Getting back into routines, starting with dance

Now that the holidays are over, I am getting back into my usual routine. Tonight was dance class. I love the repetitive routine of ballet, knowing that every class will start with plies, move through tendues to then other exercises, and finally end with grand battments at the barre. Then we will move to the centre and do a series of exercises that will include ports de bras, some sort of steps and jumps, movements across the floor, and turns. Though the exact exercises will vary each week, those movements and the repeated corrections help us to build strength, flexibility, and - hopefully - some grace and musicality.

I have been dancing for a long time now. I started when my daughter was six and she is now 22. I took about three years off after injuring my foot a few years ago, but otherwise have been going weekly for almost 15 years. I have gone from rank beginner to the most advance class offered at my school, tried lyrical and modern, sometimes spent several years at the same level because I liked the teacher or the time was convenient, and now I’m back in a beginner’s class. Through it all, that same pattern - plies, tendues, ending at grand battment, moving to the centre to learn patterns, jumps, turns, and occasionally even learning actual repertoire. It is comforting, but also affirming as I get better at certain things, and throughout I get joy from pushing my body and expressing myself to music.

This is a photo from a few years ago, when I had a walk-on part in a Ballet Jorgen production of Romeo and Juliet. The auditions were for dance students but there were no age restrictions, so I auditioned with a bunch of teenagers and pre-teens. It amused me to cross this off my bucket list of things to try. I didn’t get a dancing part, but I did get to help with the publicity as I was interviewed on TV as well as for newspapers. It turns out, when I search on the internet, that the story was carried in papers across southern Ontario. https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/4411483-lindenlea-mom-twirls-into-ballet-scene/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shedding junk in my work space

Image
I probably shouldn’t use my bedroom as my workspace, but it is big, with two large windows and a little balcony. Plus, I share the open-concept main floor with my daughter, who is doing her university courses on-line, so we often need to be in different areas to be able to concentrate to conversations on our computers. My bedroom is also my favourite crafting space, and it is where we store things that need to go to the charity shop, So it can get pretty junky if I’m not disciplined (and frequently I am not - have you ever met a crafter who didn’t have a stash or two of yarn, fabric, or whatever?). Today, though, I made a serious effort to deal with both my bedroom and my back-up work space, the kitchen. I took down my old curtains and hardware an installed a new rod and curtains that have been sitting in the bedroom since I bought them before Christmas. Now the stepladder, the curtains, miscellaneous screwdrivers, and the storage bags can go away, while the old curtains and hardwa
Read more

The COVID-19 new normal?

Image
I went to my second-last swim practice for a while. There was more social distancing than usual as we didn’t all crowd into the showers afterwards - opting instead to wait our turn while talking about measures being taken in our workplaces. That’s when you realize just how complicated running an economy can be. One colleague works in government procurement so her office is scrambling to acquire everything from medical equipment to additional secure bandwidth so employees across the country can work from home. Friends from the barn where Fancy lives have posted that there are lots more walkers on the streets and hiking trails. It appears that families are looking for things to do that allow social distancing while getting some exercise, especially for the kids. The introvert on the hiking trails found it a little crowded for her comfort, but the extrovert said the neighbourhood felt much friendlier than usual as everyone passed greetings as they walked. Local media are even starting t
Read more

The World Without Us - Thoughts for Earth Day

Image
I walked down the street to get take-out food tonight for the Wednesday Canadian Kitchen Party in support of Canadian restaurants (it’s happening again next week on Facebook, with some well-known Canadian musicians - join if you can). It was at the end of what would normally be rush hour, and it was eerie. There were few cars and fewer pedestrians. I could hear leaves rustling along the street, papers flapping on a construction site and even the sounds of bicycle chains against the gears as cyclists went by. There were lots of bird songs on a street where birds are rarely heard (though over the years I have spotted a woodpecker and a sharpshinned hawk). The sky was clear. It got me thinking about The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman. It’s a frightening but beautiful exploration of the earth’s recuperative powers after various disasters that take humans out of the equation. As I work towards next steps for my own staff, and for development assistance programming in hard-hit countries
Read more