Part 1 covered what the ballet is and how I chose the costume. This one is less dignified.
This is Aspicia’s variation, up to the 49-second mark — roughly weeks three and four of the eight-week run. I filmed myself, watched it back against a professional recording, and wrote down everything that was wrong.
It is a long list.
1. Attitude — a disaster from the very first step
What I saw: I was certain I’d lifted the leg high. That was all there was.
Corrections
- Raise the angle. The hip must not lift with it — keep the torso genuinely upright, open the hip joint further, and throw the leg higher from there.
- The missing pointe. My foot simply stopped being pointed. Point it all the way through.
2. Ferme jumps — side to side
What I saw: something clumsy about it in both directions.
Corrections
- The eyes. Send your gaze firmly towards the arm that’s extended. Not vaguely. Definitely.
- A sharp point. No hunching mid-air. Foot pointed, clean, every time.
- Height. Don’t strain for height at the expense of everything else — but don’t give up on it either.
3. The pas de chat right after the first turn
What I saw: I’d finished the turn and was just scrambling to get out of it.
Corrections
- Jump height. To float up like a cat you have to keep the upper body lifted. I was collapsing.
- En avant. Brace the ribs and abdomen and hold en avant properly. Mine was soft.
4. Battement back, then side
The section where effort and result had the least to do with each other.
What I saw: the leg goes up, but it looks blunt, and the version of me in the mirror looked genuinely sorry for herself.
Corrections
- Pointe. Sharper. Think paper art — a precise edge, not a rounded one.
- Arm placement. When you get busy, you start covering your face with your arm. At which point you are no longer an Egyptian princess. You are a goblin.
5. The turn section — where did the grace go
What I saw: so occupied with turning that my expression and any sense of ease vanished.
Corrections
- The missing smile, and a vague gaze. My neck was rigid from concentrating on the rotation. What’s needed is an easier smile and deliberate eye focus — the polite, composed smile of a princess doing her social rounds.
6. The travelling battements
The section with the most enthusiasm.
What I saw: a powerful will to move forwards.
Corrections
- Control the distance. Kick longer and freer, yes — but manage the space. On an actual stage I’d have travelled clean off the front.
7. Coupé linking steps, right to left
What I saw: the weight transfer wasn’t smooth. There was a thud.
Corrections
- Smooth the connection. Pay attention to coupé timing and to rolling through the foot. Going right to left, don’t let the flow break. Repeat the transition and nothing else.
The three things I was told over and over
1. The pointe must never stop
All the way through every joint of the toes. Not most of the way.
2. When your concentration slips, your arms slip
My en haut and en avant positions got vague — especially en avant. Shoulders down and not creeping up, elbows not sagging.
3. The eyes
Not simply facing front. The gaze moves with the direction of the body and the angle of the shoulders. When you follow your fingertips and look into the distance, try letting the shoulder twist slightly with it. I think it reads longer.
Writing it all out, the pile of things to fix is enormous.
But these embarrassing stages are what stacks up into something eventually. Right?
Cheer me on from wherever you are.
Part 3 is the final run — frappé and piqué turns, 50 seconds to the end.
Leave a Reply