This post comes to us today from Will, our newest Guest Blogger. Will is a college student just entering the world of dance.  He has admired ballet his whole life, and this summer he decided to take a class.  He has been hooked since –he now does ballet, swing, and occasionally folk/contra dancing.  While he explores other modes of dance and movement, ballet is his favorite, and Will is never happier than when he puts on tights and slippers and enters the studio.

My First Ballet Class

Doing anything for the first time is always intimidating, and ballet is no exception.

I came only recently to the world of dance.  Prior to taking a ballet class this summer, I had only done a little square dancing and been to one contra dance.  Over the summer I decided to bite the bullet and finally get around to taking a formal dance class.  I searched around and found a studio in the city that offered drop-in adult ballet classes for beginners.  I’ve always admired ballet for the beauty and grace, and wanted to give it a try.  To prepare for the class, I learned some basic vocabulary and picked up a pair of tights and ballet shoes (optional, but recommended).  I also found a friend willing to go with me, and so together we embarked upon our exploration of ballet.

The first class will be easier once you remember that you are not the only beginner.

Doing anything for the first time is always intimidating, and ballet is no exception.  I fretted and worried up until we arrived at the studio.  Seeing a number of other students waiting for class to begin, most of them first-timers, I began to relax.  The students were of all ages, and there was only one other male besides the teacher.  Most of the others wore tights or leggings, so I decided to use the tights, rather than the shorts I had brought.  Ultimately, that was a good decision - tights put me in the right mindset and helped me feel like a dancer.  Also, it really was easy to see my muscles and how they worked.

The instructor for my first class was what I call “a scary Russian guy.”  A former professional, trained at a Vaganova school, and very intimidating.  He quickly broke the tension, however, by joking with the students while remaining focused on dancing.  It was an intense class - stretching, plies, releves, tendues, degages, rond de jambs, pirouettes, and a slew of other barre and centre exercises.  By the end I thought my legs might fall off.  There was one thought I could not put out of my mind - I wanted to do it again.  And again,  I was very disappointed when the class was over, and wished it would continue until I fell asleep at the barre.

Ballet is a source of adrenaline and exhilaration unrivaled by any experience of mine to date.

I am now taking a ballet class at my college, and the experience is fundamentally different while still being the most fun I have ever had while exercising.  This teacher, another former professional, focuses mostly on centre work.  As the only male in the class and one of two with “serious” ballet gear, I stand out more than a bit.  The instructor intersperses back and leg stretching throughout all exercises, and he introduces everything by dancing across the floor in pairs or (in my case, since we have an odd number) trios.  There are none of the ubiquitous plie/releve combinations at the barre, which has its pros and cons.  As my scary Russian instructor informed us, “The ballet is not at the barre.  The ballet is in the centre.”  By working extensively in the center, we get a better feel for an actual ballet.  Strangely enough, however, I miss doing plie, releve, plie, releve, balance, repeat.  There is a very relaxing zen quality to such exercises, though I feel compelled to point out that leaping across the floor with total abandon is an experience that every dancer should allow him- or herself.

All in all, my ballet experiences up to this point have, quite literally, changed my life.  I have finally discovered a sport that is simultaneously exciting, relaxing, and art in the purest sense.  Ballet is a source of adrenaline and exhilaration unrivaled by any experience of mine to date.  I can’t wait to dance even more!

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelaespinosa/