Resistance Is Futile

During the lesson on Monday I noticed I was getting a lot of cramp in my arches while pointing my feet and toes so I asked the teacher about it at the end. She informed me I had weak arches (oooh blunt!) and that I need to exercise my feet every day with a resistance band, put my toes in it and point and flex repeatedly. Tried it tonight but am still getting cramps, maybe it takes a while. 

On a plus note my turnout is quite good now, feet are in a straight line in first position and fifth isn't feeling so odd. 

Looking the Part

Ballet gear has arrived! Loved it until I put it on, then felt fat. This is why all ballerinas are really skinny, where a camera adds 5lbs, lyrca and pink tights adds 10lbs. *cringe*

Wish I knew French

Ballet class would be so much easier if I knew French! I'm only catching snippets of what the steps are called and so am inventing random new names for them in my head. Anyhow will try my best to describe today's class, sorry it's a bit ballet nerdish feel free to skip!

We start again with rising up onto tiptoes, warming up the ankles, then to the barre for pliés. First position, demi plié, demi plié, grand plié, change side and repeat. Fifth position, demi plié, demi plié, grand plié, change side and repeat. Then one hand on barre, fifth position, leg slides and points to the front 3 times returning to fifth each time, then to the side 3 times alternating in returning to back or front of fifth position ending behind, then 3 behind coming back to fifth, 3 to the side again. Repeat on other side. There was the semi circle foot exercise from last week, battement tendu, battement tendu jeté and grand battement. Then a new exercise when foot is brought up to calf and straightened while the supporting leg pliés but both legs must straighten at the same rate. Stretching.

Center work was good today, got some little routines going. First was fifth position, to first, to second and plié, then point one foot and keep it 'glued' to the floor, use the other foot to do 3 shuffles to turn and go into arabesque. The other was first position, point left foot forward, take 3 steps then on the last a sort of hop jump to do a 180 turn, spin round and repeat across the room. It really looked good when everyone was doing the moves together.

Also today they said there is going to be a show on the 2nd March and would the people who only go to the beginner lesson put up their hands, thinking this would exempt me my hand shot up. We got counted and announcement of 'Good, 10 of you, perfect for the show routine. I'll let you know when rehearsals are.'
Erm, sorry, what!? Looks like I'm going to be a ballerina on stage ;)

Jr Ballet Class

Saturday morning again, that means its time for Lumpkins class. Struggled to get there a bit today because we had a few inches of snow overnight and so the whole country stops working but hey ho! Managed to get there on time but there were a few girls missing. The girls began with more of a warm up today as the studio was FREEZING, literally, you could see your breath. So after a bit of running and jumping it was pretty much a repeat of last week, warming up the legs and feet, pliés, rising up on the toes, did that listening exercise where they jumped up at the 'ping'. All got to be fairy princesses again, Lumpkins surprised me actually this week as she was walking on her tiptoes this week when she was supposed to, last week she couldn't do that!

She's advancing fast but I still can't get her to pay attention to the end of the lesson, she was running about doing her own thing by the end *rolleyes*

Shoes and books

My shoes arrived today! So did some ballet books I ordered, I got 2 younger themed ones for Lumpkins and 2 older ones for myself :)

The shoes feel strange, the sole not going to the heel or toe is a bit odd but I like them. I got size 7 Bloch's with elastics sewn in (doing Lumpkins was a pain in the arse!). So I've been wearing them in around the house, practicing a few steps and using exercises in my book to improve my turn out which I must say is coming along very nicely.

The Morning After The Night Before

Ouch, ouch, ouch. I'm really sore today! Mind you, feet do not want to stand parallel and insist on being in first position, posture slightly improved. Result!

