My Dance Schedule

So, I've realized that looking through my blog it might be super confusing to how much and what dance classes I'm taking. So here's my schedule:

Monday- Ballet for 90 minutes
Tuesday- Ballet/pointe for 2 hours
Wednesday-Sleep!
Thursday- 20-30 minutes of Yoga or pilates, and stretching
Friday- Attempt to have a social life
Saturday and Sunday- 1 hour stretching and yoga, some pointe exercises

So, as you can see, I'm currently only taking 2 dance classes a week. TWO. It's driving me crazy. I technically can be taking 4 ballet classes and 1 modern class and my level, but the thing about dance is it can be so expensive!

Hopefully, my summer is a little different. This summer I'm doing a week long 2.5 hour daily summer intensive at my studio for beginner pointe, and also taking some open classes. At my old studio, I also want to try some lyrical classes, assuming I can find a stinking job. Anyway, there you have it!

Flexibility Problems?

Hey guys! How are you all doing? (That is not a rhetorical question, feel free to answer!) I don't have school today (yay for in-service days, right?) so I decided to work on my flexibility. Here are some of my tips.

1. Get warmed up! I put on some nice warm pants; fuzzy pj's, sweat pants, leg warmers, ect, and do some warm ups. Sometimes it's a few rounds of Just Dance with my sister (I win every time, #danceradvantages), jumping jacks, yoga or pilates, or some barre routines. 

2. Start off easy. Don't rush into your splits right away! That can cause pulled muscles, tiny tears which cause soreness, and it won't even improve your flexibility. Your goal is to stretch the muscles, not break them!

3. Find a routine that works for you! Stretching is the most beneficial when you do it often right? So put together a fun routine, add some music, and do it as often as you can! Right now I'm in a yoga kick, so I've been trying out some different yoga routines. Sometimes, I just do my favorite stretches from dance class to some pop music. So make a music playlist, and a list of your stretches! It doesn't need to be long, 5 stretches for each side (10 total), holding for 30 seconds each is just 5 minutes. In addition to a warm up, you've only spent 10 or 15 minutes, out of 24 hours!

Here are some different videos and stretching guides:

Videos:
Yoga for Flexibility
Yoga for Core Strength
Pilates for Core and Flexibility

Web Pages:
Dance.net Guide to 120 Stretches
Gymnastics Stretches for Splits
Gymnastics Stretches for Center Splits
Improving Extensions

If you have trouble getting settled into a routine, try this method with me, it's called Don't Break the Chain. Basically, draw up a calander, or print one out, set a minimum goal (ex, 20 minutes of stretching, 5 days a week), and every day you do it, give yourself an X. Since my goal is just once a week, I made 4 colomuns of 5 boxes, with the labels, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4. See how long you can go before starting over, and remember, don't break the chain! 

My Pointes are Dying

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in honor of my pointe shoes. Because they're practically dead. They fit pretty nicely, and the shank is molded perfectly to my arch, but they're looking pretty soft. I got these shoes less than a month ago, (what, 2 weeks?), ugh. I really do not want to fork over another $85 for new shoes. I knew the shanks were softer on these shoes, and my dance teacher told me to try them out and get a harder shank next time, so I guess that's what I'll do.

On a cheerful note, Happy Valentines Day! Lots of love to my readers out there, you guys are awesome. I love all the comments and everything. So have a good day!