Something a little funny

Holidays are near so attendance in the adult classes is dropping and not much going on. Got a chuckle from Alexi in Monday night's class when he wanted to someone (me) to demonstrate for the class, "We need to review Fourth Arabesque", wiggling finger to me "Come here, I need a demonstration dummy" I know what he meant but I know what I and the rest of the class heard. Cracked up.

Done and done

Did our Nutcracker performance last night and it went well especially considering the horrid dress rehearsal earlier in the day. Theater sound system didn’t like the cd with half of the music and quit partway through the show and the back up disk was at the studio. The Mother Ginger platform broke the day before and had to be partially rebuilt in the dock area of the theater. And what I found really disappointing is the professional dancers hired in to do the character parts, cavalier and prince rarely made rehearsals and when they did were usually late and generally very rude. The younger kids were told early on to look to them for examples of how to rehearse and behave in the theater, the amateur adult dancers carried themselves much better. I’ve done two Nutcrackers in the last two years and while fun I think I would like to be back in the audience watching, something odd about being on the stage after the years of watching my youngest daughter perform. Have to be honest with myself as I would really like to do something else besides the party scene, like maybe mouse king or another costumed part where it’s not apparent that I’m an older male. It’s time to return back to being strictly a student, anonymity sometimes has it perks.

A week to go

Don't know whether to be happy or sad that Nutcracker is next weekend. My partner and I are working well together and know our parts and the musical ques so it's easier to polish the little things to make ourselves look better. And the story being told is rich with more detail that I seen in other Nutcrackers. Guess that's the part to be happy about. The sad part is that it looks like none of my family or friends will be coming to the performance. Mother in law has Alzheimer's and is taking up more and more of my wife's time, church potluck is the same night as the performance and mother in law is instant that she and Cathy go. Looks like my daughters won't be there either, one used to be a dancer but go hurt and now won't watch anything, says it hurts too much to watch. Other daughter and her husband don't have any interest and friends from last year made empty promises about going so I haven't said anything about this years performance. Makes me feel pretty down right now.

I'm baaaaak

Been missing a lot of classes and so far only one Nutcracker rehearsal due to a cold, flu, mystery virus that has been plaguing me the last two weeks with headaches, exhaustion and general feeling of weakness. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon. Nice thing happened with Pas De Deux classes last weekend, the young ladies assigned to work with me the last class were extremely keen on working and made for a very enjoyable class. Both were from the studio that my youngest daughter used to take classes at and I was amazed that I could tell the difference on who has been training them. While all of the lifts we did while simple (over head, fish) I could tell by feel when they were coming out of the plie and time the lift almost perfectly every time with little effort. Have to let Miss Sue (Sue Knaak) know her that her former students are strong and have really good work ethic when it comes to this kind of work. David let them know in class that he is pleased with the progress being made in working with partners as it is difficult and you have to learn to adjust your comfort level. Speaking of such, the reverence he gave last week involved the men wrapping our arms around our partners shoulders in an embrace as the final pose. Talk about uncomfortable! I even whispered that comment to my first partner. I’m sure she felt the same way I did. ;)

Say what?

My Thursday night teacher made some half joking comments about the adults doing a performance during DBT’s spring show after we finished out center floor work. Have to admit that startled me a little bit, have always assumed that the spring shows are for the parents to see the progress their kids have made rather than seeing the adult students. If it actually happens wonder if I could get him to choreograph a little humor in.

The Good, The Bad and the Complement

Almost finished with the first Act in Nutcracker, just the exit scene to finish. That and lots and lots or practice. I’ve found the mental block I need to get past…I’m waiting too long when I bow and present my partner so that I can’t get back in time to find her hand and waist and do the next step. Wish I could say that the Pas De Duex classes are going as well. Finding that some of the teens would prefer not to work with me (imagine it has something to do with me being 40 years older than them) so they mark a variation or exercise with each other and only come to me when the instructor tells everyone to get with their partner. So we both end up with less confidence with each other and mess up turns, lifts and poses and I end up getting hit with elbows and hands as they don’t know where I’m supposed to be in relation to them. That gets a little discouraging, dunno if I’ll continue with this class after Nutcracker is finished or not. On the flip side one of my instructors (David Taylor) gave me a great complement after class the other evening by telling me that he has seen marvelous improvement in my work (his words not mine), that really made my day.

