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So much for blogging regularly about school!  In summary: I’m still loving it, I’ve had a few injuries but nothing major (touch wood), I am now teaching a beginner ballet class, I’ve improved a lot and I’ve been REALLY busy juggling it all.  The web design thing is still going strong, I’ve had plenty of work, and we’re still doing Dutch classes - I even recently wrote an article for the Dutch Courier (Dutch newspaper in Australia) which will probably appear next month.  In October, I will be performing in Flare Dance Company’s Metamorphosis - I will be in two pieces, one of which I choreographed.  I’m looking forward to it but also looking forward for it to be over and getting my Sundays back!

So, why the sudden urge to tease my poor, neglected blog with a few words?  Well, I’m fast approaching my 30th birthday and came across a highly relevant article today in The Age suggesting a list of “things to do” before you turn 30.  The list (below) is quite good actually and I’m pleased to say that I’ve done most of the ones that interest me (13 of the 30 - I’ll leave it to you to imagine which ones!).  I’m also pleased to say that I’ve done many of the things on my own mental list, but now, in this year of change and growth, I’m having fun creating my mental to do list for my thirties.  Thankfully my husband and many of my friends are already in their thirties so it doesn’t scare me, but I do feel like I’m about to say goodbye to an old, fun, friend (my twenties).

1. Buy a one way ticket overseas

2. Borrow your nephews and nieces or friends’ kids for a weekend and take them to the zoo

3. Blow a week’s wages on dinner for two at a restaurant where the prices aren’t even listed on the menu

4. Have a one night stand with an attractive stranger you met at a party

5. March for a cause you believe in

6. Move out of home and live in a share house

7. Run a marathon - or if that’s too daunting, do a fun run

8. Invent your own cocktail

9. Learn a language

10. Get a Brazilian wax

11. Have sex in the open air

12. Read the collected works of an author you love

13. Get a letter to the editor published in your local newspaper

14. See the Aurora Borealis.

15. Try base jumping or another extreme sport

16. Bluff your way into a glamorous job you’re totally unqualified for

17. Join a political party and hand out how to vote cards on election day

18. Get involved in a team sport

19. Do a road trip with a bunch of mates in a dodgy car

20. Survive a flight on a third world airline

21. Find the love of your life

22. Lose the love of your life

23. Skinny dip in the ocean at midnight under a full moon with a group of friends

24. See the sun rise after an all night rave

25. Go to a gay bar - if you’re straight

26. Go hiking in Bhutan

27. Do a ten day yoga retreat

28. Make a fool out of yourself at a karaoke bar

29. Plant a tree for the environment

30. Get fake ID saying you’re 21

Ok, I missed week 2 already but I have to write a weekly journal for homework and learn syllabus material (as well as work and do my homework for my Dutch classes) so I think I can be forgiven for missing entries (I don’t think my 1-2 readers will mind! ;).

I’m almost into the swing of things now. This week and last week have been very much about settling in, getting over muscle soreness, building strength and learning syllabus material.  The soreness has mostly gone but I have a couple of old injuries that have begin to play up (all on my right side unfortunately).  I’ve been stretching in the evening, massaging my muscles with a natural muscle rub and strapping my ankle.  If all is not well by early next week I’ll go to a physio (no time this week!).

I had a bad day on Wednesday - was feeling a bit drained and overwhelmed with the syllabus work and it’s a big switch from doing beginner/intermediate classes most days to advanced/professional classes on Wednesdays - harder on the body and the brain. Today was a much better day - I am starting to remember the syllabus work and had a great class wearing chorus shoes for the first time - that was a lot of fun!  This is the first time they’ve run jazz classes with chorus shoes after realising there is a need in the industry for dancers to be experienced in dancing in them.  Also, yesterday I learned some new tricks in the advanced / professional jazz class and we did a floor barre in ballet (kind of like pilates).  In between I’ve been furiously practicing the hip-hop and tap routines that I’ll be performing in my exams in a few weeks time - I hope I can remember them and I hope the next level is not significantly more difficult.  I’m lucky that other (only) other teaching student is a tapper and helps me a lot with rehearsing the tap routing.  I seem to have a good memory for the hip-hop choreography so try to help her with that in return.

Our week has been a little disrupted with studios hired out for auditions for Tokyo Disneyland.  There was a buzz of excitement as some of the advanced students auditioned and the rest of us were shifted to other studios.   Some of the advanced students already work professionally in dance; it’s very cool to be so close to what’s going on in the industry.

So that’s a quick  catch-up of the last two weeks.  Tomorrow evening Matt and I are heading down to Phillip Island for the weekend to see his parents and show off (and enjoy!) our new car.  Should be nice and relaxing since we’ve spent the last couple of weekends doing repairs around the house and running around with chores, shopping (for dance gear and groceries) and visiting my parents.

Well, week 1 is over and this is the start of my year-long journal.  It’s been a thrilling, exhausting, sore, fun, daunting, nervous week of adjustment. I’ve very much enjoyed everything so far but really needed the weekend to recover my energy and heal my sore muscles.  Since starting I’ve been constantly aching, constantly hungry and quite tired (mostly from lack of sleep on the warmer nights).

