Back to dancing at home!

[Pixiewoo]

So .... is everyone settling back into dancing in the living room/kitchen/garage/where ever?

 

I'm enjoying hearing the music again, and listening to the students chat at the start & end of class. (i'm also enjoying not clock watching to deliver and collect DD from classes!, and sitting in a cold dark carpark late at night!)

 

I'm not so keen on losing my living room every night, but needs must! 

 

DD has quickly returned to lockdown dancing habits, and is taking her dance bag with her for the long walk from bedroom to living room! 😄

[balletbean]

37 minutes ago, Pixiewoo said:

So .... is everyone settling back into dancing in the living room/kitchen/garage/where ever?

 

I'm enjoying hearing the music again, and listening to the students chat at the start & end of class. (i'm also enjoying not clock watching to deliver and collect DD from classes!, and sitting in a cold dark carpark late at night!)

 

I'm not so keen on losing my living room every night, but needs must! 

 

DD has quickly returned to lockdown dancing habits, and is taking her dance bag with her for the long walk from bedroom to living room! 😄

Oh, how I do miss those days of listening to the dance classes taking place. Due to circumstances beyond our control my DD remained in her accommodation over the holidays and was preparing to be reunited with all her peers this coming weekend. Sadly not. She will remain on her own (but not lonely) in her flat on zoom lessons from Monday. Again, due to circumstances she can’t return home for the lockdown. Safest and best way is for her to stay in situ. Due to graduate this summer. Everything crossed (en pointe, obviously). 
Best wishes to everyone learning online. Far more challenging that academic courses but with little to no recognition. 😢

[Pixiewoo]

40 minutes ago, balletbean said:

Oh, how I do miss those days of listening to the dance classes taking place. Due to circumstances beyond our control my DD remained in her accommodation over the holidays and was preparing to be reunited with all her peers this coming weekend. Sadly not. She will remain on her own (but not lonely) in her flat on zoom lessons from Monday. Again, due to circumstances she can’t return home for the lockdown. Safest and best way is for her to stay in situ. Due to graduate this summer. Everything crossed (en pointe, obviously). 
Best wishes to everyone learning online. Far more challenging that academic courses but with little to no recognition. 😢

Oh BalletBean, that must have been so hard for you all. 

Thinking of you and your DD. Hope everything goes well.  xxx

[balletbean]

2 hours ago, Pixiewoo said:

Oh BalletBean, that must have been so hard for you all. 

Thinking of you and your DD. Hope everything goes well.  xxx

Thank you. If there is one positive (probably not the best word to use during these times 😉) is that my once timid little girl who wouldn’t go anywhere on her own has developed a whole new confidence and ability to embrace new things without batting an eye lid. As she says. “It’s great preparation for the real world mum, for when I am working’. 
🥰. Bless ‘em all I’m sure she’s not alone. 

[alison]

My classes weren't scheduled to start for a bit anyway, but I guess it'll be back to trying to operate on an 80 cm-wide bit of vinyl on top of a carpet again, and in a first-floor flat, at that.  Not ideal, but better than nothing - and I really need the exercise!

[Fonty]

On 07/01/2021 at 00:16, alison said:

My classes weren't scheduled to start for a bit anyway, but I guess it'll be back to trying to operate on an 80 cm-wide bit of vinyl on top of a carpet again, and in a first-floor flat, at that.  Not ideal, but better than nothing - and I really need the exercise!

 

Which ones do you do, Alison?

 

I would be happy with just a  half hour barre work, not really interested in centre practise at the moment.  

[Kate_N]

For adults -

 

There are lots of really high quality teachers & classes on Zoom now. This is - for me - the huge silver lining of this dreary year - I have been able to do some sort of ballet class 6 days a week (or more if I wanted). And I've strengthened and improved. Somehow working on my own in the kitchen, has really helped me take things back to basics, and rebuild my alignment, and I'm much stronger & freer  in my movement than ever before. 

 

So this is just what I'm doing in my kitchen

 

I currently do Christina Mittelmaier's classes on Zoom (google her name and you'll find her website). Christina is such a wonderful teacher - she demands a lot, but is so kind ^ encouraging - I never feel embarrassed at making a mistake in her class. She does around 80 minutes, a barre, and quite a bit of centre, tendus, adage, pirouettes and then petit allegro - just a bit usually warm up sautés, then a short petit allegro & sometimes a sissone combination. 

 

Hannah Frost is teaching both from home & from Pineapple Studios. Hannah is a wonderful teacher - her classes are very simple in their choreography, but technically very demanding (adage without arms in the centre really tests your placement, I can tell you!) She gives a very safe barre (no grand battement, for example), a centre with a simple adage, drilling for pirouettes, and a tendu/pirouette combination. We don't jump (for safety) but again we drill things such as lots of glissés in the centre with co-ordinated arms. The value of Hannah's class is the opportunity to take things back to basics and get it clean & correct & in one's body. I think if you email Hannah, or find her on Instagram @hannahfrostballet  she'll send you class information.

