Ciao! Recently I went to Rome and I knew I had to find a ballet class in the place where ballet originated! After doing some research I decided on taking a class at A.S.D. You Can Dance in Rome, as it fit into my schedule and had drop in class options for adults as well. I considered IALS, but I wasn't able to figure out the website, so this one worked out well. At first I wasn't sure how to sign up or pay for the class, but I noticed on their Instagram @youcandance_santinelli that they had a Whatsapp #: +39-379-1174014 and I remembered in certain countries they use Whatapp to sign up. So I gave it a try and messaged them an inquiry about the intermediate ballet class on Thursday @ 6:45pm with Gloria Bandinelli. Fortunately, it worked out and they told me the class would be 15 euros in cash when I arrive and they just needed my name to reserve a spot. So, that was easier than expected.
After arriving about 15min early as recommended (note: you can't enter before the 15min, but they have a courtyard you can wait outside on a bench/chair) you can then pay for the class, which are down the stairs near the entrance. I just told them the name I reserved under and I proceeded to prep for class. They were very friendly and welcoming and it was considerably easy to proceed given that I don't speak Italian. Also, as a side note, they do have a change room, if you don't want to wear ballet clothes on the metro like me haha. It's also very close to the metro station and is located in a safe neighbourhood, so I had no concerns despite being out late at night.
I then introduced myself to the instructor and the class began. We started with the usual barre warm-up exercises like plies, tendus, rond de jamb, frappes, adage, and grand battement. After stretching, we then proceeded to the center for port de bras, allegro, pirouettes, adage, and grand allegro. I did find the class on the easier side than what I'm used to, but I usually take intermediate when I travel, as the standards change depending on the country and studio.
For instance, in Japan, intermediate involved triple/quadruple pirouettes as the standard, whereas in Italy it was singles, London was doubles/triples, and Paris was doubles. In terms of difficulty, I would say Japan was the hardest, London was similar to Vancouver, Paris was a little bit easier than Vancouver, and Rome was easy. I find it really interesting to see the differences worldwide, and I had a great time taking class, especially after all of the walking in Italy, it was nice to stretch :) The other classmates and instructor were friendly and I would go back, but in an advanced level. Overall, I hope you enjoyed this review and keep on dancing :)
Here is the link to ASD You Can Dance's website: youcandance.it
Comments