On Wedesday morning, my first day, after a warm, restless night I took the tram and arrived at school very nervously, not sure at all what to expect.  I was immediately allocated a locker and a warm-up studio I quickly changed and made my way down to warm-up. I expected the daily warm-up to last for 15 minutes or so and consist mostly of stretching. I was wrong. It was a tough 30 minute workout with crunches, stretches, splits, etc. It seemed to last forever and I knew that I would be really sore the next day. After that we had an orientation session where we went through the student handbook and got our student cards and discount cards for dancewear stores (very handy). After orientation it was straight into our normal timetable.  Being a Wednesday the next class was advanced ballet - not too hard but it still pushed me. Then we had a 30 minute break for lunch (a light one!) and to change for advanced / professional jazz. Again, more stretching and crunches. But the class wasn’t too cardio-heavy. I really enjoyed it, I really like the teacher, I’ve been to his classes before. The routine we did was quite funky but I think I managed alright. What struck me during this class as my muscles were starting to fatigue was that I would have to do all this again tomorrow, and the day after, and so on. I’m so used to having a day to recover from tough classes.

Thursday was a very similar day, beginning, after warm-up, with a theory class, followed by a break, intermediate jazz, another break, and then beg/inter ballet.  Friday was a little different with warm-up, funk/hip-hop and jazz back-to-back.  I was getting a little giddy from hunger by the end of jazz!  Then we had our first funk/hip-hop syllabus class.  I coped surprisingly well considering my lack of hip-hop exposure and I loved the choreography.  Let’s see how I do on the exam!

During orientation I found out that as part of the Dance Teaching course we must attend jazz and ballet on Wednesdays (this term) with the certificate IV and diploma students, and on other days with the certificate III students.  Other classes are a mixture of syllabus classes with diploma student, classes by ourselves and theory.  We also have exams every 5 weeks for hip-hop, jazz and tap - that’s a bit daunting considering I’ve done very little hip-hop and tap before.  We will also be studying choreography, stage management and have to show our proficiency at dancing ballet, jazz and hip-hop with a partner.  We must also attend a one-day First Aid course.

After taking the tram on Wednesday (and suffering during the walk home) I decided to drive on Thursday.  Thankfully I found that driving was faster than taking the tram (which saves me the walk to/from the tram stop) and I managed to get parking so I will keep that up for a while.  It’s good to get home 30 minutes earlier so I can get more work done.

In terms of the course, so far all of the teachers seem very supportive and professional and a couple of them are great choreographers.  I had expected to feel a little old but I’m happy to find I’m not the eldest, or the shortest, or the fattest / skinniest, or the worst.  There are actually 3-4 other students around my age.  Being one of the teaching students I am held up as an example quite often (to my embarrassment), particularly to the certificate III students, so at least I know my technique is ok.

So that’s week one out of the way.  I managed to purchase a new leotard, tights, pants, legwarmers and tap shoes today.  It took me a while to find but I went to the Bloch store in Camberwell.  I couldn’t really do without tap shoes when I have an exam in 5 weeks!  Also, the uniform of leotard (no bra) and pink tights for ballet is pretty strict so I thought I better get one more leotard.  I’m getting used to having to wear 2-3 outfits per day just for school - and the loads of washing!!  Now I’m going to sit and relax, watch the first episode of Australia’s So You Think You Can Dance and prepare for my first full week of classes.

I’m sitting at my dining table, instead of my office where I should be, with the front door open and the sounds of smooth jazz breezing through the house from our neighbour across the street who is a musician and rehearsing with his band.  I love to just sit and listen sometimes, I hope he doesn’t think I’m strange because he can certainly see me through his upstairs living-room window down to mine on the ground level.  With papers all over the table and a TODO list that doesn’t seem to shrink, I’m in a mood to reflect on things.  I’m one week away from the biggest change in my career since I decided not to be a vet and instead study computer science at university.  I guess starting a business is a big career change but this feels bigger. My first day of full-time dance classes starts next week.  I am almost prepared but I’m also coming down with a cold, which is annoying.  A bit of a blow when I’ve been attending as many classes as possible (though not as many as full-time) and starting to think that I was reaching peak physical fitness.

So it has been an interesting week or two.  I’ve turned down an offer to teach an inter/advanced ballet class in Box Hill (for various reasons); I’ve come across another job opportunity to help with dance workshops for kids in the holidays (and possible be a dancer / dance teacher for this new company when they get going);  Matt and I hosted a fun poker night, and I even won a pot;  I’ve landed new web design work (thankfully nothing big nor urgent); I’ve had workmen fixing up a few issues around the house (solar panels, a few leaks);  I’ve weeded and swept the back yard;  I’ve started back at Dutch classes;  Matt has decided which car he wants to import from Japan and has set about getting that organised;  And I’ve finally sent my wedding photo negatives and digital files to the printer so we can finally finish our wedding album!  I’ve also spent a day on the couch feeling sick and managed to get a lot of work done despite all of this.

Here’s to a calmer, healthier week ahead!

Prom Inlet

We’ve been back at work for a week already and the memory of another fantastic New Years trip is already fading. As we have for the past 3-4 years, we spent New Years in a short-term rental house with a group of old friends.

After a stopover of one night with Matt’s parents in Phillip Island we went on to our accommodation. This time there were 10 of us in Yanakie (Wilson’s Promontory) and as always there was much chatting, eating, cards, Pictionary and a trip to the beach. Luckily for us, being so far south, we weren’t subject to the extreme heat of New Years eve suffered by those in the city - it was actually very windy. The wind calmed down on NYE and we took a trip down to Sandy Point beach. What a beautiful, long, clean beach it was with great waves. On New Years day it started to heat up but a 10am checkout meant we were home by its worst. Sadly, we were back to work on the 2nd.

Since then we’ve had a dinner with the extended members of that same group of friends, a wedding and lots of relaxing in the evenings. However I’ve been missing dance and Dutch classes. Thankfully I was back at my first ballet class today (despite the top of 41 degrees!). Classes are back to normal next week and there’s still a couple of weeks before Dutch starts back. And less than 3 weeks until I’m a full-time dance student!!