The Barre

The ballet barre - my enemy, my friend. It supports me in times of need and taunts me with it's seemingly unobtainable goals. I'm coming to ballet late in life. There was one mild flirtation with toe dancing in kindergarten when I was six. I was the some sort of fairy in a pink tutu in a play. I remember liking to be on my toes then. The teacher had to explain to me not to konk the other children in the head with the wand quite so hard.

I've never felt particularly graceful, I started growing before everyone else in the fourth grade and was the tallest one in the class. One of the neighbors called me Jolly Green Giant. I was very awkward and shy. How is this fair, I'm not particularly tall now - just 5'6". I should have ended up model tall to make up for that right?

Anyway when Drury started offering Wellness classes I decided I liked variety and wanted to try different things. That's how I ended up in the ballroom class. After that it was just a matter of time before I was swept up into the fantasy of it all. Who knew I had this inner longing to be all girly and graceful.

So that brought me to adult ballet. Intimidating right. It turns out this may be the best exercise I've ever had to increase my flexibility and balance. There's just this one tiny thing.

There it is folks. The barre. Simple, elegant and oh sooo high. I love exercising at the barre and I am flexibility challenged. Right leg I can get up there and man does it stretch those muscles. Left leg, not so easy. I stand back, I contemplate, I try not to be too obvious. My leg and I we have talks together about why it really should go up there. Some days we have to talk longer than others. See I always wake up stiff and sore in the morning and ballet starts at 11:00. Limber is not my middle name. I continue to soldier on though because each time I get a little closer, a little stretchier.

I get to point my toes and glide across the floor with the other dedicated women in my class in a spirit of camaraderie that is meaningful and true. I may not be a swan but I feel connected to something rich. I feel like a dancer in my heart.

Thanks to my muse Marie who is teaching me what it is to love dance movement of all kinds. I couldn't have a more inspiring coach or a more wonderful group of women to share it with.

Plus, I get to wear the shoes...

Whenever I want!