Pushing it a little far?

Sunday was pretty rough! We got into the studio at 11am, for orientation and placement classes. What was pretty cool though was that Heidi asked me what levels I thought I should be in; being a returning student has advantages. I stuck with the intermediate level for technique (3a) and asked to be in the intermediate level for pointe too, and for modern.

Those of us at dinner the night before had decided that 3a had been enough work last year, and as many of the same people had returned, and we knew that the teachers would teach to the level anyway, I felt pretty comfortable with it all.

The 1.5 hour placement class was with Randall (who we only saw for pas de deux last year). I was much less stressed out about it, and was able to relax and check out the newbies! Randall's style is very lyrical, lots of epaulment and using the breath, even in basic barre. It was fun and straight forward, and felt good!

After a 15 minute break went on to the intermediate pointe with Tristi, and it was hard, but I felt it was not out of my reach, and I fared ok on all the one foot releves etc. A couple of people voluntarily left during barre and went down to the lower level class, and I certainly didn't feel that I had to do that, but it was a long 45 minute class!

After another quick break we had kinesiology (interesting stuff about the way we move, concentrated on backs and shoulders) but I was lying on a mat on the floor and felt decidedly sleepy! I roused myself for the last class of the day which started at 5.15 and I was soooo tired, but it was the intermediate modern class with a drummer and I couldn't wimp out of it!

Our teacher was Judy Steele, and thankfully she started us off with some slow stretching, but we worked up to a cool combination with some floor rolling which, of course didn't phase me at all, and some nice across the floor but it was to a 5/8 count and by this time I was beginning to loose it!

Our first day finished up at 6.30pm and we stumbled back to the hotel, went to the local Wholefoods style grocery store for supplies and retreated to our rooms where I had a long overdue appointment with re hydration and the foam roller!

Trying not to loose my head.

It is Tuesday morning here in Richmond and we are about to go into day three of Adult Dance camp. I honestly think it has taken me this long to get over the jet lag and 4am start on Saturday.
There was a slight sleep issue on Saturday night too, when after checking in, drinking several glasses of good Rioja at the welcome dinner and finally trying to get some sleep; the entire hotel was awoken at 4am by the emergency evacuation alarm. We all filled down to emergency exit stairs ( I am on the 6th floor) to the ground floor level only to find the fire exit locked! Not good. We came back up to the 3rd floor and tried another fire exit and were able to get out into the early morning rain.
It was quite the scene. Several other groups were staying in the hotel over the weekend, notably the triathletes (mostly male, young and very scantily clad) and the rappers (again mostly male and high or drunk and LOUD). It was the parents with young children I felt the most sorry for.
After waiting in the street for about half an hour, having seen the fire department arrive, we then all filed back in, seemingly with no instructions from any hotel staff ( I think I only saw one staff member the entire time and he looked as bewildered as we were) and back to our rooms.
Quiet was restored until about 45 minutes later (exactly the time it takes to start to settle back in to sleep, it turns out) the alarm went off again. I considered ignoring it,then decided to get up and got as far as the door before it cut out mid sentence ( " An emergency has been reported please leave your rooms by the closest emergency exit") I decided they must be trying to reset the alarm, so I went back to bed. They continued to try to reset the alarm at 45 minute intervals until about 7am, when I finally got back to sleep!

The next day one of the other dancers overheard a conversation at the front desk which confirmed her suspicions. The Rappers (on her floor, hence her suspicions) had been partying , 'toking up' and set off the fire alarm.

The rest of Sunday ( sleep deprived, dehydrated as I was) consisted of the all important placement class, orientation, intermediate (yay!) pointe, kinesiology, and intermediate modern. To say that I was feeling a bit 'out of it' would be an understatement!

More technical gory details to come. I have to rush off to Pilates now.

test with fiscus.

Richmond - the end of theweek.

Friday was mostly spent concentrating on getting ready for the performance. The Variation from Giselle was going to be performed in groups of three, the Rep. piece from Bayadere was a corps piece.
I had intended to do the Giselle en pointe,and right up to Friday morning's rehearsal I still hadn't decided what I was going to do. I felt that I was totally capable of it, and having watched the video of ABT doing it (of course en pointe ) I really wanted to do it right, but my ankle was feeling a bit tweaked, and the cumulative tiredness of a week's dancing was making me wonder if it was the wisest choice. After doing a run through both on and off pointe I decided to ditch the pink satin shoes and take it easy.
The Bayadere I totally loved. As a corps piece there was not the same anxiety level as in being one of only 3 people on stage, and for me there is a real buzz I get from being in a group of people who are taking time and using all their concentration to be on the same count doing the same move at the same time in the same way. It is like creating a whole new energy. Our teacher for this piece, Kathy Sawyer, was a delight to work with; very calm and gentle and very precise about what she wanted. I felt as though we were totally prepared and ready to do it.
We left for the theatre at lunch time on Friday, after a gentle technique class and a studio run through of each of the pieces.
The plan was for something more like a recording or tv production than a theatre production. Each group blocked their moves on stage, did a run through or two and then did it once more 'for real' when it was filmed. It seemed strange at first because I had expected to run through the whole thing in order more like a show; but it made absolute sense as the end goal was to produce a dvd for us to take home.
Both of our pieces seemed to go pretty well, I think I messed up the turning emboites in the Giselle, and I definitely wobbled in a major way on the pique attitudes, even without the pointe shoes. Bayadere went smoothly.

