Michelle_Richer

Well at least you will be able to find it all by yourself next time, I have sent Rejane quite a list for Rep workshops in the future.

Physio booked for the 18th, then I will see what they come up with, however my heels are much better at the movement since my ballet activity tails off towards the weekend. Next week is a light week too, as I am going to see Moscow ballet Tuesday evening and miss ENB that week, however to compensate I will do two classes with Northern Ballet Tuesday morning. I received notification the my parking fine had been dropped which is good news.

That's a wonderful thought. But not in one of my classes, as my teacher says my port de bras on Plie are too flownsey, it OK for performances but not in this class. She is very strict and focused on technique. One bad habit I have picked up though, is more with Plie's than any other movement, I tend to close my eye as I feel the music and for me Plies are continuous, I just float into them with the music, its gorgeous. I love Brahms Lullaby and Titanic theme for plié's at the barre. Recently I fell in love with the music from Le Corsaire from the Harem Girls Dance.

Hi Lin Sorry I don't do OAP, grey hair or intend to grow old gracefully, its just not in my mind-set, as for waiting for others to move the barre, I never was born with much in the way of patients, I just like to get things done and make it happen if necessary. I did concede just a bit in getting my rail card, but I'm really struggling over getting a bus pass. Perhaps the savings on the busses to RAD may tilt the balance, but only if the bus drivers treat me the same way as one of the ticket staff at Peterborough station, when he ask me If I had stolen my mums rail card, that really did bring a smile to my face, I was walking on air for the rest of the day.

Thank you Balleteacher You're a star. I went on the Dance UK site as you suggested, and found one where I go past the door every Monday on my way to Ballet class at Stamford. I tried ringing them but just got the answer phone, so I have dropped them an email too. I know Pineapple also have an Osteopath, I think his name is Ian Schofield.

I’ve been in touch with the Car Parking people, and there is provision on the website to attach a scanned image of your parking ticket, for an appeal which I have now done. So I’m hoping that will sort that one out. I’ve had an email from TrainLine to send my unused ticket in for a refund and they are going to pursue East Coast for recovery on my £13 parking for that day, so that one is looking promising too. Tuesday’s classes certainly took its toll on my legs again, only did an extra half hour at Pineapple after class on rep work as it was only a small studio this time. No extra time at ENB as a couple of professionals were dancing PDD before our class started. As I arrived at the studio door the ballerina said it was OK for me to go in, so I had a ring side seat (on the studio floor) for half an hour while they practiced, that was really nice. By the end of the last class my ankles were really aching and I was quite tired too, I think that was the left over’s of the cold I had. It really did feel like a long, long walk back to the tube station from ENB. The heel issue seems quite strange, I know it related to the amount of classes I do in a particular day, and Tuesday’s being the heaviest. If I’m at rest for a period (Like driving) of half an hour or more I get very stiff, Its almost as if it’s a lack of stretching. When I begin to walk my right ankle is extremely tender and I cannot fully put the heel on the floor, but after half a dozen or so steps I can progressively bottom my foot, just as if I’m stretching my hamstrings, then I can walk with reasonable comfort, but the back of the heel is still tender to the touch. The other odd thing that I have noticed, If I go on pointe (pointe practice), the heel problem just about clears up for several hours. Most of today (Wednesday) I have been hobbling about with a limp, but went to ballet tonight and warned my teacher. She was reluctant for me to do the pointe practice class but I did. I also did the main class, with some difficulty at the start particularly grand plie’s, which I can usually bottom. But by the end of class I was fully mobile and rearing to go. Unless this clears up, I will have to seriously think about dropping one of my less important Tuesday classes.

Here is another useful one, that applies to the larger classes that have portable barre’s in the centre. I think those that intend to use that barre particularly guys with there superior upper body strength should be those that move the barre’s into position and away at the end. At one of my main classes, its very disorganised and left to those that will, usually its myself and the same young lady, in spite of there being guys present and using the same central barre. I know on one occasion when ask a guy for help ( I guess I was being a bit direct) and he told me to stop practicing my assertion skills on him and walked away. Personally I don’t think the guys should let us girls move heavy barre’s when there are sufficient guys in the class to do it. Some may say I’m sexist, but I think I’m just old fashioned, even if on occasions I do try and organise things.

