Hi all - I just finished my first summer class for adult beginners. It was SO great - I'm still a bit pumped with adrenaline so excuse me if I babble. The classes are run over a week by the Australian Dance Council with guest teachers from all around. My teacher for classical is Shane Carroll - she was very inspiring. I was really nervous but calmed down when things proved to be familiar. I guess that's the nice thing about ballet class - the formalities seem to be very much the same everywhere.<P>Embarassingly I hit my foot as I was helping to move the free standing barre and it bled all over my lovely pink tights, but at least that convinced me to stop looking at my feet!<P>The class has prompted me to ask about coming to pose (sorry, haven't got the accent thing together yet). If you PUSH off your supporting leg (rather than stepping up to the position) to get there how do you stop from toppling forwards? Sorry if I haven't explained clearly.......what do you guys think? Also - has anyone else done summer schools for adults - either as a teacher or student? I should say that this one isn't FOR adults - it's openm to anyone over the age of 12 and there were a variety of ages in the group (from 12 to around 50 I think). It's the first time I've worked with children and I'm surporsed that once we got going it was no big deal at all - I thought I'd feel sily doing the same things as these kids but it was fine.<P>Cheers, Danni

Danni - it sounds like you had a wonderful experience and that's great to hear!! I have never heard of summer intensives for adults - but why not? That sounds great too.<P>As for the pose' or pique' balance and/or turn:<P>It takes a while for your mind and body to learn where that balance is. But when you push over onto the standing leg - you have to bring the entire body with you in one piece. If you put your hand on the bottom of your last rib and your other hand on the top of your hip - you will see there is quite a bit of space in between. In this space there is (except for your spine) no skeleton structure to support you. So if that area - your abdomen and surrounding muscles - are not held you will arrive on your standing leg in pieces. Does that make sense? <P>If something is in pieces it is hard to control. The body must arrive on that standing leg as one structure - then you can either balance there or turn - whatever has been choreographed.<P>It is also vitally important that you arrive on a straight knee - absolutely straigt and supported knee - and that is one less "lose" piece too.<P>Sorry to hear about your foot!! Hope is heals quickly. And, glad you had a great time. <p>[This message has been edited by Basheva (edited January 14, 2001).]

Thanks Basheva - that does make sense - I think I feel like I'm going to topple because I'm leading with my ribcage rather than keeping it in the same line as my hips. Will definitely have a practice tonight. By the way, it's not really a sumer intensive - more like a week of daily classes with guest teachers during the summer - a great opportunity. My foot should be fine. I found some ice when I got back to work to stop the bruising - usually these things respond well to immediate first aid. I just feel a bit silly for getting my foot stuck under the end of the barre!!!!<BR>Thanks again, Danni

what a great enthusiastic post, danni! enjoyed reading it....i was teaching today at a summer school - but kids only.<P>my areas were notation (introduction to benesh) and repertoire (we did cygnets).<P>basheva, i love this explanation about the abdominal space and 'arriving in bits' - never heard it put that way before, and i like it a lot! <P>danni - to do the é, for posé or piqué.....you can do what i assume basheva does (i'm guessing, here) and just use an apostrophe after the e....OR, you can hold down the "Alt" key while you press 1, then 3, then 0, on your number keypad (the pad on the right of the keyboard - i'm sure you know that).<P>hope that helps? - but don't feel you have to do these things to type french here -sometimes i don't bother, if i'm sure people will know what i'm referring to.....<P>getting back to your question: i would have responded in terms of the arc of movement that you make - i often see kids doing piqués as if it's one continous movement (up, over and down like a rainbow shape, without much of any stop in the middle!) - instead of making the movement arc in space BEFORE you reach the position at the peak.....this is hard to describe...<P>wish i could draw here!<P>when you ARRIVE on demi-pointe where you are stepping to (let's say 1st arabesque), you should be coming 'down' from your stepping movement arc, which you made to get there - NOT stepping, and then making the movement arc, which would take your body 'up, over and down' without that pause at the peak.......<P>is this making any sense at all!? i'm tired! <P>might have something to do with even WATCHING today's kids doing sports aerobics, prior to my classes, in 36 degree heat in an un-airconditioned studio! poor kids - i made my classes easy, to compensate - they hardly jumped at all for cygnets!<P>

Danni - here are a couple of other things you can think about........<P>When you stand at the barre balance in retire' - or any other balance as long as you are on one foot. Now slowly let go of the barre, till you feel perfectly on balance. When the alignment is "right" all the stress of being on one foot is gone. Now - at your best point - feel where you balance is in your foot. How forward are you? How far over your toes are you?<P>Sometimes it depends on how the foot is constructed. I have only a medium high instep and so when I visualize my balance I visualize myself over my toes. However, someone with a highly arched instep might want to visualize the balance just slightly more over the ball of the foot.<P>You can find out where that point is for you - by doing your best balance as desribed in the first paragraph of this post and then really feeling where on your foot you are. <P>If it is any consolation to you - if you have to pick where to topple - LOL - it is better to topple forward than back. If you topple forward and you were on stage - you could save it, like with a failii. But if you topple backwards - there is little to save you.

Thank you both - you've given me a lot to play with. <P>Grace - the enthusiasm dulled to normal levels this morning when I awoke to a very bruised foot and general muscle soreness! <P>I think I see what you mean about pushing UP in an arc and then settling into the balance on demi point - is that what you're saying? Makes more sense - it will now be a matter of making it work in my body (which is always so much harder than making it work in my head). <P>Basheva - I'm glad you used retire' as your example of a balance at the barre. This is going to sound dumb but I've been thinking of a retire balance as very different to a pose or anything else. However, I guess the principles are exactly the same in the upper body. Again - I need to experiment to make it work. Getting my body up in 'one piece' though, definitely helps. <P>Again, thank you both - I'm off to do another class in about an hour - let's hope I can refrain from maiming myself with the barre today!<P>Cheers, Danni

great danni! we'll try not to give you any more 'advice' till you've had time to get over the soreness! <P>don't want you to feel bludgeoned by US, as well!

Danni - of course a retire' is not a pose' - doesn't have the movement to get into the balance. I just used that as an example so you could feel where the balance is on your foot, when you are static - so you can aim for it when you are moving.<P>Take a nice hot bath for the soreness ...and just relax.