Back to Basics: Why I Still Take Beginner Classes
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| Kate practicing 4th Port de Bras with Épaulement |
Back to Basics
A Surprise Beginner Class
This year, I took advantage of the first week of school to head over to the School of International Ballet, a local studio here in Redlands, California that I'd recently discovered.
The Wednesday Adult Ballet class was taught by Ms. Barbara, a founding member of Ballet West (and retired psychologist, according to my classmate, Jennifer). It was a lovely class, with only one other student that day, and it was nice to be back in a studio with space to move and a bit of an audience, both of which always motivate me.
Jennifer and Barbara both warned me before class began that it was intended for beginners. I suppose they could tell by how I carried myself and walked confidently to the barre that this was not my first time in a ballet studio. They encouraged me to come back on Thursday or Friday for Intermediate Adult Ballet. I noted their recommendations and settled in, ready to enjoy dancing in a studio and going back to basics.
A couple hours later, I emerged from class feeling great. The slow pace had been a perfect opportunity to retrain my muscles, focus on details, and find my center.
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Beginner Classes at Home
The next morning, I came into my home ballet studio inspired to keep working on basics. (I'm fortunate to have a small room that my family and I dedicate to dance and exercise. But really, you can train basic ballet in a variety of home spaces.)
I started my practice with Find Your Center's 12-minute Lesson on Lateral Breathing, working my abdominal and intercostal muscles while focusing on posture and breath. That gave me a technique focus to bring with me as I moved into barre.
Then I took a 30-minute Beginning Demi-Plié Class, which offers thorough explanations of how to do Demi-Plié in the five basic positions. That's it. Nice and simple. Since Demi-Plié is the foundation and power source for all ballet movements, I find it worthwhile to go back to this class now and then.
Extra Explanation, Extra Practice
Following Along
One thing about beginning classes is that the instructor spends lots of time explaining things. As a student, I use that explanation time to keep myself moving and practicing.
It's a general rule of ballet training (as well as language teaching, and other disciplines), that the teacher wants you to put their explanations and feedback into practice immediately.
If you're in a beginning class and the instructor is explaining how to do something, they want to see you do it while they explain. This allows the instructor to see if you're understanding and to adapt the class to their students' needs. Even if the explanation seems basic and you don't think you need the extra practice, it helps the instructor and other students, and might also help you, if you follow along with the explanations to demonstrate your understanding.
Practicing On Your Own
When I take a beginning class, I practice the details being taught, and also add complexities for myself if I need an extra challenge.
When I took my Demi-Plié class at home, I added Port de Bras, Relevé, Tendu, and Degagé between combinations. It was a great workout, leaving me feeling both strong and limber at the end of the 30 minutes.
When you take online classes at home, you can of course adapt the exercises however you'd like. But what about at the local studio, when you're together with your classmates and teacher?
Just as teachers like to see you practicing what they teach, they also like to see you practicing, period. As long as you pay attention and are careful not to distract other students, it's generally acceptable and encouraged to practice on your own during down time between exercises. If you have any doubts about what kind of in-class practice and adaptations your teacher is comfortable with, you can always ask. Most Adult Ballet teachers are happy to talk with students about their expectations for class etiquette.
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