500 Views?!!

I haven't been able to log on for a few days, and I logged on today and I have over 500 views.  500.  That's quite a lot, isn't it?  I never thought anyone would read my blog!  In June, when I fell in love with ballet, it was all I could talk about.  Being a hip-hop dancer at the time, there wasn't really anyone who I could talk about it with.  My fabulous friends were great then, listening to me blabber on about my unfortunate habit of sickling during releve, or my attempted fouettes; they let me go on about things they didn't really care about, just nodding happily until I got distracted.  I love my friends :3  So when I started this blog, I was just hoping I could rant to people who understand, and help out other people who were also in the teen-beginner situation.  But, you know, besides not having to bore my friends, I like having a blog.  I'm an awful writer (I'm sure you guys noticed how often I write "so" and "like"...I write like I talk lol!  Not that I say "lol."  I am literally laughing out loud.), and I actually don't know much about ballet, but thank you for reading!  Thank you for sticking with my blog and I hope you continue to enjoy :)

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas guys!  Keep dancing :)

Wishlist

This is my dance wishlist.  Long, I know lol.  I put links in case you were interested.
Books:
The Perfect Pointe Book by Lisa Howell
The Ballet Companion by Eliza Gaynor Minden
Classical Ballet Technique by Gretchen Ward Warren
Practice:
Foot Stretcher
Medium and Super Heavy Therabands (I already have heavy)
Ballet Is Fun Turnboard
Dancewear:
Capezio Hipster Shorts
Balera Basic Shorts
Harmonie 24" Striped Legwarmers
Body Wrappers Low-rise Convertible Tights
Gaynor Minden Convertible Tights
Capezio Button Wrap Skirt
I'd really like a new leotard.  I like the one I have now, but I'm really tired of having to adjust often so I'm not indecently exposed.  These are some of the ones I'm considering:
Capezio Dancelogic Bratek Leotard
Mirella Cotton Camisole Leotard
Capezio Tank Leotard
Capezio PullOver Halter Leotard
Theatricals Pinch Front Tank Leotard
Seamed Twist Back Leotard
Theatricals Adult Halter Leotard
Non Ballet:
Capezio Pirouette II Canvas Shoe
Bloch Super Jazz Shoe

Please let me know if you have any of these, and how you like them :)  Happy holidays guys!  Keep dancing!

Class Update - Last Class of the Year!

Class this week was super fun!  It was a pretty small class, only like four other girls were there.  We had some time before class and while we were messing around I landed a triple pirouette :D  Instead of barre, we did center barre.  It was really hard, doing plies and tendus without holding onto a barre.  Then we laid on our backs and did battements and beats (I don't know what they're actually called..lol).  We also did our middle splits and stretched our turnouts.  Apparently, I have the worst turnout in class XD  Then we did my favorites: piques, pirouettes, and those chaine-ish turns I can never remember the name of!  After we did our turns, we did our holiday dance then had some cookies.  Our teacher makes us cookies for holidays :3  We did some grand jetes to finish off class, and that was it.  That was our last class this year :(  We have a two week break, then we're back to class.  I already can't wait!  Our teacher says she's going to teach us to waltz when we get back...should be interesting.  Readers, how are your classes?  How long is your holiday break?

Late Starters: Misty Copeland

One of my favorite dancers is Misty Copeland.  She didn't start ballet until she was a teenager, and now she's a soloist!  That's really inspiring to me because it reminds me that I can do anything if I want it enough.  But I don't think I want to become a professional dancer or teacher one day.  Do any of you want a career in dance?

In this, she's only been dancing two years.  TWO!!!  I love the end when she's backstage XD

I promised myself I'd only put one video!  ...oh well.

Practicing At Home

Yesterday one of my fabulous readers commented, asking about some things to practice at home.  Some people say it's not good to learn outside of class because you could develop bad habits that can be hard to correct.  Personally, I think it's fine because I'd rather have to correct than be unprepared.  But I'm not a professional or expert, so decide for yourself  :)

If you do decide to learn/practice at home, here are some of the basics.  Just remember your teacher's corrections (if any), and to turn out from your hips.

