Ballet

I started an Advanced Ballet class last week, not that my standard is currently that high but I know that in order to progress to an advanced standard I need to be surrounded by people at an advanced standard and receive instruction at this level so I can challenge myself.  As I have got back into the routine of doing ballet, I can feel that the training I have done over the past few years has paid off and I do have some foundation, a lot of it is to do with body awareness and how to hold yourself - but again holding your body to a higher standard and demanding of it that you do all you can do to exercise control and strength is a key element in making progress.

I was very pleased the other evening in a lower grade class when a teacher asked me to repeat a movement in front of the class.  She said 'don't worry, it's not a bad thing'.  I was quite shocked and didn't know what she was going to say, but I did the movement and she said to the rest of the class something to the effect of 'try and make it look like this!'.  I was so happy and at the same time surprised!! But after this comment I had even greater pleasure in doing the movement because I had had some positive re-enforcement and acknowledgment.  Bring on the pygmalion effect!!!

I really appreciate my advanced ballet teacher - she has an unconventional way of teaching, but she is SOOOO spot on.  She allows you to really connect with your body awareness and FEEL things, she directs your attention to the important parts of the exercise 'relax, it's just the bar!', your anatomy, and your way of moving, so that you can really feel the correct way to move.  I saw her walk past a student and with a slight upwards brush of her hand correct her posture incredibly.  She did this with me as well, and I felt myself just slip into the right position.  I haven't really been given specific instruction in proper port de bras and placement of the head and I will at some stage ask her for this so I can know what I am aiming to do rather that just feel like I am failing at things i'm not even sure how to do!

So that's my post on ballet - I guess my action items on this are to ask the teacher for some specific instruction and things I can practise in relation to my port de bras and positioning of the head.  I don't know what training she received but I just feel it is right, the perfect combination of technical excellence with integrated body awareness and I really feel this will have powerful effects on performance and my abilities and style of dancing.  I feel it lets out my character and strength and fulfils the highest technical requirements of ballet as well.

Like my coach, you can see there is no place for excuses for not doing something with correct technique or not trying something again - 'I don't have a very good plie', 'I'm dizzy' - they are not reasons to stop trying or more importantly believe that this is a fixed state, or something that shouldn't be pushed through.  After my plie comment whilst being instructed during changement de pied, and her ignoring that like it was almost an unrelated topic, I watched my plie in the mirror go larger and and my knees move out a lot more correctly and fluidly - suddenly i had a plie and preparation for changement that i was almost a little proud of!  So there is the power of a thought, a moment, a process and a good teacher!

In this class i also noticed all my pirouettes coming in to shape faster and with control and strength - I can feel all the core and strength training I have been doing and can now apply this when i am pulling myself up.  I could feel the strength and exactitude in some of my movement and I was very excited and inspired by this.  I know I can go a lot further but I am excited by this process and where I am now, it all feels very good and that I am handling it well and being grateful for what I can feel now in my dance.