Capezio Store, New York City

Hello everyone! Yesterday my family and I went to New York City for the day to see a Broadway show and do some sightseeing. It was a lot of fun, we ate at Ellen's Stardust Diner, where the wait staff sing and dance, visited the giant tree in Rockefeller Center, stopped by NBC (30 Rock, anyone?), and ended by seeing the brilliant musical, Bonnie and Clyde. However, before dinner I managed to drag my family into the Capezio store. It is on the second story of a huge building, and there were more leotards, shoes, and other dancing supplies then I've seen in my life. I tried on a few adorable leotards before deciding on a burgundy one with added support in the bust. I also got a pair of knit shorts that are incredibly soft. Here are some pictures:

The store

The leo I got (that isn't me, it's a stock photo)

And I got these shorts in black

New Post Ideas

Hey everyone, hope you are all having a nice winter break! I just want to thank everyone who has been following the blog! I can't believe the blog has over 1,000 views, that's awesome. To my followers, thank you! I always love to see when I get a new follower. I know I haven't made a real post in a while, so sorry about that! I do still check the blog every day in my free time for comments and opinions, I always love to read them.


I have been having a hard time trying to come up with new post ideas. I have a few ideas, but they will take me a few months to get to (ex. I'll be making plenty of Pointe articles once I start in the Spring). If you have anything you want to know or any questions about ballet, please leave a comment and I'll make a post about it asap!

*I have gotten a few requests for exercises to improve turns, flexibility, ect, and after thinking it over, I decided not to make any posts regarding this type of stuff. I would hate for someone to get hurt after trying something I advised, that would kill me. You can ask a qualified dance teacher for these kinds of things, they will be able to help much more then I can.


Also, tell me how you like the new layout! I think it's a bit nicer, but I would love to hear opinions!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

12/20/11

Hi guys, just got back from my teen class. My old teacher was there, so it's nice I got to see her. One of the girls in the class before ours asked to run through her lyrical solo, which is dedicated to her brother in Afghanistan. It's to the song Safe and Sound by Sheryl Crow. It's so sad, I felt like I was going to cry.

Just one more class until winter break.

Nutcracker Opening Night

Hey everyone, we finally made it! Tonight was the opening night for Nutcracker. It was so much fun! I made some great friends backstage, and despite all the little problems (our Rat King was sick, so one of the party dads had to step in and learn the dance in 30 mins), it was great.


The girls were all amazing, I am just so happy to have been apart of something this great. I especially loved the Arabian dance, maybe I could try out in a year or two. We have one more show tomorrow, and that'll be the end, at least for this year.


Some pictures:

Here's my mirror, all decorated. I have little window stickers on the mirror of reindeer and  tree baubles, as well as the red tinsel.

Here's a blurry pic of the snow scene during dress rehearsal. You can see the lights from the orchestra under the stage.

Nutcracker Tech Rehearsal, 12/14

Hey everyone, today was the first tech rehearsal at the Performing Arts Center. The soldiers and jr.corps members got a dressing room. I had to go through a maze of halls and doors to get there, I was worried I'd get lost! The dressing room was almost empty by the time I got there, most of the jr. corps is in the Party Scene. The room has a wrap-around counter with mirrors and lights on the wall. Everyone had decorated their mirrors with tinsel, Christmas lights, stickers, and little nutcrackers. It was so cute. We got called up to the stage after waiting about half an hour. We ran through the scene just once, and after having a little meeting with the soldiers and jr.corps in the dressing room I left. 


I wanted to take some pictures of the theater to post but I forgot! I'll get some at the dress rehearsal tomorrow.

What to Know Before Your First Ballet Class

Hey everyone, here are some things you should know before your first ballet class!


1. Dress code! Call or E-mail your dance studio and find out what you need to wear to class. You can also ask them if they can recommend a good dance supply store.

2. Location and parking. Before going to your ballet class, make sure you know where it is, and make sure you know the parking situation. My dance academy in a city, and the parking lot is very tough to get too. It's in a very large building dedicated to the arts, so it's actually on the 4th floor of the building. It is not fun trying to find parking, then the elevator, then the right floor, then the right studio (out of three) the day of your first dance class, so visit it ahead!

