Our Anniversary Company Class

Anniversary Company Class, 25 May 2019

© 2019 Powerhouse Ballet

I don't think I have ever attended a happier class than today's anniversary company class at Yorkshire Dance with Jane Tucker.  Not only did we welcome back one of our favourite teachers but the world's most famous accompanyist, David Plumpton, played for her. "Oh David, I missed you so much!" said Jane at the end of one of the barre exercises to which the whole class exploded in clapping. From then on, the rest of the afternoon was magic.

As this was a celebration we gathered in the studio where we hosted Ballet Cymru in November which has a real piano for David, lots of space and natural lighting for Jane and comfortable changing rooms with showers for us.

Jane started with her usual warm-up: walk, rotating arms, run with a sudden change of direction, skipping facing in, skipping facing out, jumping jacks, stretches and head roll. We did pliés to the music of Khachaturian.  How could David have known that I love that adagio so much? My ticket to see the Bolshoi's Spartacus on 10 August 2019 had actually arrived the day before. We followed up with tendus, glissés, ronds de jambe, frappés, cloches and grands battements. At one point David played Didn't we have a lovely time the day we went to Bangor, another of my favourites which I sing to myself all the way down the A55.

We then moved to the centre starting with tendus, a lovely adagio, chassé pas de bourré and 3 sets of pirouettes, posé pirouettes followed by chaînés, warm up jumps, a complicated enchainment which started off with balancés and ended up with temps levés and pas de chats and joyful grands jetés from both sides of the studio at the end.  As the exercises became more challenging we will each other to succeed by clapping each other's efforts.   Cooldown arrived far too soon.

At the end of the class, our treasurer, Nicola, and secretary, Helena, collected subscriptions.   Nearly everybody joined as fully paid up members.  Amelia Sierevogel had baked us some delicious biscuits as a celebration gift. Mine was in the shape of a ballerina in her tutu.

Our next class will be at the Dancehouse in Manchester on 29 June 2019 at 14:30. It will be given by Karen Sant who is another of our favourite teachers. Once again, David has agreed to play for us.  This will be another great class. I can hardly wait.