One private d.i.y. ballet camp!

Oh dear, it's been a very long while since I last posted. But it's also been one very hectic Autumn (my word load doubled from last school year - only a positive thing!) and I've had lots of ballet classes, too. Currently my dance schedule is as follows:

Monday - 90 minutes (advanced) with P
Friday - 75 minutes (advanced) with P
Saturday - 90 minutes (intermediate) with P
Sunday - 90 minutes (interm. - advanced) with K

P was my teacher also last year, K is new. Last year I had also L & D, but this year L's classes are at the same time with my work and D doesn't teach here anymore. So, one new style to learn also this year with K. And so far I've liked it. :)

This week I have my "Autumn vacation". Almost a whole week. One week that is very very welcome. As the school year began, I planned taking at least one class with M-P (in Helsinki) and soon it became obvious that I'd have time for Only one. And this week would be the time for it. Started thinking about spending couple days in the City, since I really like it and haven't had too much time to visit for many months. Also 2 ballet friends asked if I'd be interested in taking a class at the Helsinki Ballet Academy with Mr Juha Kirjonen - well, yes of course! And since we don't have our regular classes this week (besides Sunday)...

Result:

My feet & our romantic tutu in April, at the dressing room :D

Wednesday is tomorrow and I'm excited! It's so much fun to pack my bag and choose shirts and tights and shoes. Friday classes are also in Footlight (like Wed), and the last one is a pointe class. That's pretty scary, as I've done pointe only with my regular teachers and I know that Madame G is quite strict. But in a good way... :) I've been only once before in her class, so it's a nearly new experience also.

And on top of these, I might go and see the Sleeping Beauty on Saturday afternoon (at the Opera, by our National Ballet). Haven't decided yet. But that show has an interesting cast, so I keep thinking... ;)

I decided to stay in this fairly cheep hotel and it happened to have an offer of 3 nights for the price of 2. It's in the center, close to both schools I'll visit etc. This is a ballet camp of my own, my "holiday in South". A chance to dance and meet some friends, to rest in between and see the town. Yay indeed!

Last Monday and today again!

Just what might the headline mean? Well.... Classes of ballet, of course. As I wrote that I'm going to see if there's any action on Monday, I did go. And there was.

Short report. We (meaning me + one other student + teacher) started the class with 4 minutes of abs. Different styles, but the song lasted for whooooole fooooour minutes... :D It was exhausting but Fun. After that -> to the barré! All the movement materials were familiar, but the routines were new. And I'm a bit nervous at the moment, because I don't remember them properly yet. So I'm hoping the teacher will show them (once is enough, but still needed).

My legs weighed a ton each, which made me feel slightly desperate at some points. But I did my best with what I had that day. Have to say that it wasn't my best day in general, though. Keeping legs turned out in balances - oh dear. Today I've decided to do them (balancing at barre) on flat foot, not demi pointe. I want to focus on the working leg more. If there's any hope with it ;)

What next... There was a short bit of floor barre, grand battements (devant & a la seconde). Interesting, a bit challenging, also fun. Then basic tendus + some grand battements + pirouettes (standing up again). A short beautiful adagio. With my lame developpes. En diagonale - we had a nice waltz type routine, some pique pirouettes in the end. Small jumps in the middle (my entrechat-quattres were good, said the teacher). A bigger jump routine en diagonale, also gave me a Lot to think about.

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I've been craving for challenge in class and here it seems to be. Just hoping that the teacher doesn't feel too frustrated with my level of skills. And Really hoping there'll be other students with us soon, although it's good to be under a magnifier sometimes. But not every time, maybe.

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This is the only Friday class this teacher (Madame P.S.) will give. From next week on there'll be only Mondays. And I'm actually quite happy about it, as I'm already having one class on Fridays (with Madame D.R-S.). And one on Saturday mornings (Madame L.S.). So the dance schedule for this year has been finalized:

Monday  /  8.15 pm - 9.45 pm  /  Ballet (young advanced)  /  Madame P.S.

