Going Back to ballet continued...

[Jan McNulty]

Fingers crossed for you Fiz!

[alison]

Fiz - you could be like me! When I've got sinus problems I also get toothache, and vice versa.

 

My dentist told me it's because I have very long roots and they go right through the jawbone and out the other side into the sinus.

 

Oh, that's comforting to know.  I always wondered why, when I had sinusitis (which is quite bad enough as it is, thank you!) it went into one of my teeth.

 

This is not ballet but guess what? I don't need a root canal, I've got sinusitis and my lovely dentist is pleased it's that rather than a bank breaking dental job Normal ballet service may now be resumed

 

Good news, even if I am a bit behind the times.

 

The upper studio where we had the class is strange. It is HUGE but very darkish and certainly has an atmosphere of sorts!! It's what I would call a "winter" room. I imagine it must get pretty stuffy in there on hot days.....couldn't see that many windows you could open but then there aren't that many hot days a year I suppose. It has a VERY high ceiling so you definitely get a feeling of space in the room but I tend to like light rather than dark where rooms are concerned. The floor was fine really well sprung you could enjoy jumping on it!!

 

That's the joy of dancing in a "professional" professional studio!  I've only danced there in the evening, so no idea what the light's like during the daytime, but it does get stuffy (although I think all the big windows open).

 

It's at Jerwood Space 171 Union Street...pretty close to Southwark tube but also walkable from London Bridge.

 

It's run by the City Academy.....Ive never done anything with them before. The young man on the phone said its a really nice space to dance in. But it is £80! Just on my limit for a one day course!

 

Jerwood looks really nice, although I must admit I've never tried dancing there.  The day I went, they'd been holding an audition, and the amount of rubbish the dancers had just left there was absolutely disgusting.  Did it never occur to them that actually taking their rubbish home makes a better impression than leaving it strewn all over the studio?!

 

As for sticky floors at ENB the lower studio was awful, I complained two or three times but it didn’t seem to change. Pirouettes were difficult against the amount of energy you had to put in, and the awful noise that was created by the friction as they came to a halt (stall). Even worse is trying to do tendu’s, you had to cheat and lift the foot off the floor ever so slightly, otherwise you just pushed and pushed, the foot was literally stuck to the floor, very frustrating. That floor also had lots of black skid marks on it.

 

The upper studio has been generally OK all but for a couple of week about a month or so ago, then it were a little sticky too, but that has since gone.

 

Would the latter have coincided with the Raymonda performances, and then the company being on holiday?

 

I'm afraid sticky floors are one of the "non-joys" of dancing in a professional studio: ENB don't have the luxury of loads of studio space, which means it tends to get heavily used, and I guess when there's a lot of pointework being doing the floor does get very tacky.  You're probably left with the accumulation at the end of the day, which the cleaners will get in and remove once everyone's gone home.  Plus you sometimes get tack from the sticky tape they used to mark out the floor.

[Fiz]

Thank you, Alison.

[lartiste]

First class back after 4 months and 2 weeks absence great fun rediscovered the joy of ballet but have completely forgotten how to pirouette. Never my strongest ability in ballet to begin with although I did receive lots of good pointers tonight

[LinMM]

That's quite a break Lartiste so take it easy. It's always nice to get back though.

 

I'm on holiday at the mo and am so worried about lack of classes now inspite of the summer school week at the beginning of August am doing a ballet barre every morning in the hotel room!!! Luckily the door handle to the balcony serves as a barre!!

 

When Imget back to UK the Giselle workshop is the next day hence the concern about lack of practice. Still I can swim every day which helps a bit.

[Michelle_Richer]

Alison

The lower studio was complete rubbish wit regard to a sticky floor for a whole term, however last term which finishes tomorrow, both of my classes were in the upper studio, and that’s generally OK.

 

Everyone:

Normal classes resumed today,

First class was body balance, found that balance on my right leg was rubbish, but not sure why.

 

Second class was Ballet at Stamford, odd as it may seem we did an Arabesque en liar and then promenade round 225degrees using my right leg as the supporting leg, it was rock solid hardly a wobble, the best I have known it, which is in stark contrast to Body balance, how odd?. We also did Cabriole as part of a short grand allegro sequence, apparently we are going to do a separate one each week, then at the end of term we are going to add them all together. The cabriole was a new one for me, I have tried it at Pineapple but it was always an option as I was unsuccessful I dropped it as many others did. But this after a few tries today, I got it, that’s now my new homework for that class.

