Ann Martin - Mary Anne's Book

SUMMER BALLET PROGRAM-BEGINNERS

9:00-10:00 Ballet Class

10:00-10:15Snack

10:15-11:15Befit .~tory and Video Hour

11:15-12:00Ballet Class

RULES:

· Students must wear regulation dancewear to all classes.

· Hair must be held back from face.

· No gum chewing.

· No visiting during class.

Three girls left the line to drop wads of gum in the basket.

I was glad that the clerk at Dancer's World had told us about Madame Minoff's strict rule about hair being pulled back. My dad had pinned my braids on top of my head. Claudia, her hair in a ponytail, was standing in front of me. Kristy, her hair held back with a black headband, was behind me. Other kids who were friends had lined up near one another, too. But no one was talking above a whisper. And none of us knew what would - happen next.

An elderly gentleman, with glasses perched on the tip of his nose, entered the studio and sat at the piano in a corner of the room.

Suddenly a tall, slender woman with black hair tied in a bun strode into the room. All the whispering stopped. "I am Madame Mm-off," she announced. She waved a walking stick in Claudia's direction and commanded, "Two steps back, please." Madame Minoff

smiled at the piano player. "Well, at least we don't have any tutus this summer, Mr. Riley," she commented. He answered her by smiling and hitting a few celebratory chords on the piano. A few girls giggled. I guess Claudia, Kristy, and I weren't the only ones who had thought ballet class meant wearing tutus.

After directing another girl to move two steps - forward, Madame Minoff was satisfied that we were evenly spaced, and class began.

Madame Minoff explained that ballet exercises had French names, but that we would have no trouble understanding what they were since Charlene would be demonstrating the exercises for us. For the first exercises we were to hold onto the barre with one hand. We did plies, grand plies, batternents, and développés. While we worked through these movements, Madame Minoff walked up and down in front of us making corrections. "Point, little

one," she directed Kristy. "Stretch the toes."

I tensed whenever Madame approached me. I was terrified that she would use me to show the class how not to do an exercise. She'd already singled out another girl who leaned forward when she did a grand plié. The only

correction I received from Madame Minoff during -that first class was to relax the arm holding the barre.

At quarter to ten, Madame Minoff hit the floor with three loud taps of her stick. "To the center, young dancers," she commanded. Soon, with Charlene's help, we were spaced out in two rows with our backs to the mirrors.

For the next fifteen minutes we practiced a sequence of steps called pas de bourrée. It was hard for me to learn. I couldn't seem to remember when to place one foot in front of, or behind, the other. And I always seemed to

finish the dance step after everyone else.

At ten o'clock the first period of our first day of ballet was over and we went out to the hallway to have a snack of apple juice and peanut butter crackers. -

"Ballet's fun," said Claudia.

"It's going to make me strong," said Kristy. "All those battements are great - for leg muscles."

I didn't say anything.

After snacks we returned to the studio to watch a video of The Nutcracker. Madame Mm-off explained the story, which I had never heard. I loved The Nutcracker and even recognized the melody my father had been humming that morning. I couldn't wait to tell him. I thought, if this is ballet class, I will survive it just fine.

After ballet story and video hour we returned to our positions at the barre and repeated a few of the exercises we'd done during first period. "To warm up the muscles," Madame Minoff explained. Then we were back in two neat rows on the floor to practice pas de bourrée. "Pas - de - bourrée," Madame Minoff directed as she tapped her stick -for each step we were to take. "One - two - three. One

- two - three." I finally managed to finish the sequence when everyone else did. I was learning. I was dancing. I felt pretty good.

Two rapid hits of the stick on the floor. "Go

over to the corner of the room," Madame Mm-off commanded. We did. "Now, one by one, come across the room on the diagonal. Walk three steps, starting with your left foot. Then pas de bourrée. And repeat. Walk - two -three. Pas - de - bourrée. You will do this until you reach the other side of the room. Charlene will go first to demonstrate."

One by one? I would have to dance across the floor in front of the whole class, Charlene, Mr. Riley, and Madame Minoff. I thought of asking to go to the bathroom, but that would single me out, too. My heart pounded, my face flushed, sweat gathered on my palms.

I counted the girls standing in front of me. I would be the fifth one to go, right after Claudia. Claudia - made a mistake and Madame Minoff had her start over. But Claudia didn't seem to mind, and the second time she walked and pas de bourrée'd gracefully across the floor with arms extended and toes pointed just when they should be.

"Very good turnout, Claudia," Madame Minoff said. Claudia beamed as she joined the growing cluster of girls at the other end of the room. I was trembling.

Madame Minoff boomed, "Next!" She was talking to me. Mr. Riley pounded a chord to indicate I should begin. "Now," Madame Mm-off barked. "First position, left foot extended,

and walk. One - two - three. Pas - de -

- bourrée." It seemed to take me a lifetime to get to the other side of the room. And my pas de bourrées were a mess. "That was good," Claudia whispered. But I knew it wasn't.

I'm not sure how I survived the rest of the hour. We did pa5 de bourrées across the room three more times. I longed to be home watching soap operas and game shows with Mrs. Cuddy. Anything would be better than dancing in front of other people.

On the way home, Claudia and Kristy told Mrs. Thomas all about ballet class - how they both-loved it. I didn't admit that I hated and dreaded it. I was ashamed of how much it upset me to be the center of attention. I didn't even want to be the center of attention for saying I didn't want to be the center of attention.

As the week dragged on I could see that no one else in ballet class minded dancing in front of one another the way I did. And no one else seemed unhappy in ballet class. I didn't mind the first hour at the barre too much. And I thought ballet story and video hour was neat. But the hour from eleven to twelve became more and more difficult for me to endure.

I thought of asking my father if I could quit. Then I remembered how excited he was about

my taking ballet classes. And - how it helped him with the problem of needing baby-sitters for me in the summer. I didn't want to disappoint him by quitting. I also thought that if I stuck it out, by the end of a month of ballet classes I just might be cured of my terrible shyness.

On Thursday, Madame Minoff began stringing steps together into sequences. And each of us had to perform them for the others. On top of my embarrassment - or maybe because of it - I had trouble remembering the steps. I wasn't the worst in the class. But I came pretty close. More reason to be embarrassed.

On Friday, at the beginning of ballet story and video hour, Madame Minoff said, "We are coming to the end of our first week of ballet class, young dancers. Next week we will start learning a ballet for our recital. It will be held on the Saturday after our final day of classes. Your parents and friends will be invited, and other summer classes will' be doing demonstrations and performances." -

Several children clapped gleefully. Claudia whispered to me, "A recital. That'll be so much fun." She raised her hand and asked, "Madame Minoff, will we have costumes?" -