February Champagne Lounge

[Redbookish]

Well, it's February. How are we all going with our New Year's dancing resolutions?

[Laschwen]

Not bad so far with the resolutions. The main success is I am now off canned soft drinks with fake sweetener and sugar. There is one cola I found with splenda instead of aspartame but it has gotten to the point where I don't really like cola much any more so what is the point? I am making real lemonade and drinking more water.

I am keeping a good record of my attendance so far too.

I have even cut my spending..except for the shoes on the way from Backbay...but they were ordered before New Years.

Now I have to go back to my list and work on some more of them.

 

I did pull off a very nice single kitchen pirouette a week or so ago. I had been coming off balance at the end and dropping my leg. On this one I stayed up and I could tell what I had done differently. Breakthrough! My back shoulder came with me for a change.

 

How is everybody else coming along?

 

Laschwen

[Redbookish]

Isn't it great when you have those moments of enlightenment! I was mucking around with my sister (well, she's actually the proper dancer!) and noticed in the mirror in her studio how I was dropping my knee in going from retiré into developpé or arabesque. Simple obvious thing, but I now know how it means I'm not maintiaining my turn out.

[Chinafish]

Had the new season audition today, were asked to do Italian fouettes and "normal" fouettes at the end of a long session (learning stuff from Act II Pas d'Action of Bayadere!!), and I actually managed to pull off quite a few Italian fouettes (first time I've actually tried them, ever!), and 8 normal fouettes!!

 

I could see in the mirror that my leg wasn't coming fully to second, and I was only doing them in flat shoes, but still!!

 

But the 8 that I managed was in the "marking" time, and when I did the "real" go I was all over the place, zooming across the floor... but I improvised and did a nice double pirouette at the end to finish with the music. Teeheee.

 

You know sometimes you come off class and feeling exhausted and energised at the same time? It's a good feeling, and I'm feeling it right now. Yoohoo!!!

[Trying_to_improve]

I haven't posted a champagne moment in a little while, but here is one

 

Yesterday i did my first series of pirouettes on pointe, it's the first time I've dared to go straight into one - I only did three - but it's a start :-).

[Marcel]

Well, my goals for this year are to get solid double pirouettes, learn how to do fouettes, and to start dancing off the barre on pointe and I think I am making progress! Turns are really hard for me so the progress has been slow but I think it's coming. As for pointe, I sometimes miss class for my job so my teacher lets me make them up in her other classes. She doesn't mind if I take the easier level in my pointe shoes and the people in that class are so much fun and don't mind my staying so I have done that a couple times. I can do a few simple things off the barre now on pointe! So yes, little steps but still progress!

 

AND this is good, I am definitely gaining flexibility! I was never a flexible child like so many were - I was never able to do splits of any kind and now I am pretty close. Now if only I could improve those extensions!!

[dancingjet]

My overall goal was to get to class three times a week whenever possible, and so far I have gone to every class that I could out of the three I try to attend weekly.

 

I'm working very hard on my posture/alignment, and it's getting better. I'm much more aware all the time how I stand, which hip I sink into, etc.

 

I'm frustrated about my extreme lack of flexibility, but I keep working at it. I hope someday I'll look back and be able to see real progress, but right now that feels like an impossibility.

[Blanche]

I've never been much good at pirouettes, but I have been working on really holding turnout in the retire leg, and pulled off a clean triple on Saturday (and seen by a classmate, so it "counts"). Small accomplishment for many, but a goal of mine lately.

[Redbookish]

A triple!! wow! congratulations. I've only done about three of those in my life, and I'd say I'm a turner.

[lampwick]

I just got the first full time salary job I've had in two years!

 

I'm still trying to take a decent amount of classes and perform a bit, so I was actually worried that a full time job would make this impossible.

 

It looks like the job is not only amazing in of itself, but I'll be able to work out scheduling classes. Luckily, I really like the teacher in the evening time slot:)

[Trying_to_improve]

Congratulatiosn on the new job Lampwick.

 

My champagne moments are a bit smaller.

i'm going to do the the dulcinea variation from the dream scene in Don Q for our spring season- am so exited.

 

And to prepare I was practising pique turns en pointe after class today and I managed to do 16 en manege!!!

[missvjc420]

Congratulations on Dulcinea, Trying to improve! You too, Lampwick! I hope you can find something to work on outside of class.

 

I'm finally getting to releve on my right foot- which is nice- I get to work my weaker side for turns and extensions. Pilates is showing in my work, and I'm getting stronger. Foot is hurting less often because it's raining less.

 

Next monday I get to take 2 pilates, a modern and 2 ballet classes- that makes me really excited!

[Rio]

Er, I've managed to pick up the phone and start calling around for classes (okay, so we moved from Oxfordshire to London, and my husband had exams which meant no time off from babysitting duties). Decided I am going to aim for 2 ballet classes and 1 tap class a week. Between the child and studies I think it is all I have time for at the moment.

 

I've never done tap before and am really looking forward to it!

[Guest kacy]

wow! I had a great moment on Tuesday in class. I was breaking in some new pointe shoes that I had just finished sewing, and went into a pique turn and ended up doing a clean, slow double - and landing it well to boot! How the heck did I do that!?!? haha...My teacher, said "Wow, that was pretty!" and I laughed and said, "I'm glad you saw that one because it'll never happen again!" Then it happened again with a double pirouette! I think I'm falling in love with turning!

[missvjc420]

I just completed an entire day of dancing and Pilates that started at 9 am and ended at 8:30 pm. Every muscle hurts but I was so on all day- i nailed several difficult combinations and turns in 3 different dance forms and made some breakthoughs in relating my Pilates work to my dancing. I also jumped for the first time in almost 2 years. It felt like I was working again, just for today.