A Really Useful Video on Pirouettes

Not long ago Adult Beginner posted the following appeal to her blog: Plz help a reader with her Pirouette Problem! 28 March 2014 Adult Beginner:

“I’ve been taking classes seriously for 2 years, 2-3 times a week. I am the ONLY person in my class who cannot do a pirouette. I can balance in passé, spot etc. but I cannot do even one turn. Its gotten to be a “thing.” Two teachers have said its all in my head since I have the requisite skills but its getting ridiculous. I mean, I actually felt like crying from frustration in class last night. The more I practice, the worse it gets. Basically, what happens most of the time is I “fall” out of the turn when I get halfway around. I have also fallen on my ass more times than I care to admit. I am hoping if you make this a post, lots of people will write in with advice and it will be the turning point (pun intended) of my life.”

That appeal elicited 38 responses from around the world including one from me which contained the best tip that I had received up to that date. Ironically it came from Southern California just like Adult Beginner.

Now I have exactly the same problem as K-boom (Adult Beginner's correspondent) and it has also bothered me. The problem with pirouettes is that if you know how to do them you just can't see a problem. You just can't understand why folk can't pick them up just as you did and indeed just as most other students seem to do. Well there is a problem and that it that the dancer has to do a lot of things at once. Fine if you are child, teenager or even a 20, 30 or 40 something beginner but not so easy if you are pushing 66 in February.

First, we have to learn how to rise and stay up in demi for more than a microsecond. Not easy when we are old for everybody's balance deteriorates with age. Next we have to learn to balance in retiré. Again not easy for us old fogeys for the same reason. And balancing on the supporting foot in relevé with the other foot in retiré in the centre of the studio is a very big ask indeed.  But that's only for starters. Dancers have to remember to "push catch" (as one of my teachers calls it) turning clockwise on the left foot which is itself counter-intuitive (or the opposite when turning anti-clockwise), find something in the studio to gaze at (otherwise known as spotting) and remember to position the non-supporting leg neatly behind in 4th at the end of the manoeuvre. All at the same time. Oh brother. Is it any wonder that our hair turns grey!

Now the useful tip from this Dutch video is to master the relevé and retiré bits at the barre. I have been copying Mr Wijnen using a towel rail for barre for the last hour or so and I think I have been making some real progress. I can't stay on demi for very long but I am getting better. At least I think so. Of course, the next stage is to do the pushing, catching, spotting and landing in the right sequence and that has to be done in the centre. But if I can balance on demi with my right paw in retiré I can at least get off what our erstwhile colonial cousins call "first base" in their version  of rounders.

I found Mr Wijnen's video on the Dutch National Ballet's Facebook page which I shared on my timeline but as not all my readers use Facebook I thought I would embed it here. It comes from a website called "Jump" for young fans of the Dutch National Ballet.  It is something that our ballet companies might like to consider.

New Term at Team Hud - and around the World

I may be wrong but I think there will be thousands of people around the world (if not millions) who will have been inspired to take up ballet by World Ballet Bay. Although it is always best to start as a child it is possible to start and go quite a long way as am adult. Dave Wilson is proof of that.  He started as a graduate student in the United States and I have seen him dance with Arionel Vargas and Elena Glurdjidze in Stockport and Weston Super Mare. It is also true of The Adult Beginner in Los Angeles and my learned friend The Legal Ballerina who is also in the United States. Even some professionals came into ballet late.  Matthew Bourne who established New Adventures is said to have had his first lesson in his late teens. Even I have ventured onto the stage of the Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre in Leeds before a full house and managed to avoid rotten eggs and tomatoes and I make dance teachers despair.

