Category: dance diary

Class notes

So since the last dance diary entry several weeks ago, Level 2 of the absolute beginner workshop wrapped up at LINES. After the first few meetings I was starting to feel like the class was in a slow rut, but past the midway point the pace picked up nicely. Not only that but in the last two classes we’ve had live piano accompaniment, which is quite blissful.

At the final class this past Sunday I had some encouraging chats with a couple of the other students and the teacher about what to take next. It turns out that our teacher might not be teaching Level 3 until early next year, so in the meantime I’ll go to drop-in classes and may branch out and check out other schools in the city as well. She mentioned an advanced beginning class at ODC, which I had thought I might not be ready for, but she said that I had been dancing well in class and to check it out. Yay for confidence!

By the way I’m going to be on vacation in Anaheim starting tomorrow, so I’m going to try and carve out some time while we’re there to take a class at Anaheim Ballet. I’m totally excited about the idea of taking ballet class wherever I am, even on vacation.

Dance gear

I bought some new shoes. Thanks to Endless’s free shipping and free return shipping, I just ordered a few pairs in a range of sizes, kept the ones that fit, and returned the ones that didn’t. I ended up getting a pair of Sansha Pro 1 in black canvas. The Capezios I used previously were just a little too big. They were the smallest size in their men’s line (yes, I have relatively small feet, for a guy) so I needed to go unisex. So far, so good.

With my new Under Armour compression shirts (which are kind of flattering if I do say so myself; my workouts during the week are paying off), the dance belt, the tights, the shoes… I am looking very much the real deal.

Around town

Last week I saw a concert by Man Dance Company, an LGBT-focused dance company in San Francisco. This was my first time seeing them, and they seem like a good group of talented dancers. And let’s face it, you just don’t see male couples a lot in ballet or in mainstream dance for that matter, so their dances are kind of refreshing. The highlight for me was several pieces set to songs inspired by Brokeback Mountain. Singer Ryan Harrison and composer Shawn Kirchner were there to perform the songs live. I’d heard a couple of these songs at the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus concert earlier this year and really liked them. So it was neat to see them danced to.

I can’t find any video of the dance performance yet, but here is one of the songs, “Meet Me on the Mountain,” as performed by Ryan and Shawn at a Man Dance concert a few years ago:

Class notes

Not much to report on the class front: so far, so good. My July 10 class was my tenth consecutive class, yay.

So it’s funny (but probably not surprising) how sometimes steps that you can do with no problem in one direction are another story in the other direction. Last class (July 17), my teacher combined two steps we’ve been doing (polonaise, I think that’s what it’s called but I still haven’t confirmed, and balancé). Going to the right (diagonally downstage right), no problem. Going to the left–even though these are basically the same steps, just in reverse order–I was all awkward limbs everywhere. Kind of amusing. Ah well, something to work on.

Around town

Universal Ballet, based in Seoul, is on tour in San Francisco right now, and I went to see them last night at the Opera House. (I hadn’t heard any buzz about it beforehand, but $30 center orchestra seats from Goldstar made it hard to pass up.) The program was Shim Chung: The Blindman’s Daughter, a three-act story set in ancient Korea. For some reason going in I was afraid it might be a bit heavy-handed or cheesy, but overall it really is enchanting. (I will try to forgive the improbable, deliriously happy ending. Improbable, even given the already fantasy-laden story.) The dancing is entertaining, and the sets and costumes are impressive, especially in the underwater kingdom scene.

Shim Chung plays again in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, July 24, then the tour continues in Vancouver.

I’m a bit behind in my ballet blogging, but just to catch up on the last few weeks…

Class notes

After Beginner Workshop 1 ended, for two Sundays (June 5 and 12) I went to an intro ballet class suggested by my workshop teacher, and it was nice to change things up with a different teacher and slightly different skill level. This is an open class, so the pace is a bit faster, both in terms of the whole class and each individual exercise. Like, we were rond de jambe-ing like nobody’s business. And we got to do more across-the-floor exercises, including a fun one where we got in small groups, linked arms in a line, and did battements (so basically Swan Lake meets the Rockettes).

Some new terms and steps from these two sessions:

• pas de chat
• polonaise
• soubresaut

Last Sunday (June 19) I started Beginner Workshop 2. Nothing really new, but it was good to see our teacher, back from her trip to Russia. The only thing is the class is kind of large… and I may have contributed to that by trying to register after it was already full, at which point they agreed to up the capacity from twenty to twenty-five students. So, good for me that I got in, but it does feel more crowded than the previous session. Ah well, I know I just have to make the most of it: stake out my mirror and barre space, ask questions as needed, and basically not get lost.

Dance gear

Recently I bought a dance belt and tights, and finally tried them on. Not bad, but I haven’t worn them to class yet. The dance center doesn’t have a dress code, so I’m not required to wear tights, but there is something about them, like they’re the uniform for classical ballet, that gives you a feeling of purpose. As in, suit up and dance! So maybe I’ll wear them to next class. We shall see.

