First Class and Summer Intensives

Hello again! As I said in my last post, I attended my first ever ballet class last night and I've decided that, because it was such a good experience, I'll share it with you all! I thought my first class would be nerve-wracking, embarrassing, and a total mess but it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.

My classes were held about twenty-five minutes away, so I left a good forty-five minutes in advance- and I was still just on time! Classes were held in this strange little church/parish center and it wasn't ideal for ballet. They had no barres so we used stacked-up chairs and the room was curved, making things a little bit difficult.  The floor was also hard tile, which I don't think is good for the joints but we have to make do. I wandered into this class and was instantly worried- it was full of ten and eleven year olds, all wearing their little pink ballet slippers and tights with navy blue leotards and I was there in black running leggings and a faded black t-shirt. They all looked so perfect and ready to dance with their bags slung over their shoulders and their stacks of chairs already claimed- I felt incredibly out of place! Thankfully, a few girls my age turned up and made me feel very welcome and allowed to to stand between them in line and follow along with them.

As I'm only sixteen, my mother had to come with me to sign me up and we looked very out of place among these practiced ballet girls! After I'd been introduced to the ballet teacher (as a girl by my mother, who still thinks I'm questioning rather than trans), we started barre and I was, surprisingly, able to keep up! I've been practicing ballet at home with the Royal Ballet's daily class from the 2014 World Ballet Day- somehow, I'd picked up the techniques necessary to survive in an Intermediate RAD class! I'll put the link at the bottom of the post.

 Centre was odd, to say the least. I was able to keep up leg-wise but when it came to my arms... they were in all the wrong places. I know all of the arm positions, but there's a difference between knowing where to put them and actually putting them there! In the end I did alright and allegro wasn't as difficult as I had expected. All we were doing were very small jumps and changements, very simple. I felt a little bit odd doing my jumps as I was already the tallest person there by far- I just hopped far higher than the others! Luckily enough, I went to talk to the teacher after class about doing the boy's exam and learning the boy's movements, and she was able to tell me that jumps will need to be higher for me anyway- so no worries there!

I felt really welcomed and at home at the class and I honestly can't wait to go back again next week- I'm already thinking about taking another weekly class as soon as I can afford it! I'm going to keep working the the Royal Ballet's class alongside the corrections my teacher has given me and I hope that will be enough to see me progress to a reasonable standard for Summer Intensive auditions. Does anyone know what the best Summer Intensives for inexperienced dancers are, or some that would be happy to take me? I'm really looking for something in Ireland or the UK, but I could do California, USA or New York also, depending on the kindness of family.

 Again, tips are appreciated and motivation is adored- I would love to hear from you guys! Tell me your ballet story and we can help each other out!

-Sam

Royal Ballet Class (2014 World Ballet Day): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNQWyWuvz_U