Stretch!

Hi guys! It's been a while. I'm not dancing this summer (sadface) because I'm working a lot. It's a double edged sword, because more work means I can keep taking dance, but the more I work the less time I have to dance. It looks like I'll be taking two ballet classes this year, 90 minutes on Monday with level 5 and 6, because they're both really small levels (4-5 people each), and 2 hours on Thursday with just my level. I'm excited, to say the least. I'm thinking of asking my dad if I can take a solo class at my old studio twice a month, but I don't even know if they'd let me do that, and how much it would cost, ect. I would love to learn a lyrical solo, or even a ballet solo.

Anyway, I've decided to do something I call, "Stretch Everyday in August!" where I stretch...everyday...in August. Pretty self-explanatory, really. It's my second day, and I decided to warm up first by attempting the Odette/White Swan variation (but I did it on flat). It's a really pretty, really simple variation, so I watched a few videos, and put my own spin in some places, and got warmed up. Now I'm sitting here, stretching as I type.

My goals:

• Stretch everyday, if it's 10 minutes or an hour and a half
• Get right split
• Get closer to left and center split

So what do you think? Anyone who wants to join me definitely should! We could all comment on this post to stay motivated, and accomplish your own flexibility goals, whether it's to touch your toes or to nail your oversplits!

Quick Pointe Shoe Video

Here's a video by the Australian Ballet about the pointe shoe fitter/ artistic co-ordinater. I know I would kill for a pair of custom pointes, wouldn't that be amazing?

Tell me in the comments if you've found your perfect pointes, what are they!?

"Dancing isn't modeling business"

Okay, so I just posted a reply to someone worried that they were not pretty or skinny enough to dance, and I responded with this video by Anaheim Ballet featuring the wonderful ballerina Maria Kochetkova. She has some inspirational words, so check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmRpNwb0NZ0

I'm here!!

Hi guys! I'm still alive, I promise! Thanks for the concern, I've been busy with dance and school and all sorts of stuff, but I'll have a post or two up tonight!

Sorry, again!

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!

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

Perfection

Hey everyone! Last week, during my Tuesday ballet class I was thinking about how ballet is a very precise art. Everything is very "set in stone", if you know what I mean. There is a perfect way to do everything, from a simple passe to a fouette en tournant. I think ballet dancers in general love ballet for its perfection, beauty, and grace. Otherwise, why did we pick ballet and not lyrical, jazz, or hip-hop? Even though most of us ballet dancers strive for perfection, I think it's important to remember that nobody is perfect, even the best ballerinas mess up sometimes. When you're having a rough ballet class and nothing is going right, just remember that we want perfection, but we should aim for the best that we can be. 

Dance Music

Hello all! Hope your summers are going nicely! I haven't taken a dance class in what seems like FOREVER, and it's starting to get to me. I found out that my teen studio has a lyrical class on Tuesday, which I was invited to attend when I stopped by the studio to get recital pictures and a DVD. I'm a bit nervous about it, and I'm not quite sure if I'll go yet, but I think it would be interesting to try.

I absolutely love watching lyrical dances on Youtube. Sometimes I'll hear a song and instantly think, "This would be great for lyrical! I wonder if there's a routine to it on Youtube?" I was thinking about my favorite ballet/lyrical songs, so here's a list of a few of them:

Drops Of Jupiter by Train
Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg
Without You from the musical Rent
On My Own from the musical Les Miserables
Yesterday by The Beatles
Eet by Ragina Spector
Skinny Love by Bon Iver (or the cover by Birdie)
Your Song by Elton John

So that's just my small list. What I'm really curious about is what are some of your favorite dancing songs? Leave me a comment please!

Also, please leave a comment with your ballet story on my "About Me" page, the tab is up there ^. I'd love to hear about other later starter's stories!

My Light Stage Make-Up

Hello again! I'm by no means a make-up expert. I really don't use much make-up at all. For those of you like me, here's a post on my basic stage make-up.


1. Wash and moisturize your face. I use a Clean and Clear face wash, but if you have sensitive skin or really nice skin water is fine. If you have dry skin, use a face moisturizer so your skin doesn't flake when you have makeup on.


