October wine lounge

[Jutty1224]

For sometime I have been unsure of the difference between this thread and the champagne lounge but I think I might have it figured out.

 

I have been feeling a little bummed out for the past few days. The ballet class that i had been attending for the past year is being discontinued. A year ago the adult class to which I had been going to for 5 years was discontinued because of what seemed like a lack of interest though I never saw it that way but also because they were in demand of more class time for their younger students. After the adult class was discontinued I was invited to join a men's class held Thrusday evenings. For most of the year that I've been attending there has only been two students in it, me being one of them. I was infored on thrusday that since the other student who is only about 13 was not going to be in the class anymore, they were going to discontinue it. So now I am without a ballet class, even though I am also taking a jazz/hip-hop class and a lyrical class once a week.

[Redbookish]

For sometime I have been unsure of the difference between this thread and the champagne lounge but I think I might have it figured out.

 

Jutty, it's a little pun: think whine/wine (and the consolations for some peole of a glass of wine at the end of a difficult day!)

 

"The w[h]ine couch"

 

[irishprincess]

Any help on how to motivate yourself to stretch/dance/etc when you're just so so sad?

 

I know, that's probably a silly question....I mean, some people consider dance life......but I work really hard to dance on a good day......not because I don't love dancing, but because it can be painful work....

 

So when you're depressed.....how do your make yourself do it?

 

I'm pretty sure it's just whining on my part.....

[R.Mc]

I have a whine too...

 

I have just had surgery on my ankle so I can't do class for a couple of months. It is really bad timing (well, I guess whenever I had surgery it would be an inconvience) because I have just graduated and was really excited to get out into the real/dance world, do different classes and audition. There is also an audition for a company I love in November, but I won't be able to audition

 

I can't swim to keep fit (can't get the wound wet for another 2 weeks), and my physio says that I can't even do pilates until I have more movement in my ankle and can walk unaided without a limp!

 

I know in the long run this surgery will make my dancing better, but right now I just feel fat, unfit and bored (I ran out of rainy-day activities to do on day 5-no more knitting to do and all my clothes now have all necessary buttons ) And I've got a stinking cold.....

[Redbookish]

irishprincess, exercise can make you feel better -- someone more medically knowledgeable than I can probably give you the physiological explanation, but I gather that exercise can release certain hormones which can lift moods. I understand that current medical advice to those with a diagnosed depressive illness is to do some physical exercise each day as part of a general bodily & mental health regime.

 

R.Mc that is really really frustrating! Good luck with rehabilitation. I'm still getting over a fear of falling, and it's 9 months since I burst my wrist ice-skating! I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for a professional dancer!

[irishprincess]

Oye! R.Mc, I think I would cry......but! One of my dearest friends just had foot surgery (bone spur.....it was bad...) and was just ready to join the Navy. He can't, obviously, work that leg....but he has been focusing on the other parts of his body.....abs, arms.....busted foot is a perfect way to work on leg in the air crunches, and one leg/or "girlie" push-ups.....as a professional dancer, I'm sure you're quite ripped, but maybe just these minimal exercises will help you feel better.

 

Redbookish, I am feeling better....hopefully better enough to actually start hurting myself again (AKA stretching). My Army husband keeps reminding me of the benefits of "PT".....hopefully, between the two of you, it'll set in eventually.....

 

(I have found, though, that if you're really depressed....do something you know you're good at...like me, I go to play practice, and realize I'm the first one off book....yeah, it definately helps the "awesome" factor)

[R.Mc]

Thanks for the support guys. Despite the smile it brought to my face, I don't think I can call myself a professional dancer until I have recieved a PAYING contract. Hopefully one day (preferably soonish!!) I will be.

[irishprincess]

*sigh* Well, I -was- excited....I was supposed to play Clara's Mom in the Nutcracker this year. It was going to be my very first acredited "part" in a ballet, and even though it's small, it meant a lot.

 

And then Nick got his orders last week (Army...he's being deployed) and due to the overwhelming emotions that came with it, I missed dance.

And they gave my part away.

 

*sigh* Of course, if it was me, I'm sure I'd have given the part away too.....so I don't hold any harsh feelings towards them....I'm just sad.....and I feel like I'm losing my motivation for dance...

 

It's been a crappy week.

[lampwick]

Irishprincess,

That's too bad they gave your part away in NUT. It's SOOO tough to be an adult with real "adult" concerns, and try to fit the realities of the ballet world into that life in a reasonable, balanced way. Trust me, it's been a struggle of mine for a few years now, in several different ways. I'd like to write a lengthy post soon about this, but need to tie up some loose ends with certain people before blabbing away on a public forum.

