How I almost didn’t go back to ballet

You stop ballet, you start back up. Life gets in the way. You stop, you start back up. Now here I was in the longest stoppage, ten years, amid an understanding that maybe that was IT for me and ballet. Having a child changes you, changes your body, your priorities, your sense of what you … Read more

“Adult Ballet’s Dark Side”

The article I just now read is titled “Confessions of an Anonymous Ballet Teacher: Adult Ballet’s Dark Side,” and it’s hilarious and entertaining. I have taken many a ballet class through the years. I briefly taught adult ballet classes, back in the day. I am currently an adult ballet student who, in the studio, is … Read more

Why I don’t miss dancing en pointe

Night three of Nutcracker performances when I danced Sugar Plum Fairy, back in the day. Ow. Must confess to more than one bout of crying and “I’m not sure I can go up on pointe – it hurts too much!” rant. But of course I did. With a smile. Oh, my. I do not miss … Read more

Thumbs Up For SF Ballet’s Program 4

Watching “Within the Golden Hour, ” the second ballet of the San Francisco Ballet’s Program 4 was, to me, as satisfying as it gets. “I may as well go home now,” I joked afterward, amid the applause, to the woman next to me. “It can’t get better than this.” But, surprise. The third ballet was another … Read more

The Glorious Corps of the San Francisco Ballet

The corps de ballet dancers of the San Francisco Ballet are so darned good, with their clean lines, lyricism and strength, that sometimes it seems unfair to assign them that lesser title, corps de ballet, particularly as artistic director Helgi Tomasson often uses them in soloist and even lead role capacities. All the more power … Read more