2. Apply foundation. I use a creamy foundation by Maybelline for oil-control. If you're in between shades, go for the darker one because stage lights can wash out your face, but don't go four shades darker or anything too dramatic. 














3. Put on eye-liner. Many girls I know prefer liquid eye-liner for stage makeup because it's very dramatic, but I just use plain old pencil eyeliner. I would go with a black. For Nutcracker, I wing my eyeliner, but for the recital I just apply it to the top lash line. Some girls apply white eyeliner on the waterlines for the lower lashes, and at the corner of your eye to make your eyes look bigger.

Winged Eyeliner

4. Put on mascara. Next, I use mascara. To apply it, close your eyes half way, and first apply it on the top side of your upper lashes. Then open your eyes, and put it on the bottom side. When applying it to the bottom, wiggle the brush a little to separate the lashes. Then apply it to your lower lashes. I usually end up smearing my mascara or getting it on my eyelids, so at this point I use a q-tip dipped in eye makeup remover to clean up any little mistakes.


5. Eye shadow. I use a neutral brown eye shadow for performances where there's no specific color requested.


6.  Blush. I use a pink blush for performances because it adds dimension to your face so it doesn't look flat. When I put on blush, I smile and put it mostly on the apples of my cheeks. Then I use a little and brush it outward and slightly upwards towards my ear.

7. Next, I use a translucent powder to set the makeup and make my face matte, so it doesn't shine under the stage lights. I use Neutrogena oil-control translucent powder.

8. Finally, I put on a little lipstick. I like natural but slightly darker shades, sort of like a reddish-brown.




I get most of my makeup from Target, and I get my lipstick from Boscov's makeup section. If you need high quality makeup for a performance or show, ask someone at a makeup store to help you find the right shades for your skin tone.

Just some ballet talk

I think it's important for late starters to ballet, and really everyone who does ballet, to step back and really look at how far they've come. I always complain that I'm not flexible, but two years ago I couldn't touch my toes, and now I can with ease. I got a little wake up call in gym class (of all places!) when we did the v-sit test in gym. Mostly every american on the site knows what I'm talking about, right? It's a part of the presidential fitness test, where you see how many inches past your feet you can reach . The higher the number, the more flexible you are. Two years ago I got 2. This year, I got 7. That's pretty considerable, when you think about it. My extensions used to be between 45 and 90 degrees, around 65 degrees. Now, they are around 92. I get mad when I can't do a double pirouette, but I forget to remember my first ever ballet class when I struggled to do one.

So don't be so hard on yourself, ballet is hard, and your dedication and work for what you want is admirable!


Here's a video I thought was awesome. I am really into ballet, but I also enjoy lyrical and modern stuff. I always thought the song Someone Like You would be a great dramatic dance piece, but the song is so popular that the dance should really stand out. I think this does.

Dance on TV

I can not get enough of dance. Seriously, my mother thinks I take too many classes a week (at 3 please, that's like nothing), but I think I need another on Saturday or Sunday because I always want to dance on the weekends. So I love anything that has to do with dance, and here is an overview of my favorite two dance TV shows.

Dance Moms
Ok, this show is both ridiculous and dramatic, but I like it. It has a mix of drama and dance that really draws me in. There are girls half my age dancing that are 4 times better then I will ever be. The choreography is great, and the fights are entertaining. Just to let you guys know, the teacher doesn't yell as much as it seems. She actually has a great relationship with her dancers, but dramatizes it for the show. 

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/dance-moms

Dance Academy
So, I had never heard of this show until it showed up in a random search I did on youtube. It was filmed in Austrialia, so I don't know how popular it is there, but it just aired in America. It is really a great show, it is a fictional show about an Aussie girl who auditions for a ballet academy and makes it. She lives at the academy, and has problems with jealous and carefree girls she meets. There are also plenty of boys, and as the season progresses some romances spring up. The actors and actresses on the show are actually pretty good dancers, so they do show a lot of dancing. I love this show and absolutely recommend it to anyone interested in ballet. Dance Academy is on Netflix instant, or you can watch it on Youtube. 
http://www.teennick.com/shows/dance-academy

I also tune in for Dancing with the Stars if a celeb I know is on it. I know I missed So You Think You Can dance, but I've never actually seen it! Tell me if you watch any of these shows and what you think, or tell me if I missed any of your dance shows!