Last night was Science Boy’s very first ballet class! A prouder mama I couldn’t be. He was attentive, focused, and he tried everything his teacher asked him to. He also seemed to have made a friend already.
So what was it like, you ask? Well, it didn’t start out too well. After an I-kid-you-not fifty-minute drive through rush hour traffic to this studio, I was ready to turn around and give up. The place was located in a warehousey-type industrial park and I had a little bit of trouble finding it. By this point I was thinking I’d made a huge mistake. Did I really want to make this drive on a weekly basis? Doubts began to set in.
Then we entered the front doors and Science Boy was welcomed like a visiting dignitary by the administrator and all the moms in the waiting room. Boys in Ballet = Rock Stars. Score one for the studio. Then Kim the administrator took us on a tour of the place where I was delighted to see that both studios had windows where I could watch the classes to my heart’s content. Since I really, REALLY wanted to be able to peek inside Science Boy’s class, this was another giant plus in the studio’s favor.
Another plus: the boys’ class was FREE. Yep, you heard me right. Hey, you think I’d drive 50 minutes through rush hour traffic for any ol’ ballet class? Okay, I would. Nevermind…
But I digress. So Kim the administrator introduced us to the ballet master who also happened to be male AND Science Boy’s teacher. That was one of two requirements handed down to me by SB when he consented to attend a ballet class—that it be an all-boys’ class AND that it have a male teacher. This particular male teacher sounded impressive. Trained with the Bolshoi school in Russia, was a principal with the Moscow Festival Ballet, then came to the U.S. to dance professionally before he retired from performing and started to teach. While his demeanor wasn’t quite as effusive as the other instructors in the studio, I attributed this to his Russian-ness and reserved judgment until the end of class.
Then it was time. SB and the rest of the boys marched in. My eyes were glued to him for the whole hour. He was awkward and tentative at first, but that didn’t prevent him from joining the fun. They did about twenty minutes of solid barre work, then some strength work, then stretches, then center work, then it was over. His teacher zeroed in on him a few times for corrections, but praised him a few times too.
The class was definitely different from an all-girls class—different vibe, different exercises, different focus. While there were the regulation technique part of the hour, there was also much more conditioning work (which SB really liked). When he came out, covered in sweat and smiling, I asked him how it was. Him: “That was kinda hard, mommy.” Me: “You did a great job! See how ballet isn’t all girly?” Him: “Yeah.”
Then I asked him if he wanted to go back again next week. To my delight, he gave me a smile and said yes. Warms my heart. While I know this won’t be his main thing, I think ballet will be a nice supplement to his gymnastics and soccer, not to mention all the other great benefits ballet brings: good posture, musicality, coordination.
Plus if he keeps this up, he’ll be surrounded by hot chicks in tights. What more could I guy ask for?
