Spin to the left, turn to the right and always count to eight – No Prep ballet
No Prep by Bryan ‘Dub” Axelson
I was asked by the powers that be if I had ever done ballet. Standing there in my jeans and boots, I wondered if I looked like I had done ballet. I just kind of laughed and said no. Which is how I ended up in a ballet studio, wearing someone else’s shoes and trying to differentiate between my left and right.
Welcome to No Prep.
I will be honest; my first thought was about what I would wear. I was really hoping I would not have to wear tights, both for my sake and for anyone who would see these pictures and videos. Trust me, you do not want to see me in tights, and I don’t want to see me in tights, either.
When I showed up at Augusta Ballet, I met the owners, Ron and Kathleen Jones, and my dance partner, McKenna Brown. They were all genuinely nice, and very eager to teach me the Father-Daughter Dance from “The Nutcracker.”
Poor McKenna. She is a great dancer. A great dancer who was handed a lump of clay and told to make something from it. To her credit, she was a great sport. Ron showed me the steps to this dance and made it look so easy. Ron has been dancing for years. I have been dancing since, well, never!
After showing me the steps a few times, Ron asked if I was ready to give it a try. I thought I was. In fact, I thought that I would nail it. Ron made it look so easy.
Let me take a moment to say, I thought I had some coordination. I also thought I knew the difference between my right and left. Wrong on both counts.
That first attempt was a lot like a baby deer trying to figure out how to walk. I was turning right when I should have turned left. I was using the wrong hand to take McKenna’s hand, more than complicating my attempts to spin her. The poor girl was all confused and apologized. For what? I explained that given her unfortunate circumstances – and partner – I thought she was doing amazing.
Ron and McKenna were incredibly patient with me. After what seemed like 36 tries, I finally started to get the hang of it. It was then that I realized my difficulty was with a 30-second routine. Dancers – actual dancers that is – are doing much more for much longer. Also, this lesson only involved the two of us. This dance typically has way more people in it.
After I had the routine down, kind of, Ron asked if I wanted to put on the costume jacket that they use for this scene in the dance. I agreed immediately. I do not know what it was about that hot wool jacket, but let me tell you, I became a completely different person once I had that thing on. I was a dancer! Let’s go, McKenna! Run it again!
At the risk of sounding bold here, I think my best attempts at the routine came when I was wearing the jacket. Maybe I should have worn the jacket the whole time but, again, it was heavy wool. Wool is not moisture wicking. It was very hot, and that made me appreciate what these dancers do even more. They do these routines flawlessly while wearing these hot costumes.
I gained a whole new respect for ballet after this experience. I knew ballet was not going to be easy, but I had no idea what all went into a simple routine. Thanks again to McKenna Brown, Ron and Kathleen Jones, and the Augusta Ballet for being so kind, patient and helping me with my ballet experience because, as you know, I had No Prep.
