#beginning ballet

[danceswithfatness]

What I wore to dance class last night looks an awful lot like what I wore for fun on Sunday

[danceswithfatness]

The First Dance Class

The first dance class started at 8:20. I clicked on the “dance” feature of my Apple Watch to track the workout. 

We started at the barre with about 15 minutes of barre work. This included plies, ron de jambe, and tendu all set to the Nutcracker music by Tchaikovsky. At least the tempos were slow so I could keep up with the other dancers. There were four other women in the dance class, no one older than 45 probably. All were women of color, which I thought was super cool. One lady had been in the beginning class since April, one for two months, and one for four classes. So while I lacked the fitness of some of the other dancers, I know I have the technical knowledge and vocabulary. 

After our work at the barre, we moved to doing attitudes. An attitude is when the leg is lifted and at a 90 degree angle, elongating the limb and elongating the body of the dancer. This was HARD. As a girl with weak hip flexors, I had a hard time balancing and getting the lift and drop of the hip to create an elongated attitude. 

Once we finished work on attitudes, we started working on pique turns. A pique turn is a traveling turn. We started with a tendu outside (let’s say the right leg tendus), a lift into a releve with the left leg in the basic position for a sur le cou de pied, and then bringing that left leg down into third position before repeating the whole process. Next week when we work across the floor we will add the turn. I’m excited to work on the pique turns at home. And to maybe find some barre exercise videos to supplement to my nightly yoga routines. 

[danceswithfatness]

Daily Yoga, Dance Practice

Even though I went on a date with The Guy, I still decided to dedicate time to my yoga practice. I follow a yoga teacher named Tiffany Croww on YouTube/TikTok/Instagram. She tends to post really gentle flows, sometimes seated or in a chair, that I’m utilizing to help gain my strength and flexibility while also dancing. Yesterday’s yoga practice spent a lot of time in plank, cat and cow, and down dog. I have a hard time being on my hands and knees, so I did my best to keep up there. When it came to downward dog, I used a chair to support and steady myself. I think a good yoga goal will be to do a full sun salutation with the use of blocks. I’ll feel strong when I can do that. 

In my office yesterday during work (I’m a music teacher at an all boys Catholic high school), I found a video for foot and ankle strengthening for dancers. As someone coming off of PT for ankle and hip strength, I’d like to really focus on feeling strong in my releve, especially as we move into pique turns. I worked across the floor in my room on the pique turn beginnings from class. I’d like to try to manage an actual pique turn before I get back to class, but if I can at least get across the floor with releve and feeling strong through the ankle, I will be happy. 

[thisclockworkheart]

Hey! I wondered when you started dancing? Did you start as a kid or pick it up when you were older? I'm not sure if you've answered a question similar to this before. I ask because I did a little, barely anything really, when I was younger and now I'm 23 and all rusty ha! Just wondered if it's still possible to go on pointe and whatnot after dancing as an adult. Hopefully this made sense to you!! Thank you and have a great day!! Xx

I did dance from 4-14, but not at a high level at all. I restarted at 20, and I count that as the true beginning of my ballet education. Between health things and adulting, I’ve been off and on for about 10 years. I had a few years in there with very intense training, a few years where I didn’t dance at all, and these days I can only take once a week- maybe 2-3 times if I’m very lucky. 

It’s definitely possible to get to a decently high level as an adult, but it’s hard to find beginning pointe (or any pointe really) as an adult. That’s definitely something that takes a lot of time, training, and the instruction of a teacher that’s willing to do it the right way. Self training with pointe is an absolute no go. Don’t try it, it’s just not safe. Along with that if you can’t take a minimum of three classes weekly I’d say it would be nearly impossible to maintain the level of technique needed to do pointe properly without hurting yourself. When I regularly did pointe I was dancing a minimum of 10 hours a week, and that’s why I’m not doing pointe right now. As much as I love it, I know it’s not practical or safe for me at the moment. 

BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t develop the hell out of your technique and ability as an adult. There are times when I miss pointe, but to be honest most of the time I really don’t. Dance for the joy of it. Dance to put your mind and body through a challenge like nothing else you’ve ever done. Dance to bring the music to life, to find strength and expression you never knew you had within yourself. THAT is obtainable for anyone who’s willing to try at any age, body type, or experience level. <3

[gwenythbrand]

Ballet Fitness at Home with Melody Smith of Ballet 24

Ballet Fitness at Home with Melody Smith of Ballet 24

I met Melody Smith at Dance 101 in Atlanta when I ventured to take one of her Beginning Ballet Fit classes. It was one of first ballet classes I had taken as an adult, and though it’s been a while and the details of the class are fuzzy, I absolutely do remember watching Melody teach and thinking “How is she so stunning and how does she make it look so effortless and why am I not seething with…

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[kayleesays]

My left: shitty pink split sole Sanshas that hurt my heels and also I can only find one? 

My right: shitty white Blochs that make my foot look like it's wearing a diaper 

 Ya can't win.

[mysylphwrites]

Suffer Thy Little Sylphs

Degas- Could be any other in ballet, but instead depicts a mother of upper middle class, waiting in a drawing room-again, could be Any Mother in Ballet Studio waiting….

I remember the first book my mother gave me about ballet. It was already a very old book. The illustrations were of a little girl in a leotard with ballet shoes. She wanted to learn to dance. Her parentstook her to a ballet class.…

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