I'm planning a trip to New York

[Jans]

Hello all, especially those of you who live in New York,

 

I'm planning a trip to New York in the beginning of January. On the 8 th of January is the very first anniversary of me and my husband and we were in New York on our honeymoon this January (when it was freezing cold) and we just love the city and decided that we'll go there again! He actually came home yesterday from his NY&Washington work trip, but I hope I will follow him in January

 

We haven't booked flight tickets yet, just comparing prices (and we are trying to get someone to rent their apartment for us for a week, but negotiations are still unfinished ), but we were thinking a week just after New Year's Eve, so around 3rd-11th or so.

 

I was wondering if anyone from New York would like to meet up if my/our trip becomes reality? I was thinking that it would be great to take an open class while staying there, because I'd be interested in seeing how different the class is and what kind of system/dress code/teaching style/[add your own] you have in the US and in NY. I know this issue has been discussed here earlier (and I will go through those threads), but if anyone feels like PMing or e-mailing me, please be my guest!

 

For the record, I'm 29 yrs old and very friendly and nice person (if you ask me, anyway! ), if that makes someone's decision of to contact or not to contact me easier.

 

You can reply to this thread or send me messages privately, everything is accepted with joy and gratitude!

 

Greetings from Finland, first snow fell today also in southern parts of this country (probably it will melt soon at least here in Helsinki)!

 

EDIT:Btw, I didn't mean that it would be great to meet only those who could be able to take a class with me (I understood that my post can be read that way too), so I'm happy to meet anyone, even if you are way above my "level" and would like to have just a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

[SingerWhoMoves]

Janina,

If I'm here when you come, I'd love to meet you and perhaps take class.

Hopefully, this January will not be as cold as the previous two have been in NYC!

[Jans]

Janina,

If I'm here when you come, I'd love to meet you and perhaps take class.

Hopefully, this January will not be as cold as the previous two have been in NYC!

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¨

Great! Well, it was terribly cold in January but we decided it's worth taking the risk... We know to prepare better this time; we have to fill our suitcases with warm winter clothes and everything will be fine. Luckily my husband is originally from Lapland so he knows what it's like to have for instance -31F or even -49F...

[lampwick]

I'll probably be back in the city by then. It would be cool to meet up and take class. I'm 29 too, but will be 30 by the time you get here. So maybe I'm too old to hang out with. This bites. I'm traumatized by the 30 thing. No good. My boss finally told me to shut up about it. She turning 40 a couple days after me. We're going to have a big party and get very drunk and feel old.

[Jans]

I'll probably be back in the city by then. It would be cool to meet up and take class. I'm 29 too, but will be 30 by the time you get here. So maybe I'm too old to hang out with.

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Yeah, you're right... I have this basic rule that I don't play with anyone whose age begins with 1, 3 or bigger number.

 

Well, I'm turning 30 in June, but I still feel that I'm around 22. When you have to fill in a form and there's different age categories, I always put myself in 18-25. And somehow I still get very high scores in "Test What Your Mental Age Is" -tests, usually around 48. Very confusing.

[SingerWhoMoves]

Well, I'm 32 and turning 33 in two weeks. I guess I'll be the old lady of the group.

I promise not to make anyone do their homework, eat their veggies or wash behind the ears.

 

Oh, BTW, I felt really good once I turned 30- I'm proud of my wisdom and "womanliness"... try to look at it that way. Besides.. 40 is the new 30 so that means 30 is the new 20!

[Redbookish]

We're going to have a big party and get very drunk and feel old.

 

I celebrated turning 40 by leaving the country and re-emigrating back to the land of my birth! A drastic way to avoid a 40th birthday party ...

[Jans]

I've been away and extremely busy with work etc , but I thought I'd update our plans: we have finally booked the flights and I will be in NY 5.-11.1.06.

[SingerWhoMoves]

I've been away and extremely busy with work etc  , but I thought I'd update our plans: we have finally booked the flights and I will be in NY 5.-11.1.06.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Yay!

I better get back into class so I can take with you!

[Jans]

Yay!

I better get back into class so I can take with you! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I still have to find a reasonable priced hotel for us (me and my husband, I mean) but I guess I'll manage.

 

I haven't got time to go through old threads yet, to find out more about NYs studios and systems, but I guess I can e-mail or PM to you to get more specific information? And I don't remember at the moment which level you (or other New Yorkers) are at so I have to warn you that I'm not at doubles-triples-heading-to-Met -level.

 

I once tried to find explanation for different levels (I guess it was on Steps' website), but couldn't find. And I don't quite understand the concept for open class or mixed-level, but I'm still in the middle of my information retrieval.

 

EDIT: I e-mailed Steps and asked about their levels. I can go wherever you go , but Steps was just the first school I found so I thought I'd ask them anyway.

