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.
Thanks :) I was wondering what made you start ballet?
ReplyDeleteAlso, what is making you want to continue ballet if you don't want to become professional? What is making you want to continue and when may you possibly stop...?
ReplyDeleteGreat questions. My story with ballet started when I was about 7. I begged my parents to let me take ballet, but they never had a kid that danced and neither of them danced so they weren't very familier with it. Instead they signed me up for tee-ball and basketball. I used to walk around on demi-pointe because I wanted to be a "ballerina", and I did that until I was about 10. Then just last year I went to theater summer camp, and I realized how awful at dancing I was.
ReplyDeleteAll that summer I had insomnia, and when I couldn't sleep I would watch ballet videos on youtube. I decided to find a teen beginner class and sign up, and that's it!
I did some research and really wanted to become a professional, but I eventually realized that I wasn't blessed with perfect feet and perfect turnout, and it would be almost impossible to go pro. I want to continue because after I begin pointe there may be more performance oppertunities for me locally with the dance academy I take dance at. I always dreamed of going en pointe and trying a classical variation, so that's also fueling me. Plus, ballet is fun!
I probably won't stop dancing until college (2015). Even then, if I can find a class I'll still keep going.
Sorry, that was long!
It's fine :) Where did you find sites to say whether or not you had good feet or turnout?
ReplyDeletePerfect turn out is 90 degree rotation from each hip, meaning 180 degrees total. So if your feet can point straight out, or almost straight out, it's a sign of good turnout. You never want to force it though!
ReplyDeleteAs for feet, they should have moderately high arches.
I haven't gotten this info off any specific sites, mostly things that ex-dancers and dance teachers have told me.
Wow thanks for this. I usually find myself rushing to get everything into my bag before lessons :S
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it! I try to keep everything I need in my bag, but I always end up scrambling last minute looking for something :)
ReplyDeleteI am 13, and I have just started learning ballet. Well, I did it for a year when I was in 1st grade, but now I am not suoer flexible. I am close to doing a middle split, and naturally have the turnout thing...(a little bit). As I continue to learn ballet, I am liking it more and more. Is it too late for me to become a ballerina?
ReplyDeleteNo you can be a ballet dancer at any age it just might be harder
DeleteI am 13, and I have just started learning ballet. Well, I did it for a year when I was in 1st grade, but now I am not suoer flexible. I am close to doing a middle split, and naturally have the turnout thing...(a little bit). As I continue to learn ballet, I am liking it more and more. Is it too late for me to become a ballerina?
ReplyDeleteHello! I can't say for sure if you're too old to become a professional ballerina. Your first step would be to contact a pre-professional training school and see if you could audition for their pre-professional division. At 13, they'd only take you if you had the perfect ballet body, which includes height, weight, foot structure, muscle structure, turnout, and more. But you'd have to contact them, like, now. Honestly, it's an extremely hard career to get in to. If you're not super bendy, I'm not sure if you'd get in to a pre-professional division, but you might as well try.
DeleteOut of the entire population, only 2% of people have the perfect "ballet body". Out of those 2%, only about 10% of people that trained their whole lives to be dancers, will get a job as a professional ballerina. And most of them will need side jobs, because it doesn't pay very well.
You can always try to find a company like mine! I dance for a ballet conservatory that has it's own company (they don't get paid) and puts on it's own shows. Sort of like Anaheim ballet, on youtube. It's serious dancing without being so selective.