A Guide to Beginning Ballet

I know that when I wanted to start ballet, I had a ton of questions, but no one to ask.  So I Googled.  It took me months to figure my way around this crazy world of dance.  I'm guessing that every teen interested in ballet is excited, confused, and nervous as I was.  I'm going to try to put all the best resources and tips I've found together to help the absolute beginner.  Hopefully more experienced dancers can find some tips in here too.

1. How to get permission.
Well, first off, you need to introduce the idea of you starting ballet to your parents.  I remember when I told my mom I want to switch studios and styles, her face was so hilariously confused XD  It can be a bit scary, they could say no and crush your dreams, but you'll never know until you try, right?  Try to start the conversation somewhere they aren't too busy.  I always ask my mom stuff like this when we're in the car.  Be prepared to explain to your parents why you'd like to start ballet, and why it would be good for you.  If they seem resistant, mention how ballet will help you with confidence, grace, and discipline, all while helping you get in shape, learn a valuable art and skill, meet new people, and have fun.  Moms and dads can't to resist something so beneficial right? ;)  If money is as issue, offer to help out with some of your savings.  This will help your parents realize how serious you are.

2. How to find a good studio.
Finding the right school is probably the most important thing.  You want to find the studio that is right for you.  Don't just join a studio because your friends go there, or it's close to your house, or anything unimportant like that.  Choose carefully.  Google "dance studio" or "ballet school" and your city's name.  Also search neighboring cities, especially if you live in a smaller city like I do.  Things to look for in a studio include; a good variety of classes, qualified teachers, and a nice facility with sprung floors in all classrooms (very important, to prevent injuries!).  Think about how disciplined and challenging you want the training to be.  Very strict?  Really relaxed?  Somewhere in between?  More serious schools will have some sort of grading syllabus, while relaxed studios might just have beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.  You should also ask your parents about how much they are willing to pay and how far they will drive.
Make a list of studios you think you might like, then start calling them all and see if they offer a teen/adult beginners class, or if you could enroll in a class with younger kids.  Tell them how much experience you have and ask if you can try a class.  Most studios should be fine with you taking a free class just to try.  If not, then ask if you can come in and watch the class.  Do this for every studio on your list, and if you are making arrangements to try classes, then be sure none of them are the same day.  You will probably have a lot of studios to visit (I already have four studios I'm planning to visit next fall, and it's not even summer yet lol), so bring a little notebook when you visit.  Write the studio name, name and time of the class, and the teacher's name.  Right after class, write down your thoughts of the studio.  Some questions to consider: Were the teachers and students nice? Did the studio seem clean and organized?  Did you like the class?  What did you learn, and did you receive any corrections?  Did the class have the right amount of discipline?  Think about stuff like that, and write your observations.  Even ask some of the students how they like their classes.
After taking all the classes, you might know exactly which one you want.  If not, narrow it down.  Cross out the ones you didn't like.  Look at other details: do class times work out with your schedule?  Is the dress code too relaxed or too strict for your liking?  How many classes can your parents afford?  Are there any performance opportunities?  Are the classes at least 60min?  Are there any extra costs like recital, uniforms, or other performances?  Other things to consider.  Think about it.  Re-read your notes.  Then decide.  If you end up not liking it, you can always switch as long as you haven't bought a recital costume or anything yet.  You should try to look at studios again every year, as your interests and experience change.

3. What to expect in a ballet class.
Ballet classes pretty much follow the same format: barre, then center and across the floor combinations.  For example, my class always start with plies.  Other than that, we almost never do the same barre routine.  Some classes will do the same barre every week, though.  The most important thing in class is to not be afraid to ask questions!  I ask everything and anything.  Make sure you show up about 5-10 minutes early, and be sure to thank the teacher after every class.

