Pas de deux @richmond

[BostonBalletGirl]

Could someone please share so info/or experence about PDD class at richmond. I am very excited that I will have the oppurtunity to try it. how do they run it? dont they have to bring in guys from the company? what kinds of things are taught? I'm a little nervous about the weight issue with partnering. I may just be paranoid but i'm worried about making it too hard for the guy during lifts. I mean, I dont have an ideal body and was just wondering if anyone wanted to shed light on the issue.thank you.

[citibob]

I've done PDD class with girls of a variety of weights. One girl was positively overweight, I mean butterball shape. She was a good dancer with great feet as well. A lot of pas de deux doesn't involve lifting, and it doesn't really matter how heavy the girl is. I once put this dancer on my shoulder because I wanted her to feel included in the lifts. Really, it wasn't that hard. The teacher told me not to try it again, but then he did it as well.

[2 Left Feet]

PDD in Richmond tends not to be terribly difficult. Yes, some guys from the company come in to help out. But most of the women tend to be new to pointe or rather inexperienced at working with a partner. Usually the guys attending ADC have little or no experience either. Because of this there tends to be little in the way of actual lifts. We've tried them in the past to varying degrees, but nothing difficult. Usually it's balancing the woman en pointe in pirouettes or promenades, penches, etc.

 

The biggest problem I've had in the past is many women at ADC get very nervous about being with a partner and being handled in areas normally considered sensitive. The other big fear is that we'll drop them, but I have yet to see that happen. I've had a few ladies tilt a bit more than I would have liked, but I've never dropped one yet. Come to think of it, in 4 previous trips to ADC I can't recall anyone being dropped in a partnering class. In fact, the only person I recall coming close to dropping was Pedro, but thats another story.

 

The best advice I could give anyone is to relax and have fun with it. In the past some of the ladies I've worked with have been so nervous that it seemed to get in the way of it. Enjoy it! We're all there to learn and to have fun in the process.

[MJ]

BBG,

 

No need to worry, a begining partnering class will not involve any gymnastics or acrobatics. Most classes start with simple piroettes or changenments.

Enjoy yourself, you will have a blast.

 

MJ

[spinbug]

I'm so glad to hear someone else voice their concern in this area. Last year I went to ADC and did partnering for the first time and I was worried about my weight as well. Unfortunately I did let some of my nervousnessnes get in the way of enjoying it like I could have. ( Not so this year!) I do remember this one dancer, I think from the Richmond Ballet, who made us all feel like queens. Thanked us everytime and reassured us if we didn't do it just right, a complete gentleman.

 

Guys, you have a tremendous influence on how relaxed and easy your partner is to work with. Treat her like a fairy princess and she may dance with you like one!

 

Girls, too, compliment your partner and reassure him and he may just be able to "lasso the moon" for you!

 

Spinbug