Friday  /  5.30 pm - 7.00 pm  /  Ballet (adults advanced)  /  Madame D.R-S.

Saturday  /  10.00 am - 11.30 am  /  Ballet (adults advanced)  /  Madame L.S.

Sunday   /  5.30 pm - 7.00 pm  /   Jazz (adults advanced)   /   Madame T.K.

About the levels: They are all marked as advanced, but I'd say that Monday ballet and Sunday jazz are really on that level. Friday and Saturday ballets are a bit easier. But they do require several years of training, too. 

These were asked to bring along today. Yikes.

Decision time

So, it's done. Enrolled myself - there's going to be ballet on Friday and Saturday, jazz on Sunday. All of these start the Fall semester next week, so I still have to wait. So booooooooring.... :P

But today I'll finally go and try a new class, the second class for Friday (as I wrote last time). Trying new dance classes in this particular school is free, which is quite nice at the moment. It's ballet advanced, but for "younger people". I tried it last October, but didn't have the time to continue regularly. Also that time they'd had the barre routines for a while already, so the teacher didn't show much. It was bit of a challenge, but I got the most.

This time they've had only one class prior to today's, so the routines will probably be explained. The main thing that worries me are the participants. Last time there were 3 girls of maybe 18 and one over 20. I've heard that one of them applied to a university in Helsinki, but don't know if she made it. Maybe some other girls have moved to this class? Last time the teacher didn't have anything against me taking the class, but she might feel different of me going there on regular basis. I'm always over-thinking these things :D

Also... I feel HUGE compared to the girls. I'm tall (177,5 cm's) and not the skinniest. But on the other hand, I learned to accept the "difference" in all my other classes, so probably it'll be okay this time, too. In the Christmas recital last year they had the same purple leotard for everyone, wore them with white tutus. If there's a strict rule about the clothing, for example a class leo, it might be a problem. But we'll see. At 7.15 pm tonight. Yes ma'm.

I know they do pointe work, but don't know if it's regular. Their Monday class is 75 minutes, Friday 90. So it might, just Might, be on Fridays... Anyway, I'm taking the shoes with me today, just in case. Have to try some extra padding for the right foot, before leaving.

I'm quite nervous! :D

Tourist at ballet class

Precisely 3 weeks ago I sat on the balcony of Finnish National Opera house with 2 friends, watching Blood Wedding. BUT: before that I took 2 classes with a teacher I've heard so much about. And I can honestly say: all the praise is true!

Because of our planned schedule I could participate in the beginners' class and the basic level after it (also we had to leave a bit early for the "show"). But what I can tell you, I was SO nervous beforehand! Most of it was unnecessary, but tiny bit helped me to stay sharp - even when the moves were very easy for me. To put it shortly, I didn't expect any corrections because of being a tourist, but was pleasantly surprised of getting some, both classes.

Yap, that beautiful building in the middle... Photo courtesy of Footlight.

Okay. So there I was, going in to the building of Footlight at Mannerheimintie (Helsinki). Love that hallway!!! Makes it even more glorious to go and have a class with a master. Went there almost super early, but it was good to have time to "catch my breath", change in to my dance gear, warm up a little. A dance-sister came quite soon, too. I was really happy that she made it to the first class, didn't feel so "orphan" anymore. So, soon we went to the studio (smaller one, number 3 I think) and took places by the barre. I was in the corner, near the pillar on the same wall as the door. Dance-sis was right next to me (well, on my left side, haha). There were only about 8-10 people in the beginners' class that time, so Madame had time to look at all of us.

I was actually in front of that black clothe :) Photo courtesy of Pointe Til You Drop.

