Groundhog Day #280

At the end of July I posted about how it was Groundhog Day #140, a reference to the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray.

For me, today is Groundhog Day #280. So what's new? Nothing. Not a damned thing. That's why it's like Groundhog Day: the same thing, day after day. I have a little weather station on my wall that tells me what day of the week it is so I know what meetings I'm supposed to virtually attend.

I've been to my office once, to pick up a new laptop computer for use in my home office. The place looks a bit like the photos I've seen of Chernobyl. Clearly people used to go there, and there are remnants of their presence, but it looks like it was abandoned on short notice. The plants some people kept in their offices have withered and died from lack of water. A sad sight.

On the bright side, I remain healthy. None of my close friends have been infected; one or two acquaintances have tested positive but none have died. I still receive weekly notices of virtual ballet classes (and even some limited in-person classes) but thus far I'm still a drop-out. Maybe next summer.

A year without the Nutcracker?

Pointe Magazine has an article entitled Imagining a Year Without "Nutcracker". 

Not having ever danced on stage, I've always viewed this ballet as a season tradition. But I know there are folk who absolutely dread the annual performances of "The Nutcracker". It's like going to the dentist: it's something you hate even though you know you're going to do it anyway. Likely it's a big part of your company's fund-raising for the year.

How do you view this ballet? Love it? Hate it?

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Welcome to Groundhog Day #216, where every day is a repeat of the one before it.

I haven't been in a real ballet class since February, or a virtual class since June. I haven't gone this long between classes since I started taking classes again over nine years ago. I really need to start back up, but I'm dreading the aches that I know will result.

Apparently my subconscious agrees. The other night I found myself standing with my left foot sur le cou-de-pied, perfectly balanced on my right en pointe. This was obviously a dream, because I've never done pointe work and lack the foot flexibility to do so. But unlike most dreams, this image has lingered.

My favored school has restarted in-person adult classes, but I'm not comfortable with taking an in-studio class. I think there are way too many people in this country who are not taking the pandemic seriously. I had to go to my office earlier this month for three hours, and a week later I was notified that someone who was in a nearby office tested positive for the virus. A few months ago someone who worked in the office with a coworker died of COVID-19. He was just one of over 216 thousand who have died in the US alone, one of over a million deaths worldwide, with more to come.

So I guess I'll have to sign up for another virtual class soon.

Dancers and Dogs

Today is Groundhog Day #167.

I thought I'd share an interesting video I happened upon today. ABT principal dancer Sarah Lane stars in a short video entitled “Dancers & Dogs” on YouTube. It's well worth the 2 minutes 34 seconds it takes to watch.

"Dancers and Dogs" is subtitled "Ballet 101". If you can take your eyes off her movements (and her cute dogs) you might note that each action or position is tagged with the ballet term. She reaches to a high kitchen shelf with a relevé. She picks up a bag from the floor while executing a beautiful penché. Later, she executes a well-controlled développé (tagged "extension").

Groundhog Day #140

Does anyone remember the 1993 movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and Andie McDowell?

"A weatherman finds himself inexplicably living the same day over and over again."

That about sums up my life for the last 140 days, aside from the weatherman part. I work, I cook, I eat, and I sleep. I know what day it is by which work teleconferences I attend. Every few days I check the mailbox to empty the junk mail, and every few weeks I make a brief trip to the grocery store to stock up on essentials. When the weather is decent I walk around the neighborhood, though it's been above 90°F (32°C) for 28 of the last 30 days. Thus far I've managed to avoid getting anything worse than an upset stomach one night from binging on ice cream.

Cheap home ballet studio stuff

With so many people stuck at home because of the pandemic, many dancers are looking for ways to create home ballet studios. Here are some suggestions for ways to do this.

Here's my setup. The space is a bit larger than 8' x 10' (2.5m x 3.0m)

Well THAT happened quickly!

In November I bought new So Danca slippers because I just couldn't deal with the Capezio Hanamis anymore.

Today, as I put my shoes on for my third virtual class, I noticed one of them had developed a tiny hole in the toe. I thought that was kinda fast, as I missed some classes in December and January, and didn't take any classes in March.

During class it felt like the hole had gotten bigger. I was right:

I think I still have the original box these came in, so I'll try to order some online. Until then I think I've found a suitable use for my Hanamis.