4. Things to know before starting class.
You can read up on terminology as much as you like before starting class.  There are a few dictionaries and glossaries at the bottom of this post.  But the only thing you really need to know is the feet positions.  First, second, third, fourth, and fifth.  Rotate out from your hips, and if you can't straighten you knees or all your toes aren't on the ground, you might be forcing turnout.  Don't try to push your 4th and 5th positions until starting class.  You can learn first, second, and fifth arm positions too, because third and fourth vary by teacher and method.

5. What to wear, and other must-haves.
For your first class, it probably won't matter what you wear.  For my first class, I wore a tank, booty shorts, black leggings, and socks.  I probably looked like I belonged in a ridiculous 80's aerobics video, but I was comfortable and that's what matters.  Socks, tank, and shorts should be fine for your first class or trying out a class.
When visiting a studio, ask the teacher what to wear and record it in your notebook.  You can buy what you need before your second class.  Most dress codes are simple; black leotard, pink tights, pink ballet slippers.  Some are more specific, like leather slippers or different color leos for different levels.  Some are very specific and require a certain model or brand of tights, leotards, and shoes.  Some teachers allow shorts or skirts over the leotard, but ask.  After buying from your local dance store a few times, you will get an idea of your size and can order online.
Some other things you should keep around are an extra pair of tights, a small sewing kit with heavy thread, some sort of pain cream (I'm currently using Arnica gel), and a heavy strength theraband.  I also think that The Ballet Companion is very helpful.  If you don't want to buy it, definitely try to get it from the library.

6. More dance!
Eventually, you probably be completely, absolutely, and totally in love with dance.  You want to dance everywhere, and those few weekly classes aren't enough.  That's when this magic comes is: open classes.  There might be a studio near you that offers an open adult class.  Call and ask if they accept teens in the class.  These classes are gold -- at 8-20 dollars a class, you can take a few to fill in your week.  If you take a trip anywhere, do a little research for dance studios in the area beforehand.  My family went to Tennessee this summer and we had to drive through Atlanta, so I made us stop there so I could take a few classes at Gotta Dance Atlanta.  It's a really great place, try it out if you ever get the chance!  Also, if you live near a professional company, they might offer open adult classes too.  I live between two companies, which both offer open classes.
There's also practicing at home.  You can practice anything at home.  It's like your own personal class and you're the teacher.  Try to work on your corrections.  Or do a 5 day challenge. For example: work on legs on day 1, core on day 2, turns on day 3, arms on day 4, and weak side on day 5.
Then the ultimate awesomeness that only around comes once a year...summer.  Summer intensives are super helpful and can help you with technique and learning other styles.  There are pre-professional summer intensives like Jeoffrey, Boston Ballet, SAB, Houston Ballet, The Rock School, PNB, etc.  These are for advanced and pre-professional students, but don't cross them out yet.  Maybe in a few years, yeah? ;)  But they are also very expensive.  Then there are other summer dance intensives or camps for beginning and intermediate students.  Look at local studios to see if they offer summer intensives, or do a Google search.

7. Pointe, dancing professionally, the future.
It takes a lot of work to dance en pointe.  If you're willing to work hard for several years, then go for it!  Some people will say things like "Oh, your feet aren't right for dancing en pointe", or "Your body type isn't good for pointe, you need to be born for it."  Ignore them.  I believe that with hard work, you can do anything.  I've seen 300+ lbs. girls dance en pointe.  I've seen girls with scoliosis dance en pointe.  I've seen men dance en pointe.  If you want it, then work for it.
Very few dancers make it professionally.  The chances are even lower when you start late.  Some who have natural talent and good training might make it, like Misty Copeland or Elizabeth Parkinson.  For those who don't, there are other options.  Modern dance isn't as particular or technical as ballet, and many professional modern dancers don't even begin modern dance until college-age.  And there are many dance-related jobs, like costume design or physical therapy (which I'm interested in).  I recommend you read Meet the Dancers; it gives you an inside look at how some dancers made it.

