TYR

Yesterday night: the student teacher covering for Renato came up with something really insightful, so much so I turned to say "Vintage correction!" to the girl behind me on the barre. But can I remember what it was? NO.

PS if any BigCo people are following this...this is one of the things you need to fix with regard to access. Whether you choose to comp anyone whose kid is performing, or just explicitly say it doesn't matter, all good (but first option preferable). But that uncertainty...am I ruled out in some way?...that's how the class system works.

Well, I had a shitty modern class on Monday for no reason I can identify. The week before was cracking. This would be less worrying if we weren't barrelling towards SHOWING. And tomorrow...ballet.

just tried the orange thing in my front room; not bad.

A couple of fresh ones. Renato Paroni at Central School, to fellow student who is practicing a few turns before barre: On one foot? I guess it's true by definition. File under "cryptic meditations from the guru" Same class: File under "I think it's....traditional?" Same class: File under "install the app on your legs, it works" And Lisa Palmer, this Monday: File under "OK...." or possibly "Cryptic meditation"?

I think this is a culture-gap thing. As a student you're asked to work out of class in two ways: first, you're given work to do that you'll have to check in. This could be a seminar presentation, an essay, a lab experiment. These have in common that one day, if you didn't do it, you miss a deadline and you get told. You're also expected to work beyond that, though - to read into the literature of your subject, to care about new research, to hear from interesting people, to take an interest in other people's research. This doesn't have an immediate constraint, nobody is going to shout at you, but it's important, they can tell who's been reading/hacking/whatever, and it will show in your marks. In my experience the dull students put more effort into the first. The brilliant ones put the compulsory stuff in a time box and made time for everything else. Here's the gap, though. I don't think I get much benefit out of independent practice other than stretching. Obviously I can stick my hand on some structure and do tendus and pliés. But when I have the opportunity to crack a whole variation out of class I tend to be "....huh?" There's none of the tension or pace of a class. And of course, if I'm screwing up in some subtle way I probably won't know about it. On the other hand, if I was to re-read Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs or The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money I'm pretty sure I'd remind myself of something I forgot or notice something I missed the first (or fifth) time around. I think there's a difference in the kind of learning involved. Pros have an angry BM. Sports people have a coach who leads training, and a conditioning coach who runs pure fitness training. Academics kind of expect you to work out of class...because you can, but I kind of think you need that structure?

"In the middle, somewhere" probably sums up my contribution pretty well. At least it wasn't "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude"...

Signed up. See you in the dance...

I missed out too...but...you say Bausch? Forsythe?

http://giselle.ballet.org.uk/take-part/ballet-intensive-akram-khans-giselle Anyone going?

This reminds me a bit of a close friend whose parents took the exact opposite line in the run-in to A levels. I was allowed to do basically what I liked and mine relied on self motivation. He was practically chained to a desk for months. I got all the As going, he...didn't. What struck me, on the occasions I was able to see him, was that he spent a lot of time staring at his books and just putting in the hours. I didn't have the impression he was getting any benefit from it - a bit like low intensity cardiovascular training, it uses time for not much impact but at least it looks like work. Yeah, take a break, read a book. Then get back in and kill it. Don't waste your time pretending to train, if you will, whatever you're doing. Intensity is great, and it goes with rest or variety.

After last night's class, I'm fairly sure "Graham Technique for a Healthy Back" isn't going to take off.

Just having a little nerd-squeee over the fact someone made an app, and the app makes statistics!

"Well, I'd like to try those, and everyone I know raves about the Prolines, so yes, I'll try those too" "What size?" "I'm a 9 in street shoes, but take a look" "Hmmm. 9 Extra Wide at least" (Long search. Boxes shuffled around. The little girl ahead of me gets her pointes fitted and leaves purring) "I'm afraid we had 2 pairs and the last one went earlier on? So I'm afraid that's your only choice" Reader, I married'em

I recall someone leading class at the Place earlier this year, wearing a RADC fleece over his Rambert hoodie over his Laban T-shirt...

I just wish my girlfriend would stop snapping at me for closing 5th or doing passé relévés in the kitchen while I'm cooking dinner. Or would it be worse if she ignored it completely? Parents, well. Oddly my mum is just blank about it - I sent her a photo to show off my turnout and she asked why I sent her one of the floor - but my dad gets it more. Perhaps it's because he's a musician and gets the point of practice for its own sake, or perhaps he gets the physical side better having been a fairly serious rugby player? He still wants to take the piss, but I can tell he's faking; having got that first dig done he wants to hear all about it. The people who were least weird about it are my colleagues at work. But at least two of them dance and one of those is an ex-ballerina. Also I think they're used to me.

I kind of enjoy wearing something ostentatiously un-dancey to class, like an Internet Engineering Taskforce T-shirt.

File under "why I'm glad to be one of those adult beginner weirdos"...

"Unemployable". Starting a new job this week. Can't send the guy tickets to that, but there's a certain satisfaction all the same.

I'd hit like but I don't.

My local gym has a huge studio (as in, the size of 1 or 2 at the Place) but nobody uses it - probably because the barre runs along a floor to ceiling window, on the first floor, facing directly onto the street. They're weird about practicing (or even stretching) in there; the answer is to "ask forgiveness, not permission". That said, since intensive week their barre seems weirdly low:-)

One thing I've learned, that I never imagined, is the degree to which a class is a community. A 90-minute cult, if you will. And I think OMG A BLOKE!!! is really part of that.

It's a thing; it took quite a few classes until my class got used to OMG A BLOKE!!! Rewarding, though, once you start getting included in really strange conversations.... Oddly I didn't notice this as a problem on intensives; perhaps there's so little time to form a temporary community that the incentives are different, or perhaps it's because it's temporary.

The Place would be your obvious first port of call. It's also the LCDS's base.

Look people, I'm not angry with you, I'm just so disappointed you're not giving the thread a chance to fulfil its potential