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!

Blog 24

Holiday season! This week were the last lessons at Bayadère before the vacation period.

In the first week of September, lessons will start again.

Last Monday it was boiling hot, more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), so we did not actually practice. 

We did some fun games like ballet memory. 

And that all in a very relaxing atmosphere; Lyda treated us with a lollipop.

When I came in on Tuesday, there were still some kids playing hide and seek in the classroom. And it was terribly hot.

We decided to keep it short and said our goodbye’s: “See you in September.”

It’s customary to give the teacher at the closing lesson a small gift. I gave Lyda a box of peppermint, symbolizing how she refreshes my life with her Russian ballet lessons. 

After that, I went home and made a fine long stroll with my dog. Ruminating on my ballet lessons of the past year.

In my first blog, I wrote that I intended to make you part of my journey. So in the past half year, I wrote about my experiences and troubles in mastering some of the elementals of ballet. And I hope that you will enjoy reading about my journey as much as I enjoy learning this beautiful art of dancing, called ballet. I hope that I succeeded in this.

During this vacation, I will not write a blog. But of course, my exercising won’t stop. I intend to work on my flexibility and a few techniques.

Next year I will join 2 classes, one on level grade 3a and one on level 3b. 

Please feel free to give a comment on my blog. Or contact me on the e-mail address: bert.jonker@movetoballet.com if you have a particular issue you want to share with me.

See you in September! Have a nice Holiday! Bye!

Blog 23

One more week at Bayadère and then there will be a 2 months break. No ballet lessons during holidays. What shall I do, continue writing, or take some time off? I suppose I will take a summer recess too.

I already knew I would suffer from stiff joints and burning calves from the run last Sunday. Especially the Monday lesson was a lot more challenging to do with those stiff muscles. You can't have it all. 

But the run was terrific. It was a hot day last Sunday, and lots of people took part in the City Run. I had a nice time.

As I wrote in my last blog, I always thought that barefoot running would be helpful to my ballet aspiration. And I mentioned that I had doubts about that. 

But by mail, Lyda gave me a comment on my last blog. She said that running barefoot is not bad at all for ballet. On the contrary! 

"You use your foot muscles better on bare feet than in sneakers. Toes in athletic shoes are lazier than with barefoot. In shoes the foot works' en block' and on bare feet, every part of the foot has to come into action." Wow, that's logical.

"Pay attention to pushing your toes from the floor while running. That helps both to go faster / to take bigger steps and to strengthen your toe muscles.

Just do your running as usual and add now consciously pushing your toes off the ground. That's all." I walk your talk, Lyda.

After a tough day at the office, I had a relaxing lesson on Tuesday. I enjoyed the exercises and accompanying music. My muscles felt better, more supple. It resulted in no stress on my mind so I could easily remember the variations Lyda wanted us to do and carry them out.

I make sturdy progress in reading the book on Rudolf Nureyev from Julie Kavanagh; it is an impressive account of his life and offers a lot of knowledge, not only on the life of Rudolph but also about the history of the 20th century.

Dazzling amounts of facts and events on cultural life and artistic accomplishments are put on paper. 

Rudolph was so eager to learn new ballet techniques, he absorbed everything new. 

How beautiful to be young and have a sense of direction.

Blog 22

A short blog this week! That was what I expected. Cause last Monday we had no lesson, it was a Pentecostal holiday. But when I started writing, I suddenly realized there is more to say.

After posting this blog today, I will join a running event, I intend to run 10 English miles. The past half-year I regularly ran 3 times a week. That’s how I prepared myself. 

Since 6 years I am a barefoot runner, well not exactly barefoot to be honest. I use Vibrams Five fingers, maybe you heard from these minimalist shoes. They have soles that contour to the shape of the natural human foot, and that offers the protection and grip you need when you run on streets and in parks. Usually 1 ½ hour at a time, always taking my jumping rope with me. Halfway I jump with my rope for about 10 minutes. As a boxer, I have had several injuries in my calves, ruptures of muscle. So I discovered barefoot running as a way to recover en strengthen my calves. It also strengthens your feet. Just like jumping. Running in the rain, by the way, is one of my favorites; it’s just like dancing in the rain. It makes me feel alive and happy. But running is not an ideal sport to combine with ballet. 

I always thought that barefoot running would be helpful to my ballet aspiration. Think of the ballet shoes, aren’t these barefoot too? 

But ……running tightens the hips, stiffens the muscles of your legs. I even have difficulty with stretching my feet as needed with the tendu or retiré. 