The best thing to practice at home is barre exercises.  You can use the back of a chair or the edge of a table, or build your own barre.  At the barre, you can practice plies, tendus, releves, grand battements, rond de jambes, developpes, or anything else that's not too complicated.  I like to do at least a set of plies everyday.

Stretching is great too, but you need to be really careful to avoid injuries.  Never stretch without warming up and don't push to pain.  Outside of class, you shouldn't do any new stretches or stretches you're uncertain of.  Try some stretches for splits.

If you want to practice turns, try this video for pirouettes.  Pay very close attention to every detail; arm position, foot placement, posture, etc.

And even if you've decided you don't want to risk forming bad habits, you can still learn terminology.  Can't get anything wrong there, right?  My favorite ballet glossaries are Wikipedia's and ABT's.  I like to read a word, then search it on YouTube so I can see what it looks like.

Just remember: be careful and don't do anything your not comfortable with.  Anything you seen in a video or read should never go above what your teacher has taught.  If you aren't in a class yet, try watching professionals and imitating their technique.  Like I said earlier, I'm not an expert or qualified teacher.  These are just tips and suggestions.  Dance safely! ;)

Class Update

Class this week was sooo fun!  We learn some new things and did lots of turns, which are my favorite.  The classroom was warm, so we stretched before class instead of after barre.  After barre, we learned this new turn, but I can't remember the name at all!  It's super fun, it's like chaines only you bring the foot you're not turning on up to passé.  So it's like right passé, left passé, right passé, left passé, while turning.  Anyone know the name of it?  Anyways, we spent awhile working on our turns; we did pirouettes, arabesque turns, and attitude turns.  After that, we practiced our tour jetés and we learned fouettés.  No, not the turns, the jump.  But everyone was so excited when our teacher said fouettés, she taught us the turns too!  She said we would at least need a double pirouette to be able to stay up, and I'm the only person in my class that has consistent doubles yet, so I gave it a go.  And ohhhh my gosh!  They look really hard, but they aren't!  And they're so fun!  I only did two or three (I forgot to count...lol fail) but fouettés are amazing and I will definitely be practicing :D  After running through our holiday dance a couple times, class was over.  It was a really great class :)  I hope you guys are having great classes too!

Destroyed A Sexy Sweater for Legwarmers

Yesterday I made my own legwarmers!  What happened was, I found my favorite sweater from when I was 8 years old, but it's too small now.  Obviously hahaha.  Then I got this idea to make legwarmers out of the sleeves!  So I did.  ***Pointless Story!***

They tend to slide down a bit, especially during grande plies, so I added a ribbon loop and button and now it doesn't slip!  And bonus, it's cute ;)

Aren't they nice?  Plus they only took a couple hours :D  I was hoping for a 24 inch pair, but these are almost 18 inches and they're fine.  I'm going to wear them to class when/if it gets cold.  If you guys want a tutorial on how to make your own sweater legwarmers, just ask!

And you guys have no idea how hard it is to take selfies of your legs!  Would you like me to post a tutorial for that too?  Kidding ;)  Keep warm and keep dancing!

Capezio Leotard Review

Hello fellow dancers!  As you can see, I've redesigned the blog.  Do you like it?  I hope so :)  Now here's the leotard review I promised you guy weeks ago.
I have the Capezio Camisole Leotard With Darts in black.  I like it, it's really cute and stylish and doesn't show that yucky sweat.  It's a little annoying though, because it has an low open back so I have to scrunch down my tights every time I put it on.  Also, it's not very supportive so there will be quite a lot of bounce if you have a larger chest like me.  It could be flattering, but having to scrunch down the tights makes awkward fat lumps.  Overall, it's a cute leotard, but just not for me.  Maybe one of my fabulous readers ;)  Anyone else have this leotard?  Know an secrets to hide tights without getting fat bulges?  Haha let me know!

