In the interest of reminding myself that, yes, I have progressed in the last six months, I cringed my way through the videos from last year’s ballet intensive the other night. Here are some screen shots so we can commiserate or what have you.
First one is definitely from Albrecht’s variation (with Don Quixote hands because #fml); second one is also, I think, but from the opening sequence with the gigantic sissones ouverts of doom, maybe? I think it’s also the part where I’m going, “Oh, shizzle, I’m way down stage from my mark!”
I used up too much of my ballet mojo in class and rehearsal, and my legs were dead (note complete turnout failure and shoulder feckery), but I did manage to swing the straight-pirouette-right-into-attitude-turn bit through sheer force of all our a minor miracle or something. And, yes, I looked 12 years old the whole time. I promise I’m not really 12.
I’m including this one as proof that you REALLY should always pull your tights up until the word “Nutcracker” takes on an entirely different meaning. Dat sag, doh. (Big obnoxious box is a screenshot-process artifact; stupid tablet.)
Off to Rep!
Two things: first, I’ve had plentiful occasion this week to reflect upon how radically dancing has altered my life.
Three years ago, I had a tiny handful of local friends and didn’t really really feel connected to anything or have any overarching vision guiding me.
Now I’m increasingly knitted into this strange, tiny, amazing world of dance and aerials people as my life furiously churns (ohai, unintentional modern dance pun) towards some kind of future in which dance and aerials are central.
I am stunned and awed and grateful every time I think it.
Second … Well, crap, I’ve forgotten what the second thing was. Honestly, it was probably about class this morning and still feeling like a space cadet whilst struggling against allergies.
So that’s me: an allergic spaceman.
If I was Matthew Bourne, I’d almost certainly write a ballet about it.
This morning, I was a space cadet, but I wasn’t alone.
There were five of us in LF’s class (I’ve been calling her LT for some reason … oops?), including a New Guy I Know From Somewhere, P. We were all pretty much in agreement that this was a Monday of a Tuesday—in other words, a “Moosday.”
Since it’s basically Monday for me this week anyway, that makes sense.
Anyway, I acquitted myself better than I expected given that my brain was on its way to the outer reaches of the solar system.
Basically, modern is starting to feel less weird again. Of course, given that 4 of the 5 members of the class were definitely Ballet Peeps (I think P’s background is more musical theater, so jazz?), LF kept having to remind us not to be so polite 😀
I’ve been working on applying the idea of letting my head be heavy and thinking about my head and pelvis as two bowling balls connected by, I dunno, a run of flexible conduit.
Modern dance, meet modern art?
This is somewhat facilitated by a note that J…M…something? G? gave us this weekend in Sunday class, which he got from our AD. In ballet, we tend to focus really hard on engaging the living daylights out of our core, but it can be helpful to think of engaging at a point just above the navel, so the ribs stay knitted but the lower trunk and sternum are free to move.
I said, “Oh, kind of like a single-button vest(1)?”
Not really a menacer at all, IMO, but kind of a cool gilet/vest/waistcoat. (Source)(2,3)
I’m not sure it’s a perfect visualization, but it works for me. Anyway, thinking about engagement this way helps me avoid over-engaging the core and winding up stiff as all hell. For me, this helps the pelvis place itself without getting into hyper-grippy blocked-turnouts land.
In other news, I’m pleased to report that I’ve regained the muscles that keep my ribs knitted together, which is extremely helpful for ballet, and the turnouts continue to make their way back from the Other Side.
Also, my black Blochs and my balance board arrived today (glad the Blochs opted out of a neighborhood tour this time). I’ve decided that those are my slighly-early birthday presents to myself, which makes me wish I’d sprung for the shiny balance board from Theraband. But for $10, this one will do the job for now 🙂
Maybe later I’ll get the more-expensive version and cart this one over to Suspend so I can use it there, assuming they don’t mind if it lives at their place.
Anyway, tonight I’m taking Trap 2 because rep/rehearsal begins tomorrow night. Mr. BeastMode played our music for me this morning—it’s Vivaldi! (The G minor concerto, which I’ve played on the violin, which probably means my world has officially come full circle now or something.)
Tomorrow, I’m doing Killer Class, and then I might throw in an extra Technique Class since I’m going to be at Rep class anyway—though my jury’s still out on that.
