The Adventure Continues: Ballet I - 1:15 seconds of your life

As I take stock of my mental, emotional and physical state while putting on my dance pants, I think back on my Sunday class.

I think back to those people that are blissfully clueless and I wonder one of two things:

1) Are they so unaware of self that they believe they are doing great?

2) Or are they satisfied with doing what they can until they can do better - so nothing really bothers them?

If they are 1, I am happy to be aware. If they are 2, I wish I could be more like that. Insert deep sigh. 

I head off to Beginner ballet/ballet I with every intention to have my head 'in the game'. As I wait to register, MDB rounds the corner and gives me a hug. She said she read my Sunday adventure. I explain that I don't have a comfort level with Missy, so in addition to being overly self critical, I'm wondering if she is criticizing me as well.  And unfortunately, I'm starting to think this says something about me. 

At any rate, there are 5 women in class including MDB. The two blondes were in pointe shoes. The three non-blondes were in slippers. And MDB and I were both in black pants and purple tanks....with light colored slippers. 

We warm up with our usual plies and I'm falling into my comfort zone. Demi, demi, grande, port de bra forward, releve, plie, into second. I feel safe. Then MDB decides to shake up the routine. The tendu combination has some tendus with a bend lunge position, returning to plie. 

Tendus - 1, Me - 0. 

The degage combination comes - degage front four times, degage back four times, degage in second with beats. Degages - 1, Me - Zero squared. 

The rond de jamb combinations comes and Menty and Side Bar start prattling:

Side Bar: Where is our focus?

Menty: I think it's broken.

Side Bar: We are turning into a one trick pony!

Menty: Well, at least we aren't turning into an ass.

Side Bar: Hmmm...I got nothing...

I try to get the rond de jamb combination which has some l'air action and piques, but fail on the right. So I focus on the left and still miss two rond de jambs before the pique. Rond de Jambs - 1, Me - triple O.

I take a deep breath and let out the frustration. The frappe combination doesn't go any better. MDB is encouraging and smiling and I let the tendus, degages, rond de jambs and frappes go. Battements are next - and seriously how badly can I screw up throwing my leg in air?

The battement combination involves two flat, two on releve, and every other set has the accompanying arm positions. I ignore everything but the combination - I stay flat and get in the arm positions where I can. Battements - .5, Me - .5 :)

When we move to the floor, we have a short but strenuous adagio. After we all struggle through it twice (once on both sides), MDB reminds us that we are DANCING and to find something we love about it. "Use your imagination." MDB says. "My imagination is busy." I say.
 I try not to make faces. "It's only 1 minute and 15 seconds of your life." MDB says.
"And they are the longest seconds of my life today." I say.
But this time we 'dance' instead of 'practice'.


We move into sissones with a jumping beat. The second part of this is my nemesis - glissade with a pique to the back both sides. I feel my frustration rising again as the music gets faster and I'm struggling. I try to shake it off. I'm starting to think that after hurting my knee, I'm afraid to jump - especially fast or high. I'm always hesitant with jumping.


MDB promises to come back to this so we can get in the traveling floor combinations. None of us ace the traveling floor combinations. There were varying degrees of correctness, but we did better at dancing then practicing.


Class was only 90 minutes of my life today. They were the best used 90 minutes of my day - with the exception of petting my cat :)


But seriously,  I'm going to get those damn glissade, assemblages and sissones!