Beginner Ballerina Profile: Marlene

Profiles are back this week with a profile of Marlene, a ballet dancer who takes classes at Irene Dance Hub in Centurion after she was never motivated to go to the gym and decided to try ballet instead!
Marlene
When did you start doing ballet as an adult?

Marlene: January 2013.

Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

Marlene: No, never. When I stepped into the ballet class beginning of this year, I was a true “absolute beginner”.

Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?

Marlene: Well, I desperately needed to start exercising! But I didn’t want to go to a gym – been a member once, but because it bored me and there was no fixed times that I had to go there, I soon quit. At the end of last year, the word “dance” just jumped out everywhere. Mmm, what about starting to dance? I already love music and rhythm, so I just had to start moving with it! 🙂  I hoped that dance classes would be on fixed times during the week, and I knew I probably wouldn’t get bored because there will always be something new to learn. OK then, but where in the world do you get adult dance classes? Uhm, ask Google. And so I found…

Where do you take classes?

Marlene: Irene Dance Hub in Centurion, with passionate dancer Susan Attfield as the owner, and Louina Prinsloo – our no-nonsense, “stop moaning”, teacher 🙂  We love you both!

What is your favorite part about ballet?

Marlene: Believe it or not, when my muscles are shaking and burning – that means something is working! 🙂  Other than that, I love the “jumps” we do.  It is then that I feel freedom.

What is your least favorite part?

Marlene: I hate to miss a class, or when a class ends… more, more!  Also when my mind messes with my feet and arms 😉

Who/What is your ballet inspiration?

Marlene: I love watching Miko Fogarty.  She not only loves ballet, but in the way she dances, she makes sure the audience enjoys it just as much as she does.  One of my favorite videos of her is:

(I just wish there was a better “non-stretched” recording available).

What motivates you to keep dancing?

Marlene: When I get discouraged I watch a few ballet movies on youtube or read the good stuff on the Irene Dance Hub’s facebook page, and soon I’m out of my pit 🙂  Also doing a few plies and easy moves in front of the mirror keeps me going as it helps me to remember that a few months ago I didn’t even know what a plie was, never mind do one!

Do you take any other dance classes?

Marlene: No, not at the moment.

What are your hobbies outside of ballet?

Marlene: Music, books, outdoors, gardening.

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

Marlene: The only dancer you should compare yourself to is the one you used to be.

Marlene is on the far left!

Marlene is on the far left!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Marlene: Thank you for your blog, Kristen.  It is such an encouragement to read about other adult ballet dancers and their experiences.  We need that 🙂

Beginner Ballet Profile: Lionel

This week’s profile is another of Susan Attfield‘s ballet studio students, Lionel–who first started to take ballet in October 2012 after seeing So You Think You Can Dance. 

LionelDid you ever take lessons as a kid?

No, never took any lessons as a kid, I grew up in a small town and my interest was mainly athletics.

Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?

There are a few reasons, I have always loved watching ballet, I was always an active individual but since I left school it gradually got replaced by work, deadlines and the idea that one day my busy schedule will get better.  It was the infamous series So you think you can dance which made me look for adult ballet classes in my area.

Where do you take classes?

In Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa.

What is your favorite part about ballet?

When after 3 months you finally start doing something right…lol, just kidding for me it’s that one hour when all the troubles in the world disappear.

What is your least favorite part?

To be honest…. when the classes are over 🙁

Who/What is your ballet inspiration?

I’m not yet familiar with the great names in ballet, but at this stage watching anyone who can really dance, you don’t realise how hard these dancers have to train to dance at that level, when you see them you think to yourself o that’s good, but you don’t even begin to realise that there is a reason they train for years…

What motivates you to keep dancing?

To dance makes me happy, if I had discovered this at an earlier stage in my life things might have been different, but I like the feeling I have when I leave the class and that makes me want to come back.

Do you take any other dance classes?

No not at this stage.

What are your hobbies outside of ballet?

Gardening, Cleaning, Swimming.

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

I have started the class about 4 months ago, and in every class I see new faces, if you like ballet just keep going, with every class it gets better just persevere.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I wish to thank the teachers and owner of the DANCE HUB group for dedicating their time to beginner adult dancers, even though I will not become a professional what your classes do for my soul is far more fulfilling than anything money can buy.  You guys are awesome.

