March 11, 2014

Taking Class in a New Ballet Studio

I’ve only taken ballet classes in a handful of different studios since I started ballet almost two years ago now.

Philly Dance Fitness recently started holding classes in a new studio in Center City Philadelphia. Once the studio was finally overhauled with new floors and wall barres, they started offering a Beginner II ballet class there (and they’ll offer another one in a couple of weeks).

I was super excited for my first class there, especially I wasn’t able to make it to the previous night’s ballet class because of work.  The new studio is also super close to where I live and I can walk to class in about 20 minutes.

Even though I was excited, I was still a little nervous. While not as nerve-wracking as attending a class at a new studio with a new instructor and new ballerinas, I was still nervous as to what the new studio would be like. When I first got there, I went to the wrong place (PDF classes are upstairs while there’s a store front downstairs). Luckily,  I was quickly directed to the right place.

I was a little bit late, so I had to quickly throw on my legwarmers and slippers, which helped to distract me from my nerves a little bit.

It was a little weird working off a wall barre (at the other studio, we have portable barres), especially since they were a bit higher than I was used to. A corner of the room was blocked off for storage, which made organizing ourselves in the room a little difficult. Other than that, things went relatively smoothly. I’m excited to keep taking classes there, as well as test out the beginner class on Mondays.

Here’s some photos from our first class:

Post by Philly Dance Fitness.
Filed Under: Ballet, Ballet Class, Info Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment
March 7, 2014

Beginner Ballerina Profile: Cynthia of Young Wild & Free

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This week’s profile comes all the way from France:

Cynthia, who runs a blog over on Tumblr at http://alldayandallnight.tumblr.com/, shares why she started ballet at age 24.

When did you start doing ballet as an adult?

I started this year, in September, at age 24.

 Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

No. I would have loved to but my mom was against the idea 🙁 I did rhythmic gymnastics as a kiddo but quit after a few years. I went back to gymnastics (artistic this time) for leisure at age 15 and never stopped. Now I help training the kids and use some time to work on my flexibility.

 Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?

Last year I took a floor barre class. I thought I would never be able to start ballet so late, so I figured floor barre would be a way to get nearer the ballet world. I was quite anxious but the teacher was really nice, and it seems everyone there had wanted to take ballet classes but didn’t. I wasn’t able to attend it again this year, so I took my courage and asked if I could join a ballet class. The beginner’s class was only for kiddos, but she said I could definitely come to the advanced class. I did; and although the first classes were just a blur, I enjoyed it so much!

Where do you take classes?

I take classes, 2 hours twice a week, at a little studio in my hometown (near Paris, France).

 What is your favorite part about ballet?

(Can I say the male ballet dancers’ butts?) The grace of the dancers. And the costumes! Personally I feel like the hippopotamus in Fantasia but I’m working on it.

What is your least favorite part?

Turning. I really have bad upper/lower body coordination but my head… it doesn’t like to turn. And being behind in classes; the others all have years and years of practice, so sometimes I feel like I don’t belong here.

 Who/What is your ballet inspiration?

Probably my dance teacher. She’s really a great teacher, very nice – and beautiful ! She pushes us to our best. She believed I could perform a variation after only 4 months. And I did. I’m eager to see what we’ll do for the annual gala.

What motivates you to keep dancing?

I simply love it, even though it’s hard sometimes – it’s really a dream come true, so I won’t let it go. And that my dance teacher believes in me. I’m shy and a negative person, so it helps to have someone acknowledging your improvements.

 Do you take any other dance classes?

No. But I’d love to learn other dances (like Irish dance or hula) !

What are your hobbies outside of ballet?

I’m a bookworm. And I love going to the museums. I’m also a student-teacher and would like to teach French abroad.

What advice would you like to give to those who want to start ballet or have just started?

No matter your age, your body shape, your flexibility… you can do it if you want it! What’s important is to do it with passion. Go dancers!

 Anything else you’d like to add?

If you’re willing to understand the basic moves and vocabulary before your first class, or even if you get lost at some point, you can find videos on youtube and stuff in books at the library. And of course, don’t hesitate to tell your dance teacher you didn’t understand.

 Do you have a blog?

Yes: www.alldayandallnight.tumblr.com

I blog about books, rugby, ballet, gymnastics, but mostly silly stuff and personal bits too.

 

Filed Under: Adult Ballerinas, Ballet, Interviews Tagged With: , , 1 Comment
March 5, 2014

Can Dancing Improve Your Memory?

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Usually I don’t have much of a problem remembering combinations in my ballet classes. More recently, I seem to be struggling a little bit more with remembering ballet combinations after my two month sabbatical from ballet. My brain seems to be somewhat scrambled and I seem to be struggling to remember things both in and out of the studio.

