Ballet in Korea

I FINALLY found a ballet studio in Seoul.

Ahem. I started this post about 4 months ago. As I said previously, my blogging has slightly fallen by the wayside. So I've been dancing again for the past 5 months twice a week. I found this tiny ballet studio in a university area. It's not exactly convenient to get to...seeing as it takes about 45 minutes to get there and 45 minutes to get back home after the hour and 15 minute class. At first I was a bit apprehensive taking a class where all of the instruction would be in Korean. After my first class however, I realized, no matter what country you're in, ballet remains the same. Dance is dance, no matter where you are. And even though my teacher is speaking in words that I cannot understand, she dances and I follow and I learn. I've even started wearing pointe shoes again. Yeah...I forgot how much that hurts.
My teacher is amazing. She majored in ballet at her university and danced for a couple of years professionally and is now teaching at several studios. She is stunningly beautiful, graceful, elegant, equipped with an exquisite technique...and is one of the most incredible dancers I have ever seen. Needless to say, she motivates me a great deal. Finding this dance studio has been one of the best things that has happened to me since being in Korea. It only took me one class to remember that dancing is one thing that makes me utterly happy...where during that entire block of time in class, I think of NOTHING else, besides: work hard, work your hardest, keep trying, push yourself, you can do it...and oh my GOD I love this.



P.S. Here is the variation we just learned from Don Quixote. (don't have video of myself, so please enjoy Paloma Herrera doing an incredible job.)