Top 5 Blog Posts: Dance Advantage Round-Up

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I know, I’ve already posted this before, but since Dance Advantage’s monthly roundup is your top 5 posts, I figured I’d clean up this post a bit.

When I started this blog back in September, I didn’t expect to fall in love with ballet like I have now, attending four classes a week. Although it’s been a struggle (between two ankles injuries and a number of sicknesses), I’m looking forward to a new year where I won’t be so bogged down by class work and can attend even more ballet classes.

Why Should You Take Ballet Classes as An Adult? One of the very first posts I wrote for this blog, listing a lot of reasons why you should do ballet (a lot of them from readers). I’d love for this post to keep growing, so if you’ve got suggestions, add them.

Boyfriend Does Ballet I dragged my boyfriend to ballet at Koresh, and he helped write a post about it. I’m hoping to drag him to more classes in 2013.

What Was it Like to get Your First Pair of Pointe Shoes I love this post for how helpful everyone was in the comments. If you’re getting pointe shoes soon, read them.

Two Week Split Challenge: I made a plan to work on my splits with various yoga sequences and other stretching plans so that it wouldn’t get boring. It was an expansion on my 30 day challenge and a way to make the challenge really work.

Q & A with Julia and Aaron, the creators of Barre: A Real Food Bar. Julia and Aaron took some time out a few weeks ago to answer some questions for ABP.

What are some of your favorite posts YOU’VE written this past year?

(Note: a form of this has already been published. I cut it down to 5 posts for the Blog Circle at Dance Advantage.)

A Look Back at 2012: My Favorite Posts

cropped-img_0589.jpgWhen I started this blog back in September, I didn’t expect to fall in love with ballet like I have now, attending four classes a week. Although it’s been a struggle (between two ankles injuries and a number of sicknesses), I’m looking forward to a new year where I won’t be so bogged down by class work and can attend even more ballet classes.

Since it’s the end of 2012, I figured I’d share some of my favorite posts from this blog, especially if you haven’t been reading from the start.

Why Should You Take Ballet Classes as An Adult? One of the very first posts I wrote for this blog, listing a lot of reasons why you should do ballet (a lot of them from readers). I’d love for this post to keep growing, so if you’ve got suggestions, add them.

Ballerina Profile: Legal Ballerina Legal Ballerina was the first person to be interviewed for the site, and she’s been an awesome supporter of my blog, and she’s got an awesome blog as well you should definitely check out.

30 Day Stretch Challenge Although an injury got in my way, I still hope to continue to work on my splits using the 30 Day Stretch Challenge. Hoping to come up with more ideas to make in better in 2013.

Boyfriend Does Ballet I dragged my boyfriend to ballet at Koresh, and he helped write a post about it. I’m hoping to drag him to more classes in 2013.

What Was it Like to get Your First Pair of Pointe Shoes I love this post for how helpful everyone was in the comments. If you’re getting pointe shoes soon, read them.

Guest Post: Profile of Susan Attfield from Pretoria, South Africa Susan started her own ballet studio (although she is not instructor herself) in South Africa. She’s amazing.

Guest Post: Advice for Men: Scott offers some great advice for men in the adult beginner ballet world.

Q & A with Julia and Aaron, the creators of Barre: A Real Food Bar. Julia and Aaron took some time out a few weeks ago to answer some questions for ABP.

What are some of your favorite posts YOU’VE written this past year?

 

Guest Post: Profile of Susan Attfield from Pretoria, South Africa

Today’s post (Adult Ballerina Project’s first guest post!) is brought to you by Susan Attfield, who owns her own ballet studio, Dance Hub, in Pretoria, South Africa. You can read her blog, Ballet for Adults in South Africa, here. Enjoy her post about being an adult ballerina and going on to open her own studio!

I started dancing just more than four years ago. I did two years of modern dancing when I was about 15 years old, but always want to do ballet. I had no prior experience in ballet till 2008 and never did ballet as a child.

Prior to starting ballet myself, I have not even seen a ballet or a live ballet performance on stage ever! I have always known that I wanted to do ballet, even as a child. My mother however, believed ballet was too expensive to take on as a hobby and wanted me to rather excel in athletic track events, which I did.

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