An insidious class.

-premature lowering becomes a danger in allegro; complete turn, then lower
-demi-toe begins to creep into our barre exercises; the working leg lifts the body into demi-toe
-obsessive study of & fixation on the details of temps lie adagio at center is encouraged-- no, demanded of us; a seamless transition from sus-sous croisE to coupE en face; leg reaches at developpE front as if going somewhere; principle of bending in which pliE of supporting leg is delayed; the upper arm holds the weight of the high arm (but does not give reason for the rest of the limb to relax); etc.

Notes on the Nature of the Barre:
-presents itself as a great aide in our quest for balance
-is always there for you to lean on when you're not strong, to catch you when you fall, to help you carry on
-appears to have everything you look for in a good friend
-is not your friend
-does not give rise to warm and fuzzy feelings behind the navel
-is the avatar of Evil
-preys on your naive willingness to accept its proffered, iron-clad arm during every combination
-will drain you of all your energy and leave you a cripple at Center
-ballerinas should look at it slightly askance and with a wary eye
-ballerinas should aim to lay no more than half a finger's worth of weight on it

-ouvert arms open towards audience
-ballonE: means "bouncy/ball-like"; coupE-jetE-coupE (with no transference of weight)
-a flic-flac en dedans breaks down; a baseball player gets depantsed

-introducing stretch at the barre through Pull
-muscles relax after a certain amount of time under great weight; in plie fouette, for the sake of conserving energy, begin with shallow plie then deepen just before rotation
-ballet is about living line; in attitude promenade, pause at attitude efface, lengthen working leg and neck, deepening the curve
-diaphragm breathing impedes not only aesthetic sense of line, but also the tension needed to execute movements; practice shallow breathing (breathing without moving the abs) even while outside of our Domain
-in front temps lie from 4th, pull toes back to avoid injuring knees (heel forward in back temps lie)

Balletic Quantum Mechanics

The state of the ballerina leaning her head toward her supporting leg (the center of gravity) exists in a parallel and slightly forward universe called efface. It is one of many possible states in which the ballerina can exist. The sum total of all her possible states is called the ballerina's wave function. In an observer-less room, the ballerina exists in all her possible states simultaneously. This state, called superposition, is broken once a separate observer enters the room. The wave function collapses and according to the Copenhagen interpretation of balletic quantum mechanics, the ballerina is essentially forced to "choose", or assume one particular state from her wave function. In the case of the temps-lie adagio at center, we chose to lean our head away from rather than toward the supporting leg in croise derriere.

Interestingly, in the competing Many-Worlds interpretation of balletic quantum mechanics, the entrance of an independent observer into the room causes a split, rather than a collapse, into not one (obviously), but all the possible states that the ballerina can assume. In other words, each possible state in the ballerina's wave function is uniquely realized in a duplicate universe to the one we know and are aware of. So, somewhere out there (say Tuesday's advanced intermediate class, or Thursday's intermediate class), a parallel universe exists in which we chose to lean our head toward the supporting leg (the CoG). We call this parallel and slightly forward universe efface.

The youngest dancer
in the room
was tossing dizz'ly
in the womb

Lessons drawn from fondu en tournant:

-deepening of plie upon releve
-extended foot initiates turn
-balance comes from abdominal wall, gluts, and lower back
-the ankles are clueless; avoid relying on them for balance
-avoid throwing the body blindly into the void and merely hoping
-embrace life's imperfections; explore the various causes of imbalance

Fondu en tournant is a metaphor for Life.

-the energy drains from here (shoulders/upper torso) to here (abs/pelvic region) all the way down; it does not drain from here (brain); to think of the neural impulses is to get the combo come hell or high water...and then think of placement and all that
-"Rib cage!" More specifically, the point of focus is the center of the X-band over the abs
-shallow breathing creates the necessary tension
-Estonians make the nicest thieves.

How many people are in the studio on a given day?

(a) 12
(b) 8
(c) 9
(d) both (a) & (c)
(e) 2

Answer: (e). By the Law of Resisting Our Hoarding Instincts, it follows that there are only two people in the studio, ever: I and K. Don't forget that.