Holiday Motivation: The Nutcracker

I love The Nutcracker, and my favorite in it is the Sugar Plum Fairy!  These are my favorite performances :)

Are you going to see The Nutcracker this year?  I might go see one with my ballet class; we talked about it, but we haven't made any actual plans yet.  Happy holidays and keep dancing!

Bloch Dansoft Ballet Slipper Review

I know I promised you guys some reviews like last month, but I kept forgetting!  So I'll review my ballet flats now.  I have Bloch Dansoft pink ballet slippers.  They're leather with full soles.  Mine are a 5.5B, and in street shoes I'm usually a 6.5 or 7.  They aren't very flattering, but the full soles help strengthen my feet.  The only thing I really hate about them is the pleats under the toe because they're really thick so sometimes it hurts to stand demi-pointe.  The pleats are flattening out as I wear them more, so that probably won't be a problem in a few more weeks :)  Oh and they don't smell!  I've had them for almost two months now and they still smell brand new...not that I was sniffing my shoes or anything.  Basically, they're a good shoe for beginners.  That's all for today, but hopefully I'll write a review for my leotard next week.  Keep dancing!

200 views!

Omigosh, I'm at 200 views!  Thank you so much you guys, I never thought that anyone would be interested in what I have to say.  Please stick around if you like my blog :D  And don't be shy, I'd love to see some comments!

Pointe Shoes

Pointe shoes.  The goal of almost every young ballet dancer (and us not-so-young teen beginners).  There's just something intriguing about effortlessly dancing on your toes in shiny, pink, ribboned slippers.  Of course, that's only what it looks.  Pointe shoes are really much more difficult than that.  Have you ever touched a pointe shoe?  I'd always thought they would be strong but flexible until I went to a dance store for the first time.  I saw a pair of Suffolks on display, so I picked one up - hard as a rock.  Of course, they have to be.  They have to able to support your whole body weight on a little platform.  And then there's all these requirements to be able to dance en pointe.  I'm not en pointe yet, but these are some of the things that I've picked up.

Age and maturity: if a dancer is too young and her feet haven't finished developing yet, dancing en pointe could cause serious injuries.  Most teachers will not allow students to get pointe shoes until at least age 11.  Also, you need to be mature.  You should be listening and paying attention in class.

Turnout and technique: turnout is much harder to maintain while dancing en pointe.  You would need to be able to hold your turnout.  Technique is...well, technique.  It's important even in flats, but in flats it's much easier and you can fake your way through some exercises.  En pointe, when your whole weight is on two toes, you can't fake.

Ankle and foot flexibility: you need to be able to push you ankle over your toes (that's the best way I can describe it...lol) to have a high releve.  Your toes should meet your foot at a 90 degree angle.  Without flexibility, you won't be able to get on to your platform.

Strength: you need strong legs, strong ankles, strong feet, and a strong core to dance en pointe.  To roll through demi-pointe on to your toes and hold it there takes a lot of strength.  This is probably the most important requirement, because you need muscle just to get on your toes.

Like I said before, I don't have pointe shoes yet, but these are some of the things I've heard and read.  But it really comes down to whenever your teacher says your ready.  If you see any information here that is wrong, just let me know so I can change it :)

Who here cannot wait for their pointe shoes?!  I really hope to get mine before I'm 16.  When the day finally comes, I'm probably going to die of excitement XD  Who's en pointe already?  Tell me about your first time!

Class Update

Class this week was great!  I think it was the most challenging class we've had so far.  We spent about a half hour at barre doing our usual stuff and then a barre stretch.  The best thing was when we had one leg up on the barre and our teacher told us to lift it off the barre.  I couldn't even lift my leg.  I Googled it later and learned it's an exercise that helps strengthen your hip flexors, which will help you get higher extensions!  So I'll definitely be working on those.  Then we did piques, which are one of my favorites.  Oh and we learned a holiday dance, a different one from last week.  I liked it better than the last one, because we had two tour jetes in this one :3  But I kinda wish we had The Nutcracker, or a holiday show or something.  We also practiced our grand jetes before class ended.  It was a really difficult class, I loved it!  Tell me guys, how are your classes?  Does your studio have The Nutcracker?

