We had this joke back at my ballet studio in Toronto, where the first day back to class after a break, like a vacation or some short time off, you feel amazing! Everything is ON. You don’t have sore or tired body parts from previous classes or rehearsals, you also don’t have the highest expectations of yourself, I mean it’s your first day back! And usually, the teacher isn’t on your a** about every little thing. First day back is “how am I not opening at Lincoln Center right now”??. The second day back in class are the “lol JK’s” of day one.
Day One: I’m just happy to be here! Like major points for just showing up today. Doesn’t matter if my tendu á la second is at a 75-degree angle. I’m facing the mirror so everything looks more rotated from the front view than a side view would right now. I’m not even going to turn to the side at all today, I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life. Muscles are soft and looser due to all the time off and with the exception of flexibility loss due to not dancing or stretching, but overall I’m feeling surprisingly good! It’s definitely feeling like day one.
Center is like my jam, I totally expected to be falling all over the place, but if I just focus on holding my core I’m totally killing it! (for not dancing in 3 years). Oh, I also managed to pull out a quadruple pirouette on the LEFT, guys, when does the tour start? I’m ready.
Day Two (a)- woke up committed to go to a morning class. Googled the schedule the night before night and found a Friday morning class, yes this is how we do fri-yay. I finally find parking downtown and pay. I run into the building and there is a different vibe… there’s all these little kid in class with numbered bibs on, oh it’s the summer program… usually when summer intensives begin it affects all other schedules. I walk into the education office.
“Hi. where’s the adult open class today?”
“Ohhhhh, we have the summer program going on, all the morning adult open classes are canceled until August”
It’s cool I can pop into one of these baby ballet classes and work on the basics, a little slow tendu’s, spring points, really hone in on my practice, I kid, I kid. The office people were extremely nice and apologized for not having updated the website, apparently, I found the one page they missed. This is the dance world, I have never gone to one studio or school where the site was 100% accurate. Always double check especially over summers and holidays.
Day Two (b) (one week apart): Oppppp there’s that tightness I was missing! My hips feel locked up and grind-y. My hip flexors are SO sore! I promise I’m trying so hard not to use them (you aren’t supposed to depend on them this much, I know). The teacher came up to me during Fondu’s and told me to straighten my back leg in arabesque, I smiled and said “yes” but really I’m like, lady, love your enthusiasm towards me but it’s a miracle this leg is even making it to 90 degrees right now and I can’t event feel my leg back there (insert crying emoji ). Not to mention this Barre is a nightmare, the class level on the schedule says intermediate /advanced and it is feeling a little advanced-heavy, for real.
For center the teacher skipped adage and gave a lot of pirouettes, so we were cool again.
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