Archive for November, 2008

Newer Entries »

Break It Down

Posted in The Dancing Life with tags , , on November 11, 2008 by Karmela

As promised by Ms. Represent, last night during hip hop class, we got down on the floor for some hot and heavy breakdancing. How was it? In a word: it was godmotherfucking HARD AS SHIT. Okay, that’s more than one word. And yeah, in theory, I knew it would be. Just like I knew in theory that childbirth would be hard. And painful. And exhausting. A lot like breakdancing. But did all that theoretical knowledge prep me for the real thing? Hella no!

We didn’t even do that much! We did the same b-boy skippy move we did last week (yes, there’s a technical term for this which escapes me right now), plus new moves like the kick-out and a rolling move that involves being down on all fours and essentially rolling right, then left, with only your hands and feet on the floor.

But the funnest and toughest part for me was learning that most basic of b-boy moves, the move that you see all the time in every breaking routine, the six-step:

Did I look just like that? Sure. If you get drunk and squint and watch the video sideways. I wonder where can I get that same outfit? The guy in the video makes it look so easy, doesn’t he? And he looks like he weighs practically nothing the way he seems to support himself with no effort at all. But believe you me, this move is mucho deficil because anything that involves crouching on the floor and supporting yourself with your hands is completely unnatural. Plus I have bad knees.

I got the basic move though, and now I just have to practice, practice, practice. And lift weights. I thought I had upper body strength but nuh uh…I need more muscles. Okay, I’m done whining about this. Let’s dance! Er, break!

Leave A Comment »

Attire Redux

Posted in Fashion, Motherhood and Dancing with tags , , , , , , on November 10, 2008 by Karmela

Wanna first give a shout-out to dancinguy, enlair and BlackTights for their comments on my previous blog post. Obviously attire is a topic near and dear to the hearts of dancers, male and female alike. Because my gut already rebelled against buying SB any clothing—dancewear or otherwise—made for girls, I ended up getting him one of those Under Armour compression shirts in white, one size bigger than his regular size (Youth Medium). It’s not too snug yet so he can grow into it, and it’s a nice length (reaches past his butt), which means that when he tucks it into his shorts, it won’t get untucked with all the flailing they do in class. When he tried it on this weekend I looked at him and thought, if I even had one ounce of sewing talent I could convert this thing into a pretty decent leotard. It already had the length and the stretchiness. All I would need to do is shape the bottom a’la underwear and put a zipper/button in the back. Maybe I could commission my MIL to do this. She’s a whiz with the sewing machine.

Okay, switching topics here, anyone see Madagascar 2 over the weekend? It is an AWESOME movie, highly recommended, mostly because it’s a story about how Alex the Lion saves the day by…DANCING! It was also really cute and funny and clever (love those penguins! King Julian!) but the moral of the story, and I’m taking the most obvious lesson here, is how dancing is better than fighting! It’s like an animated, jungle version of Step Up! Okay, not so much, but you know what I mean.

[SHORT ASIDE: CONVERSATION WITH SB]

ME to SB: Is Africa a country or a continent?

SB: A continent.

ME: What’s a continent?

SB: A whole group of countries that are near each other.

ME: So can you name one country in Africa?

SB: Madagascar!

Take THAT, Sarah Palin!

1 Comment »

Dance, Dance and More Dance

Posted in Fashion, The Dancing Life with tags , , , on November 7, 2008 by Karmela

In the excitement of electioneering and bringing Science Boy to his very first ballet class, I’ve failed to update this blog on my own dancing progress. Let’s see, since it’s Friday, might be better if I make a list:

