May 5, 2009

Ballet is not for the week

What I learned this week is hosted by JoLynn over at Musings of a Housewife.

I thought I was going to be at a loss this week, I considered skipping this post all together. Then we showed up at Ballet class last night.

To start my post I must digress...For those that don't know Lauren has been taking ballet at a new school this year and had the opportunity to perform in the Nutcracker last winter, now she is gearing up for Peter Pan. Lauren will be a Fairy and a Mermaid and is really looking forward to the show. During rehearsal time it puts her at about 10 hours of Ballet a week, she is 8, that is a lot of dance.

A couple of weeks ago Lauren all but fainted on a Sunday morning - we decided to keep our eye on her, make sure she was drinking enough water for all the work she is doing. Thankfully she has been fine.

We got to dance last night and I decided it would be fun to post about the "happenings at ballet" a couple of the girls work on their homework before class. Lauren doesn't usually have any but last night she had a few math problems and it was cute to look around the waiting room and see this:



Then part way through class I thought it would be fun to get a voice recording of Lauren's teacher and how intense class is. I put a couple still shots of Lauren to go with the Voice Recording - keep in mind that I am about 60 feet away from the teacher and in another room as I am recording - (and you might need to turn your speakers up)



Not 1 minute after I turned off the recording we saw a classmate go down, like a tree in the forest - flat on her back. She fainted. It was frightening, it was scary and it was sad.

A father in the waiting room told his 11 year old son "I told you Ballet is not for the weak, these girls work harder and take more hits than your whole Hockey Team" What an amazing dad!

The classmate is OK, she is going to be sore and is going to be watched for a concussions or fracture -

So this week I learned two things - when you set out to do a ballet post -

"Be careful what you wish for you might get a what I learned this week post"

and

"Ballet is not for the weak".

18 comments:

Laura said...

I hope she's okay.
Ballet is NOT for the weak to be sure.

The Fritz Facts said...

No dance is for the weak, but Ballet is crazy-intense! I always hated ballet...to strict for my liking. But, ask me for the positions and I can still do them!

Hope she is okay, how scary!

Becky said...

I can still feel the pain from the blisters we got while on point. Ouch! Good luck Lauren.

Pam said...

Wow! She must really like Ballet! Love the picture of her that is at the very end of the slideshow! And, I totally agree with you about the awesomeness of the Dad who made that comment to his son. Very evolved!

Kim H. said...

Look at how beautiful she is! And I loved the homework picture -- even for kids it can be a juggling act.

And that ballet teacher sounds like she's crackin' a whip! I wouldn't want to mess with her! :)

Kim Priestap said...

I hope she's ok. That dad is pretty cool for keeping his son in line regarding the intensity of ballet. Many people just don't get it.

jen@odbt said...

Ballet/dance is pretty intense esp leading up to recital. Lauren has got a good head on her shoulders. I'm not so sure about the instructor - she sounds like a drill sergeant.

Unknown said...

Lovely photos, and what a scary sounding ballet teacher...not for the weak at all!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Wow! That would be scary! I hope that little girl is okay.

Your pictures were cute!

XOXO
Jen

Unknown said...

Oh my, that would have been scary for me too. Ballet is not for the weak, no doubt. I wanted a dancer so badly, but alas, I've grown female athletes with my two girls.
Wonderful pictures to go with the audio. That teacher doesn't mess around!

Anonymous said...

ohh wow that sounds pretty intense. My sister was in the Richmond ballet and practiced like that too. Lauren looks so cute in her ballet attire.

The House of Sprout said...

We are heading to dance class tonight (tap, ballett, and jazz) with my 4-year-old and the recital is only a month away. Luckily our teacher is sweet and relaxed - I never see the stress or pressure and they always look cute!

Courtney said...

very scary. how is she?

Jenni said...

Scary! Ballet is tough stuff! That teacher sounds like she doesn't mess around!

Allison said...

Oh, my gosh! That voiceover is intense!

Unknown said...

Ballet is not for the weak I took ballet for 15 years I loved everyminute of it! Blisters, the practice, the pointe shoes, and of course the costumes!

Bonnie said...

How scary that must have been. Lauren is a real trooper! That instructor sounded like a drill sargeant!

Musings of a Housewife said...

Wow! That's so scary, and it sure does sound intense. I hope they both are feeling better now.