe assemble front, back, side, side, soutenu passe balance.

End of nice class where I felt so stiff.  During break before center, I grabbed some dumbells and tried arm exercises from the gym and the studio owner corrected my shoulders.  Down and out, bring in more to sides.  I thanked her...my arms look better.  Now to get the legs to look less wobbly.  Now I'm off with puppy, who is getting bigger every day, although his discipline still needs work. We are quite the pair...After class the teacher remarked about how animals are such awesome movers.  It is because they are confident and real, I said.  People have too many hangups, I think, including me!

Wednesday - it's June!

Time trickles by and before you know it, weeks have gone by.  My fitness routine continues much the same, and puppy is growing.  I have a new job, or I hope I will, after training.  There is lots of competition but I will give it my best try.  I felt like writing an update today because I am so inspired after taking a ballet class and then watching Twyla Tharp, guest artist/choreographer/celebrity, at one of the dance studios I frequent.  I had read about it and looked around, finally thinking it would be a closed event, but there she was, coaching the dancers who would be performing her choreography.  She seemed like a goddess, and every move she made was so artistic.

I also had a revelation yesterday while watching another young choreographer after class yesterday who appreciates classical ballet.  As I watched the dancers assume their classical positions and work on various moves, I realized that this was how the old courtiers must have perceived themselves; that is, they would practice for hours to get their elaborate steps down so that they could perform their spectacles, much like it is done today.  Nothing really changes after all!

I noticed how Twyla Tharp showed her movements, with economy of movement, and yet every step reached beyond itself and the energy flowed from her into precise forms which were all perfect.  Her plies, her arms, her turns, it was all there, all the painstaking technique, but she did not dwell on the technique to show it off.  She was using it as a tool to get into her dancing -- her body reached out for expression and you forgot the work involved.  It just became one beautiful seamless burst of joy.  She was like a kid playing, inviting you to do the same!

True art communicates like this.  Communication is an art in itself, in whatever form.  It is what transforms the ordinary into something special and makes you think about the precious moments of your day.  It can teach you to be a better person and try to be one of those people who makes a dent in time for everyone else.

Sunday news

Since my workout routine has been pretty much the same, I have not written lately but have stepped back to take care of other matters, including work prospects.  Hopefully, I can still continue working out and I still wish to pursue a job in the fitness field, my passion in life.  The puppy is fine, also.

I did go to Sunday ballet class and then walked my puppy in the park and finally went to the gym for a restful swim.  Now, after the end of a beautiful spring day and lovely night, it has begun to storm.  So, I will gather my resources and get some rest for another week of hard work, in both meanings of the term...

Monday

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...

Thursday

I started the day with ballet class in my neighborhood.  It's so nice to be able to wake up and walk down the street in my neighborhood to attend class.  It makes me feel like I'm living in a small village and everything is here for me.  Some things in life are so sweet and these are the memories to hang on to...

After ballet I went down the street a couple of blocks to the gym and swam, ending with a soak in the steam room.  Then I went home to walk puppy.  We went out for a long time because Yasir always wants to explore everything and everybody.  I have trouble walking him on a leash for this reason, but everyone seems to understand the way he is.  Still, I must be careful who he plays with and to keep him away from children, since he likes to jump on top of people, like puppies do.  He is best when running free, but I always must take care who is around before I can let him be free, as well as making sure he is in a secure spot where he won't run away.  When his puppy days are over, I don't think it will be a good idea to let him run like this, although other people do.  So, I am enjoying his puppy days in this idyllic existence I am living for the present.

I wanted to go back to the gym for Pilates and yoga but Yasir just played and played today and it's okay, because now I am home attending to business of the day, busy on my computer, cleaning up my place, and generally relaxing.  I should be on a tighter schedule but it is a balance of enjoying the day and getting things done and trying to accomplish things with pushing too much...

Wednesday

I had a really nice morning walk with puppy.  He looked so happy bouncing down the street and it was enough just to let him go around the block.  The sun was shining and everything was blooming and young, including puppy.  Later, he played for a while with some other dogs and then at night I just walked him around the block again.  Nothing special, just being home.

Same with ballet.  I went to my local school and then to the gym for yoga, to conclude this day of simplicity.  It was basic yoga and it made me realize how important it is just to feel at home with yourself and not just things so much.  A day of grace...