Adult Beginner Ballet Class

I was mega, nerdy excited about my first class. I did my hair up in a bun, sported some black leggings and a dancey looking top and off I went. Thankfully the studio was very easy to find, its right near some major landmarks in the town center and it's a wonder I never noticed it before. I went in the 'Dance Academy' door as opposed to the 'Theatre' door and up the stairs to the reception desk. Nervously told the nice man on the desk 'I'm here for the adult beginner ballet?' and he told me the teacher was just there at the end of the desk, she will show me up. There were a couple of people milling about her but none of them looked 'like a dancer' in my opinion except the teacher so I wasn't intimidated just yet. She showed us up to the studio and oh gosh it was lovely! Big, light, airy studio, floor to celing mirrors and barres around the outside, a beautiful curving roof structure since we were on the top floor. Everyone started putting bags on the windowsill and I followed suit, the teacher came over and asked me 'Hi, first time?' I told her yes and she then asked 'What other dance school have you been too?' so I told her 'This is the first one...' 'Oh! First time ever!?' she asked excitedly, 'Brilliant!' phew, that could have went worse, I was kind of expecting her to chuck me out.

The class filled up quickly and everyone started to get ready, most were casually dressed which was reassuring but then, horror of horrors, the girl next to me pulled on a pair of pointé shoes! OHMYGODIMUSTBEINTHEWRONGCLASS. PLEASE TELL ME IM IN THE WRONG CLASS! My brain screamed. No, there must be a class below this I thought as another girl pulled on pointés. I was quickly reassured with other newbies looks of horror, oh good I'm not the only one panicking  but before I had much more time to think about it the class started.

We began with a warm up, a run round the room stopping every now and again to do 3 bunny hops, then to the barre. I started to enjoy it really quickly, plié is much harder than I thought. We did lots of exercises but I can't remember hardly any of the names, I think there were some grand battemonts in there? Oh and some frappes. We did center work too, working on some turns, spotting, and little jump routines.

Oh it was brilliant! I loved every minute and thankfully the pointé girls stayed off the pointés, all though as it turns out I have good balance and was good at fifth position demi pointé, result! Class ended with a curtsy from the girls, bows from the boys and a round of applause. Then everyone filed out. I shuffled over to the teacher and gave her my £5 and she asked 'I hope it was ok, we didn't scare you?' So I told her I panicked a bit at the girls shoes but I really enjoyed the class, she told me the pointé girls are from the advanced class and she hoped I would come again. She advised me to get some shoes as it's much easier than doing it in socks.

I ordered shoes the minute I got home. I'm hooked!

Ballet is for 5 year olds

Me: I'm going to a ballet class on Monday
Boyf: *laughs hysterically* You're going to ballet!?
Me: Yes, what's so funny about that?
Boyf: Well you're way too old for a start, ballet is for 5 year olds, and don't you have to be graceful to do ballet?
Me: *splutter of disbelief at boyfs cheek* They teach the gracefulness in the class... *storms off in a huff*

Lumpkins 2nd Ballet Class

Lumpkins (my daughter, it's a nickname, I'm not that odd) had her second ballet lesson this morning. She got on her gear and off we went on the bus to the studio. Got there and paid for a block of 6 lessons, £18 lighter we enter the studio waiting room. I sit her down and take off her street shoes, her jogging bottoms and put on her ballet pumps while she chats excitedly to her teddy about how shes going to go ballet dancing, cute!

In we go to the studio with the other girls and the teachers say hello to us and tell Lumpkins how lovely she looks in her ballet outfit while she hides behind my legs, she's still not quite sure about these dance ladies. They all go and sit on the floor to start warming up but Lumpkins is distracted by her beautiful reflection in the studio mirrors, oh so vain. Eventually she decides to grace the class with her presence and sits down to join in 'good toes, naughty toes' good toes being pointed toes and bad toes being non pointed toes. She enjoys this as she's been practicing, but all the girls loose interest fairly quickly and it's time to move on.

The teacher puts on a piece of music which I imagine was designed to get the girls listening to the music properly, it was a classical piece but every now and again it would build up and then it would 'PING!'. So all the girls had to hug their knees and get really small, and when they heard the ping they had to fling their arms and legs out. Lumpkins wasn't interested at first and wanted to admire herself some more but then she saw all the girls were having fun and soon she joined in.

