Part 1: How it all started..

 I love ballet..I always have and always will. When the average person knows that I dance, they assume that I'm one of those typical dancers who's been dancing since the "tender" age of 3..wrong! I haven't been dancing since 3..more like 15...Sometimes I wish that I could say the former, only because I generally find that people take your love of dance more seriously the longer you've been doing it. In truth, I've loved it as long as I can remember..long before my Mum took me to see the Nutcracker at Christmas when I was 7..I remember begging Mum to enrol me in ballet many many times.. Mum would always say that I was doing pian,  girl guides and school sport, and that that was plenty. She also said that ballet was too girly (this coming from someone always described as "very feminine"..Later on, I found out that she only said that because she thought she'd have to spend all her time sewing costumes! So I did piano, girl guides and school sports instead. In all honesty, I was the average athlete..no special talent at any sport but decent enough that I could score sometimes. Piano I did for 9 years and did 10 grades..I was good at piano and enjoyed it, but given the option in the first place between dance lessons and piano, I would have taken dance easily. Mum would cringe reading this (especially since she spent so much money on piano lessons) but deep down, I know she already knows that. For one thing I've never talked about piano the way I have about ballet and two, I don't play the piano a lot anymore. If I feel like playing, I do and once I begin playing I enjoy myself, but it's a very different feeling from how I feel about ballet. Yes it is relaxing and soothing, but I don't dream about playing for grand audiences or being a professional pianist. I've rarely dreamed about it at all. On the other hand, when I hear the word "ballet" my face lights up and I feel this tingle of excitement rush through me :) On the other hand my Mum's big love is music (she has a beautiful operatic sort of voice and her father played the piano really well), so that's what she had us all do: Mixhuca-flute and saxaphone, Monica-violin, Vanessa-piano, Justin-trumpet & piano, myself-piano, clarinet & saxaphone (and for a very short time cello), & Olivia-piano & clarinet..

Anyway, I suppose I always knew that I really loved ballet. I had a pair of navy blue leggings when I was little that I loved-the reason being that I used to pull them down over my ankles and the heels of my feet so that they looked like ballet tights and slippers; I would then dance around to Mum's classical music (my favourite being the music from the Nutcracker) pretending I was in ballet. Then there was the fact that I was insanely jealous of any girl I knew doing ballet, jazz, tap etc. My best friend's younger sister danced and I used to always ask her to show me steps, let me see her shoes and admire her ballet photos ever single time I went over to her house.

My dance classes started out of a fluke really..Mum had decided to enrol Olivia in ballet and hip-hop at 12, as she thought they'd be good for her coordination. Of course I put up an indignant fight, especially since I'd long been after Mum for dance lessons and Olivia never had.. So Mum agreed to let me do "just one" ballet class. I'll never forget the moment Mum agreed to that "one ballet class"..I was beyond ecstatic :)  I loved ballet just as much as I thought I would and could hardly contain myself when Mum took me to get my first pair of ballet slippers and later on, pointe shoes..Suffice to say, Olivia stopped lessons after a few months as she wasn't enjoying it and I continued on, eventually taking 2 classes a week and later on, jazz as well.

I finally did it! :)

Well, I finally did it! I created a blog! It's been something that I have thought about doing for awhile but there didn't seem to be any reason until now to begin one. This blog will serve as my ballet story of sorts-first with how it all began and ranging from random ballet musings or exciting events relating to it. Anyway a peaceful Sunday evening following an excellent weekend of friend catch-ups, coffee and yet another wonderful ballet class seemed like a great time to begin this blog of mine. I don't know how often I shall update it. I aim for a couple of times a week but of course that will depend on several factors. Anyway..I'm just listening to my recently played itunes songs. They consist of Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night", Lenka's "The show" and lots of ballet music..