Wednesday and Thursday in Richmond.

I am trying to remember what we did yesterday, it is all becoming a bit of a blur!
We finished the choreography for both our performance pieces. I am having serious doubts about doing the coppelia one en pointe, but the Bayadere one is still goiong well.
We had a partnering class in the afternoon, where they brought in some semi pro young men, and with some of the men in ouur program we worked on balances, simple turns, promenades and lifts. I was suprisingly difficult, although I was doing it on pointe, which did make it easier thanjust releve, I think. It was a two houe lesson and most fo the second hour was spent learning choreography for the show tomorrow. I suddenly decided it was too much, too fast and decided that I didn't need to have any more new choreography to worry about coupled with a partner who was completely new to it as well as me! today they had the second two hour session and I just whimped out. The first lesson I have skipped all week! It was interesting to learn the techniques but I don't think I need to perform it just yet.
Today, apart from pilates, we switched all the teachers around, so although we had technique and pointe in the morning it was different to have someone else teaching. We also did another Turning class, again different teacher, and different ideas; somehow I will have to weed through all this information overload and pick out the bits that are actually helpful to me. It is cool to have these amazing resources though.
This afternoon we did some more rep. work and then had a character class which was fun, fun, fun.
I had no idea that there is a character barre, with different port de bras, different plie combinations, tendus, battements etc. Very cool . We also did some center work and learned a few different character 'steps' that we put together in a combination. It was light hearted and fun. Just what I needed on Thursday afternoon when I was feeling bad about my decision to duck out of the partnering piece.
The performance is tomorrow afternoon!

More From Richmond

It was a more relaxing day today, stating with a pilates class where I got to be the demonstation assistant. We then had technique, which had some cool grande allegro, then it was Turning Workshop, and I picked up some useful tips, and did some pique turns without getting the slightest bit dizzy! I hope I can remember all this when I get home.
In the afternoon we had foot class where we learned all about how to stretch, massage and take care of our feet, followed by rep - more Bayadere, and finally a stretch class followed by a mini consult from a physical therapist who works with the Richmond Ballet.
La Bayadere is going to be so cool, I love the music. We have nearly finished the choreography for the show on Friday, and at the moment the '2 waltz turns followed by two pique turns while travelling in a circle' are causing me some orientation issues, but it is getting better!
The physical therapist was really helpful, she checked my alignment and told me that all my hip issues are muscular, not skeletal, and that my pulled hamstring is probably related to the fact that my pelvis is out of alignment. She recommended I get some kind of serious manipulative therapy and that I spend more time stretching my pereformus (sp?). Which I know how to do, but it hurts, so I don't...
Maybe now I have taken the first step I will actually do something about it when I get home!

Dance Camp Update

i've been so busy dancing that I have not had time to do this before now, so appologies to those waiting for news!
I made it to Richmond despite a very near miss on the flight connection, which resulted in me running full out down the airport concorse scattering the elderly and young children as I went . But I made the flight mere seconds before they closed the gate; I was just worried that my bag wouldn't have managed to make the connection too.
On arriving at Richmond airport my bag showed up and I got to the hotel in time for the meet and greet dinner, and fireworks on the river. I don't think the fireworks were to welcome the dance campers but it was really nice to see them!
The first day (Sunday) we were interviewed by the camp director (Heidi) and then classes for placement. I was the middle level of three for technique, the higher level of two for Modern (thanks, Jenny) and the lowest level of three for pointe.
I was not moved around after the placement class although some people were.
The levels seem great to me, and I was glad that they had put me in the lowest level of pointe, because that was a hard class - not a beginner class as far as I could tell.
So, we did technique followed by pointe then modern yesterday, and today we had technique followed by variation (we are doing the second peasant variation from Giselle), and after lunch there was rep. in which we are learning a dance from La Bayadere. Then there was a jazz class to finish up the day. All the classes are an hour and a half.
I stumbled back to my room and into a hot bath!
I am having fun! I am amazed to find out how much I can do, how much I have learned in the last year and a half that I am getting to put to such good use now.
Everyone here is amazingly friendly and supportive, and I think the only major injury I have sustained is shin splints from running through the airport!