Movement & Dance- October 5

Chassés are easier to show with the full movement, but I can only use pictures,
so I'm making do. In ballet, chassés are done by one foot sliding out in front of
the other, then having the back foot "chase" after it.

SUCCESS!

So last week we started a bit of work on chassés, but we just touched on them, we didn't do much work because we were running out of time. That said, when we came back to them today, I realized that it was exactly the difference I was looking for. Chassés in ballet are all about that slight change in balance for our port de bras; chassés in skating are all about the changes of edges.

In figure skating, chassés are all about your edges. It's less about your feet
chasing after each other, and more about your change of edge, however, the
name chassé is kept, because the change can't be done without your back foot
chasing the front one.

Anyway, I'm starting to actually enjoy sautés which I never thought I'd say. I've noticed that as the days pass, all the leg muscles I've forgotten about when I stopped swimming and skating are starting to wake back up and engage again. It's starting to feel like when I did the hip hop ministry two years ago. That dancing head space is starting to come easier, the sort of electric intensity is coming back to my body. I've started notice I can push myself harder now too, and that things that were hard at the beginning (the plank in Sun Salutation) is easier to hold and lower. I really enjoy how this is all starting to feel. For how mad I get at myself for not looking as perfect as other girls in my class, at the same time, there's a little piece of me that adores that feeling I get when I'm dancing again, like for just a moment, my soul is free.