It was a few weeks ago, I say a few weeks with uncertainty. Since the days recently have seemed to congregate into a collective mass, much like the aisles of Primark during the January sales. As I was monotonously scrolling through Facebook instead of being productive. I came across a video of a ballet dancer, Adam Boreland. Who decided that during quarantine he would post free dance classes online “to spread the joy of dance”. Something he would say with his American optimism. From that first like button, I knew that this would be the antidote to my lockdown lulls.
Adam is a member of the Orlando Ballet Company, who is more than qualified to lead these tutorials. He has a natural flare for teaching. His classes range from beginner to advanced with a mixture of barre and stretch classes to focus on technique. Each class without fail; is accompanied by instrumental ballads, coffee-fueled enthusiasm and his campy demeanour. But don’t let that fool you. He in fact has a beautiful wife Ashley, who occasionally joins in with the classes. The sessions are recorded and streamed live onto his Facebook page, ‘Dance Accepts Everyone’. And are readily accessible whenever you choose to partake. His signature slogan ‘Dance Accepts Everyone’ albeit somewhat cliched does remove any hesitations one has when considering to make the first leap. His work is rewiring an age-old consciousness, that Ballet can be an approachable form of dance.
I could easily trivialise myself and tell you that my interest in ballet is fueled by the monochromatic tight clothing, pink shoes, dramatic amounts of hairspray, hair grips and buns. Oh and let’s not forget the bulges. Or My childhood affinity with Angelina Ballerina, maybe? Or again, my angsty teenage admiration for Natalie Portman in Black Swan? It is true that I would be lying if all of the above didn’t have a certain magnetism. And I cannot deny that I do enjoy putting on my makeshift outfit, to feel the part of course. The outfit consists of the tightest top I can find, then tucking it into my navy long johns, which are usually kept for when I visit my friend in Edinburgh. But once I’m in the zone, I feel like the shackles have fallen off my feet and I can dance. Once my body starts to move the accessories are no longer important. It's only the connection between myself and my own body that matters.
I have had a fascination with ballet from a young age, it has always been on the outskirts of my interests. As a child I took weekly dance lessons and I’ve always been an avid attention seeker.
Although I never took ballet. There was something in me that discouraged me from partaking. I think it was because it was the only class I had to start at the same level as my younger sister. At five years old that wasn’t ideal. It then became something I never really explored, there was always an excuse that held me back. I don’t know if that was my brain subconsciously protecting me from any extra harassment. Let’s just say that there had been little to no positive conversations surrounding boys engaging in traditionally non-masculine activities. The Harry Styles Gucci 2018 campaign hadn’t dropped yet and men wearing pearls wasn’t trendy. Expression of femininity or the reconstruction of masculinity was not widely discussed. Ballet definitely fell into the category of activities that was considered amongst my peers as something only girls did. I will not try to understand prepubescent boys' logic but for that reason I was conditioned to dismiss my instinctive interests to avoid getting picked on. I now as an adult, have the self confidence to experience new pastimes without fearing other people’s opinions.
Although it seems that I saw weakness in ballet, I have had an innate association with ballet and strength. My Dad was a promising dancer when he was young and got accepted into the Royal Ballet school. Certain circumstances meant he was unable to enroll and his life followed a different path. He doesn’t speak of it often but when he does, he always speaks about dance with the same fondness one would have for their childhood dog or how my grandmother recalls the glory days of Cilla Black on Blind date. I think because of the connection I have with ballet and my Dad, I have always seen strength as a vital part of ballet. And I think his demeanour and poise is an ongoing reaction from his dancing days.
The form needed to successfully execute the positions means you have to maintain muscular strength and it does make you sweat. This is something I did not expect to happen when you stand on the spot for the majority of the class. My naivety I feel is genuinely shared by the majority. Hence the misconceptions surrounding this art form. The beauty of ballet lends itself to being seen as effortless which is ironic since the craft takes years of dedication to master. In terms of ballet and masculinity, a turning point for me was seeing Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, the sheer mass of male dancers felt revolutionary. To witness a male heavy ballet company perform the classic Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake was a moment I wish my younger self could have witnessed sooner. It opened my eyes to a newfound perspective on dance, I felt empowered by feeling represented within this art form. The sheer magnitude gave me an extra push to finally explore dance again.