Tuesday chill

So cold outside today.  Coming home from ballet class I had to duck inside a hospital building to stay warm while waiting for a bus to go home.  Then I went home, dressed warmer, and took out puppy.  We walked through the park and headed to the aquarium shop in Old Town, then we saw an artist putting up a new sculpture in Old Town, made of chain links welded together in the shape of a human.  It is called Boundless, the artist said.  Trailing off the hands of the "human" were some more chains.  I commented, that's how I feel when I walk my puppy, because he always pulls me.  Still, I have to remember that he is very young and not to be too upset when he wants to play.

Then I went to the gym for Pilates and a swim.  Now I feel great, not exhausted at all.  The more I work out, the more energy I have.  The Pilates class was hard but really great and although I did not want to swim in the cold weather, I made myself do it.  Sometimes you have to make yourself do it, my pointe teacher always says.

I am not writing much detail but I will return and write down what I remember from my latest workouts. Sometimes when you have fun like this, you don't want to think about mental things, like writing.  You just want to feel good and keep going...

Monday-Tuesday

Up late again.  So much activity during the day that I don't get around to being on the computer until late at night.  Puppy keeps me busy, to be sure and I feel like a mom, but it is so rewarding to have a dog friend.  He had such a good time at the beach today and loves to be outside, which I love, too.

But I did manage to get to ballet class in the afternoon and I ran into an old dance friend who is now professional and I asked her a few questions after class about detail in class, to which she replied that as a professional, the choreographers are looking for detail, how you move your fingers, because that is how you get picked for a part.  Very important.

The teacher said near the end of class to her young students, look at this professional because this is the way you should dance.  True.  It's the way I learn the best.  She remarked to the teacher after class that she was just as naughty as a student but then she changed and she remembered all the things the teachers were trying to tell her.  This is why in class you really need to try and listen and do and pay attention to every detail.

A student didn't get a jump combination and the teacher said, you have to be a quick study.  This is how it is, learn the combination and do it.  It's a hard life but it is the only way you will learn.  This is the discipline of dance.

After class I went to the gym and took Pilates and yoga class.  My stamina is improving.  The classes like this at the gym are a joy, and yoga was fun tonight.  I said to the teacher that I used to think that I couldn't do the poses but now I have changed my attitude, mentioning what a dance teacher told me about your mind telling you that you can't do it.  Not that you should jump off a building, I said to another girl, but there are lots of things that are possible if you give yourself a chance...

Just Monday morning...

and I can't sleep.  Still want to stay up all kinds of weird hours...my mind is restless with thought.  So I went to dance class this morning, which started off warm and sunny but in the afternoon, walking home, I was kind of freezing.  I put my jacket back on and walked Yasir to the park, where he had fun playing with a French bulldog and a chocolate lab named Moose.  Then I went to the gym to squeeze in some underwater jogging and suddenly I felt warm again.  Maybe it was the sauna, whirlpool and steam room...

Royal Wedding Friday

It's Thursday night but it's Friday in England and the royal wedding will begin.  I never really sleep so I will stay up to watch it shortly.  I danced today and now I feel human again.  The gym is great but dancing makes me feel alive.  The adult class was well attended and although we all had our aches and pains after a long rainy cold day, the class brought out the child in everyone...

Class
Barre:
1.  Face barre, lunge sideways with port de bras, roll through feet, tendus front and back.
2.  Plies with port de bras.
3.  Tendus front, back, side with port de bras.
4.  Degages en croix, balancoire, port de bras.
5.  Ronde jambes with fondus and developpes.
6.  Fondus with degages en croix.
7.  Developpes with promenade to other side and penche.
8.  Frappes en croix with beats.
9.  Grand battements.
Center:
1. Tendus croise front and back, glissade with pirouettes.
2. Pique attitude devant, contretemps same to other side, back to first side, balances with chainnes to pirouettes.
3. Developpe ecarte, passe back, passe front, chainnes, pique arabesque pose.
4. Jumps changements with jetes and quatres.
5. Grand battements a la seconde with echappe to 4th and pirouettes.


I went to the gym before class, hoping to swim but only had time for some underwater jogs; however, after class I muttered to myself that I have to stay strong, so even though it was late, I walked to the gym to resume my swim.  There I met a young girl who was racing with her two male friends and I thought to myself, how strong she is to compete with men.  Sometimes you just have to keep going, like my dad said.