Apparently, nine or ten of us have volunteered as tribute for the spring show, regarding which: w00t! I think I’m the only boy, though, because scheduling.
Anyway, going to go try on the black Blochs and see how they roll.
Quick Update: My black Blochs are size 8 in the C width, since they didn’t have B. So far, so good. Width-wise, I think C is a touch wider than I need, but length-wise, I think 8 is right. Either way, they’re very light and comfortable and, like my other Blochs, secure in the turns. Going to test-run them in class tomorrow.
Also, if you spring for a pair of Bloch’s Pro Elastics, know that the heel will look weird when you’re just sitting there, trying them on—weird as in, “Why is there an extra little floop going on back there?”
Don’t worry about it. I’m not sure if it’s a functional thing or just a style thing, but it doesn’t get in the way when you’re dancing, and IMO it makes your feet look even nicer when you point them.
FWIW, these shoes are very much “Where have you been all my life?” shoes for me. Your mileage, of course, may vary, but if you’re on the fence, I would recommend giving them a try.
Also: Tried the new Sansha dance belt. As Dr. Dancebelt forewarned of Sansha’s models in general, it’s very high-waisted, but it actually works really well for me because of that.
My verdict thus far: Great option for those of us who are short-coupled and high-waisted with effing gigantic glutei medii (in short: me). Probably not a great choice for lower-waisted folks.
If you try one, be warned: you will put it on and it will be like, “Hm, I need to pull this up higher. Erm—even higher? And … huh, wow, still higher—okay. Now this just looks ridiculous.”
Just remember that, with rare exceptions (read: performing in only a dance belt, because contemporary ballet), we don’t buy dance belts for their looks. Yeah, this thing looks silly, but I’m still wearing it six hours later because it’s sufficiently comfortable that I literally forgot about it.
*Yeah, sorry. I’ll try harder next time. So tiiiired.
I’m grooving on my Blochs. I like how they just kinda get out of the way so you can do your thang. I think I’mma buy a second pair in black.
I have discovered that they fit really well with the new tights I ordered from Sansha (edit: I’ll drop the model number here later; these aren’t the only men’s tights Sansha makes). The tights in question are cotton-and-lycra, and thus a bit thicker than my others, both of which are synthetic.
My inner jury is still out about the tights themselves—though not because of any shortcoming of the tights themselves. Rather, I’m a sweaty little bastard, and cotton absorbs sweat instead of wicking it. My knees and shins were surprisingly damp after class this morning. Weird.
On the other hand, they dry more quickly than I expected, and they’re comfortable. The fit is really nice (I ordered a size 5 in Sansha’s unique Dark Magic sizing system), and I like the fact that the straps are sewn in (I lost one of the straps that go with my other black tights :/). I do, however, wish they were sewn in crosswise in back, as they can slip off. In practice, though, that only seems to happen when I’m loafing around between classes.
Oh, they also look nice. Classic matte finish, nice lines, etc. I was all Serious Ballet Boy Is Serious this morning (or, well, my clothes were).
The tights in question are not, by the way, convertible (unless you get jiggy with some scissors, presumably).
Even with the combination of secure shoes and comfy tights, however, I was not a great turner today. This was likely a function of mild sleep deprivation.
We had a new teacher, who I’ll call J2 for now, since I’m too lazy to look up his full name. It was a great class; really nice combinations, and we got to do grand allegro, which doesn’t always happen. I couldn’t keep my head on straight during the petit allegro, though I did the steps well enough. I just kept forgetting that there were two changements at the end of the first phase. I did however, manage to do royales when they were called for instead of automatically doing entrechats.
Still, not my best day.
I made up for it by practicing one-foot relevé balances on the flat side of a Bosu ball. It was kind of a pain, as that really isn’t the intended purpose of the flat side in question, but nonetheless remarkably successful. I think I’m going to purchase a proper wobble board for that.
So that was Sunday. Tomorrow is mostly a rest day, except for rehearsal.
Dance Team came first and second in both of their divisions today—we had four dances, one with the whole group and three small-group numbers (one which turned into a solo for our boy L).
This was their first competition, so that’s pretty great, but from where I’m standing, it’s icing on the cake.
