August celebrations

[Redbookish]

I hope mid-winter and mid-summer are treating everyone well. I have a couple more classes here in the summer schedule, then I'm off to New York and California. I'm aiming to take a few classes at Steps next week (although I'm mostly helping a fried move flats), then walking in the Sierra Nevada. Roll on the holidays!

[Serendipity]

First time ever, I made it through the first full day of classes at Sun King Dance. Last year and the year before, my stamina and body could only take ballet, and that was just barely. I'm proud of myself - four full classes, including the advanced pointe and I'm still walking!

[Merry]

Congrats Serendipity!

 

I was going to post another moan about no classes on the other August thread, but changed my mind and am posting here about what I'm doing about that!

 

I have told myself I shall practice a few things I have trouble with EVERY DAY so instead of endlessly saying I can't do X or Y, when I go back to class I WILL be able to do them, or at least will have made a noticeable improvement! I'm quite excited about this prospect (even if I've not got out of bed this morning yet!!)

 

Another plus is that at the last lesson in July my teacher was saying the venue for the class may change and the potential new venue is bigger and will also cost us less. I don't know what the floor is though or if (dare I wonder) it might be suspended? It would be lovely to try more jumps, but my poor old ankles and feet have struggled on wood over solid concrete. I can't honestly imagine the new place will be better, but I can dream!

[Balletlove]

Well done Serendipity!

 

Merry, that is a very positive outlook, good for you! I am sure that you will be rewarded for your efforts.

 

I decided at the end of July that I was going to work on my beats for the whole of August to hopefully get something that looked really terrible to at least an acceptable level.... well I have to report back that following some help from Ms Leigh I managed to do some good beats last night (okay so the problem was that I was not holding my turnout I would loose it on take off for the jump, but that is fixed cause I now know how to hold it ) I positively bounced all the way home and into the house my hubby thinks that I have completely lost the plot, but I am ecstatic and am still bouncing today

[missvjc420]

Really a July post, but that thread is toast. Regained my placement, for the most part, I had lost it after the end of the school term, managed several triple pirouettes and got the petit allegro ( nemisis). Hopefully August will continue in the same vein.

[Balletlove]

Triples - shew, now that is impressive!

 

Do you have any tricks that you would like to share?

[GameDamsel]

First day of my little "summer intensive" today and it was great! I'm taking a 3 hour beginner/improver level class in the morning with my fave regular teacher, today through Saturday; and in the afternoon a 1.5 hour elementary class with a new teacher I haven't had before. Both were excellent, I was pleased with how my stamina held up, particularly towards the end of the afternoon class. My pirouettes really are coming along now too. I think this is going to be such a great week!

[Serendipity]

It's so nice to see so many successes!

 

My happy moments came in tech and pointe class today (at SKD), when the teacher (same one for each class) praised my efforts- the first few times almost with surprise in the voice! Since they only see us once a year, it's nice to know that improvement is noted! I feel like I'm dancing on air....

[gimpydancer]

Yay Serendipity! Saw you in pointe class today when I came by to pick DD and my lunches! Unfortunately I couldn't see very well from where I was standing but sounds like you did well!

[Sellen]

Had an interesting class, it was a little scattered in structure but a fresh pair of eyes gave lots of interesting comments and corrections. An explanation with the imagery involving a hook and sternum pulling forward combined with the demonstration, really helped click how to isolate the upper body and let it lift up and forward a bit instead of being too rigid (which then leads to me leaning) working in arabesque. Also worked on lifting up out of my legs but I fear I'm not sure I caught what exactly was happening, the correction felt a little crooked! Need to feel it and see in the mirror more, at home to get the same feeling I noticed it ended up lifting my hip in tendu so clearly that's not what the point was

 

Have gotten quite a lot of hands-on attention lately, most I've had in quite some time. It's daunting to be working on some fundamental habits, trying to change can feel overwhelming, but all for the best.

 

Oh, also I think I've finally relaxed a little tiny bit about turning.. attempted several en dehors doubles and felt very relaxed, and even got a tip to keep my torso from tilting back (also something I've been fighting for ages!). Whew, I have so many things to celebrate, can't cram them all in one post.

[Lidewij]

I'm just happy I can get some classes again! Monday was the 1st of the summer classes at my studio, there's one every monday and thursday, but this thursday I can't make it. There was only four of us on Monday, so we all got a lot of attention and the class was lovely, there were some really nice combinations! At my dance camp I had a very basic class with quite young students and I wanted to try some of the things that had gotten better in that class, but this class goes so much faster and the combinations are so much more complicated that I only managed to do this a little.

 

One lesser thing was, in one combination at the barre there was an arabesque (in croisé), and my teacher came to pull my leg up and turn it out better, but (probably accidentally) she didn't pull it up straight behind me but a little to the side (probably because my arabesque wasn't straight behind me to begin with ), and it felt really weird in my hip joint and the muscles around it. But it didn't hurt and I didn't get any problems luckily.

 

My teacher does really like giving us a good workout, my physical condition wasn't the best after a month of no classes! (but all of us felt this) Worst part was, I forgot my bottle of water at home!

 

But I survived, and enjoyed it!

 

edit: and of course it's my birthday today!

[missvjc420]

Triples - shew, now that is impressive!

 

Do you have any tricks that you would like to share?

 

Make each spot faster than the last, and what really helped last class was relaxing my leading arm going into the turn. Try it- it really works! My triples were inconsistent for the last year or so, but when i do this, they come without even trying. I was aiming for a clean double on the first one.

[Sellen]

Happy birthday Lidewij! Glad you made it through class after the mini-break. I find the first class back after a break feels awesome, but it's the second one that I'm a complete mess and feel so out of shape.

 

I've been stuck without a water bottle once in the summer, no water fountains (which is criminal if you ask me!) and I hadn't had enough to drink that day.. oh my, I barely staggered to a soda machine for a lemonade before collapsing. I was expecting that it couldn't be as bad as Miami in the summer up north here, whew was I wrong.

 

It's been pretty sweltering hot (why are the super-hot days always the ones I have class?), but thankfully I've been sweating like a pro (that's me with sweat drops surrounding me wherever I go even though I'm toweling down enough to rub myself raw ) but not overheating. What a relief! Always a bummer to be fatigued due to heat instead of exertion.

[Serendipity]

Still haven't had a lot of corrections and am unsure how I feel about that. Did get more praise again. Ooops! I lied...had amazing corrections in Pas de Deux class today - thrilled to bits to get that help!

 

The variation on pointe is really a challenge to the stamina. It's not difficult foot-wise, but definitely breath-wise. I barely got through it on the first run through with our groups - didn't breathe at all. I think a lot of us didn't, because the teacher mentioned that breathing is expected. :-)

 

As I watched my breath, each time, I got further and further through it before running out of steam. Mind, this was after tech class and at the end of the variation time and I was wiped out, with only about 20 mins for lunch before the PdD class. I'm surprised I could even do anything in that last class.

 

Booked a private with the teacher doing the variation so that I can work on polishing it. I think it'll be the best of the pieces if I can get the arms and legs coordinated properly. It'll be a challenge though, because the private is VERY late in the day and after PdD class tomorrow!!! (breathe, breathe, breathe....)

 

I'm having such a blast this year!

[Sellen]

Sounds great, Serendipity!