What's In My Dance Bag?

On YouTube, I keep seeing all these videos about what people keep in their dance bag, so I thought I'd make you guys a post about what I keep in mine.  Now, first off, I don't actually have a dance bag.  I have this cheap drawstring backpack I got for registering in the Junior Olympics, and I've had it for like two years so it's falling apart.  It's just a general sports bag; I take it to dance, P.E., lacrosse, surf, wherever I go that I need to carry more than my phone and iPod.  I have to pack it every time I go to something different, but there are some things I just always leave in it: sunblock, lip balm, bobby pins, a black permanent marker, safety pins, tampons, Tylenol/Advil, allergy pills, my debit card, and an extra hair elastic.  Right now my bag is empty except for this stuff, my lyrical shoes, a pack of gum, and a pen I stole from my best friend because he was drawing on me XD  For dance, I throw in my Theraband, iPod, flats, phone, and notebook.  The notebook is really small, I write all my corrections and the new terms I've learned.   I like to review on the way to class.  I also pack water, but I don't put it in my bag so the sweat from the bottle won't get my flats wet.  But that won't be a problem when I get a Freaker for my birthday *hint hint Mom*.  This is all I need for now because I only have one 60-minute class a week.  When I start needing more, I'll give you guys an update!  Now tell me, what's in your dance bag?  Comment below!

Class Update

Class last night was fun.  It was a pretty small class, most of the girls didn't come because of Thanksgiving.  We did barre and our middle splits on the wall, and then we got measured for our costumes.

This is our recital costume, isn't it pretty?  Please excuse my brilliant *cough cough terrible* photography skills.  Then we did some piques and pirouettes, which are my favorites :3  At the end of class, we did a little holiday dance.  It wasn't really ballet, but it was super fun!  It was a really easy class.  Did you guys have class or a break for Thanksgiving week?

Let's Keep It Simple

This weekend I had movie marathon with myself and the couch, and we saw all the Step Up movies.  In the first movie, Tyler/Channing Tatum said something about people treating dance like it's rocket science but it's really not.  And isn't that the truth!  Dance is complicated and difficult, but sometimes we exaggerate it and it becomes far more complex than it actually is.  I do this a lot because I overthink everything.  Sometimes I feel like there is a rule for every movement, like every inch has a right or wrong.  But a lot of the time the little things don't even matter.  Technique is important in ballet, yes.  But technique is only a guideline; the dance is you.  The way you move is your flair, your swag, whatever you want to call it.  Don't get caught up in the perfection of ballet, because perfect looks different to every person.  Let perfect be whatever you want it to be.  So keep it simple and keep dancing!

Sorry if I don't make any sense, it's hard for me to put my thoughts into words.
Also, if you haven't seen the first Step Up movie yet, go watch it.  Go watch it now!  Because one: Channing Tatum and all his goodness, and two: it mixes ballet and hip hop into one crazy risky final piece.  Now go.

More Motivation!

I wanted to show you guys this video in my last motivational post, but it was temporarily private.  But now it's available again :D  this is my all-time favorite dance video. Like, EVER.  Enjoy ;)

Another Class Update

I'm so sorry guys, I haven't posted in like forever!  It's been a really crazy week.  My dog needed emergency surgery, then I had homecoming (which was soo much fun!!), and I'm super behind on my schoolwork.  So this is just a quick update post.  Class this week was great!  Our teacher was sick last week, but she's back now.  We usually skip stretching, because it's only a one hour class, but we did a barre stretch which was great.  Then we did our splits.  My left hamstring is getting better, but still not completely, so I pretty much died on our left splits lol.  We practiced our pirouettes, and I landed a few doubles!  Double pirouettes, even triples, are easy for me turned in, but when I start in 4th and have to turn out it's harder.  Anyone else have that problem?  Anyways, we also learned how to do tour jetés!  They're surprisingly easy, yet still complicated.  Mind-blowing, I know ;)  and I'm not sure if I mentioned this in a previous post, but last week they showed us the costumes we're getting for recital.  I'll try to upload a picture.  We're getting measured next week.   And next week when I have more time, I'll post those product reviews I promised in the last post.

