Harhar...Here's another installment of "Let's pretend my life is so exciting"...Airing live from the 122 Studios. Starring...me. :)Funny that I should be posting on this since I'm absent from class tonight. I'm feeling really bad around my midsection. Yeah, it's that time of the month.
Anyway, I wanted to take pictures of the class so I could post them along with my (not very helpful) comments on what goes on in this lovely dance studio over at the Celebrity Plaza every Fridays and Saturdays. But, I can't exactly take pics when I'm doing barre and center work. No one else is allowed to hang out at the studio unless Teacher Mylene allows them too. And I'm to shy to ask for permission both from Teacher Mylene and the friend I'm thinking will make a good photographer. And I don't know how my classmates will react either. So my commentary of sorts has to suffice.
Pink tights are worn by every student. The leotard varies from level to level. There are three levels so far: A, B and C. Level A consists of 3-7 years old kids and they wear pink leotards and skirts. Level B's are usually 8-11 year olds who can be distinguished by their blue leotards and skirts. Level C's are the adult beginners and anyone older than 11. We wear black leotards and skirts. A student isn't necessarily assigned by age to a level. The teacher's examine your skill level and place you where you can learn most. Some students get promoted to the next level. For adult beginners like me and Rei, we attend the Level B class to get acquainted with terminology and to build familiarity with the different movements. But we also attend the Level C class that has more complex exercises and helps you toward pointe shoes.
Hair must be held up in a neat, tight bun as shown in picture above. (Yep, that's me...hehe) Minimal make-up and clean, short nails are another rule. Must admit that I don't usually go there with short nails.
Most students are in soft shoes. Even the advanced ones in pointe shoes bring their soft shoes. The girls on pointe shoes say that being in soft shoes is so much better, so much more comfortable. Those of us in soft shoes want to be on pointe shoes. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.
A typical class starts even before your scheduled time. As a student, it is encouraged that you come to the studio early to warm up and stretch. I go there at least fifteen minutes before class. We use the barre to do solitary stretches. Sometimes, another student will offer to help you on stretches like splits where you need someone to give you a helpful push.
The teacher will call you when she wants to start a class. Teacher Mylene usually starts a class with a prayer. Teacher Rara goes straight to the barre exercises. The class can start with barre exercises or stretches or strengthening exercises. The teacher decides based on what she thinks the class needs.
The barre exercises in themselves are pretty unpredictable too. But we always work on plies, battements, fondues, pirouetes and jetes. They help you improve your technique and build your strength and flexibility. Usually, the teacher starts with a few steps for each exercise and then adds to them next meeting to make them more challenging. It’s in this part that most corrections are made. The teacher will be touching you a lot to direct and mold your body. Parents of younger students are given memos on this since they might not feel comfortable with the teacher touching bottoms and thighs. It can be shocking at first when the teacher runs a finger down your bottom to make you understand the concept of “no shelves allowed” i.e. don’t stick your butt out!
After barre work, we do center work. This is usually another set of exercises. I find them challenging because this time there’s no barre to hold on to for balance. But it’s also the part I love best because we do leaps and jumps and twirls a lot. Sometimes we learn the steps to a particular song. There’s usually a lot of giggling involved. In between exercises, we run to our bags to gulp down water. This part can get really tiring.
When the class ends, we all do a reverence, which is something of a curtsy. Then we go to our teacher, take her hand in what Filipinos might mistake as the beginning of a mano, and then we curtsy to her.
After that, there’s more giggling and jokes/stories while we get dressed or while we’re all lying down on the floor, beat.
The five days that you don’t have class, you are expected to work on the exercises you did in class and stretch. All in all, it’s like having another three units in your college workload. :) But it’s awesome fun.
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