hold me closer tiny dancer...

For most of you that know me, you know that I am not very graceful. I run into everything and trip over my own feet on a daily basis. I have more bumps and bruises from running into stationary objects than a UFC fighter does after a fight. I've been this way since I was a kid and always got some sort of remark from my mother when I would run into things such as; "Oh hey I forgot to tell you I moved the furniture today!". HA HA very funny! I kind of felt like Angelina Jolie when she says "When other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers, I kind of wanted to be a vampire". Ok maybe not as drastic as Angelina, but I sure didn't think I was cut out for ballet.  My lack of grace and flexibility has caused me to go out on a limb...literally, and join a ballet class. Just imagine a bull in a China shop and that is me in ballet. Let me tell you I give mad props to any kind of dancer out there, whether a ballerina or not...this shit is HARD! And not just hard in a way that you feel fatigued and sweaty after a workout. Oh no, I mean like every technical movement matters and not only that, you have to make it look pretty while executing those techniques. Don't believe me? Just take one class. I am so far 4 weeks in to an 8 week course at the Performing Arts Workshop in Encinitas. If you are in the area and looking to give ballet a try, or you already do ballet, PAW is the place for you. No we do not wear tutus, contrary to popular belief, nor do we have a showcase at the end (at least not in this class). (Believe me I was really rooting for neither of these. OK, maybe the tutus, but come on, you would too!)


Now when I first started, I'll be honest, I thought I was in shape and coordinated (I said coordinated, NOT graceful), but boy was I wrong. I am having to use muscles and be aware of parts of my body that I never knew existed! Everything has a purpose and is a part of each movement. It is crazy the amount of physical awareness and balance I have gained just from my few classes so far! I think about my motions on land and relate them to those in the water. How to achieve such gracefulness and poise and translate that into my style of surfing. It sure has been an interesting journey so far, but most importantly it is fun! I look forward to going to class every week, not just because I want to better my skills, but because I actually enjoy it! Wow, those are words that I never thought I would say about a dance class! I went in with ZERO experience of dance and am discovering a whole new side of what my body is capable of.

So here are my awesome and embarrassing ballet pictures (haha). Please feel free to laugh, and then go ahead and try to copy the moves and your laughing will stop. Told you! It's hard stuff! But it is worth it. I am not just pumping iron at the gym to gain muscle mass and a figure. I am working within myself to gain core strength and grace that ultimately translates into every part of my active life.

 P.S. Thank you Catherine (remember my Gyrotonics instructor from last week? She's back!) for the pictures and for being such an amazing role model and teacher! Thank you for pushing my limits and encouraging me to follow my dreams! <3


"Don't practice until you get it right, practice until you don't get it wrong." -Unknown