The cake, meanwhile, was the fact that they deported themselves like professionals. They ran their dances on their own while waiting to compete, listened to the stewards and made it to the stretch area, the warm-up area, the on-deck area, and the competition floor on time, and they cheered for each-other and, even more importantly, for other teams.
Edit: They also rolled up to our meeting place, their middle school, at oh-dark-thirty in the cold and windy morning, ready to rock, with their hair in neat buns and all their stuff neatly assembled.
Not that there weren’t a few minor hiccups (these guys mostly still need to learn how to put keep all their kit together, so we don’t have to go off hunting for someone’s jazz shoes at the end of the day or what have you), but overall they once again showed us that they can really pull it together when the chips are down.
Tonight, we catch the show at Suspend, and then I’mma sleep like a boss because I woke up at 5:30 this morning after a bizarre post-apocolyptic Zombie dream.
Tomorrow I’ve got Sunday morning class (with a teacher I haven’t had before, yay!) and whatever else. I have a new dance belt to test drive, so I’ll try to report back on that. It’s one of Sansha’s models. Wound up with white (the least practical color for a dance belt: potentially shows under black or white tights), because that’s what they had in my size.
Dr. DanceBelt mentioned that Sansha’s models tend to be high-waisted, and an initial trial fit suggests that’s accurate. I won’t know whether that’s a good thing or not ’til tomorrow.
I’m going to be processing Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet for a while.
Initial impressions: Wow, and Oh, and Wow.
Also, there was this moment that I found myself thinking, “They’re not all doing this at exactly the same speed, like you would in classical ballet, but it doesn’t matter, because each individual variance reveals some specific nuance.
None of the dancers moves exactly like any other, and that there is a harmonious whole.
Just now I was reading this is one of of the things that Alonzo King embraces—each dancer brings himself or herself to the dance.
I love classical ballet, don’t get me wrong—but there’s something revelatory about LINES. I’m sure everyone else else has already said that.
Definitely going to seek out further opportunities to watch LINES.
King is, indeed, a visionary.
That feeling when you randomly see a video of class from a couple weeks ago and you’re like, “Who’s the asshat in the striped shirt with with the legs and the getting confused about the inversion?”
And then you’re like, “Oh, that’s me. Never mind.”
(To my defense, I am no longer confused about the inversion, though in today’s Totally Modern Men’s Class* we learned more choreography and I managed to wind up on the wrong leg at the end.
*Today it was 3 guys in class.)
The Blochs acquitted themselves admirably. I am forced to admit that they feel more secure than my Sanshas. Never had to think about them at all during class.
I wasn’t 100% on form today, but it’s coming. Yesterday I felt stiff (probably a follow-on from my unexpected dismount on Sunday) and tired and scheduling conflicts forced me to take a day off. I’m glad that they did, because I feel much better now.
Turnouts are still getting their strength back, though. That will take a bit, I expect.
Adagio, as a result, was meh today—but petit allegro came along surprisingly well. I may yet stop sucking at it.
Grand allegro, meanwhile, was not my best effort. Specifically, my arms took a little trip back to Squidsville. On the other hand, three or four of us broke out our Pas de Chats Italiens, including R, who paired up with me.
Oh, and I managed to actually not leave out the Bidonville Bournonville jeté. Mr. BeastMode got video of us; I’m looking forward to cringing at how awful my Bournonville is 😛
Oh, and New Boy F returned. I was happy to see that he came back.
Next week begins rep class and rehearsal for Spring Collection. Evidently, costumes might happen! OMG OMG OMG I’m looking forward to discovering what Mr. B has in mind, as he’s setting a band new dance on us!
In the kitchen, where we practice turns and occasionally make food.
These arrived today after wandering terra incognito for a full week.
Just tried them out in the kitchen and got a triple from fifth of of them, easy as 1,2,3. o.O
I have never actually done a triple in my kitchen before because there are too many things to crack your skull on if you really fall out of a turn. These shoes, though—they sport giant front half-sole pads that feel incredibly secure.
The fit is pretty good—a tad looser than my Sanshas in the toe box, which is nice, but still narrow enough in the arch, instep, and heel (my feet are just a bit duckish).
Size 8.5B. The pattern on which they’re cut accommodates very flexible arches.
I might try size 8 as well, but 8.5 leaves room for my extra-long (and rather prehensile) second toe.
YouTube: BOSU Balance Series
danseur ignoble 