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Category: Ballet class

  • Holding On and Letting Go

    When I was a child, one of the many things that I loved about ballet class was standing in place at the barre. Each student stood a respectful distance away from one another, occupying their own panel of mirror. The barre was so smooth and solid under my fingers. It supported my full weight –…

  • Auditions

    A life in training to be a professional ballet dancer requires numerous auditions. As I child I auditioned for the School of American Ballet, a square with a black number on a white background safety pinned to the front of my leotard. The judges studied our bodies individually, one by one, and tested our flexibility…

  • Senses in Ballet Class

    Sight: I see myself in the mirror and my extended body in space. I see the other dancers moving around me in lines, planes and circles. Smell: I smell the dusty, powdery air of rosin and old buildings with sooty window frames. When changing for class, I smell hair spray, the hot smell of blood…

  • Dancers and Horses

    Last Saturday was the 151st Kentucky Derby where I live in Louisville, KY. I don’t know that much about breeding, raising, and training racehorses or how they are treated or what their lives are like. So that won’t be the focus of this blog post. Instead, I want to make a loose analogy between top,…

  • Not Just A Ballet Class

    “Would you give your niece a ballet class when she comes to visit you?” my brother asked. “Sure,” I said. “No problem.” I made sure not to hesitate. I would sort out the tumult in my mind later. My niece is a beginning ballet student so how hard could giving her a ballet class be?…