Settling in

I have just finished the first two weeks of classes at Ballet West, and am glad to say it is going well so far! We have only had 4 or 5 hours of classes per day, so a nice gentle start. Although every day included a 90-minute ballet class, we have only done barre work, in fact the first week's ballet consisted only of plies and tendus- it's fascinating to go right back to the basics and really refine the fundamental aspects of our technique. Our ballet teacher Daniel Job is excellent at explaining exactly how to do each movement, focussing upon the physical sensation of the movement. He puts a lot of emphasis on posture and flat turnout, which has already helped me to see a change in my physique, as we develop a 'ballet body'. In addition, we have studied pointe, jazz, contemporary, pilates, choreography, conditioning, RAD and pas de deux. I particularly enjoyed the pas de deux class, as it's something I hadn't studied previously- I partnered a 3rd-year boy named Owen, who was excellent at instinctively knowing exactly how to get me on balance and to relax so that the movements looked effortless! I thought that promenades in arabesque en pointe would be quite difficult, but Owen helped me to feel secure in the movement and strongly hold the arabesque.
I also enjoyed the choreography classes; our first assessment is in October, we have to choreograph a duet for 2 dancers, but it has to be modern contemporary, rather than ballet, which will be quite a challenge! We are learning a variety of choreographic techniques though which will definitely be useful.
I think the best part about being here is feeling that I belong- being in the studio by 7.30 each morning, to warm up for 8am class doesn't feel like a chore, but rather a privilege; we are so lucky to be taught by amazing teachers, and to be dancing practically all day every day! Being in the highlands of Scotland does feel a million miles away from the big cities, but at the same time its as if i've stepped through a portal into a parallel universe where the world revolves around ballet! Perfect!!!