Ballet people!!!
I’ll try to write this before heading to class, so let’s see if I can finally write a short(ish) post.
Last Friday, Nice Teacher couldn’t come to class (because she’s young and all and went to the beach with friends – let her enjoy life, right?) so she asked a friend to teach us.
We knew it wouldn’t be ballet, because the girl passed by the other day, just when we were finishing class, and I heard something about hip hop.
I know!!!
So the teacher texted me and Stretchy Girl (the only other student in Friday class) and we went there expecting some jazz class – Stretchy even takes jazz at the studio, so we thought ‘Ok, something different, let’s try this!’.
Ok – couldn’t be more wrong.
Started with music: so loud I couldn’t hear anything the teacher said. Oh and not classical music – unless you’re into classical 80’s. I wont’t say it was bad, it was actually fun – we even had some Aretha Franklin (I think – I’m awful). Coincidentally, heard that 80’s stuff somewhere this weekend and found that one of the songs was by Dee-light – or something like that. By the end of class, the teacher would whistle when she wanted us to change sides in the exercises.
I know right! Whistles!!
Well, then after warming up like in an aerobics class we had some core action – abs and abs and a bit more abs. No, didn’t hurt afterwards. After checking with Stretchy, I’ll tell if that’s because I’m a bad*ss or just because it just wasn’t enough for that.
And then we had a little choreography.
Funniest thing was she asked us to be ‘very feminine’ and really move our hips when we walked.
Now hold on just a second there:
Move your hips.
Walk!
Now that’s definitely NOT ballet, right?
Then she asked us to do a pirouette – let’s say – in a demi plié in sixth position. Pretty awkward, but at least I wasn’t afraid of the floor, as usual. Until Stretchy did me the favour of saying we could make a double! I got one, tops, and freaking frightened about falling on that slippery floor, just like in regular pirouettes! Pretended everything was ok and just went on to the next step in the sequence.
And then we had to repeat the routine, like, a dozen times. I couldn’t take it anymore, was bored to death and didn’t want to do it again and again and again.
When the teacher asked us to improvise in the end, I just didn’t know what to do with my hands.
In ballet, we learn to follow the teacher, and she wanted us to do the opposite. On a Friday evening, for crying’s sake! I couldn’t think after a week of usual boredom at work, imagine improvising when I was just expecting a little jazz instead of ballet. I definitely didn’t expect hip hop!
Worst of all was when, by the end of class, the teacher said ‘Wait — this is ballet class?’ And then started laughing saying ‘Omg and I asked you to do this?!’ while moving her arms like in the routine we just did a thousand times.
Well, there you go. I did the darn hip hop/core/whatever class. And I don’t think I was too bad, it takes me one or two counts to get myself in the right moves sometimes, but I did it.
And ballet is waaaaaaay better than all that.
At least, being all stiff and in the right posture all the time doesn’t give me back pain like this one did!
So ok, tried something new. Back to ballet now!

Yesterday, at the old ballet – oh wait, I didn’t tell you that yet, right?

I take ballet everyday now! So old ballet is on Mondays and Wednesdays, and new ballet the rest of the weekdays. I’ll write about that later.

Continuing:

Yesterday, at the old ballet, I was the only one showing up. We used to be a big group in the first year, but lately one of the girls left (her plan ended and the prices went sky-high!), one of them is injured (stress fracture in the right foot – yes, the doctor said it was ballet), the other one is travelling (again), and the little girl was sick (again).

So I had another private class. Happened before, no big deal.

I hate saying it, but since the teacher got a boyfriend, she’s much nicer. Awful, I know, but it’s true about that girl. What can I do??

So she was really open to my questions, and even corrected me a bit. But class was not easy, same demands as usual.

But the really cool thing was that I FINALLY saw her in pointe shoes!

Yes, because I don’t know what bite that girl, but she has never put on her pointe shoes in our class. Not even once! Not even in our first pointe class!

That used to drive me nuts. I mean, I’m a very visual person, and seeing things helps me a lot. I learn way better and faster when I SEE stuff. And she’s a gorgeous ballerina, so getting to see her en pointe would be awesome.

She gave me a new exercise, so decided it would be good showing herself how to do it.

Mind you, she usually shows us how to do things en pointe by going en pointe WITHOUT pointe shoes. (sorry for repeating the word so much! Trying to make a point here. HAHAHA get it? Oh well.)

Surprisingly, the woman probably doesn’t have any more nerves on her feet, so she says it doesn’t hurt going up on her toes without anything there. I myself needed a ridiculously expensive protection for a very expensive pointe shoe.

So there you have it, she called out one of the girls from reception and asked her to get the shoes back in the teacher’s room. When the girl brought them, she sit on the floor, put them on and casually mentioned that her other class just started en pointe and were really thrilled about it.

And I just said “Oh of course, it’s very exciting” and in my head I was all “Say WHAT?! So ours is the only class you’ve never put your shoes on? What the hell, woman?!”

Because apparently her shoes just happened to be in the teachers’ room because she brought them to teach that class.

So you see, I don’t know what’s up with that teacher. I just don’t get it. How come she won’t wear the shoes in our class? EVER!

Sheesh.

Anyway, I got to see her showing the new exercise en pointe and even walking around in them a bit. A private class bonus! But she took them off quickly after that.

I bet they actually hurt – it is cold again around here, and she said her bunions were really bad.

Ok, so class yesterday had me in two things, more than everything else: entrechat quatre and pas de cheval.

The teacher was in one of her pirouette days, followed by jump session.

So after one hour or so landing from many twirls like a baby bird on its first attempt to fly, I embarrassed myself with those.

Sequence was: 4 changements, 2 entrechat quatre, land on plié, straight up legs, plié and start over.

I could clearly see my feet all over the place while miserably trying the entrechat quatre.

Then it got worse: 2 changements, 1 entrechat quatre landing in second (with a plié, of course), coming back from second to fifth with another entrechat quatre.

Ha.

Laughed so I wouldn’t cry.

And to wrap things up, a cute sequence of 2 sissones, temps levé, another step that I forget how it’s called (I think it’s another temps levé, but the first was like in an arabesque, the second as if you’re jumping in a retiré) and then the infamous pas de cheval. Which is more like a silly jump when I do it, because 1) I can’t jump high and 2) I can’t open my legs much while doing it.

So I said it’s not a horse step (pas de cheval!), but more like a donkey step. Said that I have to check how to say donkey in French, classmate says “stupide”.

So there you go: pas de stupide!!