The Continuing Saga of Jamie's Ballet Lessons

[JamieG]

I took back-to-back dance classes this week. I skipped a class last week due to Valentine's day (in order to preserve the peace with my wife, I wisely decided that dinner with her would be preferable to my dance class). When we miss a class, we can take a free makeup class in another session. I chose to take a Jazz dance class that immediately follows my ballet class.

I wore footless tights with socks so that I could quickly transition to bare feet for jazz. The ballet class was hard again, but I am loving every minute of it. I was a little worried though, because about 5 minutes into it, I had this weird sinus thing occur, and I briefly became disoriented. I worried if I'd pass out if I continued. Fortunately, the feeling passed soon and I was able to continue with no problems. At times, I was not strong enough to hold the required poses. At one point we were in a fondue (standing on one bent leg with the other foot raised and touching your ankle) for like five minutes (after having done several in a row), and I couldn't maintain it. I did okay on most of the combination exercises. I made my share of mistakes, but more or less recovered from them. At one point the teacher taught us one of the few "gendered" thing we learn in class: how to do a ballet walk. First we all did it in the ladies style (light and quiet), and then all in the gentlemen style (rather dull and boring). We also did lot's of jumps and I got my heart rate up.

When class ended, I pulled off my slippers and socks, and pulled a pair of shorts up over my tights for the jazz class. I've taken this twice before (last year) as a makeup. I really enjoy this class, partly because the dancing is more contemporary. In the past we learned dances to Michael Jackson songs, and this time we learned one to "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga. I was definitely behind every one in the class, but I think I did okay for not being a regular attendee. The dances have 10 or more different parts to them and they are really hard to remember. Although I could get each step individually, stringing them together was really difficult for me. I guess I should be glad that I didn't bump into anybody or step on any toes, but I'm sure that if I saw a video I would have looked pretty bad. Every once in a while our teacher would tell me "That's right" or "good job" but I think she was just trying to keep me from feeling bad. About the only thing I think I did well in was the stretches. My flexibility is really coming along, and an added benefit of all of these dance classes is I'm learning to improve my posture (I have always had a really bad slouch) without looking rigid or stuck up. By the end of the class I was sweating and breathing very hard. I would love to take three hours of dance in a row regularly, but simply don't have the time right now. However, I'm sure I'd be in a lot better shape if I did!

[JamieG]

I've had two more ballet classes since my last post. The first class left me feeling very down. I didn't do well, struggling through most of the combinations. I actually came home and thought to myself "What am I doing? I'm too old to learn ballet now. I'll never get it!" This week, however, was much better. The class was sparsely attended (perhaps due to the beautiful weather) and I got off to a good start. I think I did well with the warmups and only had a few minor snafus on the longer combinations at barre. I did okay in my center work, and even got the combination that I struggled with the previous week (see, you can teach an old dog new tricks!). But the most exciting thing is we're finally starting to learn pirouettes. We're just laying the foundations: how to spin in a circle and have it look like your head if facing forward almost the entire time (called spotting), but its a start. I was a mess, I could barely control my spin to keep from falling over, and the head thing just wasn't coming naturally, but rather than be upset with myself, I'll just keep practicing and I know I'll eventually get it.

I've always had a few friends in the class that I chat with before and after, but that night it seemed like many of the other ladies made an effort to be friendly and talk to me. It felt like I had broken some barrier and was being accepted even more than before. I'd like to imagine that I finally became just one of the girls.

The only downside to the whole night is that I had to drive down to DC for a business trip right after class. I didn't want to waste time, so I just pulled some sweats on over my gear and took off. It was late (the class is right after work) and the drive was tiring. I stopped at a BK for a dinner and felt a little self-conscious about being there in tights: especially around the teens that were hanging out and a pair of redneck guys. But I told myself, just act normal and no one will notice. It's not like they can see the tights anyway. No one paid me any attention, so I ate and got back on the road.

[JamieG]

After a two week hiatus, I started another session of ballet. The class was relatively small: maybe 16 people in total. That's 15 women age 20 to 65 and me. I felt like I did well. The teacher complimented me a number of times, but also gave some good corrections. She was especially pleased with my stretches: "Look how beautiful that is. Superb!" she said. All in all, the only thing I had trouble with was the final combination, which involves balances (a waltz step), temps lie (a small jump in place) back to balance, and a run into three grand jetes (leaps). For some reason, I couldn't get the feel for the jetes. However, at home I walked through it a little, and think that I can handle it if we repeat it next week.