Black Swan Me.

I agree, but when you know the previous dancers are about to go off, then I would expect you to assemble in a professional manner for performance. In any case during rehearsal the only thing you are waiting for is the music. There is no wonder I get reprimanded for telling dancers off in that class, I may be a newcomer, but I expect a bit of professionalism too. Someone has to set the standard and this gals got fire in her belly to do it. Lin "Running on stage", doesn't sound very elegant, are you sure you haven't been practicing with this lot?.

Well Oxford certainly left its mark, I haven’t been able to get the jingle of the Le Corsaire “Harem Girls Dance” music out of my head, I was so frustrated at the weekend as I had no where big enough to dance the enchainement we had learnt and I was so so desperate to dance it, even more I want to dance the majority of that scene which is performed by a trio of dancers but I need to re-choreographed for solo. For that I also need to edit and re-cut the music then get my prospective pianist to play her interpretation of it. This is Bolshoi’s version: But at the moment I really must hold off, as I still have a Giselle piece to finish and three scenes from Swan Lake and from my Lincoln class tonight, the first piece of our enchainement for our Christmas show. The Christmas Show must take priority. One piece of good news, Travel Lodge have issued me with an E-Credit for the loss of my Scottish Ballet trip, Haven’t heard anything from Trainline yet. One piece of bad news, I got a parking ticket at Stamford today whist at Ballet class there, even though I had bought one. What I cannot be totally sure of, if it was the right way up on the dash board. I will find that out Wednesday when the parking authorities get the photo evidence in, which I hope, I can see.

I was reminded of my pet peeve tonight, the first night of learning our enchainement for our Christmas show. And that’s standing in the wings ready to go on stage in no form of proper preparation pose. I remembered that from our summer show, where we formed a double line of dancers ready to go on stage, only two of us stood in a standard preparation pose, the rest were in a sloppy 6th position if as if they were waiting for a bus with arms just dangling. I know the audience could not see them,, but it just looked sloppy and very unprofessional. I would not have minded if we all stood uniformly with feet in 5th and arms at bra bas, as long as we were all the same. This was also true of rehearsal in the studio with the teacher present, but it didn’t seem to matter.

Correct breathing technique sounds interesting, for the arabesque Gayle Kassing in her book "Teaching Beginning Ballet Technique" suggests Inhale as you perform the pose, and exhale as you leave the pose. Which to some degree I find contrary to breathing I learnt for martial arts, which would favour Exhaling on an extension and inhaling on the return. As for eye-line, I was always taught to imagine a little bird had flown off my finger tips and into to the distance, that's where my eye's should be. My local teacher "Nicky" has a thing about eye-line generally, not just for arabesque's. Even though my head and chin are up, if I dare to look down with my eye's at another dancers feet, my teacher spots it and I'm corrected immediately, she has eye's as sharp as a hawk, bless her.

Check out this video "Technicality of the Arabesque" http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ACuVnmS7h9A

What I think could become a real worry is the cold and its effect on my legs. I have had a fantastic week with ballet but on Tuesday at Pineapple, I did my class as usual, a really nice class, did lots of pirouettes as part of our enchainement, teacher said to land in arabesque but didn’t qualify it, so mine stayed in the air whilst everyone else was on the ground. I guess I was just being a smart arse. We did them both sides. Then our teacher decided everyone was to do them in the air together with other movements in that enchainement. The upshot of it all, we worked very hard and got very hot as you would expect. After class I didn’t boro one of there studios this time but went to there café for something eat and drink, it was very cold in there. I was still in my leo and tights as I usually am just after class. I popped on a cardigan which helped with my upper body but my legs were starting to get very cold, the right led developed quite an ache in it, that remained for the rest of the day until I really started to use it at ENB. At the end of my train journey home it had almost ceased up again. Wednesday when I arrived at Oxford even though it was relatively warm in the car, my right leg was still very stiff again, but once I got going with ballet it soon returned to normal. I was wearing leg warmers yesterday, but took them off for class. They remained on for this morning’s session. I guess I’m either going to have wrap up very well or work out even harder.

