Have you ever had one of those times when you say that you never want to do something but then you try it and you fall in love with it! Well that was me two years ago. As you may know, dancing is a big part of what I want to do when I grow up. And 2 years ago I hated ballet! I did it because ballet is the technique to all dancing styles. It helps you in many things like your resistance, technique, flexibility, muscle strength, burning calories and more.
2 years ago I used to receive a 1 hour ballet class on Tuesday with a group of 15 other girls. One of the reason I didn’t like the class was because I never knew what I was doing, and the teacher didn’t pay that much attention to me so I never knew what I needed to improve on. Months passed and I felt like I wasn’t making any advancements. Each class was boring. It was as if I was in another planet during the class and I just wasn’t getting the purpose of it and most important I wasn’t enjoying it.
So instead I talked to my mom and we decided to contact (Ivon Martinez). Ivon is Cuban dancing teacher that has dedicated her life to dancing and teaching it. She actually was my very first dancing teacher when I was 5 years old. We contacted her and asked if she could give me private ballet lessons on Tuesday and Thursday. When Ivon said yes, it thrilled me! From the first class I received I fell in love with ballet! I felt the class gone so fast and I was happy because I was learning.
Class by class we went and I began to understand the ballet exercises plus, I also grew a loving friendship with Ivon. The day before the class was always exciting because I was a step closer to being on pointe plus, I was going to learn something new. My first class started at the beginning of November 2017 and up to now April 25 which is my 3d pointe class! On one of my first classes I decided to ask Ivon when I could start pointe and she told me that I could possibly start in December 2018. Well, I can tall you that hard work pays off. Instead, I started pointe in April 2018. Eight months before expected! When I first heard Ivon say that I would be starting pointe sooner, I couldn’t believe it. Was she actually saying it? And so it was.
On the first week of April I went to buy my first pair of pointe shoes. Simply so you know, there are lots of pointe shoes you can choose from. There are Cappezio, Bloch, Gaynor, Repetto, Grishko, Russian Pointe, etc. As for myself, I got the Russian Pointe. I was supposed to get Gaynor but I didn’t know so instead I bought the Russian Pointe. (which are a hard pointe shoe brand). I was worried because when I told people I had bought the Russian, they would tell me that some people couldn’t even stand on them because they were too hard. As for myself, I had no problem with them. I was able to stand on them at my first class!
If there is something you should know, is that you never forget your first time on pointe. When I stood for the first time, I felt like I was on a cloud. I felt so wonderful inside that I felt like Dorothy with her ruby slippers. I even got to do exercises off the bar! Some things we did a lot were plies and releves. These exercises help to soften the shoe and give you strength to stand on the pointe. Today April 25 which was my third pointe class, I noticed that the shoe is softer and more bendable than it was on my first class.
For me it is always hard to end a ballet class. I like them so much that I wish I could do 4 hours more. I am extremely happy for my accomplishment and all the hard work I have put into each class. I encourage you to do new things, challenge yourself and work hard because in the end you can accomplish anything if you put your mind into it. Take it from a girl who didn’t start ballet at at a young age and who didn’t even like it.
Victoria Morales 