My favorite class is...

...my Advanced Beginner class.

(Did you think I was going to name one of my own teachers, past or present? No way! I couldn't possibly pick a favorite!)

Of all the classes I teach, I think the Advanced Beginner class is the one I would most like to take for myself. This is not because of my students, although I do adore all of them, but rather because of the level of the class.

While I love the challenge of my Intermediate level class and the simplicity of my Beginner class, I think the one right in between is a great class; it's thorough from start to finish. It's an ideal "in-between" level for advanced dancers who need to spend a little more time on technique and for upcoming dancers who want to boost their vocabulary.

But I have heard dancers wonder what makes it "Advanced Beginner." It's not advanced, after all, and it certainly isn't beginner. I tell them it's not quite intermediate but if you are an intermediate level dancer you can certainly make it more challenging. However, a beginner dancer who hasn't had much training might struggle. I expect students in this class to understand some of the basics, even if they can't perform them technically perfectly (that's what I'm for!):

At the barre:
plie, tendu, degage, grand battement, rond de jambe, port de bras, developpe, frappe, passe, cou de pied, arabesque

In the center:
glissade, chasse, jete, changement, balance, pique, pas de bourree, grand jete developpe, pas de chat

Me with 2 Adv Beg students - I have no pictures of my class!

So what does it look like? 
*I'm usually consistent with this class in terms of vocabulary and technique building.
*I use classical music although from time to time, I shake things up with special holiday theme tunes.
*At the barre, I focus on cleanliness of technique, shifting weight from one leg to the other, and warming up the muscles sequentially.
*In the center, I focus on performance.
*I like to do what I call "dramadagio" (I should trademark that) to emphasize stage presence, especially with adagio combinations.
*However, I am also careful to correct technique: pirouettes are my number one focus in the center.
*I want you to get the most out of the barre work you did and apply it to the center.
*Allegro is about brain work and fast feet - I want people to shed their anxiety about small jumps and just try it!

My Advanced Beginner class structure:

Barre - 
1. Begin with standard simple warm-up from head through feet
2. Plie combination is set with 2 demi-plies and 2 grand plies to maximize stretch
3. Tendu combination from first, slowly and simply, with a balance
4. Tendu from fifth position a little faster, with a balance
5. Faster tendu from fifth position to get the feet moving faster
6. Slow degage combination with a full-body stretch and balance
7. Faster degage to challenge the brain
8. Rond de jambe a terre with a stretch and balance
9. Fondu developpe with rond de jambe en l'air, typically moderate tempo
10. Frappe with petit battement, balance and pirouette practice
11. Adagio
12. Grand battements

Center -
1. Tendu with pirouettes en dehors
2. Adagio
3. Waltzy turns across the floor, first right and then left, often with en dehors and en dedans pirouettes
4. Small jumps with or without grand battements to warm up and roll through feet
5. Petit allegro to challenge the brain
6. Grand allegro
7. Reverence

I hope this helps some of you determine if the class is right for you (it probably is! why don't you try it?).  Happy dancing~

Fun links! Fun fun fun!

Hi all!

Rather than put out a whole bunch of emails that clog up your inbox or blog posts that you lose track of, I figured I'd just put all my cool info here and you can peruse at your leisure.

Leigh & Company In the News!

First up, we were at ScareLA being all zombie-ish and ballerina-y and generally having an awesome time like we always do. And lots of people captured it on video! A couple are below because they featured us really nicely.

Here are Vic Mendoza's highlight reels (a short one and a longer one, both very cool, thank you!):

Teaser reel by Vicscover Art

Full reel by Vicscover Art

Here is IdeateTV's interview with me, which I am so very grateful for:

 IdeateTV interview with Katrina Lee

Next, I was profiled at the Dance Network blog by Bridget Conrad and although there was a lot of focus on me, the talk turned to my company and its vision, which Bridget absolutely got spot-on. I could not have presented our company's mission any better. Thank you SO much for this:

Dance Network blog profile

Third, this is something I wrote for Dance Advantage's website, a review of Terez Mertes Rose's forthcoming novel, A DANCER'S GUIDE TO AFRICA, as well as an interview with Terez herself. I'm a big fan of her and her books so it was great to get to read a new one ahead of its release. Be sure to pre-order it!

Review & interview with Terez

And finally...our production! Discounted tickets for "Sweet Sorrow, A Zombie Ballet" available until the end of September. Get your tickets to either show and the Sunday Afterlife party!

Tickets on sale!

Happy reading and happy watching and, of course, happy dancing~

5 Friday Faves - Barrework

5 Things I Love at Barre:

1. Demi-plie.
From the very beginning of class, a demi-plie combination in all positions really makes me engage all of my muscles and sets the tone for the class. If I can feel my deep external rotators firing up and turning out my legs from my hips, I will feel more solid and stable in everything that follows. And they just feel good, especially when a simple very open port de bras is added.

2. Very slow tendus.
I prefer to wear socks for the first couple of tendu exercises so I can really work the soles of my feet and articulate my toes. From teaching in dance sneakers, my arches can become very tight and knotted and they tend to cramp a lot so using the floor to massage my foot is extremely helpful. And they just feel good, especially in fifth where I can feel my legs "fit" together from top to bottom.
 

Me teaching tendu, not in socks

 3. Degage assemble.

As my legs and hips begin to warm up, I really like the feel of degage assemble with fondu. Both feet coming together in fifth position is solid and contained and the fondu action makes me feel lifted. Here I like how the feet and legs "assemble" as one, with the weight transferring from one foot to two. I like making the pelvic adjustment here because it reminds me to use my abdominals which is crucial for center work when we jump off the floor. And yes, they just feel good.

4. Retire balance en releve.
The one thing I have always been able to count on since I was a kid has been balance, particularly on one leg. Finding a center line has never been a problem for me and when I'm asked to releve in any position, I can usually feel confident that I can do it - and confidence in ballet is very important! Ha! Seriously, though, I love how retire fits in the hip socket, how the turned-out leg is flush from thigh to knee and I like fitting my big toe into the notch just above the knee to "lock" it in place - a good feeling! 

5. Developpe a la seconde.
Another thing I can count on is my developpe to the side. This is another one of those natural things for me but note, it wasn't always this way. As I often tell my students, I didn't find this extension until well into my 20s. Until I was an adult I kept using my quads to get my leg up and hold it. Now, I can feel the rotation in both hips as well as the straight line from head to toe through my spine. At barre, I love how it makes me feel taller to extend my leg to the side. Yeah, this feels good too.

Me teaching an adagio at barre

My main takeaway from barre? It feels good. That is why I love it. Yes, there are the practical reasons I wrote about previously, but the fact is, exercises at the barre simply feel good to me. I love warming up my spine and neck and feet and hips.

There is a natural endorphin rush with any exercise but there is also the relief that you are still alive, you still can dance, you still can move, you still can express yourself.

Happy dancing~