Has it really been a month?

My apologies to my throngs of followers (ok, more like 6-10). It's that eeeviiill thing called "work" that's kept me from posting. When you're spending 60-70 hours a week slaving over a hot computer, the last thing you want to do in your off time is spend more time with a computer.

That's not to say that I haven't found time for dance classes. I managed to carve out time to make class twice a week for all this time except Thursday two weeks ago when I just couldn't afford the two hours off. Fortunately that project is done, the client ecstatic, and things are returning to what passes for normal around here.

I wish I remembered enough detail to reconstruct the last few weeks, but I only remember selected moments.

Our teacher has really shown that she's taken my suggestions to heart. There's much less chatter and far more dance, and her comments are direct and brief. When she does talk at length it's focused and has a point. Well, most of the time, anyway. I'm quite pleased.

We had a couple of sessions where I was the only one to show up, and we spent time on what I felt were gaps in my knowledge. For example, I was taught feet positions (although my instructor WayBackWhen referred to 3rd as a "half-assed fifth" and never used it) but no one ever explained arm positions. So we spent about half the class time working on that. It's kind of amusing looking in the mirror, seeing a slightly overweight, rather inflexible, 50 year-old man trying to match the arm positions of a thin, athletic, 20-something woman. Still, if I was really worried about how this looks I wouldn't be standing there in tights and a T-shirt in the first place, now would I?

Chaînés turns continue to be a challenge, though I'm beginning to get the hang of it. The same can be said for balancé. We're doing a combination that started off as balancé front, balancé back, and two chaînés turns. Then repeat. That was "Part A". Then we added "Part B", where the chaînés were replaced with two piqué passé, and we alternated parts A and B across the floor. At one point my upper body tried to do part A while my legs tried to do part B, and I did a passable piqué turn. Two of them, in fact. Does it make sense that I'd find it easier to do piqué turns than chaînés turns?

Tonight we got a peek at "Part C", which is two pas-de-bourrée with a "catch", followed by a chaînés turn and a chasseé. Clearly there's a "Part D" to follow but she won't tell us what that is yet.

The saga of the unstable barre is apparently coming to a close. They almost placed an order for one today, but the quote had the wrong part number on it and they're expecting to get a new quote and place the order tomorrow. Delivery is supposed to be two weeks later, and their goal is to have it assembled and in use before the start of the next kids' class at the beginning of September. That's encouraging, but I'll believe it when I'm using it.

Enough babbling for one night!