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Going Back to ballet continued...

Fiz

By Fiz
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Sheila Beelam

Sheila Beelam

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Winnie showed me the video of the SI Michelle - so many dancers and such a wonderful achievement in such a short space of time :)

 

Our class is usually just myself and WInnie, with a couple of other adults who drop in from time to time. We learnt it in a class we went to in London a while ago and decided to go through it in class two weeks ago and broke it down this week for the two ladies who came to class and had never done it. For me, repetition is the key to memorising steps, so I'm happy to go over it many many times!

 

Winnie and I learnt the same side int he class we did, but as there are usually only two of us at our local class, I had to reverse it this week - ooh that hurt my head, but an hour marking it today and I think I have it sussed :D Now I just need to work on technique ;)

 

High leg developpes are more of a 90 degree step if we're lucky and the jetes....need work.... lol

 

I wore my black practice tutu, as I feel at home in that, I'll work up to romantic tutu and whte!

 

We've learnt from the RB Big Swan clip on Youtube - the only change being at 20seconds where they turn their attitude, we do it as an arabesque - given our age ;)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxAn2MYq4iw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Great fun and nice to do something different from the normal barre/centre combination!

 

You'll have to come down one week and join in!

 

Sx

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LinMM

LinMM

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Yes I'm keen on repetition too. I tend to learn from doing something rather than watching something though its great to see how it SHOULD look of course!! I think the watching for me really familiarises the music in my head and that helps when putting the steps together as you can anticipate the music at least.

 

In my class on Friday the teacher was saying that we can all get our legs at 90 before long.

Well I piped up not me...no way.

She replied not in my books....no such thing as can't!! You WILL Linda!!!

So Ive challenged that by the end of the school dance year next July I will be able to hold a developpe if even for a nano second at 90 en croix!!

So it's a round of drinks on her if I do do it and a round of drinks on me if I don't!! So double incentive!!

We've both got our work cut out because at mo say its hovering at about 50 devant, 45 a la seconde and 50 derrière!!!!

 

Anyone over the age of 40 who can do 90...or more.. Is a star in my opinion and that includes the professionals!!

 

Maybe we need a Christmas/new year special in Southend then!

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Michelle_Richer

Michelle_Richer

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Hi Sheila

 

I agree with the repetition, however I like having the video of the choreography before hand as reference, it allows you to become familiar with the movements, then in class its all about cleaning up the technique and not about memorising the sequence it self.

 

I really don’t like a class where you go in cold and try to learn the sequence from scratch. That’s what happened this time with City Academy, our teacher had substituted Giselle’s first variation for Entrance of Giselle, as it turned out, that was because I had recruited one of the guys from ENB and our teacher obviously needed to include him. The second piece was Giselle’s friends dance, we did that but it was from a Cuban version, again far different from those that I had learnt (I used 4 which had great similarities).

 

I’m now trying to get at least one “Giselle’s friends dance”, accepted for two of my public paying performances, they are with my respective teachers, in the melting pot for consideration. I really do hope at least one of them takes it up.

 

I would love to join you and Winnie, but I’ve no way of squeeeezing it in, In any case I do want to come over sometime before Christmas as I need to order another couple of your professional tutu’s.

 

What I am in desperate need of now is a repertoire coach, I’m hoping I will hear something on Wednesday if my Angles Theatre teacher has had chance to rationalise some of her classes. She has offered Tuesday’s but I’m at both Northern Ballet and ENB (double classes at both) so that is totally out, most other teachers apart from Lincoln shy away when you mention repertoire of the classics. However Rejane at City Academy has said she is able to help out with repertoire, so I always have that as a contingency.

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Michelle_Richer

Michelle_Richer

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Hi Sheila

 

Why stop at 90?

I told LinMM when she said she was on holiday,  using the door, but she needed to lock it to stop it coming open. I think she was using it as an improvised barre. I told her she was using the door all wrong, it should be open. Place your back onto the door frame one side, raise one of your legs up the other side of the door frame until its strait, you can get a wonderful leg stretch with an extension well above your head. Ideally both legs should be strait.

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Michelle_Richer

Michelle_Richer

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No Janet it not, I’m all for preparation. Usually there are small changes in choreography; in any case I never base it on one but a number to get the common trends. At the end of the day I’m looking for suitable choreography as performance pieces. So it’s not just a case of having fun and doing a class and then forgetting about it.

