We’re doing this pas couru exercise the other day-
Which always makes me think of Rod Carew, even though I’m not a baseball fan.
I mean, I like eating peanuts and watching when the bats come out at twilight to hunt the bugs that fly around the big field lights as much as the next person, but that’s about it,
Anyway, we’re doing the pas Rod Carew exercise, which is really fun, because the couru is a run with your feet in parallel, which your feet almost never get to be in ballet, so it’s this tiny little runrunrunrun all the way across the room, and then back, runrunrunrun backwards, back where you started from, and I remember from my brief but awesome moment en pointe last summer that when done in pointe shoes this run has almost a plucking look, like your legs stay still and your feet pluckpluckpluckpluck all the way across the room and back.
And now that we can do the pas couru pretty ok, Smirnoff is adding the Launch, where you start in fifth and spring up into parallel, in a motion that makes me think of turning a key, and he’s also adding the arms, which travel forward, then up, then down to back, then finish in preparatory.
So he demonstrates the arms, and then out of no where: bam! turns to me, holding one arm curved overhead in third and one out to the side in second and says, “My Dear! How many counts of music are your arms in this position?”
And I think (omgomg-ok, don’t think, just do math) and I figure, ok, the music probably has sixteen counts, right? That the norm. And we wouldn’t have our arms up for eight counts because that would be half the exercise and that would probably look bad. So it must be- “four counts!”
And he says, “Yes, you are correct!”
And I say, “phew!” and my classmates giggle and say “good job!”
- got a question? I might answer with a post! adultbeginner@gmail.com
✱ all this and twitter too‽
- @UKBalletGirl I dream of five hours of sleep. 3 days ago
- I love shopping for things in Ballet Pink. 4 days ago
- @CloudandVictory will totes look for Chacott! In the meantime, have ordered a pair of convertible Capezios. 4 days ago
- "You must spend x amount more dollars to qualify for free shipping". Perfect. Pink tights added to cart. 5 days ago
- Need new tights. GRUMPY FACE. 1 week ago
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✱ you might have missed…
✱ break it down:

badger badger badger badger
- Thanks & Kittens
- Tutus and Tea
- Wandering Apricot
- Rheumatic Princess
- The Classic Girl
- Ballet Scoop by the Classical Ballet Teacher
- my lil ballerina
- Interpreting en pointe
- Ballerina Project
- Adult Ballerina Project
- Rori Roars
- Behind Ballet
- Dance Advantage
- Ballet Cougar
- Tights and Tiaras
- Dance Buzz
- Pointe 'till You Drop
- Grown Ups at the Barre
- The Ballet Bag
- Dave Tries Ballet
- 4dancers
- Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes
- Leotards and the Buns in them
mushroom mushroom
Our teacher tells us not to count and just feel the music… Which works well until everyone starts to feel it differently:
hahahaha lol