Dance around town

Next week the Billy Elliot tour comes to San Francisco for the summer, and we’re seeing it this Monday night. We saw the original London production in 2006, and I’m excited to see it again and see if and how the show has changed since then. (Wow, five years since our London trip. When shall we reprise?)

Dance, Billy, dance!

I just like saying that. (Though Thom would roll his eyes at me for making any kind of Phil Collins reference, ha.) Anyway, just a quick post this time to go over last Saturday’s class.

Class notes

New steps:

• battement soutenu
• sous-sus
• petit battement

Actually we had started doing battement soutenu and sous-sus at the very end of the previous class, but we only just put together the names to those steps in this class. All seems to be going well so far. Along with a few corrections I also got “good job!” a few times from our teacher, so that’s encouraging.

Every now and then I wish the pace would pick up, but then I realize how demanding ballet technique is, even for simple steps, especially for someone like me who hasn’t danced regularly in a long time. So, slow and sure is good for now. That said, I do feel myself becoming a bit more flexible, which is another bit of encouragement. Also, as if ballet steps weren’t already creeping into my everyday life, we did enough port de bras last class that now when I reach for anything, even a pen at my desk, I’m all, round the arm, relax the hand…

By the way here’s a video on arm positions from the Royal Ballet glossary (though the thumbnail image was unfortunately captured between positions; that’s not actually fifth):

This coming Saturday is the last class of this workshop, which is only four weeks because our teacher is going on a trip to Russia. I had wondered what to do with myself dancewise before she returns to lead the next phase of the workshop, and she recommended a class for us to drop into in the interim. Good stuff.

So the first class of my absolute beginner ballet workshop was fun! Very basic but still fun.

LINES Dance Center is in an old-school building in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. It’s on the edge of mid-Market sketchville, but conveniently just one block away from a BART entrance. I got there about half an hour before class and had time to change. There isn’t a specific dress code, other than general suggestions about ballet shoes and close-fitting clothing, so I wore a T-shirt, shorts, and a pair of old shoes that I had from a ballet class back in college. I do have two new pairs of shoes that I bought recently, but I figured I would wear the familiar old shoes for the first class. (Also, I’m probably just procrastinating on sewing the elastics on the new shoes.)

The previous class in our assigned studio was running long, so a bunch of us waited on the benches outside. It was neat to hear both hip-hop and classical piano coming from opposite ends of the hall. I met the teacher and we chatted a little about my jazz experience; she mentioned how ballet is much more structured and rigid than jazz, and I was like, I know! Bring it on!

Class notes

The studio was large and bright with mirrors along one wall. We all kind of lumbered in together, but if I had a moment alone, I would be trying hard not to run around singing “The Music and the Mirror” (maybe mashed up with “As If We Never Said Goodbye”). Our class has about sixteen people, all women plus me and one other guy. (Yay, not the only one.) We ran through a typical class: barre then center. Here are the steps and positions we went through in varying degrees:

• warm-up: stretches at the barre
• plié, relevé, tendu, degagé (and with piqué), cou de pied, frappé
• jumps: échappé, changement
• feet positions: 1st, 2nd, 3rd
• arm positions: preparatory, 1st, 2nd, 5th
• across the floor: walks in 3/4 time
• révérence

I like our teacher. She’s very friendly and attuned to beginners. While explaining the port de bras, she talked about maintaining energy in our arms all the way to our fingertips. “Your fingers are alive!” she said. Love that. I’m going to remember that every time I extend my arms. My fingers are alive. Alive!

By the way, a couple of good resources about ballet technique: the American Ballet Theatre online ballet dictionary, which has concise definitions and videos; and Gretchen Ward Warren’s book Classical Ballet Technique, a large, comprehensive volume with tons of photos. The latter was published in 1989 so it feels kind of dated (especially since there are references throughout to “Soviet” this and that), but it’s a great reference book.

It’s going to seem like forever until the next class. I’ll continue to work out during the week as I usually do but maybe balleticize my exercises a bit. Squat jump? Pimp it out with some arms and turnout and pointed feet, and boom, plié and échappé, baby!

» Previously in the Dance Diary: Prologue.

Dance around town

Our subscription to San Francisco Ballet may have ended (and it’s already time to think about renewing for next season), but I needn’t worry about a lack of dance since there is a trickle of want-to-see performances on my calendar. I’ll try to add some occasional performance news and reviews to my dance diary entries.

Sometime this week (I still need to get tickets!) I plan to see Smuin Ballet‘s spring program, a mixed bill of three pieces: Momentum by Choo San Goh, set to Prokofiev; Mozart Requiem, a world premiere by Amy Seiwert; and To The Beatles by Michael Smuin. It runs through May 15 in San Francisco and later this month in Walnut Creek and San Mateo. Half-price tickets are available on Goldstar.