My Big Girl Panties

When I left for class tonight, it looked like God had decided to give up on making rain drops and poured down buckets of water instead! On top of that, it was 66 degrees outside - on NOVEMBER 22nd in CHICAGO. But it's Chicago - and it (the city) hasn't decided that it is going to play by the rules of nature and it will start and end Fall when it damn well feels like it. 

I walk into Joel Hall and it's very still inside. There is a class in the fishbowl, but all I can hear is the music - no feet making the floor squeak, no applause from class spectators, no people walking around chatting and David isn't on the phone. I've never seen this before. I'm not really sure how I feel about it either.

I go MDB hunting 5 minutes after class start time and I hug her when she rounds the corner. David tells her there is only 2 of us tonight - UNHEARD OF!! And she agrees to teach us anyway.

Side Bar: Uh oh...this can't be good. Just two of us in class? 

Menty: We'll be fine. We could put the Swan in front....

Side Bar: LIKE HELL! The Swan can kiss my grits. She can be in front in Tuesdays class - on the OTHER SIDE.

The Swan and I assume the position - first, that is, with me in front :). We go through our plies with cambres, tendus with plies and forced arched releve onto straight legs and lower back down, then MDB does something wacky with the degages. We go to a demi then flick for eight counts, and then normal and then demi, flick degage fast - then sweeping. 

Side Bar: My BRAIN HURTS! 

Physie: Be thankful she can't touch our brain....anything she touches typically hurts immediately and LATER.

We move into rond de jambes and after we execute them, she tells me that only on my left side do I soften my knee to get it under myself. She then says I need to get 'ON TOP' on my right leg. And then MDB takes her little pointer finger and pushes on my RIGHT TING MUSCLE! That's right - my lower right ass cheek! 

Side Bar: Whoa!

Menty: I think we had that one coming....as many people as we goose....that's just karma. And at least she didn't pinch - she just poked it.

Side Bar: Maybe we should ask for dinner AND A DRINK next time...

<span>Needless to say, I got the correction RIGHT AWAY!!!</span>

We finish with battements and move into the floorwork. MDB asked if there was anything we wanted to work on and the Swan said no - I said I had a list. MDB says 'written or oral?'

Side Bar: WAY TOO MANY JOKE OPTIONS.....

I hesitate - I don't really want to focus on all the crap I do wrong, but there's only three of us. And I'm not really likely to get this kinda one to two attention when class is full. So I put on my Big Girl Panties and say - Sissone, Glissade and Assemblage.  MDB said the Thursday night class said the same thing. But Lil Black Chick added coupe jete turn. 

The Swan is already fairly competent at all these things except the turn, so MDB makes her work them backwards. I, however, work on doing them forward with varying degrees of accuracy. MDB even pulls out this big long stick for me to keep my center.....which just made me feel like a bigger fool - but that's ok. At least it wasn't a dunce hat!