"This is an absolute beginners course on the foundations of classical ballet and, a single catastrophic line dance lesson aside, it is also the first dance class I have ever attended. I am in the minority. As we take the barre, it quickly becomes apparent that not being able to tell my left from my right will be a significant deficit over the next 16 weeks. This, however, is a tertiary concern."
"For now my two biggest worries are my feet. After a series of flexes and points I will later come to learn are tendu, they are cramping so badly it feels as if they have been stomped on. Lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman doing ballet at a barre. She is wearing black dance clothes and black ballet shoes I cast my eyes around the class to see if I am the only one with screaming arches and feel oddly relieved by other students' winces."
A beginner in a classical ballet course joins about twenty classmates, many with prior dance experience, and struggles with left-right orientation and severe foot cramps during barre exercises. The cramps, caused by tendu repetitions and ill-fitting footwear, ease by week five after massage and correctly sized ballet shoes. Over twelve weeks, the student notices increased shoe size, stronger glutes, shapelier calves, improved turnout, and a developing sense of rhythm. Failure to engage the core provokes lower-back pain. Regular practice leads to physical adaptation, reduced pain, and improved musical timing.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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