Simply Adult Ballet: the progress of one adult dancer who took up ballet later in life

[Fiz]

One of my favourite ballet teachers had us do ballet in the centre without a barre on several occasions. It was torture. It was as if the barre gave me more confidence although I only put my hand on it gently.

[Kate_N]

Yes, Fiz, why is it that with just the lightest touch on the barre - not gripping it at all, I feel quite strong - but the same exercise in the centre can show just how not-strong and not-centred I can be! It's good to do class in the centre every now & again, because it gives you a good sense of where your weaknesses are to work on at the barre.

[Michelle_Richer]

Well my comment about using the barre was made a bit tongue in cheek, however I do remember one day at Northern Ballet when we were relegated to a smaller studio than normal, about four of us had to do the barre exercises in the centre. Also when our Lincoln teacher had her barres stolen, for a while we made do with chair backs and then graduated to doing barre exercises in the centre.

 

I understand Trogs issue with the moving barre. I use the centre barre at my ENB classes, even at holiday times when there is more than enough space on the wall barres. I know sometimes there are only a couple of us on it. It is reasonably stable unless we are using fouettes or pirouettes into arabesque, then it can get a bit wobbly that’s why I prefer to do it off the barre and only place my hand on it at the end as a token gesture.

 

I also start with preparation of barre exercises with my hand off the barre, for me it seems more appropriate and I have never been corrected for it. Similarly both hands come off the barre at the end of an exercise into bra bas.

Things like rise and balance, weather its in simple releve 5th, or pirouette prep position, I tend to go strait up hands off the barre, even if I wobble a bit the same with arabesque / attitude balance, only if there’s a wobble out of control do I seek the sanctuary of the barre for momentary correction of balance.

 

One thing I have not successfully mastered is balance with my eyes closed, we did that tonight before rehearsal and I can only go a few seconds before the wobbles get me.

 

For core strength and balance check out this link of a young girl from The Vaganova Academy, how many of you can do this?

 

https://www.facebook.com/academyvaganova/videos/817524671680153/

 

Hopefully I will be visiting them next November.

[Terpsichore]

Hi everyone!

 

Anyone for morning ballet??? New classes for adults starting next week at the Bradford Dance Centre. Taught by Hiedi Westman (Legat Russian Ballet and Northern Ballet School). The following was posted on facebeook today:

 

Open classes at the BDC starting w/c 2 November 2015:

* Thurs 9.00-10.20 Adult ballet - intermediate level (Hiedi Westman)

* Fri 9.00-10.20 Adult ballet - intermediate level (Hiedi Westman)

 

All welcome! £5 per class drop in, or £28 for 7 classes/weeks

http://www.bradforddancecentre.co.uk/open-classes.html

 

I will come to one of your classes and review it for Terpsichore in February unless you are running classes during the weeks that Northern Ballet Academy takes its Christmas holiday.

 

The reason I can't come before then is that I shall attend the over 55 improvers' class at Northern Ballet Academy on Thursday mornings until the end of January. I usually attend that class on Tuesday but I have switched to Thursday for the next few weeks so that I can get to Manchester every Tuesday evening to rehearse for a show that will take place on the 30 Jan 2016.

 

I am compiling an index of adult ballet classes in each borough of West Yorkshire and as Bradford comes first in alphabetical order I will begin with you.

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Terpsichore

 

Good luck with you show at Manchester, what piece are you performing in that show ?

[BalletRocks1]

Wow I've not read this for a while - there are lots of new posts!

 

I personally like using the barre, but I also don't mind doing some barre exercises in centre - pliés are always a good one to check whether I've been gripping the barre or just resting my hand on it.

 

For the KNT Danceworks show pieces, the teachers usually just pick a song and choreograph something to it (obviously it takes a lot of effort to do this!), adapting as and when needed for different abilities and spacing issues and whatnot. The repertoire class are going to be performing a bit from Swan Lake - we've pretty much learnt it all and are just refining every week to get it looking perfect I don't know who else from that class reads this but I think everyone has been doing fantastically well!

