Last night we had a substitute instructor, Pascha, as our regular instructor is on vacation on a warm and sandy beach somewhere. This was the first class I'd had from this instructor: I know her as one of the front-office staff and didn't realize she taught ballet. Fellow students said said she was good and I was looking forward to seeing what her class was like.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Sleeping in
I woke up this morning several hours before I needed to leave for class. I thought to myself that this would be a good opportunity to get to class early enough to have a nice warm-up, as I've been arriving as class starts or a couple minutes late for the last several weeks.
Apparently my body had other things in mind. When I looked at the clock again I was shocked to discover that I'd slept for several more hours, and it was too late to make it to class. Oh well... it's cold and rainy and I really didn't want to go outside anyway.
The good news is I'm still quite happy with the So Danca slippers I bought several weeks ago. I may buy another pair, perhaps in black, as insurance against them discontinuing this style.
Apparently my body had other things in mind. When I looked at the clock again I was shocked to discover that I'd slept for several more hours, and it was too late to make it to class. Oh well... it's cold and rainy and I really didn't want to go outside anyway.
The good news is I'm still quite happy with the So Danca slippers I bought several weeks ago. I may buy another pair, perhaps in black, as insurance against them discontinuing this style.
Monday, December 2, 2019
If the shoe fits, wear it
I wore my So Danca slippers to class Saturday and I'm still liking them. I may just buy another pair as insurance against this style being replaced by something New! And Improved! that don't work as well.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
And the (shoe) verdict is...
But first, a rant. Well, not really a rant. More of an observation.
The classes I'm taking are not beginner classes, despite being listed as "Beginner 2" in the catalog. I know it and I've said it here before. One of the guys who often takes the Intermediate classes but who dropped in tonight because of the US Thanksgiving holiday later this week said it in the dressing room after class this evening.
As I mentioned in the last post, our instructor has decided that we should spend more time doing things that move across the floor. Okay, great. It's more like dancing and less like a balancing exhibition (not that we're doing much less of that). But how did we come to doing renversé in our combinations?
The classes I'm taking are not beginner classes, despite being listed as "Beginner 2" in the catalog. I know it and I've said it here before. One of the guys who often takes the Intermediate classes but who dropped in tonight because of the US Thanksgiving holiday later this week said it in the dressing room after class this evening.
As I mentioned in the last post, our instructor has decided that we should spend more time doing things that move across the floor. Okay, great. It's more like dancing and less like a balancing exhibition (not that we're doing much less of that). But how did we come to doing renversé in our combinations?
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Maybe, just maybe
I left home this morning with the intent of arriving in time to do some warm-up, but the GPS informed me that several streets in the vicinity of the studio were closed. The traffic report on the radio then confirmed that today was the town parade. I was sure I was going to miss class entirely, but I managed to get the car parked at the time class officially started and ran to the studio. The float representing the ballet school was passing as I changed, which delayed the actual class start until just before I walked in and I only missed a quarter of the first barre exercise.
I finished the first exercise in my socks, then pulled on my brand new So Danca slippers, which I haven't had on since I bought them last weekend. Barre included a promenade and a pirouette, but the shoes seemed to stay pretty well in place. Then things got busy and I mostly forgot about the shoes. I think that's a good thing, because if I'm thinking about my shoes then something's wrong.
I'm not sure what's gotten into our instructor. Already this class is notorious for being a hair's breadth from being an Advanced Beginner class rather than the Beginner 2 class it's listed as, but things have gotten more intense. The usual 16 one-footed releves became 16 plus 8 optional, and now it's 24 on each leg. Centre has become more complex, and today she announced there will be more focus on grand allegro work.
It could also be that she's losing some students to the Advanced Beginnner classes, but shouldn't that be the normal progression? I'm really not sure whether I'm excited by these changes or dismayed by them.
I'm not sure whether it was the lack of a warm-up, or the extra releves, or something else, but about half way through centre my lower legs started to feel like lead. I finally sat down for a bit, then laid down on my back and put my legs up against the wall. I was able to rejoin class for the grand allegro portion, but even then they felt heavy. By the time I'd changed to street clothes all the muscles in the back of my legs from my glutes to my calves hurt, something that persists even now several hours later.
But I'm going to stubbornly finish this entry with "the bright side": thus far I like these slippers. They feel comfortable, unlike the Grishkos, and they don't seem to move on my feet even during turns. But I'll reserve judgment for a few more classes.
I finished the first exercise in my socks, then pulled on my brand new So Danca slippers, which I haven't had on since I bought them last weekend. Barre included a promenade and a pirouette, but the shoes seemed to stay pretty well in place. Then things got busy and I mostly forgot about the shoes. I think that's a good thing, because if I'm thinking about my shoes then something's wrong.
I'm not sure what's gotten into our instructor. Already this class is notorious for being a hair's breadth from being an Advanced Beginner class rather than the Beginner 2 class it's listed as, but things have gotten more intense. The usual 16 one-footed releves became 16 plus 8 optional, and now it's 24 on each leg. Centre has become more complex, and today she announced there will be more focus on grand allegro work.
It could also be that she's losing some students to the Advanced Beginnner classes, but shouldn't that be the normal progression? I'm really not sure whether I'm excited by these changes or dismayed by them.
I'm not sure whether it was the lack of a warm-up, or the extra releves, or something else, but about half way through centre my lower legs started to feel like lead. I finally sat down for a bit, then laid down on my back and put my legs up against the wall. I was able to rejoin class for the grand allegro portion, but even then they felt heavy. By the time I'd changed to street clothes all the muscles in the back of my legs from my glutes to my calves hurt, something that persists even now several hours later.
But I'm going to stubbornly finish this entry with "the bright side": thus far I like these slippers. They feel comfortable, unlike the Grishkos, and they don't seem to move on my feet even during turns. But I'll reserve judgment for a few more classes.
Happy Turkey Day for everyone that celebrates the US Thanksgiving holiday!
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