-look up & Up, not sneaky...or else K might start dusting off his hair and thinking all sorts of strange thoughts
-prepare the arrow, then stretch the bow & arrow at the same time; do not belatedly install the arrow after the fact
-throw the frisbee by engaging the rotators of both acetabula; the purpose of ultimate frisbee is to develop rotation in both working & standing legs; the working leg escalates in height as it rounds
-nix the squirmy stomachs...although it's kind of adorable. Alas, ballet is not about looking adorable;
-it is a meticulous study of achievement; We begin with small achievements and build on them toward grander ones. We aim to reach our fullest potential as human beings, which is greater than is generally recognized.

Why do we look over the barre in ecarte derriere?
(a) to address the audience
(b) to clearly differentiate it from ecarte devant
(c) b/c it's ecarte derriere
Answer: POSTURE!

Details matter. Why does one choice have a more pleasing effect than another? The answer lies in details.

-the planes of the cheek and face become important; cheek catches light
-in croise away from the barre, noncongruent planes and foreshortening of the outside arm make it necessary to allonge, which in turn makes it necessary to look down the length of the arm
-arm stays closed upon fouette; opens at sus-sous
-pas de bou hold: arm in preparatory pose before the petit jete
-Good schooling is defined as the creation of habitual movement; facilitates immediate internalization of choreography and of related "grander" movements later on; eg: from sus-sous high arm, we conclude the combination in the following manner: turn, touch barre, lower to 5th, arm to second, allonge/tendu, and close

The urge to correct misplaced moments of stasis is too strong to resist. We receive a play-by-play of the Failed Resistance. Admittedly, it is more exciting than football.

A young girl learning to figure skate drops in, and the class gets all spinny. Failli-failli. Historic usage of 3rd position for pencil turns. The foot must draw in quickly. All turns are motivated by the hips. Turns from echappe. The foot wraps around straight away. The fun increases exponentially.

Kip's Tips:
-in 4th position, be mindful of hip placement: pull hip attached to front leg back
-in ecarte back, it is more academic to tilt the head toward the supporting leg (ie: toward Center of Gravity) and look into the hand
-in rond de jambes that cannot be fully realized due to the speed of the counts, the en dehors rond should hit the back each time, and the en dedans rond should hit the front each time (rf. Lady Vaganova, whose advise we shall comply with for the time being)
-in developpe to 2nd, so that the thigh doesn't take over and displace the hip: initiate with release of passe foot forward; pull up from knee

Things to ponder this Saturday night:
-Why must the head tilt in passe jetes? Movement in ballet is predicated on the concept of creating line; namely, the real vertical line from supporting foot to head extended infinitely, and the imaginary diagonal line from tendu'd toe through the tilted head, extended infinitely
-Why must the arms be soft in ballet? We use the arms to soften the strong actions of the legs
-Why do you get jiggly in the rond de jambe exercise? Jiggliness is (a) caused by the failure to maintain the "Integrity of the Standing Hip" (ie: to keep it intact and upright), and (b) one letter away from "Giggliness"

Ischial tuberosities:
-aka "booty bones"
-alternating isolation of left/right ischial tuberosities is a circular action; ergo, put yo back into it
-warning: isolation of ischial tuberosities may engender spontaneous dance parties; isolate with extreme caution

"You must plie in order to do number 2." Can't argue with that!

-on the agenda for 2011: fouettes, flic-flacs, and seamless transition from croise to efface and vv.
-inside turn: slide tendu'd foot slightly out; deepen plie as soon as you draw foot into coupe
-SNOWWWWWW! YESSSSSSSSS! If there's anything that calls for a break from decorum, it's the commencement of a long-awaited, much-anticipated snowfall. As well, the above quotation.

PS, a request: Think about the things you learn in class outside of class. That way, K won't have to talk so much.
PPS: The walk home was beautiful.  Snow makes me want to be quiet.

The face should follow the port-de-bras arm...the face should follow the port-de-bras arm...the port-de-bras arm...port-de-bras arm...port-de-bras arm...

Static poses vs. pure movement:
-in any given combination, each count can be divided into moments of movement and moments of repose
-poses held during moments of repose ("static poses") resonate in the viewer's mind like visual echoes; they are the images that stick with the viewer long after the show is over
-when dancing any combo, aim to make the moments of pure movement grow organically into the static poses you wish to have resonance
-ex: the 3rd port-de-bras has only one moment of repose-- at the very end
-ex: the moment of repose in fondu tendu demi rond occurs at 2nd; the body moves continually into this static pose

Is she dying, or sleeping? Is she withering or rising from a deep repose? Petrifying...or reviving and evolving to fill a great void? Who is she?

-It takes thought to relinquish thought. Until muscles become conditioned to work properly without thinking, we must think...we must think intently with each rond of our jambe
-Where do you suppose the supporting knee straightens? At 2nd, even as the leg continues to rond past 2nd. The tendu plie grand rond de jambe is a precursor to jumps; we are conditioning our leg to straighten in a timely manner.
-With regards to leg holds: You really have to demand it of yourself-- every time you developpe.

Every time we developpe, I am reminded of the dichotomous nature of ballet. It is a Spartan art. For all its effeminate grace, it's got a definite hardness to it, like a statue that exudes beauty in form yet is hard as stone to the touch. The hardness comes from its seemingly inhuman demands combined with its extreme orderliness and emphasis on code of conduct. In the past, we've jokingly call K's classes "ballet boot camp", but like most jokes, it has a basis in truth. Boot camp doesn't sound like fun, but actually, the fact that it is so demanding and stoic is one of the very reasons why I love ballet class so much. It gives me something to be serious about.

In the last days of 2010, the thought crossed my mind that there was no way I could put more time, more energy, more passion into this "hobby" of mine than I did this past year. A few days into 2011, however, I realize how naive it was to think so. I can think of many a day, and many an hour when I could have been doing a ballet warm-up and was not, stretching and working on my turnout and was not, and so on. Every once in a while, the thought creeps in that I am living a delusional life. A perfect turnout, for instance, is something you gain as a young dancer when your bones are still growing and malleable. Then again, what is this obsession with turnout and leg holds? It's time to stop playing Ballerina. Every so often, the thought also creeps in that I've directed an emotion called "love" into an inanimate concept. There's no doubt that I love my studio, I love ballet class, and I love the dance with a depth that is normally directed toward people. At times, I am struck by the truth that despite surrounding myself with all these things that I love, I am very much alone precisely because they are only things and not people. How much satisfaction can I gain from a thing, which cannot love me back? Moreover, to pour so much of my energies into this one thing. It's frightful, really. Then again, nothing is eternal.

A couple nights ago during a stretching session before bed, I was thinking of these things. Then I was woken up while it was still dark out by a loud and insistent knocking on our door. I stumbled over to the window, pulled the shades, and was struck dumb by the sight of snowfall. Flurries fell silently, here and there illuminated by the warm marigold light from streetlamps. Sigh...

We are learning about placement of our bodies-- and that includes our eyeballs.

-tendu jete holds: refrain from contracting or tensing up; continue expanding; send energy out of working leg's middle toe and opposite arm's middle finger
-cambre forward: maintain tight 5th position; functionally speaking, good turnout is a result of contracted gluteals and other muscles in the pelvic region, which is essential
-spotting is a matter of conditioning oneself to spot the same point over and over again; conditioning requires limitless practice
-finish every exercise in TBS pose, eyes on Mt. Kilimanjaro
-when K was in Russia: Russia was still the Soviet Union; Gorbachev was head of state; aftershave, boot polish, and window cleaners were considered beverages; the bread was good

A fancy dancy class characterized by deep cambres.

-pre-class gossip: the fat mirror has gotten fatter
-a purpose of barre is to establish your center
-lovely rond-de-jambe exercise with deep cambres
-deepen a temps-lie by deepening the cambre, not the plie
-energy through fingertips
-happy to be back

Passageway

You cannot underestimate the effort and force that goes into the grand battement. It is the preparation for grand allegro. It is how you prepare for large leaps and jumps. It is your jump. You must try to split-- it must split. You must take the risk of being thrown off balance and throw with great force. And throw fast. The height you reach on count one is the height of your grand jete.

