May 24, 1994
Why is Joan’s class always packed? Why does her class attract diverse students from teenagers to 50s, including myself? If I go to her class, I am sure that I will have a good workout; it’s worth creating time to go. Besides, I hope I will be in good shape as she is when I grow older. Attending her classes gives me the best chance to be like her and retain good shape even as I get older. I am sure many of her students share similar feelings with me. To appreciate her being an excellent ballet teacher, I would like to point out what makes her class so wonderful. And I would like to prove what it is that makes her such a model active senior.
1. SHE SENSES THE COMPOSITION OF STUDENTS’ LEVEL OF EACH GIVEN CLASS AND PROVIDES THE BEST COMBINATION OF TECHNIQUES TO LET US WORK OUT BEST. Even if the class is labeled as “beginner” or “intermediate,” the level of each class is different. Sometimes, most students may be relatively advanced, and few are beginners. Then her menu may contain more advanced techniques to satisfy the majority, but rather easy techniques are also included. Sometimes one or two very advanced students are among the majority of mediocre. Then her menu would contain relatively easy techniques to satisfy the majority, yet advanced students can also be challenged by doing double turns, triple turns, or fast turns. She makes an instant menu for each given class to satisfy all of her students at different levels.
2. SHE DOES NOT WASTE TIME IN HER CLASS. HER CLASS IS A PERFORMANCE, INCESSANT FLOW OF MOVEMENT. SHE NEVER DRAINS THE ENERGY OF THE CLASS. She verbally tells what’s going to be next briefly. She never talks or demonstrates long enough to drain energy that was warmed up by previous movements. Right away, the music starts, and she does not fail to demonstrate the movement of the first 8 counts (1 round) or 16 counts (2 rounds). She knows that is the best way to let the student know what to do. She can show not only the movement but also the speed of the movement. Then she starts walking around the students keeping time with her hand and voice. She literally pushes the flow of the class with her enthusiastic counting voice. When she recognizes the good movements of a student, she never fails to give encouragement, “Good Tosh” or “Good Susan” while she is counting time. Sometimes she may pause to give advise to a specific student or the class, but that never takes long enough to drain the energy of the class.
3. WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES HER SO ATTRACTIVE AND AN ACTIVE SENIOR? There is a saying, “The face of the aged is own responsibility.” When people are younger, the way they look is pretty much the way they were born. But, when we get older, our personalities will appear on our faces. In this respect, the reason why Mrs. Joan Bayley looks so beautiful is simply because her personality is beautiful and mature in the most authentic sense. First of all, she is always with her husband and happily married. As I exhausted above, she is so devoting, warm-hearted, and a responsible person.
When we get older, our activities shall be limited. We can not strain our bodies as we used to. We can not work hard as we used to. We don’t want to, or simply we can not force ourselves to perform good behaviors as we used to. When we get older, somehow, we regress to a childlike mentality. That is what we observe in our surroundings.
However, if the person has acquired good behaviors, values, and habits INTERNALLY, they can act them out effortlessly or even with pleasure instead of acting them out dutifully. Only these people who internalized good qualities would flourish in old age like Mrs. Joan Bayley simply because they can do good behaviors at their pleasure.
For Mrs. Bayley, teaching ballet is not just a job to earn money. For her, it is a pleasure activity worth living for. If it was just a job to earn money, one has to look forward to retirement. Mrs. Bayley is not caring for students as a duty. She is caring for students with her heart. For her, not caring is pain. She is not devoting herself to her class as her duty. It is her pleasure to give herself to the class. It is her pain not to give her energy.
4. WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES MRS. JOAN BAYLEY A MODEL ACTIVE SENIOR? All good habits, values, and virtues are INTERNALIZED in her. For her, not acting them out is painful. To act out all her internalized good habits, values, and thoughtfulness is PLEASURE. In other words, Mrs. Bailey is not leading her life, “I should do this,” dutifully. She is leading her life, “I want to do it,” as she feels. Yet, since all good qualities of her personality are internalized, she acts out all good things as spelled out previously.
5. SHE GIVES “KI” (THE ORIENTAL WORD WHICH CAN BE TRANSLATED AS LIFE FORCE OR SPIRITUAL ENERGY) TO HER CLASS AND HER STUDENTS. She devotes herself completely to encourage the whole class by her gentle reminders and energetic shouting of time and encouragement. Above all, she gives attention to all members of the class INDIVIDUALLY while keeping the flow for the whole class. Receiving “KI” from her, all students get more energy and work out more than otherwise. She gets more energetic by giving her “KI” to her class.
6. SHE GIVES CARE TO EACH STUDENT. When a new student gets in the class, she always approaches them to welcome them and ask their name, and she sure remembers it. If she forgets next time, she will ask again, and as a result, she knows practically all students’ names in her class. She gives her heart to her students. She says all students are individuals, and each one is a special person to her. Another episode of her warm personality is the following. When one of her students developed terminal cancer, she had all her students sign several get-well cards. She visited her at the hospital in San Francisco. Students feel comfortable sharing their personal matters with her. She still knows where and how her past students are. She proudly boasts, “I am a grandmother of so many of my student’s children.”
7. SHE ENCOURAGES STUDENTS BY RECOGNIZING WHEN THEY ARE DOING GOOD. She never fails to encourage us, students, when we are doing well. She offers her advice when she senses that the student can improve. But she leaves us alone when we can’t perform because the given technique is beyond our ability or the health condition is not good, which is a relief for us.
8. SHE IS ALWAYS PUNCTUAL AND RELIABLE. There has been no incidence that she failed to show up for her class or she was late to her class. Unless she plans to take the day off in advance, she can be counted on to be there.
- REVERENT AT THE END OF CLASS. At the end of the class, she leads the whole class to respond to an imaginary audience, orchestra box, and front balcony, and both sides of the balcony. The way she bows is so graceful and noble that we almost hear a storm of applause from the mirrored wall and ceiling. When she ends her class saying, “Thank you,” all of the students give her a round of applause and cheers, thanking her for a good enjoyable workout, vowing, “will see you next class.”
In this respect, internalizing good activity, good values, good habits, and virtues is not for others but for oneself. Above all, it is the essential preparation for senior age. If I have to live longer, I would like to live like Mrs. Joan Bayley.
With Love,
Toshiko May 24, 1994