Getting the Pointe: A Violinist Pursues Her Dream of Dancing Ballet

                

 

My sagging sock feet slip on the waxy buffed linoleum as I awkwardly shuffle my way past a gaggle of giggling girls in baby pink tutus. I'm wearing my yoga clothes, which have sadly not seen a yoga mat in two years, and my long mane of hair is reluctantly tied back in a girlie ponytail.

I feel ridiculous. I'm a thirty-year-old woman enrolled in a ballet class with teenage girls.

The seven-year-olds clear out and any moment now I'll be greeted by perfectly straight white smiles perched on top of perfectly young, toned bodies in lululemon spandex. Slouching in my slouch socks I catch my nervous reflection in the enormous wall of mirrors glaring back at me. Socks are not the only things that are sagging in this gal; my body has seen nine long months of pregnancy, two years of nursing and a several years skipping the morning make-up routine to chase after an active son.

I came here today to begin something I yearned to do almost twenty years ago.

I grew up the oldest child of a single mother who struggled to put food on the table. My best friend's family was well-off and put their children through whatever after school activities and summer camps their hearts desired. Among riding lessons, piano lessons, flute ensemble and painting class, Meghan excelled in ballet and violin.

She played beginning Suzuki "Twinkle Twinkle" variations and tears of yearning welled up in my eyes. She performed simple dance routines on the glossy hardwood floor of her living room set to orchestral music on the hi-fi and I applauded her every move. Sometimes she allowed me to wear her old ballet slippers and a flowing black skirt as I mimicked her clumsily.

A passionate fan of classical music since birth [and a typical pre-teen girl], I became enamoured with both violin and ballet and begged my mother to send me to classes. Sadly finances forbade it completely and I was relegated to the audience to watch and admire Meghan.

When I was twelve my mother was seriously injured at the shipyard where she painted oil tankers. She received a very modest cash settlement to take care of the doctor's bills and time off work. In her first position to pay for a class, my mother said I could take up one activity: ballet classes for a year or the purchase of a violin.

Ballet or violin? My maturity and insight in the decision took my mother by surprise. I chose violin knowing I could play violin for a lifetime as opposed to the very short careers of performing ballerinas. One thousand dollars of my mother's pain money funded my first violin, a Karl Knilling German factory fiddle made in 1989.

We certainly couldn't afford private lessons but that didn't stop me living and breathing violin. I took the city bus downtown and brought home as many sheet music scores and audio tapes as the public library would allow. We moved so I could attend school where orchestra was offered. Practicing three to five hours a day, I quickly advanced to the concertmaster position and soon started ensembles of my own.

Music college and several orchestras later I find myself married with a child and the owner of a violin business. Life had zoomed past and I never again looked back on my desire to dance ballet.

It was New Year's Eve at Grandma's house and my six-year-old son was doing his usual dance after supper routine, this time heightened by the vast quantities of Christmas candy he had consumed. On a whim I put on the John Travolta film "Staying Alive," thinking my son would appreciate the modern dance sequences and I'd enjoy a jaunt down memory lane with the classic flick.

The movie rocked Ryan's world. He was copying the moves with amazing accuracy, the spins and leaps and beaming ear to ear. The dancing he saw on the screen illuminated a whole new level of appreciation for dance and confirmed a fervent desire in his heart to dance.

My mother watched with adoration and I felt a deep pride: I'd helped him find something he loved. Heck, anyone could enroll their kids in a hundred activities, but it's far more meaningful when it's something their heart aches for. I'd even go as far to say that when you get something too easily it's not as sacred. I'd been waiting for this moment to come and was more than willing to support him in it.

A week later Ryan was enrolled in the winter semester of ballet for 6 year olds. He was the only boy in the class, but that didn't faze him. Surrounded by pink flowing fairies my child looked like a ninja in his black sweats and dragon T-shirt. He started late in the year but was keeping up well and particularly enjoying the theatrics of the class.

For four weeks I peeked through the doors of the waiting room and watched Ryan's class alone while other parents ran errands with the spare 45 minutes. One session I was, as usual, copying the class' movements from behind the door when another parent asked, "you're a dancer too?"

It hit me like a load of ballet shoes. "Me, a dancer?" I thought. It had never occurred to me to take up dance as an adult. "Why the heck not," I told myself. "I just turned thirty years old, dammit, and I can take ballet classes if I want to!"

So here I am in the Shuswap Dance ballet studio waiting to make an ass of myself. My inner twelve-year-old got me here, but the sensible 30-year-old thinks I'm nuts. "Should I run now and spare myself the embarrassment?"