The class usually begins with plies, starting with the slight bending of the knees, then grand plies, which is similar to a squat. This all incorporates the bare, or whatever apparatus you can hold onto. The class develops and the footwork becomes more intense and with the preliminary steps, such as releves. All this is preparing you for when you elevate your legs and feet in later exercises. His method usually involves him guiding you through each exercise by addressing pointers as you dance. Adam has a steadiness that makes the movements easy to follow. He greets newcomers with warmth and is never patronising. The class takes place in his kitchen, where he will use various forms of counter tops or even a steamer as a barre. His beginner classes follow a similar formula each time. You are warmly welcomed by Adam clasping onto a mug of coffee, something he will reference throughout the class. Imagine the amount of times Lorelai Gilmore references coffee in Gilmore girls, it's around that level. After a general catch up through the Facebook comments, the class commences. To start, stretches, specifically focusing on your hamstrings. It does sometimes feel like your leg is in a taffy puller but the impact it has on your movement later on in the class. Throughout the class there is a continuous concentration on the intricacies of how you position your feet, legs and limbs. The coordination involved encourages you to connect with parts of your body you may necessarily not have used before. There is a purpose to my body’s movement, a goal. The regular practice has given me a sense of routine that I am otherwise missing from my life. Through having conversations with friends I have realised I have begun to speak about dance the same way I talk about yoga. I don’t think this is a mistake, I feel there is a genuine connection between the two practices and how they have a transformative effect on your mind. I understand that my approach to ballet lends itself to creating a space for personal exploration rather than the vigour and dedication professionals endure. I am engaging with beginners choreography and I am no Billy Elliot just yet. However I do feel in that moment that there is an importance to how my body moves. His process is definitely effective and his expertise enables you to access the tools to progress through the session and each class you feel that bit stronger. The element of progression is vitally important during this time and is certainly a comfort when external forces are at a standstill. This is really effective as it encourages you to improve your technique whilst you're within motion. The live streams conclude with reverence, or the bow sequence, which encapsulates the overall sentiment of the practice. You are congratulating yourself for improving yourself, coming together with a community to connect with the same movements and moving your body. These are all qualities we are currently missing in the world.
In terms of approach-ability, I would even go as far to say that the outcome is the opposite of what I thought I would feel. Of course I realise I am no Darcy Bussell but there is an overarching sense that ballet is unapproachable. The general conversation surrounding ballet is that you have to have danced from the moment you first walked. There is no comparison to myself and a Prima ballerina, if only. Albeit, I do feel strong and powerful, whilst I dance but I have also recognised its influence in other aspects of my life. After a few classes, I really felt a difference in how I held myself. Instead of carrying myself with slightly hunched shoulders, a consequence of suppressing my true self as a young teenager. I have noticed a shift in my posture, my shoulders sit further back and my head naturally is propped a little higher. It feels like I have discovered a newfound confidence because of it, the kind of confidence Naomi Campbell exudes on the runway.
I decided to consider if others felt this same effect, through personal research I found an article for Forbes that examined the connection between ballet and becoming a greater leader. The contributor, Shellie Karabell dissects particular aspects of the dance that you can directly apply to your work environment. The two that encapsulated my experience the most were that “You learn to “present” yourself.” and that “You finish things.” These two elements you can apply to your life seem more essential than ever in this current climate, the pandemic has personally affected me in terms of procrastination. I have found it a nearly impossible task to concentrate for extended periods of time. Through practicing alongside Adam, he has taught me to focus during this trying atmosphere we are living through. The other influence Karabell noted was the attention to presenting yourself. This is also a consequence of quarantine that there is not the same expectations to get dressed. Personal presentation has simply become less important since we have nowhere to be. This sudden shift has definitely impacted my mood, I very much enjoy the process of getting dressed for the day. Although I still do, the excitement I get from getting ready for that day has been snatched from me since no one will see my efforts. With Adam’s class I am able to present myself in another way but in a context which I can apply to this current situation. The gratification I feel from holding my arm in the correct position is unparalleled at this moment in time.
Therefore I really commend Adam for his efforts to make dance accessible to a much broader audience through social media. Through recording these videos he is successfully able to share his talent whilst positively impacting a community of people ranging from novices to professional standard dances. If there is something to thank lockdown for, it has to be the discovery of ballet as a form of mindfulness. I would like to thank Adam for his dedication to posting frequent videos of such high quality content during this time. The benefits I have experienced mentally throughout these sessions need recognition. To access his insightful and accessible tutorials you can find his content on Facebook and YouTube easily. Adam’s class is one I would recommend to anyone who is searching for a new outlet during lockdown.
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