Skip to main content

you want my legs to go where?

Last night I took a ballet class for the first time since probably 7th grade. That's 22 years people! So all things considered, as I look back I didn't do as badly as I could have. I remember all the positions at barre and have been stretching regularly, but once it came time to put a series of steps together across the floor, that's when my brain turned to mush. I used to speak ballet, but I don't remember a lot and will need to do a little reviewing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet

In addition, we did some serious stretching both at barre and in the middle of the floor and occasionally my body would twinge and spasm as if to remind me I'm not the spring chicken that used to do these movements. But it also brought back flashbacks of about the time I stopped being serious about ballet... when my childhood teacher would push me deeper into stretches to the point of severe pain.

I LOVE watching ballet and dancing it even if I know I was never professional dancer material. But ballet also reminds me why I adore bellydance so much.
Ballet is an elite and select group... bellydance is for every woman of all shapes and sizes. One dance form encourages starvation, the other encourages empowerment of femininity. One forces your body to unnatural beauty, the other utilizes your natural beauty.

I'll continue to go to ballet class because I love a challenge and want to get in amazing shape - hopefully the recent purchase of this DVD will help as well.

At least now I'm mature and wise enough to know my body's limits and not force it - and confident enough to be ok with that and just enjoy the dance.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. NielleMay 6, 2009 at 12:16 PM

    actually I think I took ballet a semester or two in college, but that was 15-ish years ago! holy cow I feel old now.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Belly Dance Practice On The Go

Hey dancers - frustrated because your budget or time doesn't allow for belly dance class? Do you spend countless hours behind a computer desk wishing you could be practicing dance instead? Well good news, you can practice isolations just about anywhere!  Sitting at your desk :   1. alternating glute squeezes.   This is pretty easy to do without anyone noticing (so long as your face isn't making a weird expression. :) As you hopefully know, alternating squeezing each butt cheek is a great way to build up your shimmy strength (while also building muscle memory). First make sure you have the correct posture. Then focus the mind on right cheek, squeeze and then left. If you can only do it slowly that's just fine, it's still an effective exercise and eventually you'll easily speed up. For more info on glute squeezes see Shira's website .  2. pelvic tuck, glute squeeze (both together).   Make sure your posture is correct. Sit toward the back of your chair wi...
10 comments
Read more

lame lyrics

"so many things i want to tell you, everything i want to share, just gets blogged or tweeted even though those folks don't care. everything that makes me laugh or break out into a smile, fills me with a need to see you even just a little while." totally corny right? was just a random thought I had a week ago when missing my man. I dunno my biggest flaw as a musician is my inability to connect melodies I write to genuinely good lyrics. There's definitely an art to writing for songs versus writing poetry or stories. I think it baffles me most because what I consider great lyrics are so painfully simple, yet NOT if you get my point. I've been trying to pay attention to songs that really move me and pay close attention to the lyrics. The Cliks album Dirty King is a great example (it's not officially released yet but I bought a copy at their concert). Lucas' lyrics are powerful, yet just vague enough that they can be interpreted many ways and therefore h...
6 comments
Read more

The Force is With You

I love it when my geekitude and spiritual study collide. Last Sunday our message from Roger Teel was about empowered consciousness. I just about squeed out loud when he began to quote and draw comparisons from Empire Strikes Back. Luke can't wrap his mind around the possibility of using the force to move an entire craft from the bog. He has limited thinking which keeps him from achieving the power of that connection to the spiritual force. [Using the Force, Yoda effortlessly frees the X-Wing from the bog] Luke: I don't, I don't believe it. Yoda: That is why you fail. If you are open minded, you can see that The Force, Connection to Spirit, God's Power, The Source - whatever you want to CALL it; the BELIEF in those similar concepts are what gives it power. What you call something doesn't give it power. As Louise Hay says, "you don't get wet from saying the word 'water'." I've seen a lot of reference to belief in various ways in our cu...
2 comments
Read more