101

Originally posted on June 7, 2011
So for all technical purposes, if you skip all the missed classes from work and solely looked at dates - this makes 365 days to the start of my ballet adventure - give or take. If we actually go by the number of weeks, I need to go through the first week of July, which I intend to do. 

Today was a hot one and knowing that Joel Hall Studio was going to be roasting hot, I seriously considered a leotard and tights - and then I recovered from my heat stroke and put on my usual attire. I walked into the studio to find Not David sweating profusely behind the registration desk. MDB was standing beside him smiling and looking not so sweaty. 

I'm registered in record time by Not David and the few, the proud, and possibly the stupid meander back to Studio D to brave what is guaranteed to be Bikram Ballet. I line up to the barre with Ms. J, the Swam and 3 other woman when Legs (formerly known as Tall Black Chick) joins the class in pointe shoes. I stop myself from doing an eye roll, but just barely. 

As we start our usual plies, the ipod cuts off because the stereo system has been baking for the last 12 hours. MDB leaves us to complete the plies in silence while she hunts for the boom box. Being the disciplined and dedicated students we are, we finish our plie combination and stand in first position awaiting her return. Now I was totally willing to take the opportunity to just stand there and lie when she returned but from the looks in the eyes of the others - someone would have ratted me out. Damn goody two shoes. 

We make it through our tendu and degage combination before MDB gives us this funky degage combo facing the barre - 7 degages right, clap, 7 degages left, clap, 3 degages, clap, 1 degage, clap. MDB says "the clap isn't really important. I won't beat you if you are off or anything, but you'll know if you are off if you are the only one clapping."

Side Bar: If it's not important, then why we gotta do it?
Menty: It's just a combination.
Side Bar: We don't clap during battements and we could really USE a CLAP during battements. 
Menty: Yeah well...

Everyone claps in time, no one falls over and MDB doesn't make us do it again - SUCCESS!
We move through our rond de jambs with fondues, our sticky floor frappes with coupes, stretch for our splits and then battement until my hips want to fall off.  By the end of barre, I look like an ice cold glass of water still on a warm table - dripping - but probably not as refreshing. 

We move into center floor and handle a few tendus, an adagio and jumps. We move to the left corner and take our first traveling combination of balances, pique turns, balance, spinning turn and step through and finish with three chasse, pas de bournee, glissade, assemblage. 

As we try in vain to wipe to sweat from our faces, chests and arms, MDB tells us that this is the last Tuesday class. Which means my intermediate belly dance class is going to need a new rehearsal day because I'm going to Monday night ballet class - starting in July. 

The first class in July will be my official 'end of the year'. I'm going to continue ballet 'training', but I'm not going to write about it unless I make it to ballet 2 any time soon - which is doubtful. But I will probably sign up for another adventure.