I've continued to work on my splits at home. My side splits (each leg out to the side) are really good now. I can lean forward and put my forehead on the floor when in this position, I am so close with the front splits (one leg in front, one in back). If I put a small pillow under me, I can split down to the pillow and then lift my arms so that all of my weight is on the split for about 20 seconds. I'm hoping to be able to remove the pillow and go all the way to the floor (maybe one more inch) in the next few weeks.

[CamillaCD]

You do have short sessions! Mine are 14 weeks long. Right now we are having an Easter break. Also, I am not having classes this week because I want to have a doctor inform me what is going on in my left knee. It is not 100% ok. I hope I don't have to give up ballet.

How often do you practice your splits? I have come a long way since I started ballet, but mine are not as good as yours. It could be that only two/three times a week is not enough, or maybe I am just getting too old.

At least one of the girls know that I CD (I just told her after a class...). She has also seen pictures. She is cool with it, and has even asked me how my night out with my friends was.

[JamieG]

Hi Camilla,

Yes our sessions are too short: only 8 weeks each. That's about the only thing I don't like about our classes. I hope your knee gets better. That would be awful if you had to give ballet up.

I practice my splits whenever I can. We have a regular stretch routine in our weekly class that helps (although we never attempt splits in class). I do this same stretch and push my splits when I can fit them in: usually, when I get up (before everyone else in the house) and before I go to bed (after everyone else is asleep). I don't do a full stretch session though, which probably slows my progress. I was naturally flexible as a child (I used to be able to put one leg behind my head), so I think in my case, I'm just recovering lost flexibility of my youth.

That is cool that a classmate now knows about your CDing. So how was your night out with friends?

[busker]

I'm SO JEALOUS of all of u! Unfortunately, I can't pass the "under 60" barrier!

Here's a tip to all u prima ballerinas; DON'T go to see the Black Swan! Depressing ending! Plus, did she really learn to do all those moves herself? And, after being a pirate for so long?

funny you should ask. Here is the answer: "To gear up for her role as a professional ballerina in Black Swan, Natalie Portman trained with Mary Helen Bowers, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet and founder of the Ballet Beautiful fitness method. Here, Bowers dishes on how she prepped Portman for center stage."
She trained for a whole year. If you look up Bowers Ballet Beautiful on Google (which is what I was doing to see about toning exercises that DON'T build muscle), you will one gorgeous ballerina who looks a sweet 16, but is probably 30.

[CamillaCD]

Thanks Jamie, hopefully it is just an overworked muscle that needs some rest. I've got an appointment with a specialist this Thursday.

The night out was great. We try to do this every month. Meet at a bar, then dinner, followed by more pubs/bars. Some time ago we usually wound up at at lesbian place, but now it is more likely to be an ordinary place.

[JamieG]

I had a great class this week. Despite having a sore throat, things seemed to really click. I did pretty well at the barre, despite some fairly complex combinations, and once again got a great deal of compliments on my stretches. The center work was great. We started with pirouettes (rotating in place on the toes of one foot). I felt like I was really struggling but near the end of practicing them, our teacher said I had actually done one correctly. She said my spotting (making it look like your head is always facing the audience while you turn) was perfect. I didn't feel like I had nailed it, but its nice to have the encouragement. Maybe I'm not as bad as i thought. After this, we did a long series of changements and echappes (two types of jumps in place). We ended with grand jetes (running leaps). I usually struggle with timing and form on these, but once again our teacher said I had finally achieved one. Anyway, I've been pretty happy ever since, and just wanted to share.

[Felicity71]

I've now done two lessons in an adult beginners class that was for those who had never done any. The class was about 30 women and me. I stuck with conservative clothing, tights and some shorts. The second lesson I went with a biketard and singlet. I really enjoyed it although, due to the size of the class, it was a little too hard to perform all the moves. Being the only male, I could be mistaken but she seemed to want to get me to succeed and not be dispirited, and quit.
I've got strong calve muscles from continual use of treadmills, so I found it great to flex my legs

[CamillaCD]

My impression is that the teachers appreciate that males come to their classes. In one of the classes mine outright told me so. So continue to have fun Felicity. It is a challenging way to keep in shape.

I went to a specialist to get my knee examined. He concluded that the most likely cause for my problem was an irritation of something called Hoffa's pad. It explains all my knee problems since I was 20. For most the solution is to tape the knee in a special way. I have had 4 classes since and it does seem to help.

[JamieG]

I've now done two lessons in an adult beginners class that was for those who had never done any. The class was about 30 women and me. I stuck with conservative clothing, tights and some shorts. The second lesson I went with a biketard and singlet. I really enjoyed it although, due to the size of the class, it was a little too hard to perform all the moves. Being the only male, I could be mistaken but she seemed to want to get me to succeed and not be dispirited, and quit.
I've got strong calve muscles from continual use of treadmills, so I found it great to flex my legs

That's great Felicity! Yes, I've noticed that teacher tend to be very encouraging towards beginning males of any age. The ladies in my class (some of whom have been taking the class for 10+ years), say that our teacher always has longer classes when there's a male student.

