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.

Blog 18, about flexibility 

In the Monday lesson, Lyda talked about flexibility and stretching. One of the students said that in the past she could do to the split, but now alas, she lost that skill.

Lyda gave us a few tips on how to improve the flexibility you need for ballet and more specific to do a split. 

Stretching improves flexibility. Internet is full of information on the subject of stretching, good and bad stuff. You have to choose, and that’s not easy. Most sites leave out one crucial piece of info on stretching! And that’s: stretch only after a thorough warming up! 

I mention one of her suggestions.

Barre stretch: Start in the first position, you stand facing the barre, put your left hand on the barre. Lift your right leg onto the barre with your ankle resting on it, and your foot pointed. Lift your right hand to high fifth position and lean forward, but keep your back flat, onto the right leg. Hold for 30 seconds then repeat on the other side. And of course, both legs turned out.

Some people are more flexible than others. And look at me, as I age, I have a tendency to become tight and stiff.  So time and effort are needed if I want to improve my flexibility. 

Slack discipline implies slow progress or no progress at all.

I try to stretch 5 times a week; this usually takes half an hour. 

And it is a fact is: the more I stretch, the more flexible I become. 

But you get better and realize quicker results if you stretch 3 times a day: in the morning, forenoon and evening. That’s for the folks that have the time, opportunity and focus on doing so.

I really want to stress the importance of warming up again. And if you are stretching and you feel pain, listen to your body and don’t exaggerate! 

Blog 17, about The White Crow and a fresh start

Happy to be back! Vacation is over, lessons have started again.

In the vacation period, I went to the movie “ The White Crow,” with Lyda and fellow student Marion.

The movie pictures the early years of Rudolph Nureyev. It sketches his past life via flashbacks of his childhood and early manhood. As a young student in Leningrad, he is portrayed as a tempestuous person, and a significant part of the movie is about the period prior to the escape to the west in 1961 in Paris. He was 23 when he defected. 

I expected a lot more dance scenes and was a bit disappointed. Yet I learned a lot more about his early life. It also confronted me with his outspoken personality, a genius on the one hand, but a difficult person to deal or live with. 

Last Monday Marion loaned me a few books about Nureyev, among them the biography made by Julie Kavanagh. The movie is based on the first five chapters of her biography of Nureyev. 

It gives me a sense of excitement to read the book of Julie Kavanagh. But I must confess that I often feel excited on my journey into the world of ballet. It is such an adventure, this miraculous world of art and gifted dancers. It enriches my life. And of course, I am aware that there is a downside: the jealousy, the competition, and the gossip, scandals and so on. 

My aim is not to copy the lifestyle of the happy few, but to learn from their extraordinary craft and performance. I enjoy leading my own life. 

So now back to my basics. 

I felt stiff in the Monday lesson, but already on Tuesday, my body felt suppler than the day before. Just picking up the routine helps to feel good again.

As I wrote earlier, Lyda introduced the developpé a few weeks ago. Now she made a fresh start after this short vacation with the enveloppé. This step or movement can be considered the opposite of développé.

When you perform an enveloppé, you start with the working leg stretched to either the front (devant), side (à la seconde) or back (derrière).  The leg is then brought into either cou-de-pied or passé and then closed to the fifth position.

And of course, all in adagio! 

Because by performing these exercises in adagio you build up more strength than in allegro. Other words, that’s sweating. I hope that one-day things become a bit easier to do. 

Thanks for reading my blog. See you next week! 

Please feel free to give a comment on my blog. Or contact me on e-mail 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. 

Blog 16, open the doors and have a holiday 

“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it” (Muhammad Ali).

Time flies. Already it’s Easter!

So holiday time for the kids, and next 2 weeks no ballet classes. 

In the last week before a vacation period, Bayadère opens the doors for friends and family to look at the performance of the students, children, and adults. 

It’s always a bit awkward when people are watching you. But strange how soon you forget that people are actually looking at you when you focus on your exercises.

Lyda asked me to pay specific attention to the expression of my face. When focusing on the movement, I tend to show the difficulty of the performance on my face. I am familiar with that comment. I remember my wife saying (quite often): “You always have your mouth open when you watch television, shut your mouth, please. Otherwise, you look so silly.” I’ll practice, that’s a promise, Lyda.

I feel confident about my performances. And even if I stumblebum some time, I know by now that in the end, I will achieve it. Because I can conceive it. Because I believe by now that I can do it.

The second part of the lesson was fun. We had some laughs and felt relaxed. An excellent way to start a vacation!

And that is precisely what I’m going to do: take a few weeks off. So no blog in the next weeks!

My next blog will be on May 11.

Happy Easter!

Blog 15, from a little toe to delightful piano music

I am recovering from my bruised little toe. The accident with my foot happened 10 days ago. It is still painful. I used a tape this first evening to fixate my little toe to its neighboring toe. From earlier experience with injuries, I’ve learned to listen to the signals of my body. Your body has a great capacity to heal if you give it proper time and rest. In the last 10 days, I took great care in immobilizing my foot. And of course, I skipped dancing. 

But even sitting on a chair last week I learned a few things about ballet. Thanks to the power of observation, self-reflection, and visualization.

I’m glad to be back in Bayadère. Though I have to remain cautious in my moves, I don’t want to hinder the process of the healing of my foot.

I came in early, so Lyda and I had a chat about the piano music she uses in class. There are many variations and differences in the styles. Sometimes you can hear in what part of the world the pianist lives. A Cuban pianist like Aly Tejas plays with spunk and passion. 

