I have not been in an official ballet class since I was probably 9-years-old.  

Sure I've danced...

and there have been ballet workshops here and there...

but it's really been a long time. 

I have to say, it is a regret.  Being an actress, I certainly wish that I had the discipline of ballet in my body.  There are three components to acting as a craft: physical, vocal, mental.  The physical aspect is my biggest challenge, and the least developed.

Having worked on developing a physical discipline somewhat in other aspects (martial arts, aerobics classes, story theatre and viewpoints) I find that I am able to concentrate pretty well on what my body is doing when we're in class.  There are so many components that need to come together to work, and I can tell that most of the time my body is not fulfilling them all. 

Some specific challenges I feel I've had are:

-My arms tend to want to go to high in second position

-I'm not positive that my foundational first position (feet) are precisely where they should be

-fully engaging the body in demi-plié (going down far enough)

-balancing in relevé

-Those chassés across the floor were pretty difficult.  

I hope to keep working at it and that I can show some significant improvement this semester.