Last Tuesday, we worked our self through the various exercises in ballet class. One of the movements included a retiré. Strictly technical this retiré was the action of drawing the working leg, with the knee of the working leg bent, up alongside the supporting leg and returning it down to the position from which it began, i.e., the 5th.

I lifted my working leg fully pointed cou de pied devant, sliding it up the supporting leg, until my toe touched just beneath the knee.

Above I say fully pointed, but the truth is I can’t make my foot fully pointed. Because of the barefoot running, I think. And another mistake I make is that in order to maintain my working leg in the 90 degrees position, I press my toes into the knee of my supporting leg. That helps me to stay in balance. I thought that made things easier, but I was wrong! Only now I learned that in the 90 degrees position,, your toes should hardly press on the side of your knee. Lyda made this very clear to me. My working leg has to operate independently of the rest of my body!

Another example of the Barbie doll that Lyda mentioned at the beginning of my ballet adventure 1/½ years ago, where each limb moves independently.

Another learning experience last Tuesday was the way I perform the tendu. I slide my foot from the 5th opening devant through a small 4th position, keeping the working heel on the floor. Then I release my heel, keeping it pressed well forward, sliding the toe to the fully stretched position, so fully extend my leg and foot, my toes in line with my hip, and my heel in line with my navel. But a fully stretched foot I learned now means that my foot is arched, with my toenails meeting the floor. Up to now, I more or less used a kind of demi-pointe in my tendu. Is that possible for someone who runs barefoot?

The good news was that Lyda told me I can prepare for the Grade 3 exams of the ARBTA next year. You know, that’s excellent news. I remember that in my first year, the mere fact that I had a goal, to do exams for Grade 2, gave me a sense of purpose to rehearse and rehearse again. I became more committed and resilient.

Blog 21

It was boiling hot last Monday and Tuesday, it seemed like it was already summertime this week. After a cold period temperature was rising to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). This kind of change in weather is very Dutch. And your body has to adapt to varying types of weather in a short period. 

My body was battling its way through the lessons. Transpiration pearling down my face, and my back. Itchy back, steaming head. My experience is that my mind functions like a colander with this kind of sudden temperature rises.

So to be honest, especially the Tuesday lesson was a disaster. I wasn't able to remember the instructions. I even heard Lyda singing: "Always look on the bright side of life" (a nice way to grumble) when I was messing and stumbling my way through the lesson. 

While I was messing up my lessons, I observed how a few of my younger fellow students are in fact developing themselves more and more, some are even blossoming.

To be honest, that is a kind of consolation. At least they are doing fine. Next time it will be my turn.

Lyda gave me some extra homework. She wants me to practice the jeté with a stretched leg, knee, and foot. Say about 100 times left leg, 100 times right leg, each day.

Right now, it's Saturday as I'm writing this blog, the weather has changed dramatically again: a storm is passing our little country now, and it rains all the time. What a week.

By chance, I heard the Bolero from Ravel. This instantly brought back memories about a dance scene in the epical French film "Les Uns et les Autres," by Claude Lelouch. 

The Boléro dance sequence at the end of the movie is pure art.

The dance features a dancer on a tabletop, surrounded by seated men, who slowly participate in the dance, culminating in a climactic union of the dancers atop the table.

This choreography was a masterpiece, made by Béjart's, set to the music of Maurice Ravel's Boléro. (type in Google: "Les uns et les autres ballet bolero")

How I loved this film back in 1981. And I still consider it one of my favorites. 

The film follows four families, with different nationalities (French, German, Russian, and American) but with the same passion for music, from the 1930s to the 1980s.

The characters are fictional but loosely based on historical musical icons (Edith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Herbert von Karajan, Glenn Miller, Rudolf Nureyev).

(In the United States, it was distributed in 1981 under the name Boléro in reference to Maurice Ravel's orchestral piece, used in the film) 

In one of my first blogs, I wrote about Sylvie Guillem, a prima ballerina. I discovered this week that Sylvie's farewell gift to the public when she retired as an "étoile ballerina" was the performance of Béjart's Boléro, live on Japanese television on 31 December 2015. 

It was beautiful. (in Google just type: "Sylvie Guillem Tokyo ballet bolero")

It's up to you to decide what performance you like most!

How I would like to dance this dance!

Blog 20

In my ballet life, there were two significant experiences this week.

