Ballet for Beginners; First Period [01/25].

[died8yearsago]

In the dance studio that morning, the students would find two new things that might be of immediate interest: one of those quitentessential school-issued television sets on a cumbersome rolling cart and...a practice manniquin, the kind more commonly used to sparring. So, if anything, they could probably tell that class might be slightly different today.

"Aright," Rosa said, "we have a lot to do today, so we're just going to get right into it. Since it was brought to my attention that some of you probably haven't even heard of ballet until taking this class, we're going to start each class with a video while we do floor stretches so you guys can actually see this stuff in action. Then we'll have a quick barre warm-up and center work before we get to developing the chaînés turns you were introduced to last week a little more. Then cool down, then we're done. You should know the drill by now. So, find a spot, let's get going."

[[and the bulk of class in the (slowly) incoming now-up ocd! Have at it!]]

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Lesson: Chaîné Turns - Ballet, 01/25.

[died8yearsago]

"Okay," said Rosa, rolling the practice mannequin to a corner of the room near the mirror, before moving herself to the opposite corner of the floor, "now the good stuff: chaîné turns. Chaîné basically means chain, which means what you're doing is essentially a chain of turns across the floor. To start, I want you all to get the basics first before taking it up to a quicker speed."

So she broke it down, emphasizing the importance of posture and your arms, though the first steps would include placing hands on your shoulders to help them recognize the proper form, with a simple front-to-back movement while on their toes. She showed the simple turn-and-flip movement, before then turning it into a slow turn, and then, finally, a faster turn not too dissimilar from the video shown at the beginning of class.

"Now, also important," she added, "is spotting. Spotting is not only what'll keep you from getting dizzy, but it's also what makes sure you wind up turning where you want to go. That's why I've got the dummy over there. That's your spot. Think of him like your enemy. That's the guy you don't want to take your eyes off of while you're turning, because if you do..." She made a cutting noise with her tongue as she sliced it across her neck, "you're dead.

"So, you keep an eye on him. Don't let him out of your sight, which means, as soon as you start that turn, you have to whip your head around at the moment of the turn, so you only let the enemy out of your sight for a second. Sometimes, as second is all they need, though, so you have to keep on it. I'll show you, and, I....realize this technique could be a little more...challenging to those of you with," she gestured a little around the back of her head, "head things, so be careful when you try it out. I don't...know what kind of control you have over them, but there's a reason ballerinas wear their hair up tightly, so they're not smacking themselves in the face with their pony tails."

And those things looked a lot more solid than ponytails.

Anyway, she took a moment to show them proper spotting technique slowly, and then took to it much faster, and faster, and faster until she finally reached the mannequin and finished the chain by plunging a dagger (which some of the more observant students might have noticed being extracted at the last second) into the mannequins chest.

She turned to the students with a grin. "Alright, your turn. Start out slowly, get the hang of it, and then if you pick it up well enough, I've brought some practice knives, and you can work on trying to see if you can chaîné turn yourself into an attack, too."

She would have gotten chaîné turns so much quicker if she had that kind of motivation at the academy.

"Take turns, starting at one corner, diagonally across the floor from the dummy, and then we'll roll him over to the other side and practice that way, too. Line up. Let's go. Any questions before we start?"

Re: Lesson: Chaîné Turns - Ballet, 01/25.

[chirpchirpchirp]

Vette only sort of made a face at 'head things,' but she figured she could turn that into a challenge, darn it, wrapping her lekku up around her shoulders and holding them there like a scarf or something.

She did well at the chaîné turns even without the attack thing going on. Once she got that practice knife in her hand, well...

If she looked like she was viciously dancing like her life depended on it, that was because she figured someday, it very well could. She was in an... odd line of work back home.