I really look forward to my Wednesday night ballet class. It is something that I really wanted to do for so many years. As a child my mum allowed me to attend ballet class in my primary school years but then as I approached my teen years it was the 80's and rollerskating was all the rage. I decided to start artistic rollerskating and due to the expense of it all I had to give one of the two up and Ballet was the one I chose to throw away.
Many years later, a lot of regret, and deeply missing those classes, the tulle, the sequins, the performances, and the grace of it all, I investigated my options to go back as a mature beginner. First of all, I was a smoker at the time and I knew fitness wise I simply couldn't jump around in a ballet class with my lungs in the condition they were in. So I quit. I found a Beginner Adult Ballet class at 'The Dance Workshop' and did those for a while but they were very difficult to get to due to times conflicting with my work and the heavy city traffic I had to battle to get there. I then tried the beautiful premises in Maylands, the 'WA Ballet Academy', and although the classes there are very professional and structured, the beginner class was strangely way too advanced for me and the students all very young, fit, experienced, serious, and I found the class uninspiring and not at all enjoyable.
By a wonderful twist of fate, the lovely lady who taught me as a child announced that she would be starting a beginner adult class on Wednesday evenings and it was perfect timing for me to get to after work. So, without a seconds hesitation I joined up and here I am 4 years later, and I have hardly missed a class at 'The Ballet Studio' in Glen Forrest since that day.
I get so much out of this class, especially lately, as I can see that some of the steps I have been doing over the years are starting to look different to when I began. Dare I say it, I'm improving! One of the best benefits I have been experiencing is a vast improvement in the reduction of my back pain. I have had back pain since 14 and it got severe during my obese years, likely due to so much more wear and tear and so much less activity. But in Ballet you have to really focus on strengthening your core and this is great for relieving back pain. I have to say I am really impressed at how freed up my back has become and how infrequently now I experience moderate to severe episodes. For this reason alone I aim to continue ballet for as long as possible through my adult life.
Since starting I have really loved meeting and getting to know all the people in my class. This is the main thing that differentiated my school from the rest, the social aspect and the camaraderie, it is not unusual for everyone to break out in applause when someone does something really well, or giggles when we do something really silly. I love that! Sure, we all take it serious and pay careful attention when learning technique, but at the core of it is a group of ladies who just want to enjoy dance.
There are so many inspiring ladies in class, all of who are particularly talented in different areas and who have their fortes. There is one lady who is so graceful in her every move, she would literally make falling over look like a scene in swan lake. Another who is the epitome of strength and precision, she never misses a beat and always looks controlled, i love watching her footwork, it is like watching a hummingbirds wings so fast yet so precise. Another who has amazing flexibility and im very envious of how high she can hold an arabesque. Then there is the lady who no matter who confusing the sequence of steps is to me she never gets it wrong and has a fantastic memory. There are so many people in class, all shapes and sizes, all ages, all ability levels, and different personalities. Some even have medical issues with dodgy knees and hips. My teacher is amazing at letting people work around these things and offering them alternate exercises so as to not exacerbate an issue. But, no matter what, for that 1 hour we are all ballerinas and we are all having the best hour of the week - an hour that belongs entirely to us. No work, no kids, no partners, no bills, no housework, no stresses, nothing but the barre, the music, the teacher, and our dreams come true.
For many years I was obese (pre bariatric surgery) and I remember this time period and all the things I wanted to do but couldn't. I remember getting my surgery and thinking that I would rather die trying to change this thing in my life that was restricting me so much and making me so miserable than live one single day more in the life I was living. Luckily for me the surgery was a success and I am not wasting one piece of my time now. Sure, I still bear the scars of what I did to myself, I have a really impressive set of batwings and floppy skin on my thighs, I have loads of stretchmarks and scars, but I am not going to let such insignificant things get in the way of doing what makes me happy. So I don my little leotard, roll those thighs up in some tights, and hold my bare arms up high in class unafraid of what people will say when they see them because I am pretty sure everyone else is too busy worrying about their own concerns and making sure they nail their turnout to give a rats how my arms look.
I am 45 and f0r a while I was the youngest in the class. Many of the other dancers had never in their life done ballet and just one day decided they wanted to do it. Some of them were like me and did it as a kid but regretfully gave it up and wanted to return. But at the end of the day, the common denominator was that we did it, we took that courageous first step and arrived at our first class, took a deep breath and danced.
Don't let life, age, kids, partners, finances, time constraints, medical complaints, anything get in the way of something you really want to do. Just get out there and make it work for you.
My favourite quote: "It is better to regret the things you've done than the things you haven't"
What is it that you really want to do? Stop letting your excuses get in the way, just bloody do it.
This blog is dedicated to my amazing, fabulous, inspiring, and oh so beautiful Ballet Teacher, Michelle, who always makes me feel like my best is good enough but who inspires me to always raise the bar just a little more on what my best could be, so I am always eager to learn more. To me that is the essence of a natural and brilliant teacher. A true kindred spirit.
That's me, in the blue. #Ballet #Tammysteteatete #Blog #BeginnerBallet #Lifegoals