One (Pointed) Step At A Time

So tonight the intermediate class (my normal class) got thrown into the advanced class, because both of the classes were really small. The guest teacher was really fun, but also very demanding. Very loud, telling us to smile and then calling someone out for not doing something right. In the middle of center he called out to me 

"You're killing me! You. Are. Killing. Me!" 

me: EEEEEEeeeeeeh EEEEeeeeeeEEEEEEeeeeh 
him: "Look at your beautiful feet!"
me: Not so bad! He is complimenting me! Yes YES YES!
him: "And you are wasting them! You aren't pointing your feet!"
me: eeeeeeeeh, shoot.... 
him: "If I had had feet like yours, I would have been famous. I have ugly feet. Now use those beautiful feet. Show me how you point your toes. The WHOLE foot! Point!"
me: toe cramp!
him: "Do that every time!"

This was in front of the entire class by the way, AND to make it even more mortifying the director and some company members were in the class! YIKES. 

But, he was right! I could point my toes harder, I can jump higher, I can spin faster and balance longer! The only way to get better is to push just a little bit past the "safe" zone of familiar. I have the facilities to be a dancer, but I still have to work to become a ballerina! :) And, people, I know that I'm not going to be a REAL ballerina, but I can at least feel like one! I never feel so beautiful as when I nail a combination. 


ANYWAYS, after technique class, the intermediate girls went into the smaller room for pointe class. I feel like I am getting more comfortable back on my pointe shoes, but I'm not super confident. I need to remember to hold my body and pull up out of the shoes. We started with a really short bar and when to center. It was another small class so the instructor would watch each of us in turn after a combination to correct individual mistakes. I always need to relax my shoulders and arms. 

THEN! We tried the Four Little Swans variation from Swan Lake, except we only had three little swans. We held hands and everything! Boy, those little hops are fast! It was fun though. We got almost the whole way through holding hands, until we let go during the last set of echappes.