I went to ballet yesterday, to make up for missing last Thursday, and the class was on the second day of learning the Spanish hot chocolate dance from the Nutcracker. Seeing as I've never danced a single step from the Nutcracker (or any other full length ballet), I was SUPER excited until we began going over choreography and...
I sucked. (Pardon my French).
I soon remembered my Greatest Weakness in ballet: I can't memorize dance combinations quickly enough to perform in class. I always end up wondering if I have a learning disability or something.
Here is a glimpse into my brain during Spanish chocolate:
Waltz turn, waltz turn. Balancé, soutenu, pirouette, and balancé again...WAIT! Why is everyone one step ahead of me?! Oh, I should probably be listening to the music, shouldn't I? This is DANCING class, after all. What now? Run? Attitude saute? Arabesque? Drag my feet dramatically twice, and then some step I've never seen before...Twice. Pique pas de bouree. Now pause in Spanish-y looking pose with hands on right hip. Run off stage. Do I really have to come back? SIGH. Now pique turn 3x and form a circle at center stage with the other dancers. WHAT? Everyone is dancing in a circle? How does one dance in a circle? I can only move in a straight line. Force of habit? Ack! And WHAT are they all doing NOW?
...I'm not entirely sure what happened during or after the circle. I can't remember.
I have terrible memorization skills. In college, my German teacher was always infuriated by me, because when she taught a new concept, I could never remember enough of the rules to apply the grammar immediately. I stayed up all night studying for my exams, because to remember enough information to make a decent grade, I had to read through my notes for 12 hours straight. And don't even get me started on how much time it took me to memorize poetry for English. I'm still bitter. (I also tend to wait to the last minute but that's another story).
In ballet, I have the same problem with memorizing but combine this with the fact that I have difficulty telling left from right and you have one Spanish chocolate DISASTER.
After class, I may have cried.
But you want to know what's crazy? I still want to add the Tuesday class to my schedule! And ask my teacher for a private lesson, in which we go over the choreography! Not that I have the money for that sort of thing, but that's what I want! I want to be Spanish chocolate!
Get it? Nutcracker? Nutty? Anyway.
Such are the woes of being an adult beginner in ballet.
(Top photo by Insidious Plots; Second by Renato Ganozo)
I'm sorry about class, but I need to know when you're going to share that mug of hot chocolate. Looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteAww, don't feel too bad about the dancing. Practice makes perfect, after all!
ReplyDeleteIf you ever get the chance to try it someday, Colombian hot chocolate is very delicious.
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with Nutcracker rehearsals myself, so I understand how you feel. But don't worry we'll get through it!
ReplyDeleteaw im sorry it was rough.. :( you will get there.
ReplyDeleteand that hot chocolate looks yum!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteDespite the troubles you had in class, the good thing is that there will be the next class with a new chance :) And oh how jealous I am... for you guys get to really do some coreography, proper one I mean (not only short snippets as grand/petit allegro etc.). In 2 of my ballet schools there are Christmas "shows", but our adult ballet classes aren't prepairing anything.
So I give you thumbs up for courage @ next class!! :)
Ugh, I know what you mean about the forgetting thing. Unless the material was second-nature to me (like grammar), I often didn't do very well on tests where I had to read notes and books and remember it all. I'm glad that you want to keep up that class despite your frustrations :)
ReplyDeleteIf you really are in The Nutcracker (which is the impression I'm getting), then I'd have one more reason to go see it if I lived near you ;)
had the same german teacher. and she had the same problems with me. BUT you were smarter...
ReplyDeleteremember, she made it a point to tell me that she would have remembered me if i had been smarter.
oh well. love you!
ps.you are spanish chocolate to me!
That picture at the top looks amazingly delicious. I so feel the frustration of being crap at memorization! Sorry you didn't have a very good day, I'm sure it'll get better with practice, though! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by my blog a few days ago! :)
Sarah the Writer, these dances are for an in studio performance--I'm not dancing in the Nutcracker. I only wish!!!
ReplyDeleteLizzie, I remember that! So funny. And thanks. :) Love you, too!!!
ReplyDeleteKeep working on it! I found the best way to memorize steps is to say it out loud (or in your head) with the music. Say it as if you were doing it on the count of the music. Pretty soon you'll remember the words that go with the sound, and then you'll remember the dancing. it becomes muscle memory later ;)
ReplyDeletelol, You can do it! Just keep practincing
ReplyDelete