8. The stuff no one tells you.
There is so much stuff no one ever tells you!  I'm going to start a rather random list of all the important stuff.  Please comment any others you know!
1) You don't wear underwear under your tights and leotard.  The tights act as underwear, and you don't want awkward panty lines.  You can wear a bra if you feel uncomfortable, but if your leotard has shelf lining it shouldn't be a problem.
2) How to make a proper ballet bun.
3) Dancewear is expensive.  After buying from your local store a couple times, you'll get a sense of your size and can order online.  Discount Dance Supply is my favorite.  Read all the reviews before ordering.  Or make you own stuff.
4) At barre, leave enough space between the person in front and behind you for a full battement.  Angle your body slightly away from the barre for front battements, and towards the barre for battements to the back so you won't kick anyone.
5) You might need to know how to sew to attach elastics to slippers or fix and adjust leotards.
6) After adjusting the drawstring on your slippers, tie it with square knot (pull it very, very tight), cut it to about 2 inches and coat the ends with clear nail polish.  Tuck them inside the shoes when you put them on.  You might want to tape them to the inside with medical tape.
7) Warm up and stretch before you go to class.
8) Wash your dancewear by hand.  It will make them last longer.
9) There are serveral different method of ballet: Royal Academy of Dance (aka RAD), Balanchine, Cecchetti, Vaganova, etc.  You can ask your teacher which one you study.
10) Don't just walk around wearing your ballet slippers.  You don't want to bring outside dirt into the classroom.  Put your shoes on in the classroom, and take them off before you leave.

Ballet Links
I'm going to give you guys every link in my ballet library.  This is every single dance website I've ever saved to my favorites (that was not included earlier in this post).  You've probably seen a lot of them before on my blog, but here they are again.  Also, check out the list of ballet blogs in the right sidebar.
ABT ballet dictionary
Glossary of ballet
Ballet terms
KBM Talent
Ballet Freak
Pure Barre
Yumiko Dancewear
Eleve Dancewear
28 Arabesque Exercises
Dance advice
Homemade Flexistretcher
Pointe Magazine
Balletband
Common Dance Injuries
Ballet to the People
Scottish Ballet Port de Bras
Unique Bodyweight Exercises
Ballet Beautiful
Ballerina Problems
Ballet For You And Me
Dance Technique
DIY SAB skirt
Using a Theraband
DIY Portable ballet barre
Ballet Skills
Learn how to do a split
Ballet Tips
Recital Makeup Tips
Turning Tips
Tips from Sophia Lucia
Exercises for Feet and Ankles
How to make SAB skirt
How to improve turnout
Floor barre
Pilates workouts
Dance Recital Makeup
Wrap Skirts on Etsy
Fit4Dancers

If you have any questions or comments, please comment below!  I hope this helped :)

More Romeo and Juliet Pics!

I found some more pictures from Romeo and Juliet that some of the dancers posted on Facebook :D Some are from the dress rehearsal or backstage.

This is the balcony scene.  It was really pretty, but you can't see the stars here :(

The bedroom pas de deux.

See, I'm downloading random people's pictures from FB to share with you guys!  Cuz sharing is caring and friendship is magic ;)

Sorry for the lack of helpful tips in the last couple of weeks.  I've been working on this really huge post for you guys...I mean really huge :O  I should have it finished and up by tomorrow, or at least the end of this week :)  Keep dancing!  Btw, there's a new poll, please vote!

Romeo and Juliet

Saturday night was Romeo and Juliet!  I went with my mommy ^_^  I got some pictures of the theater before it started.  I realllllly wanted to get a picture of the balcony scene, it was so pretty, but I didn't think I could get a good pic without flash.

We got good seats, we were the first two seats in row N of A-Z.  The people in the two seats didn't show up until the first intermission, and didn't come back after second intermission, so we had a perfect view of the  stage.  The ladies in the seats next to us were really nice.  It was their first time at a ballet, too.

