I’ve always loved sitting in a darkened theatre. It literally gives me goosebumps – velvet curtains, chandeliers, a fancy dress, the orchestra warming up – being in the theatre is like disappearing into magic. I love opera, plays, music events, and ballet… most of all, ballet. I love the movement, the gestures, the costumes, the impossibility of it all – people who can seemingly float around above the floor and tell a story that you feel all the way to your core without ever speaking a word  – and the reality and immediacy of it right in front of me – then the spell is broken with the lowering of a curtain, like a fairytale. I love it.

Having zero experience in dance from my youth, I believed that ballet was strictly a spectator sport for someone, solitary and sentintary, like myself. When I discovered that indeed there were ballet classes for adults, I was beside myself with happiness, which unfortunately was short-lived. I had the misfortune of running into every bad ballet teacher on the planet. So I gave up the idea of ever dancing myself and went back to watching from the darkness of the theatre. Alas, it was too late, a flame had been lit and I begun an ardent search for a beginning ballet class that was indeed for adults who wanted to learn classical ballet not just dance-y cardio-y barre workout. I am happy to report that I have discovered that such classes do exist! I attend class six days a week with an amazing teacher and have become quite the ballet class addict.

So this is the story here… my journey as a grown-up with minus dance experience trying to learn the hardest form of dance there is, classical ballet. Like most adults, I have a full time job and a life filled with various grown-up type responsibilities and now we add a pursuit of ballet to that list. I’ve only had one year working with my Awesome Ballet Teacher but I can no longer imagine life without dance – not just sitting in the darkness – but dancing to the music.

I love Paris Opera Ballet; Massenet’s score for Manon and Tchaikovsky’s works that make up the score of Onegin are the sound tracks of my life; I will travel to far off lands for a chance to see Manuel Legris dance (sit, walk, stand, whatever); I’m always on the lookout for the perfect flattie shoes and convertible tights; I spend hours tweeting and blogging about my ballet experiences both in class and through my travels to darkened theatres around the world.

I live in Los Angeles, California, USA with my husband, a tiny but ferocious cat, and a fat and lovable dog. When I’m not in ballet class, going to see ballet performances, watching ballet videos, or reading ballet books, I can be found building hot rods and custom cars with my husband, Carboy, trying to create the perfect meal, or playing my violin. And now you know me.

All will be well. Let’s dance.

~Lorry