Ballet

I've started going to ballet classes at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School. Last night was my first one and my friend Terra came along since she used to do ballet (for 10 years) and wants to get back into it. I had no idea what to expect and wondered if I would even be able to do any of it, but it turned out to be amazing. I already love everything about the class, even though I felt completely awkward as I tried to get my feet to do things I didn't know were possible. Some things weren't as hard as I thought and I already have a good idea of the different positions (first position, fifth position...). As we practiced each move there was a man who played the piano for us to give us our counts. One thing I didn't realize about ballet is that the movement of your arms is just as important as your legs. Its almost more difficult to get the arm movements right because (for me at least) so much of your attention goes to your legs and how not to fall flat on your face. By the end of the class we had moved on to some spinning moves which was entirely beyond my ability and all I can say is that it looks a lot easier than it is. But I'm excited to go back each week and learn as much as possible (and hopefully get the spinning thing down).

The photos above are from a great photography collection called The Ballerina Project. Go here to read more about it and see more photos.