Birthday at the Barre

This is a much different barre scene than some of my previous birthdays.

Swan Cake

Today is Black Swan's birthday. I can't tell you what number this is, because a swan never reveals her true age. We will be celebrating this auspicious occasion tonight at the barre.

You can send any gifts or well-wishes to: Swan Lake; c/o White Swan. I'll make sure she gets them. The big ticket item on her list this year is a unicorn. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her!!!

~White Swan

I'm a ballerina!!

I officially became a ballerina today. No, I didn't pass any tests or get drafted into the corps. But I enrolled in our school. Which was a big step for me. I have been attending classes a little more sporadically than I would have liked lately - both because of work and other dance-related events. My hula halau had our annual ho'ike this past weekend (sort of like a recital, I guess). Leading up to that, there was a lot of practice and more than a bit of stress. Now with that in the rear view mirror, I felt like I could take this next step. Now I'm accountable. I can't just decide not to go to class because I don't feel like it. After I handed my check in, I proudly said "Now I'm a ballerina!". Of course Black Swan laughed at me (as did our teacher). But I looked it up, and I'm actually not wrong. The online dictionary has the second definition of ballerina as: "any female ballet dancer". So, there. I AM a ballerina. Now, if anyone needs me I will be shopping for tutus and tiaras.

~White Swan

Overheard at the barre

No, ladies and gentlemen, the White Swan has not died. Although the Black Swan might murder me in my sleep if I don't write a blog. So, in order to avoid what would most likely be a gruesome and untimely death, I present for your consideration: a new blog post.

Overheard at the barre:

WS: How long have we been taking class?
BS: About three months.
WS: I think I'm actually getting worse.
BS: Me too.

Overheard in the changing room after class:

BS: Oh shit, I forgot I wasn't wearing any underwear under my leotard (as she undresses and flashes her cash & prizes)
WS: You might want to leave your leotard on to go to the store then.
BS: Good point.

White Swan

Coming soon to a blog stream near you: the ballet bump.

The Vertical Barre

Our ballet studio is above a strip club.
It's nice to know that dancers have options.

Triple Threat

I pulled off a triple threat this week. Not by singing, dancing & acting well, but by threatening to make a real ass of myself three times this week at ballet class.

White Swan missed Tuesday's class because of work. It was relatively uneventful but brought up a growing pet peeve of mine; wearing t-shirts in ballet class. I have been the fluffiest person in every class and I squeeze myself into a leotard and tights and not due to a lack of self consciousness or an amazing body image. It's so the teacher & I can see what I'm doing because I genuinely want to improve at this. Those skinny chicks need to lose the t-shirts or I'm gonna steal their part in Swan Lake.

Thursday's class kicked the swan's tail feathers. We had a substitute teacher and she was tough. We are adult beginners, lady, not retired prima-b's.

Saturday classes are our favorite. It's less crowded, the sun is streaming through the studio windows and instead of dealing with the aftermath of a day at work, we have the weekend ahead of us. I love lining up at the barre at 9 am and hearing a ripple of knees cracking down the barre as we go into our first grand plié. It is an adult ballet class, after all.

- Black Swan

Gluttons for Punishment

So, I'm going to go ahead and start this blog post with a double apology. First, I want to apologize for the swans' extended absence. Black Swan migrated to a land far, far away and while she was gone, I just got plain old lazy. I mean, let's face it, Black Swan is the funny one in this duo. And the organized one. And the motivated writer. Which brings me to my second apology - I will go ahead and say I'm sorry in advance for what I'm assuming will be a disjointed flow of ideas, not unlike brain diarrhea. Ok, I have to apologize for that terrible metaphor. Which makes 3 apologies. In one paragraph. We are off to a good start!

Anyway, the swans attended their first class together last Saturday (we each had attended one solo class). And man, were we out of shape! I mean, I know it's much easier to lose ground in dance or exercise than it is to gain it, but this felt like our first class all over again. During barre, we did relevés on one foot. By the end of the combination, neither of us could get more than half way up over our toes. And our grand battements were anything but. And don't get me started on the chainé turns. No really, don't!

But, we had fun (as usual). Taking a moment in between each exercise to laugh at ourselves and regain at least a tiny bit of composure before beginning the next masochistic combination. And we'll be back twice a week for more punishment.

~White Swan