Week 1:
“When it came to do the ballet classes online, I can truthfully say that I underestimated the strength that dancers have. Doing the classes I was surprised at how sore I was after doing one video and I realized that I have been working out all wrong. The work that I accomplished this week was beneficial towards my development as a dancer because, due to some of the videos that I watched, I practiced strength in my core, legs, arms, and most importantly balance.
By taking the classes, I was able to see how important it is to be physically in shape when you’re a dancer and how important it is to stay healthy because these classes kicked my butt. Not only did the work help me accomplish the physical aspect of being a dancer but also the mentality part as well. When we are faced with situations that are hard, especially when you’re working the body further than you normally push yourself, it’s important to have a strong mindset to tell yourself to keep pushing and to keep fighting. I realized that it doesn’t matter how strong your legs or core is, or how long you can stay in an arabesque, if you don’t have a strong mind to tell yourself to keep pushing when your body starts to get tired, all the power you have in your body won’t matter. You brain quits on you way before your body does; I’ve experienced that doing these classes. During some of the videos, I would get to a point where I thought that I wouldn’t be able to finish the video without passing out, but then the demonstrator would say “keep going”, “I believe in you”, “you can do it”, and I would repeat those words to myself and find a new sense of power and determination which allowed me to finish the videos and feel great afterwards.
The work I completed this week was beneficial towards my development as a dancer because I learned that I could push myself harder than I ever did before as long as I believed in myself and had a strong mindset. Taking a ballet class at home with no dance space and no barre, it’s difficult to practice and try to make sure that your posture is good and your feet are turned out and your knees are straight. However, after accomplishing a week of this rather unusual challenge, it affects my approach to my training in dance because I have a new found confidence that if I can continue to learn and practice ballet while at home, I can certainly do it anywhere, at any time.
For my first week, it was hard and challenging, and I’ll admit I was rather worried and confused, so my work ethic wasn’t the best. I was still trying to figure out a spacious area to take these classes and I was distracted. However, I’m confident as the weeks go by, I’ll become stronger and more dedicated, I can assure you that my work ethic will be back to where it was as though I was back at PAC in class. It’ll take time, but I know that it’ll come sooner rather than later.” -Medina Vanduyne, Ballet