I hobbled out of bed this morning achy from head to toe. My quads hurt like a bitch, I can hardly type my forearms are so sore, and it just hurts to walk period. The forearm pain is no doubt from hip hop class on Monday night when Ms. Represent made us drop to the floor and we had to use our hands to catch our weight. The quad thing? Not really sure. My shoulders and arms hurt from the heavy lifting I did yesterday. I’m trying to build some strength and I used 10- and 12-lb. weights instead of my usual 8- and 10-lbs. Gotta get my upper body ready for some breakdancing, you know.
So I went to a new ballet class last night and it was AWESOME. This class is only an hour long and it’s still a beginner class but it’s at a much quicker pace than my Friday night one. It also has boys(!) in it—a high school kid who is taking ballet to improve his performances in musical theater, and a long-time recreational dancer in his late forties. It is much different than my Friday night class. The music is faster and my teacher (who I will nickname Lady Cheerleader because she’s young and cute and perky and compact), moves us through one exercise after another after another a lot quicker than my Friday night teacher. Even though this class is only an hour long, she packs everything in—demonstration, technique coaching, center work, and across-the-room work (which I’m sure has a name but I have no clue what it is) all in the space of that hour.
Lady Cheerleader gave us pointers to make our movement correct. For example, while doing dégagés, she sat on the floor and pushed back on the leg of the person doing the kick. She asked us to imagine that someone is doing that to our leg so that we retract our working leg instantly. I also learned a couple more different types of kicks or battemants last night such as the fondu, the développé and the frappé. Don’t ask me which one’s which. I’m still trying to keep it straight in my head.
At the end of class I went up to her and asked her to be really brutal in correcting me. I told her I have a goal and I need help in fulfilling that goal. She smiled and said okay. I really like her a lot. I like the speed of her class, I like it that she doesn’t baby us (like my Friday night teacher kind of does), and that she expects us to GET it.
Tonight is kickboxing night. With all my aches and pains I have no clue how I’m going to teach this class. Maybe I’ll just demonstrate once and hope that my students get it. Wish me luck.
