Skip to main content

Happy February 2021! We are so pleased to share the
BALLET4LIFER of the MONTH reveal
Maxine Sinclair


Maxine joined Ballet4Life online when we were in the first the lockdown, and she quickly became a regular attendee. We have so enjoyed her wit, her hard work, her curiousity, and her open and friendly nature in all of the classes. She is a writer, a sign language interpreter, a mum, a wife, and a devoted and lovely dancer. We cannot wait to have a class all together in-person in London, once this all passes. Cheers, Maxine!


When did you start dancing?
I’d been a gymnast as a child and then fairly sedentary throughout most of my adult life but when I reached my early forties I decided it was time to dance. I signed up for a tap class that didn’t run and a friend jokingly suggested I try ballet. From the first class I was hooked.
What makes dancing so special to you?
Learning ballet is such a journey. There are so many facets to it and it is something I will never master. In these times where there seems to be shortcuts everywhere, you can’t rush ballet. I love that improvements are gradual, thus making them more rewarding.
When did you start with Ballet4Life?
I came across Mark Kelly a few years ago and when online classes started popping up in the first lockdown I noticed he was teaching at Ballet4life, so I signed up. Since then I have attended different teachers’ classes. They each offer something different and the standard of teaching is consistently high. I love that classes are fun and at the same time, taught seriously and with due care for our bodies. Even at 57 I want ballet longevity.
What do your ballet classes do for you?
I totally agree with a friend who once said to me that ballet class is meditation. For the hour/hour and a half you are in class you can’t think of anything else. If you lose focus you will undoubtedly go wrong. Whatever might be going on in your life, you can leave it at the studio door – your mind gets a break.
Also, before I started dancing my medical records showed I was a mere 5ft 2ins but two years ago I was measured again and the doctor was surprised that I’d ‘grown’ an inch! My un-hunched shoulders are very happy
What do/did you do for your “day job?” and/or what were you educated/trained to do as a profession?
My paid day job is as a sign language interpreter but a few years ago, I started writing novels and my first, Dixbury Does Talent, was actually inspired by ballet class. I was standing in class and suddenly realised I didn’t know anything about the people in front of me or behind me at the barre. From that grew the story of a ballet group who individually have their trials and tribulations but who collectively enter a dancing competition. It’s got Hollywood written all over it!
Do you have any tips for someone wishing to start dance training as an adult?
For any adult wishing to start dance training I would say go for it! Find a reputable teacher, get some black dancewear, (seems to be the unwritten rule that we all start in black!) and enjoy!
Do you have a favourite part of class/ ballet step you love?
I love the simple tendus – it’s all about the technique for me. And when I’m doing adage I love grand allegro and when we get to grand allegro I long for adage.
How has Covid-19 changed the way you have dance in your life?
Pre-Covid I was taking two ballet classes and one Pilates a week with the excellent Nicky Gibbs Dance in Norfolk. I still miss the thrill of being in the studio. I now take three or four pre-recorded/online classes a week and add a little skipping or something cardio at the end before stretching. Even when we come out of lockdown and are back in the studios I hope online classes still run as I think they can be the perfect complement to live classes.
My grand plan for when we’re all free to mix again is to treat myself to a little break in London and take some Ballet4life classes in person.


Photos of in-person classes: copyright of Maxine and may not be reproduced without prior permission.
Screenshot of Maxine in Ballet4Life's Pointe Class: Copyright of Ballet4life
Twitter: @maxineauthor





169
People Reached
18
Engagements
Boost Post
6
1 Comment
Like
Comment
Share


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

 VeRNaL eQuiNoX -  nearlY   18 March, 2024 Dear All, I just wanted to day hello and to provide some news and comments before too long! I am trying this approach versus the Mailchimp newsletter to see which is easiest. Studio Swap   We had an interesting, enriching and exciting time with the Saturday studio swap for our Spring Term! We hope you enjoyed the experience. We are now reverting to our previous set up for Summer Term which means the following: Beatrice classes return to St. Peter's Hall Int/Adv Ballet- 10.30am - 12pm Pointe Exercise 12.05- 12.20pm General Level Contemporary Dance- 12.30- 1.30pm Move into Wellbeing 1.45- 3pm Down the road at Arts Ed, Studio 210 Beginner Follow-on Ballet 10-11am Beginner Improvers Ballet 11.05- 12.15pm Tasters in Beginner Jazz Dance, Contemporary Dance, and Beginner Ballet 12.15 - 1.15pm Short Beginner Ballet Course - 12.15 -1.15pm  Johanna Von Salmuth will lead these on a rota with our newest teacher Shiri Hadad joining the roster! We give
Post a Comment
Read more
   Because you asked for this! LOL! Donna Schoenherr - Founder of www.ballet4life.com® and of charity Move into Wellbeing®   Happy March 2021 all! The days are getting longer and Spring is not far off! Here we are nearly one year since the whole COVID-19 Pandemic hit our lives in London and also changed the world. This selfie below, I took the last day of our in-person classes on 19 March, 2020. I will never forget that day.    This past year, many of you have asked me to share more details about my life and my career. I am not someone who likes to blow one’s own horn , so I thought best to share a long version of my biography created for me but with my own satirical quips interspersed, and then just be open to conversations. I finally found and edited the long version of my CV/Biography. If you fancy a read (and maybe a giggle or two) please sit back with a cuppa or a glass of vino and enjoy. None of the names or facts have been changed and the crazy journey I retell is tr
2 comments
Read more
END OF YEAR REFLECTIONs from Donna    Hi everyone, Remember me? With my Christmas stocking I know it has been so very long time since a new Ballet4Life Talks Dance blog was created. Apologies if you felt abandoned- you were not! This silence was not due to a cautionary forecast of fading trends nor wondering if people read anymore, but simply due to life's fullness and waves of electric synergy and movements.   "Company Warm-up" at Watermans Art Centre with Beatrice Ghezzi- May 2023 Ballet4life is nearing its 20th Anniversary, this milestone, which I am deeply proud of, also comes with a certain amount of reflection, reviewing, with long- and short-term projection & planning and wonderment and curiosity. When I think back on the now thousands of people I have had the privilege to meet, work with, teach, mentor, facilitate good quality dance training for, befriend, support, help on their career paths, help through grief/illness/loss, it is a bit mind blowing!?! I can e
Post a Comment
Read more