I was a little concerned before I turned up to my second week of Beginners Ballet at City Academy; not only was Adrian off sick but I’d gotten rained on and a flat tyre on my bike. I was also late.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom because not only had the ache in my bottom finally disappeared* but… I had ballet shoes! Buying these was probably the highlight of my week. I had popped into Carpezio**, Covent Garden, as it was near to where I worked. Ignoring all the delicious dancewear, I went straight to business and walked over to the ballet shoe section. There were an awful lot of ballet shoes… Eventually, with help from the shop assistant, I made the important decision of the day; black, rather than pink. As any woman knows, colour is very important regardless of the type of shoe.
It’s very exciting putting on ballet shoes for the first time in twenty years. They were less pretty than my previous pair, not being pink and being devoid of ribbons, but they were still ballet shoes and that was all that mattered.
The class was taken by Charlotte Morrell and unlike Adrian, whose lesson seemed like a Baptism of Fire in comparison, things were taken in a seemingly more structured way, with a careful warm up to begin. There were clear instructions on what each move was called, followed by a slow example before we repeated it, with and without music.
The main move I remember is the Pas de Chat, not least because Charlotte did a fine cat impression! Although as one of the girls said, it should be rename Pas de Crab for all the awkwardness we brought to it.
During this second class, it felt as though everyone was becoming more relaxed, with jokes being cracked and I even felt comfortable enough to see how everyone else was doing. To my relief, most people looked like one-legged beetles rather than Darcy Bussell.
Whilst I returned home somewhat disgruntled for having to wheel my bike back in the rain, I was still buoyed enough by the ballet class to give the boyfriend an impromptu performance of my Pas de Chat on Hot Burning Coals.
Can’t wait for next week!
Thought of the Week
I must try and control all parts of my body – not just my arms and feet – I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and my face is just out of control!
Top tip of the week: Wear a sports bra for maximum boob control whilst jumping about.
I am attending the Beginner’s Ballet Level 1 Course with City Academy, tutored by Adrian Arroyo. For more information, see their website.
* My bottom muscles must be so underused – they were achey again the day after Week 02!
** I got my ballet shoes in a size smaller than I normally was so they were snug. They were £15, made of canvas and smelt delightful. For now at least.
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