[Diana180]

Oh god, the panic of guessing levels at strange ballet schools. My experience of touristing at ballet schools in Boston and London has been that there are fewer levels than here, and it is safest to stick with levels labeled Beg, Elem, Beg +, Elem/Inter. In going to the lowest levels I have always been at least as challenged as here (if it's a 1.5-hour class, not always in 1-hour classes) and have seen people who are better than the best ones in my classes here (meaning regular students in the levels I go to, not necessarily better than any dancer I have seen in my school), who look like pros or ex-pre-pros or something, just going as a warmup or extra session. And that was sometimes true even in 1-hour classes.

 

What I'm trying to say is the "open class/mixed ability" concept isn't just restricted to classes labeled open - adult beginners do not stop going to rank beginner classes after they get good (heard in locker room: "Wow, you dance so well" "Yes, I've been going to this same Tuesday night class for nine years"), and the teachers seem to take that into account in teaching, offering "easy" and "hard" variants of the same combination. I'd be surprised if New York classes are different. I rather like it because there's always someone inspiring to watch - it's like you get a little performance along with your class.

[Redbookish]

I once tried to find explanation for different levels (I guess it was on Steps' website), but couldn't find. And I don't quite understand the concept for open class or mixed-level, but I'm still in the middle of my information retrieval. 

 

 

Jans, I asked this question before visiting NYC - you could do a search to find that thread quite easily. I got some good advice, and reported a little on how I found the classes. That might help. I also found a similar thread started by AshatNYU about a year earlier was really useful for helping estimate levels. And she also reported on how she found classes. I know what I always really want to hear is a description of a typical adage or grand allegro or pirouette combination - that way you can tell the level expected a bit more accurately. But as I have trouble remembering combinations just in the gap between doing it on the right and the left, I don't expect anyone ever to remember typical combinations from classes weeks ago!

 

Like Diana180, I found that I was quite challenged in both Beginners and Advanced Beginners classes in NYC - I would recommend Kathy Sullivan's Beginners at Steps, for example, in which you'll learn so much about placement without the panic of remembering complex combinations.

 

Explanation of levels in NYC

Looking for classes in New York

[Jans]

Redbookish, Diana180, thank you very much for your help!!

I think I would have skipped those absolute beginners' classes so thank you for "warning" me. On the other hand I think I'm challenged in all classes, because I can always work on my posture, tendues etc.

[lampwick]

d the teachers seem to take that into account in teaching, offering "easy" and "hard" variants of the same combination. I'd be surprised if New York classes are different

 

Yes, they are. Only one version is given, and it's up to the students to make "alterations". Ignore the levels designations. Advanced beginner can be very difficult one day, and full of professionals, Intermediate might be easy. It depends on who shows up and who the teacher is.

 

Every single class is full of a WIDE varety of people though (even very advanced ones), so you'll scarcely find yourself sticking out. If you're a comfortable Intermediate and want to try an evening class with a famous teacher, then go for it!

 

Evenings are generally lower level at Steps. People come after work I'll meet up and take whatever class you all decide on. Sasha Filipov has taught me a lot, and it's a very "mixed" group of people. And his style of teaching is very unique. Some people love it, some think he's totally bizarre and don't "get" what he's trying to accomplish. But I know more than one professional who owes a lot to his methods... And it's very simple stuff that anyone can try. Not tricky or complex and he's very much of the beief that one should not "strain". He gives everything on flat and on releve at the barre so it seems "hard", but would rather one take a moment and find placement, rather than straining through something with poor alignment. Empahsizes getting in tune with the shape of the spine first and foremost. That's been extremely helpful to me, and taken a lot of the "mystery" out of technique for me. I found that once the posture is set, the muscles seem to lift up correctly all on thier own, rather than trying to accomplish posture through muscular contraction.

[Jans]

Hmmm, this becomes more complicated than what I assumed and I'm a bit scared of choosing an elementary basic beginner class and ending up with taking a class with professionals.

 

These may sound very stupid questions, but I'll ask them anyway because it seems that NY-system is so different one from ours and I want to make sure that I haven't misinterpreted something :

 

1) I wonder what's the point with different levels if they don't "mean" anything (I have thought that the point is that you can choose a class depending on your skills and your own level)? If classes are very much of mixed sort, I don't quite understand the point, but maybe it's because I'm not familiar with open class/mixed class -concept.

 

2) are classes usually taught at the level of the most advanced participants?

 

Well, I have to go through all the old threads and check out different schools. I've understood that the Joffrey School is for adults(?), but they seem to have only "general schedule" (or something) on their website, so maybe I have to e-mail them as well.

 

It is amazing how much you have The Teachers in NY, those of whom I've only read or whose books I've read. And it's so weird that I could actually have an opportunity to take classes taught by them (if I only had courage)!