I found myself in a strange position in class today. That of being one of a few who did the center combos right while many others struggled. Not perfect, but not feeling confused about what we were doing. I like this feeling.
A bunch of things I've been told repeatedly about pirouettes are beginning to stick. Today's comment was, "On a single turn, it's all about balance, not rotation. The turn is almost an afterthought." Coupling this with the "lock your supporting leg straight" comment from last class has resulted in what feels like a big step forward. I'm didn't always get all the way around, especially to the left (en dehor), but it was much cleaner and far more on balance. I'm quite tickled. If only these had sunk in earlier...
The combo with the emboîtés made another appearance. I don't know if I'm doing them quite right, but they're fun. Our instructor referred to them as a sort of piqué, but I still think they're better described as chaînés. The timing was faster today, and the first time through I heard a call "Musicality, dancers!" from the instructor. The second time through was better, and I'm sorta OK with the way the third turned out. Meaning I know there's lots of room for improvement, but it's good enough for today.
Then came the Stretch class. A group led by this instructor is apparently headed for China, and a professional videography team was recording her classes. By request of the students we didn't do "frog", it being considered unattractive. Regardless I wobbled out of class feeling unsteady. I'd had a bit of trouble with my hip flexors and quads during the ballet class, and the stretch class exacerbated the problem. Still, I'm seeing benefits that make it worth taking.
A bunch of things I've been told repeatedly about pirouettes are beginning to stick. Today's comment was, "On a single turn, it's all about balance, not rotation. The turn is almost an afterthought." Coupling this with the "lock your supporting leg straight" comment from last class has resulted in what feels like a big step forward. I'm didn't always get all the way around, especially to the left (en dehor), but it was much cleaner and far more on balance. I'm quite tickled. If only these had sunk in earlier...
The combo with the emboîtés made another appearance. I don't know if I'm doing them quite right, but they're fun. Our instructor referred to them as a sort of piqué, but I still think they're better described as chaînés. The timing was faster today, and the first time through I heard a call "Musicality, dancers!" from the instructor. The second time through was better, and I'm sorta OK with the way the third turned out. Meaning I know there's lots of room for improvement, but it's good enough for today.
Then came the Stretch class. A group led by this instructor is apparently headed for China, and a professional videography team was recording her classes. By request of the students we didn't do "frog", it being considered unattractive. Regardless I wobbled out of class feeling unsteady. I'd had a bit of trouble with my hip flexors and quads during the ballet class, and the stretch class exacerbated the problem. Still, I'm seeing benefits that make it worth taking.
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