Photo Credit: Phil Wayes

Monday, December 6, 2010

Trying to Class Things Up around here...

In October I started taking dance classes again, at Hope Stone. It’s nice, taking dance classes not as part of my workday, but just for fun and exercise. The fact that I enjoy being in the studio again is more important to me than How Well My Allegro Held Up during the hiatus (surprisingly: not too bad. Pirouettes are another story).

***
I have a bit of a biased opinion here, but I think dancing has got to the only most fun form of exercise out there. Really: Spend an hour an a half at the gym, then take a ninety-minute ballet class and tell me which was a more enjoyable workout. Moving, stretching, gliding to music in a beautiful way, or counting reps and running endlessly from your problems on the treadmill? I rest my case.

***
The hardest part about taking class again is actually getting there. I-45 hates the Bay Area in the mornings-- I need to leave at just the right time or I’m doomed to traffic hell (case in point: this morning I left at 8:15 and just barely made it to the barre by 9:30).

Class this morning was lovely. I saw my true-blue dance buddy E and my old dance partner R; as well a teacher of mine (a former ballerinas whose roles I got to reprise two years ago in Best in Ten) whom I haven’t seen in a few years. N. Glass taught a wonderful class (hey, that rhymes)-- I haven’t taken class from her in a few years, either; and forgot how much I enjoy her classes. She gave me some really good pointers on how to keep tension from creeping into my shoulders when I’m working in the center. I had a pretty good class, despite it being my first class in well over a week (Thanksgiving/traveling/all that fun stuff)...I expected to be a hot radioactive mess and feel like a loser; but it wasn't bad at all. E and I got to catch up a little after barre; we chatted about what we experienced when we danced in the company together and what we're up to these days. It was great to see her again.
***
I mentioned that I hadn’t had class in something like a fortnight-- it was my first time going to dance class since before Thanksgiving.
It’s also my first time going to dance class since I got engaged on November 27th.

Cool, huh?

(My buddies congratulated me, Jane gave me a hug, Oliver wagged his tail, and I smiled and glowed my newly-engaged glow).

***
It's good to be back in class. It's good to get moving again.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

:( Jealous . . . I miss YOU and HOPE too!

Congrats (again) on your engagement!!!! Exciting!!

M. Butterfly said...

Thanks you, Amyables! I miss you like crazy, too! <3