The first one a regular Tuesday lesson, but without the barre, starting right in the center. Modesty is my name after that lesson. Keeping your balance when there is no barre to hold on is a down to earth experience. Suddenly you use and feel muscles you never felt before, and your coordination flips. A grande plié in 1st position is quite an accomplishment, but now try one in the 5th position! Or a ronde jambe. I suddenly realized that at the barre, you only use 1 half of your body actively. You move your right arm and leg. And afterward, your left arm and leg. But now, in the center, everything has to be done simultaneously. Left and right arm make the same movement, while you move 1 leg, using the other one to keep in balance.

A day earlier in the Monday lesson, Lyda asked us to think about what level of lesson we want to take in the next year. Think about it she said, and later on, we will discuss your choice.

After 1 ½ year of ballet lessons, I still consider myself a beginner. And after my Tuesday experience, I’m sure of that. So next year I will propose to follow the same curriculum as I do this year, that is a lesson for the basics and a lesson on level grade 3. Rehearsing and rehearsing will be my motto.

And more exercises at home to improve my balance, coordination, and flexibility. 

The other significant ballet experience was my visit to the Swan Lake, performed by the National (Dutch) Ballet. The theatre was practically sold out. I sat right in the middle, together with my daughter. 

The orchestra was fantastic, what an experience to hear Tchaikovsky’s music live. The ballet was top level. Rich and abundant. Beautiful costumes and sceneries. A lot of hard work was done to create this spectacle of splendor. Yes, it was a privilege to be there. 

Swan Lake is a fairy tale and deals with both the purity and bitterness of young love. Very romantic, indeed! Goosebumps in the final of act 4, where the music of Tchaikovsky swells to a crescendo in the scene where Prince Siegfried an Odette part.

Art is something magical. It touches your soul.

And after sitting 3 ½ hours in a chair, overwhelmed by the show of the Swan Lake I enjoyed stretching my legs and made a stroll with my daughter through the center of the city of Amsterdam. Very relaxing! And down to earth. 

Blog 19, keeping balance in the daily struggle and visiting Swan Lake

I was in early to do my warming up exercises. And I did a few stretch exercises. I read somewhere that stretching eases the mind when you perform them patiently. Yes, it’s an excellent prelude to the ballet lesson, and creates a mindful state. How coincidental that Lyda started class and mentioned how the plié can calm the mind. 

I’m practicing ballet 1 ½ years by now. How funny to realize that things that seem so normal now weren’t that normal before! It took me almost a lifetime to start with ballet. And now I make the plié as if I did it all my life (Sorry Lyda, though I know it is still not the perfect plié, but to me it is). French words like soubresaut, changement des pieds, and echappé don’t dazzle me anymore, talking about Vaganova style or Kirov ballet gives satisfaction, reading about Nureyev and other great dancers is pleasant and inspiring.

This whole outburst of culture and refinement came straight into my life. And it satisfies a deeply felt need I could never relieve before. 

There’s a pile of books on my desk about ballet. I read and read. I stretch and stretch. I dance and dance, on Sunday mornings I even practice moves of ballet in an empty boxing gym. 

I will never become a top dancer, I know. But I don’t feel old. I feel young and full of energy and expectation to go on in this next phase of my life.

In my diaries I read about my earlier quest, to live a life that is an expression of who I am. And ballet is one of those pieces of the puzzle I found. 

And yes, there is also the boxing and cross fit (I wrote about that in my earlier blogs). Yesterday I went to my boxing gym and had a terrific workout. Hammering on the heavy bag is a mighty workout! And compared to ballet it may sound rude to box, but I guess it’s all about keeping balance. Daily life is no romance. It feels good to express the dualities in my life in sport and dancing.

Things are adding up. 

Next Wednesday the Swan Lake! My daughter surprised me with 2 tickets for this beautiful “ballet of ballets”, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, performed by the National Ballet in Amsterdam. 

Rudi van Dantzig’s choreography respects the surviving parts of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s original ballet of 1895, leaving the second act and several other famous scenes – including the spectacular ‘Black Swan pas de deux’ with its 32 fouetté turns – virtually unchanged. However, Van Dantzig’s choreography emphasizes on the story as a human struggle, interpreting the ballet’s premise of a young man who must acquire a bride but fails as a direct reflection of Tchaikovsky’s own life. 

Yep, the (daily) struggle of a fellow human, hammered into the shape of a beautiful piece of art, of music and classical ballet.

The ordinary becomes special. That’s what I call actual refinement. That’s art. I’m already enchanted.