 

Third class was Ballet at Lincoln, really nice night in spite of a rubbish sticky floor for pirouettes. It looks like another public paying performance for Christmas as they are sorting out theatre and box-office details; we are combining our efforts with two other schools. We should know something next week.

Went through a little bit of my Giselle workshop with my teacher but we didn’t have much time.

 

When I left Lincoln tonight it was a bit of a shock as it was dark, as was the long drive home.

[Moomin]

Back to ballet this week and loving it, my legs don't half ache though!

Glad to hear you are feeling better fiz, that's amazing news about your house especially in the current climate. Hopefully you will find something perfect to move to.

I was surprised by the dark evenings too Michelle, I guess the rain clouds don't help :-(

Lin you are very dedicated, just make sure the patio doors are locked properly ;-)

[Michelle_Richer]

Wednesday was my first heaviest day of the week back since the summer break starting with my Dance fever class (a Fusion of ballet and Latin), at least I did get a chance to try out some new trainers on the hard Gym floor, especially as we do jumps. They turn out to be the best I have had for cushioning the impact of returning from a jump.

 

Pineapple was very busy; it looked as if lots of auditions were taking place, so consequently there was no spare studio for me to do my Giselle practice in. When I arrived in class expecting to see Maggie our regular teacher, we had Ian who normally teaches the advanced class there, my heart sank a bit, I though we are really going to work hard today as I have had him before. It turned out to be a really nice session with lots of pirouettes added in to the sequences across the room, but noting out of the ordinary.

 

While in Covent Garden had a quick look in the ROH shop to see what they had to cover my up and coming sessions on Nutcracker and Cinderella, but I didn’t buy anything this time.

 

I arrived a little early at ENB as we usually cannot get in before 6.30pm (class at 7pm), by 6.30 I was changed and in the upper studio, I managed to get nearly half an hour of Giselle practice in, at least I had the space as the variation is quite roomy. The leg switching pirouette thing is still quite illusive. I get 3 or 4 successful one’s out of about 10 tries, my brain really has to strongly override my body, as my legs instinctively want to do something else. The first part is like an en dedans pirouette with the right foot as the pivoting foot, the left is taken in retire to the back as in a pose turn, as you approach the full turn the gesturing slip down in front of the pivoting leg to make contact with the floor, ever so slightly after that the right foot is ready to effect a push off with weight transferred to the left pivoting foot. The right foot assumes a retire position in front of the pivoting leg this time, until the turn is almost complete, then it slips back to allow a full knee landing in a curtsy style position (long fourth). Its very tricky. I have checked the video out with a couple of teachers and they confirm that these are normal pirouettes and don’t have any special name, although they are unusual.

 

Level 2 class seemed to have a bit of a holiday atmosphere as it was end of term, we seem to do a lot with port de bras exercises this week and very little turns.

 

Level 3 was a bit of a surprise as we didn’t know what teacher we would get, as our regular one went on holiday last week. The teacher was a guy (forget his name) but was the guy from ENB that taught at LAB SI. It was a good class with lots of pirouette, both types and lots jumps to end.

 

Tuesday turned out to be a really good day for the first heavy loaded day back, arrived home at 1am, even the milk was delivered before I got to bed.

 

Thursday class just didn’t happen, I emailed my teacher last week to check if it was on, and again today (Thursday), I got a reply after I set out tonight. Needless to say when I arrived at the Angles theatre it was in darkness, unfortunately I did not have her phone number.

 

I have had a similar experience with Northern ballet, they don’t appear to reply to emails and I have to ring them.

[Sheila Beelam]

If it's any help Michelle when we do the turns I say "up, up, down" in my head - it's a habit rather than a precise instruction! So as I start the turn on my right supporting leg, with left in retire, I'm saying up, then a I turn and supporting legs and retires are exchanged, that's the second "up" and as I come back round and close into 5th, that's the down.

Hope it makes sense, dance looks so funny in words!

Bw

Sheila xxx

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Sheila

 

Its coming along, I've almost got rid of the old body memory from somewhere that automatically wants to fouette the second turn. But I think I'm going to have temporarily wear knee pads as the knees are getting a bit sour from repeated landing, but there is no way I'm not using those. I really love the way Natalia executes this move, most other dancers don't go fully down but I most definitely will. I did try it a couple of times before our class started this morning, but all I got was "Show off".