 

Anyone who is interested in coming to see the show please do come and watch - it's on 30th January at The Dancehouse Theatre in Manchester (I'm not sure if tickets are on sale yet or not, but they're usually quite cheap). Most of the evening classes that run have a performance - there will be ballet (including a pointe piece), tap, jazz, contemporary, Chinese ballet (always a crowd pleaser!), and there is usually also belly dancing, African dancing, flamenco, and a class that uses hula hoops (the piece they did last year was amazing!!).

[Terpsichore]

Hi Terpsichore

 

Good luck with you show at Manchester, what piece are you performing in that show ?

 

Thank you Michelle. I don't think we have been given a title for our piece yet but our instructor, Karen Sant, has chosen some great music for us.

 

We are on for about three or four minutes and there is a video of our second rehearsal somewhere on Facebook.

 

As BalletRocks1 says, the show will take place at the Dancehouse on 30 Jan. I attended and reviewed last year's show which took place on the day of the Eurovision song contest. The title of the review is "Better than Eurovision" and it really was.

 

Enjoy your visit to The Nutcracker workshop next week. I can't attend as it takes place during office hours but I hope to see the show on the 18 with the students from one of my other classes.   

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Terpsichore

 

The Nutcracker workshop is the following week. You had me worried as I had already bought the advance purchase train tickets.

For me it will be real enjoyment and fun with the lovely ladies of Northern Ballet. At least my show will be out of the way and for once I will be able to let my hair down so to speak. Unfortunately I won’t be staying to see Northern’s show, my boyfriend is travelling up with me and it will give me a change to show him Leeds. Besides I want to get stocked up with Sparkly stones from Leeds Market for some of the outfits I’m doing.

 

 

Hi Balletrocks1

 

That show sounds awesome, last Christmas we did a similar showcase with City Academy with all performing groups doing a piece, but we didn’t have anything like Chinese Ballet or Hoola Hoops, that sounds fantastic. I will check with my boyfriend Adrian if we are doing anything special on the 30th , if not, we may well come over and see your show.

What scenes from Swan Lake are you performing, and will you be using you white romantic tutu this time?

[Terpsichore]

Hi Terpsichore

 

The Nutcracker workshop is the following week. You had me worried as I had already bought the advance purchase train tickets.

For me it will be real enjoyment and fun with the lovely ladies of Northern Ballet. At least my show will be out of the way and for once I will be able to let my hair down so to speak.

 

 

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

 

Sorry to have misled you as to the date of the workshop.   I will be at Annemaries's 11:00 class and not at the Grand on 17. Both groups are meeting for cocktails instead of tea after the class and Annemarie may be able to join us. I can't remember the venue but if you follow the crowd you should find it. I hope you can join us.

 

I attended and reviewed last year's show at KNT and am looking forward to the one on 31 Jan 2016.

 

I take at least one class at KNT every week as well as improvers' classes with Annemarie and Jane Tucker at Northern Ballet, I think the world of both teachers. Last week Jane got us to have a bash at fouettes. I did not have much success but at least I tried.

 

Best wishes to you and all the rest of this thread.

[Michelle_Richer]

Wow fouette’s, I am impressed, good luck with getting up to 32 for the Black Swan Coda. I would love to be able to do that. We only get to do them occasionally at ENB. five is about my limits before my ankle starts to ache and I come off balance, I can manage a couple of fouettes launched from an en dehor pirouette and closed properly with the same type of pirouette, but that is about it.

 

Have you found out the venue for the celebratory cocktails, as I would love to join you ladies, however I will have Adrian my boyfriend with me., but as he is my Nutcracker Grand PDD partner I guess everything’s alright.

 

It was dress rehearsal for one of my performances last Sunday, both shows are on for this Saturday providing there are no line closures between the venues, fingers crossed.

[Terpsichore]

Michelle Richer

 

Both the Thursday morning improvers class at NB Academy and the over 55 workshop at the Grand are meeting for cocktails at The Alchemist at the top of the Trinity shopping centre in Leeds.

 

We've been told to wear Christmas tights or leggings for the last class but I think you can come as you are for cocktails.

 

We are all looking forward to seeing you.

Edited December 10, 2015 by terpsichore

[sarahw]

A lot of the Associate and CAT classes at Northern Ballet Leeds do little/no barre work - or was the case in the past. The Japanese ballerina who heads the Academy felt it increased strength I believe.

