When I found out that we would be leaving Sullivant Hall for two years, I didn't think it would affect me that much. Besides making the hike over to the drake at least once a day, I didn't think it would really change anything about my classes. However, being part way through the first quarter, I have already found that a lot is changing. The first thing I miss is jumping. I have always loved jumping, and always been good at it. Petite and grande allegro have always been my favorite parts of ballet, and I always enjoyed doing challenging combinations filled with beats and quick steps that had everyone tripping over their own feet. Since moving into the drake and pomerene, I understand that this must be modified so that we don't injure ourselves, however I think we need to find another way to continue strengthening these muscles. During this past week, we've been jumping more, but I can feel myself getting tired by the end of each combination, which never used to be the case. I am worried that if we continue catering class to these floors, by the end of these two years, I will lose my ability to jump that I have been working on for so many years.
The other thing that I miss is mirrors. I know that we are supposed to be able to feel what is correct and what is not, but I am not at that point yet-- I need to see it. In modern, I think it has helped not having mirrors. I would always try to look at myself in the mirror to see how it looked, which would throw off whatever movement I was trying to do, so in that case, I think not having mirrors has been a good thing. However, in ballet, I am still trying to fix a lot of alignment issues, and for that, I need the mirror. I need to be able to glance over during barre exercises and make sure that everything is lined up and where it should be. No matter how hard I'm working, it doesn't do me any good if I think I am finally in correct alignment when I am not.
I understand that the department is trying to make the best out of our new space, but I hope that we are able to find a way to deal with these two issues.
As a freshmen I haven't had the privilege of taking classes in Sullivant; however I completely understand what you mean about the mirrors. I've done a lot of musicals where I was used to rehearsing with no mirror but that was choreography. Ballet is different, the alignment is so much more precise that I worry that because I can't see myself I won't know if something is right. I try to feel it in my body but I wonder if what I feel is right is actually right.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with missing Sully. It was like home last year with all the time that we spent there. I think that being taken out of our comfort zone for a couple of years gives us the experience of what the professional dance world is like. You are not always in ideal studios with mirrors and sprung floors. Many people dance in spaces that are much worse than what we have now unfortunately and yet they still create great art. But don't get me wrong I am counting the days till we have our awesome new space and aren't a pack of gypsies!
ReplyDeleteYes! I miss the mirrors too! I always think to myself what I would look like if I had a mirror in front of me. Its so much easier to be able to glance in the mirror and know when your alignment is off and be able to fix it instantly. However I think not having the mirrors has been a big growth among us. Instead of relying on a mirror to show us when our alignment is off we have to learn how to feel it and the muscle sensations that are associated with it. I feel in a lot of ways that this will be very beneficial to us, we will start listening to our bodies more intently and learn more in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI also definitely agree that not having Sullivant this year is causing some major changes to the way technique classes are taught. I agree with Elyse that learning to dance in different spaces and on different surfaces is good training, but at the same time it is challenging to adjust to. The floors are definitely harder on my body, as I can feel some of my old injuries bothering me more than they have before. I also do sometimes wish I had a mirror so I could double-check that alignment is correct. However, I am trying to make the most of being in this new space. My hope is that at the end of the next two years, my body will have greater endurance and my sense of my body will be stronger. I believe that if we try to make the best of this, the experience will end up being beneficial in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with this post. Grande and Petit Allegro have always been my favorite part of ballet class. I love the feeling of flying through the space and challenging myself to perform complicated petit allegro steps. I miss it so much and it totally makes me sad that we have to limit the amount of jumps we do. The only problem I have had with jumping is that I've gotten shin splints this past week :( I can't wait to get back in Sullivant Hall.
ReplyDeleteComment from Tyisha Nedd:
ReplyDeleteOk, so this transition has its highs and its lows as does everything in life. I miss sullivant sooo much like many of you said it was like home and had that sense of community that is something that really drew me to this program(not that that sense is gone it was just more so then because we were around each other all the time). I am also very worried about our bodies,I by no means want to sound like a complaining negative Nancy( not my style) but my body feels horrible. I'm having conflicted feelings because I know in the future there will be plenty of times when we will be dancing on hard surfaces , especially when thinking about site specific work so this could be a type of preparation on how to handle it and take care of our bodies properly. However, at the same time we are one of the top dance programs in the nation so... well... idk.