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,