Symmetric means of egress:

(a) walk out the door labeled "EXIT"
(b) jete out the door labeled "EXIT"
(c) strap on the vacuum jet-pack hiding in the cleaning closet and rocket out through the skylight
(d) hang onto the giant hook hanging just outside the window and reel down via the Stubborn Pulley*

*This last option requires a partner egressor.

A non-denominational, all-encompassing, Hallmarkian "Season's Greetings" to everyone! Hope you didn't mind doing jetes to Jingle Bells this evening.

"Over heeeeere!...
Over heeeeere!..."

...and the challenge continues. Only this time, it's a mental one.

Reversal vs. Retrograde:

In a reversal,
-en dehors becomes en dedans (and vv.)
-front tendu becomes back tendu (and vv.)
-croise REMAINS croise (efface REMAINS efface); consider these relative directions as anchors, or constants in an otherwise topsy-turvy, discombobulating scenario

In a retrograde reversal, the film rewinds. Everything (ie: the variables listed above) remains constant, but the order of events reverses. Don't bother with this type of reversal in ballet class-- at least for now.

In a combined reversal + retrograde reversal, the shoes end up on the head, which internally combusts.

-a concept class, where the power to turn comes from the hips using compression (the plie) and torsion (twisting of the hips with the supporting foot stuck to the ground)
-feeling dumb is a precursor to getting smarter; acknowledge the confusion, then sort it out.

It was a challenge of a challenge. That is to say, every class from beginner to bolshoi is by default a challenge, but some don't even require establishing a personal agenda* to make it challenging; that is to say, class is what you make of it, so there should be no such thing as a non-challenging class-- but some classes are more challenging than others. A very Orwellian statement.

-petit battements front to back & up and down the supporting leg; with what speed it travels! Like a little mouse running up and down the leg
-balances on releve in all three directions at center with bedroom slipper leg** at 90 degrees or higher
-grand jete entournant: first landing should face forward in the direction of motion in order to establish a forward momentum
-entrechat trois = royale landing in coupe; in general, even-numbered entrechats land in 5th; odd-numbered entrechats land in coupe
-a shutterbug pays us a visit all the way from the Windy City

*examples of personal agendas: one-fingered barre; rib cage; shape of the foot; turnout; pit space/elbows, world domination

**ie: working leg; supporting leg should be clear of warm and fuzzy bedroom slippers that tend to impede balance

-double plie on releve
-a new focus on the action and shape of the foot; jumps to releve are sharp, accurate, and strong; feet off the floor are pointed strongly and definitely
-lovely snowflake dance: temps-lie with arms that ebb and flow like the tide

A WORD on the Nutcracker production that did indeed happen, as evidenced by the glittery trace it left on the studio floor: On the days leading to the show, we banded together as a community to create something from nothing in a week's time. It was a remarkable display of initiative, which itself was a demonstration of our sheer devotion to the studio. The days of preparation and rehearsal gave us insight into the process of envisioning a story and bringing it into physical existence. The story itself had magical elements, especially the moment when Drosselmeyer appears out of thin air and the entire party freezes except for Clara; she greets him with an extremely low bow, signifying deference and awe toward the great magician who goes on to demonstrate the tricks of his trade for the lucky girl.

On the day of the show, the addition of a 10-foot-tall Mother Ginger in drag gave us a wonderful throwback to old world burlesque theatre, while it and other elements of the production like the sea of waltzing flowers gave the kids an opening into a world apart from reality. Also on the day of the show, we witnessed an equally remarkable display of resourcefulness and optimism-- the glue that held our performance together in the face of some harried situations. Lastly, the production gave us a taste of what it feels like to dance and perform. Now we can bring these feelings back to the barre, center, and across the scintillating marley floor, scattered with the glittery remnants of a production that-- like a traveling circus-- arose from the dust, grew out of devotion, then disappeared as suddenly as it arose.