Tuesday was World Ballet Day. In honor of this I dragged myself down to the studio and took a class.
Ballet simply is not one of those things you can do once in a while. I started getting cramps in my calf muscles within minutes of the start of barre, and thanks to the big mouth of one of the other students we finished barre with a bunch of one-legged relevés. Apparently this is what our instructor calls a "restorative" class. I bailed out after barre, feeling less than restored.
Yesterday I was limping. Last night I had to get up and stretch several times. Even now, two days later, I'm still a bit sore.
On the other hand, I think my balance is still improving. I didn't try any turns but I was able to hold various demi-pointe positions balanced on one foot for longer than I remember being able to before.
I think I just need to get back into the habit of going to class on a regular basis.
Ballet simply is not one of those things you can do once in a while. I started getting cramps in my calf muscles within minutes of the start of barre, and thanks to the big mouth of one of the other students we finished barre with a bunch of one-legged relevés. Apparently this is what our instructor calls a "restorative" class. I bailed out after barre, feeling less than restored.
Yesterday I was limping. Last night I had to get up and stretch several times. Even now, two days later, I'm still a bit sore.
On the other hand, I think my balance is still improving. I didn't try any turns but I was able to hold various demi-pointe positions balanced on one foot for longer than I remember being able to before.
I think I just need to get back into the habit of going to class on a regular basis.
I'm a relatively new reader here and wanted to tell you that I enjoy your writing. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your last statement and the entire post myself -- I am in and out of class too sporadically :(.
ReplyDeleteI suffer from stiff calves too, and sometimes holding demi-pointe makes me feel like the muscles are going to rip apart. Using rollers have really helped muscle recovery for me, and working them hard at the gym has increased endurance and balance has improved with more strength. Hopefully you can get back into class on a regular basis.
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