Don Q Rehearsals. Learning how to use capes in dance, etc.
The men performing the piece from Don Q
Photos from Mens Class
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Photos from the NGB Summer Intensive
Don Q Rehearsals. Learning how to use capes in dance, etc.The men performing the piece from Don Q
Photos from Mens Class
It's been too long since I posted
Waay too long. I have been pretty busy and I guess living life gets in the way of writing about it. Anyways. Where was I?
Before I went to the Patel Conservatory for the summer, I took a couple classes in Washington Dc, first with Kee Juan Han (the man who taught David Hallberg) at Washington Ballet, and then at the Kirov Academy. The first was a good experience, although I was completely disorganized. My ballet shoes didn't fit properly and kept falling off. My tights had no elastic sewn in and were held up purely with an external one, and were blue. my t-shirt was baggie, my hair was too long and though my attitude was good, my attire was such that I felt thoroughly embarassed. Still, I had a great class with Kee Juan Han and he invited me to attend his variations class. I had never been to a variations class before, but I had recently gotten to "understudy" Blue Bird in Sleeping Beauty and so it was lucky that it was the variation we were to learn. I watched as children a year or two younger wiped the floor with me and I got a reality check. I had to catch up. I had no technique yet. I had potential. Kee Juan Han said that if I were to attend, I would be in the junior level, not pre professional. This made me a little sad because I was expecting to be pre professional. But looking back, he was right. I'm not pre professional yet. I do need this year to catch up. Like I said, I got a reality check.
My class at the Kirov was a completely different experience. I had my attire a little more figured out as it was the next day. I did not have the problem with my shoes. None the less, the experience seemed negative while I was there. The class was three hours long (for those who don't know, the average ballet class is an hour and a half). An hour of barre, an hour of center work, and an hour of jumping. You balanced for as long as the teacher told you, and I was standing next to a boy who was also named Michael Hill and so recieving corrections was confusing. Almost all of the boys were older than me, but they were all amazing. They were strong, and had very good technique. I enjoyed the class, but if I'm honest, I was watching the clock for the last hour and a half. I hurt everywhere and all I wanted to do was lay down. Still, proud and competitive that I am, I made myself try my hardest the whole time.
My day in DC left me tired, insecure, inspired, and challenged. While I was stressed at the time, I came away from the experience with the knowledge that two of the hardest days of dance of my life had not killed me. This was reassuring beyond measure.
The day came when I flew to Tampa to the Patel Conservatory for the Next Generation Ballet Summer Intensive. It was one of the best experiences of my life. It's true that when I did the summer program at Ithaca Ballet, I saw a good deal of improvement. Summer programs have that effect. Something about the longer hours and the change in pace makes it easier to make leaps in technique. But the Next Generation Ballet intensive was fantastic. We trained under Peter Stark, Julio Montano, Ivonne Lemus, Richard Sias, Glenn Owens, Jeffrey and Lia Cirio, and many other teachers throughout the intensive. On the weekends we went to amusement parks and the beach and stayed in "dorms" at the hotel across the street from Patel every night (I'd like to take the time to mention my roomate Elijah. We had a great time, and motivated each other to work on pushups, situps, and splits in the evening). Technique, stretch, partnering, contemporary, jazz, variations, mens, and other classes were available, as well as rehearsals for the end of summer performance. I got to perform alongside Simon Wexler and Jeffrey and Lia Cirio. Seeing what real professionals danced like was an experience beyond description.
Naturally, after such an experience, I wanted to go to the Patel Conservatory year round. But there was a lot to figure out.
I have to go now as the day's beginning. Tonight I am performing in the Indian Festival, in front of Dr. Pallavi Patel (namesake of the Patel Conservatory). I am performing in the corps of Spanish from our Imperial Nutcracker as well as in a contemporary piece choreographed by Glenn Owens.
Before I went to the Patel Conservatory for the summer, I took a couple classes in Washington Dc, first with Kee Juan Han (the man who taught David Hallberg) at Washington Ballet, and then at the Kirov Academy. The first was a good experience, although I was completely disorganized. My ballet shoes didn't fit properly and kept falling off. My tights had no elastic sewn in and were held up purely with an external one, and were blue. my t-shirt was baggie, my hair was too long and though my attitude was good, my attire was such that I felt thoroughly embarassed. Still, I had a great class with Kee Juan Han and he invited me to attend his variations class. I had never been to a variations class before, but I had recently gotten to "understudy" Blue Bird in Sleeping Beauty and so it was lucky that it was the variation we were to learn. I watched as children a year or two younger wiped the floor with me and I got a reality check. I had to catch up. I had no technique yet. I had potential. Kee Juan Han said that if I were to attend, I would be in the junior level, not pre professional. This made me a little sad because I was expecting to be pre professional. But looking back, he was right. I'm not pre professional yet. I do need this year to catch up. Like I said, I got a reality check.
My class at the Kirov was a completely different experience. I had my attire a little more figured out as it was the next day. I did not have the problem with my shoes. None the less, the experience seemed negative while I was there. The class was three hours long (for those who don't know, the average ballet class is an hour and a half). An hour of barre, an hour of center work, and an hour of jumping. You balanced for as long as the teacher told you, and I was standing next to a boy who was also named Michael Hill and so recieving corrections was confusing. Almost all of the boys were older than me, but they were all amazing. They were strong, and had very good technique. I enjoyed the class, but if I'm honest, I was watching the clock for the last hour and a half. I hurt everywhere and all I wanted to do was lay down. Still, proud and competitive that I am, I made myself try my hardest the whole time.
My day in DC left me tired, insecure, inspired, and challenged. While I was stressed at the time, I came away from the experience with the knowledge that two of the hardest days of dance of my life had not killed me. This was reassuring beyond measure.
The day came when I flew to Tampa to the Patel Conservatory for the Next Generation Ballet Summer Intensive. It was one of the best experiences of my life. It's true that when I did the summer program at Ithaca Ballet, I saw a good deal of improvement. Summer programs have that effect. Something about the longer hours and the change in pace makes it easier to make leaps in technique. But the Next Generation Ballet intensive was fantastic. We trained under Peter Stark, Julio Montano, Ivonne Lemus, Richard Sias, Glenn Owens, Jeffrey and Lia Cirio, and many other teachers throughout the intensive. On the weekends we went to amusement parks and the beach and stayed in "dorms" at the hotel across the street from Patel every night (I'd like to take the time to mention my roomate Elijah. We had a great time, and motivated each other to work on pushups, situps, and splits in the evening). Technique, stretch, partnering, contemporary, jazz, variations, mens, and other classes were available, as well as rehearsals for the end of summer performance. I got to perform alongside Simon Wexler and Jeffrey and Lia Cirio. Seeing what real professionals danced like was an experience beyond description.
Naturally, after such an experience, I wanted to go to the Patel Conservatory year round. But there was a lot to figure out.
I have to go now as the day's beginning. Tonight I am performing in the Indian Festival, in front of Dr. Pallavi Patel (namesake of the Patel Conservatory). I am performing in the corps of Spanish from our Imperial Nutcracker as well as in a contemporary piece choreographed by Glenn Owens.
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