The Winter Blahs!

[gerlonda]

... what motivates you all to high-tail it to ballet class instead of going home to eat a big warm dinner and then snuggle up in bed under lots of warm covers???????

[gav]

It helps that I'm rarely going to class from home. Since I have to go outside to leave work anyways, I may as well go to class, right? I'm also a "planner" by nature, so if I've carried my change of clothes and decided to go, my default will be just to go.

 

Other than that, a few things come to mind. One is the feeling of being truly warm on a cold day, beyond what I can get from the external warmth of a fluffy duvet. Another is the calm of a class while winter is doing its ugly thing outside -- there's no wind, driving rain, slush, or snow inside the studio, just music and movement (and a lot of hard work, yes). The last is that I know how happy I'll be once I'm there and that there will be time to eat a hot bowl of soup, take a hot shower and curl up in bed later.

 

Wow, I'm terribly romantic today. Who knew?

[Claude_Catastrophique]

For me it's the best time to go to class! In summer, with sunny warm weather I think twice if I should go to class, because I could have a cold drink on my balcony, icecream with friends at the lake or watch the sunset on a hill, rather than sweating in class. But in winter there's nothing really I would do, hanging around at home at my computer or watching TV and therefore it is much better to go to class Other than that, I am always cold as soon as the temperature drops below 20 °, so that my dance classes are the only moment in a day when I feel warm.

[Balletlove]

Okay, I confess that it is summer here for me now but ballet is the only time that I am really warm other than when I am in the bath that in itself is enough motivation for me other than the fact that ballet is a bit of an addiction for me.

I am ALWAYS cold (okay except when the temperatures are approaching 40 (for example; everyone else is sitting in the office in short sleeved shirts and sandals, I have on a long sleeved shirt and a vest(spencer) and stockings and closed shoes and I am the one who is cold! )

[dancepig]

Because I have a long drive from work to class, I cannot go when it's snowing or freezing rain. So I rejoice on those dry days when I can go to class. Plus, I always focus on the joy of the class and how terrific it feels when class is over. I never think about trying to walk up and down the stairs the next day!

[Balletlove]

Because I have a long drive from work to class, I cannot go when it's snowing or freezing rain.

 

Until about two years ago I would have thought that snow or freezing rain (but especially snow) was very cool and been super excited about it. We dont get snow where I live or freezing rain our winters are just cold, but I went to Switzerland two years ago (on holiday) and I was more excited than a kid at Christmas at seeing the snow and then even more so when it was ACTUALLY snowing, however I am afraid to say that the novelty quickly wore off.

[Skittl1321]

I made my ballet schedule so that this wouldn't be too much of an issue. I switched from a 7:45 class to a 6:00 one, so now I eat dinner after class. My other class is Saturday at 9:00 a.m., which is late enough I can sleep, but early enough my day hasn't started yet.

 

I'm having problems already going to my tap class. It starts at 8:00 at night, and when it's dark and cold, I just want to go to bed. I think I might drop it, and add a ballet class earlier in the day.

[dancepig]

Yep, 8:00 pm is a bit late to be starting a class, especially if you have to get up in the morning to get to work - ack!

[ashatNYU]

Another is the calm of a class while winter is doing its ugly thing outside -- there's no wind, driving rain, slush, or snow inside the studio, just music and movement

 

I completely agree with this! I love taking class in the winter and when it's raining ... I stand at the barre next to a window and get to look out and see the city moving around me. It is quite romantic I think!

[Skittl1321]

Yep, 8:00 pm is a bit late to be starting a class, especially if you have to get up in the morning to get to work - ack!

 

The problem is the ballet class I could switch to actually ends at the same time (9:00)- but it starts half an hour earlier. So getting there is less of a pain, but getting to sleep is no easier.

[Balletlove]

Gee but some of you really do have classes until very late. I thought that 19h00 was late.

 

I must say that doing ballet with the snow coming down outside sounds VERY dreamy and romantic. We have thunder storms here so the cracks of lightning are never going to have quite the same effect especially not with my nerves shot as they are so that I literally jump with each crack of lightning .

[gimpydancer]

All my classes go until 9:00pm, except for one that ends at 8:45pm. Not too bad now while I'm not working but does get to be a challenge when I work during tax season, especially since it takes me 35-40 minutes to get home!

 

I've had classes during tornado warnings. It's always interesting dancing while sirens are going off!

[Marjolein]

I have a class that starts at 8:30pm! I do not find that late at all, as I have lots of energy late at night.

 

That said, when it's cold and rainy, it's really hard to motivate myself to ride my bike to ballet class, it's too far to walk but much too close to drive. What helps is changing and doing my hair when I come straight from work. If I'm already in my leo and put my hair in a bun, it would be silly not to go.

[swantobe]

Well, this last winter (going into summer here now) I was preparing for a ballet exam, so that motivated me to get to class! Just remembering how much I love ballet helps to motivate me too.

 

I also find that wearing lots of nice, warm winter things on the way to ballet helps...i.e. I wear leg warmers under my clothes on the way to ballet, I wear my lovely warm slippers (um, not sure if that's what they're called overseas, but I mean the shoes you wear with pyjamas), which I can actually fit over my ballet/pointe shoes so feet stay toasty warm, layers of shirts and jerseys (sweaters) and then as I progressively warm up before class things get taken off.

 

I'm one of those people who struggles more with going to class in summer, though.

 

And as for times - some of my classes go until 9pm, others end a bit earlier.

[gerlonda]

Wow! You guys have totally motivated ME!

I get off work at 3:30 PM, get home about 3:40 PM, wash dishes, put in the contact lenses, then it's 4:00 PM then I do 15 minutes of turn-out and strengthening exercises, I'm in the car by 4:20, ride in the terribly grid-locked and SLOW traffic (think a speed limit of 25 mph and LOTS of senior citizens going 8 mph and farmer-like people in gigantic pick-up trucks!!!!!!). I am usually at the barre by 4:26 PM for my 4:30 PM- 8:00/9:00 PM ballet torture sessions. Through all of this sometimes I'm like, "I just want to be in bed!!!" Now I feel a little better knowing that many of you have classes STARTING at 8:00 PM (I could NEVER do that!)