[Michelle_Richer]

My day of performing with two different ballet companies on the same day arrived yesterday Saturday the 12 December, it was very much a bitter sweet experience.

 

My first performance was with the Alive Ballet Company at the CBAT studio theatre near Holloway Road tube station and was very much the sweet one. Perhaps that was because it was the one that I had spent nearly all day going through preparation and rehearsal for. For that I only did the matinee which was a sell out, later I found the second performance was too. The time with them was truly fabulous.

 

The LAB experience was somewhat different, as I knew it was always going to be a challenge to get there, let alone not have the experience of doing a dress rehearsal on the stage I was to perform on. However I wasn’t prepared for what was to come on the run up to the event.

I was at least hoping to do some form of dress rehearsal with them before going on to the Alive Ballet Company, but a schedule had never been issued until very close to the performance day. The matinee performance with LAB had been cancelled as ticket sales were to low to justify doing two performances, finally the dress rehearsal time had been set for 5pm, no way would that allow me to do the two performance.

Then finally a week or so before the show an email bomb shell went out to all LAB dancers, there was to be no LAB gala performance for 2016 as it was no longer viable as they didn’t have such strong number and rebooking for Term 2 had been slow. Those like me that had paid for term 2 are to have their fees returned.

 

However LAB is to continue with a spring and summer intensive.  Lisa Probert LAB’s ballet mistress is to continue with some classes on Mondays and Wednesdays if enough dancers are interested but not under the LAB banner. LAB may return and reform the ballet company in 2017. I’m still stunned by that.

 

After the Alive performance I had everything I needed laid out for a fast get-away, that went without any hitch. Although I had originally intended to travel in my romantic tutu with a large coat over the top, I decided not to, due possibly crumpling it, and in any case the time to put it on was down to seconds. The LAB performance required satin ballet slippers as the summer gala with ribbons, they always take a little time. So as to arrive almost ready the satin slipper we put on, on the train with warm-up boots on the top, at least that would be adequate from Richmond Station to the taxis stand opposite. What I had not anticipated was getting into a taxi with a dishonest driver. 
Once me and my boyfriend Adrian had got into the taxi, the driver turned it round and started to go in the opposite direction, I said “isn’t it that way”, he replied “there are two ways to get there”, it seem to take us ages going through lots of town traffic before we got to the Rambert Studio Theatre, I’m sure the 5 minute journey must have taken us at least a quarter of an hour. I was really annoyed but I couldn’t afford to loose time arguing with him. Needless to say we were late.

At this point I wasn’t ever sure I would be allowed to perform, I was very much on tender hooks. I was taken into one of the studios that was used as a changing room and told to wait there, Lisa our ballet mistress came along and told me I would not be performing in act 1 of Giselle ,which was my favourite part (peasant dance) and also the our last piece of the Willis before the finale . That just left me one piece and I was pretty well gutted but there was little I could do.

I seem to be left in that changing room for ages expecting someone to call me, but it didn’t happen, so I found my own way back stage. Finally I found the girls I was to dance with and quickly ran though positioning and orientation for that piece. Lisa also came along to tell me what exit I should use. Then it was show time for me, the performance piece went fine as I could see the girls I was dancing with and positioned myself accordingly, then it was time for me to run for my wing with my arms in 3rd, it was almost total darkness at the side. That where I came slightly unstuck, it wasn’t until one of the girls went in, I knew precisely where that wing was. I had never seen that stage in daylight and needless to say I weaved a bit of a curved path to the wing, at least I wasn’t fighting with the curtains when I got there.

I think the saddest thing, was not being part of the finale, it was almost like being not part of the company any more, especially when I think back that I am the only one in our group that has had a 100% attendance all the way through the year, it just didn’t seem fare somehow, but hayho I don’t have time to dwell on it, there is much to look forward too including performing in Saint Petersburg next year.

 

The LAB event in the end was well attended with all the seats taken, my boyfriend ended up sitting on a piano stool and he said at least 4 people were standing. We stayed for drink afterward, I see Lisa again and she just gave me the thumbs up, I guess that was nice. I also met up with several girls that were either Ex LAB, or girls I done class with at ENB, that was nice too but I guess the icing on the cake came from a guy, a stranger I didn’t recognise, who said Well done Michelle, you come along way since Docklands.

