A Grade Three Ballet Class

I pull my ballet shoes on, after slipping my orthodics into them and answering questions as to what they are. Wearing my shoes, leotard and tights, I walk into studio one, which over looks a road. I take a wistful glance at the box of pointe shoes in the corner awaiting September, then I take my place at the bar. Miss Amy, the teacher starts the music.

We do tondues and plies, all basic exercises, but requiring constant attention to all parts of the body at all times. Is my leg straight? Am I sickling? Et cetera et cetera, et cetera. I find a problem with my turn-out, and correct it. I, as well as Miss Amy, am my teacher.

 

The music for grande battments (grand bat-MAWS) plays. I kick my pointed foot as high as it can go without losing my posture to the front and to the side. I have to watch that I don’t kick my friend Rebecca. When I throw up my leg to the back, I hear a noise. BANG! I turn around, seeing that I hit the fan behind me. Having legs that can stretch high up has its disadvantages.

Beats are one of the last exercises, and my favorite bar. I jump, kick my leg in front of the other, then in back. These are also done in the center. With a little practice, these are easy, but they can drain your strength.

After bar, we stretch. I stretch, lowering myself down the length of the bar to the right. It feels good. Then I turn to stretch the other way. Hold it! Can’t do it! My friend Rebecca is sharing the bar with me, and she is stretching to the right. She is very tall, and can go farther than I down the bar. With myself going to the left, and her going to the right, we would bump into each other, and find ourselves both on the ground.

Then we do exercises in the middle of the room. Pirouettes are hard, and only occasionaly do I actually do an acceptable one. But almost everyone in my class has a hard time with these, and Miss Amy lets us work at it with no corrections, only pointers.

Next in class there are jumps, and these are fast and high. They seem to drag on forever. We start the second-to-last last exercise of the day. my calves ache from previous jumps, still I must jump on one leg. “Higher, Sarah, higher!” Miss Amy calls, but I am doing my best. “Jump, jump, jump.” She yells. My calves burn. “Don’t stop!” I’ll try not to. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see Alex watching me. Mom is standing above him, watching. My calves don’t burn so badly, and I have the energy to compete the exercise. I jump a little higher, then I finish the exercise in plie with the rest of the class.

Finally, I gratefully end the class with a bow. Though I am exhausted in every area of my body, I stand tall as I touch the floor of the studio with my hand, then raise it up into a beautiful finishing position of e carte (AY-cartAY.)