 

 

See the link at 1.05 and 1.08 , I can see this becoming one of my favourite movements.

 

Although this morning class (in my village) was super simple, as it was beginning of term, plus we had three new dancers who had not done ballet since children, a returning dancer who has been away for several months, but only had a few months of ballet from scratch. I found it quite difficult, everything was done in first, no port de bras in plié's, arm positions for all barre exercise were either bras bas or second. It just seemed so unnatural and required quite a lot of conscious effort, even harder when the music started, I just wanted to flow with the music.

 

I also spoke to Nicky my teacher as I will be hiring the same hall shortly to rehears my repertoire, otherwise I'm frightened of loosing it, or at least will require lots of rework to get it refreshed in memory. I know Nicky is not interested in providing private tuition for repertoire as I have already asked her, but I thought it only courtesy to tell her, as she is well away of my other ballet activities.

Edited September 12, 2013 by Michelle_Richer

[Thecatsmother]

Just be careful Michelle as not sure how you would stand insurance wise if practicing complex solos outside the adult classes unsupervised in the ENB or indeed the studios of any other company. Have you asked them whether they are happy for you to do this?

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Balleteacher

This is like saying “How long is a piece of string”, certainly for practice I always ask at Pineapple if there is a free studio for practice, so its understood what I am doing but obviously not its contents, as that is largely irrelevant. It is also quite usual at ENB when dancers first arrive some may just sit on the floor, others stretch, some do releve’s etc, and admittedly don’t generally perform much of an enchainement, mine is just a bit longer.

 

The majority if not all establishments I dance with, we have to sign a disclaimer, removing the responsibility for injury from the school while dancing there.

 

However I do have a local class that is reluctant to teach pirouettes because of the elderly nature of most of her dancers and the possibility of falls.

 

Conversely another one of my class the attitude is, if you fall over doing a pirouette, you just get back up and carry on. That is very much my mind-set, I really don’t want anyone mollycoddling me to that extent, and it really would not be welcome.

 

In ballet, injuries do happen, even with the most experienced dancers, you just have to be mindful of that, but also I take responsibility for my own actions, if get it wrong it was my fault no one else and I’m definitely no running off to “No win no fee company” to claim my a free buck. In other world the buck stops here.

 

Sorry if that’s a bit blunt, but that’s how I feel about responsibility

Edited September 12, 2013 by Michelle_Richer

[Fiz]

I fell over a few weeks ago doing pose turns that launched into jetes whilst still turning! N.asked me if I was all right. My pride was hurt and I got on with it straight away. Like Michelle, if I get hurt, it's my fault,not the studio's.

[Anna C]

I think falling over during class in the presence of the teacher and possibly doing the same thing during unsupervised practice are two different things though. It is always prudent (and polite!) to ask the teacher's permission before using their studio.

[taxi4ballet]

I don't know where you get the energy Michelle, and you must spend hours in the car as well!

[Michelle_Richer]

I don't know where you get the energy Michelle, and you must spend hours in the car as well!

 

 

Last term I was doing about 500miles a week in the car plus a bit of rail too, I'm hoping the car mileage doesn't get any higher this term, but the rail travel will, but at least on the train I get time to read and closely study DVD's of the classics for repertoire I'm working on. That way travel time no longer represents dead time.

[LinMM]

Just to say Moomin you wouldn't believe how dumb I can be so your advice about locking the doors to the balcony was more useful,than you might even have thought!!

Ive been practising trying not to hang onto the door so much that it keeps opening and as it is also connected to the air conditioning this goes off every time the door just slightly opens!!

Now why didn't I think to just LOCK it! Much better practice today with the door locked!!

[Moomin]

Lin :-D glad to be of assistance!

[Gingerbread]

Hi Sheila

 

Its coming along, I've almost got rid of the old body memory from somewhere that automatically wants to fouette the second turn. But I think I'm going to have temporarily wear knee pads as the knees are getting a bit sour from repeated landing, but there is no way I'm not using those. I really love the way Natalia executes this move, most other dancers don't go fully down but I most definitely will. I did try it a couple of times before our class started this morning, but all I got was "Show off".

 

 

See the link at 1.05 and 1.08 , I can see this becoming one of my favourite movements.

