How to take ballet classes
How I did it: I looked at the course schedule for informal classes at Santa Monica College and then signed up online. It was a 5-week course. I was empowered, freed, and inspired. I have ballet slippers to prove it.
I felt like an odd duck at first, but then I caught on to the counting, to the point of realizing I was on beat when others were not (this was an informal, adult ballet class). When we got to 360 degree spins, my teacher said I was a natural! I was hooked (OK, I was hooked on the first class, actually).
On the last class, we were asked to apply our spins and spin across the room. I got completely lost in the footwork, and I wished that my course hadn't ended on a bad note. I swore to take more ballet classes.
I took a break to prepare for my first year of teaching 2nd grade and lost some of the momentum for continuing. But I remember how much I loved it, how fulfilled I felt being free to dance with my whole body like that. It's not unlike singing in that regard.