The room where I'm doing the virtual classes has a Pergo (a synthetic laminate) floor. My best guess is that there's a slight, sharp ridge between two of the boards, and I'm scraping my toes across it when I do rond de jambes.

I've heard that PVC shower pan liner makes an acceptable floor covering for dancing. I might venture out tomorrow and grab some. I'll post an update next week on how well this works.

The part of ballet I like least

I finally cleared enough space to attend one of the many virtual ballet classes being offered all around the world. The one I attended was held over Zoom, and it worked pretty well.

We're Number One!

The USA just took over the top ranking for the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world. That's an "honor" I think we could and should have done without.

The Plague Cometh

Okay, so it's not really plague, which is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia Pestis and spread by fleas on rats. Instead this is a Coronavirus that produces a disease called COVID-19, and is spread primarily by close contact with an infected person. It's reportedly spreading faster than the flu viruses, and appears to have x10 the fatality rate of flu.

I've been busy with other activities and haven't been getting to my ballet classes with any regularity recently. The ballet schools had been attempting to maintain their schedules, but with the federal and state health departments raising alarms, one by one they've all decided to close for several weeks. This makes sense to me -- I'm pretty sure the last time I got sick it was something I was exposed to at the ballet school.

Thus far I'm healthy and hope to stay that way. We'll see how this plays out; there's not much more I can do.

Learning to swim

One of my classmates, Christina, took the time to write a thoughtful reply to my post In over her head. This post started as a reply to her, but it got kinda long so I've rewritten it as a post of its own.

In over her head

Class today was very crowded: about 30 students in a room more appropriate for 20. One of the late arrivals was a woman I hadn't seen in class before. She ended up on the other side of a portable barre from me, sharing that side with one of the better regulars.

At first she seemed to not know which way to face, which struck me as odd. In this class, as with most classes I've taken elsewhere, a barre exercise starts with the left hand on the barre, and then is repeated with the right hand on the barre. She also didn't seem to have picked up the instructions for the exercise, so I suggested that she and the student she was sharing that side of the barre switch so the newcomer would be sandwiched between two regulars regardless of which way she faced. They readily agreed. I told her this class is much closer to Advanced Beginner than the advertised Beginner II, so not to worry if it was a bit more difficult than she expected. She spoke briefly with our instructor, who assured her that she was fine to do what she could, and if she still felt unable to keep up that she could get the class credited back to her account.

Even with experienced students to follow, though, she still seemed to be having trouble. And by "trouble" I mean not knowing what basic movements were. After the next exercise she explained that this was her second ballet class ever. Using what I hoped was a understanding voice, I quietly confided to her that when I'd first come into this class I'd had two years of ballet, and I'd felt totally lost at first. Taking the hint, she smiled and gathered her things, thanking the instructor on her way out for being understanding.

Our instructor later confided that at first she thought this student looked familiar but couldn't place her, and only later recognized her as one of her students from the Wednesday evening Beginner I class. This might also explain why she didn't know which way to face, as the Wednesday evening barre is done facing the barre rather than parallel to it.

I feel sorry for this student. She went out on a cold Saturday morning (it was 17F/-8C when I got up this morning) and fought her way through traffic to come to class, only to leave after maybe 10 minutes. But frankly, there was no way she was going to keep up. Shortly after this student left we did a degage combination that I found challenging due to its speed, and then we did it again even faster. Everyone struggled with that. And centre work was no easier. Probably smarter to leave once she realized she was in over her head and get the class refunded than to struggle and just end up frustrated.


I hope she sticks with the Wednesday evening class. It is possible to start from scratch as an adult and work your way up, but it takes time and perserverence.

Dance Ranked Most Physically Demanding Job in the U.S.

If you want to understand how physically demanding dancing as a profession can be, take a look at this article in Pointe Magazine. It points out that a study by the Occupational Information Network ranks dancers as the most physically demanding job in the US, based the level of strength, stamina, flexibility and coordination required.

Follow-up on the Adult Pointe Workshop at TSWB

It took five days after I posted the announcement of the Adult Pointe Workshop before I gave in and registered. Last night I attended the two-hour workshop, taught by Dr. Miriam Graham and Patrick Wenning of Restore Motion LLC, a group of practitioners providing physical therapy services. It is also the "official physical therapy provider for students of The Washington School of Ballet."