 

That really was a long day, up at 5am, didn’t get home until 2am Sunday morning and absolutely shattered.

[LinMM]

Amazing that you made it Michelle and its very difficult to perform in a theatre if you don't know it and haven't been able to practice all the ons and offs etc. it's easy to get confused with directions as I have to literally transpose in my mind from the usual place we practice that is imagine that room and then work out the stage from that!! I never could do geometry at school!!

 

It's a great pity that LAB is no more feel very sad about this especially as was hoping some friends from "up north" could come and see me do Giselle at the Bloomsbury. They loved the show last year and were quite intrigued by the idea of me transformed into an ethereal spirit being!! (Something they found difficult to imagine)

 

I'm very grateful to LAB for putting on the shows in the last few years anyway and hopefully it may start up again at some point.

 

I enjoyed the show on Saturday but it was always tinged with that sadness knowing it was all coming to an end and might well be our last performance.

[LinMM]

By the way why weren't you part of the finale? It was only running on stage and taking a bow! couldn't you have just joined on the end of a line?

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi LinMM

You shouldn’t be amazed, I will always go the extra mile to achieve the almost impossible, and would have probably done it, if it wasn’t for that unscrupulous taxi driver that took me on an excessively longer journey to ramp up his fare.

 

Similar to you, I would have had someone special coming down to see me for the summer performance. When I did my one-to-one with Gillian at Ballet West last summer, she asked if she could come down and watch my performance, whilst on the one hand I was chuffed with such an honour, it meant I would have to perform far better than I ever have before.

 

For me this show was very much a disappointment. Not only was I the only one in our group with a 100% attendance for our weekly rehearsals. Almost all rehearsals had been supported with a pre-practice rehearsal at my local hall, and in the early days, I even had private coaching on the more tricky bits. But as it seems, all that effort and expense was wasted.

I knew Rambert was going to be tight, so every second that could be taken out of that journey to on-stage was. The leotard change was done at the end of my previous show, satin ballet slippers with ribbon were put on during the train journey and warm-up boots placed over the top to eliminate that time. Only the romantic tutu was put on at Rambert which was literally seconds.

 

When I arrived I was told I would not be performing in Act 1, which was the Peasant Dance. I was also told I would not be performing at the end of the Dance of the Willis which included the finale.

Then I was left in the changing area expecting someone to call me when it was time, nothing happened. Eventually I found my own way back stage and the girls in my group and quickly when through our piece for positioning etc. I can’t be certain but I suspect even with my later arrival, there was still time for me to dance that Act 1 piece.

For me I feel very let down by LAB, but I won’t loose any sleep over it.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Michelle_Richer

[LinMM]

And why weren't you in the finale though?

[Michelle_Richer]

Simple, I was told not too, health and safety what ever that meant; I was gutted at the time. But now I don’t want to dwell on it, it’s not important.

 

However as Thursdays have become free, and for the moment I’m saving on travelling expenses, that alone allows me to add another weekly one-to-one session in. For that I will have to select another teacher with the right mindset to work with.

 

I have already arranged for an addition one-to-one on Monday in the New Year for Technique which will follow her Fitness class. I already do one-to-one weekly rep on Fridays with her and have done so for over a year now, but I don’t want to put all my eggs into one basket should anything happen to her availability.

 

I’m seriously considering doing the RAD Adult Associates classes at Elmhurst, I’m talking to someone at Battersea tomorrow as Midlands are already on Christmas break.

 

I don’t know if you are considering joining Lisa in the interim until 2017 when hopefully LAB will reconvene.
I have opted for Mondays after March when my winter term at ENB has finished, but that is a tough call. ENB is the one place where the classes are taught progressively and I really enjoy them since I have been doing them with Tom.

 

 

It seems each year I take stock of what I have done, and sort of reinvent myself with a new course of actions.

First on the list is something I thought because of my age I would never do, is to at least cost out increasing the size of my own studio and equipping it for dress rehearsal with programmable lighting and projected backdrops.

 

Second: Full documenting my own rep including assessment videos, all with configuration control, as this has got out of hand recently with the more I have done. In an attempt to keep pace with refreshing it, I went from 1 hour studio hire to 2 hours, as things stand that's no where near enough on its own.

