A Really Awesome Ballet Class!

Wow. Just... wow. So the usual place where I dance is closed for holiday break, and being that I have a callback just after break, I've been taking various open classes at nearby studios. Today, it was my second time at this really amazing studio. I was taking the Adv. Beg. Ballet class, taught by one of the most incredible teachers I have ever had. I wish I could take her class 24/7. It was difficult, fun, challenging, vigorous, and I never wanted it to end. The teacher was strict but fun at the same time, and I felt so many muscles working that weren't always worked in other classes.

When the class ended, I started to leave and say goodbye. I saw a lot of people filing in for her next class, a pointe class. I asked her what level, and she said it was open level. Then she asked me to take it! But I did not have pointe shoes or money for another class. She said it was no matter, I could take it for free on demi pointe. This made me super happy because I felt accepted and like maybe she saw potential or something, I don't know. So anyway, now I will be going back there every Saturday for her pointe class. I will probably still take pointe at my other studio, however I don't know if my technique teacher knows I take pointe and she might not want me to, which I certainly hope isn't the case. In the past she hadn't, even when all my other teachers did. Oh well, that's a whole other story.

Anyway, just checking in to say hey!

Do you have one teacher/class you just love?

Do you have one you hate?

Don't be afraid to share the juicy deets lol!

It's Snowing!!

Just a quick post today, I've been uber busy preparing for my callback and of course with all the holiday cheer!

I just wanted to say, Happy Holidays! I'm so thrilled it's snowing! There's like at least a foot of snow! :D Last night my friend and I took her dog for a romp in the snow, it was so fun!


Also, one of my Christmas presents was a subscription to DANCE magazine (yay!), and I got one featuring Misty Copeland, which was AWESOME 'cause she's been my idol ever since Rebecca from Plies to Pirouettes mentioned her in her Late Blooming Legends Week article! (I'm a late starter too).

You can read the article here.

Also, I saw about 30 different summer intnsive ads that I was drawn to! Now I am auditioning every single weekend in January! And I think most in February as well.

The Weekly One: Sansha Fleece Warm-up Overall

The Problem: Cold muscles, scratchy fabric, too many seperate warm-ups. Legwarmers are typically around $20, plus shorts which are around $15, plus and overwrap sweater, that's another $20-30. Not only does it cost a lot to keep everything warm, but all that takes up a lot of room in your bag! And, these can often come in scratchy, itchy fabrics.

The Solution: Sansha's Warm-up Fleece Sac is a wonderfully soft, inexpesive, all-in-one way to keep those muscles warm! This is absolutely one of my favorite finds! It's also a perfect gift for any dancer because the sizing and style doesn't need to be as specific as shoes or leotards, plus its actually useful!

1st Pointe Class!!

Hey guys! SO, guess what?!?!?! My pointe teacher told me to try it sine I had my shoes with me, and I did! A whole hour en pointe! This is a lot for a first time pointe-goer, but it was fun, and the teacher deemed it safe so I can't complain! My feet are certainly tired, but not as dead as I'd expected.


I don't think I did very well especially compared to the others who'd been en pointe for months, and on the jumps en pointe, but I'm working on it. It was also hard because I guess my shoes just weren't right. My teacher said the shoes were way too wide for my feet (they were, as my feet are fairly narrow/normal and the guy had given me a 5X). She also said I needed a Medium shank, as I broke the Soft in just one class! (I don't think the hand-breaking helped).


So this brings me to my final questions...

Do you have any specific pointe shoes brands that you know areof good price and quality (preferably not over $90)?

Any advice on fitting pointe shoes?

Do you remember what brand your first pair were?

I got a callback!!! :D

I'm so excited you guys! Last night, something magical came in the mail!



My top school that I auditioned for sent me a callback letter! I am so excited! I am thrilled and relieved, but I know it's only half over, and I have more work to do. Honestly I didn't expect to get one, I thought I'd done horribly, but I guess life can surpise you!

I'll keep you posted and tell you all the details soon!

Bye <3

Have you ever had a major audition?

What was it like?

How did you take the good/bad news?

What advice would you give?

Semi-Sad Pointe News

OK, well it's not that sad but unfortunately I wont be taking pointe tomorrow. My pointe teacher told me even though I was ready I had to ask my technique teacher to make sure (who wants the whole level to start at the same time) and since she is away this week, and we have a break for the next 2 weeks, that is not possible. So, I guess until then I can't take pointe here.

However, I have an audition for the SAB Summer Intensive in but a month (talk more about this when it comes closer) and I need to be ready, as the audition takes place en pointe.

I have decided, since my pointe teacher says I'm ready, even though I can't yet take classes there, I am going to take open classes at another nearby studio. Now, I know this isn't advised, and normally I would just be patient and wait till we come back from break, but given the circumstances, I have come to my concensus.

What do you think?

This isn't a bad decision, is it?

The Weekly One: Bloch ElastoRib

The Problem: Many dancers, especially those en pointe, suffer from strained ankles/tendons or tendonitis. This often happens because the ribbons restrict the ankles and doesn't allow for fluid movement.

The Solution: Bloch Elastorib Ribbon is the perfect solution, because it connects elastic and ribbon so that there is less pressure on the Achilles tendon and helps prevent injury. I would recommend this over Bunheads' similar product Flexers, because the Bloch elastic is less easy to see.