3. Some basics. Do NOT practice ballet AT ALL before you're first class! However, it's good to watch some videos so you'll have a rough idea of what you need to do. Here is a good video. Again, DO NOT practice this at home!

And really, that's all! Don't be nervous for your first ballet class, just relax and have fun!


Edit: The blog was uploading much slower the past few days, so I deleted a few photos from this and it seems to be going faster again. Sorry 'bout that!

Last Studio Rehearsal, 12/11/2011 !

Hey everyone! Today was the last studio rehearsal for Nutcracker! We have two more rehearsals, but they will be at the theater where we will be performing. Everyone is very excited, just 5 more days until opening night!


Today we got to see a bit of a pas de deux between Clara and the Nutcracker that we've never seen before. It was so adorable, it made me wish I was young enough to be Clara next year, but unfortunately starting late does have these drawbacks.  Hopefully I'll be able to do a pas de deux before I go off to college, but I may not ever get that advanced.


Just a side note, I'm starting pointe in late spring. I've never wanted winter to pass this quickly!

New Ballet Shoes!

Hey guys, happy Thursday. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned that for Nutcracker we need black shoes. My dance teacher recommended a spray paint-like leather dye so I could dye them in time for the show. Since I'm dyeing my current shoes, I realized I'll need another pair of pink shoes, so we picked some up today. My old shoes were Bloch split-sole shoes, and my new ones are Capezio full soles. They look much nicer then my old tattered ones and they fit much better. They aren't as comfortable, but breaking them in a bit more should fix that.

12/6/2011

Hey guys, just got back from my teen class. We got our song for the recital, it's Allison Crowe's remake of the Beatle's Let it Be. I think this is a good song for our class, it'll be good for ballet and a little lyrical. I'm front and center for the beginning of the dance *gulp*. I start on one knee, with my other leg straight out. We have the first 45 seconds done already, it's pretty difficult. We do a waltz and an attitude turn, neither of which I've ever tried before tonight. It should be fun though, I'm looking forward to learning and mastering more of the dance.

Here's the song:

Nutcracker Rehearsal, 12/4

Well, it's coming up! Just 12 days until the show premiers! The battle scene is really together, with just a few tweaks needed here and there. I got my costume today, it's a little short in the pants but other than that it's ok. It's white pants and a red top with gold buttons.


I'm pretty excited, next week we're practicing in the theater and then it's just a little while until our first show! It's been so much fun being apart of this, I'll miss it when it's over! There's always next year I guess!

What to Keep in Your Dance Bag

Hey everyone, I got a request for a dance bag post, so here it is! My dance bag is just a plain purple tote bag, so here's what's in it.


1. My skirts. I keep both of my ballet skirts in my dance bag so I don't forget them. I like to have a choice, so that's why I have two. Sometimes I'm in a purple and gray mood, other times pink and black, haha. Mine sort of look like this, they are a little shorter though.

2. Legwarmers. I have a pair of black legwarmers I wear before dance and while I warm up.

3. Therabands. Therabands or any type of rubber resistance band is good for strengthening your feet and ankles for ballet and pointe. 

4. Hair pins, hair ties, and a small brush. The hair pins I use aren't like skinny bobby pins, they are wide and are useful for buns. I can use anywhere from 4 to 12 bobby pins in a bun. I keep extra hair ties in case one snaps when I'm dancing (I have thick hair), or if I forget to put my hair up.  If you have short hair or bangs you may want to get a hair band or pre-wrap.

5. My ballet slippers. I have just plain old Bloch slippers. Take your slippers out of your bag so they can air dry after class.

6. A water bottle. I have a big glass water bottle I take to class, those jumping combinations can get tiring. Empty your bottle or take it out of your bag after class so it doesn't spill.

7. Deodorent. This is kind of weird, but you never know! I have the kind that doesn't show as obviously on clothing so you can't see it on my black leotard.

8. My cell phone and Ipod. I always have my cell on me to text my mom if class is cancelled/shortened/lengthened, and I make a calender event on it when Nutcracker rehearsals are posted. I listen to my Ipod, my ballet playlist of course, before class to get into the dancing mood. I have a purple nano, like the one in the picture, plus a few scratches.

Hope this was helpful!