First class with Juliet

In our first class with Juliet I realised how I definitely need to build the strength in my thighs; as she asked us to hold a certain position in plie and I really struggled to stay without shaking or straightening my legs.

I can do this by getting down into my legs more during class and pushing everything to my maximum. I also need to apply the idea of pushing beyond myself and finding my maximum movement during all technique classes. For example during travelling phrases instead of just stepping out to where I usually would, I need to shun forward to further than myself and make the most of the movement and how far my leg can reach-stop playing it safe!

Another point I noticed in Juliet’s lesson that affects me across the board in technique is my mindset. I’ve noticed that if I feel confused or unsure about a certain phrase this will affect how I dance. Juliet made us imagine that when we ‘performed’ the movement in lesson we were actually performing at an audition or on a stage and I noticed how much this changed my mindset which in turn changed how I attacked the movement. I think as a class we are so used to dancing with and in front of each other that I’m personally very comfortable in lessons and maybe this is why I don’t push myself as much as I should. Using the idea of ‘performing’ the movement in lesson made me think about it in a different way and attack the phrases with confidence that showed in my body and gave the movement more intention.