Blog 25

Hello there! I’m back again; ready to start this new season of that beautiful and sophisticated art called classical ballet.

I hope you all had a nice vacation, and that you enjoyed some free time for yourself and your loved ones. Vacation is a time out of the rush hour of the working life and daily troubles. My vacation lasted three weeks and was a great time off.

I remember that I really missed making that weekly blog. Especially in the first weeks of July, I had to get it out of my system to write and share my successes and troubles with you. It is fun to write! 

Ballet is all about body control and being flexible. During the last two months, I practiced every other day to keep my flexibility on track. After doing my flexibility exercises, I then pursued a few specific goals. I have practiced firmly on my enveloppé and developpé, my turnout, and sauté’s.  Usually, I went to the gym, early in the morning, for there is the space and equipment for some extra workouts. On the diagonal, I practiced the chainé and the waltz. Mind you, usually folks go to that gym for boxing en kickboxing. But I had my solitude in the early mornings.

I remember one man, about my age, he asked me what I was doing when I did a few sautés. I told him that this “strange” way of jumping in the air was part of my ballet training. He nearly choked in his laughs. “You on ballet?” What’s happening with you, some kind of life crises?” I had a few laughs myself when I looked at his face. You should have seen the disbelief on his face. The good old man usually saw me boxing over there and doing some major workouts, and now he saw me performing this strange way of jumping in the air, starting with my feet in the first position. It just doesn’t fit in his perception of how a man should act. I can still grin when I think about this moment.

It took almost a lifetime for me to fully acknowledge that I need the “primitive” boxing as much as the sophistication of ballet to express myself and feel fully alive. And that is how I want to celebrate life for the years to come. 

I have two lessons of 1 hour and 15 minutes each per week. 

Last Monday, I joined the first lesson of ballet at Bayadère, level 3a. We started serenely and made our first moves at the barre. A slow start to ease the muscles, aiming for the doing of the moves rather than doing the moves perfectly. 

My second lesson is on Thursday, level 3b. It challenges me to grow to that next level and make that extra step in my ballet adventure.

The last few months Lyda made a considerable effort in promoting ballet for boys and men. But alas, no male species of the humankind took the bait. The implication is that I still remain a minority. It turns out that I am also the oldest pupil at Bayadère. If that guy at the gym knew this, he would laugh his socks off. Well, as Lyda stated, impossible actually means I’m possible. So Lyda, I won’t give up following my dreams, and neither should you: keep on going with your promotion of ballet for the men! 

See you next week!