Class Update

This week our teacher was sick so we had a substitute.  From what I could figure out, she teaches a class with younger kids, but they're a higher level.  The class was really difficult.  We spent about a half hour at barre, then we moved to center and did some turns and leaps.  She kept asking us about stuff we normally do and spewing a bunch of terminology I didn't know.  I was just like O.o  And we had two leaps combinations, one was really hard but we all got it pretty well, and the other was easy but fast.  I think that was the first time I've ever sweated in class!  I really liked the challenge.  I hope all your classes are going well too!  Tell me about them in the comments :)

Btw, I'm going to be posting some product reviews soon!

Motivation

Lately I haven't been as enthusiastic about dance as I usually am.  I think I'm slowly losing my motivation D:  I put together a list of maybe why:

1.  I haven't been able to stretch for almost a month due to an injury.

2.  Robbie hasn't uploaded any new videos recently to mydancetv on YouTube.

3.  My favorite video of Polina Semionova was removed from YouTube.

4.  Class was cancelled last week for Halloween.

Now, I know these will all pass.  My motivation will come back to me soon!  For others that are struggling with motivation, I'm including some inspirational dance videos and quotes.  And try making your own list too!

“Ballet technique is arbitrary and very difficult.  It never becomes easy... it becomes possible.”

- Agnes de Mille

Halloween

Our class was cancelled yesterday for Halloween, because the studio closed at 5:30.  I was going to go trick-or-treating with some friends, but my mom wouldn't let me.  Some stupid excuse about my schoolwork not being "right".  So I stayed home and ate my feelings and watched The Birds.  Any of you guys ever seen that?  The 1963 one by Alfred Hitchcock?  Ohhhh my gosh it was the best!  New favorite movie right there.  So what did you guys do for Halloween?  Was your studio closed too?

Oh and random note: I was practicing my turns yesterday, and I did a double pirouette into a front attitude turn!  I started running everywhere screaming hahahaha.  I also manage to land a triple coupe turn, and a double arabesque turn :D  tell me what your favorite turns are!

Class Music

I love when the teacher plays good music in class.  Last week, our teacher played an instrumental version of 'That's What You Get' by Paramore while we were doing tendus.  It's one of my all-time favorite songs.  She also once played an instrumental of 'My Immortal' by Evanescence, also a favorite.  What are some of your favorite songs your teacher plays?

Washing Dancewear

I washed my leotard and tights for the first time today!  Exciting, I know ;)  I heard that washing dancewear by hand helps it last longer.  I couldn't find a bucket, so I used a pretty big bowl.  Which probably looked weird...a girl walking around with a wet leotard in a bowl...haha.  So first I put a squirt of laundry detergent in the bottom of the bowl, and filled it with warm water.  I put my tights in and squished them around for like 5 minutes, then rinsed them.  I did the same with my leotard, except with cold water.  Read the tags, they will say whether to use cold or warm.  To dry them, I squeezed the excess water in the sink.  Only squeeze, don't wring or twist.  Then I laid them on a clean towel, folded the towel in half, and squeezed them some more.  After I couldn't dry them anymore with the towel, I hung them to dry.  But don't hang your leotard by its straps, or they will stretch.  Lay it flat, or hang it by the middle.  Same with your tights.  And that's it!  Any other dancewear care requests?  I'm working on ways to deodorize shoes next.

Hellooo..? *echoes*

Is anyone reading this?  Is there anyone out there?  I kinda feel like I'm talking to myself...which I actually do a lot, now that I think about it O.o  Anyways, I just wanted to share something with you guys.  If there are actually any of you guys.  It's called KBM Talent.  Look them up on YouTube, or I'll put a link below.  They have lots of super helpful videos!  Comment what you think!  Or comment anything lol.

