![\"Luisa](\"https:\/\/www.bettina-network.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/BalletPicture.jpg\")
<\/a>Luisa at the Ballet Barre<\/p><\/div>\n
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Ed Note: \u00a0<\/em>While not being a reviewer\/critic by profession, \u00a0Ms. Reyes has a love of music, art and dance. \u00a0Musically, she specializes \u00a0in opera and is passionate about ballet. \u00a0She is a trained vocalist and pianist, having studied, among other places, at Oberlin Conservatory. \u00a0<\/em><\/em>\u00a0She has a Masters Degree in Library Science and is a licensed attorney.\u00a0<\/em>You will see her reviews and other articles in the blog from time to time. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Ms. Reyes is currently a Project Manager with Bettina Network, inc.\u00a0<\/em> \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n “When my colleague, knowing my passion for ballet, sent me an e-mail she received announcing the Adult Ballet Classes offered at the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre School, needless to say I jumped (or did a jete!) at the chance to experience what they offered.<\/p>\n Looking closely at the summer schedule, I noticed that for the most part the Adult Ballet Classes were held Monday through Friday from six o\u2019clock in the evening until seven-thirty in their main studio, which is located right in Cambridge.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, the studio is merely a block past the main Harvard University campus.\u00a0\u00a0Being preoccupied most of the week with other activities I decided to pull out my black ballet leotard and pink tights on Friday.\u00a0\u00a0And walk right on down to the ballet school ( when the temperature was over 90 degrees).<\/p>\n With my hair up in a bun, I walked past the Harvard campus.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Past all of the street musicians that line the sidewalks in front of the campus and, yes, I\u2019m ashamed to admit, I walked right past all of the beggars sitting along the way holding up cardboard signs with their various pleas for money written on them with a black marker of some sort.\u00a0\u00a0I also walked past a group of old-fashioned Mennonite ladies dressed in their pastel calico dresses with their hair pulled up nice and neat underneath a white cap on their heads. They were joined by some of their men folk who were dressed in long pants and white shirts. \u00a0It looked as though the Mennonite group was busy setting up an evening evangelism outreach, \u00a0complete with Gospel Tracts and a choir that was warming up to sing.<\/p>\n When I reached the corner of Bow Street I wasn\u2019t sure whether \u00a0I should proceed straight ahead, \u00a0so I stopped and asked a young fellow for directions.\u00a0\u00a0He was gracious enough to look it up in Google on his phone, but the map it pulled up confused us both more. \u00a0I continued walking and encountered the same fellow just a block away, who apologized profusely for not being able to be of more help. \u00a0I assured him I was directionally challenged and quite used to getting lost and that I was also certain I would eventually find my way.\u00a0\u00a0Which when I turned around, I did.<\/p>\n The signs in front of the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre were rather inconspicuous. \u00a0What stood out first was actually the sign for the Old Cambridge Baptist Church.\u00a0\u00a0The ballet theatre school is housed in the old Church building, although the theatre has no religious affiliation. \u00a0The Church\u00a0is a grey stone building, reminiscent of the grey stone Church buildings one sees in the British Isles.<\/p>\n As a transplanted Southerner who is accustomed to running from the air conditioned house to the air conditioned car to the next heavily air conditioned building, what I immediately noticed upon entering the old Church building was that it felt very warm.\u00a0\u00a0And when I went to pay my thirteen dollars for the class, the lady at the desk informed me that true to Boston form there was no air conditioning, \u00a0but the dance studio had lots of fans that would keep us cool.\u00a0\u00a0She then directed me to the room where the adult class would be held. It was a spacious room that was once the sanctuary of the Church.\u00a0\u00a0All of the people who walked into the room commented on how they loved that particular studio because the room felt so serene.\u00a0\u00a0And I have to concur.\u00a0\u00a0The feeling was lovely.<\/p>\n I set my dance bag down on what looked to be an old pew bench on the side of the room and began my warm-up stretches along with the six other ballet aficionados who came to class.\u00a0\u00a0While the teachers vary depending on which day of the week one takes class, our teacher this Friday was Molly Wheat.\u00a0\u00a0Who proceeded to give us the pattern for our plies and commented on how impressed she was with us as we were the \u201ctrue diehards\u201d of ballet to be taking class in this \u201c101 degree heat!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0(It wasn\u2019t actually 101 as far as we know, but it certainly felt like it!)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We were accompanied in our dances on a grand piano by a very skilled pianist who adeptly transitioned from folk songs to the Brahms Waltz in A flat Major right on tempo.\u00a0\u00a0Once we were in the center, Molly choreographed some lovely Romantic (as in Romantic Era) adagios and waltz routines that really brought out the ultra feminine ballerina in us all.\u00a0\u00a0So in spite of \u00a0dripping with perspiration, we executed pirouettes and pique turns beautifully.<\/p>\n After class was over, we all thanked Molly and the pianist for a very nice class with our ballet curtsies.\u00a0\u00a0And rushed either for bottles of water that we brought with us or we ran to the water fountain and drank as much cool water as we possibly could, all the while promising to come back next week.\u00a0\u00a0As we exited the building, we encountered an elegant statue of a ballerina in honor of the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, reminding us just why we all love ballet so much.”<\/p>\n ________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n
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