Jaana Heino Posted May 30, 2003 Report Share Posted May 30, 2003 I'm all hyped up! I had my first 15-minute "pointe work for morons 101" -lesson today. We learned how to tie the ribbons and break in the shoes and stuff like that, and then we did some plies and releves (rolling to the pointe) from sixth and first - not to music really, just on our own, finding the correct way to stand etc. It was not horrible at all, and my feet didn't hurt any though some others complained, and balancing felt actually easier than on demi-pointe (!). My teacher said I have a naturally good position of foot on pointe, partly because having flexible ankles and feet. I got corrected for pushing my ankle too far over the toes, though - for most people it seemed to be the opposite. (Not sure yet if I will be on pointe during the summer, though. A different teacher will teach the intermediate 1 level during the beginning of summer, and she decides for herself if she will have pointe beginners there or if we'll have to wait until August.) Quote Link to comment
cheergdgt2 Posted May 30, 2003 Report Share Posted May 30, 2003 well congratulations to you. sounds like you did great work. keep it up, pointe is so much fun. Quote Link to comment
Jaana Heino Posted May 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2003 Oh, I will keep it up. As soon as the teachers will let me. I think I did pretty well, yes. I even got complimented, and I didn't seem to have the problems with hurting and not being able to get fully on pointe that I feared (having heard horror stories). I've been working hard on my ballet this past year, and due to my Master's Thesis eating up my time I have had to make some pretty tough choices between my ballet and my swordsmanship - but I think it might be paying off. I think it has been infinitely better to do one physical art well than two so-and-so... (In case anyone's interested, the Master's is finished, and the grade's most likely going to be magna cum laude approbatur, which is one grade higher than the "standard good work" but two down from the highest possible. I'm currently beginning PhD studies.) Quote Link to comment
Kate B Posted May 30, 2003 Report Share Posted May 30, 2003 Congratulations on your first pointe class, Jaana. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Just wait until you do releves in 4th!;) Quote Link to comment
Susanne Posted May 31, 2003 Report Share Posted May 31, 2003 Congratulations Jaana! I would like to dance en pointe too! Unfortunately I don't think my ankles are flexible enough. But I'm working on them. So I will be able to say that I have done my best to reach my goals when I'm 80! I'm sure you have told us before, but what subject are you doing your PhD on? Quote Link to comment
Jaana Heino Posted May 31, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2003 My PhD will in general be on the area of computer science / data mining / medical applications; specifically I think currently it will most likely be in pheno/genotype clustering analysis. I will begin with data about the metabolic syndrome (type II diabetes, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, etc). I hope that was remotely understandable. And if there's anything I don't lack in ballet, it's ankle flexibility... but there's a downside, as flexibility goes with lack of strength... I'm a horrible balancer/turner, due to that. Quote Link to comment
Guest beckster Posted June 2, 2003 Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 Congrats on your first pointe class Jaana! I'd love to be able to do pointe, but I know it's not going to happen in the near future. And also congrats on your masters. Your PhD sounds very interesting - I'm all excited about there being another computer/genetics person on the board. I'm now working in a fully computer-based job, analysing genetic data! It's not really my thing though, I miss labwork Quote Link to comment
Jaana Heino Posted June 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2003 beckster, we would make a great team. Me, I'm glad I'm firmly on the computer scientist team now - I never could enjoy lab work much. So in a few years we should just move somewhere where they offer cheap and good ballet classes, then you could do the lab work and I could do the computer stuff, and in the evenings we could go to the ballet classes together. ;) Quote Link to comment
Guest beckster Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 Excellent idea. We can have a company called "Jete Genetics". Can it be somewhere sunny? Quote Link to comment
Jaana Heino Posted June 3, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 As long as the sunny place has some shadows thrown in, and is not constantly over 20-25 degrees Celsius. I'm afraid I don't take heat very well. To bring this back to ballet I'll illustrate by telling I've already been nauseous in a class because of the temperature, and the summer hasn't even properly started here yet. The ventilation system at the Salle was down, though, so it was not the sunny day alone that got me. And to bring it back to the original topic of this thread - I would have been allowed try and do the pointe class by the first summer teacher, but the Tuesday intermediate 1 class I can make doesn't do pointe due to being shorter on duration, and I'm quite certain the Friday won't either, as it's mixed level with beginner 2, none of whom are on pointe yet. The Wednesday class will have a pointe class in the end of it, but that one I can't make. So I will not begin actual pointe classes yet. Bwaah. :mad: Quote Link to comment
Guest mic31 Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 congratulations Jaana! Quote Link to comment
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