 

Third: Create my own performance opportunities: Develop short performance pieces that consist of a PDD with one of two female solos for performance at dance parties or other similar gatherings of friends and aquantances.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Michelle_Richer

[LinMM]

Did a lovely workshop with ENB at the Coliseum on Tuesday

 

This workshop cost only £20 and included a chance to watch the wonderful ENB Company in class afterwards as well!!

 

We had a short class on the stage and then worked on the Arabian Dance......yes the Arabian Dance.....impossible I thought not being very bendy at all.

 

Then the teacher said we would be working on our own choreography. Ummm ....after all the Christmas excess and general inactivity some hope I thought.

However this turned out to be really fun as the Teacher organised us into small groups of 4-6 ....gave us some starting moves and then we looked at various qualities of movement and had to try to bring these into the original moves which could then be arranged in any order. So each group had something slightly different to show. The other activity ....in twos ...was taking it in turns to being master and slave which was also great fun....emoting around that huge Coli stage!!

I just felt so energised by it all .....and it was lovely bumping into some other ballet friends there.

 

Watching the ENB class was just the icing on the cake ....they were terrific as usual.

 

Am now looking forward to their next workshop on Le Corsaire......there may be some places left for anyone not sure definitely have a go you will have a lovely time.

[Michelle_Richer]

I loved the creative choreography bit too, it was really fun and so enjoyable.

 

I checked the ENB site for Le Corsaire and its fully booked, I thought it was.

 

Only the full day intensives at ENB's studio's at Markover House are still available at £50 each:
10th April “She Said”
29th May “Swan Lake”

 

I have already booked both Le Corsaire and Swan Lake.

I did Le Corsaire with ENB at Oxford about 2 years or so ago, I must say it was the best ENB workshop I have ever been to, I'm looking forward to it again this time.

 

Lin see you at Le Corsaire on the 17th

Edited January 1, 2016 by Michelle_Richer

[LinMM]

Just to add that for younger people the ENB are running a workshop on the Saturday 16th Jan on Le Corsaire .....I think this is for 13-18 year olds. A wonderful chance for those who can get to London to dance on the Coli stage.

 

Also they do have workshops in other parts of UK when they are touring so well worth keeping an eye out for them.

[Kate_N]

However this turned out to be really fun as the Teacher organised us into small groups of 4-6 ....gave us some starting moves and then we looked at various qualities of movement and had to try to bring these into the original moves which could then be arranged in any order. So each group had something slightly different to show. The other activity ....in twos ...was taking it in turns to being master and slave which was also great fun....emoting around that huge Coli stage!!

 

LinMM, I've done a few ENB workshops like this (although I'll gloss over one group I was in where 2 of the participants talked to each other in French and didn't co-operate with the rest of us 3 - we basically ended up doing what they told us we were going to do ...   )

 

It's great fun isn't it? I did one at the RAH, where we learnt about spotting piqué turns going around the circular stage, and ditto with coupé jetés. Great practice for spotting. Would love to do more, but managed to give myself a rather painful hamstring attachment injury running [plodding] in the forest over Christmas. Annoyingly, I'm going to have to rest it for at least the next month, or just do very basic class with left leg no higher than 45 degrees. Grrr

 

The ENB workshops are excellent - great teachers and really well thought out choreographic activities for adults not usually used to this sort of work (ref. my 2 fellow participants - clearly not use to collaborating and improvising).

Edited January 2, 2016 by Kate_N

[LinMM]

Sorry about your injury Kate_N it's just so annoying because even if it's relatively minor it does interfere with ones ballet fitness as everything stiffens up so quickly when not able to do class.

I've had a slight hip rotator muscle strain in last 6 weeks and similarly had to keep leg lower than usual especially in develope ....though I'm only a touch higher than 45 when fit lol!! It did really need rest but because of the LAB show I just did two classes a week and was careful etc etc.

well next class isn't until next Wednesday so have had plenty of rest now!

The ENB workshop didn't stress it at all as the barre was basic and short and although the whole thing demanded full attention from the brain ....and particularly the right side of it ....it wasn't too taxing on the body......though the four in my group by mutual consent decided to keep things reasonably simple as we were all feeling a bit rusty!! We could have gone for more Diva like moves I suppose!!