 

I also do floor barre & ballet with Nina Thilos-Mohs (you can find her on FaceBook at The Ballet Portal) - she teaches a gorgeous Zena Romnett floor barre, and also a ballet barre + centre based on Christina Bernal's training technique. It's lovely, but a bit different from a standard class. But is so so good for turnout and alignment, and Nina's classes are always choreographically interesting and get you moving. 

 

What I really really miss though, is just moving through space in big combinations! But because I don't live in London, normally I can only do these classes when I'm working in London, whereas via Zoom, I can learn from these fabulous teachers every day. 

 

I have been really impressed at the way that they'e all adapted to teaching via Zoom, and the corrections they give are way beyond anything I experience in a live class.

 

I think other favourite teachers of adult dancers are teaching via Pineapple, and through Zoom on their own platforms (eg Karis Scarlette). Most of them seem to be on Instagram. I also think of this as a way to help freelance teachers & artists to keep going in these difficult times.

Edited January 8, 2021 by Kate_N

[alison]

3 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

Which ones do you do, Alison?

 

Just a local one.

[balletbean]

On 06/01/2021 at 11:43, Pixiewoo said:

Oh BalletBean, that must have been so hard for you all. 

Thinking of you and your DD. Hope everything goes well.  xxx

Hi. Just a little update, as I’ve now caught my breath. A massive change of events at the end of last week. Within a few hours and a few phone calls my DD booked the last available flight home for now. Accommodation was provided for her 10days isolation. Even more amazing was the fact that they understood her needs as a dancer and placed her in a purpose built appt with a rather large living room ideal for her online zoom lessons during her isolation. 🤞🏼 Xx 

I couldn’t be more grateful to those concerned at home that pulled this altogether. 

[Jan McNulty]

30 minutes ago, balletbean said:

Hi. Just a little update, as I’ve now caught my breath. A massive change of events at the end of last week. Within a few hours and a few phone calls my DD booked the last available flight home for now. Accommodation was provided for her 10days isolation. Even more amazing was the fact that they understood her needs as a dancer and placed her in a purpose built appt with a rather large living room ideal for her online zoom lessons during her isolation. 🤞🏼 Xx 

I couldn’t be more grateful to those concerned at home that pulled this altogether. 

 

That's fantastic news BalletBean.

[Colman]

My wife started doing Hannah’s Friday class last week, enjoyed it.

 

Ben Gartside has good classes going on Everybody Ballet, with about ten a week available. 
 

As a side note, I got into studio for about six hours or so over two weeks before Christmas and was pretty much ok, mostly stronger in fact, except that side to side movement - glissades for example -  in the centre  tired my knees and lower legs a lot. Online classes since March had neglected that movement pattern for obvious reasons.

Didn’t try any grand jetes, suspect that might have gone badly.

 

My balance was off too, I’d become used to focusing on nearby objects rather than much more distant studio walls.

[Viv]

My thoughts are with you all in the UK right now, it must be devastating to head back into lockdown and zoom classes  Hopefully this will cheer some dancers up, it is a short snippet about dancers at the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne and the semi-virtual performance they have been able to put on despite the challenging circumstances. 

 

https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/a-special-performance-for-aspiring-ballet-dancers/13037538

[Pixiewoo]

4 hours ago, balletbean said:

Hi. Just a little update, as I’ve now caught my breath. A massive change of events at the end of last week. Within a few hours and a few phone calls my DD booked the last available flight home for now. Accommodation was provided for her 10days isolation. Even more amazing was the fact that they understood her needs as a dancer and placed her in a purpose built appt with a rather large living room ideal for her online zoom lessons during her isolation. 🤞🏼 Xx 

I couldn’t be more grateful to those concerned at home that pulled this altogether. 

Oh wow.  That's lovely

 

[Giselle21]

13 hours ago, balletbean said:

Hi. Just a little update, as I’ve now caught my breath. A massive change of events at the end of last week. Within a few hours and a few phone calls my DD booked the last available flight home for now. Accommodation was provided for her 10days isolation. Even more amazing was the fact that they understood her needs as a dancer and placed her in a purpose built appt with a rather large living room ideal for her online zoom lessons during her isolation. 🤞🏼 Xx 

I couldn’t be more grateful to those concerned at home that pulled this altogether. 

So pleased to hear that BalletBean. You will be reunited soon. My DD is away as you know & it can be hard to be separated ‘by water’ at the moment. Best of luck to your DD this year. Xx

[balletbean]

13 hours ago, Giselle21 said:

So pleased to hear that BalletBean. You will be reunited soon. My DD is away as you know & it can be hard to be separated ‘by water’ at the moment. Best of luck to your DD this year. Xx

Thank you. Best wishes to your DD. Xx