Okay, ladies, here's a picture sure to set your hearts a-flutter:
New shoes!!!
What? Isn't that what I'm always hearing y'all talking about? I mean, I once dated a woman who had over 100 pairs of black pumps alone. I have maybe 4 or 5 pairs of shoes, so this is a major addition to my wardrobe.
ANYhoo... I didn't feel like getting out of bed Saturday morning so I slept in. Then I drove 25 miles the opposite direction to the Footlights store in Frederick, Md. The Silver Spring store is more convenient, but it's half the size and has only a tiny selection of men's styles. When I arrived I realized I'd stupidly left my dance bag at home, but since I shop for most of my dancewear here they have records that show what I've bought previously.
I tried a pair of So Danca slippers but they weren't comfortable and felt very lumpy under the ball of my foot where the pleats attached to the sole. I ended up with Capezio Hanami stretch canvas slippers, style 2037W. They are quite stretchy but are apparently unisex-sized so I ended up with a 12.5 Wide, compared to my non-stretch 10.5 Medium Romeos.
The Hanamis came with the criscross elastics already attached at all four ends with what looks like both hot-melt glue and stitching. As I put on one of the shoes both the elastics on one side popped loose, so I have to assume they weren't sewn on that side and QA failed to catch the defect. The woman helping me offered to reattach the elastics, as they have a sewing machine in the back for just this purpose. Later she gave me a discount to atone for the defect, which I wasn't expecting. Customer service is why I'll drive 50 miles round-trip to patronize a quality local store.
This morning I tried them out in class. I really like these slippers! They turn well, don't twist on my feet, and flex in the right places. I'm curious to see how well these wear.
I also bought my first pair of leg warmers since the 1980s. I still have those in a drawer, but the elastic is totally gone and the purple would look garish. I've mostly kept my legs bare to radiate some of the excess heat I generate, but I wanted to see if keeping them warmer would alleviate some of the heaviness I sometimes feel during the petit allegro segment of class. It felt like it may have helped, though since this is the REAL Beginner 2 class (rather than Saturday's Beginner 2.75 class) it's hard to tell.
Speaking of that, taking this class instead of the Saturday class is good for my ego. Rather than flailing around and desperately trying to remember a long combination, I feel more confident and can focus more on technique. I also got several compliments from the instructor today, which never hurts.
It also seems like any lingering (or imagined) issues this instructor and I may (or may not) have had have been forgiven. Today's class felt relaxed. When I screwed up a step in the petit allegro (a jeté rather than the intended assemblé), I mouthed a silent "Shit!" She spotted both the error and the epithet, and knowing I'm my own harshest critic she smiled at me and laughed knowingly.
Maybe I could take BOTH the Saturday AND Sunday classes. And maybe it's nearing time to get back into the Advanced Beginner class Sunday afternoon too. I really don't need a social life if I have ballet, do I?
New shoes!!!
What? Isn't that what I'm always hearing y'all talking about? I mean, I once dated a woman who had over 100 pairs of black pumps alone. I have maybe 4 or 5 pairs of shoes, so this is a major addition to my wardrobe.
ANYhoo... I didn't feel like getting out of bed Saturday morning so I slept in. Then I drove 25 miles the opposite direction to the Footlights store in Frederick, Md. The Silver Spring store is more convenient, but it's half the size and has only a tiny selection of men's styles. When I arrived I realized I'd stupidly left my dance bag at home, but since I shop for most of my dancewear here they have records that show what I've bought previously.
I tried a pair of So Danca slippers but they weren't comfortable and felt very lumpy under the ball of my foot where the pleats attached to the sole. I ended up with Capezio Hanami stretch canvas slippers, style 2037W. They are quite stretchy but are apparently unisex-sized so I ended up with a 12.5 Wide, compared to my non-stretch 10.5 Medium Romeos.
The Hanamis came with the criscross elastics already attached at all four ends with what looks like both hot-melt glue and stitching. As I put on one of the shoes both the elastics on one side popped loose, so I have to assume they weren't sewn on that side and QA failed to catch the defect. The woman helping me offered to reattach the elastics, as they have a sewing machine in the back for just this purpose. Later she gave me a discount to atone for the defect, which I wasn't expecting. Customer service is why I'll drive 50 miles round-trip to patronize a quality local store.
This morning I tried them out in class. I really like these slippers! They turn well, don't twist on my feet, and flex in the right places. I'm curious to see how well these wear.
I also bought my first pair of leg warmers since the 1980s. I still have those in a drawer, but the elastic is totally gone and the purple would look garish. I've mostly kept my legs bare to radiate some of the excess heat I generate, but I wanted to see if keeping them warmer would alleviate some of the heaviness I sometimes feel during the petit allegro segment of class. It felt like it may have helped, though since this is the REAL Beginner 2 class (rather than Saturday's Beginner 2.75 class) it's hard to tell.
Speaking of that, taking this class instead of the Saturday class is good for my ego. Rather than flailing around and desperately trying to remember a long combination, I feel more confident and can focus more on technique. I also got several compliments from the instructor today, which never hurts.
It also seems like any lingering (or imagined) issues this instructor and I may (or may not) have had have been forgiven. Today's class felt relaxed. When I screwed up a step in the petit allegro (a jeté rather than the intended assemblé), I mouthed a silent "Shit!" She spotted both the error and the epithet, and knowing I'm my own harshest critic she smiled at me and laughed knowingly.
Maybe I could take BOTH the Saturday AND Sunday classes. And maybe it's nearing time to get back into the Advanced Beginner class Sunday afternoon too. I really don't need a social life if I have ballet, do I?
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