Ballet4Life Talks Dance

 Ballet4Lifer of the Month of March! (Which also means that Spring is around the corner!!)  Camille Lagrange aka "Cami" Cami has always brought a positive outlook to the studios and to her training online. She is very upbeat, strong, focused, works very hard and also brings a bit of brevity and humour to the groups and classes. Her kitten Nairobi , now cat, entertained us for many months during lockdown as we witnessed him trying to do Ballet steps, attack Cami's feet as she executed Ballet steps at the Barre, and/or listened and watched the B4l teachers very intensively online.   ................and here is Nairobi- Feline Ballet Aficionado! When did you start dancing? I started dancing around age 4 and kept doing it throughout my childhood and teenage years. I stopped for a few years when I started working and picked it up again about 5 years ago.   Cami training at around age 9 Her (incomplete) collection of Danse! books, a French series ...

 Ballet4lifer of the Month- February 20tutu Le Quach Thank you Le; especially for stepping in last minute to provide your story for our monthly feature. Apologies to all for our lateness; blame it on COVID prison conditions and COVID related issues! Le has steadily advanced in her Ballet technique, training, confidence, and skills. She works hard, stays focused, and gives herself challenges with an open mind and command of her body. She is inquisitive and eager to learn and to expand her dance vocabulary and knowledge. Cheers to you Le on your accomplishments at Ballet4Life!   Le in our rehearsal for the last Dance Showcase we did, held July 2019, at Waterman Theatre. Le takes the floor. When did you start dancing? Like a lot of little kids, I took a tap and ballet when I was in primary school. When I got to secondary school, my mum made me choose between tennis and ballet. In the end I chose tennis and that was the end of dance for a loooong time. What makes dancing ...

  Ballet4Lifer of the Month- January 20-Tutu !!! Christine Casimir Happy New Year all!! We welcome Christine to the Ballet4Life stage to share her beautiful story and thoughts with us a s we embark on a new year with renewed hope and vision. We have danced with Christine the last years in both Ballet4life and Move into Wellbeing ®  classes, we have taught her privately at her home, enjoyed many Tea & Coffee Socials with her, visited her wonderful garden, received her gorgeous hand knit gifts, and enjoyed her calm and clever nature. Christine with her mum circa 1953 at the Battersea Fun Fair Hello, my name is Christine Casimir, I am 71 years old, I live in Chiswick with my husband of 50 years, and we have a grown-up son who lives in California with his wife and 4 year old daughter. I also have  Parkinson’s , a neurological condition for which there is no cure, but more of that later. Christine in various B4l and MiW classes In 50+ Ballet Class I have alw...

 Ballet4Lifer of the Month- December!!! Artwork courtesy of Charlotte Fawley We celebrate the joys of Ballet and  Dance this month with hard-working, devoted, and talented dancer Claudine Mann. What a lovely way to start the festive season. Thank you, Claudine. Claudine in Ballet4life's Saturday Int/Adv class with Beatrice. Image courtesy of Ballet4life. BALLET4LIFER OF THE MONTH QUERIES When did you start dancing ?  I started dancing when I was 10 after badgering my parents for classes for over a year.  They eventually gave in!   Claudine as a Baby Ballerina- photo courtesy of her family. What makes dancing so special to you?     Watching a highly skilled dancer offers an experience unlike anything else.    Its not just about great technique.   The combination of music, décor/costumes and lack of speech means that feelings/emotions are conveyed in a completely different way.   When the music comes together with an experie...

  BALLET4LIFER OF THE MONTH – November- Vivian!!   Aw, so sweet I am so happy to introduce our Ballet4lifer Vivian as our featured dancer this month. Vivian attended our daytime Ballet classes pre-COVID as well as our Contemporary Dance classes. She then returned to our Contemporary Dance classes on Saturday with her lovely daughter. She always brings a positive attitude into the studio, is so open and friendly, and the joy of movement is always evident in any exercise she is executing. They have also both performed beautifully in our  fundraising Showcase pre-COVID.  Take it away Vivian, and thanks for participating!!   When did you start dancing? Like most young children, I loved moving to music from a young age. Just couldn’t keep still when a tune came on, and generally loved flinging myself about the place!   Formal dance training didn’t start until quite late.   Growing up in Malaysia in the 1960's meant ballet or any other dance classes ...

Ballet4lifer of the Month- October!! Maureen en pli é in Ballet4life Ballet class Ballet4lifer of the Month is our lovely dancer and Move into Wellbeing helper, Maureen Sweeney. Maureen's smile lights up any room she enters and her positive attitude brings us joy. She is such a lovely, warm, giving person and we are thrilled she said YES to participating this month! Thanks, Maureen. Moving into Wellbeing with Maureen............   When did you start dancing?  I started dancing when I was 11. Instead of P.E I joined a dance class. Miss McQueen was our teacher believed dancing was one of life’s joys     What makes dancing so special to you?  Dancing releases all my happy feelings that even a ‘pensioner’ can participate and enjoy.    When did you start with Ballet4Life?  I started Ballet4Life 3 years ago as a result of a casual remark made by a friend. “Guess where I went on Saturday -  to a Ballet class for ‘Oldies’“ she said...