What I was waiting for the most was actually seing Madame "in action". Despite her problems with her back, she was lovely to look at. At some point the right leg just rose by her ear (12 o'clock), nothing tight to see there! Only a relaxed and skillful person. And her arms in the port de bras... Wow. I also enjoyed very much to be taught in combination of English & French. Feels so different from the Finnish terms that I hear usually all the time. Btw, I have to say that Madame was taller than I thought! But oh so petite in other ways... Very polite, but firm. Some hands-on-correcting, even for me! :)

My corrections were mostly about my upper back, shoulders and chin a little. In tendus I heard very often this "Cross your legs!", which has been a bit of a subject this Autumn for me, since I'm taking classes with 3 (sometimes 4) different teachers. They all have their own styles. But now I know who want tendus/rond de jambes in the back (derrière) to be very much crossed, meaning the toes to be in line with the supporting leg's heel. And I admit that with the others I don't cross That much. But back to Madame. Corrections for the whole group were her "favorites" - "Strech your knee! Present yourself!" Also very often she said to tuck the lower tummy in and our bum had to be in, too, but also tailbone down. She had a fun word for the buttocks, but I don't remember it!

When we had a streching exercise by the barre and in the end of it lifted our leg from the heel to the side, Madame wanted our head to be to the other side. Also the upper body to tilt there, too. She wanted even me to tilt, though my legs won't rise much. Tried it twice. With the right leg it kinda happened, but the left, disaster... :D But otherwise I think I did well during the class. In the end we had some stuff in the middle, and I got the show small jumps as an example because Madame could not do them. Well, she didn't ask me particularly, but asked if someone could. And as no one did, I decided to hop a bit. I think my dance-sis did too? :)

I have amazingly bad memory, when it comes to the routines we did. I can remember only one of them, but that one I remember exactly right! It was this port de bra we did by the barre. First in relevé with right hand, then left. After that in the first position (no relevé) with both hands at the same time (twice I think). The hands were like this (eyes on the hand all the time): first position, second, third, then a looooovely move down = head tilts to the working side a bit, fingers/palm on the opposite cheek side. And when doing it with both arms, in the end they are of course crossed and head tilts the the side which hand is on "top". (Sounds a bit complicated, no? It was and Is easy, but explaining not so easy.) Something swan-like there, for me.

So I made it through the first class, happy and alive. The second class had twice the amount of people, even more, so Madame had only a little time per person during class. But the fun thing was that there was another dance-sis AND a former studying friend of mine! :) Too bad there was basically no time to catch up with them... (Luckily we have this thing called internet. Blogs and facebook etc.)

Many of the routines were the same as in the beginner's, so it eased my mind a bit. Well, in the first class there was more stuff facing the barre, now it was mostly with one hand on the b. I was very curious to see the other dance-sis in action, but there wasn't time/space (as there was so many people). The whole class would have been 60 minutes, but we left 15 minutes early, so no middle floor for us in basic level. One thing happened to me for the first time Ever in this class - there was a man! (I've had Jarmo Rastas substituting his wife when I was a teen, but that's not the same.)

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What was in it all for me? Very basic things, but So Important.

- The knees. Strech them, baby!
- The upper back and shoulders. Relax them, but still present yourself... Don't forget the chin!
- Tummy & bum in, tailbone down.

Everything can be dancing. When we do the very basic routines, one has to breathe and listen to the music. Look at the hands as they move. It's not easy, but it sure is worth it! :)

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Who is Madame?

Photo courtesy of Footlight.

Marie-Pierre Greve

Principal Dancer @ Royal Danish Ballet (retired in 2008).

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More Footlight for me in the future? Yes pleeeeease! :) If only the timetable allows me... This weekend I'm having training/education (Suzuki stuff) from Friday till Sunday - and there's a Friday class that I just Might take. The teacher is going to be different, but as nicely spoken of as Madame Greve. And as I've heard also, super effective when it comes to basic elements of ballet. And that's something one needs always. I'm (of course) talking about her!

The studio will be different (this is bigger, number 1 I think) and level will be J1 (next from the basics). Photo courtesy of Pointe Til You Drop.

  
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Yesterday I took another tourist class, but here in my hometown and with younger people... More about it later, but for now: my bum hurts!!!