This week, she showed off her new ballet slippers. Oh, and included a link to her tweet that a dance store wouldn't let her try on pointe shoes. It made me giggle. Ballerinas make the pointe work look so effortless and light and airy. That's our job. What Mel probably realizes but doesn't care is that pointe shoes hurt like a mofo and it takes years to be strong enough to look light and airy and effortless all the while gritting your teeth because another f*&@!ing blister just popped and your toes hurt so bad you can't stand it.
Ballet is one of if not the most demanding, painful, hard-on-the-body, forms of dance around. We're taught to suck in the tummy (and if it's not flat, well, you need to lose a few pounds), relax the shoulders, keep the ribs in, keep the arms flowing and lyrical, force turnout in our legs and perform cute little hops on pointe, fast precise footwork, big jumps, multiple pirouettes, and generally pound the body into submission. I quit when I went on to college to become an engineer because my body was getting beat to hell by the time I was 18 and I knew I probably wouldn't make it professionally. I know, right? How many people spend 14 years in intensive ballet study then turn around and go all geek? Probably more than I think but I always feel like an original. :)
Still, I see where Mel may be coming from. Ballet is so beautiful to watch and looks like it's so much fun to float across a stage! You just want to dive in and be able to do it all at once!
But you can't as I'm finding out now. I've been taking some classes recently because I want to recapture the joy I used to feel when I danced, taking on a character, and expressing the character's emotion through movement. Except it ain't that easy. Sure, I've stayed in great shape by Jaz.zercising but these old hips don't want to turn out anymore! My knees hurt often and I can't balance worth a darn. That's not even on pointe! Will I ever get back to pointe? I'm not sure. What I do know though, is that I'm having so much fun taking classes again and seeing what this old creaky bod can still do.
And I could care less about the pointe shoes...
I think ballet dancer turned engineer is pretty rare, so I give you originality points! Also wanted to say that I like the new fall look of the blog background.
ReplyDeleteI took a ballet class once as an adult, and now you've given me a hankering for taking another.
ReplyDeleteI bet you were beauty in action.
I too give you points for originality.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I got to wear the pointe shoes for two minutes and in that time, I realized that there was no chance in hell that I could get up on my toes in them, even if I was holding onto a bar. I just watched this clip of Alessandra Ferri dancing and she bent her foot at this angle that seemed unimaginable.
Since there is no chance in hell that I'll be a ballerina, I have to settle for just loving to watch it.
Ah, and don't forget that by not going on pointe also mean you get to keep your toenails! Yay for toenails!!!
ReplyDeleteyes, I am JUST NOW getting to read about you again!