Getting back to the studio! A guide to safe dancing

Beautiful dancers, it's been quite a year (or more!). For most of you, it has been a year completely devoid of ballet. For others, it's been ballet class in your living room with a makeshift barre on the rare occasion you have some bandwidth after work and other responsibilities. For a few, it's ballet with a real barre in your home, possibly a scrap of marley or even a raised floor, graduating to outdoor classes on concrete.

No matter what your situation, you have not been dancing in the same way you did pre-pandemic (PP). And no matter what, you can't walk into the dance studio and expect to see/feel/move anything you saw before. 

I've been in your position too. I have been working in my home, teaching on Zoom and then on concrete outdoors. I have a regulation barre, some marley and a slightly cushioned mat but it's nothing like a sprung floor with a wall of mirrors and SPACE!

Recently I've been lucky to get to a few in-studio classes so I can confidently give you some helpful information about YOUR safe return.

1. Lower your expectations. 

Nope, lower than that...keep going. There you go. Did you do triple pirouettes PP? Great! Now, don't expect anything more than a single. In fact, pat yourself on the back if you can balance on demi-pointe without falling over.

 

2. Make friends with yourself. 

For a year we haven't been in a room filled with mirrors in shape-revealing clothes. We might not be happy with what we see because it won't look like us PP.  THAT IS OKAY!  Do not judge yourself. Be happy you are healthy and are in a dance studio. Look at yourself in the mirror and appreciate that your body is alive and strong enough to be in a class. Many - many - others are not. Be grateful to your body that it made it through a VERY difficult time.

3. New mantra: low and slow.

It will be very tempting to run around the studio. I know. I did it when I first walked in. Jumps should be very low, barely off the ground, and you should concentrate on rolling through your demi-pointe and springing up. Do the allegro half-speed for a while until you find your muscles and build back your strength.

4. Balance, balance, balance.

Prepare to spend a LOT of time finding your balance again. One of the most critical parts of balance is orienting our bodies in space. Think of it like being on a boat out at sea with no land to focus on. You feel woozy and nauseous because you aren't stabilized with a visual image. This is what has happened at home for a year. We need the barre, the mirror, and other people to stabilize ourselves. This takes time. Practice. And then some more.

5. Choreography uses muscles too.

And they might not be in the best shape right now. We joke about "pandemic brain" and being foggy and never knowing what day it is. When it comes to remembering combinations in class, our brains might not be quick to pick them up. Understand that this will also take practice. Don't worry if you have trouble with right and left. If you were on Zoom for a year, that was confusing.

6. Masks are not easy to dance in.

I wear 2 masks: a paper one under a cloth one and I pinch the nose to give me breathing room. The hardest part is turning because it changes my proprioception. A small price to pay for feeling safer than with just one. For now, masks are the rule in the studios where I teach and I personally don't mind them. I imagine that when I can finally take it off, I will be amazing! And so will you.

7. Take your time.

Everyone is different. We all had different pandemic experiences and we are recovering in vastly different ways. Some of us can't wait to do all the things. Some are still not ready to leave the home studio. All of this is fine. For now, I am doing some classes hybrid, some in-studio only, some online only. I would like to make it easy for everyone to return in their own way and at their own time. 

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Suspension of classes through Mar 31

Hello beautiful dancers!

From today through the end of the month, I will be suspending my classes at both Live Arts LA and Inspire Dance Studio.

However, that won't mean we can't keep dancing! I will be uploading some videos to my YouTube channel and also plan to do a livestream daily barre, stretching and technique tips. Details on that will follow shortly.

I'm grateful our ballet community is so resilient and kind to one another. I will miss seeing you all and feeling your positive energy in person but I know we can buoy each other virtually!

Good attitude (ha!) will get us through this!

Ballet Re-boots coming this week!

Monday, July 8th:

Beginner re-boot!

***For everyone who has taken my beginner class at Inspire Dance Studio, you know the level has been creeping up...and up...and up...because some long-time students wanted to gain more vocabularybut my advanced beginner classes at Dance Arts were too far to travel to. Now that Dance Arts is closed, the BEGINNER class can go back to what it was: an encouraging and supportive environment with very basic combinations and an emphasis on building technique. Whether you are brand new or want to clean things up, THIS is the class for YOU!

Days and Times: Monday & Wednesday 8-9:30PM, Saturday 9-10:10AM
Location: Inspire Dance Studio, 457 Foothill Blvd, La Canada Flintridge 91011

Tuesday, July 9th:

Advanced Beginner re-boot at Live Arts LA!

***With the move from Dance Arts, my ADVANCED BEGINNER class will slide into the slot between my Beginner and Intermediate levels. It will be great for dancers who want to challenge themselves and for those who would like to work en pointe. I am moving it to Live Arts Los Angeles, a 2000sf marley covered sprung floor studio in Glassell Park and I am looking forward to meeting new people from the area! NB: I'm trying to move this class to a later start time but have not been confirmed for that yet. Until then, it's at 7PM.

Day and Time: Tuesday, 7-8:30PM
Location: Live Arts LA, 4210 Panamint St, Los Angeles CA 90065

Thursday, July 11th:

Advanced Beginner re-boot at Inspire!