Wow that does sound nice Anjuli. Reverence in the classes I attend vary very widely from a simple clap to a full reverence, however in all cases its lead by the teacher. I really love a proper reverence I think it has an elegance all of it own. For me personally irrespective of what the class does generally, I will always finish with a full knee on the floor curtsy, that’s just my style. Similarly I will always personally thank the teacher and pianist if we have one. I’m not too sure if it would have the same meaning if everyone did that.

Well girls your comments have tickled me pink, thank you for that. I’m glad most of you have a sense of humour too, and yes it does have a bit of a serious side too. I remember a few years ago when we first started to get an influx of eastern European immigrant worker into the Boston area. I used to go into Boston Central Park to walk my little dog Chino, there would be large gatherings of guys, about 10 or 15 in a group and two or three groups separately grouped in the park somewhere along the main circular path. At first I would avoid them sometimes cutting short my dog walk, or giving them a wide birth and going on the grass around them. I got so annoyed on day I really felt defiant, so I deliberately went all the way round the circular path, each time I got to group it was a BIG EXCUSE ME as I sailed right through them, I guess I felt I was regaining a little bit of territory that I had previously lost. Similarly some Salsa venues in Boston involve going down a poorly lit lane with a side entrance to pub, again guys tend to congregate there, I just sail straight through them. Although Boston is quite a rough town and the police vans are always positioned in the centre of the town late at night to keep revellers under control, I have never experienced any hostility towards me. I do remember one night a little after midnight, not sure if it was one Christmas or New Years eve. Two guys came towards me as I was going to the car park, it was poorly lit and no one else around, I must admit then I did feel a little apprehensive as these guys deliberately came towards me, then they wished me a happy whatever it was, they were eastern Europeans but I guess were really nice people. Don’t get me wrong I don’t deliberately court trouble, but I don’t give in lightly to intimidation either. As for the original route in question, I will make my own mind up, but it’s more likely to be the winter weather that becomes the deciding factor.

I went to the adult one last night and it really was fantastic, we had the theatre but no barre’s, so we had to use chairs, but that did not detract from it for me. I guess not quite so good if you didn't like dancing more or less on your own. We danced two scenes, the first from the Slave Market in Act one which I have virtually forgotten. The second was from Act 3 the Harem, we did the dance of the slave girls as a group although we were divided into two groups because of floor available space. As at the end we danced as opposing duets, only two girls on the floor at a time. it really did look quite spectacular, I loved it. We only had 11 girls in the adult group, no guys, but one girl retired just before the end after hurting her leg. What did surprise me, there were no dancers I recognised, other than our teacher, and she made the same comment. My only downside was the parking in Oxford, its so expensive and done on an automated phone systems virtually everywhere, however I did find a park down Oxpens Rd that did still have some of the old coin machines alongside telephone parking, but it sill cost me over £10 to park.

Why is that Balleteacher, do you think I might get into trouble for upsetting the muggers?

Hi mimi66 Here is another combination to add to your configurations, that’s dancing as a duet. I have just returned from my Le Corsaire workshop in Oxford and it was fantastic. We did a couple of enchainements, the first I’ve mostly forgotten. The second enchainement we spent most of the time on. Although it was quite long it did have a lot of repetition using both sides so to speak. However after doing it starting on the diagonal from upstage left, out teacher got us to do it from upstage right. We danced the enchainement in two groups one of 5 and the other 6. The crunch came about 15-20 minute before the end when she decided we would dance it as duets. One girl retired as she had hurt her foot leaving two groups of 5. One girl from each group would start in opposite corners, the girl from upstage left would have precedence as both would be dancing on opposite diagonals, the girl from the left would cross in front, once they both got to opposite down stage corners they would only dance that side to the centre as mirror images, it was awesome, at the end it was finished with a couple of chaine’s and a temps lie en avant towards each other where the gesturing foot of each dancer is almost touching and opposite arm in 5th displaying a beautify mirror image ending. Needless to say every girl danced the duet combination. I guess that is not for the faint hearted as you cannot follow your partner as everything is reversed. That’s the first time I have danced that type of combination and I was really impressed by it.