Here's the link, go check them out: http://www.youtube.com/user/KBMTALENT/videos

Some Splits Tips

I just stretched for the first time in a week.  I usually stretch every night, but I hurt my left hamstring last week so I thought I'd give it a break.  Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious, so with rest and BioFreeze it's all good again!  Since I hadn't stretched in seven days, I thought my muscles would be tight, but I was actually more flexible than usual.  I don't really know why I'm telling this story...the pointe is that I was thinking about tricks to slide into your splits, so I'm posting my favorites.

1. Warm up and do some easier stretches first.  You guys probably know this one, but it's the most important so I added it again.  I like to warm up with some changements and jumping jacks after a hot shower.
2. Put a stack of books (or something else sturdy) under each hand if you're not quite to your full splits.  It will keep you from leaning forward and stretching incorrectly.  If you aren't that close to your splits, use two chairs.
3. Take a break sometimes.  If you have a stretching plan, but you don't feel like stretching some days, go ahead and skip!  Your muscles can probably use the break, and taking a day or two off isn't a big deal.  Also, if anything hurts (not like stretching pain, more like "omg my femur just snapped" kind of pain), take at least two days off.  Ice it, see a doctor if it seems serious, please just don't get injured.
4. Do your splits on a straight line.  This will help you keep your legs straight and your hips squared.  We have wood floors in my house, so I can just line up with one of the planks.  If you don't have floors with lines, just put a stripe of duct tape on the floor where you stretch.
5. Hold it.  Try to stay in your splits for at least 30 seconds, but not more than a minute.  It hurts at first, but it will get easier if you keep with it.  If you can't stay in your splits for 30 seconds, hold it for 15 on each side, then do them again for another 15 seconds.

That's all I have for now.  Please just remember, none of these tips should go above what your teacher says.  If your teacher says to do something a certain way, he/she is right and you should listen.  If you have a question, comment, or concern, please comment ;)

New Dancewear!

So today I got some dancewear!  Just a leotard, tights, and shoes, but they're my first so it's really exciting.  It took foreeeverr to find a leotard!  I tried on at least 15 leotards, and it was between a black Capezio twisty-back camisole leotard and a black Capezio BraTek.  I'm a bit overweight and I've got a big bum, so it was hard to find a leo that fit right and looked good.  So I ended up getting the twisty-back one.  I also got BodyWrappers pink transition tights, and they're really soft lol.  And my shoes, ohhhh I love my shoes.  They're Bloch Dansoft flats, and they look and feel soooo perfect!  Even the lady who was measuring my feet was like, "Wow, those look really good on you."  I love them :)  I'll post my reviews on them in a couple of weeks.  So, what are your favorite leotards/tights/shoes?  Comment below!

First Class

So I had my first class last night!  I just switched to a different studio, back to the studio I went to when I was little (before I quit when I was 6).  I'm in their Teen Ballet, and I looooove it!  I can't wait until next week's class!  I didn't know what to get, so I didn't have any dancewear, but the teacher was cool with me wearing leggings, shorts, tank top, and socks.  She told me what I need to get, so I'm going shopping this Sunday ;)  So, we started at barre, and we did plies and battements and....lots of stuff I can't remember lol.  I'm still working on my spacing at the barre, I accidentally kicked the girl behind me :O  Next, we each chose a place against the wall and did our middle splits.  Then we did a leap combination, but I didn't get it.  And we did some pirouettes and arabesque turns.  Then, we did piques and arabesque turns across the floor.  Our teacher said my piques were good :)  They were learning a Halloween dance, so before class ended we ran through that a couple of times, and I actually picked up most of it.  So, yeah, it was really fun!  Everyone was super nice and friendly.  That's mostly what I hated about my last studio, they were sort of cliquish.  So, tell me about your first class experience in the comments!

First Post And Introduction

Hi, everyone!  My name is Jordan, I'm 14, and I love ballet!  In this blog, I'm mostly going to be posting about my classes, and I'll post some tips and product reviews.  My first ballet class is this Wednesday.  So, wish me luck, and I'll be posting again later this week :)