I went to a specialist to get my knee examined. He concluded that the most likely cause for my problem was an irritation of something called Hoffa's pad. It explains all my knee problems since I was 20. For most the solution is to tape the knee in a special way. I have had 4 classes since and it does seem to help.

Glad to hear that the problem appears to be under control. Keep dancing!

[JamieG]

This past week I again took the jazz class as a makeup for missing a previous ballet class. This time, I felt pretty energized through the 3 hours of dancing, despite some serious work: for example, in ballet we had to do 32 changements twice in a row, and in Jazz we spent a good 30 minutes repeating a fast combination across the floor. The ballet class was quite small, only 10 of us, which as I've said before I like. I did really well at the barre, getting comments like "great work" and "beautiful" on my plies. Of course, not everything was perfect, and I got some helpful corrections particularly regarding keep my torso straight and above my legs at all times.

The jazz class was tough because I have trouble just doing single steps, and then when they're put together in combinations my brain goes all . I did the best I could, and enjoyed it despite my struggles. I really want to get good at it, because many of the moves make me feel very feminine, with cocking and/or rolling of the hips and slinky walks. One of my classmates asked if I was going to start taking both classes back-to-back, and I was like "I'd love to, but it's both a matter of being able to spare the time on a regular basis and the additional cost." I've got a wife and kids that I can't ignore while I pursue my dance dreams.

[Beverley Sims]

Just read that you have come out to someone in the class.
I am sure others must realise you are not the straightest male around and I would think they would still be accepting if they knew.
Most groups I have seen have effeminate males in the class and nobody pays any attention to them.They are accepted.
Keep it up and you may be a Rudolf Nuryiev one day. Margot Fonteyn wouldn't be bad either.

[JamieG]

Here's my latest update. Once again, we've started a new session of classes. There were quite a few people there, include one "other" male in tights. Since there were a lot of new students, the class was a back-to-basics class, but that is all good, because I can still use some brushing up on my technique. We got a great workout.

I also stayed for the Jazz class immediately afterwards. In anticipation I finally bought a pair of Jazz shoes so I can just slip them on over my tights after ballet (I also put a pair of shorts over my tights). In the past, I've dropped in on Jazz classes in the middle of a session, and have had trouble keeping up. This was easier for me, but I'm still at a level well below the rest of the class. Nevertheless, I hung in there. We learned a combo to about 8 bars of music, with different steps for each bar. This is really challenging, especially since I wasn't able to get some of the steps when we practiced them individually. We then repeated it for an entire song, then changed lines (front people moved to back and vice versa) and did it again. I was frequently off but able to quickly recover, and some steps were clearly wrong but I did a vague enough approximation to get through. I improved with repetition, and when I was on time with the rest of the class, it felt so great to be just one of the girls moving in unison. Jazz dance is so much fun! At the end of nearly 2.5 hours of straight dancing, I was sweating buckets, but I've never felt so energized.

When I got home, I attempted my front left splits (left leg straight forward, back leg straight behind) and was finally able to get my thighs flat on the floor. I could only hold it for a few seconds, but now I know I can do it and just need to keep stretching. Additionally, my front right splits aren't far behind; a little more work and I think I can get them to the same place. I can already do pretty good slide splits, as long as I have time to work into them (I can't go straight to a side split from a standing position). I believe I've mentioned this before, but it seems that ballet and splits have apparently improved my feminine gait, as I walked to work there was a certain bounce and sway that made me feel very girly.

That's all for now. To my fellow dancers, "Keep dancin'!"

[Taylor186]

Congrats on sticking with it and congrats on the amazing flexibility. We do the side split in one of the weekly yoga classes I take and my head is easily a foot (maybe a foot & a half) off the floor. I don't know how some make it to the floor. And, a front split ... forget about it.

[CamillaCD]

The class on this Monday is the last one in this year's summer school. I have already signed up for the next semester starting late in August. Hopefully I can muster up some self dicipline to continue practicing some of the moves I have learned.

[JamieG]

I took ballet and jazz back-to-back again. We ended the jazz class with stretches, including the side splits. Initially, I stuck my legs out as far as they go with no strain, and my teacher walked over and said "You can do better than that," and started pushing my legs further (but still not to 180 degrees). Then we leaned our torsos forward, and I got my head about three inches from the floor. The teacher told me to stay in place and had everyone else come over. She told me to take a breath and relax as I exhale, while she pushed me down another two inches. We did it again, and my legs slid out to a complete 180 and my nose and chest were flat on the floor. I heard gasps and "Wow!" and then the entire class broke out into applause. It was so cool! Although I knew I could do the splits, I hadn't shown anyone, and up until then, I had to go part way, re-adjust and try again. After class so many of the ladies told me how impressed they were and that they've never seen a guy do that before. One told me she was never able to do that, even when she was a little girl.