 

It’s true some steps I have to break the muscle memory if it’s deeply embedded, but that’s the name of the game. For me its better to learn a piece prior to a class that has usually worked well with City Academy in the past, the last one was a bit unfortunate

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Sheila Beelam

Sheila Beelam

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Hi Michelle

I'm new to learning repertoire but I'm using the same principles I have with syllabus centre work. I'm taught it first from a teacher demonstration, I start by plotting out my body placement on the floor so I know where I'm meant to be and when. I try to map out lines of movement across the floor in my head.

Then I fill it in with the steps broken down into sections. What threw me this week was having learnt Big swan coming in from one side, I had to flip it and come in from the other side...I was horrified, but got there in the end!

As for over 90, I need to make sure technique is there and not sacrifice turnout and line for height.

 

For stretches I like shouldering the leg, where you hold barre with one arm, then grasp the inside of the foot of your outside leg with the other arm, whilst in a plié, then straighten and extend arm and leg to the front and carry round to second. Lovely deep stretch!

Hope you get your teaching arrangements sorted :)

Sx

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Moomin

Moomin

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I just tried that stretch, it's good! Got foot to about head height, would have to take it off the doorframe to get higher though ( and no way that is happening!). I could do 90 to second but to the back is pathetic! My back is not flexible at all, do you have any good stretches for that Michelle?

Are you doing 3/4 classes a week now Lin? I'm sure your strength will build up quickly & you'll be getting those legs up to 90 soon! In any case a lower well performed developpe can look much nicer than a messy higher one x

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Sheila Beelam

Sheila Beelam

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Gosh moomin I can just picture you at nearly midnight with your leg up a doorframe! Hope you're warm, they're deep stretches!

 

I like the feeling of rotation in the hip of the leg you are holding as you plié and open your knee to the side and then as you carry it to second - crikey ballet is a bit strange isn't it! ????

Sx

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Michelle_Richer

Michelle_Richer

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.Hi Sheila

 

Yes I agree with what you are saying about repertoire; however you have to remember on a scene like the Big Swans we would only get about an hour to a hour an hour and a half to learn it end to end. Without proper preparation I would never remember it, let alone be able to take it away and develop it for performance. A typical repertoire workshop generally coves 2 to 5 scenes and that’s a lot to remember on the day without preparation.

 

Building it up bit by bit , week by week is ideal and that what we do at the Angles Theatre for our show, even so when we come to perform it on stage for the first time, spacial awareness is quite different, sometimes you have to alter direction to that you have rehearsed to accommodate theatre lighting and where audience is.

 

I haven’t tried moving thru positions whiles holding my leg up. We certainly did the leg holding thing too (if you could do 180 degree) at the side, at the end of our barre work at Northern Ballet last week. Several of the girls there could, but they would be in their twenties.

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LinMM

LinMM

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Maybe I'll use the doorframe stretch to increase my leg height bit by bit just to get to 90 then!!

 

I'm still more interested in strength though. Which means being able to hold positions in place as well as stretch to them

That means doing an arabesque every day and aim to hold a little higher each time legs feel stronger.....supporting leg is working in this as well.....that pull up to the top of the supporting leg and into the abdominals has to be improved as well to gain more height in the working leg.

 

I used to be able to do the leg stretch holding ankle and moving leg to second etc. (dtadmin s daughter admirably demonstrates this in the piccies she recently posted) but alas cannot do at mo.....at least not with a straight working leg....Ive never had particularly stretchy ligaments anyway even in the golden age of my youth!

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Thecatsmother

Thecatsmother

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Everybody is unique so what works for one person in terms of stretching is not right for another. I strongly suggest that people seek the advice of a dance Physio and/or dance teacher to get advice as to what stretches etc are good for them rather than following suggestions from others who may not be in the best position to advise.

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Michelle_Richer

Michelle_Richer

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Ouch,

I wish I had a dance physio, I react to the same instructions from my various teachers, the same as everyone else in the class, however I do try and extend my limits, the only thing I have to be careful with is my back, I can go further physically than its safe to do so, but if I do, I suffer two or three weeks afterward. That's why I was surprised in the Pilates class at one of my summer schools when my teacher pushed me right down, fortunately that time I did not come to any harm.

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Anna C

Anna C

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Everybody is unique so what works for one person in terms of stretching is not right for another. I strongly suggest that people seek the advice of a dance Physio and/or dance teacher to get advice as to what stretches etc are good for them rather than following suggestions from others who may not be in the best position to advise.

Absolutely. And I would add to that to urge *everyone* to remember that splits and deep stretching should only ever be done when you're warm - after a full barre session for example. Do stretches that are prescribed to you and know your limits!

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taxi4ballet

taxi4ballet

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Hi Taxi4ballet

 

So, do you really have a significant point to make, if so then make it. 

 

Well, that's not very nice, is it? In any case, I made my point already.