So where to start. Well if you are in Huddersfield you could do worse than try Team Hud in the sports hall of Huddersfield University. I reviewed it when classes began in January 2014 (see "Team Hud Adult Ballet Class" 22 Jan 2014). Yesterday was the start of the new academic year for Tam Hud with a crop of eager  young students including four blokes. It was taken by Fiona Noonan who trained and started her career in Queensland. "I can see she is a good teacher" muttered a chap from Barnsley whom I had met at Tristram Dance Studios a few weeks earlier. I had recommended Fiona's classes at Hype and the University and I was glad to see that he had followed my recommendation. "One of the best", I replied. "and believe me I have done the rounds." Fiona is now teaching two classes at Huddersfield: a beginners' class at 18:30 which I attended yesterday and an improvers' class at 19:30 which the chap from Barnsley was about to take. Both cost £5 if you are a member of the general public but students can subscribe to the gym for a few quid and take all the classes in all the sports and activities at no extra cost.  A larger but still affordable subscription is also available to the public and if you want to find out more you should call the University on 01484 422288.

A good teacher is everything and, as I told the bloke from Barnsley, Fiona us one of the very best. She is also teaching an intermediate and advanced class at Hype in Sheffield on Monday evenings for the time being. While I would not recommend an intermediate class for an absolute beginner it is good to be pushed and challenged and Fiona certainly does that. But she does it in a nice way and if you get something right you feel a real sense of achievement. She also has a wicked sense of humour. Try blogging or tweeting that you have had a hard class elsewhere and boy does she make you work the next time she sees you.

If you can't make it to Huddersfield then there are some great evening classes at Northern Ballet Academy in Leeds. I took two in the vacation and one with Chris Hinton-Lewis that I really enjoyed. My favourite class in Leeds is the Over 55 class with Annemarie Donoghue which runs on Tuesdays for improvers between 10:30 and 11:30 with an extra half hour for the keen types from 11:45 to 12:15 and Thursdays between 11:30 and 12:30 for beginners.  Annemarie is also a wonderful teacher and you can see her in action in this video with some of my friends. Not only do you get instruction from an excellent teacher but you learn in the studios of one of the world's best ballet companies - it's official Northern won one of the Taglioni awards - and you have Ollie, Elena or some other pianist tinkling away on the old Joanna.  The only drawback is that you have to be over 55 to join that class but anybody can take one of the evening classes. Not bad for £6.50 plus a £5 registration fee.

If you live in the North West KNT Danceworks run evening classes for adults in Manchester and Liverpool. They also have great teachers, Alisa and Karen, whom I can't recommend too highly.  I have only had two classes with Ailsa and one with Karen but I learned a lot from both and had a lot of fun. The students in both cities were friendly and keen to learn and we all smiled and laughed a lot afterwards.

I have had only one class in London from Adam at Pineapple but that was ace. Pineapple was recommended to me by Joanna Goodman who takes Amber's class nearly every week and she did me a real favour in recommending it. You have to take out temporary membership and then pay for the class which makes it somewhat more expensive than the classes in the North but then hey this is London. A class that I have not yet tried but would dearly love to do so is Paul Lewis's class at the Royal Ballet School. One day, perhaps, one day.

It is a long time since I last visited LA but the Adult Beginner reviews adult ballet classes there and her articles are always a good read.  Johanna writes about adult ballet in Helsinki in Pointe Til You Drop.  There are adult ballet classes everywhere - even in India. Wherever you are, enjoy yourselves and have fun.

Adult Ballet in LA

MacArthur Park, Los Angeles

Photo Wikipedia

If I did not have the good fortune to have been born in England I would have settled for America. In particular Los Angeles, California where I went to graduate school. Westwood, Santa Monica, the Music Center are like a second home. I made so many friends there and have so many happy memories. I am reminded of those times by Adult Beginner whose blog I greatly admire (see "Around the Blogosphere: Adult Beginner" 26 Feb 2013).

Whenever I visit a new ballet school I review it and I have quite a collection of adult ballet reviews from around the country but I don't have any from elsewhere and that is where Adult Beginner has done us all a service.  Yesterday she and Rhonda Jambe (what a wonderful name I wonder whether she knows Tom Levy) reviewed the Hollywood Dance Centre (see "The Rhonda Jambe *and* Adult Beginner review of Adult Ballet at Hollywood Dance Center" (sic) 15 Aug 2014), It sounds quite a place. Here's a sample:

"The Studio: is beautiful. You enter at street level and go INTO THE PAST!!!! Ok reals though, you go up this crazy orange staircase, arrive at a landing, go into one of the two studios and, oh yeah, the front studio has A CHANDELIER."

