New Years resolutions/goals?

[Geezer]

Happy New year to all adult ballet dancers and students. As is the tradition, many people make resulutions this time of year. I was wonder what are your resolutions or goals in ballet this year?

[mermaid7176]

Happy New Year to you too. For me, I would like to get splits in all 3 directions and most importantly, be promoted from pre-pointe to actual pointe work. I have been dreaming of that my whole life.

[Balletbrit]

I'm not sure whether my resolutions can be classified as ballet related. I play golf currently part time professionally and am overcoming injuries while trying to get back to playing a more rigorous schedule. So ballet is is a pretty big part of helping me get there because of all the stretching required. I find that the beauty of practicing ballet is that you can't ever complete ballet training. There is always room for self improvement. Even professional ballet dancers are constantly trying to achieve a higher devellope or grand battement or even more of a back bend in search of perfection that can never be attained, but for us who watch them, leave is in total awe.

 

Anyway, Happy New Year to all.

[Geezer]

Mine is find more time to take more ballet lessons. I've has so little time for classes these past few years and I'm hoping to get better before I get older.

[arciedee]

My goals for 2012 include improving batterie in jumps, double pirouettes (at least) on left and right (en dehors and en dedans), and improved confidence and strength en pointe. Also thinking of adding yoga back into my workout routine. I gave it up after I started back to ballet, but I'm terrible about stretching when I'm not in the studio, so I think that might give me some more structure to help improve my flexibility... that's the hope, anyway!

[BlleFille]

I think for me...it has to be to let go of any sense of competition I feel....I am an adult student and nothing more, so I need to concentrate on simply improving, continuing to do my best and not caring about the fact that I will never be more.

This I think, is the thing that holds me back...I already always try my very hardest and go to MANY classes every week. I am ALWAYS trying to do a good single or double pirouette, have better flexibility and reduce my "fear" in pointe class ;)

I will never be a snowflake so I need to let go of that dream and be happy to have come so far over the last year....further than I ever thought possible in so many ways

I never thought I would go en pointe or do a split in ANY direction again....so this is wonderful and I don't believe that age has to limit one in any real way...After all...."We don't slow down because we get old, we get old because we slow down" ...don't know who said this but it's really true

[dancingjet]

Mine is find more time to take more ballet lessons. I've has so little time for classes these past few years and I'm hoping to get better before I get older.

 

Same here! I miss taking class and am trying to get back into some kind of routine this year.

[kylara7]

My goals for this year are to work on my petit allegro (my nemesis), aim for clean double pirouettes, practice my patience in pointework, and put more effort and time into supplementary activities that support ballet, like Pilates, yoga/stretching, Theraband exercises, and my "prehab" exercises from my physio (they were rehab from injury in the past).

 

I'm also signed up for an adult swim class called "stroke improvement", for people like me who can swim for a long time (if you define swimming as "a way to keep from drowning", which is what I learned as a kid at our lake cottage) but need a lot of help with actual technique and efficiency. I think if I can improve my swimming technique, I will like swimming-for-exercise more and use it as cross-training

[Geezer]

I've heard that swimming is a great form of exercise that a lot of dancers do. Natalie Portman used swimming (along with Pilates and of course tons of ballet lessons!!) to help get into shape for her role in "Black Swan".

 

Way back in 2007 (was it really 5 years ago??) I was taking two ballet lessons a week plus one hour of Pilates and doing a lot of walking and ab workouts. If I can get back to doing half that much, I'd be happy.

[Over 50 dancer]

My main goal for 2012 is to let go and let my body do the dancing - I have an annoying tendency to over think combinations and get behind the music - disastrous for pirouettes! The other goal is to be at the dance camp in Richmond in June.

[gav]

I have a few goals to improve my body placement throughout class, like balancing my weight more evenly between my two feet (when on two feet!) and engaging my lats. I am also determined to fix my petit battements and grand jetes en tournant, both of which are hit-or-miss right now. Last, I want to work on spotting for multiple pirouettes -- if I can get that quick spot-spot-spot consistently, I won't have to put in so much force and I think I'll be able to pull off some triples.

 

I think it's also important to reflect on the progress we've made any time we're setting future goals. Otherwise, it can seem like we're just running on go-nowhere hamster wheels. So, in that spirit, I'm most proud of performing for the first time on stage in any capacity since... I think summer camp when I was 16. Putting myself out there in front of an audience has made me more likely to "perform" in class, too. There were also technical achievements, but this is the one that will stick with me as a 2011 accomplishment.

 

Kylara, are you working at U of T/swimming at Hart House? If so, masters swim might be an option for you after your stroke improvement class. I really enjoyed it when I was studying there, because the instructors provided lots of stroke correction throughout the workouts (some were better than others), it was more social (and motivating) than swimming alone, and it eliminated most of the logistical problems with lane-sharing. PM me if you are interested and want to know more.

[LaFilleSylphide]

Fouette turns on pointe would be my eternal goal. There's something about the fouette that scares me to death.. I just can't do it. I feel like it might be my body failing to complete because I'm frightened. I can consistently do multiple pirouettes, I can do a single fouette out of a double pirouette on pointe, I can renverse just fine, and do regular fouette arabesques. With a partner, finger turns (which seem very similar to me) are also not a problem. The regular fouette turns are the bane of my existence - and of course, every coda includes them. Argh.

[Balletlove]

I am determined to stretch a lot more... splits all ways would be wonderful but possibly unrealistic so I am aiming to just really improve from where I am now.

 

Petite allegro and particularly batterie and brises... somehow I will work these out this year !!!!

 

Pirouette's and pointe work need a lot of work and I know I just need to get on with it and get going...

[DancinMomof2]

My goal is to finally gain control of my "monkey" arms (in every step/exercise that I do) and be able to pull off consistent pirouettes - singles to start. Sometimes I can do a nice single, once in awhile I can pull off a double, and then there are all those other times where I can't seem to get my body to do a simple single pirouette .

 

I'd also like to strengthen my pointe work enough to perhaps be able to perform en pointe again.

 

I would love to attend one of the adult dance camps as well, but that is unlikely - however I'll keep that on my radar just in case I can figure out a way to attend...

[Balletbrit]

Pirouettes and chaines I have a really hard time with because I get so dizzy when doing them. I know all about spotting, etc. But for me, it's the actual act of turning my head at such I high revolution so many times in a short period of time that make me feel like I spent the evening at a bar instead of a barre!!!