*If this is it.........dooooooooowop!!!*

[WendyMichelle]

I just packed my dance bag up in preparation for returning to classes tomorrow night. I'm so excited! It took all of five minutes, but I neatly folded everything, gently put my pointe shoes in their mesh bag, made sure I had my headband (I've cut my hair off short since the end of last year), other personals, etc..........the whole nine yards.

 

Now I'm like............"Do I really have to actually work tomorrow? Can't I just skip straight through that part to ballet class?"

 

When does everyone else go back?

 

WM

[spingirl]

I've been going--my studio does a "dollar barre" every day. What a bargain for a tough, nearly 2-hour class! Of course, I have to steel myself for the humiliation of being the only person over 17 and over 100 pounds, and the only person not in pointe shoes (except for the few guys), but that's okay. It's really designed for the higher-level girls, but I'm not going to pass up the opportunity. I can keep up with the barre pretty well (until we hit frappes--I didn't realize there was such a thing as a TRIPLE frappe ), and I manage to get through the adagio. Petite allegro is hopeless, and I'm afraid to try the grande allegro. I don't mind being challenged, but I don't want to hurt myself trying to do jumps I'm not really familiar with.

 

So I had five--yes, FIVE--classes last week, and like you, I wish I could just skip work and just go right to the studio tomorrow!!

 

All the regular classes start the 29th, and I'll be doing two there and two at the local community college, which starts on Sept. 5th or thereabouts. I might be able to get one more class for my five, but if not, I may have to settle for a Pilates class. Ick. I know it would be good for me, but I just wanna do ballet!!

 

EDIT: BTW--now I can developpe at 90 degrees--slightly higher with my right leg!!! A couple of months ago I couldn't get higher than 45 degrees. Bring on those classes!!

 

Lisa

[Laschwen]

I've been going--my studio does a "dollar barre" every day. What a bargain for a tough, nearly 2-hour class!

EDIT: BTW--now I can developpe at 90 degrees--slightly higher with my right leg!!! A couple of months ago I couldn't get higher than 45 degrees. Bring on those classes!!

 

Lisa

 

 

 

YiKes and Congratulations! You go girl.

 

Laschwen

[WendyMichelle]

Yeah, those triple frappes are always my undoing as well. It's like................."what?........*blank stare*"

 

I can tell I haven't had class since mid-April. My legs were shaking after plies tonight! Also my arms are really sore, so I assume I must've been holding them correctly. I didn't attempt petite or grande allegro and won't for the next two weeks. I'm on glasses duty until my Lasik surgery on the 31st and I can't see without them to do anything. And with them I'm afraid they'd go flying off my head on the first pirouette!

 

I'm getting five classes a week in this year. I'm excited about it! Actually thinking about adding a sixth, although that would mean doubling up on one day, at another............"dollyish" shall we say, place. My nuts and bolts is the other place, but I'd like something a little less demanding and stressful to work some of my kinks out.

[Guest pink tights]

Wendy--IMHO skip that 6th class. If the school is truly "dollyish" your technique will not improve--you might even pick up some bad habits. Even if you are looking for an easier class....if it's bad instruction, why bother?

[WendyMichelle]

Very true. And it's at the place where the "instructor" made me cry after class about this time last year because she said something about my weight. She's actually one of those that are not even qualified to sew someone's pointe shoes........much less be trying to teach kids in them. I'll take your advice. =)

[Tiffany]

I've been in classes on & off all summer (I've been off for trips and such and have been going to class when in town and work didn't conflict). Our studio rarely closes and only closes for about a week after we have a performance or maybe 2 weeks during Christmas holidays. My teacher's philosophy is that good dancers are made in class 52 weeks/year, not just 9 months/school year. So anyway, my dance bag was never unpacked for summer though I have gotten out of shape a bit due to being out of town some and away from class.

 

I LOVE the dollar barre classes! Wish we had those! I'd be so happy to get a great class for that little $$!

[AmyKL]

Oooh, I started back yesterday. I have a "beginner" adult class (LOL, I'll explain that in a sec!), an advanced adult class, and intermediate 2x a week through my college. Beginner was yesterday.

 

But anyway, my new favorite teacher in the whole world is doing both beginner and advanced. The same one who stuck me in with the advanced group all the time during the summer class. She made me take advanced! I swear!

 

So yesterday, beginning adult ballet resumed. When I say beginning, I mean that only two people in the class are total beginners and the rest are mostly adults who need extra class time. And they're good. She put the pain down on the ones who've been there before and I'm so sore. I like those classes because she starts with floor work for the core muscles. I'm not sure if she's going to do that for the advanced, but I hope. I need it. Bleh. I'm so nervous. I know mostly everyone that will be in that class, but I'm not nearly as good. But the people I do know are nice and they don't mind if I'm there. I really like the instructor at this school because she manages to push you just further than you thought you could go without killing you. For instance, I didn't know I could do the heel stretch thing to nearly my head!

 

..aaaand, like WendyMichelle, I have my dance bag packed for tomorrow. Plus I just sorted through all my dancewear and found that I only have 2 wearable pairs of pink tights and one black one that I think makes me look too short, so I never wear them. And I'm deficient in black leos because no one cares about the color during the summer. I was only taking once a week during the summer. I just put in an order for 2 more tights (should have got 3, but the uni classes I can probably get away with leggings or something) and two more black leos.