Reports from the Richmond Adult Dance Camp

[gimpydancer]

If anyone's interested, 2 and 3A are doing waltz of the swans from Swan Lake for rep and 2 and 3A are doing the Fairy of Beauty variation from Sleeping Beauty. Please correct the names if I have them wrong, my brain is overloaded! DD couldn't remember what 3A and 3B are doing for variations (they have a 2/3A group and a 3A/3B group so 3As can choose which group they want to go with).

[Serendipity]

3A-B is doing the slowish Raymonda variation and the 3B rep piece is from the first act of La Fille Mal Gardee (the part where the friends try to get the main character to abandon her chores, but we're leaving out the acting and solo bits).

[ripresa]

Awesome! Thanks for the live updates guys Keep them coming.

[Reebs511]

What are the 4's doing this year? I miss being there!

 

So I had a dream last night that the pas for 4/3B was to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and involved a lot of lifts. I'll be super jealous if that's true!

[gimpydancer]

Reebs - that would be so cool! I just saw a tiny part of 3B/4's variations and they looked great!

 

DD and I missed morning classes. DD woke up with itchy and puffy eyes and we had her checked out at a CVS Minute Clinic to make sure it wasn't pink eye. The nurse there thinks it's just an allergic reaction and has her on Claritin and eye drops (Zatidor). We have a "wait and fill" prescription in case she wakes up tomorrow and it IS pink eye. Then it's no contact lenses and no dancing. Hoping for the best. It's not noticeable but is itchy. Looks like our insurance may cover the visit too.

[ripresa]

In last year's 2nd Aug camp, the 2, 3a, 3b, 4 all have their own variations. The only thing they combined was the 2-3a rep (which was soooo boring.)

[gimpydancer]

Love the 2/3A variation, like 2/3A rep (just keep forgetting when to do what!).

 

DD's eyes are better today so she's doing pas after a massage in a few minutes. I'm getting a massage after her!

[gimpydancer]

Looks like I'm hogging this thread!

 

DD greatly enjoyed the partnering class today, her first ever. I loved my massage! If she can keep my piriformis (she confirmed what I thought might be tight) loose, I may get through this. I really love having variations and rep.

[gimpydancer]

Oh, and DD is definitely the youngest here at 18. Except for one of the men in the pdd class who is 17. I think she was happy not to be the youngest for once.

[olddude]

Long story, but I do recognize the "puff-eye" thing - new environment and stress I think. Glad you guys are having fun - I totally love the rep, the variations, the PDD (and in my case the men's class), all of which I can get nowhere else. Wish I could be there for the August camps too!

 

Me, I'm happy not to be the oldest when it happens (not often)...

[Chinafish]

For the Rep the 4s are doing the Waltz from La Bayadere.

 

 

The 3B+4s are doing the first quartet (again from Bayadere) just after the waltz for the Variation. The one that starts with 2 girls on either side upstage coming downstage with tombé pas de bourrées.

 

 

Partnering I believe we are all doing the beginning of the ballroom pas de deux from Cinderella (sorry I do not know who the choreographer is. Definitely not Ashton)

[Redbookish]

Thanks for the report on repertoire, Chinafish (and good to see you posting here again!)

 

Can you give us some idea of the kinds of class work done in Level 4?

 

In fact, I'd love to read a summary of the kinds of exercises and combinations given at all levels? I always find it interesting to read about what other people do in class.

[Serendipity]

I think the level of exercises varies with the teacher regardless of the level itself. I started in level 4 with one of the hardest of the teachers, then dropped to 3B. Had the SAME teacher the next day for THAT level and it was just about the same barre as level 4, just a few items dropped out (not many!) and one of the exercses, the frappe, was actually HARDER than what I did in Level 4 the previous day.

 

I've only had 2 teachers so far, due to having dropped to the other level, but the second teacher is slow and methodical, and gives personal corrections/praise to each student at least once during the class.

 

I had 3A the first year, 3B last year and this year and find it's not difficult to follow. The pointe was dropped down from advanced to intermediate at student request, so there really is no advanced pointe, per se. I'm doing that and finding it easy compared with what I did this year in my second studio's classes. We haven't done any ballones (sp?) on pointe, for example, in the Richmond top pointe class (these moves are the bane of my existence!).

 

One thing mentioned was that apparently most of the 3Bs haven't been taught to do brises in their home classes. I found that surprising, but that might give an idea of the level this year.

 

Also, according to those who attend more than one camp, the level overall changes with each camp. I'm told that the third August camp is filled with people who are getting ready to go back to their companies, so the overall levels of classes is ratcheted up quite a bit. I did not see much of a difference between the June and August levels, though. I took each - 3A in June my first year, 3B this week last and this year.

[ami1436]

I'd second Redbookish's requests for exercises/combinations -- we all find different types of things 'hard' -- thus seeing the exercises would help us assess for ourselves.

[Serendipity]

If you go to the Sun King Dance site, it gives a reasonably accurate description of expectations in each level.