I'm up to my neck in work, and updating this blog keeps falling off the list of things I have time to do. But I'm still getting to two classes a week, most weeks. It's a lot more fun than going to a gym, so I make time for it.
Today in my Beginner 2 class several things happened that hadn't happened before. During barre we did one sequence which ended with a sous-sus, passe retire on demi-pointe with a pause at the highest point, and back to sous-sus with the working foot on the other side. Going to sous-sus I had both arms in high fifth, and decided to try keeping them there. And it worked! I was stable all the way through raising my working foot, the pause, and lowering my foot, all without reaching for the barre. I wish I could say I did this on both sides (I can't) but it was something of a thrill.
In centre we were doing pique turns at (for me) an excruciatingly slow speed. The first time across the room I was having trouble matching pace with the music, and our instructor made a general comment that we should treat each turn independently rather than as a series. The second time across I did just that, and found I was able to hold the demi-pointe balance after each turn before deliberately stepping down for the next. This is a new experience for me. Maybe there is benefit to these slowly-paced turns that I hadn't considered before.
My spotting is also improving. I don't have the rotational flexibility to be able to track a spot far enough that I can flip my head around and immediately see it (and the need for glasses doesn't help) but its becoming more instinctive to look for the spot as I turn. Hypothetically this should help avoid getting dizzy.
Unfortunately, one of my other new experiences was a serious bout of motion sickness after all the turns. So much so that I had to sit down in a corner for the last few minutes of class. I've been dizzy in class on many occasions, but I don't think I've ever felt sick to my stomach. Bleagh.
Still, I decided to challenge myself by taking the Advanced Beginner class immediately following B2. Fortunately I'd stuffed a second shirt in my bag so I didn't have to do barre in a dripping-wet shirt. I didn't have much trouble with barre, aside from one sequence that confused many of the regulars. One of the sequences went from degage a la seconde on demi-pointe to a fondue derrierre, to attitude derrierre on demi-pointe, through enveloppe to a tendu avant with a demi-plie. We did this sequence a couple of times on both sides, and once I did the whole thing without touching the barre. This is starting to feel like dancing! Woo woot!
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