***As with my Tuesday class, this ADVANCED BEGINNER class is perfect for students who want more than a Beginner class but aren't quite ready for Intermediate. It's also in the studio where I teach my Monday/Wednesday/Saturday classes so if you're close by and used to that studio, you will love this too. NB: beginning in late August (or sooner) this class will likely move to a 7:15 or 7:30 start time due to some studio conflicts.

Day and Time: Thursday, 7-8:30PM
Location: Inspire Dance Studio, 457 Foothill Blvd, La Canada Flintridge 91011

 Got questions? Just ask!!

New classes in new locations! Come dance with me!

I'm excited to tell you some news about my classes:

1. Beginning JULY 9th - Tuesday 7PM Advanced Beginner is moving to Live Arts LA in Glassell Park!  2000sf open studio with marley, a large dressing room/lounge and stretch area, water cooler, bathrooms, and unrestricted street parking, very conveniently located right off the 2 freeway near the 134 and 5.

More:
I love this space! It's a hidden gem that deserves more notice! Many of my friends teach here (Carol Guidry on Sunday mornings; Bertha Blankenship on Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons; Helen Nasillski on Friday mornings) and I have always wanted to teach here myself. The space is huge and very spacious - high ceilings, skylights and windows - with a marley-covered sprung floor. I love taking class here so I know I will love teaching here too. 
Bonus:

Water cooler! Just bring your water bottle and stay hydrated. 

2. Beginning JULY 11th - Thursday 7PM Advanced Beginner is moving to Inspire Dance Studio in La Canada! Studio is quad-sprung with marley, dressing /stretch areas, water cooler, bathrooms, plenty of free street parking including a small private lot in back, right off the 210 freeway near the 2.

More:

I've been teaching at this studio since 2014 (!) after I decided to be a completely independent businesswoman and go out on my own. I love this studio and I love how my classes have grown. Julie made it even better by building a quadruple sprung floor and adding marley which gives us such a great cushion for our knees and ankles.

Bonus:

I now have all levels of ballet available to my students in this location. From beginner to intermediate and pointe, all of my students will have access to the 3 levels of classes I teach. I might also start a new pointe class here afterward.

3. With this move comes a re-launch of my Beginner class on Monday and Wednesday at 8PM. It will be a true beginner class! 

More:
 As my classes have evolved and my core group of students have become more experienced - but not quite experienced enough for the intermediate class - the beginner class has tended to skew more advanced, with us doing pirouettes and bigger jumps and more complex combinations than I would typically do with my beginners. By making this change, I will give those advanced students another level of class and thus be able to make this beginner class one for real beginners.

Bonus: On Wednesdays I'm going to add 15 minutes of men's conditioning and steps for a small additional fee.

4. June 30th-July7th - Vacation, no classes will be held.

Ch-ch-changes: Meet Blossom, my new studio dog! And more...

Beautiful dancers and local students!

If any of you are on Facebook, you've seen Your Daily Blossom, a fun photo of my new dog, Blossom, that I post every day. She's about 4 years old, a miniature poodle mix, and she loves being in the studio! I've always wanted to have a dog in my class.

Blossom is still learning the ropes. She sometimes follows me when I demonstrate at the barre or in the center but much of the time she will stay in her bed. I have to teach her "stay" so she won't follow me - if anyone knows how to train dogs and would like to help me, I will gladly barter for classes. She knows how to sit and she knows her name.

She has a lot going for her: her size (tiny), her temperament (playful and happy), her lack of barking, and her hypoallergenic coat. She loves to be petted and will often roll onto her back in front of a student for a belly rub. She also likes to greet each student when they walk in the door.

So far, I haven't met a student who has not liked her! But I wanted to tell everyone about her so they know she will be there on Monday and Wednesday nights. Saturdays are too long for her and currently, my Tuesday and Thursday classes are at Dance Arts which doesn't allow dogs.

Which brings me to another change...Dance Arts Academy, a fabulous studio in LA, is closing its doors at the end of June. It's tremendously sad! Flamenco dancer Carla Luna opened it almost twenty years ago, transforming a former bowling alley on the second floor of a building on La Brea near Wilshire into 5 studios of varying sizes. The place was a treasure for all kinds of dancers, from classical ballet with Reid Olson and pre-professional studies with Marat Daukayev to modern dance and jazz and tap, it was a welcome rest stop for dancers who were touring Los Angeles, for new residents to the area, for dancers who wanted a variety of teachers in many disciplines.

Unfortunately, the area has been getting more and more populous with many developments on the horizon. The new owners of the building don't want a dance studio, which is such a shame. So many beautiful studios are being bought and demolished! Just before this was the famed Debbie Reynolds Studio in North Hollywood. These studios were institutions!

For dancers (and studio owners) affordability is absolutely imperative. Dancers don't truly need much: an open floor plan, raised floors, barres and mirrors for ballet, a dressing area and bathroom, and in LA especially, a place to park. Let's be honest: dance isn't exactly a money-making business. We get by and we do it because we love it, but it's not really a business that will get you rich. (If anyone knows how, please share!) But where a yoga class can pack a small room mat-to-mat, a dance studio needs space to move. Where do we go to find that? That's the problem in a city like LA: there aren't many undiscovered areas where rent is cheap. (And yes, if anyone knows the answer to that, please share!)

What does that mean for me and my classes? Well, we'll be moving. Tuesday and Thursday classes will be at 2 different studios on the east side. More details on this will follow soon but for now, let's just dance at Dance Arts Academy and enjoy the big beautiful space that Carla created!

Happy dancing~