Adult Pointe classes in Bethesda: Who is seriously interested?

I had another chat with my instructor tonight about an adult pointe class. She's willing to teach one, IF there is serious interest. Are you folk interested enough to make this happen?

Here are the key points Susan and I discussed:

Getting old sucks

Getting old sucks, but I haven't found an acceptable alternative.

En Pointe Orthotics

Here's a link to an article in the Australian Dance Magazine describing a molded pointe shoe padding known as *En Pointe Orthotics* or EPO.

Basically it's a custom-molded orthotic that helps support the toes and distribute the dancer's weight evenly across the foot. It sounds like a really great invention. Give the article a read and let me know what y'all think about it.

Reasons to take Adult Ballet

Recently I came across an article worth reading entitled, "Reasons to take Adult Ballet". One of the key quotes in it is:

Adult ballet isn't about the pounds you'll lose — it's about everything that you will gain.

And that is oh so true.

One of the reasons I take it is that it forces me to focus on something apart from my day-to-day life. If I lose that focus my feet don't end up where they're supposed to. I can't even daydream in class. And I find that very helpful in clearing my mind of all the things that are weighing on me.

Another are the fitness benefits. Although short combinations are anaerobic, I'm pretty sure that a 90 minute class keeps you active enough to be counted as an aerobic activity. After far too many months away from class I felt winded by the end of barre, and I can certainly see improvement in the last few months.

Give it a read.

No, I'm not Susan

I'm happy to note that my "normal" response to not having specific plans for a Saturday morning now seems to be to go to class. This is a change from earlier this year where I'd happily spend Saturday morning reading the news or a magazine.

More thoughts on Adult Pointe classes

First my activity log...

I've been very good about going to class recently (though not so good at updating this blog). Last Saturday I left home for class at my normal time but got stuck in terrible traffic due to road repairs and didn't arrive at the studio until far too late. I opted to eat lunch first, then take the Stretch class in the afternoon. Wow, did that hurt! Clearly it's like ballet: take it on a regular basis, or don't take it at all.

Tuesday's class was the first in a long while where I didn't feel the need to sit out a section to recover. Not even the jumps. I'm going to claw my way back to taking 3-4 classes a week if it kills me. ;-)

Now on to the topic at hand...

Adults on Pointe

I had a conversation with one of the other students in my class Tuesday night. She was wearing pointe shoes and was getting advice from someone with more experience on the best way to tie her ribbons. I asked her how long she'd been on pointe and she answered that she'd just started.