Sleeping Beauty, I wish..

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/ballet/links/1158100

I were.. not because I want to dance her part on stage (hey, to be completely honest - I want to, if only I had the skills) but because I could use the time to get some serious sleep! Sadly, the days when I could pull off a full schedule, work and studying and dance included, with merely 6 hours of slumber, are long gone. Over. Finito. But you get the idea. Life moves on, you grow older, schedules conflict and sleep becomes a precious commodity.

Never mind that sleeping is supposed to keep you beautiful - I need every bit of energy so I can still dance full out! It´s just that, après-ballet, I´m usually too hungry and wired, and it takes me too much time to wind down. And far too often I fall into the trap of TV/DVD, chatting and blogging when I should be heading to bed already. Heck, I´m doing it even now! But it´s hard not to, especially when I come home late from dance class and before you know, it is already past midnight and another tired day lies ahead..

It´s really not the smartest idea to dance when you are sleep-deprived. Learning new combinations is a lot more difficult, as is remembering which came first.. my left or right foot, and why is everyone else going in the other direction? Yeah, just happened to me today. Tricky little tendue frappées! And forget about inching those extensions any higher! Also there´s a real risk of injury, if you don´t pace yourself carefully. Not to mention the missed opportunity to push yourself further, and work harder! So, a lot of valid reasoning to stay home and lay low. But me, I´m a stubborn person and like my ballet far too much to miss out on any classes. I have to confess that I´d rather dance bleary-eyed than not at all. Also, coffee helps.

In an ideal world, I could take all the hours I would need to dance and to sleep. A girl can dream, right?





Aurelie Dupont, danseuse étoile, Paris Opera Ballet