Monday was one of two classes for this week's entry, taught by the tough instructor Irina Wunder (she's the one from the walk-in week class). I actually really enjoyed her class (even though the centrework and cross floor exercises were a little challenging). She's so sweet, smiles a lot, and is so beautifully graceful. Between Wunder and Perez, I think Wunder is really growing on me. The class was packed! There were about 20 people in this class, with one male dancer who's probably in his 30s who is really good. Andrea and another student Nobu were in this class. They were the ones in their 20s who just started ballet a year ago and are beginning pointe.
Here are some centrework exercises we learned that were particularly challenging to me, that I recorded of Nobu (in white top and black legwarmers) and Andrea. It'd probably be way too distracting to watch me in the video, since I would be doing a terrible job at doing them correctly!
Video 1: This exercise was a combo with chasses (I think?), balances, and pirouettes.
Video 2: This next video is a pas de chat and jete combo. "pas de chat, pas de chat, jete jete, pas de chat, changement" and repeat.
Tuesday's Basic Beginning Ballet class was - like before - easy. It almost exactly mimicked the first time I went to Basic Beginning during Walk-in week, complete with the identical cross floor exercise. It was a nice sweaty workout which was great, and I'm glad I had a second chance to stretch, strengthen, and refresh/reinforce some ballet terminology!
So this week was tough after not having gone to class for a while.
This past Thursday was after I'd come back from Amsterdam at 2:30 AM (our flight from NYC to DC was cancelled so Jeff and I drove a rental car for four hours to get home) and class at 6:15 PM, with Perez. Barre work was tougher than usual, since 1) she went through the combos pretty quickly; and hopefully more importantly 2) I'd been away from the "ballet mindset" for a bit. After barrework, the centrework was terrifying! We did some easy combos like degage en croix, but then we did exercises that start in fifth position, then continued with three glissades (going to the side while appearing like you're gliding, from fifth position, en changement) and then three Pas de Chat(s) (the "step of the cat," where the dancer jumps sideways) then end with a pas de burre then back the other direction:
(above) Glissade and (below) Pas de Chat
We also did these cross floor exercises with arabesques and pirouettes that I was horrible at! In my head it was like, "one, two, three - arabesque, down, arabesque, down. Releve, down (set-up for pirouette) and then pirouette!" again and again and back and forth. Oh it was just a hot mess!
Well, so from 00:07 until 00:13 was almost like our exercise (it's hard to find on youtube and I can't record during class), except we did it in slippers, and a single pirouette (not triple). We also had some arabesques in there (as you can see from my 'inner' dialogue above).
Things I need to work on BESIDES stretching my darn ankle, is remembering that for cross floor exercises, to not stop right when I get near the wall, but I have to stand in place and continue until the end of the exercise. I just stopped immediately when I got to the wall (I think it's a confidence thing. I just wanted it to be over!). I was sweating my butt off all class and my legs and back were sore the entire day after!
Man, it was tiring!
Next week's classes are Monday (BBFNB) and Tuesday (Basic Beginning Ballet - for extra practice)!
I wasn't able to make it to ballet class out here in Amsterdam :( Every day, we ended up heading to dinner at 7 pm, though we didn't end up eating until about 10 PM after time went by waiting for our dinner mates and then sitting down and ordering. (The class was 5:45 PM-7:15 PM) In Amsterdam, the wait staff took a long time to take our order and then at the end of the meal, it took about 40 minutes to get them to bring us the check. Maybe it was because they figured we would sit there for hours socializing like most of the locals. Anyway, I didn't get the chance to go to class, so here's a photo of the Het National Ballet (Dutch National Ballet) at the Waterloopein metro stop. Unfortunately, the Dutch National Ballet isn't performing any of the time we're here in Amsterdam. Sad.
Tonight was the official first class of Summer Session at BalletNova. The class was supposed to be led by Perez, but she was away in Chile, so a substitute instructor held tonight's class. It was surprisingly slower-paced compared with Wunder's super-charged class during walk-in week, which I REALLY appreciated as a confidence builder! We started off the class with exercises facing the barre with releves and heel presses in first, fifth and fifth with the other foot in front. Then we did some exercises beginning with tendu dégagé en croix (with passé when switching from front to side, or back to side) on both sides. Next were battement exercises ending in susu (closed Fifth position) and rising in port de bras First, and then Fifth, and then we ended with barre stretches. Next came - DUN DUN DUN... centrework.
Centrework consisted of tondu efface (with port de bras), chasse tendu dégagé to tendu passé (I think) and close behind, pas de bourre, and then repeat on the other side.
Next we did cross floor work with arabesques - and I was in the FIRST cross floor group (yay!)!
pretty arabesque en pointe (since everything looks prettier en pointe)
1) arabesques beginning with develope, then pique, coupe x 4; (video below)
2) sauté arabesques (without the little jump after the arabesque); and 3) sauté passé arabesques (with the little jump after the arabesque)
We looked a little like this, haha:
I went to the public library today and picked up these two ballet DVD's to brush up on terminology while I'm away in Amsterdam next week. The first one is "Ballet 101: A Beginner's Class", and the other is "Ballet Class for Beginners" with David Howard. BUT, the Ballet 101 DVD isn't working! Oh well, at least I'll have one to watch on my trip!
There are two more DVD's I'm waiting for the library to transfer over to my branch: "Ballet 201: Beyond the Basics" and "Ballet Class: Intermediate and Advanced" with David Howard. Funny how it worked out that the first DVD's I got ahold of were the intro/beginning ones, and the ones that have yet to arrive are the intermediate/advanced ones!
Jeff and I will be going for MicroStrategy's World Conference and he'll be busy working until Thursday the 12th. We're extending our stay in Amsterdam to sightsee, experience, and soak up some Amsterdam culture, so we'll be there until July 18th. While I'm there, I plan on going to the Amsterdam Dance Centre and taking a basic ballet class. It's a walk-in fee of 15 euros (about $18 USD) which is pretty reasonable (BalletNova's walk-in fee is $20 for non-enrolled dancers, and $18 for me until I enroll in the Fall, where it'll cost $16 per extra class). Here's the schedule for the Amsterdam Dance Centre (I'll be taking "Klassiek Basic" with Kiki Lorier)
I keep going on discountdance.com and lusting after these warm-ups:
They're Harmonie's cactus/frost (far left) stirrup leg warmers to help keep my bum right ankle stretched, and Body Wrappers' Rip Stop Shorts that keep your hip/groin muscles warm during class, so that (hopefully) my turnout will be better. I still feel so far away from getting an acceptable-looking Fifth Position and even a good deep demi plie :(
