{"id":596,"date":"2019-06-18T12:12:26","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T12:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/my-10-day-ballet-journey\/"},"modified":"2023-12-26T17:42:34","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T17:42:34","slug":"my-10-day-ballet-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/my-10-day-ballet-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"My Ballet Journey: Ballet Every Day for 10 Days Straight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Admittedly, I rarely danced ballet every day; but I did dance regularly. From the age of 10 I took weekly ballet class from my small, local studio. The 30-minute sessions, paired with another half hour of another dance genre<\/a>, stretched into longer class as I trained to earn my first pair of pink satin pointe shoes. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, I found my way into twice weekly ballet elective classes and eventually enrolled in the gruelling, sweat-inducing 100-minute dance major classes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 Then my ballet journey stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embark on a dance journey of your own!<\/strong>
Join our *free*\u00a05-day dance challenge<\/a>\u00a0for busy adults.
It\u2019s super rewarding\u00a0\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0and you only need 10 minutes per day.<\/em> Beginners welcome!<\/em>
…
Better yet, if you’re a lady, you can join our supportive online community for dance lovers<\/a>. We’ll cheer you on, wherever you are in your dance journey; and we’ll meet up for Live dance classes and watch parties, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Upon graduation I studied Mandarin on scholarship in Taiwan, which required intensive studying, so dance class<\/a> as put on the backburner. Then a shoulder dislocation in Bali left me even further away from dance. During a low point, I unwittingly met my British husband in Taiwan. This clearly ended my pity party, and before a year had passed, we travelled across three continents to meet each other\u2019s family and marry. Then we sorted out my visa, so I could (nervously and grudgingly) move to London<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK capital has a world-class professional scene, but I found so many excuses not to participate. I was still recovering from my shoulder injury. Travel into central London was expensive (still is) and classes weren\u2019t cheap (still aren\u2019t). Even so,  I felt unwelcome and out of \u2018dance shape\u2019 when I did go. Needless to say, I didn\u2019t stick with dance \u2013 let alone dance every day. I found a full-time job, moved jobs and whaddya know? It\u2019s been five years since I\u2019ve danced regularly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are new or returning to ballet and prefer to dance in the studio,
Everybody Ballet<\/a> in London may be the class for you! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ballet Every Day? Bring It On!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I still dream about dance. I dream I\u2019m learning choreography in the studio, rehearsing on stage or that I can confidently do 12 pirouettes. (I test my \u2018newfound skill\u2019 upon waking to \u2018discover\u2019 that I still can\u2019t complete a clean triple.) But I miss the discipline, the freedom of expression, the physical benefits and the brilliant (but occasionally flaky) artists that make up the community. It\u2019s never going to get easier to break back into dance; so, I\u2019m throwing myself into a 10-day ballet barre blitz to see what progress I can make. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will be dancing ballet every day in my living room, following five free online ballet barre workouts on YouTube<\/a>. The structure of ballet barre is familiar, and dancing at home should be comforting (albeit a little cramped). I can wear what I like, take long water breaks and not worry about how goofy I look. I hope this 10-day ballet journey will give me a good workout, reawaken my kinesthetic awareness and give the confidence to attend public dance classes<\/a>\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n