I must remember to pack my ballet shoes next time I pass through LA. Which t-shirt should I wear? One of my UCLA Bruins which are now somewhat threadbare after 45 years of use or a new Royal Ballet one?

Another article by Adult beginner which I have also enjoyed is "Dude wants to know if he’s welcome in ballet class. Let’s hear it for the boys" 12 Aug 2014. That post was sparked off by an email from one of Adult Beginner's male readers:

"It was a very warm afternoon and I arrived several minutes early to get in some stretching before class. I enter the studio and greet the teacher, whom I’ve taken classes with for some time. While we talked, a woman seated on the floor putting on her slippers looked up at me in complete and utter shock. Horror, even, with eyebrows arched and mouth askew. Uh oh. What did I do? Quick!…damage control!"

What happened next? And what did Adult Beginner say about it? Well you will just have to read her post to find out. But she reacted with humour and humanity, She sounds a really nice lady,

Migrating Swans - Dance Classes for the Over 50s in the North

Whooper swans which migrate from Northern Europe Source Wikipedia

I mentioned Scottish Ballet's outreach programme for senior citizens in "Scotland" on the 6 Nov 2013. The programme came to the attention Emma Ailes of the BBC who published the video and article "'Silver Swans' taking to the barre later in life for ballet lessons". The name "Silver Swans" seems to have stuck and there is now a similar programme in the North of England.

According to the RAD Silver Swan workshops offer a specially designed morning programme for the mature dancer. They includes "a gentle ballet class alongside the opportunity to socialise with other like-minded people, as well as providing the chance to experience another dance genre". They are aimed at the over 50s who either already enjoy ballet and want to improve and develop their interest in dance or for those wanting to start dancing again after a break. The classes can also accommodate complete beginners for whom this may be their first experience of dance. These workshops take place at

• St Peters Community Centre in Haslingden, 
• Richmond Dance Centre and 
• Heatherlea Dance Studio in Glossop. 

Further information can be obtained from Louise Wilkie  of the RAD.

Northern Ballet already runs wonderful beginners and intermediate classes for the Over 55s in Leeds which I reviewed in "Realizing a Dream" on the 12 Sept 2013. Prospective students can attend a taster class as well as many other events at Northern Ballet's Open House at Quarry Hill on the 15 Feb 2014.

I have written a little bit more about adult ballet (including a clip of the class that I attend) in "Adult Ballet Classes" on 7 Sept 2013. Reviews of all the classes that I have attended are indexed at "Adult Ballet Class Reviews".

You can get some good tips from the Doing Dance section of the BalletcoForum website, particularly the "Simply Adult Ballet" and the "So, You Want to Learn to Dance? - but....uh...I'm an adult...." threads. Some of the contributors are dance teachers from all parts of the world.  One from San Diego California is particularly  helpful.

Blogs on learning ballet as an adult that I enjoy are

• Adult Beginner a young mum in Los Angeles with an infectious sense of humour;
• Dave Tries Ballet  a young man who started ballet as a graduate student in the USA a few years ago who progressed to the point that he can now appear on the same stage as Elena Glurdjudze and Arionel Vargas; and
• Pointe till you Drop a lady from Helsinki called Johanna who has also made a lot of progress.

I am sure you will find your own favourites.

Post Script

I emailed Ms. Wilkie for further information just before I went to sleep and I have just received the following reply from her together with an application form and flyer which is impressive in itself.  Here is the material part of her reply:

"Royal Academy of Dance Silver Swans events are specially designed mornings including two classes for the over 50’s led by RAD teachers taking place in March 2014. For some, these mornings will be an opportunity to try out dance for the very first time. Others in attendance may have danced in the past and want to rekindle their interest. For those who have previously experienced ballet and want to further their interest, the workshop includes a second class in which participants will be introduced to another dance genre for example tap or jazz.
Recently featured on BBC News, these classes are aimed at the mature dancer and include gentle ballet and non-ballet classes that will get your whole body moving to music. The workshops, which include both classes, costs £10 to attend and take place at the below venues.