 

Although this morning class (in my village) was super simple, as it was beginning of term, plus we had three new dancers who had not done ballet since children, a returning dancer who has been away for several months, but only had a few months of ballet from scratch. I found it quite difficult, everything was done in first, no port de bras in plié's, arm positions for all barre exercise were either bras bas or second. It just seemed so unnatural and required quite a lot of conscious effort, even harder when the music started, I just wanted to flow with the music.

 

I also spoke to Nicky my teacher as I will be hiring the same hall shortly to rehears my repertoire, otherwise I'm frightened of loosing it, or at least will require lots of rework to get it refreshed in memory. I know Nicky is not interested in providing private tuition for repertoire as I have already asked her, but I thought it only courtesy to tell her, as she is well away of my other ballet activities.

Michelle I'm looking forward to you uploading some video of you in action - I'm sure it would be most educational.

[Michelle_Richer]

I guess I should have videoed my practice session tonight (Giselle), as I look a sorry sight with a knee pad on the left leg, couldn't find the right one, I've also pulled a muscle in my right shoulder, so upper arm movements are a bit painful which causes a bit of a wince. But as mostly is the case, none of this is sustained doing ballet, its just a casualty of it.

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lin

 

What is the door handle for, an improvised barre?, I would have thought a girl with all the vast ballet experience you have would no longer need the support of a barre. I use open doors, or more properly doorways to do leg extension stretching.

 

Stamford class was good this afternoon, our teacher ended up teaching two standards as we have quite a few newbie’s, however in one of the centre sequences most of the regular girls joined the newbie’s, only leaving four of us to do the more advanced option, so I guess I joined the big girls, ha ha ha.

 

It was similar in another sequence we repeated from last week, I only see two other girls using the cabriole as well as me.

 

I now have a couple of possible dates or our Lincoln show; it’s down to negotiations between two theatres, so it will be a public paying show. I can’t wait or the rehearsals, they must start soon.

[Michelle_Richer]

As I’m on break from ENB, I went to Northern Ballet today at Leeds and joined the over 55 level 2 class, god that makes me feel old and does nothing for my self image or street cred. Never the less I met a lovely bunch of ladies. It was quite a large class; someone said it was about 30. The class was very much about having fun and only going as far as you were comfortable with, so it really wasn't very challenging. I arrived early as I wasn’t sure how far Northern Ballet was from the railway station, it’s about a 30 minute walk. Fortunately they have a nice cafeteria, I got myself a coffee and started talking to a youngish lady at the counter, it turned out she was the level 3 teacher for the intermediate / advanced class, we had quite a chat and I will be joiner her class for at least one week as its in the evening and will conflict with ENB when ENB go back. Whatever happens I will remain with ENB, its almost my second home now.

There was two parts to the class; the first was a typical Barre / Centre practice which lasted an hour. There was a further half hour class that is labelled Creative Repertoire, however up to Christmas its there for those that wanted to do pirouette and jumps. After Christmas its rehearsal for those that want to participate in the show, the choreography is created by the teacher, a lovely lay called Annemarie.

 

There appears to be some sort of rep workshop based on Cinderella held at the Grand Theatre Leeds where Northern Ballet are performing, it was difficult to get any real details, I have emailed the head of learning at the Grand Theatre to try and find out about this course as I will most probably book it.

 

Whilst idling myself during the break between the two classes, I slipped a bit of Giselle in. During the ride home it gave me a chance to start to study the second piece of rep we are to learn “Giselle’s friend dance”. I at least want to have some familiarity with it.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Michelle_Richer

[Fiz]

Class tonight was fantastic. There was K, me and someone new who isn't sure if she will come often as she lives some distance away.  I was told by my teacher and K that I couldn't leave   ( I don't want to but I don't have much choice. We can't afford to live in the south east any more). We worked really hard and I said to K as we left, "If you could do this class five times a week, would you?" "You bet!" she replied and then said, "And I know you would!" It looks as if I could get four classes in Lincoln if none of them clash! 

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Fiz

 

I had a good night too at the Angles Theatre ballet class, the first one this term. We had a couple of new girls join us, but they didn’t seem to be beginners. Our teacher is starting a pointe class 30minutes before our ballet class, I will be starting pointe work in two weeks time as I will be doing Pineapple and the two Royal Opera House classes next Wednesday. Until we get to rehearsals, I will only be attending Angles every other week, Katy my teacher is happy with that.

