Oh, yes.
For the record, I don’t recommend it unless you are actually an advanced ballet dancer.
Let’s discuss.
So this week is free dance week at Cincy Ballet. Because we’re flat broke and I’ve been itching to get back into dance, you can bet that I was on this like a cat on catnip. Monday morning I took an adult modern class. Though I was in a modern dance company in a modern dance based department in college for three years, modern is not my comfort zone. I can swing it, I really love watching it, and I even enjoy doing it myself sometimes, but a modern dance guru I am not. I think I like structure a little too much for me to be a modern dancer. I always felt more comfortable in tap, jazz, and ballet classes, which I clung to as my only form of a social life in college. Okay, not really, I did have a social life but I was also coming off a tough breakup and all my other super close friends went to college elsewhere so I threw myself into dance 5 days a week until I made more friends. It was awesome.
So on I moved to the rhythm & motion class Tuesday morning. I, apparently, skipped over the part where the description stated it was a dance “workout” class. “Workout” is not one of my favorite words so the reason why I missed that little tidbit is obvious. In the future I will actually read so I bring sneakers instead of jazz shoes, and then I won’t have to dance barefoot and blister the crap out of my feet. I clearly just read the part that I wanted to hear – you know, the part where it says the choreography is a combination of multiple styles including jazz, African, Latin, Hip Hop, ballet and modern. Sounded good to me! I made a damn fool of myself because it was already 5 weeks into the regular class schedule and therefore the regulars had already picked up on the choreography for the ten songs we danced to, but at least I was in good company with the other newcomers. Despite my inability to read and come prepared, the class was an absolute blast. I was impressed with myself for being able to do as well as I did picking up the steps since this was the first time I’d seen the choreography. And it’s an amazing workout! But I will definitely be signing up for this one once my finances perk up a little bit (I’m waiting finances…).
And this brings me to the class I was looking forward to the most…adult ballet. On the free dance week schedule all the adult ballet classes were labeled simply “adult ballet.” This, for future reference, is not the case. I chose to go to the Tuesday night session because that’s just what worked best for my schedule. Tuesday night, I and a handful of other free dance week newcomers learned, is advanced adult ballet.
Yeah.
I took beginner’s and intermediate ballet in college along with a weekly adult ballet class at a dance studio in town. For not having started ballet until college, by the time I graduated I was pretty good – not a great ballerina by any means, but I was good for only having had a few years of experience. But I haven’t taken ballet in three years. On a good day I’m at an intermediate level. On an utterly crappy day I consider joining the Toddlers in Tutus class. An advanced ballerina I am not.
But since none of the promotional materials specified that this was an advanced class and it said “all are welcome” they can’t really blame any of us lowlifes for showing up. So about 7 of us showed up and tried our hand at provided entertainment for the rest of the class. For mistakenly joining the realms of awesome dancer land, I’m damn proud of myself. I was perfectly thrilled that A) my leotards and tights from college still fit, B) that my muscle memory kicked in and I not only knew what some of the terminology was, but I was actually able to do some of it still, and C) that I neither face planted it or whacked anybody with a wayward leap or battment.
Let me be clear: I was definitely among the small group of pansies that hid in the back of the room behind the baby grand piano when it came time to do the final combination – some grand and preposterous combination of leaps, spins, hops, kicks and other crap I’d never even heard of or attempted in my life that only professional ballerinas could possibly pull off without a rehearsal, but I didn’t totally suck! I was able to do every barre exercise with proper posture and, well, somewhat correct arms. I even got most of the floor exercises and across the floor combinations…not well, but at least I got them and I didn’t die! I accidentally ended up in an advanced ballet class when I was never advanced to begin with and hadn’t danced in three years…and I made it out with only a minimal amount of mortification!! Do you understand how monumental this is?
Will I be signing up for another advanced class again? Hahahahahaha. No thank you. But I’m kind of stoked that I didn’t utterly horrify myself.
But from now on, I think I’ll stick to the beginner/intermediate level. Sorry folks, no pictures this time. I’ll spare you that awkward joy.
P.S. I’m still waiting finances…
