Ok fine!
I admit it!
It’s a new year already!
Time for resolving things and stuff. Sheesh.
There was that one year when I made a resolution to get more jewelry.
Accomplished it!
Have a friend who picks a word and resolves to use it as much as possible every new year. She’ll just, you know, shoe-horn her word into where ever. You’ll be wondering where she bought these alleged ‘high-omnisciency lightbulbs’ and then realize, ‘oh, she means efficiency. She just wanted to use The Word.’
Went to a party this New Years Day, a mindblowingly good dinner, after which the host went around the table and made each guest announce a goal for the new year, which he recorded in a book, which will be read aloud to everyone at the start of the following year.
A bit militant, but I must say, Gentle Reader, if you have a bunch of friends you’d like to see get their shit together, I highly recommend this method.
Anyway, I was in the book from the year before, so he read out my
2010 goals. Had completely forgotten this one:
Create More Satisfying Projects Outside Of Work.
Check! Ballet plus blog.
Accomplished the hell out of that one.
In your face, 2010!
So, in the spirit of holding Future Adult Beginner accountable to the
goals of Present Adult Beginner, here are my ballet goals for 2011.
1. Conquer the Chainés-nés.
Want to nail these things even more than I want a proper pirouette. For my teacher’s sake as much as for my own. I mean, every class he tries so hard to get me to do the damn things. Want to prove to him that I can be taught. Poor bastard.
And yes, I can refer to my teacher as poor bastard,
because there is No Way that old man will Ever figure out the interwebs.
Plus I mean it with affection.
2. Balance.
I’m wobbly. Want to know the feeling of equilibrium. Don’t know if this is how it really is, but I imagine holding steady balance- like on one foot on half toe- as being a point I can lean in to and then feel, like bam, there’s the balance point, like I’m in some kind of tractor beam and I just need to line up exactly in the beam and Hold! Probably this’ll help with Goal 1 too.
3. Stabilize Weight.
All this not being able to pirouette because I’ve gone up/down/done the hokey-pokey is totally annoying! And no tricks, Universe, I want this stabilized weight to be on the low end of my usual range, not the high end.
Alright, that seems like plenty.
Oh, and the Adult Beginner is pronouncing this new year, “twenty ‘leven” because twenty-eleven takes too long to say. This is my gift to humanity. Use it if you like. Do something fun with all that time you save.
Twen-e-lev-en. I like that.
Yes! You’ve got it!
Love the resolution to get more jewelry – that’s gotta be at the top of my list of all time awesome resolutions.
My resolution is begin ballet and to stick with it for a whole calendar year (not sure what to do about the summer just yet – all the summer intensives so far are day time and for teenagers). I’ve already written one blog entry on it (my website should be available if you click my name). I start class in 6 days!
Love it. I’ve decided to make New Year’s Goals this year (because I no longer believe in resolutions.) 4 days into the new year and I’m doing just as well with these goals as I have with my previous resolutions…aka not.
Ha! Oh.
Wonderful as always. Keep it up.
So okay, I’m only just celebrating my first year of ballet class, but I distinctly remember the moment about 6 months into it when I first balanced in relevé, because I thought “just relax” as I got up there…and I did and somehow held it without wobbling. The director of my school taught a little barre for us one night and she said to balance you imagine your ribs and hips are connected, and never let them go or you’ll fall out. The key for me has been relaxing—the whole ‘trusting that your body knows what to do’ thing that is so baffling, maddening, and fascinating about ballet.
I’d like to get cleaner and more deliberate in my turns, but my real goal in ballet is just to keep going. Ballet is a study of increments and inches, and I think eventually you just get it, through persistence and practice-practice. So I guess my resolution is to be able to surrender a little more to the process.
I like this relaxing and trusting idea, sounds like the simplest, most intuitive thing in the world but I bet it’s hard to remember in the moment.
Had a teacher walk by and give me a whack on the tummy mid-arabesque, and it really helped! Nothing like a whack to remind you to activate your abs.
Turns pretty much take everything all at once.
Balances, too. I had a lot of struggle with balance when I came back to ballet because I kinda grew boobs during the years off. I have to put myself much further forward to get the center of gravity right.
Ask for help! Little corrections make a big difference.
Smirnoff would kill me for suggesting this, but look up the Cecchetti method chaine turn exercises. They break them down very well.
Hee hee, you said boobs.
Think I will just have to check out these Cecchetti chainé, while looking over my shoulder and feeling very sneaky.
Hey, so you and the Pointe Til you Drop blog inspired me to return to ballet after an 8 year hiatus from dancing
I hadn’t regularly practiced ballet since university, until Monday. All the best in the the dance studio for 2011!
that is Awesome!!!! Wow. All the best to you too.
My resolution for this year is to spare more time for my ballet practice!
yes, i too need to stabilize my weight–that’s the *only* reason why my pirouettes aren’t working, yeah, that’s it
best of luck with your resolutions!!
Love the jewelry!
I made no New Year´s resolutions, but looking back I´m pretty happy how things turned out last year. Started my blog, started pointe, and turned triples. Hang on, I did have one resolution: find new job and more time to dance. Check!
Those pirouettes.. They come and go. I´ve had moments, or turns that is, where I think I´m conversing with G*d, and can see myself turning sextuplets come next recital. Usually about that time, all pirouettes leave the room. Without a trace.
.
But what really helps: before you turn, deepen the plie. Never just “sit” there. You´d be suprised how much you can get out of a decent plie
jgoreham: How fabulous that we could inspire you to return to ballet! Love it!
Adultbeginner: You are fabulous.
Rock On with your awesome year!
Ok, I’m going to add decent plié to my checklist.
Oh, pirouettes.
My teacher wants to hear the supporting heel hit the floor and see it drive forward before the pirouette, which feels weird because the supporting foot is already down in the plié, so it’s got to pop up a little and then hit down hard enough to make a noise, and then pop up again and turn out despite the en dehors pirouette which goes to the other direction… It’s quite a thing.
Anyway.
It’s so great to know you’re out there turning triples and finding more time to dance!
Love your blog… I frittered away a whole afternoon at work (just kidding, boss!) reading all your posts. So… I’m not adult beginner, but I am going to be a beginning adult beginner teacher (does that even make sense). One of my friends has conned me into teaching a beginning ballet class for teens/adults at the local rec center. I’m excited, but scared because I’ve always been on the other side of the barre! So… as an esteemed adult beginner, do you have any suggestions? Keep in mind that this class is going to be mostly all non-ballet people, so I’m thinking no on the sink or swim method since there won’t really be any people to follow. Would love any thoughts you (or any of your fellow readers) may have. Keep up the awesome blog!
This question is so awesome that I gave it it’s own post!
Aw, gee, thanks! *blush* Can’t wait to see what your readers have to say!
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