My Special Person

Author:   hannahk  
Posted: 11/15/2005; 1:37:35 PM
Topic: My Special Person
Msg #: 268 (top msg in thread)
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My Special Person

    "Alright class, let's take it from the beginning.  And I would not like to see lazy arms or sloppy pirouettes.  If it's almost perfect this run-through, then we can go on."  That's my ballet teacher, Maryse, talking in the background.  She's five foot four with hair the color of a juicy, ripe tomato, and a great smile that accompanies a hearty laugh when someone says something funny.  I've known her since I was three when I started taking ballet.  Now, I go to her studio threes times each week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  After eight years she hasn't ceased to make my dance classes a favorite part of my week.

    "Let's do it again from the top.  That was pretty good, but a dancer is supposed to look like they're having fun." Her loud voice speaks over the dance class' excess noise and soft music.  Finding a way to give substantive criticism is definitely one of her strong points.  In my personal experience, dance teachers are often either extremely strict or so nice that they are exceptionally dull not challenging like a teacher should be.  Maryse somehow finds a way to avoid becoming either of these people.  She has a good idea of how to say something without hurting their feelings and how to get kids psyched for a show when they have been rehearsing the same hard steps for weeks, which is amazing to me. 

    Once, at our annual dress rehearsal Maryse was walking around with her headset, making sure everyone was in their first costume.  She reminded me of a news anchor with that silly microphone.  Unfortunately my hair had come undone just then.  I was only about seven, so I thought that having your bun fall apart was the worst thing that could happen five minutes before you were about to perform.  Of cours she came over, laughed and said,"Looks like you're going to need some more bobby pins Miss Hannah."  She effortlessly fixed my bun and I scurried off to meet the other dancers in the wings.

    One of the amazing things abaout her is the poised way she can stay calm during performances even though there is so much to do and so much that could go wrong.  She choreographes, teaches, and designs costumes for twenty new dance routines each year.  At the shows, parents come up to her and say,"Teacher, teacher, my sequin belt broke, and what's my ending pose again?"  and parents with: "Have you seen Gloria  and Lily?  Oh, and if my child isn't in the front row, you will be meeting my lawyer."  Through all of this, she manages to keep evereything running smoothly and without problems.

    Teaching dance is harder than it looks but Maryse must love her job because she is great at every aspect of it.  From running through difficult steps to organizing dancers on show night, she makes dance fun for all of her students.  She can always find a way to give criticism and get kids enthusiastic about dancing.  By setting this example, Maryse not only teaches leaps and rhythm but how to have a good outlook and a positive attitude.

   
PermanLink (#) | hannahk | posted 11/15/05; 2:01:45 PM |



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