First partnering injury (sorta)

Lots of fun in the pas de deux class, for something that is supposed to be on the beginning level it’s more like advanced beginner or maybe intermediate. Must be the addition of adult men (myself included) coming to help the girls learn that has encouraged the instructor to go for longer and more complicated combinations. Yikes! So I managed to get my foot stepped on by a pointe shoe and now have a cool rectangular bruise on my right foot just behind the little toe. Sad thing is that this it didn’t happen during one of the center floor combinations or the part of the Peasant Dance from Giselle we worked on but rather during the quick promenade’s leaving the stage. Guess I need to pay more attention to my placement when walking quickly with a partner on my arm. Nutcracker rehearsals going well, finding I have a couple of silly mental blocks that I need to get past so that I am in the right place at the right time.

Just another guy

Nothing really new, just learning all of the little bits of dance that the AD is putting in to the First Act for the parents, a lot it is real dancing. Yea! Finding out that taking technique class, partnering and then several hours of rehearsal on Saturday is a little more of a challenge than I had expected. Last Saturday was a total of 7 hours of dance, my poor aching feet. During some of the down time between doing our parts I spoke with some of the actual Dad’s waiting around for their daughters and they found out that I’m a normal person just like them. That outside of classes I work on my yard and on keeping up on the house and car, hold down a regular job, married with two daughters of my own. Wow surprise a regular person just like them!

You need to put her down

So a couple of weeks into the partnering class now, slowly earning some trust in the girls (and myself), we have been working on the simplest form of “Fish Dive”, fully supported and no lunge (yet). I have been so concerned about dropping the girls (three of them for each exercise) because I'm not totally sure of the two year old prosthetic elbow that I have been lifting a little higher than necessary. Didn't realize I was until the instructor walked over and told me that I need to lower them a little so they can reach the floor when they extend their leg. :) Nutcracker rehearsals are Nutcracker rehearsals, lots of waiting around to do the two parts that have been choreographed for the adults. The AD has mentioned that there was a little more actual dance to learn for myself and the professionals that he has brought in. Wonder what he has in mind.

Arghhhhh!

I promised myself I would never complain about a fellow student, but there is a newer student that is a friend of the instructor who is also new to the studio, who takes advantage of the friendship and has little respect for her classmates. At the end of practically each barre exercise she scurries across the floor to check her phone for messages and either put on or take off some article of outer wear sweater, dance skirt, leg warmers. She rushes every exercise which throws some of the less experienced students totally off if she is in their line of sight and will only speak to the instructor in Russian during class even though her English is quite sound outside of the class room.

Real First Nutcracker Rehersal

Last Saturday made for an interesting and challenging day. Found out who my “Better Half” will be for the Nutcracker Party Scene. Very nice woman that started dancing a little over a year ago has gotten so into ballet that she takes multiple classes a week and just begun beginning Pointe work. She has the lines and is rapidly learning technique. She smiles a lot and has a great sense of humor and as I’m finding out is very very driven and wants to practice with every spare moment so we spent an extra hour after rehearsal practicing our part until she felt more comfortable with the steps and movements. Did I forget to mention that the AD only wanted adults with dance background for the Party Scene? We are actually dancing instead of just stylized walking around with our partners which is pretty common for the party scene. Other part of the day was spent in doing a beginning partnering class with level 6 students (about 12 to 15 years old). First time I’ve done any partnering work in many many years and I had forgotten how hard it can be. Figure I was as nervous and apprehensive and the teenagers were, hopefully with a little time I can establish some trust with them. I am not the only adult male in the class as the instructor has recruited several men from his professional company to come in which is a good thing for me as I don’t feel so out of place being an older male in a class full of teenagers. The class is so big that even with 5 men we had to repeat each exercise three times so everyone had a chance to work with us, made for a very long hour and towards the end had me a little concerned that the muscles surrounding my prosthetic elbow might fatigue and give out. Which did worry me a little when we started learning supported “Fish Dives”, that one is going to take some practice outside of the class room. The girls were very nervous about it (and so was I).

