It's All Done!

Level C6 with our Wednesday morning instructor, Alecia Good-Boresow

Well today was the very last CPYB 5 Week Summer Ballet Program 2015 class. It's been quite a trip, and I'm ready to go home and see what Mr. Grant and Mrs. McLeish (my NAYB instructors) have to say. This program has helped me understand so much more about my body and how it can function in more depth than I ever knew was there. I'm so grateful for this great opportunity and of course I made a friend or two :) I'm sad to see them go but it was so cool to watch others improve around me. The encouraging atmosphere created in a class of such dedicated students was so helpful in keeping up the energy and stamina to stay optimistic and open minded through this intensive. I would love to come back again another year, maybe even be a counselor in a year or two!

We leave tomorrow morning after some last bit of cleaning and then it's 8 or 10 hours of driving! Then I get to sleep in my own bed and pet my own cat and hug my own sisters.

C6 friends: Julia, Leanna, Elise, and Me

Cynthia Bernchaunsen, one of my favorite instructors

Julia was the best friend I made here at CPYB. She's from
New Hampshire and studies with the Boston Ballet school.

Ready for week 5!

This weekend has been a great break I feel rested and ready to take on week 5! This has been quite an experience: meeting new people, experiencing new styles, and learning very new and enlightening things. But I am very ready to go home and sleep in my own bed with Spartacus laying on my stomach, give Emily a big hug, and go to class at my own studio where they know my body and can help me take these corrections I've learned and apply them further and more effectively. 

However, there's not much of a break before school waiting for me at home, what with Abby leaving for Barcelona, Emily starting up school, my summer US history course, and all of my summer homework for NAYBC! Maybe I won't mind it if this week drags on a little longer, so I can dance a bit more and work a little less ;) but so it goes. Either way, I'm thankful for this incredible experience and look forward to this final week of classes and corrections.

My optional evening class with Olivier Muñoz from the Orlando Ballet School
(I'm the the last one on the bottom left)

Mid-Intensive Plateau

Last week felt like it flew by in a few days, and this week feels like it's dragging on and on. I think that's just because I'm excited to be going home. I feel like I've learned so much here and I want to go back to NAYB and see what they think! But I also want to get as much as I possibly can during this next week and a half. The instructors have been so enlightening, and I even got the chance to have two classes taught by American Ballet Theatre soloist, Craig Salstein! His classes were more about the complicated choreography and less about technique, so I had to really concentrate to not let myself slack off too much haha but that's just an example of the fact that class is what you make it.

  

I'm sure you all will like to know that Lily is doing fine. She's been a little nuts this week, but I think it might just be funky weather stuff that's making her be weird. I don't know much about dogs though so I hope we aren't doing anything wrong! I'm sure she's missing her real family though, but it's only 11 days till we leave and they come home! I think everybody is looking forward to going home, including Lily. ._.

2 more to go!

Well week 3 was interesting. This morning I'm off to my Saturday morning class which will conclude the half way week of this five week adventure. I'm learning a lot about my body and how to personally apply corrections. This week I think has been the big eye opener. It's also been the big plateau point haha I've been getting straight to bed when I get home so my room is kind of a wreck and my energy is at a bit of a stand still. But that's all normal for a long intensive like this. Just gotta push through :p

I've also gotten to know some of the girls in my level really well, and they are very interesting people from all over. One girl is from Oregon and another is from New Hampshire! Friends from all over :) what's even more interesting is my level is full of multiples! There is a set of twins in my level and two girls who are a third of a set of triplets!

Me and Liora in the back
Leanna and Elise (the twins)In the middle
 and Julia in the front
(The numbers represent the number of multiples they come from)

Week 2 is done!

Most days, I have from 4:00 to 6:30 completely free. So I sit outside and eat dinner on this nice patio area outside of the union building at Dickinson college. And since its July, I've donned my favorite Christmas socks. Tomorrow I get the day off since its the Fourth of July, so this is the last day of my second week here at CPYB. It's going very well, and I've made a few friends along the way :) I've had some new teachers this week, but all still very good! Thursday morning modern class was indeed a modern class, and we were taught some of Paul Taylor technique! This was a pleasant surprise because Paul Taylor started out in the Graham school, so his work is very Graham-esque and was easy to apply to my body. It's been an interesting week for sure, but I'm happy for the extra day off.

Tomorrow, for the Fourth of July, we are going to Valley Forge since its only a couple of hours away. Maybe I'll actually get some sun this summer!

(Here is the dog, Lily! She's a little nuts sometimes and makes me give her a belly rub every time I come home in the evening. But she's cute so I'm okay with it.)

1 down, 4 to go!

Week one of CPYB is done! It's been such an informative week and I'm so sore! I really love my classes though. I have the same schedule everyday, just different instructors depending on the day and the week. Two of my favorite teachers so far are Melinda Howe, choreographer, and Bruce Thornton from Miami City Ballet! :) I feel like one large, swollen bruise but it's nothing some good icing can't fix. I can't see much improvement yet, but I definitely feel it in my muscles! I can't wait to see what I feel like after five weeks haha hopefully I get stronger instead of more sore... But at this rate it will probably be both ;P

Severe weather alerts!

I got my schedule Sunday night! I have to be up at 7:00 so I can put my hair in a bun and eat a quick breakfast to be out the door no later than 8:00 for the 40 minute drive to the studio. Classes start at 9 am and I'm not done until 8 pm most nights.
Day 2 had two technique classes, one pointe class, and flash flood warnings! I am currently sitting in the Dickinson College Union waiting out the rain because they won't let anyone leave until it lets up a little bit. It's been an exciting and crowded couple of days to start it out. I hope this isn't a bad omen. ._.

Registration Day

My room in Chambersburg, PA--I'm off campus because these wonderful people needed a house sitter for five weeks and I needed to be in PA for five weeks. It worked out perfectly!

We arrived safe and sound to our house in Chambersburg yesterday, and today is when it all begins. There is registration in the morning, orientation this afternoon, and a welcome dinner this evening. And it all ends with a concert by the year round Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Dancers. Going to be a long, busy, busy day!

Leaving today!

We start the trek to Pennsylvania this afternoon! I also found out that Abby is coming with us for the first couple of weeks!! That will make it easier to adjust to not being home for so long certainly haha So, Mom has a meeting at 3:00 and as soon as she gets out, we pack up the van and head for eastern Ohio where we plan to spend the night to finish the traveling on Friday morning. I'm starting to get nervous, but also really excited that this is starting! I'll keep you guys updated when classes begin. :)

Welcome!

Hey there, made this blog for anybody who wants to follow my trip to CPYB. Check back mid-June to see what's up! :)