Luckily all four of us gelled pretty quickly and were motivated to get on with it as were more or less terrified to make eventual fools of ourselves!!

But the atmosphere on these workshops is great ...people are keen but not judgemental just enjoying having a good time in such a wonderful place.

[Michelle_Richer]

 

It's great fun isn't it? I did one at the RAH, where we learnt about spotting piqué turns going around the circular stage, and ditto with coupé jetés. Great practice for spotting. .

 

Wow Kate_N what company were you dancing with when you were doing travelling turns around the RAH circular stage, that sounds awesome. However I don’t understand the Coupé Jeté term in the context of the manége you have described, when I try and picture it, it sounds very much like a gallop followed by a Saut de basque, is this correct, if so then I have done something similar with a manége of 10 saut de basques from Act2 of Giselle (a solo in part of the willis), but those were three steps rather than gallops as connecting steps. I would love to do the mixed turn manége at the end of RB's version of the Sugar Plum Fairy variation on the RAH stage, it is by far the most difficult one I have attempted.

[Kate_N]

It was an ENB workshop, when they were doing Swan Lake in the round.

 

The coupé jeté coupé step is a standard allegro/centre practice step with a turn. A teacher might be able to explain better than I, but I'll try:

 

To the right: start with a chassé leading with right foot, then using your left foot in coupé turn to the right - all in plié, low to the ground -  then as you come out of the turn, jeté out with right leg leading. On landing, bring left leg around for another turn in a sort of plié (knees bent), then another chassé into a turn, then jeté, and repeat.

 

It's quite tricky to learn, and you need to enjoy turning and moving and not be scared of jumping out rather than up.  I don't do it technically very well at all, but it's an exhilarating way of covering space. And like a lot (most?) allegro/turning steps, it can be done across the floor in all sorts of different directions, including all around the room. If you're in a big studio, learning to do things in a circle is really good practice for learning to dance in the space, and orienting yourself in the space and in relation to your fellow dancers.

[Kate_N]

Did a bit of YouTube searching, so here are some examples. It's formally called a coupé jeté entournant (in RAD) or grand jeté en tournant, but in most classes where I've done it, teachers just say coupé jeté! Differences in terminology are pretty usual - in the States, they say "passé" when they mean "retiré" and "tour jeté" when they mean "jeté en tournant" - but in the end they're the same steps!

 

The first video is not great technique, but the steps are clear and well-placed (when you can see it). The vid shows the step most clearly (when you can see it).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI7P-eY99H0

According to this vid, it's a step on RAD Advanced 2, which may be why you've never come across it, as most Beginners or mixed level classes wouldn't introduce it, I think. I don't think it's that hard once you get the flow of the steps, but I don't do it with particular technical quality! I just like to move.

 

 

And here are the gorgeous experts:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzuMV13Fl08

 

I can only dream of doing it like that!

Edited January 5, 2016 by Kate_N

[Fiz]

Ah, yes! Grand jetes en tournant are where I covered myself in glory when I managed to fall over but my lovely Herts ballet teacher said no one could be a proper dancer if they hadn't fallen over at least once!

[Kate_N]

Re falling over, Fiz - I was in my lovely Saturday morning class, and we were doing a reasonably complicated pirouette combination in the centre - with turns both en dehors, en dedans and grande. The simplest turn was a terre á terre to reorient us from the right corner to the left, and guess who fell over on that turn, not the en dedans double that came before it!

[LinMM]

I think grandjete en tournant is actually a different step altogether than the coupe jete en tournant shown in the clips.

 

 

The grand jete en tournant is where (in the class room at least) you are travelling in a diagonal line backwards away from the starting point and where as you launch into,the turn you sort of ( well sort of in my case) kick both legs up into grand battlements.....the first of which will be in front of you and then as you land the working leg will be in grand battlements derrière ......another great step to do.

 

Thanks for the clips ....just love Sarafanov....and that wonderfully high grand saute de basque en tournant he finished the routine with.

 

Doing jumps round in a circle is good practice......can you keep the circle the same width by the end.....fascinating how people tend to move towards each other so usually gets smaller and smaller!!

