Summer vs. Winter

Pacific Northwest Ballet's Carla Korbes;
photographer unknown

Summer intensives are in full swing...and so is the heat. Students look forward to taking class with guest teachers, experimenting with choreography, reuniting with old friends, and making new connections. It's an educationally rich time, but I find this scorching Texas heat oppressive. When Dallas does get cold, I absolutely love taking class in the winter. Class is a detox in itself, making you sweat and opening your pores. I always found it extremely gratifying to slip into my wool Bloch jumper after class, my feet bundled in thick socks stuffed into boots, and my neck wrapped in a lush pashmina, only to feel the fresh, chilled air nip at my face as I step out of the studio. I hustle through the shocking cold, but my body is still warm, incubating under the knitted layers. The connection between winter weather and studio life was always significant for me. I thrive on the warm thrum of bodies in the room working diligently like a team of worker ants, secluded from the glaring rays of the midday sun. It makes you feel like you're part of something greater than yourself. You're continuing the tradition of those before you who stayed up late rehearsing, honing that pirouette, refining that landing, so their tomorrow would reap better results. Sure, I could apply these principles in the dead of summer, but if I have to go outside, I prefer to go to the pool. I recently had a conversation about warm-up apparel with a classmate. We both agreed there was something very wrong about adding layers before we left the studio to keep our muscles warm, and being immediately reminded of why we don't have to as soon as we walk out the door. The urban inferno awaiting us is enough to keep the circulation going. Dance is beneficial no matter what time of year, but the rush of winter will always bring life to my step.