Hooves problems

Monday’s class was a disaster.

Well. Only grand allegro was a disaster. But it’s the last thing we do!

It felt like I had never taken a single ballet class in my life. Like I had total amnesia and woke up in the corner of the studio. We had to do a développé facing away from the mirror, chassé and turn to do it again facing the mirror and I KEPT turning the wrong way and getting all mixed up. And even the first développé where I had the direction correct felt sloppy and unsteady. How does everything fall apart so quickly after barre??

Oh well. I think sometimes a big disaster combination can be a turning point in the learning process. A lot of my most-feared steps that have contributed to a disaster turn across the floor have “clicked” into place soon after. Like turning waltzes, fauette-sauté (even though it’s a simpler step than a tour jeté, I learned tour jeté first), and basically any other step where you have to rotate the position of your body (not counting actual turns, which of course are difficult but not confusing—you generally end up facing where you started).

My right foot/ankle seems to be doing better, although I’m still suspicious of it. MEANWHILE my stupid LEFT foot has a problem now. The top of the foot keeps hurting. I think this probably contributed to my poor performance at the end of class Monday. It was hurting when I would relevé. Which made me regret doing an entire adagio combination on relevé during barre. What was I thinking?

Ugh I’m so over this. I just want to dance!! I don’t want to REST.

I took Saturday off over the weekend (went to yoga instead). So I rested BOTH MY DUMB FEET for three days. But I guess that wasn’t enough. And then also Monday’s class probably was worse because of all the days off. THANKS FOR NOTHING.

In happier news, my pirouettes felt good and solid, out of nowhere. Like to the point where I knooow I should start trying for doubles. I hate pirouettes. Ironic that I felt steadiest during my least favorite part of class (I’d rather jump). But that’s life.

I was standing near the mirror between combinations and looking at my feet while holding onto a barre. I rose into a demi-pointe and then let go of the barre and I was like, whoa. My feet look nice. And I’m standing here doing this by myself! Look at me go! I obviously didn’t take a picture so here is basically what I looked like: