It wasn't embarrassing, but it does hurt!

Last minute of class. We were doing some temps levés en arabesque with a chassé and the floor was a little slippery, so I lost my balance and fell down with all the impulse on my knee. Yes, the very same knee that was already bruised. So I got up quickly, Mrs. M asked if I was alright, I said yes (my pride, you know) and continued dancing.

When class finished I looked in the mirror and I saw my torn tights and my blood and... let's just say that it wasn't very funny.

Yep, I fell down in class, I got a cut that hurts a lot and I ripped my tights.

So what? Professionals fall all the time. Even the amazing Sylvie Guillem! I've got over it! I'm already getting ready for a two-hour-long rehearsal tomorrow afternoon! Say what?

National Ballet of Canada - Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann

Let's dance!

Nerea.

Sylphides update

Last week was a pretty busy week.

I had four days of dancing, including two classical ballet lessons and two long rehearsals for Les Sylphides. Oh, and also a dress fitting. I can now tell you, nice reader, that the only thing about the performance which has to do with Les Syphides is the music.

The costumes are pretty, but they are blue and completely different from the ones worn by the sylphids in the ballet. And the choreography is also very, very different. It's neo-classical, kinda contemporary and we don't wear pointe shoes. But I like the whole thing, anyway!

On Saturday we finished learning the choreography. You know I've just been "promoted" from beginners level to intermediate, so I guess you also understand that I feel a little behind the rest of the class. It's more difficult for me to get to remember and perform all the steps and I'm feeling really challenged. But I'm determined to rehearse a lot and I'll do my best!

The performance will be in February 17th, and until then I'll have classes and rehearsals from Monday to Saturday; at least eight hours a week (well that's crazy, innit!). Oh, and my choreographer told me that whenever I have free time I can go to the studio to practice. Free time? Me? You know that now I'm in Salamanca just because of ballet, right? I have no uni classes! I'd be in the studio during the whole day if possible! So maybe I'll get to add some more private lessons with her so I can work on my déboulés and soutenus, which are giving me a lot of trouble... and unfortunately there are lots of them in the choreography!

That's all for now!

I leave you with a quote by my choreographer:

"Give a hundred per cent of your dancing during rehearsals so when I ask you for 120% during the performance you won't run out of stamina! Make the most of every rehearsal!"

Nerea.

P.S.: I had to buy a knee bandage because my right knee was giving me a little trouble due to my falling on it over and over again during the beginning of the choreography.

¡Talón!

Is there any word that your ballet teacher says a lot?

Mine, apart from "¡no!", likes to shout "¡TALÓN!" all the time. It literally means "heel!", but not literally, it means "push your heel forward so I can see your turnout, damn it!!!".

So basically, if we're doing a series of relevés, we hear something like this: "¡uno, talón, hop, talón, tres, talón, cuatro, talón, hop, talón, hop, talón, etc.!"

And the same happens when it comes to tendus and jetés: "¡y, fuera, talón, fuera, talón, fuera, fuera, fuera, talón!"

Kinda funny, guys!

This is not even possible!
Venus Villa's turnout

Remember your turnout!

Nerea.

New Year's Resolutions

Hi everybody!

How's this new year going? For me, quite well, even though I spent the first week really stressed due to bureaucracy. I hatehatehatehate it! But some hours ago I sent the last envelope to the correct address and now I'm happy to say I am free!! I am back in Salamanca and I'm allowed to do nothing but dance, read and write, because I already did my exams in December. Big YAY until February 13th!

So I have never, ever, written a list of new year's resolutions. We don't do that in Spain, nice reader. But some things just came across my mind and then I thought: "hey! I could do those during 2012! They are perfectly achievable in a year!". So this is my super short list:

• Learn Catalan. I know: nobody can learn a language in a year (unless you're the most intelligent person on Earth). But the thing is, I already know Catalan. I know I do! I can perfectly understand it, both reading and listening. But I never dare saying it's one of my working languages, because I always struggle when it comes to "producing" the language. Catalan is kind of similar to French and I can't help but mix them in my head. If I start speaking Catalan, I always end up saying things in French and so on. So yeah, by the end of this year I'll be speaking and writing Catalan fluently, you'll see!

• Become a translator and a teacher. Just six months to go and it'll be done. I just need to pass three more subjects and write a long Bachelor's Degree Thesis (on dance, nice reader! I got to mix translation and dance for the last essay of my degree!) and I'll become an official translator. Obviously, I still have lots of things to learn, but for now I'll be happy with my Degree thingy. The teacher will come later, because I'm probably going to work in France as a Spanish Language Assistant in October. Pretty nice, huh?

• Pirouette. I just need to be able to do some clean singles before I even think of doubles. I am getting better, yes. I can pirouette, but I just want to be comfortable and get to measure the amount of impulse that I need, both en pointe and in soft slippers. The round fouettés will come when I am fully aware where my weight is and where it should be.

• Always dance like nobody is watching. This may be cliché, but I have realised that I dance way better when I forget about everything and everybody. I must get to find this feeling every single time I practice.

