The Hands Have it

Been driving to Denver Dance Center and taking weekend classes while my regular studios are closed for a short break. (First time in three years that both and been closed at the same time.) Very challenging taking classes with current and retired pros from Colorado Ballet.

Our instructor demonstrates very little so many of us fall back to either marking the steps with our hands or feet to make sure we understand what she expects as she describes the movement. While she was explaining a jump combination myself and many around me were using our hands to mimic what were supposed to do, apparently the entire class was doing the same thing with their hands as when she was finished she turned away from the mirror to face us and told us that “our hands looked very nice and hopefully it would translate to our feet”.

Decisions, Decisions

Wow, three months since I’ve even though about making a new post.

Classes at both studios have wound down and their spring shows are finished. Just waiting to find out when adult classes are going to be offered for the summer, rumor has it that each studio will be offering two classes a week and one will again be offering a Adult Summer Intensive.

I did their inaugural season last summer and that in part prompted the birth of this little blog. I have been agonizing over doing this summer’s course because I was a little disappointed that repertoire got dropped last year due to the fact that so few adults came to class on a regular basis. Think there were only about four of us that showed up each day and that made it difficult for the teachers.

I loved the idea of spending several hours a day in class and getting to pretend I’m living a dancers life for a few days. I need to make a decision soon tuition is due and I need to take time off of work.

Sigh

Going to class has been getting a little depressing of late. Both studios are in full swing for their Spring Shows and the adults aren’t expected or invited to participate. I keep telling myself that I really don’t want to be on the stage as I’m too old and not all that good and I seriously doubt that anyone really wants to see an old guy on the stage. But there is still a part of me that would like to be doing something.

A little support

Wednesdays instructor thinks the adults need lots and lots of strength and technique training and we probably do. So we are facing the barre doing relives, you know the one’s 16 in first then 16 in second very quickly with lots and lots of repetitions pulling into sous sous after each 16 with arms in second. (ugh!)

We had completed several sets and had just finished 16 in first and there I am feet in as tight a sous sous as I can get and holding my arms in second trying not to let the elbows turn down when I suddenly feel a hand resting on my left hand, I reactively turned the palm up to offer support and then realized that this isn’t a partnering class what am I doing? I look over at the lady next to me who's hand is resting on mine,she blushed and whispered that she didn’t want to fall and reached out for my hand before she actually thought about what she was doing.

From the other side of the floor I hear the teacher call out “Very nice, but wrong class”.

More Lifts

The partnering instructor is clearly working towards getting the girls to a level of comfort with some of the intermediate lifts fairly quickly, I know there is a lot talk about getting ready for Summer Intensive auditions so maybe the two are related.

So last Saturday we spent quite a bit of time on doing what he called throws, the girls would go into Sous sous then a deep Plié where we catch them on the rise at the waist and literally help get them higher by doing a slight throw upwards, far enough to allow us to catch them thighs against our chest then lower them down into a fish, some of the lifts went well especially when the girls remembered to lean slightly back during the lift and a lot of misfires probably because there is still some trust issues.

Sure were a lot of gasps the first few times we practiced even with a spotter which should make next week really interesting as we are supposed to start learning shoulder sits and even more accompanied by red faces at the mention the we would start working on shoulder sits next week end.

Out of the mouth of babes

Wednesday night classes are really starting to fill up with new students,so right now this particular class is starting to slow down to accommodate the newbies so for a while I am going to treat the class more like a technique class and pay close attention to how I’m doing some of the “easier” movements and hope I haven’t been sloping through them.

On a funnier note…. One of the ladies I take class with is a French National, teaches at an local international school and has a five year old daughter who also takes a class at the same studio and for this season has the same instructor as mom does. During warm-ups the other night the instructor mentioned the wonderful talk she had with this little girl about how nice it is that she is growing up in a bilingual home and can easily speak two languages to which the young lady replied “Oh yes I can speak French real well and it helps that mom speaks a little French also”.

Giselle Variation

Welp after class last night I finally worked up the nerve to ask Mr Taylor about learning the variation from Peasant Pas De Deux dance in Giselle and to my surprise he said yes.

I have never learned any variation in my previous ballet life and would like to learn at least one while I can still walk :) No desire to ever perform the variation or let anyone else ever see it, I just want to learn.

I know it'll probably have to wait until next summer as he has YAGP and the Studio's Spring Show to do so it'll give me time to make sure I can do double cabrioles to the front and back (used to be able to those) and tour en l'air's without falling on the landings. The variation runs 52 seconds and I'm using this video as inspiration as I'm going to need it!

What Extension?

After what seemed like forever (two weeks) it was back to class last night and unlike in the past I couldn’t do the maintenance classes because I had to work and no weekend classes because I couldn’t afford it. Only maintenance I did was what I could do at home when I remembered to. Flexibility and turnout loss wasn’t as bad as I expected but what the heck happened to my extensions?!?!?! Before the break I was proud of the fact that I could get to 90 degrees, in class last night I could barely make 45 degrees and that was with a whole lot of effort and that wasn’t consistent one more thing to add to the goals list. Rest of the class regulars struggled also so I wasn’t alone. Our Russian “Ballerina” didn’t fair very well either, for someone who carries around an attitude of superiority you would think that she would at least able to do a degage to second center floor without losing her balance or fall down the each time with did a grand plie in center and blame it on the winter break. I just smiled and went on.

So it's been two weeks with no classes due to winter break for the kids classes and I am soooo ready to get back into class. Been using my NYC Ballet exercise CD and some of the wife's Pilates exercise CD's to try and help stay in shape but it's just not the same. Like a fellow member on a Web Form that I read said "The inactivity is driving me crazy, like an addict deprived of his drug."