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!