There was this trial class yesterday in H. I was tired and nervous. When I got there everything was still closed. Then the lady I had spoken to on the phone came, Maria Park. She let us in. The Studio is cluttered. An apple-shaped, blowsy woman was with her. She was very nice to me, but she smelled. Then a few more people turned up. Most of them have a good figure. Nobody was wearing correct attire or a bun. All of them are maybe between forty and sixty, I'd say.
The teacher had an East European accent. She was just a substitute. Even before class she began correcting the apple woman and me, and giving tips. She told us to do a relevé in parallel, then a plié. She said Pilates was good and important. She was very nice. Then everybody was there and the class began.
The combinations were not too difficult, and beautiful. I was quite good and got lots of praise. At one point during jetés the teacher stood next to me and placed my head and arm. During grands battements on my good side she praised me a lot, she even nudged me to make sure I realised it. During stretches she corrected my head in the arabesque.
In the centre I still did quite well, too. In the adagio the arms were a little unfamiliar for me, but it was easier than with Franka. For tendus we had the poses éffacé and écarté, and pas de bourrée en tournant too, through the whole class. In between, there were some embarrassing scuttling steps with exaggerated port de bras. Some ladies gave themselves up to the music, beaming. I couldn't do that. Hey, I have clean technique instead. Then pirouettes, which I couldn't do. I tried a few. Then came piqués and chainés, which I tried as well, but couldn't do them and stopped. But the teacher didn't leave me for long, she took me and the apple woman, who was much worse than me except for turns, by the hand and did the combination with us. In the end there was a port de bras and a révérence. Then everyone applauded for a very long time.
After class the teacher was hugging and kissing everybody. She also told me I'd been good, several times! Then we were in the tram together. I was talking to the apple woman. Apparently the others were talking about me to the teacher in the meantime, because she turned to me and said I had done well and "one can see that you know".
Conclusion: It was much easier than expected, actually a good level for me, to challenge me a little. The people are very nice. If it works financially I will certainly go there again some time. I have to look how it works out with time during the semester, whether I can stay with Franka twice a week. If not, this is certainly an alternative. Much better than the opera or Mic.!
The teacher was genius! She teaches at the opera, had just been at a dress rehearsal and said she had to rehearse Swan Lake next month in Serbia. From that I gather that she is well qualified. And she wasn't snobbish or anything, she taught us recreational students seriously and treated us affectionately. Unfortunately, this teacher doesn't substitute often. The normal teacher does it differently, but Maria said it wasn't necessarily more difficult. I'll look up her name on the opera website. Mina K. Studied in St.Petersburg! And Sarajevo. Primaballerina and teacher. Wow. Wow, I got praise from an ex-primaballerina!!!! Wheeeeee!!!! I'm sooooo happy right now!
It was sooo worth it to go, to try it! Am I glad I didn't shirk!
(This entry was translated from German. I tried to stay as close to the original as possible, so it may sound a little strange.)
The teacher had an East European accent. She was just a substitute. Even before class she began correcting the apple woman and me, and giving tips. She told us to do a relevé in parallel, then a plié. She said Pilates was good and important. She was very nice. Then everybody was there and the class began.
The combinations were not too difficult, and beautiful. I was quite good and got lots of praise. At one point during jetés the teacher stood next to me and placed my head and arm. During grands battements on my good side she praised me a lot, she even nudged me to make sure I realised it. During stretches she corrected my head in the arabesque.
In the centre I still did quite well, too. In the adagio the arms were a little unfamiliar for me, but it was easier than with Franka. For tendus we had the poses éffacé and écarté, and pas de bourrée en tournant too, through the whole class. In between, there were some embarrassing scuttling steps with exaggerated port de bras. Some ladies gave themselves up to the music, beaming. I couldn't do that. Hey, I have clean technique instead. Then pirouettes, which I couldn't do. I tried a few. Then came piqués and chainés, which I tried as well, but couldn't do them and stopped. But the teacher didn't leave me for long, she took me and the apple woman, who was much worse than me except for turns, by the hand and did the combination with us. In the end there was a port de bras and a révérence. Then everyone applauded for a very long time.
After class the teacher was hugging and kissing everybody. She also told me I'd been good, several times! Then we were in the tram together. I was talking to the apple woman. Apparently the others were talking about me to the teacher in the meantime, because she turned to me and said I had done well and "one can see that you know".
Conclusion: It was much easier than expected, actually a good level for me, to challenge me a little. The people are very nice. If it works financially I will certainly go there again some time. I have to look how it works out with time during the semester, whether I can stay with Franka twice a week. If not, this is certainly an alternative. Much better than the opera or Mic.!
The teacher was genius! She teaches at the opera, had just been at a dress rehearsal and said she had to rehearse Swan Lake next month in Serbia. From that I gather that she is well qualified. And she wasn't snobbish or anything, she taught us recreational students seriously and treated us affectionately. Unfortunately, this teacher doesn't substitute often. The normal teacher does it differently, but Maria said it wasn't necessarily more difficult. I'll look up her name on the opera website. Mina K. Studied in St.Petersburg! And Sarajevo. Primaballerina and teacher. Wow. Wow, I got praise from an ex-primaballerina!!!! Wheeeeee!!!! I'm sooooo happy right now!
It was sooo worth it to go, to try it! Am I glad I didn't shirk!
(This entry was translated from German. I tried to stay as close to the original as possible, so it may sound a little strange.)
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