Yasir had fun in the park today, too, and was quite obedient on his leash until we headed home and I guess his attention span had ended.  Still, I am constantly reminded by people who admire him, he is a puppy and needs to play and explore...so when people complain that he is out of control and why anyone will complain about a puppy is so mean, I think of all the nice people in the world and the others can just go on and be miserable if they want to.  I have found, though, that being miserable is really a waste of time...

So I woke up to the ring of my phone.  Wrong number, but sleeping for a few hours was good enough for me to get my day started with a long walk with puppy.  Then it was already 4pm and I headed for a swim but I really wanted to dance again, so after walking underwater, I got downtown for another dance class.  When I am restless, dancing always brings me together again.  The teacher corrected my attitude at barre, adjusting my frame ever so slightly so that I was balanced.  It felt nice to be square...

Barre:
This was adult beginner and so I tried to make all the movements precise.  As I worked, I thought, this is what it's all about, doing things right and not kidding yourself.  Everyone is so impatient for results without really working.  Now to add a little expression...
Center:
Some lovely moves, including tombe pas de bourre with pirouettes 2x, balance, balance, pique turns; jumps 1st, 2nd, echappes with changements; temps leve 1st arabesque, chasse to 2nd arabesque, fouette to 1st arabesque to other corner, chasse temps leve; tendu croise devant plie, tendu seconde, chasse pas de bourre, pirouettes.  Also, there was adagio: developpe croise devant; croise derrierre, seconde, plie pas de bourre, pirouettes en dedans.
The teacher said why are you hopping and I realize I do this because I do not completely straighten my legs.  Push down, the teacher said.  I read something about this in connection with the abs, too, the abs push down.  Everything should be grounded, I thought...


Then I took out puppy and now must sleep because tomorrow there is dog obedience class and it is going to be a warm, sunny day.  Hard to sleep early after staying up all last night, but I will go and unwind and sleep...

Wednesday - It raineth every day

I would have wanted to take Yasir to dog training tonight but I have opted to return to Evanston to continue his training and take him to the dog beach there.  I think it would be fun and he is supposedly a better dog out of the city anyway.  Still, I will miss taking him to my former trainer but perhaps we can take another class there in the future.  I have always loved learning things and always feel a disappointment when I miss an opportunity to learn more.  Maybe I am being selfish and want to go to the class for myself and I wonder what Yasir's preference would be.

Today I did not dance but spent a lot of time at the gym.  I went to Pilates class with weights in the morning and then swam before going home to play with my puppy.  I love taking him out and he found a nice poodle to play with.  I took him out later, too, after I returned to the gym for yoga.  A girl I had seen earlier in the day saw me and said, so, you are back...

Tuesday/Wednesday

The days flow together lately and time is moving too fast!  I went to ballet class, swam, and then went to Pilates class.  Wow!  I feel great, but it's hard work, too.  When I went to Patricia Stevens Modeling School for business classes (no modeling), it was necessary to take some modeling classes, too, and a model/teacher would always tell us that to be beautiful was hard work.  Yes, but the reward of feeling and looking great is the best payoff.  So, on I go.  Personally, feeling great physically is the best thing on earth. To be vital and caring for yourself, transcends the materialism of life.  I wish I could put it into words...

Dance:  We did the standard barre and then some nice dance combinations in center.  We made little groups and I danced with another girl in a small group and it was fun dancing with someone.  This made class less of a chore and more of a performance.  After the standard tendu combination, we did an adagio: developpe a la seconde, tombe balance balance, pique arabesque promenade, penche, step pas de basque to repeat.  Then we did waltz in line pique arabesque, tour jete, step pas de bourre, jump of choice.  Also we did pique and soutenu turns with chainnes.  Not too many pirouettes today and the focus was on turnout and dancing through turnout in order to stop using the large hip and rear muscles to move, which makes them large and cramped.  So, I see why I feel better when I turn out...
    The swim at my favorite pool was refreshing, as was the whirlpool and steam room.  Then home to take puppy to the park and try to discipline his puppy ways.  Home to eat and then Pilates, which was tough, side planks, which I need to work on, since my hips are uneven due to scoliosis and after talking with the teacher, she agreed that modifications are necessary sometimes to prevent injury.  Leg circles, bridges, just moving the arms side to side, and especially obliques made me feel great.  Trouble is, now I can't sleep from all this activity, but I know it is necessary to repair my tissues.  Being beautiful is hard work!