It’s been awhile since I’ve posted something on adult beginner ballet –which makes me realize I haven’t been to Ballet Bob’s class in awhile.

This week, I was reminded that even though the ballet art form calls for particular posture, alignment and placement, the dance is all about fun -especially if you have passionate teachers and musicians. Teachers not only teach the technique, but they also make the class interesting. Ballet Bob, for example, rattles off facts about proper alignment and ballet history so you can see the stories and reasoning behind certain moves/exercises.

Each week we’re given the same steps, but we build on them. Our tendus began with us facing the barre and getting the proper movements through the foot in second position. Then, we upgraded to having one hand on the barre, parallel to the barre. We’re now almost three months in and we’ve begun tendus en croix, which means extending the foot in the shape of a cross (yes, the French version makes it sound much fancier).

The tendus exercise trains a dancer’s foot and ankle, while strengthening the supporting leg. Doing the exercise en croix allows the dancer to work different muscles of the leg to help him or her execute bigger movements. Every time we do the exercise, Ballet Bob reminds us to lead the heel when moving our foot forward and lead with the baby toe to return to our fifth position to strengthen our turnout. He also stresses the importance of feeling the floor’s pressure, going through demi-pointe every time we move our working leg. And every time one of us gets it right, Ballet Bob exclaims how beautifully we’re doing (and sometimes we even get a gold star!).

And we can’t forget the musician who plays a key role in a dance class. Having live music in a dance class makes a difference because it feels like you’re constantly performing which makes you work harder. Another great thing is that musicians improvise their music on the spot so each week, the music is different. It can be a slow waltz, a feisty tango or like Monday’s class, light and fun.

As we did our tendus, Irina, the pianist, played something from the Dance of the Hours –but as we extended our working foot, the lyrics to “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” played in my head as we pointed our feet to the front, to the side and to the back. I wasn’t the only one who failed to keep a straight face as the exercise continued. There were giggles in the room and even Ballet Bob sang a line or two.

And even though I had not been to class in over three weeks, this class was a good reminder as to why I keep coming back.

You might also like:
Adventures in Adult Beginner Ballet: Getting Over Foot Cramps
Adventures in Flashmobbing: Penny For Your Thoughts