Professional Dance Class - Ballet with Mr Zhou.

Amazing God/hot guy. Which would you pick ?

Listening to ' Forever' by Hillsong, courtesy of Daniel Quah, the generous soul who loaned me his cds....

Aside from the yes/no dilemma I'm having now, dance life is going great ! In fact, I'm going to enlighten you guys on PDC Ballet class, the one conducted by Mr Zhou and Ellie Lai, the famous husband-and-wife ballet dancers, and the BEST BALLET CLASS IN THE WHOLE OF MALAYSIA. I've yet to meet such great teachers. You know what...I've been dancing since I was 5, but it feels like I've only REALLY started DANCE after I met

1) Celeste Theunissen - my fearsome Jazz guru..and the whole C.S.o.P.A gang...
2) Ms Ellie and Zhou Lao Shi - my inspiring, encouraging ballet teachers, and the whole E.Z.o.P.A gang

TODAY'S PDC CLASS

Will keep this short and sweet for all you dance noobs ! Lol, if you don't know how to dance - that's okay. If you don't know how to LOVE dance and life - that's sad. ;)

There were a lot of people today. I was asked to demonstrate glise at the barre - temporarily spaced out ! Gosh, I must have looked like such a fool...and I didn't demonstrate very clearly either so Lao Shi asked me to demonstrate it again..So much for my plans to excel in PDC and prove myself worthy of this class. But I came early today - actually I'm ALWAYS early, I HATE, LOATHE, DETEST, DESPISE being late for classes. Being punctual is not good enough sometimes, you have to come PREPARED, physically, mentally, and attitude wise too! - and Lao Shi CAUGHT me alone in the smaller studio, doing my warmups..to 'Voice of Truth' by Casting Crowns.

Hen embarrassing already...tambah with the glise incident...sigh....

Redeemed myself in the exercises after ! - STEPH, COME PREPARED LOL..DON"T DAYDREAM IN THE CLASS AND WATCH WATCH WATCH OTHERS SAMPAI LUPA SENDIRI PUNYA KAKI -

Lao Shi corrected me quite a number of times today, wonderful ! I'd never thought I'd say this, but I really like it when he pinpoints my mistakes and corrects me, when he goes near my feet and helps me push them ( albeit forcefully ) to a perfect 5th sandwich position, looks at me with this teasing, knowing smile, as if we're sharing a private joke ( which if we are, what is the joke ? ) and especially when he goes all philosophical and talks about the beauty of dance, in an abstract yet practical Chinese logic.

Like today, in the plies, he told us to feel ' beautiful', to go further, and really feel it. In the tendus, he told us to 'dance' and 'feel music', lift up more, and turn out. Gosh, he emphasizes so much on turn out..I was damn stressed on it today ! He specifically told me to relax my shoulders. I felt the tension melt away. He also stressed on the extension, especially in the frappe, he said we could all extend the toe more.

AND IT WAS SO TRUE ! THE MINUTE I STARTED POINTING THE ENDS OF MY FEET HARDER ( because sometimes I concentrate too much on my turnout/thighs and neglect me pinky toezzies ) , MY FOOT/LEG LINE JUST CHANGED ! THE WHOLE SHAPE OF MY LEG CHANGED TO BECOME THINNER AND LONGER !!! AND I DID SO WELL IN ADAGE TODAY !!! TOTALLY FELT THE STRETCH !!! I really understand ' extention' now !

He stressed again on the placing of the pointed feet in frappe when in degage ouvette. - Yes yes I must be more careful.

Rond de jambe - again more extention ! " Go high and longer, never stop!" Gosh, Lao Shi is never tired of saying the same thing all over again...

Adage - he made us stretch beforehand. I was already feeling awfully stretchy thanks to cardio earlier - try dodging cars in the morning rush hour. It burns calories real fast ...-

He really really wanted HIGH, LONG, TURNOUT legs. Everything had to be EXTRA Long, EXTRA backbendy, EXTRA extention and lengthen, EXTRA holding the leg in a crazy 160 degree position, EXTRA long long long loooonnggg penche...

But I haven't felt this good in adage in a long time. It's really strengthening. And it showed me how capable I really was, of achieving all his ' commandments ' ! I can..actually do it..compared to the first time I came/was wowed by PDC...

Grande battlement - I must have redeemed myself well in the adage and pleased him, because I was asked to demonstrate this. He reminded us to just G. B picke the leg, not the entire hip socket/body like a belly dancer and have lighter legs too. And he posed us a question - why is it that when our legs are thrown up high in the air, they don't appear long ? They should be long ( meaning extended FULLY ) then high ( meaning THROWN UP MAXIMUMLY ) "Always one or the other sigh..."

Those was one of the lighter moments in class, Lao Shi doesn't really crack jokes, but when he does, they're...not too bad. Really. Just not that all funny, when one's tired herself at the warmup exercises, trying to achieve his ideals.

And then, when we were stretching/relaxing after the strenuous barre work ( ONE HOUR !!! ), he talked about me ! In front of the whole class..said something in Mandarin which I HAVE NO IDEA what ( I REALLY HAVE TO LEARN MANDARIN...I":M THE ONLY ONE IN THE CLASS WHO POOZETAU !!! wthe..). But apparently he was talking about how he found me stretching earlier in the morning..I think he was pleased...and he said I've 'JING PU '. -THIS I def know..WOO HOO !!!

And then, he had me demonstrate the centre Port De Bra. YAYZERS !!! I MANAGED THE BALANCE - Double R.d.j en lair on DEMI POINTE and TRIPLE PIRROUTTES ON MY RIGHT SIDE @ LEFT LEG !!!

But somehow I couldn't recreate the triples for him in the pirroutte exercise..WHY ??? Because I didn't bring in my 2nd arm..I left my shouder 'hanging out there'. Only realized it AFTER I left class. But I was so exhausted by then. I need sleep ! And cake does NOT help in stablizing my blood sugar !

But I did well in the Adage. I had really HIGH, almost 165 degree legs ! And my legs were so stretched, long, thin, TURNED OUT !!! But my arms could have been better and more expressive...

Celeste said today ( at jazz class ) ( to me ) not to be FLUSTERED { and get all hot and bothered } when it comes to turns. I can turn. And I'm turning well. I just need to control it, and practise more for consistency.

WOO HOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TRIPLE !!!! I WAS SMILING LIKE A GIGANORMOUS IDIOT WHEN I ACCOMPLISHED THAT !!!! The strangest thing was, I wasn't even THINKING of attempting a triple. It just..came..I think Annie'd relate to that..I saw her smile in the same way. I'm so proud of myself for the centre PDB. But I think I can, and I WILL DO BETTER.

Will BLOG about Jazz class tomorrow !