By day, pediatrician Lyn Jimenez diagnoses, treats and cares for the youngest of patients.
She spends a good chunk of her day at the Children's Day and Night Clinic in Pharr and the rest of her day as a mother of two young daughters.
If that was enough to fill her day Jimenez, 42, has something else up her doctor's sleeve.
Beneath the white coat and stethoscope is a three-year ballerina.
Every Wednesday and Saturday you can find Jimenez clad in a standard leotard and tights along with a dozen other working mom's and business professionals at Deborah Case Academy.
The adult class meets only a couple of days out of the week but in that time squeezes in as much ballet possible. When you're a working mom, a couple of hours is all you have to spare, Jimenez said.
While the younger ones hone in on their dancing abilities, a lot of these adult students are looking for a more exciting workout or to perhaps pirouette down memory lane.
Jimenez, who took lessons as a child growing up in the Philippines, was inspired by her children, also students at the dance academy.
"I was taking my daughters to their lessons and I had to be there with her anyway," she said. "I did ballet as a kid a long time ago when my body could do more things. But I was wondering what I could do since I needed to lose some weight.
"It was nice to find out they had adult classes."
At the time, the class was pretty empty but Jimenez started recruiting some friends who were also looking for an atypical form of exercise.
"It makes you feel so good about yourself," she said. "You work out and it's dance. It's different from going to the gym, pounding away at the machines and doing weights."
Like all of the years before, the Ballet Gala features both the very young to the most advanced dancers, many of whom have been featured in the Valley Symphony programs and at local celebrations. More than 400 students ages 3 to adult will participate in the recital set for May 17 at the McAllen Civic Center.
But for the last four years students from the adult ballet class will showoff months of preparation, a feat many of the dancers say takes a lot more guts than people imagine.
"No matter if you're footwork is as fancy as the more adavanced dancers do everything with grace," Jimenez said. "I'm always afraid of falling flat on my face. As long as I don't fall flat on my face, just keep smiling I'll be OK."
The movements and positions of classical ballet are ideal for stretching and toning leg muscles. A general consensus throughtou the adult class is that they'll find more of those muscles than ever expected.
The adult ballet class isn't only about getting in shape, though it helps there, of course. It's also about discovering something about yourself as a physical person-reaching inside and finding you know more about poise, and about graceful movement.
"It's a good way to get your mind on something else," said Elizabeth Klenz, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, who also moonlights as a ballerina. "I used to run quite a bit. I ran a lot in college and in medical school but I got burned out on it. I wanted something more balanced for my body, more diverse. Plus, when I used to run I was still thinking about all of the things I had done in the day. So it wasn't a stress release anymore. In ballet it requires a little more focus and thinking."
Klenz, 43, doesn't have children but works up to 60 hours at her practice, Klenz and Flores Ob/Gyn, which doesn't always allow her too much time for a traditional workout.
"You really can take it up as an adult and get good at it," she said. "Like Deborah Case says, ‘it doesn't come naturally so you can't say anybody was born to do it.' Everybody has to work at it whether you're five or 50 and you really see that in the process."
And even as adults they get nervous.
"The little ones have the same issues but the adults are more self-conscious," Klenz said. "Kids don't have the hang-ups. They do this wrong or this wrong but they get over it and move on. We all encourage each other to be that way. We're all here to progress. It's left up to you how far you want to push yourself."
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Deborah Case Dance Academy presents Ballet Gala 2008
WHEN: Saturday, May 17
2 p.m.
WHERE: McAllen Civic Center
Tickets are on sale at Deborah Case Dance Academy, 5240 N. 10th Street in McAllen and will also be available at the door one hour before show time.
FOR MORE INFO: Call (956) 682-2721 (after 3:30 p.m.)
Miriam Ramirez covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4468.