  • Hip-hop class last Monday was the toughest yet. We are deep into learning our main routine which involves…breakdance moves. In one part, we do something called the B-Boy Skip or B-Boy Slide or something like that, and we only do it for eight counts, but dang if I didn’t need me some paramedics with resuscitation equipment after that! It was a massive, serious cardio workout, and this coming from a kickboxing instructor. We’re also supposed to pad up next week—elbows, knees and hands. We’re going dooooown on the floor, baby! **scared**
  • Tuesday night ballet class: I killed it. For the first time since I started taking class, I felt like I was actually dancing. Woohoo! I totally nailed the center work and then nailed the across-the-floor work too. But then I think it gave me way too much confidence because of the…
  • Big Hot Mess in Thursday Night Ballet Class: This is my beginner/intermediate class (Tuesday is strictly beginner). In one word, it was a hot tranny mess. There were some good things that happened: I was only one of two students who showed up so I got loads of corrections. Because of this, I was actually able to hold a passé-relevé for about four seconds, which I’ve never done before. Yippeee! And I even nailed the first traveling combo! But the petite allegro after that was a disaster which I didn’t even try. Lady Cheerleader asked us to do a turn I’d never done before, and I had to think hard every time she asked us to do a sissone vs. an assembleé. Still, I loved it. Totally going back next week!

I’m going to another beginner class tonight with my original teacher, the one who taught me how to do a pirouette. Because of my crazy October I haven’t attended her class in four weeks. Her class is great because she really takes the time to break down the different moves. I learned how to do a proper pirouette en dehors from her. Hmmm…she’s European and an older lady and so very elegant so I think I’ll nickname her Mme. Glissade. Anyway, it’ll be great to come to her class again tonight.

REVISITING: SCIENCE BOY IN BALLET

Two things:

  • How come they don’t make boys’ leotards? And don’t you even tell me that short-sleeved leotards are unisex. They are not! I can’t make myself buy a girls’ leotard and give it to Science Boy to wear because of one reason: the stupid neckline. Why can’t they make leotards with sleeves and a neckline like a t-shirt? For ballet, I’m considering getting him something called a “compression shirt.” Under Armor makes one for boys. One of the boys in his class was wearing one and it seemed to work out great.
  • I’m thinking about penning a freelance piece on SB’s class. There are some dance magazines out there that might accept freelance articles. Just gotta find the right one. I think it’s a very interesting story, the fact that SB is in a free all-boys’ ballet class taught by a former principal dancer for a Russian company.

It’s going to be a beautiful Fall weekend here in the northeast. Have a great weekend everyone and keep dancing!

10 Comments »

My Very Own Premier Danseur

Posted in Motherhood and Dancing with tags , on November 5, 2008 by Karmela

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?

6 Comments »

On the Flipside

Posted in Life with tags on November 4, 2008 by Karmela

I don’t know how I’ll be able to concentrate on ballet class tonight when all I’ll want to do is watch election results. I’ll see you all on the flipside when hopefully, I’ll be posting a celebratory blog.

Leave A Comment »

Dolly Dinkle School?

Posted in Motherhood and Dancing with tags , , on November 3, 2008 by Karmela

Yesterday I took DD to ballet class and encountered a little girl who was also about to enter class with her waist-length hair completely unsecured. No rubber band or bobby pin in sight. Then I turned and saw another little girl with the bows of her ballet shoes in their original length tied rabbit-ear style outside of her shoes.

My first thought was, what is UP with their mothers? Why don’t they know any better? These moms would never send their daughters out into the soccer field without putting their hairs in ponytails and making sure their shoelaces are completely secured. Why would they do it in ballet class?

My second thought was, what is UP with the teacher? If this was a real ballet school, the teacher would have said something to the mothers of these girls already. DD’s teacher took one look at the little girl with the long hair and promptly tied it with a rubber band herself (she did nothing about the shoe situation). But did she say something to the moms of these girls? No. The words “Dolly Dinkle” flashed in my head.

Undeserving, perhaps? Maybe. But from my own personal experience and knowledge in the world of dance, real ballet schools DO enforce hair and shoe policies like Nazis. Hair and shoe policies exist for very legitimate safety reasons. Hair must be put in buns so they don’t whip around a student’s head during turns, possibly going into her eyes and/or blinding her, and shoelaces must be tucked inside the shoes so they don’t come undone. And when a school doesn’t enforce these rules? My gut tells me it’s symptomatic of bigger problems within the school.

I’ve started hunting around for another school for DD. While I might let her go ahead and finish out the year at this school, she most definitely will not be coming back next year.

2 Comments »

Newer Entries »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 75 other followers