Yesterday, I started ballet class! I was enthralled by the absolute passion it evoked in me. Just as Degas' paintings show (my favourite above), ballet is elegant, graceful and passionate, but added to that his texture and sometimes harsh strokes demonstrate the absolute agony and pain ballerinas need to endure to produce that final product!I was reminded of this again, as I assembled with a few other odd-bods (some middle-aged women, some children with bandy, skinny legs ) for our class. Being the tallest and fattest in my class, I chuckled remiscing about the days when I was the short and skinny one: ideal to play all the girl parts in plays. If we were to put on a show now, I thought I would have to take on the boy part for sure. Jeanne and Caryn would laugh at this idea, as they always hated being the tall ones! :) Nevertheless, donned in my baggy gym 3/4 pants and a pink cheap Korean t-shirt,I embraced the next 40minutes of pure pleasure(well sort of)! Entranced in the idea of doing ballet again, I realised I was rather disillusioned about how good I thought I was and I began to question how good I ever really was. The petite little figures dressed in pink tutus, leotards and stockings across the room at the other barre looked all clumsy and awkward and perhaps I was that bad too when I was little. I discarded this idea and consoled myself on the fact that these little girls had only ever done taekwondo as a form of exercise and hence their rather unballetic style. :) HAHA!
Needless to say I was shocking too, but I loved it! The dubbed music on the cd player tinkered melodically across the room, as our elegant, beautiful teacher seemed to glide like a swan on a lake, across the dance floor. The points, the plies, the grand plies, eleves, the jumps and the arabesques were wonderful! I always loved porte-bras the most, and decided I still did. :) At one point, when we doing our arabesques I went completely cock-eyed and almost went hurtling into a small innocent Korean child. How I laughed! Also being the only foreigner I was given a lot of attention, as the teacher would shout out various english words every now and then just to make me feel welcome, which I thought was kind. Although, I was impressed with my understanding of "yepayo" (beautiful) and "han, deul, set, net"(counting) and "shija"(start)!
It was magical. At one point I even had to hold back a tear that was forming. Silly isn't it? But sometimes, there are just things you love doing and are passionate about for reaosns that are inexplicable.
I cannot wait for next week, when my ballet shoes will arrive (size 245)! Here's to hoping they have my size! And until then, I will try and get rid of these awful cramps I have!