All in all, it was a good day. I did pretty well in both classes, only making occasional mistakes in my combinations. At one point, I noticed that many of the ladies in my ballet class were making more mistakes than me; one time I was doing it right and noticed three others do something different, and that threw me off. The jazz class was my best yet. There was nothing as complicated as the combination from last week, and we seemed to practice the steps more before performing them. I am very tempted to officially sign up for both classes next session.

I left class with a big smile on face and feeling very energized. I am becoming a bit obsessed with dance. If anyone knows of jobs for 40-something TG show girl, let me know. I would love to make a living dancing.

[SherriePall]

Let me add to that applause. Congratulations. Unfortunately, I know of no job openings for a T-girl dancer.

[Felicity71]

I love this thread, thats really amazing Jamie that you can do the splits, im not even close, its so hard to stretch
Im still doing intro to ballet 1, there are days when I get discouraged, trying to do the center work can be daunting especially when too many students blocking my view of the teachers legs. The class is usually only got me as one male, lol.

The picture is what I wear to class, usually a full length unitard and t shirt.

[JamieG]

I love this thread, thats really amazing Jamie that you can do the splits, im not even close, its so hard to stretch
Im still doing intro to ballet 1, there are days when I get discouraged, trying to do the center work can be daunting especially when too many students blocking my view of the teachers legs. The class is usually only got me as one male, lol.

Thanks, Felicity. I think it is natural to be discouraged, especially when you are just starting out. There seems to be a tendency for adult classes to not start at the beginning, so you have to piece things together the best you can. I've been dancing for 2.5 years now, and finally feel that I have suitable background to properly learn everything she teaches in the intro class. And I still get discouraged because sometimes I can't keep up. If your class is anything like mine, most people move towards the back during center work. I'll try to take a position in front and near the teacher, and use the mirror to watch what she's doing.

The picture is what I wear to class, usually a full length unitard and t shirt.

Nice outfit. I don't think I would be brave enough to wear a shirt that says "ballerinas" on it to class.

By the way, I was finally back in class after a one month hiatus due to vacation and business travel. It was nice to be back, but I found myself pushed to exhaustion by very fast-paced center work at the end of class. I made it, but just barely.

[Felicity71]

Ballerinas? the teacher smiled as she sold it to me, its a size 14 female. The school has a Repertoire workshop, The Romantic Era (Les Sylphide, Giselle) BYO skirt, either soft ballet shoes or pointe for those that have been doing pointe work. Im thinking do I bring a skirt if I do that class?

[JamieG]

Well, not exactly a saddle, although I suppose a grand plie in second looks kind of like riding a saddle...

Yes, after a month's hiatus I am back in a new session of ballet classes. It was great to catch up with many of the female friends I have made in class, and there were a lot of new faces, including two young men. Our teacher started class by placing people along the bar. She was remarking that one of the young men had beautiful legs and that she had been begging him to join a ballet class. She then said, "So I'll put him next to <my name>, who has the greatest legs in the world." I got really embarrassed as she kept going on about my legs. Early in the exercises, she asked if she could use me for a demonstration to the class, and afterwards remarked that I performed the movement beautifully. The class started out pretty easy (presumably for the beginners), but then she threw in some new difficult things like releves on one foot (i.e., standing on just the toes of the foot). The class ended with some fast-paced center work, and I really worked up a sweat. My muscles are still sore two days later. However, every time my muscles twinge, I am reminded that I am living my ballet dream.

[Barbara Ella]

Huzzah! for you girl. Keep living that dream. Of course, now you owe us another picture or two of those most fabulous legs, either in heels or points, your choice.

Hugs, Barbara

[joaniek]

Hi Jamie - that was a great compliment. I got a similar one in dance class a few years ago. "Nice legs under the tights - too bad you can't get off the floor." - thus my amateur status.

Look forward to following your season.

[Darla]

Hey Jaime

Just wondering if there's and adults doing points work at your school? I know it'd just be the ladies, and there has to be a certain mastery to pull off the pointe work, but I remember a long time ago when in college I took dance classes I had a goal to get to the pointe of where I could audit a points class.

Well - needless to say it didn't happen. But just wondering. There have been schools where the guys can take pointe if they're good enough. Usually the smaller noble guys.