• Work hard... in every aspect of my life.

Also, can I haz Lucía Lacarra's arabesque? Plz!? *_*
 Photo: Stanislav Belyaevsky

And that's pretty much all.
Be happy, y'all!

Happy New Year!

As you can see, I haven't posted that much during December, mostly because I am on holidays, which means that there's no translation or ballet classes until January and therefore, not much to say.

I guess I could have written a "Merry Christmas" blogpost thingy, but I'm not a very Christmas-y person. I prefer to wish happy holidays to the people; I hope you've had fun with your beloved ones... and now it's time to say goodbye to 2011!

This has been a very nice year. I learnt lots of things at the university; I had my first interpreting exams and simultaneous interpreting lessons, which were lots of fun; I started this blog, I went to Belgium and Holland, I danced in front of a crowd after eight years, I was (re)promoted to pointe, I went to London and to the Royal Opera House and I met my favourite ballerina ever, Tamara Rojo. What else can I ask for? Well, an even better 2012!

Some of you might not know a pretty nice tradition we have in Spain for the last 12 seconds of the year. We eat a grape each time the clock at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid strucks (it's also live on TV). It is a very funny moment! Grapes are not very easy to eat in a second, as you may know, so most of us finish the 12 seconds with our mouths full of grapes and normally laughing, coughing and crying. Fun times!

So I wish you all a very happy 2012!!!

May your translations stay accurate, your interpretations lack of filled pauses and your pirouette fairy is always around!

The Snowflakes wish you a Happy New Year too! =D
Artists of New York City Ballet

Nerea.

Ballet is hard and stuff

So this girl went to her first rehearsal for Les Sylphides on Friday and the day after she found this super nice thing:

These are my knees, yeah. Nice bruises, huh? And they hurt, in case you're wondering.

Lovely, innit?!
Nice to know that pink tights cover everything up, because if I get three bruises after each rehearsal, I won't have acceptable legs to dance with in January.

Keep dancing, anyway!
Nerea.

I am such a Sylphide!

I know I haven’t written anything here for long, but I actually did it on purpose because I wanted to be able to tell you the full story!

You know what? Two weeks ago, we had a ballet class with another teacher. We didn’t really understand why we had this change, because our regular teacher was also at the studio. So not that she was ill or anything! And class was hard. So, so hard. Our new teacher kept taking notes while looking at us doing some terrible attempts to dance gracefully. You know, it was one of those days when you leave class thinking you’re the worst dancer in the whole world. Fun times, yay!

Ok, no.

So during our next class (pointe) my regular ballet teacher (Mrs. M) told us she needed to have a talk with us. She was very serious, so we thought that whatever she was going to say was going to be very bad. Something like: “the other day you sucked so much that we don’t want you here. Leave this place and never come back!” Nervousness everywhere!

But instead she said: “This studio is participating in an important performance in January; we’re representing an association of dance. Mrs. A was here the other day to take notes about you, and we believe that some of you are ready to dance with us. But there are some important things that you need to take into consideration. First of all, it is not compulsory. Second of all, since the moment you say yes, you have to accept anything we say. This means that you may be dancing something you don’t like with people you don’t know or with a teacher you can’t stand. You might not be dancing with your regular classmates! Oh, and you have to be able to come on Saturdays and Sundays if we call you. Understood?”.

So I was among the ones who were picked, and of course I said yes. I want to dance in January and I am really happy to be a part of this! These past two weeks must have been for the teachers to prepare everything; to create the choreographies and all the stuff. Actually I’m having a week off from university and I’m in Salamanca instead of home with my family because I wanted to be here in case we had our first rehearsals. And guess what?! I had them today! Almost two hours of class which were AMAZING! “What are you dancing?” –you may ask. I’m dancing “Les Sylphides” with a neo-classical choreography, with soft slippers (most of the time), with Mrs. A and with some girls from the advanced and intermediary levels. It’s hard to work with a choreographer, because it’s not like a regular class. Mrs. A marked loads of steps and I just couldn’t remember anything at the beginning, but I got used! Oh, and we’re doing something extremely cool that was so MUCH FUN. We are partnering!!! Yes, like when there are boys on the stage and they do these really cool pas de deux with the ballerinas. Only we’re all girls. But it’s super awesome anyway! Oh, and HARD. It looks easy, but it is not! Anyways… really, dudes, come on! Come to class, please. I want to do a partnering class like… everyday. Thank you.

So that’s all! I’m such a sylphide, nice reader!

I’ll keep you up to date!

I look nice, huh...? Ok, ok, that's Tamara, not me! And he is Rupert Pennefather!

Nerea.

Ballet for translators

These days I have read many blog entries that talked about how helpful can some exercises be for translators (and for some interpreters too, of course).

As you know, we work sitting in front of computers or microphones. It looks like a pretty comfortable job, huh?! Yes, but think of sitting on a chair in the same position everyday for the rest of your life! Your back will give you trouble at some point! Believe me: after only two years of translation studies, I started not to feel so comfortable when I was sitting in front of my computer.

