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