 

When anyone makes a comment on the forum, they are essentially inviting a discussion, which might result in responses that the poster might not agree with. This isn't your own personal blog, and if you take exception to other people's comments then that's just unfortunate.

 

So, lets just move on and continue with our posts, significant or otherwise.

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LinMM

LinMM

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Not sure about this door stretch thing....I think my doorways are too narrow. Can you only do then presumably in a sort of French Window type doorway as I can barely fit my leg in bent let alone get anywhere near straighten in any of the doorways in the house!!

I did warm up with some yoga first but anyway I think Ive got the wrong type of doors!!! :(

 

I agree it would be fantastic to have a weekly repertoire class in which you could build up sequences more slowly and gradually because the day courses which are great are also quite taxing on the old brain as well and then I think you would also remember them longer afterwards as well.

 

Michelle in the free class I go to on Saturday for one of the centre pieces we used the Giselle solo music....the one you were hoping to do that Saturday with City A. We weren't learning the solo but just did the turns onto a bent knee with a different beginning and ending just to practice this as I think going down onto a bent knee must be part of some grade2 or 3 BBO piece which one of the girls wanted to practice. We stopped where the music goes into the hops on pointe bit.

Well anyway as predicted I could get down but not up!! But discovered I wasn't using my back leg to push up from as well....just the front leg which my knees couldn't take!! So using the back leg helps at mo. I practiced this only at the barre though and just did a deep curtesy for the little enchainement piece.

So this week I'm practicing this movement to go safely down and then UP again from a bent knee!! As we are doing again next week.

There was a time when I would have thought nothing of this :(

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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Can I please ask our teacher community a couple of very silly questions:

 

  • As an adult learner with no prior experience how important is turnout?
  • Is it possible to achieve turnout?
  • Is a good turnout essential for pointe work?

 

As everyone has probably realised I love watching ballet but have never had dance lessons of any description.  I have read a lot of books about the history of ballet that have included elements of technical explanation but I have not read any specifically technical handbooks.  Reading this thread has made me wonder about how far a 2-left footed, unfit, mature person like me could go.

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Thecatsmother

Thecatsmother

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I have taught adults up to the age of 77. I think everyone can enjoy ballet. If you can find a good beginners teacher who will go slowly through the basics and follow their advice regarding progression I would say give it a try and see what you think. Give it a couple of terms before you make any assessments of if you want to continue as it takes time to build confidence as an adult. Age should also not be a barrier as the oldest adult I know who attends regular classes is in her 80's.

 

In terms of turn out, as an adult your hips will be pretty set naturally to whatever degree of rotation you have. You may get a slight increase in range and learning to use the right muscles will also help enhance what you have naturally. Of course when you watch ballet, flat turn out looks aesthetically pleasing but as an adult the issue of turn out should not prevent you from attending classes as many people have limited range. As long as you enjoy it and do not force it to cause injury you should be fine.

 

A good teacher and the companionship/encouragement of other adults is very helpful. Never compare yourself to others. You are where you are and whilst you can learn from others it is important to remember that everyone is unique and has a different physique/experience. There are many other pleasures to adult classes such as the feeling you get during and after a good class. I can't put that in to words other than it brings a multiplicity of benefits.

 

I look forward to hearing about your first class????

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LinMM

LinMM

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Hi Janet hope the toe gets better soon...what bad luck being jumped on by TWO dogs!!

 

I hope you will find a class and have a go.

You could double check there are no BBO or RAD classes for adults.

BBO starts at grade one and this would be basic enough for most adults. You don't have to take the exam by the way!! Though here in Brighton many do. Ive not taken any but have moved through grade 4' then 5 and am now in a grade6/7 class.

 

I found my first ballet class though at the Natural Health Centre here where we had an ex Royal teach a basic barre and once we had a few steps she would sort of turn them into a simple mini dance. It was such fun. And I was NOT the oldest! There was a bloke in his late sixties and another lady inher late seventies(who had a smashing dance figure by the way!) the ages in that first class ranged fro seventy something to twenty something's.

unfortunately Emily then went to teach in Italy but her enthusiasm kept me going when I was very unfit and the first year is definitely the worst.....if you can keep going you may be surprised how even two left feet people can become quite graceful.

 

There's a girl in my Saturday class (thirties).....which is also a very mixed ability class....who had always wanted to do ballet and is now also doing a BBO grade class......she is so excited to be able to take an exam as an adult...but she has never done any ballet before and has the most remarkable feet...which Im jealous of....and beginning to get good turnout which she must have naturally. So really you never know.

Everybody has some turnout anyway and even if its not much it shouldn't stop you doing a bit of ballet....hope you will!!

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