Sorry, I got involved in life stuff and forgot about keeping up this blog. But that doesn't mean I haven't been dancing!
Still going to class, twice a week most of the time. I looked at the calendar and realized it's been a whole year since I started back (and more now). Where has the time gone? I think I must have overslept and missed most of April.
I'm going to keep this short, but I have one thing I'll crow about. We've always included stretching at the barre with one foot up, which is one of my least favorite things to do. If the groans and swearing is any indication, I'm not the only one who feels that way. To this our teacher recently added a rise to demi-pointe and balance. When we started this I could hold it for about two seconds before having to come back down, often due to cramping in the calf muscle. Last night I was able to hold it while on my left foot for the 10-20 seconds of the exercise, and for much of it while on my right. Woot!
One of the reasons, I suspect, is that I'm finally getting enough flexibility in my ankles so that I'm (almost) able to get my foot in line with the rest of my leg, and I can feel a lessening of the strain off the calf muscles. I can definitely feel it in our plié/relevé routine -- there's a point in the rise when the effort level drops. I'm not there yet, but it's the first really notable sign of improvement in that area. And it's been a long time coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are encouraged! It doesn't matter whether you're a total newbie asking a question or a professional offering advice; I want to hear from you.
That said, Blogger sometimes quarantines comments for reasons I can't explain. If your comment doesn't show up immediately it may be waiting for approval. I'll approve almost anything relevant, but I have to notice it first! Spam will be trashed, of course.