I've been told to treat the circle like a 50 pence piece so you know( supposedly) when to refocus your spotting. It does help a bit I think

[LinMM]

 

 

This is the Grand jete en tournant.....the step he does at the end before repeating routin on the other side

[LinMM]

 

And by the supreme masters ....the height on some of these is totally amazing

[Michelle_Richer]

Well thank you girls for the info, I think I was so pre-occupied with the manege of 10 saute de basques I had been doing from Giselle, I guess I was a bit blinkered. I have now check that also in my Video Dictionary of Classical ballet, it has an excellent example of a Coupé Jeté en Tournant in a manege.

 

In know there is often different terms for the same thing, one that comes to mind is a Jeté en Tournant which we use at ENB, however in the Alive Ballet Company its simply described as an Entrelacé for a “Jeté Entrelacé”

 

Kate_N In intrigued by you comment “which may be why you've never come across it, as most Beginners or mixed level classes wouldn't introduce it” I guess that assumption is largely true but not on the whole. I must confess I have attended two Beginners ballet classes this week, Tonight’s one I guess could also be described as a mixed level class as it had a couple of beginners but most were regulars and me of course, it also had one of Fiz’s teachers as one of the dancers who sometimes joins us. The reason I go is mainly social and help keep the adult class offering viable as I hire one of their studios for a couple of hours every Friday and sometimes other days too. That school really does look after me and I appreciate it.

 

My second class was a one-off, I went there to check out the studio for hire and the possibility of finding an alternate teacher should my main private tutor no longer be available, in other words not putting all my eggs in the one basket. That mission was successful and I enjoyed the class too, I even met an old Salsa dancing friend who I hadn’t met for some years, doing ballet there.

 

I must confess there are things which I have covered in mixed level classes that I haven’t come across in the Intermediate or Advanced classes I do every week at ENB, namely Cabriole derriere, when these were commonplace at a ballet school I attened in Stamford about 3 years ago, admittedly the teacher usually gave easier and harder options for the centre work. However we occasionally do Cabriole devant at ENB but I find that extremely common in rep.

 

As for not coming across a Coupé Jeté en Tournant movement in class, well I have but never known the correct terminology for it, besides I’ve always regarded this as a male grand allegro movement. Then I have only seen it taught is in Rep worshops for male solos. I do remember a “Le Corsaire” LAB summer short which consisted of Gamzatti variation for the girls and one of the Male solo,s for the guys but I cant remember which. It did have this movement in it and I so wanted to dance it as the music was so powerful, it really energised me, but I guess I was too shy, however one of the girls did dance quite a few steps of that solo.

 

I assume your fellow dancers at the ENB event at RAH were of a mixed level where you learnt to dance with Coupé Jeté en Tournant in a manege, or am I wrong.

 

I wonder when that event was as I went to see ENB’s Swan Lake in the Round, but Im not sure if I was with ENB then, I joined ENB in April 2013.

 

LinMM  I love the Footlights video you included, when I played it, it was a voice from the past , it was Tina Rogers principal and owner of Footlight Performing Arts of King Lynn in Norfolk. I was with them in 2012 about the time I joined BalletCo, her mum Karen used to teach me, it was a tiny class of three at the most, sometimes it was down to one-to-one. Tina always came into class at the end. The studio in the video is the one we used, it has a wonderfully sprung floor on metal springs, Karen’s son designed it. Wow what a small world.

 

This week for me is all change, since loosing LAB:
1) Additional one-to-one started on Monday focusing on technique and body strengthening.
2) Application in for Adult Associates at RAD Elmhurst.

3) Week at Ballet West for one-to-one Solo and PDD Rep booked
4) Should get a phone call from the Artistic Director of Edinburgh Ballet Circle this week, then I can look at the feasibility of performing with them.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Michelle_Richer

[Michelle_Richer]

Its been three weeks since starting back after the Christmas break, I assumed with the loss of LAB rehearsals, things would be getting a bit slack for somehow it seems quite different, particularly the tiredness at the end of the week.

 

Although I didn’t hear anymore from Edinburgh Ballet Circle, the greatest impact I think has come from my one-to-one technique class, which follows stretch and tone class from the same teacher. Our topic for focus is pirouettes and travelling turns and she really has gone back to basics.

