Jazz - Belinda Sobie
Ballet - David Gouldie
Week 2
Jazz - Christina Woodard
Ballet - David Gouldie
Week 3
Jazz - Sabrina Philip
Ballet - David Gouldie
We had David for all 3 weeks of ballet. He was pretty intimidating but amazing when it comes to explaining the movements he wants from you. He constantly emphasized "dancing" each movement and throwing yourself into things and using your own dynamics - all of which make dance exciting to watch.
I had Belinda & Christina last year and they were just as good. I always like Belinda's classes because they're so consistent and she really emphasizes dancing for the love of it and putting feeling into everything we do. I had a bit of a bad impression of Christina's classes from last year because I remembered them as being really tricky and fast. But this year, they were great! I actually ended up loving 2 of the routines she taught us and her tough exercises worked on technique and strength a lot. I wish we had more time to actually finish the routines we learned! We kept jumping around between routines and doing other combos some days instead of the routines so we basically ended up with 3 unfinished routines which sucks because I really wanted to finish them.
Sabrina Philip's classes were... awkward. She gave us exercises and combos that were really awkward to do if you didn't have either the strength, technique, or musicality. You probably just have to be really good to be able to do her style. Her style wasn't for me, I guess.
I really felt like I was getting better this year! I ended up coming close to perfecting double pirouettes, surprised myself doing some of the really quick Assemblé & Sissonne exercises, was able to hold my Développés higher and longer, having really stable Pliés, and was able to do some of the fast routines!
Things that have gotten worse since I last danced:
#1: My Jetés are awful. They used to be my best move because I could get a lot of air with them and my legs would just move into place perfectly. And I thought I still could do them but once I looked in the mirror while I was doing them, I realized that my legs are now subconciously bent when I'm in the air and I can't get enough height or distance with them anymore. Practice, practice, practice, splits, splits, splits! I want to be able to do them again because they're so much fun.
#2: Splits. While I was at summer intensive, doing the splits was pretty much ridiculously impossible. I can't tell if it was because I was really sweaty and my legs were sticking to the floor so I couldn't move them (not kidding!) or if I was just really, really sore and overworked my body in such a short amount of time so that my body refused to let me go further into the splits. But either way, they sucked so bad and I couldn't understand why my legs & hip sockets just felt locked when I tried to do them and they didn't get anywhere all 3 weeks. At the time I'm writing this, they are SOOO much better. I can't even begin to explain why since I've only really stretched once since dance ended.
#3: Chaînés. I have spotting problems and I always knew that but it's even more of a problem when I have to do Chaîné turns because they're going so fast and the only things that's propelling you is your spotting head because your arms don't move. I end up either going really slowly, stepping farther with my feet to get more movement, or just get really dizzy and disoriented. I can hardly even do 3 in a row! How sad!
1) Jetés
2) Splits (espcially front splits)
3) Chaînés
4) Multiple Pirouettes
5) Fouettes
6) Arabesque turns
7) Calypsos
8) Spotting
9) Jeté entrelacés
10) Sissonnes (fast!)
The Summer Intensive show that normally takes place on the Saturday after the last class was cancelled this year. No explanation as to why! Which was a bummer because I love watching all the routines from the 3 weeks and what the people better than me have done because it makes me want to work towards doing the same! It was all great though even minus the show. Another summer of dance over. NEXT YEAR?! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment