Spring Show!

Hello! Last Thursday I had a fun rehearsal for the Spring Show Finale. Our show is Le Corsaire, which has to be one of the coolest ballets, considering it's about pirates. Talk about awesome, right? Here is a synopsis, if you're interested.

Anyway, the rehearsal started at 4:00 with an average 90 minute ballet class, with everyone from level 5-7. Total, there were about 20 girls from 11-18, so it was packed in the studio. I almost wiped out doing left double turns en pointe, but we'll just pretend like no one saw ;)

After class, we sat around in the dressing room while our ballet master (yep, that's really his official title!) choerographed a trio for the show. Around 6:30 level 5-6 was called in, including me, to go over a corps type piece for the finale. We mostly dance in the background while the soloists dance in the spotlight, but we do have a little section to ourselves, which is pretty cool. This will be my first ever performance en pointe, so I'm super duper excited and nervous.

Anyone else prepping for Spring shows or recitals?

Balancing Ballet and Life

Hey guys! Obviously I haven't posted in a while. Partly due to studying for two AP classes and multiple honors classes, working 3-5 nights a week, taking part in two clubs, and, of course, ballet, I have virtually no spare time. I'm trying to reorganize my life so everything fits and I'm not up until midnight doing chem homework, which happens all too often.

As for dance, I am now taking two, 2 hour long classes a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. They are usually composed of 35 minutes of barre in flats, 15 minutes of barre en pointe, and the rest of the class is center en pointe. The Spring show is soon approaching, in June, but I haven't heard word of our costumes, song, or routine yet. The ballet Coppelia is the show's inspiration, all of the music and routines will be variations on the ballet.

Oh my gosh, I really have writer's block right now. I'm gonna go brainstorm post ideas. If you want me to write about anything in particular, post in the comments!

New Teachers

I am a pretty shy person, so nothing scares me more than being in unfamiliar situations. That may have been why I was having an internal meltdown when I realized my dance teacher on Monday was going to be a teacher I'd never had before, a former principal with the Cuban National Ballet, and a dancer in New York Companies like The Harlem ballet and Alvin Ailey. She. Was. Awesome.

First off, I have never had a teacher teach in sweatpants and funny colored socks. She speaks english as her second language, so sometimes when going over combinations, it was a little hard to figure out what she was saying. But oh my gosh, I learned so much. She could tell I was lacking in flexibility and didn't push like other teachers tend to do, but she helped me work with what I have. Certain teachers just click with you, they explain things in a way that makes you see something totally differently and clearly, and that's what she did for me. If you ever get the opportunity to dance at a different studio, take open classes, or take a master class, I urge you to try it. A new set of eyes on your technique can pick out certain things (like my less than impressive arabesque), and rearrange or re-explain to make things look and feel better, so now my arabesque doesn't  look so...blah.

Motivation

Hey bunheads, it's been a while! I have some good news and some bad news, bad news first. No Nutcracker for me this year. It's tragic, I know, but the newish owner is completely changing everything about it, from location to costumes to choreography, and I guess the random 17 year old on stage doesn't fit his vision, haha. I'm okay with it though, my classload is ridiculous right now.

Now for the good news! My class is starting variations! Normally, we'd have a combined class with level 5 and 6 on Monday for 2 hours, and a normal class on Thursday for an hour and a half. However, considering there's only 3 people in level 5 and only 5 in level 6, they combined Thursday's class as well, and tacked on an extra half hour to fourty-five minutes so we can learn variations! I'm so excited, none of my normal friends get it, so hopefully one of you out there will get my glee. It'll be great.

The reason this is called Motivation, is because before I found out about variations class, I was close to being done. I was falling behind in class because the other girls in my level take 5 classes a week and I take 2, and I was dissappointed about lack of Nutcracker. I didn't really get why I was still dancing, my feet and muscles hurt after every class and I have hours of studying to do before and after dance to keep up with my advanced and college level classes (ap chem, astronomy, and ap US government and politics, ouch). Not to mention, I'm working 15+ hours a week (including Friday and Saturday nights, goodbye social life) to fund my expensive hobby. The only light at the end of the tunnel I could see was that next year as a level 6 I'd get to preform variations. And now that that has come a year early, so I'm staying in the game. I'm more motivated than ever.

Unfortunately, I'm missing the first variation class (can you believe my luck?) because I'm helping run a safe Halloween at my high school, and it's the same day.

My russian pointes have one foot in the grave. I just can not find a pair of shoes to last me more than a few months, from Blochs to Russians everything dies in a month. The amount of jet glue I use is unbelievable. I'm going to go for grishkos or gaynor mindens next I think, or possible a different fit and shank on russians. Any suggestions?

I'm going to add a bunch of variation videos in the Video tab up there ^^, so look at them and tell me your favorites!

First Class of the Season!

Hello everyone! Thursday was the first ballet class of the 2013-2014 season! There is only three (yes, THREE) girls in my class this year, including me. It feels practically like a private class, it's so awesome. We started off with regular barre (boy, was I rusty after 3 months off!) and then did pointe in center.

I love the small class because we got to do a bunch of things one at a time, instead of in groups of two or three. This way, we get more corrections, and more time to fix mistakes.

Our uniform this year is plum leotards for Monday, and white for Thursday. I'm off to Discountdance.com to browse for some leos! The money that this site has gotten in ad revenue will pay for part of my uniform, so thank you for reading!

Monday is my next class, and it's always going to be a combined class with my level 5, and level 6, since there are only 7 girls total combined.

New Pointes!

I just got my third pair of pointes! They are Russian Pointe Rubins, and I love them. My Capezios tended to pop off my heels, and they died too fast, so these should fix both of those problems. I'm not going to sew them yet, because I want my artistic director to check them and make sure everything is okay. I'm a little nervous because Russian Pointes tend to be less pink, and more silvery than most pointe shoes are, and my studio likes uniformity. When I get the okay, I'll sew them up and get pictures for you!



I was even thinking of making a "How to Sew Your Pointe Shoes" video, but I don't know yet, let me know what you think!

Recital!

Hello everyone! My Sleeping Beauty Show went very well! I arrived at the theater at 4, went in the back entrence (fancy!) and only got a little lost on the way to my dressing room. I was one of the last girls there, but the show didn't start until 5 and my piece was number 5 or something so I had time. I did my makeup, put on my costume, and stretched with the other 16 year old in my level while the other girls prepared and preformed modern. Then the two of us helped the girls change quickly in the Green Room (no one can be modest in shows, if you have to change in one number you're stripping backstage!), and we went to the wings to wait for our song. I think the 3-5 minutes spent waiting in the wings is the most anxious time of the whole day. You're back there, frantically marking your dance and practicing steps you're nervous about (for me it was left spot turns!). Then, your music is about to start and you take your place in the wings, you hear your cue, and without hesitation you step from the shadows onto the stage, big smile on your face, and hope to God that you don't mess up. We got through the whole dance without any mistakes, and then went backstage, stretched a little to keep warm, watched the other pieces on the TV, and practiced the finale. Soon it was about time to go for the finale, and we all filed out into the wings. In the 10 minutes or so we spent waiting, everyone in the company quietly marking in the wings, I became really thankful. How many other girls my age get to be apart of such a professional preformance? I mean, the costumes were brilliant, the venue was beautiful, and the dancers were amazing. And sure, I can't afford the company, or modern classes, but I get to be apart of this amazing conservatory, and that's amazing in its self.

After finale, we went on for bows, changed, and talked a little before we left. I was so sad to find out two girls in my level won't be returning! That brings our class from 6 to 4 people!

I don't have any more classes until the 24th, when my 5 day, 2.5 pointe intensive starts!

Tech Rehearsal!

Hey guys! Today was my tech/dress rehearsal for the Sleeping Beauty Recital! I went to my studio at 4 for an hour long ballet class. There was so many people, everyone from level 4-7, so probably at least 30 people. After class we walked over to the performance center, which isn't even a block away, and settled into our dressing rooms. Levels 6-7 shared one room while levels 4-5 had the other. They were fairly small, some girls had to double up on mirrors. Outside the rooms there was this nice common area, with a table with snacks, a TV that showed the stage, a couch, and two single bathrooms. The modern dances were first, and since I don't take modern, I chilled in the dressing room with two other girls who aren't in the company. Then I got dressed for my piece, and after sitting around for about 2 hours, we finally rehearsed our piece. Then we went back to the dressing room for another hour, then practiced the finale and bows, took pictures, and finally around 8 we went home.

The theater is actually really neat. It's newer and smaller than the one for Nutcracker, I could only find an outside picture!


And this is our costume (that is not me):

Drum roll please... New Autumn Show!

Hello guys, I'm super excited to tell you some news! Our company has been making a bunch of changes recently, such as a new location and no orchestra for Nutcracker (meh), and continuing the old tradition of having three shows a year! This means we will begin preparing in August for our new show, which is.....Alice in Wonderland! I am so excited, because I thought that the ballet would just be for company members, which I am not, but our teacher wants to incorporate the conservatory students as well!

Here's a video I've been obsessed with even before I knew we were doing Alice, a behind the scenes look at rehearsal:

Yay!

Summer Plans for Dance!

Hey guys! How are you all doing? With school coming to a close soon, summer is just around the corner! I am super excited for this summer. I'll be doing a 5 day, 2.5 hour per day ballet/pointe intensive in June. I did one of these last year too, when I first got my pointes. It was set up like a regular 90 minute class on flat, and then an hour of pointe. I don't know if it will be the same this year, but hopefully it will be! I'll also be attending open classes, probably once a week, in addition to that.

Also, drumroll please, I decided to try out lyrical. Anyone who's been reading for a while knows I used to attend another competition studio, and I miss it sooooo much. The girls were awesome and the teacher was so much fun. It was much more of a family atmosphere, and I miss them! So I'll be taking a lyrical class once a week there, and maybe even continue it and take it next year as well!

What are you guys doing this summer?

Combined Classes Scare Me

Hi guys! Nothing too new, just wanted to talk about dance today! I had a 90 minute class, right after school, and upon arriving to the studio I discovered we were having a combined class. Now, I hate combined classes. Well, no, hate isn't exactly the right word. I am intimidated by combined classes. They scare me.

Combined classes are when two or more levels take class at the same time. Sometimes there aren't enough teachers, sometimes it's a show day and there is one big warm up class, and sometimes it's an open class. Today, the teacher for the highest level, level 7 (14-18 years old), wasn't there. So we had a combined class of my level 4 (ages 11-16) and level 7.

The pro of these classes are that you have a role model, someone really good to mimic, which helps you improve. Also, it creates more competition, so you always push yourself. But the cons are that sometimes, you end up messing up. My teacher never teaches down, if there are two levels she'll teach at the level of the higher one.

So, basically this long, poorly written post is just saying I screwed up in class a lot today. That is all.


Leave me a comment, they save me from my boredom!

Recital Time is Nearing!

So, spring has sprung, and you know what that means; competitions and recitals for everyone! My studio does not compete in normal dance competitions, but the company does dance in festivals and some dancers go to YAGP. I do, however, have a recital coming up! The "Spring Performance" will be my first recital with my current studio, and I'm honestly a bit nervous! It's at a new location for me, so I don't have the comfort of knowing how big the stage is, or where the dressing rooms are, and that always makes me uneasy. For some reason, I have the fear that the dance will start and I'll just not be there because I'm lost in some hallway.

We have officially finished the recital dance. It's not the most fun dance I've done, but it is definitely the most technically demanding. There is a bunch of pas de chats, and soutes in arabesque, and some turns as well. The costumes are absolutely adorable, they're blue and look sort of like peasant dresses, because we're the townspeople in the dance. Maybe I'll post a picture a little later.

Tell me about your competitions and recitals below! What songs are you doing, what do you think of the dance?!

Also, I have a friend with a beauty/fashion You tube (you know who you are, I know you follow me) and I was thinking of asking her to do a stage makeup tutorial, and maybe a hair tutorial since performance time is approaching. Tell me what you think!

Company Woes

My dance studio can be kind of confusing if you don't know how it works, so I'm going to break it down for you and then talk about it. Ready for this? Okay. 

1st, we have the Conservatory. This is the actual leveled classes. There is levels 1-7, and I'm in 4. There is a Spring Recital every year, and that's about it. Jazz and Tap is offered for students 1-3, modern is offered for 4-7.

Then there is the Company. The Company is divided into the Jr. and Senior Company. The Jr. Company is levels 4-5, and some people in 6, and the Sr. Corps is levels 6-7. You must try out for the company. You can go to the conservatory and not be in the company (like me!) but you can't be in the Company and not the conservatory. The company has class every Saturday, and they rehearse on the weekends. Nutcracker is put on by the Company, as well as the Spring Gala Performance. They also perform in the Parade, the yearly Jazz Festival, Regional Dance of America, ect., and for a few students, YAGP.

To be in the company, there is a mandatory 3 week 8 hour a day intensive. Teachers from all over come to teach variations, character, seminars on makeup and nutrition, technique, and modern. This costs $1000. That is a lot of money. I auditioned for the Company, and was accepted, but couldn't pay this hefty fee. 

I recently have been applying to jobs in hopes of being able to afford the intensive, but I haven't had luck. I asked my teacher about auditions just incase, and she sent my dad an email saying I wouldn't have to audition and it would be good for me, and we'll talk more tomorrow. I think I'm going to explain that I'd love to, but I can't afford it, and maybe ask if there's a discounted option. Who knows, maybe I'll be given a discount, maybe not. 

You guys might notice that I do have ads on my blog. Those aren't spam or anything, every time someone clicks one I get a little bit of money. I set the account so it doesn't send me the cash until I get $100, and as of now I've only raised about $13. So if you see something that interests you, feel free to click ;). No, but I just wanted to clear that up so people don't think I use this just for money. I only get about a dollar a month, and once I do eventually get the money from it, I'll use it to pay for dance supplies and I'll tell you guys about it so you know I'm not just buying a new pair of jeans or whatever.

Recital Dance!

Hey Everyone! For our Spring Recital, the Conservatory theme is Sleeping Beauty. The Sr. Corps are doing actual variations, and everyone else (including my class) is just doing dance routines to the music. We started our dance last week, and are about 40 seconds into it. I and the other 16 year old girl in my class walk on stage and begin the dance, and soon the other girls join. I'm so nervous! I've never been on stage with less than 5 other people, let alone being the only person on my half of the stage. Yikes! Here's our music:

Quick summery (I'm paraphrasing here): Carabosse (Maleficent if you only know the Disney version) the fairy gets a little angry because everyone's having this big party to celebrate the christening of the Princess Aurora, and she didn't get invited. So she just shows up and is like, "C'mon guys, what the heck? Why wasn't I invited?" and the parents are all, "I dunno, blame that guy." So she casts this curse that on Aurora's 16th Birthday she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. Ouch, pretty harsh, right? The parents are all, "Nooooo, please!!" and Carabosse shows no mercy. But, all hope isn't lost! The most powerful fairy, The Lilac Fairy (her variation is pretty common), still hasn't given her gift to the Princess. She can't undo the curse, so instead she changes it so that instead of dying Aurora will just fall asleep for 100 years and then be kissed by a prince to wake up. Phew, really dodged a bullet there, right?

So then, fast forward to her 16th party. This is the clip above. Aurora's having a ball, literally and figuratively, and all of a sudden this creeper comes out of the shadows and gives her a spindle. She takes it, and even though her parents know what's coming, they're kind of just like, "Hang on...wait...oh whatever." She pricks her finger (the end of our dance) and wobbles around a little and falls into a deep sleep. The Lilac Fairy casts a spell that the rest of the kingdom would fall asleep with Aurora, so that when she wakes up everyone isn't dead.

100 years later this prince is going hunting with his friends. He leaves them, and the Lilac Fairy shows him an image of Aurora, and he's like, "Woah, I want to meet her!". (Seriously, what would they do without the Lilac Fairy?) Anyway, the prince is smitten with this sleeping 116 year old princess, kisses her, everyone wakes up. Boom, easy as pie, right? They get married and all is well.

Moral of the story: Always invite the envious fairy to the party or she'll cast a spell to kill your daughter.

100th Post!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the break, I wanted my 100th post to be a little special and decided to try my first video! Here it is, a look at my dance bag! Sorry it's so quiet, and my head got cut off at some parts, but hopefully you enjoy it!

Here's a list of things in the video

Bag: Sorry I couldn't find the actual link! I think it's discontinued or something, the brand is Recollections.
Leotard: Capezio Bratek in Burgandy
Pointe shoes: Capezio Arias
Toe Caps: Bunheads ClearStretch Tips
Toe Spacers: Bunheads Spacemakers
Toe Pads: Gellows by Pillows for Pointe
Old Pointes: Bloch Serenades (I almost forgot!)
Shoes: Capezio Dasiy

Tell me if you'd like to see more (hopefully better!) videos, or if I should stick with blog posts for now!

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!

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!

I'm upset

Hi everyone! Today was another Nutcracker rehearsal, with the adorable mice, mouse queen, captain soldier, and nutcracker. We finally have the whole scene together! Now it's just syncing all the marching up, perfecting the timing, and choreographing the battle between the Mouse Queen and Nutcracker. I also got my costume today! It's white pants and a red long-sleeved zip up jacket with big gold buttons and decorations to look like a soldier jacket. I also got a plastic tall red and gold soldier hat. My father knows one of the mothers of a mouse, and as we were walking to our cars and they were talking the mouse asked to see the hat. I showed it to her and she put it on her head, it was so big it covered her eyes. It was adorable! I told her someday she might wear it on stage if she becomes a soldier when she's older, and she started pretending to march around holding a pretend gun like we do and spinning. It was so, so cute!

As you can see from the title, I'm very upset. I was originally going to say angry, but that's not really it. More like disappointed. At our ballet academy, we have three lovely studios and a dressing room (for the girls). Before class or rehearsal, everyone goes to the the dressing rooms, takes off sweats and jackets, does warm ups, has a snack, and/or chats. I usually stayed out of the dressing rooms, because I wasn't really friends with anyone at the studio, but recently I've become more comfortable there and started going in the dressing room and leaving my sweats, jacket, and dance bag there like everyone else. The dance studio is like my happy place, everything is ok when I'm dancing. Now, that security is pretty much gone. While I was in rehearsal, someone went into the dressing room, riffled through my bag (and I know because I put my coat on my bag, when I got back it was off to the side), and sent a text on my phone to my dad to try and ruin my relationship. Obviously, my dad knew I didn't sent him the explicit text. However, the very idea that someone went through my stuff, and probably read my text messages, destroys me. It's one of those "principle of the thing" situations. The worst part is, I pretty much know who did it. There's this one girl that has a crush on my boyfriend and always flirts with him. Even though we've never, and I mean never, had a conversation, she hates me just because I'm dating him (6 month anniversary this weekend!). And she just happened to be at the studio, in the dressing room, with only one other person, while I was in rehearsal.

So, I don't really know the moral of this story. I don't think I can ever feel at home at a studio where someone would do that to someone they don't know. Especially because I'm still kind of like the new girl, who doesn't really belong yet. I guess, keep your phone and valuables locked, or else in the studio while you dance if you think this could ever happen to you.

Happy dancing!

Off Days and On Days

So, Monday was a bad day. I took a three huge tests, didn't get much sleep, and was a jittery mess. In dance, I couldn't focus, and even though I knew combinations, I couldn't get my feet to follow what my brain was saying. By the end of class I had gotten countless corrections, each directed towards the class but I knew they were meant for me. It was horrible. By the end of class I was biting back tears at how awful I was. 

Today was completely different. I got to class 15 minutes late (thanks traffic jams!) but was on the ball from the moment I got in. I nailed most of barre, held pretty good balances (especially in front attitude, yay!), and focused on arms, head position, and feet so I really got into each combo. Center was pretty good, I didn't mess up anything too badly either. I also learned Russian Pas de Chats (finally!!) today, and even though the other girls learned them on Wednesday and Saturday (the company classes are then), I was the one complimented on them. We also did pointe today, at barre and in center. I got a little frustrated when we did chaines and pique turns from the left side. For some reason, I can do it pretty well left to right, but right to left is a mess. 

Anyways, don't let one or two bad classes get you down. I think one of the best ways to have a good class is to visualize! Run through combinations in your head before class. During class, pay attention and mark it like you mean it!

Another Nutcracker Rehearsal on Friday, I'll update again then.

Inspirational Pictures

Svetlana Zakharova as Aurora in the Kirov's Sleeping Beauty

Alina Cojocaru in Giselle

Sylvie Guillem in Don Quixote