 

 

At the second session I mentioned my abbs were starting to get a bit sore, she replied that’s because your strengthening your core with the exercises I gave you. The next week that had disappeared, but I was starting to feel muscles I had never felt before particularly at the back of my legs behind the knee, also I felt a change in my right calf but I wouldn’t describe it as pain plus it was a little stiff too.

 

On the following Wednesday I did Sleaford’s Adult Ballet Beginners class , there we had two new ladies that only started for this winter term . After class they said they were following me for the centre work and I had lovely legs, they could see every muscle working. I couldn’t believe it, were my muscles more prominent, I never look at them, was things really changing. In the end I just put it down to wishful thinking.

 

All changed on Thursday, this was my two hours practice time down my local hall, the first hour is rehearsal practice, the second hour for my rep coaching session on Friday. About 45 minute into the second hour working on “the entrance of Kiti” from Don Q doing the second part of that variation my foot gave as I took the weight on demi-pointe when coming down from one of the grand jetes, something in my right calf had torn or done something nastie, I couldn’t even take my weight when just being stood on demi pionte on that foot, something was clearly wrong and I stopped dancing immediately.

 

The following morning I told my rep coach/teacher what had happened and suggested we just refined the head positions and port de bras of that variation . About half way through the session my leg was feeling so much better, so we resumed dancing the variation with a bit of extra care, all was well when I left that session. An hour later is my two hour stint running through variations to try and keep them refreshed in body memory. During the second hour my attention turned to “Entrance of Kitri “ again as I was still not happy with the timing coming out of the Grand Jete section of the second part, its almost like a manege which consists of a tuning balance ( fan touching the floor) into a mini gallop, step grand jete, repeated three times, befor the travelling turns to finish, I always seemed to be late for the travelling turn. During one of the run-throughs and I had done several times, my leg let me down again and I had to abort that final hour early.

 

Saturday was rest, things began to feel somewhat better for Sunday.

 

Sunday was the Alive Ballet Rep Workshop on Don Q (5 hours), for the Entrance of Kitri and the Spanish Dance. On arrival I did warn my teacher of my possible foot problem and was told to be careful.

As all workshop it began with Barre and centre before starting on rep, however part of the centre work was biased towards the grand jete’s of the rep. It was on one of those that my foot let me down again. I continued through the rep as best as I could, but the jete were rubbish, my body just refused to jump, let along landing on a flat foot, as the morning went on, I think it just got worse. The rest at lunch time just made things stiffer.

The afternoon warm-up began with a short barre session, I couldn’t even do a plie properly as my lower right leg and ankle was very very tight, however I persevered knowing the next rep was far less allegro, it was the Spanish dance which was quite waltzy . I had done very little prep for this one so I had to concentrate. It wasn’t until we were about an hour or so in, and I realised my feet were getting significantly better. I had taken a Spanish costume in for both parts as it was very much in keeping with Kitri, but with my foot problem I wasn’t going to wear it. However by the end of the Spanish dance prep, things changed and I put it on

, I really did enjoy that piece. Then came our final “Entrance of Kitri" for our course video, my legs were still very stiff but I checked at the barre and I could take my weight again on demi-point on the right. Well I got through it, but along way short of what I was hoping to do, and really grateful we didn’t do the second part of Kitri, although I know it reasonably well.

 

Monday morning (today) leg very still almost couldn’t walk on it and badly swollen. I had a fitness class and one-to-one booked. It was also my ENB day, but that I cancelled as I know the grand allegro we do there is likely to sustain further injury and prevent my Tuesday rehearsal.

 

Although the leg is still swollen and stiff, I did manage the fitness class but stretching that calf was impossible. The one-to-one after a few painful releve’s at the barre freed the legs off sufficiently to carry on with the pirouette enchainement set for this week. I’m glad to say I winged it and got through it successfully.

 

Its just lots of hot and cold applied to the calf area and deep massage plus hold back on the allegro stuff in order to help the healing process in the hope it doesn’t get any worse.

 

PS The Dance Alive Don Q Repertoire Workshop was brilliant, I thoroughly enjoyed it in-spite of my leg injury.