This week marked my last week working with Mr. James Kudelka, the leading Canadian ballet choreographer of his generation, after two weeks of ballet classes with him. His classes were unlike what I’m used to in Vienna. Rather than focusing only on executing the steps correctly, he constantly challenged us to think about movement, musicality and intention. Every exercise had a purpose beyond technique, which made the classes both more demanding and incredibly rewarding. I’m grateful for all the corrections, this new way of approaching ballet class, and everything I learned over these two weeks.

One of the most fun moments of the week was repertoire class. We worked on variations from Solor, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Sylvia, La Sylphide, and The Four Seasons by Mr. Kudelka. Sylvia was a ballet I had never danced before, so it was exciting to experience new choreography and explore different styles.

One of the best parts of being here has been meeting people from all over the world. I’ve become good friends with dancers from Mexico, Japan, Belgium, Canada, the United States, Argentina, and many other countries. It’s amazing how dance brings us all together despite coming from such different backgrounds, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone.

Outside the studio, my friends and I took lots of photos together to remember these days. I also went shopping around the city to buy some clothes that are more suitable for the Canadian summer because it’s been so hot lately.

After another intense week of training, I’m ending the week feeling very tired but happy. Now it’s time to enjoy the weekend, watch the Spain vs. Belgium football match, and hopefully spend Sunday at the beach before starting another week of dancing.

See you next week!