Plains students learn art of ballet

Probably the biggest difference between a professional ballet class and the one that started in Plains two weeks ago is the "potty breaks."

The beginner ballet class is part of the Plains After School Program, put on each Thursday by Heidi Schulze and Cassie Ducept. Every few minutes in last week's class, one of the 27 girls asked to use the restroom. The rest of the time, they were learning basic ballet moves and showing their own dance skills.

"Many little girls dream of being a beautiful ballerina," said Schulze, who starting at age 6 took ballet classes for two years. "This is an opportunity for them to dream and try things they might not otherwise have a chance to do," she added.

Schulze started the program last year after moving back to Plains from Oregon. Her daughter, Mika, 8, took ballet for three years in Oregon and is one of her mother's more experienced students. Most of Schulze's experience with ballet has been by watching her daughter's classes in Oregon. "During that time I learned that in preschool and the early elementary years, ballet is more about learning the basics, such as sitting still, following directions, performing in front of others, practicing balance and remembering short sequences," said Schulze, a paraprofessional at Plains School.

Schulze said there seemed to be a lot of interest from other girls her daughter's age and from local parents. The girls in this year's class range from 5-8 years old. She only had 20 students last year and some of them returned for a second year, according to Schulze, a 1998 Plains High School graduate. Her goal for the kids is for them to learn to sit still, listen and follow directions, and to perform in front of others. Schulze starts the girls out with stretching exercises before moving onto practicing five basic ballet positions. She doesn't teach "pointe technique," a traditional ballet move that puts dancers on their tip toes, because she believes they're too young and not developmentally ready, although a couple of the older girls were able to achieve the move during the class.

"These girls are so enthusiastic and eager to learn. It makes it very rewarding. I really appreciate all forms of art, including performing arts, so I am excited to have this opportunity to assist in providing new and fun experiences for these girls," said Schulze. 

To help the kids feel more comfortable in front of people, Schulze has each of the girls perform some type of move within a circle while the rest of the class, visitors and the instructors watch. Some of them were visibly bashful and would only do it with a friend and still a couple weren't ready to perform even in front of the rest of the class.

Schulze also noted that a couple of the girls remembered the moves she taught them last year. "They all remembered several of the positions and are better able to balance, hold their form, and remember new material," said Schulze. The instructor added that it will take time for the first year students to become proficient in the first five positions, although she expects more from the second year students and plans to challenge them with new material.

"My goal, however, is always to make the class fun. I want this to be a positive experience for the girls, a chance for them to express themselves and giggle and laugh with their friends."

In each class, the instructor has some type of fun contest, such as seeing how long they could stay balanced on one foot. Last week, three sets of students were selected for the competition, but due to time restraints – and because none were falling out – Schulze made them all winners. Each week the students also have a segment called "free dance," where they danced around with their colorful scarves doing whatever moves they choose. Last week, the kids voted for a non-ballet piece called "Uptown Funk" to show off their dancing talents.

"I believe the girls really enjoy having an outlet for their creative energy, a chance to dress up and getting to twirl around and be silly with their friends," said Schulze. "They also enjoy the challenge of learning something new and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with that."