I Miss It

I miss dancing. 

A lot. 

It's hard to imagine that I'll ever really be able to dance again, even though I know I will. I can't wait to be back in ballet class. I can't wait to use my muscles again. I can't wait to jump and turn and use every second of the music. I can't wait to do slow tendus and feel every muscle in my legs and feet working. 

I've had too much time on my hands today, and have spent a fair amount of time looking through photos and watching videos of when I was (finally) thin enough to feel good about myself. I sure hope I'll be able to get that way again after this baby is born. Knowing that it was possible before will make it more reachable after. 

I hope.

As a relatively new teacher, I often think about why I love ballet so much, 

and about how I can help my students develop a love and appreciation for the art form. 

Honestly, I don't have the build for ballet. I don't really care for classical ballet and tutus. I don't like having to dance perfectly in unison with someone else. 

I really like the look of pointe shoes, but I don't really like how they feel. 

I love to be grounded, expressive, and I love bare feet. 

I love feeling comfortable in my body instead of 1000 lbs heavier than everyone else.

I love being labeled as a strong dancer. A technical dancer. 

For these reasons I love modern and contemporary dance. 

But ballet is my first love.

Without ballet I would not have the control that I have over all of my muscles. 

Modern dance doesn't give you that.

That's why all great modern dancers were (usually) ballet dancers first.

That's why all great dancers (usually) train in ballet. 

Ballet allows me to tune out the world and focus on precision and perfection.

Obviously perfection is impossible, but the little successes along the way make it worth the journey.

Ballet is about music. 

There's nothing better than being able to find individuality through musicality.

Ballet teaches discipline.

A concept that most of my college students don't understand.

Ballet trains the mind. 

You have to think quickly. You have to solve problems.

Ballet is beautiful, 

Well trained ballet dancers have incredible facilities. 

Ballet teaches perseverance. 

It takes years to really be able to dance well.

Ballet teaches cleanliness and simplicity.

Clean lines. Clean hair. Clean clothing. No junk. 

Ballet teaches individual hard work. 

No matter who your teacher is, progress is an individual decision. 

Ballet teaches patience. 

Training for anything takes time and patience. You can't run a race without training. 

You can't be a ballet dancer without training. Patience is key. 

In short, I feel blessed to have had such wonderful parents, teachers and friends, 

who allowed me to develop my love of ballet. 

I'm grateful for teachers who patiently taught me correct technique, 

which has given me so much freedom in my dancing. 

Ah, I can't wait!

Counting down the days. . .

Marianela Nunez, Royal Ballet (Incredible control and technique)

(I love this video because it shows how detailed a ballet class is...

and also how incredible male dancers are)

(Baryshnikov = Incredible)