 

Times like this are good to cut back on # of classes, but try to stay involved and show up on a somewhat regular schedule, even if it's only twice a week.. I dunno...it's helped me. Stopping altogether makes it even worse. I get *very*sad if I just sit around. Maybe you can still do party scene, or help out with costumes:)

 

I actually logged on just to "wine" about a laudromat incident. BF and I did our laundry on Saturday in a cute place near our apt where you can get brunch, hang out, etc. Someone stole two pairs of his jeans, and my ballet slippers out of the dryer. Discovered this when I was folding the stuff later on. I had a five hour Nut rehearsal the next morning. grrr.....had to wear my brand new pointes the entire time. grrr... and I have a full time job and NO time to buy new slippers during the week. grrr....

[irishprincess]

lampwick, that sound miserable. Ballet slippers are hard enough to keep wearable....I end up buying a new pair at least twice a year, and I don't even dance that often.

 

At the moment, dance has to be put on hold a little bit.....theatre is my career, and it's hell week. Such is the life. I don't blame my teacher, and since my brother is so active in the Nutcracker (He's Drosselmyer, after only one year of dance! I'm so excited for him), I'll go watch him, and that'll be nice. I'd rather spend the extra time with my husband while I have the chance.

[rockymtndancer]

I almost miss the days when I had nothing better to do than go to school and dance all evening afterwards! Like everyone else, I'm constantly struggling with balancing the needs of my family, a new career I'm trying to break into, and ballet (oh, yeah, and my own sanity.) My ballet schedule is at the mercy of my husband's work schedule (so he can watch our 2 year old), and there have been times when I've been all dressed up and ready to go and he gets stuck in a 2 hour meeting.

 

Now, tonight, I was REALLY looking forward to my technique class AND my only pointe class of the week, and I've decided that I need to stay and help my husband finish the last touches of our kitchen remodel before my parents fly into town on Thursday. Kind of depressed about missing class, but he works hard all day and I can't in good conscience leave him with hours of work while I go to dance.

 

I just have to keep reminding myself that unlike the days when I was a pre-pro student, there is no catastrophic consequence of me missing class, and I'm doing this for fun... but I'm not a person to do things in half-measures and anything less than taking every class physically possible feels like slacking off!

 

(Lampwick- will look forward to that post! Youth (and the time that goes with it) is wasted on the young!)

[koshka]

2 whinelets

1. Stuck at work till 7pm and beyond 2 days in a row (after arriving @ 730am), which meant no class. Yuck.

 

2. The place where I take classes is reportedly moving, which virtually by definition means "longer drive". Of course I am hopelessly spoiled now--it is only 1 mile away. If the new location is really far away, it will merit a seriously big whine.

[brise' vole']

irishprincess, I am so sorry to hear about the news of your husband's deployment. How stressful!

 

Bummer that you did not get the part of Clara's mom, and not a small part. I played her for 10 seasons (in addition to other roles). I think it was a lot of fun, and I loved the acting. Maybe next year. Did you get cast as something else?

 

Best wishes to you and your husband.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Moderator to remove unnecessary quotation of previous post. Please use "Add Reply" in future .

Edited October 25, 2007 by Redbookish

[irishprincess]

No....no other part. I've sort of backed out of the production, to not cause conflict. *sigh* Ah, well....

[Nouvelle]

After a great opening night on Thursday, my Friday was 10.5 hour dance-a-thon of misery.

In my floor barre class I discovered that I have to completely start over with the whole turnout thing, my pointe class was nothing but failed penchees and turns, and the rehearsal that followed these classes was 2 hours of being told that everything I've been doing for the past 2 months has been wrong and now I have to fix it with only one rehearsal left before our Nov. 15th opening. After that we had an hour-long torture session of trying on vintage dresses for said performance. Instead of wearing a great dress that fits me and people told me "that's so you" while I had it on... I'm wearing this awful 1950s strapless number in Pepto Bismol pink. With black character shoes. Barf.

So after a long, miserable day of being harped on, I only had a half an hour to get home, shower, and get back to the theatre for a 6:30 call even though our piece (modern) didn't go on until the end of performance. The show started at 8:00 and we were the closing dance - at 10:00. Well, somewhere along the line they forgot to give us a "standby" and "places", so the lights came up on the stage and the music started with no dancers. So all of this calm, focused, connected engery the 9 of us had was chucked out of the window and replaced with panic. Obviously, our performance was awful...

I want to throw away my pointe and character shoes, curl up in bed, and never dance again.

But tonight is closing night and probably my last performance for at least a year, which is really depressing even though my level of frustration with myself and dance is sky-high.

 

 

And that's my whine. Now I'll take some merlot...