No I have been naughty at another class when the teacher hesitated to answer a dancer behind me, then I answered it for her, and I did get into trouble for that one too. The one I mentioned wasn't quite that simple, it was during rehearsal for our show, our performance piece was broken in to about 4 sub group pieces, our teacher would often be address issues with another group, we would be there practicing and helping each other out on our own piece(s), that was expected of us. I think even from this forum I think people realise I have quite a strong character, plus my local teacher (not the one at the Theatre) is very much a stickler for detail and a lot of that has rubbed off on me. It was only when I was off one week, some of the girls had a bit of a moan. I only ever missed 2 rehearsals, the first week they started, there was no warning and it was my week for the ROH class, then the only other one I was ill. Its also quite fully the week before I was ill another bit got added to our performance piece, that was taken from a section of what we had already done but this time on the opposite foot (Simples). When we danced everything through when I got back including this new piece, I turned round, everyone was facing and close to the opposite wall. I couldn't understand where I went wrong, then our teacher told me, the girls found it difficult doing that piece on the opposite foot so it was changes back. Well there you go that's experienced dancers for you. Sorry for being catty.

Hi LinMM It looks very likely our guy will be joining us at City, I spoke to him tonight, he hasn't booked it yet, but I'm fairly sure he will. So if its the lakeside scene of their first meeting, I hope your ballet mime is up to scratch.

Yes if you know the steps by name it requires a lot less brain power, many of the girls at one of my classes have been dancing and performing for a very long time, one of the 44years but they seldom use proper names for the step even though their present teacher who is quite new does. You get such descriptions as that funny turny thing. At one point I got reprimanded for telling some of the girls off for not using appropriate terms. But there you go, I'm only a newbie against them.

Hi It her life Thank you, I'm with RAD during daylight on the 17th of November, I think I will try the 170 from Victoria, and then walk to Clapham Junction for my journey home. It sounds as if its no longer than the one I do every week to ENB from South Kensington station, I just hope the area has good lighting, as it will be Thursday evenings starting January.

I have never ever seen PDD done at any of the open classes I attend, however I do know that PDD does sometime take place at the LAB classes which are totally separate from the LAB Intensives, but I don't think you could truly regard them as an open class. When you join you have to commit and pay for the full term which is quite expensive, its a two hour session each week, first hour is usual barre / centre, the next hour is rep/rehearsal. I start with them in Jan but many of my friends from ENB have already started, so I do get to know a bit about what they are doing.

Hi Lin I have the info from City because I talk to them, I'm very proactive with all these schools including RAD. Needless to say I'm in dialog with Northern Ballet and Scottish too, for me I will travel anywhere for the right Rep workshop. Essentially the bits that have been simplified in Odette's solo are: After the three Hi extension developee's (reduced extension for us), there is a glissard into an arabesque in attitude, we use the same arm positions but the foot remains on the ground. The grand pirouettes are replaced with a pivot turn with the gesturing leg at cou-de-pied. Otherwise its more or less as per RB. I'm afraid I cannot get very exited over the Russian dance, I cant say I can recall that as part of Swan Lake, one of my favourite's that I have ear marked is the RB version of the First Variation from Act 1, I did get my Stamford teacher to add in the Sissonne / temps de fleche combination to our centre practice on week, it didn't go down well with the rest of the girls. I was accused of working for Bolshoi. That school is a very forward looking school and I love it.