Then there was circle time, everyone held hands in a circle and all the girls were instructed to have 'butterfly feet' which is is first position I believe, then they bend their knees to make a 'diamond window' aka plié. Next is frog jumps which Lumpkins really enjoyed, shouting 'RIBBIT!' and doing lovely deep froggy jumps, her teacher was very impressed. However the froggy jumps made her tired and she refused to dance until she got a snack, I tried to talk her into joining the girls in being tooth faeries (walking on tiptoes and waving their arms) but no, she just wanted to sit on my knee and whine until the class was over, which she did.

Despite the divaness at the end the teachers still said she did well and more than they expected for her age, they said she's the youngest and so she will take longer to get it properly. All the other girls have been going quite a while and soon she would be just like them. I told them she really enjoyed the last class and that she was showing me her good toes all week and they told me that's very encouraging and to keep bringing her. They would say that, they want my money, hahaha. No kidding, Lumpins loves it so I'll keep taking her. I know she picks things up quickly and if she sticks with it she could be a prima ballerina. However must not get ahead of myself, I will not turn into a pushy mum. Ever. Honest.

Intro's Please

I'm a 22 year old student hoping to get a place on a midwifery university course in September, I have a daughter who has just turned 2 and a boyfriend who I don't currently live with since it's much easier to get a council place if we don't live together.

I've always loved ballet, it's beautiful and captivating, but like most I was under the impression that you could only do ballet if you started when you learned to walk. I have a memory of being about 13 and a friend of mine showing me her pointe ballet shoes which she had in her school bag since her class was right after school. Oh my, so jealous! She told me how she took lessons several times a week and sometimes it made her toes bleed, still jealous. It kind of confirmed to me that you had to start young, she started when she 4 or something, so I had no hope. I forgot all about it, watched ballet on the telly and Black Swan but that was about it, I almost made it to a performance but didn't book my ticket early enough and it sold out.

So my daughter very recently turned 2, she doesn't see other kids very much and I wanted to get her involved in some kind of group or activity. She already has playgroup once a week so wanted something maybe sports related so she turns into the ever elusive 'well rounded child' all parents strive for. It was tough, all sports classes start at 4 or 5, someone mentioned a dance school near us that did toddler dance class. I thought cool, she loves shaking her booty, I'll check it out. After an email to the dance school it turns out that for 3-5 year olds they only offer ballet and tap, so she's too young and I wasn't sure how she'd feel about ballet and tap. Anyway they said if I thought she could follow a class to bring her for a trial and we will go from there. So how do you find out if a 2 year old want's to go to ballet? It's not easy. I found the episodes of Peppa Pig and Dora The Explorer that have ballet in then asked her 'Would you like to go to ballet class, to learn the pretty dancing?' after a moments deliberation she asks 'Dance like fairy princess?' I reply 'Yes, like a fairy princess.' to which she replies 'Yes, go dancing, go dancing!' Ok, ballet it is.

She actually did really well at ballet class and seemed to enjoy herself, the teacher was impressed with her ability to follow the class since she was so young, the youngest they've had. They advised me to get her the ballet gear and bring her back once a week, so off I went to spend the £40 it took to kit her out with a leotard, cardigan, socks and shoes for class. Over the course of the week I was surprised at how often she wanted to show off her ballet, she would practice pointing her toes, doing a sort of plié and little jumps.

Over the week I had been looking at ways to encourage her, ordered some books off the internet and stumbled on a website for a dance school in the city that did 'Adult Beginner Ballet'. What!? They do that!? I emailed my daughters dance school to ask if they offered these classes but no, they don't have the demand for it. So I emailed the city dance school and they said to just drop in when I can, wear leggins and a tight fit comfortable top and socks, £5 a lesson. That was it, dreams of wanting to dance came flooding back and I decided that next Monday I'll go to the class.