But later, during my third year, I (re)started my ballet studies and within two months or so, I started to feel better. Why? Because ballet makes you be more aware of your position. So I was sitting up straight without really realising and I was feeling fine; my back didn’t hurt anymore.

Of course, there are other exercises that you can do, like pilates or yoga! I’m just adding ballet to the list. Oh, and you will get some satisfaction knowing that not everybody can do what you do! And don’t forget it is simply fun!

Keep translating and dancing!

Nerea.

PS.: Male translators: please, do come to ballet class. We need you! ;)

Making the right decisions

So I am still recovering from the shock I went through the other day at the Royal Opera House in London… It was amazing; one of the best experiences of my life. I guess I don’t need to tell you that the whole company was absolutely wonderful and flawless. They performed The Sleeping Beauty just like only the Royal Ballet does. It was perfect and… I love them all. Word.

But I am here to talk about decisions. I realised I never really wrote here what I decided about my Translation and Ballet studies. Well then, I am glad to say that I made the right decisions, and this is making me so happy.

You know, last year I loved interpreting, because I found it so dynamic and new, but actually in my inside I always knew I wasn’t made for that. Maybe that is why I couldn’t sleep well the nights before going into a booth. So this year I chose Translation. And I am so happy I made that decision, nice reader. I love the subjects I am taking and find them really motivating and inspiring. I am truly enjoying my time looking for solutions on the Internet, in books and dictionaries. I am really loving this freedom I have to play with words. I am having fun and I can totally see myself doing this for the rest of my life, because I am in love with it. And when you’re enjoying so much an activity, you find it wonderful when you see that your hard work is rewarding. When you receive an e-mail from your favourite teacher, who tells you she hasn’t changed anything on your translation because you write so well. These things, nice reader! These things are motivating and inspiring. These little things make you want to push yourself further; they make you want to achieve perfection, as unreachable as it is! They make you feel happy and love what you do!

And as regards ballet, I told you a few weeks ago that I needed to make a choice between staying with the beginners and going to an intermediate class and pointe. I did make the choice. And it was the right one. I am going to class with the intermediate students. I am not a good dancer: ballet is hard, very hard. But I am dancing. I am really dancing little combinations and I am learning so much. Things are going pretty fast for me: you have to realise that now I am taking class with girls who have been en pointe for many, many years. I am actually asked to dance like them in the centre, even though I have only had four or five pointe classes… so it means that I might have skipped a few years on my ballet training because my beginner teacher believed in me. And my current teacher is so lovely. She is such a beautiful dancer, nice reader. I am glad she accepted to teach me. She believes in me; she thinks I can dance like the others and I feel honoured and grateful, even though sometimes I am simply unable to do what she asks me. But I am trying. I am doing my best. If I fall today, I will stand tomorrow. I am determined to become the best ballet dancer I can. And now I have to encourage you to DANCE, because it is simply a pure wonder, nice reader. Nothing feels like that.

Keep translating and dancing!

Nerea.

Dear Tamara,

You might remember me, or maybe not. I am the crazy Spanish fan girl who met you the other day after your brilliant performance of Aurora at the Royal Opera House. Yes, that girl who said nothing but a shy enhorabuena and then gave you a rose. That girl who asked you to sign her tiny pointe shoe. 

I am that girl who simply melted in your presence and who was not able to tell you what she desperately wanted you to know. This is why I write this letter: because at that point I could not think properly. I was overwhelmed and honoured. And it is not a matter of adulation; it is a matter of inspiration.

I started taking ballet classes when I was six, but due to different reasons I had to give up at thirteen after a recent promotion to pointe. When I was nineteen I got an Erasmus grant and I was lucky enough to get London as my destination. In May that year I went to the ballet at the Royal Opera House and this is when magic happened. You were dancing Asphodel Meadows with the rest of the company. I had never seen you dance before, but you got through to me, and I had not seen the best part just yet. Later that day you danced Carmen and you simply changed my life. I bought your DVDs and watched them all. I searched for other performances of yours on YouTube and I loved every single second of them. Through your dancing you gave me the strength I needed to go to a ballet studio and enrol myself again after more than six years, even though I knew it was a bit late for me. I do not consider myself a good dancer; I have so much to learn…! But you are my inspiration and if I know I will never give up it is because of you. Because you granted me the privilege of seeing your dancing. That is why I will never be able to thank you enough. 

Tamara, when I met you last Monday I did not tell you this, but the pointe shoe that you signed for me was not any pointe shoe. It was actually my first pointe shoe ever, which I had been keeping like a golden treasure since I was eleven. You just made it even more special, so thank you once again. 

I will continue following your career and watching you live as many times as I can, because you never deceive me. You always have something new to give and I will be there to catch it every single time. Thank you, Tamara Rojo, because you make me happy and without you, my life would not be the same.

Your ever supporting fan,
Nerea.