The Bloch Elastorib Ribbon

...versus the Bunheads version (as you can see the elastic is thinner than the ribbon, making it stand out more, as opposed to blend in with the ribbon.

Soon to be starting: The Weekly One

I decided, starting today, I will be posting something each week called "The Weekly One". Each week, I will find a dance product that exceeds others or fixes a common problem that us dancers come across and share it with you. Enjoy, and keep your eyes peeled for the first Weekly One which I'll be posting today!

HipHop for a Ballerina

My friends had been wanting to go with me to a hiphop class for a while, so I finally said yes and we found a studio where you could take open classes. Let me tell you, it was crazy different from ballet! None of the steps had names, the teacher would just demonstrate an 8-count of any combo and we'd do it! The class proceeded like this the entire time until we had a full routine! It was pretty cool,and so different! A lot of times, theteacher would just say, "make up your own step here," or "do whichever arms you like!" which was fun.


However, as fun as it was, I am still a bunny bunhead :P.

We also did a LOT of crunches, which is why my abdominals are so sore today :(. It burned! But in a good way :P


Plus, of course, lots of stretching!



Do you do hip hop?

Have you ever taken a class?

If you haven't, do you want to?

What's your favorite style of dance?

Pointe Shoes!!

Let me just say, I cannot WAIT until Thursday!! I am so scared, yet so excited. My teacher told me I could go en pointe. (Only at the barre for now, to keep it slow & safe). So today, I am here to talk about my very first toe shoes.

So, about 2 months ago I was told I could go en pointe by one teacher, but another said not yet (as you know from my last post). But before the other said not yet, I bought the pointe shoes thinking I would need them. Well, I had to stash them for while :'( but now they are ready for use again!

I have Grishko 2007s. My friend told me where the Grishko store was and said they were great, so I decided to check it out. I went there, and a nice man came to greet me and told me he'd be fitting my pointe shoes today. He studied my feet for a long time. Then, he went into a little cubby whole whith tons of shoes. He came out with shoe after shoe, none of them fitting quite right. Then, he went in one last time, and came out with the perfect pair. The heel hugged, but didn't squeeze, my foot, my toes were pleasantly hugged as well, but not squashed or pressed. When fitting the box: you shouldn't be able to move your toes at all but they shouldn't overlap or hurt. There was even a little barre in the room, for me to test them out. He had me releves and they were so comfy! That's right, the pointe shoes were COMFY! I was shocked and thrilled. Everyone had told me they were the most excruciatingly painful things, but they really weren't! (Let's see what I say after my first pointe class!:P) In the end I had a medium vamp, length 6, width 5X, and a soft shank.

Grishko 2007s


I also got toe pads, of course. Just simple, thin, Ouch Pouch Jrs. They seemed to do the trick. I found that my feet werent able to breathe in the pure rubber/gelly ones. I prefer Ouch Pouches because they are a tiny bit soft/squishy like the rubber ones, but are more breathable like cloth. Plain cloth isn't quite enough yet for me.

The Ouch Pouch Jr.


What brand were your first pointe shoes?

If you don't have them yet, what brand do you think you'd like?

Any comments/advice about pointe is welcome!!!

Back to Blogging!!!!

So I sit here in my chair, at oh, around 6-something in the morning. I am ready for school, soon to be leaving. But I had to write. It's so hard to find time now, but I believe finding time may be slightly easier now that I have my own computer. SO much has happened since my last blog! And I want to share it with you! (Even if I have to finish this later).

There are many aspects of my current dance life that I am going to tell you about.

AUDITIONS
So far, I've had 4 auditions in the past 2 months. What have I been auditioning for? Well, I have been auditioning for dance schools. No, not part-time places where I can take classes. Full-on dance schools. (They are mostly public, they also do academics). I am super excited! I have one more in January! I am also thinking of auditioning for the School of American Ballet in September, but that’s a whole other story and a long way away. Plus, auditions for summer intensives are coming up in February!!



CLASSES
I am currently at the school I said I’d be auditioning for. It wasn’t a real “audition” because it was more of a placement. I got placed in level 3. (There are Foundations A, Foundations B, Level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Jr. Trainee and Trainee). I am OK with my level, considering I started ballet so late. I used to take ballet 3 times per week, jazz once, and pointe once (I’ll go into this in more detail). Now, I take ballet 6 days a week! It’s awesome! I like the place I’m at, but I am auditioning for another one just to see how I’d be placed.



POINTE
So, at my old studio I was told I would be doing pointe work (at least at the barre) in September. But by the time September rolled around, I was at a new, very strict studio. They told me I should do pre-pointe instead. So I’ve been doing that for a couple months. Then, today, something amazing happened. Something that made me cry tears of joy. I asked my pointe (who at the time had been pre-pointe, which is where you do it in soft slippers on demi-pointe)teacher, who had been telling me I should do pointe, if I should bring my shoes next week. The reason I hadn't brought them before becase the director wouldn't let me. But today, my pointe teacher said that she said I (and the people in my level who did pre-pointe) could go on, but only at the barre. I'm PSYCHED!!!!! I can't believe it. Pointe! I am in awe. This time next week, I shall come home, removing my pointe shoes, with aching feet, and a glorious happy heart. This is a pic of me in my new pointe shoes:



Well, that's all for now, butI promise I'll be back this weekend! Can't wait to hear from you guys!!