Venues;
Tuesday 4 March
Manchester Road Methodist Church, Haslingden
Ballet & Jazz (teacher Charlotte Omerod)

Saturday 8 March
Richmond Dance Centre, North Yorkshire
Ballet & Jazz (teacher Maureen Mundell)

Wednesday 26 March
Heatherlea Dance Studio, Glossop
Ballet & Tap (teacher Joanne Craven)

Timetable
10.00-11.00 Ballet class
11.00-11.30 Cakes and coffee
11.30-12.30 Non-ballet class

Anyone over 50 who is either new to dance or is keen to re-join, or wishes develop an existing interest can attend. The mornings all include the essential social aspect where participants can meet new like-minded people, enjoy refreshments and hopefully make plans to get ‘back to the barre’ at the next available dance class or RAD event."

I have inserted a link to the locations on Google maps

I think this is a wonderful initiative. The scheme in Scotland which I mentioned above seems to have worked very well. I shall certainly try to participate though the timings and locations are inconvenient. The nearest centre to me is Glossop but I work very long hours and I already do ballercise and core on Wednesday afternoons and ballet on Wednesday evenings at Huddersfield University (see "Team Hud Adult Ballet Class" 22 Jan 2014 and "For those who may be interested ........" 25 Jan 2014).  I have to remind myself that I am a barrister not a ballet dancer.  The Saturday class would be ideal but Richmond Dance Centre is nearly 80 miles from my home and and between 90 minutes and 2 hours drive away. 

Nevertheless. I will try to find a way and will report back here as to what happens.

Around the Blogosphere: Adult Beginner

I think I have found a real treasure in "Adult Beginner". Look at the drawing on her "About Page" of "Your adult beginner ....... as compared to your usual beginner." Brilliant!   In other words this blog is about people like me. Or more accurately about people I aspire to be.  For although in one sense I am not a beginner in that  I took my first dance class in 1970 when I was an undergraduate, in every other sense I certainly am because there was a 42 year gap between those early lessons and my starting again.

Adult Beginner shares my sense of humour.   Look how she divides her blogroll into "Badgers" and "Mushrooms".  I remember struggling to keep a straight face through class immediately after the I had seem mrweebl's "Badgers" for the first time.   That blogroll incidentally has led me to several other delightful blogs this evening such as Johannan Balettikassi's "Pointe till you Drop" and "The Ballet Bag" which I shall review later.

My favourite bits of "Adult Beginner" are the "First Class Stories". Shear Schadenfreude!   I thought of offering my own first class story but it was such a long time ago that I am not sure my recollection  is accurate.   I could contribute my first class after a 40 year gap story but would Adult Beginner really like to know how I felt among a whole crowd of teenagers and 20 somethings young enough to be my granddaughters?

Also worth a laugh is "Le Lac des Poulet" - photos (I think) of "Adult Beginner" in fancy dress.   In the words of "Classical Ballet Teacher"  who also blogs: "You [Adult Beginner] have more guts than I ever will.".I was also delighted to find a lady at the barre from Norwich who is even older than me. Although there is one carping comment those photos seem to have amused a lot of people, including Cyril:

"Super ! J’adorre.

Je suis clown et metteur en scène en France et en Russie, et je commence en mars les répétitions d’un spectacle que j’appel “le lac des poules”, c’est en cherchant ce qui existait sur internet que je suis tombé sur votre site. (je ne veux pas faire une caricature du lac des cignes, mais plutôt chercher ce que serait une danse, un geste comique).

En tout cas bravo."

My last French class was even earlier than my first ballet class but I think he means something like this:

"Super. Love it.

I'm a clown and producer in France and Russia and in March I shall begin rehearsals for a show that I shall call "Chicken Lake". It was through looking out for what existed on the Internet that I stumbled upon your site. I don't want to parody "Swan Lake".  More a dance show in its own right.  A comic sketch.

Anyway Bravo!

My sentiments exactly, Cyril, and not just for Lac des Poulets" but for Adult Beginner's blog as a whole..