My classmates enter the room. Normal looking teenage girls in sweats and T-shirts, no makeup, no perfect figures. Not the prima pink ballerinas I expected. Just some young ladies who want to learn to dance. (Phew, I won't need to buy anything pink!)

Our instructor, Carolyn Wonacott, starts us out skipping around the room... backwards. I'm tripping on myself and getting in everyone's way: making a complete ass of myself as expected. But I' laughing and having the time of my life. Carolyn blasts Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" as we practice twirling around the room, dizzy and giddy.

My muscles are protesting from the sudden activity as if to say, "what did we do to you to deserve this sudden onslaught of torture?" The pliés (I'm sure which literally translates to "pain in le ass") are killer, but they make me feel like a graceful dancer so I forge on. I know I'll feel this tomorrow but continue to bend deeper into the stretch.

"I'm a dancer," I snicker.

I learn that my class performs more than just ballet. We work on a jazzy swing number and next break into a chirpy hip-hop number by, er, Brittney who? I'm an old matron who listens to CBC news radio; completely out of touch with 21st Century pop culture. The girls fill me in on the singer's recent head shaving and suspected drug addiction and we move on. I try my best to copy their moves and fail miserably to keep up but know I'll get it eventually.

The class ends and I head upstairs to buy my first set of dancing shoes. I'm tired, far more tired than I'd expected I'd be, but I feel a warm glow in my bones as I slip on various slippers and shoes. I settle on a cozy pair of jazz shoes and receive encouragement from Carolyn. We both know I'll never dance with the Royal Ballet and may not make it on to pointe shoes. I don't mind. I'm just fulfilling a promise to myself and it feels great.

I wear the shoes all the time, eagerly awaiting the next class. I lace up my adorable little black shoes and stretch my toes into the lovely pointe shape I've admired for so many years. A feeling of pride and accomplishment washes over me.

I have learned that I can do anything I set my mind to. This was a gift that my mother passed on to me: the gift of learning to really want something and having the desire and tenacity to make it happen.

And this time around I'll have my handsome son as a dance partner.

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is an award-winning classical violinist/fiddler and music teacher operates Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop. She shop has also won several distinguished business awards and offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies with exceptional personal service: http://www.fiddleheads.ca

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Ballet is an art and it is different from other dance forms. Ballet is a specific dance form and technique. Many historians list dance as the oldest of the human art forms. When looking at dance it is very structured in its movements, when dance is set to a musical score for rhythm, you are able to see how the physical movements translate into joy and happiness. The movements of ballet beautify and create gracefulness throughout your limbs and body. Enchanting and graceful with unbelievable steps, ballet is an extremely difficult dance to learn perfectly.

An important part of the ballet dancer?s equipment is the ballet shoe, while the shoes are beautiful they are essential and important in the ballet dance. The ballet shoes are designed to be pleasing to the audience and mostly they are designed to function for the dancers. Ballet shoes typically do not last very long and have a short life, but the shoes were designed to help the dancer move with implausible strength and grace while dancing. Pointe shoes, in many ways, can be considered an extension of the dancer. When purchasing ballet shoes keep in mind that leather last longer than canvas, if you do purchase the shoes in canvas you will need to replace them more often. Another decision that must be made for ballet flat shoes is the type of closure on them. When taking ballet classes the teacher or instructor might have color, type and brand requirements, so check before purchasing. When just starting out and learning ballet it is not important to purchase the most expensive shoes, purchase your ballet shoes at a discount store, if you like it you can always purchase more expensive shoes.

Beginning students for any type of activity always look ahead and imagine the day when they will be able to wear pointe shoes. Ballet shoes are not a normal looking dance shoes they have an odd shape and with a flat section in the front of the shoe but they are designed in this fashion to help the dancer stand on their toes. There are several elements involved in the anatomy of a pointe shoe, all of which contribute to its fit and performance. When first starting out in ballet and you will need to purchase ballet shoes, you will not need pointe shoes until you reach a more advanced level..

Tights come in a variety of colors, with the most popular being pink and black. Ballet dancers usually wear either tights or leotards for comfortable body maneuver. The tights that Ballet dancers wear are tight-fitting which allows the fluid movement when the dancers are performing. Specialized ballet tights are often found in plain colors.

From the beginning of time dances such as ballet have been intertwined with music. Without music ballet is nothing more than the empty motions of a ritual. Such schools offer both beginners classes as well as classes for training professionals with live music accompanying instructions and training.

If your children are just starting ballet you might look to see if your town offers classes. Most of the time the town ballet classes that are offered are much more inexpensive than private lessons, and are a good way of determining if your child will like this type of dance.

David Marc Fishman is the owner of bornasuperstar.com The online talent shows for musicians

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