I’ve started to develop a groupie-like devotion to one of my ballet teachers I’ll nickname Señora Allegra, so much so that a week without going to one of her classes is a week without sunshine.
What makes her class great? It’s the combos, baby! They’re always graceful and fluid, PLUS — and here’s why she’s great while others are merely good — she gives us full 32 count combos for center routines.
Why is this good? Music is to dance the way food is to meals. Okay, you can actually dance without music, but where’s the fun in that? La Señora, if I may continue my food analogy, gives us a complete meal, 32 count combos that leave us sated. I hate it when a teacher gives me a 24-count combo. Music for ballet always comes in four eight-count increments. If I only dance to three measures instead of four, the movement feels incomplete.
Which is the genius of Señora Allegra. Her routines make sense and feel natural. You can tell her strong sense of musicality by the combos she unveils. Love them. Wish all ballet teachers were like her.
