Monday, August 28, 2017

Total eclipse

Like many, I headed off to see the total solar eclipse last Monday. It was absolutely indescribable. One of the most interesting things I noticed was that the cicadas got louder and louder as the sun's light became dimmer and dimmer then abruptly stopped at the moment of totality, leaving an eerie quiet. Then, when the sun peeked out from behind the moon, their song began again even louder than before, then diminished as we returned to normal sunlight.

What's this got to do with ballet? Not much, except it meant I missed my weekend classes. The Tuesday before I missed due to another social activity, and last Tuesday I missed due to car trouble. So it's been a couple of weeks since my last class. This weekend I had commitments Saturday, but next weekend is the Labor Day three-day holiday here in the USA and my regular school is closed and I really didn't want to skip yet another weekend. Thus I found myself in the Sunday morning Beginner II class.

The Sunday morning Beginner II class is the easier of the two weekend classes. The routines are shorter and less complex. I find some of it lacking in challenge, but I make up for that by focusing on the details of technique that I may not have time for while trying to keep up with the Saturday morning class. It's also something of an ego boost because I can generally get through all of the centre work without feeling lost. I even earned a few compliments from the instructor!

On the other hand, being away from class means I hurt more during and afterward. The seat I sat in on my way to and from the eclipse is uneven, which torques the muscles in my lower back (quadratus lumborum I'm told) which makes my hips hurt and aggravates my right IT band. By the end of class I was walking rather unevenly. I guess I really need to get that seat fixed. It looks like TWB's adult program will be open this weekend so I may try to get down there rather than miss yet another weekend.


For anyone wondering about the adult pointe class, I know nothing new. I haven't talked to Susan since my last update and she's on vacation this week. I'll probably see her in class a week from tomorrow.

Speaking of adult pointe, I met commenter Michelle M., who introduced herself at the beginning of class. I've seen her in class before but I didn't have a name to go with the face. It was nice to meet you, Michelle!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Reece -- Thanks for the update. I am sadly taking a break from class to nurse what I think is a sore Achilles tendon (never had this issue before). Resting/not using the foot in this nice weather is a bit frustrating as well.

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  2. Hi Reece,
    It was nice to meet you as well! Thanks for all of your work on pursuing the pointe class; I really appreciate it. I hope you feel better soon!

    ReplyDelete

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