Originally posted July 15, 2011
I guess you can split a week into Monday to Sunday or Sunday to Saturday. And since Mr. Hall is technically Ballet 2 (with or without crack or some other drug), I will write about Mr. Heinz's class and Miss M.
I wasn't particularly craving an early morning intermediate ballet class on Sunday, but I knew Spunk would be there. And I'm running behind because I was experiencing caffeine withdrawal and I needed to stop by Starbucks.
But as I'm about to exit, Mr Heinz stops into Starbucks. Crickets creak, birds chirp - silence.
Side Bar: It must be because he's 6'6.
Menty: Yea! That was my second thought!
I pinch his arm and tell him now I know I won't be late. We laugh - the volume returns to normal.
Spunk was texting me like crazy and she a bit peeved at me when I show up. She doesn't even hug me back when I see her - she's totally arms crossed and pout in full swing. I feel kinda bad because she's so sweet.
We set up the barres and start whispering like schoolgirls. We were about to really get going when Mr. Heinz comes in with Starbucks in hand. To top it off, a newbie wants to trade places with Spunk so she can watch her.
Side Bar: How does she know I'm not good enough to watch????
Menty: It's intermediate - we aren't good enough to watch.
Side Bar: Oh yeah...right.
Our barre combinations follow the plie, tendu, degage, rond de jamb, frappe, battement route, but we detour with fondus, passes, releves, coupes - and a partridge and a pear tree! I, too, spent a good portion of class eye balling Spunk.
It didn't help that it was a 'wandering' class for Mr. Heinz. Mostly he will stand in the one corner and watch from there - he's tall so he can see, but Sunday - he walks. When he gives us the barre stretch that requires my leg in arabesque on the barre...I try not to look too panicked that I can't get my leg up there and BEHIND ME!! I look at him cross eyed for two seconds and then I lock my lips. He sees this and laughs.
When I almost fall onto my face because I can't keep my leg up there - everyone laughs. Deep sigh - I decided NOT to warn them and just let it happen. The other side was better. I just cheated.
The floor combinations were scary. All the experienced people went first which left myself and the other beginners to basically run in circles, screaming for help.....ok so maybe it wasn't that bad - but damn NEAR! I'm still trying to get up to class tempo with glissade, assemblage, changement, changement, glissade, assemblage, changement, changement - sissone (hold), sissone (hold), sissone, sissone, changement, changement. I refused to do the sissones because I knew I would jump in the wrong direction.
While most people think that's ok (fail faster and all that) - let's just keep in mind that average weight of the girls in his class: 100lbs - that's THEE AVERAGE!! And then there's me. If my LEFT THIGH brushes one of them - They. Are. Going. DOWN!!! So for everyone's safety, I just hopped around in the wrong direction. It is on my list though - I plan to get that combination.
Miss M's class last night was packed. We had 8 people - 6 women and 2 men. Two of the women came in almost 20 minutes late into class - and I just kept thinking how that wouldNOT fly if it were Mr. Hall. And one of them was wearing a leotard WITHOUT TIGHTS!
Now I know I'm not the ballet police, but seriously even if you are thin/skinny/fit/toned - you need something to stop friction. It was like a train wreck - loose, jiggly thigh meat - ICK! I don't wear tights - but I don't come to class with bare legs either.
One guy is disastrously uncoordinated - he, of course, wants to stand RIGHT behind me. Miss M would say front - and I guess FRONT to him is 10 o'clock. I had to stop watching him because my right eyelid started to twitch - why come to class if you aren't even GOING TO TRY!!!
Our barre instruction was interesting - Miss M was back from a European vacation with crazy lay overs and missed connections - so she is having jetlag issues. She would give us the combination and then say them while we were doing them - and CHANGE THEM. I would just nod and do my best.
When we moved to floor combinations, I was standing to the far left of the class. Miss M gave us the combination which was fairly basic - quasi, 3 tendus, 1 tombele to the front, 3 tendus arabesque, 1 tombele to the back on false, repeat to the left, repeat to the right, 2 passes on releve and 1 pirouette - and repeat. Miss M gets the music and I'm standing in position. The Football player guy asks me to stand in the middle so he can watch me without turning his head.
Side Bar: YEA!! Finally, we are SOMEONE to WATCH!!
Menty: But can we do it RIGHT???
Side Bar:hmmmm....no pressure.
I do it right - on the right side and the left. We move into waltzes and waltzes with turns and arms. I do this correct in the first direction -and it's a little touchy on the other side.
After class, the Football guy says, "I feel like a bull in a china shop." I say, "I was you last year. I took about 3 classes a week. Come to Ballet 1 - I'm still breaking china - pots, pans, tea kettles, cauldrons, coffee mugs and sugar spoons!" Football guy says."I don't believe you. You are so graceful."
And I had my first real, genuine, happy smile at that moment.
Dare I go to Mr. Hall's class tomorrow? Dare I NOT GO to Mr. Hall's class tomorrow? I don't want him looking for me but I don't know if I can go....
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