Thank You Mom

It's 1:30 pm on a Thursday. I'm 13 years old and yelling "drive faster, drive faster, get in that lane, no that lane" at my mother who was going as fast as she could possibly go. School doesn't end until 2:30 pm, but both my mother and I sneak out early to get into the car so she can drive me two hours, to Boston, to ballet class. I'm yelling because I'm afraid I will be late to my 4 o'clock class. We always cut it close, even with a police radar detector telling us if there is a police car around. There is no time to spare to be pulled over for speeding. 

You can never predict the traffic going into Boston. We always hit a stand still about half an hour away from the ballet studios. 

Its 3:45 pm and I'm starting to freak out. We are not that close to the studios and the traffic isn't moving. I've had my hair done in a bun for about 45 mins now and I'm dressed with my ballet uniform and shoes on. I'm ready to go, except we are stuck. I begin to bounce up and down in my seat thinking that if I keep moving so will the traffic. 

Its 4:01 pm and my mom pulls up next to a car that's already parked in front of the Boston Ballet studios, the car door on my side has been open half a block ago so I can dart out of the car and waste no time. There are always cars already parked out front so my mom is forced to double park while she lets me out. I'm already late, but only by a minute as I run into class. I never have time to properly warm up, but I feel warm already from being so stressed out in the car.

Its 5:30 pm and I'm done with class. I feel good. I always feel better after class mainly because I love to dance. My mom is waiting for me outside in the car. It's better she's outside of the studios so she won't have to take part in the conversations of the many stage moms watching through the class windows, gossiping. My mom joined a gym up in Boston so she didn't have to sit and gossip with my classmates' parent's. I think that was a very smart decision. 

Waiting for me in the car is my dinner that my mom so graciously picked up for me. I usually requested sesame chicken, and that's what she usually had waiting for me. 

Its about 6:00 pm and I'm starting to get sleepy so I take my shoes off and put them up on the dashboard. "Whoa" my mom says. I guess I am used to the smell of my feet, but they were rancid smelling after dancing in pointe shoes for an hour and a half. Most nights, including winter nights, we had to keep the window open for a while. Since we live the farthest away from everyone in my class, we get to drop off everyone on our way home. Making about three to four stops every night. 

Its 7:00 pm and I'm fast asleep. My mom has no one to talk to. She is also so tired, working all day and then driving two hours to Boston and two hours back is a lot and with no one to talk to it must be hard to stay awake. Once we get home I see my dad and sister for a few minutes and then head up to bed, only to get up in a few hours to repeat it all over again. 

My mom is a women like no other. I know that I would not be able to withstand driving my child to Boston every day of the week for three years. She is truly someone special. Without her I wouldn't be where I am today. I would have never made it to New York to become a professional ballet dancer. It was surely her dedication that brought me to live out my dream of becoming a dancer with the New York City Ballet. I feel guilty that there is nothing I can do to repay her for her generosity. I can only say that I deeply mean it when I say Thank You for Everything! 

Above is a picture of my Mom and me this past Christmas.

Curing Cabin Fever

In my opinion, when dancers are on a break, it usually takes about two days without exercise for us to get a little "stir crazy". Since dancers are used to a routine of taking ballet class every day for an hour or an hour and a half, it is a shock to completely stop taking class. There are two schools of thought on recovering from a hard season. Some dancers believe that they should continue to take class every day so they can stay in shape. And I believe that it is best to take time off. 

I believe that spending time on the couch and vegging out for a couple of days is really nice and necessary for healing, but there comes a point soon after a couple of days of doing nothing where I need to get my body moving again. There is only a certain amount of time I can spend in my apartment before I start to get cabin fever. 

Taking ballet class is essential for dancers when they are getting back in shape. However, there are many other ways to stay in shape without out taking class every day of your layoff. It is important to give your body time away from ballet so your body can heal any lingering injuries. I think it is best to take a week off  of ballet class completely. After a week or so you can start to come back to ballet class slowly by taking one or two classes a week without over exerting yourself in these first classes back. Taking class slow and easy when you are starting back will allow your body to adjust from being on the couch to being back in the studio. 

I believe that the transition from being off and being back is easier if you continue to keep your body moving. During the time off before coming back to ballet class, you can keep in shape by doing other forms of exercise. Since it is important for dancers to have good stamina, (so they can successfully get through a full ballet without looking tired) it is good to do exercises that get your heart rate going like Zumba or running on the elliptical. I also think it is important to do exercise that makes you feel good; for me I like to take yoga or a water aerobics class. It is nice to have a pool because you can do low impact exercises. Jumping up and down on one foot in the pool helps me practice landing from a jump when I'm in the ballet studio. 

I promise you will feel so much better when you get back to class if you continue to move during the layoff!