I’m gradually building up a collection of ballet music of my own. Names like Lisa Harris, Aly Tejas, Søren Bebe, Patience Clements fill my iTunes Library. I love this music so much! Simple and yet eloquent. How come I never found it before? 

Most piano music that I collected in the past belongs to the regular classical stuff like Chopin, Ravel and so on. Ballet music used for class is more playful and vibrant. 

Lyda told me that in the past it was difficult to find appropriate ballet music. Nowadays there is an overwhelming supply of music thanks to iTunes etc. 

If you have good advice for me for new material: please be my guest!

The first lesson this week was nice, and my foot could take it without any pain. The second lesson was tough. I had to restrain myself. 

Lyda concluded the second lesson with series consisting of 2 chassé’s (a gliding step in which one foot appears to chase the other foot out of position) and 2 temps levé’s (raising your body into the air by a leap from the feet) on the diagonal. She changed the sequence of the chassé and temps levé a few times. As soon as I managed to perform one of the series nicely, she quickly altered the sequence. And there I was a Humpty Dumpty again. 

She mentioned the next series:

-2 chassé’s (right foot leading both times) and 2 temps levé’s (right foot leading, then left foot leading) and so on

-2 temps levé’s (right foot, then left foot) and 2 chassé’s (right foot leading)

-1 chassé, 2 temps levé’s, 1 chassé

-1 temps levé, 2 chassé’s, 1 temps levé

-1 chassé, 1 temps levé, 1 chassé, 1 temps levé.

I lost track. Lyda laughed.

Lyda never ceases to surprise me.

Blog 14, sitting on a chair with a bruised little toe.

Sunday evening I sent an email to Lyda that I had bruised the little toe of my left foot.

No ballet for me this week I feared, certainly not this week.

Lyda replied my mail with an invitation to join her class after all! 

She mailed:

“If it is possible for you, come to the studio. Come and see your lessons.
You will also learn from that in a different way. Things like:
•    the mistakes that other students make, and understand why I make certain corrections
•    the things that the others do well, how they do it, and how you can improve yourself
     to see the physical struggles and skills of others and evaluate your own development in that context
•    to practice remembering the exercises cognitively
•    participate in your head with the exercise = visualization, so that you can pick up your training more easily next week
•    and because you don’t feel the stress "I have to do this", you’re more relaxed and may to notice things that you would have otherwise missed.
I’ll put a chair for you in the studio. You don't have to change.” 

Well, I just can’t deny her logic. So I went to class and took a seat.

The students stood ready at the barre, and the piano music filled the classroom. I was sitting there in that wonderful place, totally devoted to ballet. The moment class started I dreamed away, in utter peace and feeling blessed to be part of this new world. 

I heard Lyda talking to me, asking me to be attentive. And so I did.

I looked at my fellow students and learned a few things. They were my mirrors this evening.

I instantly understood the importance of correct placement. It really uplifts your performance. I also noticed that a proper placement helps when you have to keep balance standing on demi-pointe. And it was inspiring to see that each student has his or her own preferences and struggles in practicing the exercises. 

Lyda stressed the importance of visualization. Visualize yourself doing your exercises she says. It helps you to actually resume your exercises again when your bruise is healed.

Visualization is a technique to mentally rehearse your exercises, to go over your dance in your head, paying specific attention to what muscles you need to engage at each part of the dance and the corrections your teacher gives you.

Tomorrow I want to try to join my class again. I visualized this every day of the week. 

Blog 13, the week of the développé.

Lyda started with a few new exercises this week. And there it came, the exercise I am so in awe of. 

“At the barre, from the 5th position lift your front leg fully pointed in cou-de pied devant and slide it up the supporting leg until the toe touches just beneath the knee, the retiré devant” Lyda said, “and then without pause lift your leg through high attitude devant and extend it to its full possible height without dropping the level of the knee.” 

There it was, the exercise I dreaded most, this is when the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, and yet it is the exercise I looked forward to and that I identify totally with ballet:  it is called the développé.

This adagio movement confronts me totally with my stiff body, with my inability to extend my leg in a perpendicular position. And mind you, of course with your leg turned out. 

But I did it. 

In the act of extending my leg and lifting it up as high as possible my muscles started to tremble and shake, with the utmost effort I went on, sweating, feeling rising tension in my hamstrings and lack of power in my hip flexors; and then the reverse, ending the movement in the 5th position. What a relief!

And as you might already have guessed, Lyda added the développé à la seconde and derrière to the movement. The développé derrière differs from the devant and à la seconde variation by lifting the leg through cou-the-pied derriere to retiré derrière. From there the knee is raised, pressing it in back of the shoulder and lifting it through high attitude derrière. And then continue to lift the leg into extension. You can accommodate the height of your leg by increasing the tilt of your body forward. Stretching your free arm in front of you completes the pose. 

And there we have the arabesque! In my case the petite arabesque…..

I remember that when I started with ballet in November 2017, Lyda demonstrated a high developpé à la seconde. I was stunned; she performed this with such ease! She was genuinely surprised when I exclaimed my “Wow.” I guess that I will need a few years of training to copy that. But her performance was very reassuring in a specific way. The almost indifferent way in which she made that développé made me realize that this was the real deal. 

In the second lesson, I had a fall back in muscle power. I was still tired from the exertion of the previous lesson. Yes, after the rise comes the fall.

Wednesday I had some bad luck. A motorist nearly collided me when I was running. I had to jump to the side of the pavement and bruised the little toe of my left foot. It hurts. I’m afraid this will take a few weeks to heal. 

Well, that’s all for now. Have a nice week!