On Tuesday my girlfriend and I went to a dance school in central London and took our very first ballet class together, something that my husband has encouraging me to do for a few weeks now. Throughout the morning before I researched blogs of new adult dancers, trying to make myself feel a little bit less nervous.
After rushing from work (the kind of rushing where I forgot my engagement ring at work after I took it off to do the washing up), I waited for the class to start outside the studio. I overheard some dancers, who wearing tights and proper leotards and looking very intimidating, talking about how they formerly dancer professionally, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was in the wrong place, even though it was the Adult Absolute Beginners class.
Once all 40 odd of us were allowed in and scurried to choose our places at the barre, I knew it was going to be okay when the teacher asked who was trying ballet for the first time. My friend and I raised our hands, and even though he separated us so we were in between more experienced students he did it with a joke that put us at ease.
I've historically had loads of issues with my feet (probably not helped by two bunion surgeries at age 21 and 24), and my toes cramp on their own a lot. So I really struggled with the barre exercises because of my toes cramping and wanting to stay curled up in a point when I was supposed to be extending and 'sweeping' the floor during tendus.
It was immensely fun, and one of the most difficult things I've ever tried.That made me love it more - I have a history of getting extremely bored and dropping activities that come easily to me, especially as a child (hello tennis, gymnastics, and guitar).
I loved the french words for everything - tendus, plies and demi-plies, ronde de jambes. I loved the feeling of accomplishing a releve on demi point without the barre and holding it for a few moments - a tiny victory.
I can't wait to go back and am going to make a huge effort to go at least two out of the three times its offered per week.
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