Blog 40 Xmas coming, holiday on the way

This week already the last lessons at Bayadère before the Xmas break. 2019 passed by like a whirlwind.

On January 6, lessons will start again, 2020 is impatiently waiting to make its entrance!

Monday evening I hurried tot Bayadère and came a bit too late. Lyda was giving a special lesson about stretching. Very interesting for a rusty person like me. Educational, because she explained to us the works of lengthening and contracting of the muscle fibers. And of course, after the information, she walked the talk. Not easy for me to perform the exercises she wanted us to do, because I came in late after a tough day at work, no chance to do my warming up. But heck, I gave it a try.

Passive stretching, active stretching, dynamic stretching, PNF stretching. Use Google and find out what it means. There are different opinions about what method of stretching is the best. The most practical solution to this riddle is to try and discover what method suits you best. 

In my opinion, it is not short muscles and connective tissues that make me tight; no, it is my nervous system. It's the muscle software that interdicts my muscles to slide out to their true full length. Muscle software is based on previous experiences like sitting all day or performing monotonous labor. I think my nervous system picked a fixed length for every one of my muscles in my lifetime and is thereby programmed to keep it that way. Whenever you reach too far compared to this self adapted standard, the stretch reflex kicks in and reins your muscles in. 

And things like fear and tension tighten the muscles up too, so they will resist lengthening. 

Lyda made us do a mixture of passive and active stretching. First passive, then bouncing, followed by passive. 

I want to deepen my knowledge of this stretching. One of the books I read right now is "Relax into stretch" by Pavel Tsatsouline, a Russian sportsman. He advocates PNF stretching: create flexibility through muscle tension.

I am astonished that in most of the ballet books that I've read, nothing is said about stretching. While so much flexibility is needed in doing the ballet exercises.

The Thursday lesson went on in a very relaxing atmosphere; we practiced jazz ballet and did joint mobility exercises. And after that a game, in two groups we pictured a few scenes of a fairy tale, the other group had then to guess which fairy tale we were depicting and vice versa.

During this vacation, I will not write a blog. It's time for some relaxation, visiting family, and reading books. I'll continue my daily exercises on flexibility and visit the gym to do my workouts. Oh, there is still so much that I want to know and to learn.

See you in January! Have a nice Holiday! My blessings to you!

I invite you to give a comment on my blog. Or to contact me at the e-mail address: bert.jonker@movetoballet.com if you have a particular question or issue you want to share with me.

Blog 39

A small class last Monday evening.

We took considerable effort to practice the chassé, in particular, the en avant type. The chassé is used as a traveling jumped step, one leg "chasing" the other. It can be done in all directions.

It is a single sliding movement of the front foot with the knee in demi plié along the floor. With a small jump, the back leg comes to join the front leg in the air, during the suspension the two legs are held close together, the landing occurs on the back leg, but the weight is quickly transferred to the front leg in wide 4th position. Then the movement is repeated. 

During the chassé, the body is held slightly in front of the line of gravity. That does not mean, in this case, that the torso is leaning forward; rather, it is an inner realignment of weight. 

Leaps like grand jeté are generally preceded either by a pas de bourrée couru or a chassé.

Lyda always talked about two feet coming together in the air. Until this evening, I supposed that the back foot then had to bump on the front foot, making a distinct clapping sound. And I usually hurt my feet a bit with this exercise. In this lesson, it was a kind of wake up call for me that it's not the feet that clap but the lower legs that collide and make that sound. The shinbone of the back leg touches the calf of the front leg.

In Thursday's class, Lyda gave us an outlook on our evolution as students. Lyda made us practice ballet exercises that we are expected to learn a year ahead of now. Of course, not simple. But promising. This makes me feel eager to go on.  

Somewhere this week, Lyda sent me an email that she added a link on her Bayadère website to my blog. And she announced on Facebook and Instagram that one of her adult ballet beginners writes a blog about his ballet lessons. 

It's a privilege to write this blog and see it gain so much attention. I'm honored.

If practicing ballet is on your mind, and you have never had ballet lessons before, then this blog is for you. I hope my blog will help, stimulate, and encourage you, adult, to make that next move, that big step, to start with ballet lessons. 

Next week is last week with lessons this year. Christmas is nearing, and so are the holidays. 

Monday a stretching class, Thursday a walk-in class, with specials.

Remarkable how time flies. With the start of the New Year, we will prepare full swing for the ARBTA exams in April.

Blog 38 Exam in 2020

Lyda sent an email to inform us about a new series of exams next year; in my case, we are talking about a grade 3 exam.
I took exams in Classical Ballet at Grade level 2 in April 2018 at Bayadère, under the rules of the Association of Russian Ballet and Theatre Arts (ARBTA).
I still remember Gypsy Booth, my examiner. Later I learned that she is the president of the ARBTA. A distinct and remarkable, grey-haired, British lady, who travels across the countries to take exams. I admire this dedication to the Russian Ballet. It's people like her that keep up the high standards and thus protect the Russian legacy in ballet.

I'm looking forward to preparing for my next exam. It gives a sense of purpose, goals to achieve. In a disciplined way, I will learn new exercises and become more proficient in doing them. A healthy kind of stress to do the right thing!
In April 2018, part of my preparations was a pas de deux with Marion, following a choreography inspired by the Knights Dance of Romeo and Juliet. You have to know that I started my classical ballet training a half-year earlier at Bayadère. And felt totally immersed in this beautiful new world. So rich in culture and full of color! And still in awe with my terrific teacher and coach Lyda.
She teaches me that ballet is all about theatre, and that posture and appearance is everything. Look fierce; walk with dignity, she said. Accompanied by that dramatic music from Prokofiev.

The pas de deux was the supreme moment during my exam. First, there was the regular stuff, like doing plié and so on. I still have the script for the exercises.
Dancing in front of someone who is examining you, looking intensely at you, and writing things down while you move and dance can be quite intimidating. And there were only two of us, Marion and me, dancing in front of her. Especially when you are the only man, and to be more specific, the oldest person in the house. And yes, I felt vulnerable and modest, for grade 2 is the beginner's level. But Gypsy showed integrity and respect.
I felt a bit stressed at the start of the exam, but the minute I moved, I felt confident that I would make it. I may have thought in some of my weakest moment that I was actually making a fool of myself, an old man, chasing his outdated dreams. Still, I must confess that my self-esteem never left me in de classroom. Gypsy even clapped her hands after the exam. Chasing your dreams requires the courage to break through barriers. Mostly your own.

Well, that's all, folks. See you next week.

Please feel comfortable to give a comment on my blog. Or contact me on email address: bert.jonker@movetoballet.com if you have a particular issue you want to share with me in my (or your!) adventurous journey into the world of classical ballet.