First Nutcracker Rehesal

Well it was kinda a first rehearsal, outside of myself and one of the AD's company dancers None of the other men that showed up for rehearsal had any dance experience, just dads helping out, so it was more like an audition with lots of rotation of dance partners so he (the AD) could get an idea of what everyone one was capable of doing. I was pretty much regulated to the background as he already knows my strengths and weakness. I did however end up partnering with the professional dancer during the rehearsal which was a little more than strange, one for just dancing with another guy and two learning the females part as well as the males'. The director got in several jokes about how well we switched parts and he did thank me for my patience while he sorts everyone out. Should know by email if I have a part and a partner before the week is out. Being there also get me an offer to come in and be one of the male partners for the level 6 and 7 girls on Saturdays before rehearsals. Have to think on this one, I enjoyed partnering when I was much younger and it is a generous offer, but still I some concern how the parents might react to me working with their teenagers.

The drop in student

Took last Friday off to make for a long Labor Day weekend and decided to drop into the morning class, gawd knows I need the extra work. I wasn’t the only one who had decided to drop in, about the time we finished barre the instructor asked the other drop in where she dances at not where she takes at but where she dances at. Very quietly she said she was on vacation from The Montreal Ballet visiting some friends in Denver. Think my jaw barely missed hitting the barre by an inch or so. Now I know what is meant by Quiet Confidence.

Beginnings of the Second Nutcracker

So after some sage advice from my youngest daughter, who basically said the same thing back to me when she had difficulty choosing between two parts that had been offered to her to go with the first offer unless she just didn’t want to do it at all. So with that in mind I took the offer to do the Party Scene from the first studio that offered. Few days after saying yes I get a email with all the full cast list. Already know who my partner is going to be, and somewhat comfortable around Melissa as she and I did a little partnering in character class during the summer intensive. Interesting that unlike last year where the Artistic Director drafted dads, moms and boyfriends to fill in the adult parts, this director is using male and female dancers, even pulling a couple in from his professional company. Ought to make rehearsals interesting.

Summer SI Revisited

Wlep so much for keeping up posts during my Adult Summer intensive, needless to say it was both exhausting and fun and the same time. Only took a couple of days to get into the flow, of hour long warm up and conditioning, followed by two hours of barre and center floor work with some jump combinations for the men while the ladies did basic pointe work, which the men were expected to do in between jump combos. 30 minute lunch and on to an hour of character class followed up by hour long lecture on Ballet History. Out of all of this the character classes were the most difficult and the most fum, most everything was new and challenging and just about every rule I ever learned about classical ballet was broken plus I had to learn how to be flamboyant with "look at me" attitude, which just isn't me. On the flip side there is a lot of foot work that let me draw on all my years of tap training and actually made it easier for me. I'll get to keep working at it as the adult character classes proved so popular that they are supposed to continue through the Fall and Winter Sessions. Last day of class the AD of the studio asked me to do the Party Scene for his Nutcracker production, now I have to choose as the other studio I take classes at is also doing a Nutcracker production and has also asked me to be part of the Party Scene the next day. Decisions, decisions

New Instructor, New Style

New instructor direct from the Bolshoi. I have gotten used to a new teacher giving a little leeway with a new student as we learn each other’s tastes and expectations. Think she gave me three barre exercises before and then she started giving minor corrections. It was pretty much a technique class but it was really interesting to see the difference in expectations from a teacher who has trained with the Bolshoi to one trained with Perm. Bolshoi is about artistry as it is strength, Perm is about technique and strength.

First Post

My first Summer Intensive is less than a week away and I find I'm getting excited and nervous about going. Unlike the teens I see at the various studios I take classes at I have never have spent an entire day taking classes let alone for two straight weeks. Guess I'm going to finally find out a little of what a professionals life is a little like, less the political drama, and if my body will hold up. I plan on notifying family members which hospital flowers can be sent to.