Miriam Graham, PT, DPT, MBA

Patrick Wenning, MPT, CIMT

Adult Pointe Workshop at TWSB

Apparently The Washington School of Ballet is attempting to do their Adult Pointe program right: in preparation for the class later this month they're offering a workshop for prospective adult pointe students with two physical therapists. This sounds like an excellent idea to me!

This workshop is only 10 days from now, so don't delay!

Here's their write-up:

Ready? Set? POINTE! Workshop: Navigating Pointe Shoes as an Adult Dancer

This workshop, presented by physical therapists Dr. Miriam Graham and Patrick Wenning of Restore Motion, is part lecture, part movement study. More than an exercise class, the workshop will teach students about their individual anatomy so they can work with their body type for greater success when wearing or considering pointe shoes. The first half of the workshop will focus on strength training for the feet and ankles; the second half will focus on anatomy, the musculoskeletal system, and hone in on risk factors and areas to consider when working in or considering pointe shoes as an adult dancer.
This workshop will not include pointe shoe wearing. If students own pointe shoes, they are welcome to bring their shoes should they wish to ask questions regarding the shoes. All students who have an interest in learning more about the mechanics of pointe shoes and foot/ankle strengthening are welcome to attend.

This workshop is scheduled for Friday, January 17th, 7:00PM to 9:00PM, at "The Joe" studios on Wisconsin Ave. The cost is $45.

Unfortunately I've been unable to find any mention of this workshop on the Washington School of Ballet website. The instructions in the email announcement I received reads:

To enroll in a workshop or a full series class, login to your adult student account or create a new student account. Once logged in, select the "TWSB for Adults" tab, then "Adult Programs" from the drop down list.
Click "Enroll Now" for the workshop you would like to attend.

I can't claim to be that knowledgeable about pointe work, having never tried it, but as a former Emergency Medical Tech I know a fair bit about injuries. The short version is it's better to prevent an injury than to recover from one. If you're interested in pointe work I would strongly encourage you to sign up for this workshop. You might even find me sitting in on this one!

Adult Pointe classes in DC

In June of 2017 I had a conversation with one of my classmates about her interest in pointe work. I asked her where she had found an adult pointe class, and she told me she couldn't find one in the area. That seemed absurd but it was true. No one offered a formal pointe class for adults.

I have a bit of a "fixer" personality: when I see something wrong I get an urge to fix it. This seemed like something that needed to be fixed so I tried to find an instructor who wanted to teach an adult pointe class and a ballet school to host it. At one point I thought I was close to making it happen, but after six months I gave up. You can follow that saga by reading my postings labeled "adult pointe class".

Yesterday morning I learned that The School of The Washington Ballet is hosting an adult pointe class Saturdays, January 25-February 15, 2020 | 2:00-3:15PM at "The Joe" in Northwest Washington DC.

Here's their write-up:

Our new pointe class series, with Amanda Melrose-Smith, is perfect for adults at an advanced beginner/intermediate level of ballet with some experience dancing en pointe. This pointe class will guide students through exercises to continue and progress their pointe work. The majority of each class will be spent at the barre before moving to center work for the last 15-30 minutes of class. Any level student is welcome to take this class. Those without or minimal pointe experience are welcome to join this class in ballet flat shoes to work on strengthening the feet and ankles.

If pointe shoes are to be worn, they must be fully sewn with ribbons and elastic prior to the start of class. For the safety of our adult students, the use of pointe shoes is at the instructor’s discretion.

To find the class description and the link to enroll, go to their Adult Programs page, click on "Special Programming" and scroll down to the "Series Classes" section at the bottom.

I have no idea whether this will be repeated, so don't wait. If you're in the DC area and are interested in pointe work, sign up for this class!

I wish I could take credit for this class. I did talk to their director of adult classes about hosting such a class, but after more than two years I suspect it's more a matter of interested students asking for one.

If anyone who reads my blog goes to this class, please let me know what you think and any details you'd like to share.

My turner is half broken

I was off work for most of two weeks over the holidays, and I had great plans for all the classes I was going to take. Of course the school was closed for the holidays themselves, but I figured I could get to several weekday classes I normally can't attend.

It was not to be.