A 30-second Pas de Deux

I have managed to drag myself to class for several consecutive Saturdays. There hasn't been much going on worth writing about until this weekend.

Although I was never able to arrange a formal pointe class, we have several students who have made the individual effort to develop enough expertise to be able to take this class in pointe shoes. This generally requires a lot of effort to develop strength in the ankles, feet and toes, and attending lower-level classes to develop the necessary skills.

One of these classmates has spent much of this summer traveling or otherwise unable to come to class. So I was happy to see her back in class this weekend. She usually stands at the barre next to the one I habitually occupy, and this weekend was no exception. I happened to overhear her mention to another student that, although she loved being en pointe, she felt her balance there was bad.

Now, I'm an engineer by both profession and personality. I analyze everything. I think about the reduction in stress on the calf muscles as a dancer rises from flat to demi-pointe to full pointe due to the shortening of the lever-arm of the foot. I think about the arc a dancer makes with the arm moving from one position to the next. And I think about balance.

Even worse, I'm a fixer. When I see a problem I want to fix it. That's how I got myself involved in the adult pointe class that never happened: I overheard classmates wishing for such a class and set about trying to set one up.

So when I overheard this classmate talking about balance problems on pointe. I automatically, unconsciously, began thinking about the problem and possible solutions. One thing I observed is that this classmate is quite tall for a woman. When she's on pointe the barre is barely in her reach. I know I have more issues with balance if I'm reaching down than if I'm reaching up, and I think that's common. During the break between barre and centre I suggested to her that she find something that she could reach up to for balance when she was practicing at home. She thought that was a great idea, and immediately thought of things she could use.

By way of demonstration, I reached up with my hand and suggested she rise on pointe and hold my hand for balance. This she immediately did. On two feet I needed to provide very little help, but as she tried more challenging positions I had to help more and more. We did this a couple of times, then it was the end of the break. As our instructor came into the room she laughingly suggested we try the "fish dive" next, to which I replied that she'd have to teach us how to do it first!

After class I went across the street for lunch. After lunch, as I made my way back to my car, I noticed my classmate sitting nearby and went over to say hi. She insisted on giving me a hug -- like I'm going to turn that down! -- and thanked me again for helping her during the break. We chatted about it for a while, and she said she wanted to try it again next weekend. I told her I'd love to help.

I think I need to have a chat with our instructor before class next weekend, though. I'm just a student in this class, and not even the best of the group. The last thing I need is to overstep my role and get my leash yanked.