Now I know that the two probably aren’t really that connected and that my memory isn’t suffering that much from being out of class for a couple of months, but it still had me thinking–do ballerinas (and other dancers) have improved memory because of dance?

Back in September, information from a study was released that “implies that years of training can enable dancers to suppress signals from the balance organs in the inner ear, which might otherwise make them fall over” according to a Daily Mail article. The study was printed in a journal called Cerebral Cortex. The findings could help improve patients with chronic dizziness.

So I decided to go hunting for some information about ballet dancing and whether or not it’s been linked to improving dancer’s memory. Here’s what I found:

An article on Standford University’s Social Dance website, entitled “Use It or Lose It: Dancing Makes You Smarter,” was published back in 2010 by Richard Powers with a simple message: frequent dancing makes you smarter.  In the article, Powers referenced a study published in the  New England Journal of Medicine which found that the only form of physical activity that offered protection against Dementia was dancing.

But why?

Powers wrote that mental acuity increases best when you have to make rapid-fire decisions and that “dancing integrates several brain functions at once — kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional — further increasing your neural connectivity.”

So, those difficult ballet combinations you have trouble grasping after only having a few moments to learn will only help you improve both your memory and ballet dancing more.

Like my ballet teacher always says, no challenge, no change.

 

Filed Under: Ballet, Info, Outside Class Tagged With: , , 2 Comments
March 4, 2014

Would You Rather Ballet Edition: What Would You Ask?

A while back I asked if any one would be interested in doing a “Would You Rather” type poll in a ballet fashion (much like this one is one for running) and quite a few people were interested.

I haven’t forgotten about it, and I wanted to make it open to readers to submit what they’d like to see in the first series of “Would You Rather” questions.  An example would be:

Would you rather do 100 tendus or 50 pirouettes? 

Leave your submissions here (and feel free to submit multiple):

I’ll keep it open until Sunday around 5pm and the post will go live sometimes next week.

Filed Under: Ballet Tagged With: , , Leave a Comment
March 3, 2014

Guest Post: Turnout in Your Twenties

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It was the fouettes that got me.

My ballet obsession would be nothing without the film Center Stage. There’s that moment at the end of the performance where she just spins like a carefree top, making it look so effortless and liberating…I wanted to do that.

I started learning ballet rather late in life, the ripe old age of 24. After musing about it for a few months, I’m a little embarrassed to say that a tumultuous break-up was the catalyst for my first class. I needed distraction and a way to express all I was feeling. I got that and then some.

My first time at the barre I felt like an imposter.

Before my first class, I observed dancers stretching in full splits, working their turn-out, and doing so with a calm expression, exuding a sense of confidence and experience in their motion. Not knowing anything beyond “first position,” the next hour and half proved to be one of the most physically challenging times of my life. However, it also proved to be a sincerely exhausting mental work-out.

I’ve heard many dancers say that they dance because of the moment when “it all fades away,” except for the music and their movement…there’s some sort of magical ‘zone’ they find themselves in, like a safe place to just let everything else go.

Naturally, I knew I wouldn’t find it right away, my own little zone. But I wasn’t quite prepared for the amount of mental work it takes to get through even one ballet class, my head swimming with French terms, combinations, and of course, massive self-doubt.

Where could this alleged zone of freedom possibly exist in all the confusing thoughts buzzing around my brain?

Not to mention, when I started out I felt like an oaf.

The mirrors flanking every inch of the studio served as a constant reminder that I tower over most other women in the class, at my sky-scraping 5’10” height. But, in time, I’ve learned how to have more control over my long limbs (developing muscles I never even knew I had!) and now when I feel myself slouching to be shorter, I raise my spine up with pride. I work through my frustrations with my height and remember that though I stand out, I will have an immediate presence and I try to find strength in that length.

Dancing requires one main thing: movement. Tall, short, thin, curvy, slow, fast. The ability and love of expressing ones’ self through the body is something to be respected. No matter if you’re 5’4” or 6’0”. No matter if you’ve had a thousand ballet classes or are just rising to relevé for the first time.

In the past year, I’ve seen some beautiful glimpses of my little zone of freedom, where my brain stops thinking and my body continues moving…pushing out the stressful noises and the worries of what’s going to happen next year, in a week, in 5 minutes. I won’t hear the ring of my nagging cell phone, I won’t read a ‘catastrophic’ email, or a text saying I’ve missed a deadline. My little zone is a moment of pure elation held exclusively for me, that I can find when I stop doubting myself and let go.

 Check out Beth’s blog Trees and Toes.

Filed Under: Ballet Tagged With: , , , , 1 Comment