I also found out tonight that next years show is a week later, second week in July. That leave me free to do either the Northern Ballet show or the LAB show at the Bloomsbury theatre, as they both fall on the same day the week before.

[Moomin]

Pointe work, how exciting Michelle!

[Sheila Beelam]

Oh yes that's terribly exciting Michelle! Well done xxx

[Michelle_Richer]

It is, but I'm also very cautious, I'm not expecting miracles as I wont be happy to just hobble on pointe.

 

It also has a down side, that period was the period I sometime used to use for private tuition, and was one of my options for repertoire coaching. My teacher is also reorganising her schedule, so we may still find a compatible time slot.

[Fiz]

How fantastic, Michelle! Congratulations I emailed your teacher and she said she was starting pointe classes in January. I wonder why she has started earlier. It was only on Monday that she said that so it's not like she had a long time in which to reconsider! You must tell us how it goes.

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Fiz

 

You are quite right Kat is starting pointe in January, I have some difficult decisions to make to try and incorporate Kat's classes in next year, I like Kat very much, but I'm becoming very performance orientated and need to incorporate ENB still and also become part of LAB's company of dancers. Many of my friends at ENB have already joined LAB. I would also like to incorporate City Academy's new performance course which starts next year, but I cant justify travelling to London three days a week. My new pointe class is with Katy at the Angles Theatre in Wisbech Cambridgeshire.

[Michelle_Richer]

Thursday was a hard working day at ballet. My first class we only had two other girls turn up, both regulars, not sure what happened to the newbies, so at least we reverted back to its normal standard. However Nicky our teacher really worked me hard. Firstly she would demonstrate the movement as she always does, then came and stood at the side of me almost every time, scrutinising my every little move. It was “the supporting leg quivered, I see it”, “your chin was up but I see your eyes look down”. She really does have the eyes of a hawk. Don’t get me wrong, I love that level feedback, but I did really feed I had worked at that session.

 

Between sessions was spent in my studio trying to cram into my brain and body memory Giselle’s friends dance for Saturdays workshop. That was hard going as I have left it a bit late, I guess too much time on the Solo, but I love that one.

 

Peterborough class was really good, lots of turns and pirouettes again. On one accession we wee doing chaine travelling turns corner to corner ending in an arabesque in attitude, I was very tempted to turn the arabesque into a grand pirouette in attitude followed by a leg-swapping pirouette landing in a full down curtsey (all from Giselle). Having not done them quite in that order before, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off seamlessly; also I had been told off for adding a jete en tournant to one of the other teacher’s sequences.

 

Then finished off the evening with a little bit more of Giselle

[LinMM]

Hi Michelle I note that you are talking about two dances for Saturdays workshop....have I missed some info on this course as I have only been looking at the solo( and I mean only looking at it!) I didn't realise there was another dance too. Perhaps Ive missed an email from City Academy or was it on the original...I can trawl back and have a look. Am looking forward to Saturday though haven't done any ballet properly now for about four weeks or so.

 

Yes I probably could have done a barre without the door handle!! But don't forget the best dancers in the world still do a daily class with the barre being the first part of it even though they could all work without a barre if they wanted to.

 

Ironically enough I think the barre helps you to work at strengthening the supporting leg....but is this grounds for a discussion?.....why the barre in the ballet class? See you sat.....back from holiday later today.....haven't commented much recently as only get half an hour free wifi in the hotel a day and it takes ages to download emails etc etc!

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lin

 

Don’t worry too much about no prep, most of the other girls will not have done either, plus we have at least one guy too (another friend from ENB). As for what was being taught, I ask City early on, and posted it on this forum, it wasn’t sent out by City to the other dancers. Also I have no idea which ballet company and artist rep this is taken from, more likely it will be simplified by our teacher. There is only one other that I know will have done prep and she is from my 3 level ENB class, as I gave here the info.

[LinMM]

Have just written a bit about the Giselle workshop run by City Academy last saturday but decided on balance to put on the Giselle workshop thread rather than this one though can say this was a really worthwhile day and definitely worth considering for the future especially for those slightly less experienced or not doing or confident with pointe work as there was none on this particular workshop at any rate. Choreography was always adapted very skilfully for those who needed it to be. Probably not the large numbers you might get on an LAB workshop but this would definitely suit many!!