Ballet Fierce

I've been back....back to ballet since going to Bangkok for work. 

I'm still in beginner, but I should be in a higher level class....I just haven't moved yet. My life is a lot like that....I should move on, but I haven't. 

Like most people I'm a creature of comfort. I will 'make do', 'make work', and 'make excuses' to stay and delay the inevitable truth....I need to do something. 

So after a night of drinking, I decide to go to Mr. Hall's Fierce Ballet 2 class on Saturday afternoon. I felt good, healthy, and motivated (ironic, I know). I enlisted MDB and agreed to meet in class. I even thought about taking beginner jazz, but ultimately, I opted to just be brave once.

I walk into the fishbowl and put down my towel, bag and water bottle. All the barres are placed on the floor and I attempt to hide at the barre farthest from Joel's all seeing eyes. I know it sounds stupid to me too, but still I try. 

Now Mr. Hall's class is not about complex, long and crazy combinations.  It is about perfection of the technique. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. There are no other sounds than students breathing and Joel's baritone speaking loudly and forcefully - TENDU, PLIE, RELEVE, BULGE OVER...and nothing is more frightening than Joel stopping in your vicinity. Mostly you just hope he will keep passing because if he stops....well...the opportunities for correction may be endless. On occasion, Mr. Hall will tell us a story in between his corrections....performance, school, life related....and we will laugh, but otherwise, we are mostly silent, diligent and reverent.

So tendu, plie, releve, bulge over, degage, passe, coupe, battement, we do...until knees go back, balance on ball of foot, spine is elongated, ass is squeezed and elbows are lifted.

We leave the barres and move to center floor and work on positions: a carte, a false, a la seconde, and on and on and on. And without hesitation, we move into passes and pirouettes. 

Class ends and I find that I have taken my corrections and my self esteem is still intact. I can do this. I have overcome one more fear.

In the words of Beyonce, if you like then you shoulda put a ring on it.....but since you can't put a ring on this....I'll just visit :)