Adult Ballet Classes - Illinois

[Robert]

I've decided I will take the Novice course at Intrigue on Saturdays and the Beginners courses at Ballet Chicago during the week.

 

If you see an older 6'2" guy stumbling about at Intrigue please say hello as that would be me.

[Clara 76]

Report back, Private Robert! Debriefing scheduled for Saturday after classes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Please enjoy yourself and remember that everyone there will be in a similar state of mind. Go for it!

[Lyndee]

I will certainly say hi to you if I see you! I'm not sure if I'm going to take the thursday class or the saturday class but once spring semester starts (end of january) the saturday class will be my only option so if you stick with it I'll see you eventually.

[Pondfly]

Robert, I got a call from Northwest Academy in Schaumburg and they invited me to attend their class. The only thing is that the class started in September but she thinks that I should be able to jump back in. Personally I'm a little nervous about it, but I'm going to do my best at it.

Class is two times a week with three days offered. I'm going to start tomorrow or Wednesday to see how I blend in and if they, or I feel a little behind I'm going to see if I can get some classes to get caught up.

 

Report will be in later this week.

[bagg]

Hi all. Just want to let you know that the Billy Elliot Broadway Musical group has rented many of the studios at Ballet Chgo for the next couple of weeks. The schedule has Billy Elliott at Ballet chicago daily until 7pm. With Billy Elliot along and the Ballet Chgo students coming back from winter break, it's going to be very crowded at the studios. If there is an appearance of an "organized chaos" when you first arrive, I'm sure it's very temporary. Enjoy your class.

[Robert]

Oh, thanks for the heads-up. The organized chaos might well be a tonic to my nerves for my first ballet class!

Edited January 5, 2010 by Redbookish
removal of unnecessary quotation of immediately preceding post.

[Pondfly]

Well after 20 years I jumped in to a class that started back in September. I was the only male in the class of about 8 and was warmly received. After getting over the butterflies I immediately moved to the "fish out of the water" feeling. So, now I'm sore and will be back in class Wednesday. Now I just need to get the connection from my head to my body working properly.

[Robert]

I finished my first week of classes and am feeling rather smart that I chose ballet. I was going in thinking ballet would help my posture, flexibility, core strength and balance. The first week addressed all of these. I'm taking classes at two studios, Ballet Chicago and Intrigue Dance.

 

The classes at Ballet Chicago are a Beginners course, but not a basics course. Therefore, there were some aspects of the class that I just could not keep up with. However, the instructor and sessions are great. The instructor helped me after class with some good advice and showed me some good stretches to work on. The classes themselves leave my muscles aching which is great feeling. The classes are very small, three or four people.

 

The class I've enrolled in at Intrigue Dance is a Novice course and was very helpful. I was hoping this course would spend a lot of time on proper posture and technique. The instructor, also very good, did exactly that. This class was also relatively small with six people.

 

A few things occurred to me in last week's classes; I never knew my left foot was so uncoordinated relative to my right; I never knew that I had any flexibility problems whatsoever in my shoulders and now realize I have dreadful flexibility. Lastly and perhaps the most exciting discovery was to feel how many muscles I had not been using previously. For my age group, I have a fairly decent national ranking in men's swimming. Therefore, I was not expecting the degree of muscle pain I felt when I woke up the day after classes. It was a very satisfying feeling.

 

I'm looking forward to my second week of classes.

[Pondfly]

Sounds like you did good in your choices. I may keep that in mind if I need some extra help later. Thanks for the update.

[Lyndee]

also, does anyone know of any summer intensives for adults in chicago?

 

edited to remove the groupon offer since it has expired.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Lyndee

[quill]

Here's one for you, Lyndee, although not ballet. Most people who attend are adults.

 

Doris Humphrey Summer Intensive 2010

 

 

MOMENTA and the Doris Humphrey Society are proud to announce a special technique and repertory workshop focused on Modern Dance Pioneer, Doris Humphrey. The workshop will be directed and taught by Gail Corbin (Humphrey Technique and Repertory), with special guest teacher, Deborah Carr (Humphrey-Weidman Technique and Repertory).

 

The workshop will be from August 2 through 7, 2010, at the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park:

 

TECHNIQUE class will explore the foundation of Humphrey's technique of Fall and Recovery, and will work on exercises to develop breath, successional movement, and suspension.

 

REPERTORY will include learning a number of studies that illustrate the principles of the technique and will also include sections of repertory representing works by Doris Humphrey, Charles Weidman, and Ernestine Stodelle.

 

PEDAGOGY: Students will take the principles of Humphrey/Weidman technique in detail, and through their own studies, will translate them into a classroom setting for a variety of ages and levels.

 

There will be an INFORMAL PERFORMANCE on Saturday, August 7 at 7:30PM.

 

To register ,contact the Academy 708-848-2329

[Lyndee]

yeah, I'm interested in most kinds of dance so it doesn't have to be ballet. thanks for the info, I'll look into it!

[keguri]

I took classes at the Evanston School of Ballet for several years. It is easy accessible by the Metra line, and also (with a bit longer walk) from the purple/red line. It is a small studio, and seems inconspicuous from the outside, but the teachers are very inspiring and take adult students seriously. Because the adult classes are integrated with the teenager/pre-professional curriculum, and because they only teach ballet, they can offer a graded series of classes (Beginning I, Beginning II, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced). The atmosphere is also very professional, and relatively strict : there is a dress code (men have to wear black or grey tights; women pink tights and a leotard), lateness is never tolerated, even the ribbons of ballet shoes have to be tucked in. They also have a piano accompanist for every class. Kerry Hubata is really quite an extraordinary pedagogue, and her aesthetic commitment to the ballet is profound. She seems to really appreciate the effort that her adult students make, and yet is also not afraid to criticize them when she feels that they are not making the effort they should be making.

Some people, I imagine, might feel a bit self-conscious, since the inside of the studio is often visible from the sidewalk. But it is a relatively sparely populated suburban shopping street. You get used to it.

[Pondfly]

Actually Schaumburg and Evanston owners communicate a lot and have cooperated on a recital back in the late winter. Our place is pretty much along the same lines as it is strict, but has a comfortable learning environment with a pianist as well. They take care of their male dancers extremely well and we return the favor by giving as much as we can.

 

I've can say that I have found my home as they are a great place to go and encourage you to improve yourself as much as possible.

[Robert]

I'm back to the drawing board. Ballet Chicago reduced the number of classes offered to one a week. I don't feel as though I can really progress with only a class a week. I did take some classes at Intrigue but never felt welcome or comfortable. There were no changing rooms.

 

It seems like I may sign up for classes at Joffrey. I live downtown in the south loop. Can anyone think of other adult ballet classes in or around downtown Chicago? Anyone taken ballet classes at Columbia College?

 

Robert