So, about the show...it was brilliant! :D  I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't Macmillan's choreo, but the music was by Prokofiev so that was good.  They had a former student (who is now with ABT) as Juliet, and a guest dancer from Houston Ballet as Romeo.  They were good (Romeo's pirouettes were fantastic), but Mercutio was amazing!  I almost started crying when he died.  Not because it was sad.  It was hilarious!  He kept getting up and grabbing his sword like "no, no, I'm okay...really, I've got this" and he'd start toward Tybalt dancing/walking like he was drunk.  Then he'd trip and drop his sword, and so he'd abandon it and go kiss one of the harlots.  Then it was sad when he actually died, because we didn't see him anymore :(  There were a lot of funny parts actually.  At the part where Romeo was kicked out of the Montague's party, Juliet goes up to her father, crossed her arms, and stomps her foot then runs offstage.  It was so funny, and it was loud too because of her pointe shoes.  And every time Paris would try to kiss her hand, she'd bouree super fast and stiff to the other side of the stage lol!  It was a really great show :D  A girl I know was one of the harlots, she did really good.  I saw some other friends there, too.  Oh, and I ended up wearing a sort of casual dress and heels.  Some people showed in jeans and t-shirts, even shorts.  Some showed up in suit and tie, and floor-length gowns.  Tell me about your first ballet experience!  Comment below :)

Class and Recital Update

Since I missed class this Wednesday, I went to a make up class yesterday.  I originally planned on taking a ballet class this morning, but my mom wouldn't have been able to get me to the class on time.  I took Int. 1/Int. 2 Lyrical, which was a wider range of ages since it combined two levels.  We stretched but it was hard.  There's stretching to loosen up your muscles, and there's flexibility training.  They did flexibility training.  We pulled out the mats for oversplits and everything.  Definitely not the best class to take when you have a pulled hamstring lol.  So I sorta faked my way through everything on my left side.  After we stretched, they spent the entire class working on their recital routine.  Like seriously, I don't know what's up with this.  We have about 20 seconds of our routine down, and all the other classes are done with theirs.  And recital is still three months away!  At my last studio, we didn't even start working on our routines or costumes until like three months before the show (probably why we had to add extra practice a week before recital....).  But we're supposed to get our costumes the week after spring break, then we have picture day two weeks after that.  I've haven't had dance pictures since I was really little, so I have no idea what to expect.  They say we're going to have regular class around pictures, but we're supposed to come in our costumes.  Does that include make up?  Should we wear our normal class stuff under our costumes or change into them?  *confused* but we have a few more weeks until picture day, so I will have time to ask my teacher!

And hey guys, it's finally here....Romeo and Juliet tonight!  I'm really hoping it's Macmillan's choreo, but I guess we'll see.  I'll try to take pictures for you guys :D

How are your classes?  Did you get your recital costumes yet?  Also, are there any particular posts you'd like to see?  Comment below :3

This Weekend and Monday

Hey guys!  This part is sorta irrelevant to ballet, if you don't care just skip to the next paragraph!  So this weekend was crazy.  I was up at 6:20am on Saturday because my brother's soccer team was hosting a 3v3 tournament and we had to set up at 7.  Then I had to get to my own lacrosse game at 8:45am.  We lost (again) and we had to rush back at the tournament by 11:30 for my brother's first match (they lost too).  After it was done, we got some pizza and went home so I could shower (and download some music...lol) and be back at the field by 2pm for my mom to be on field marshal duty.  She marshaled for maybe an hour or two, then I got my lacrosse stick out of the car so we could practice.  I throw to her with my stick, she catches it in her softball glove and throws it back.  Seems legit, right? ;)  We threw for maybe an hour, then watched the younger boys play before watching my brother's last match.  They got second place, and we stayed until about 6pm to fold up at goals, pick up, and such.  Then we got some tacos for dinner and finally home!  Then Sunday I woke up at 7:20am for lacrosse tryouts.  The field is about 40min from my house, so we had to start off early.  I did really well, I think, and the coaches gave me some compliments.  I'm pretty sure we all made it though, because only 12 high school girls showed up and they had 23 spots.  Then I had a birthday party at the beach, which I was an hour late for due to the drive and my extremely long showers...oops lol.  We were there until almost sundown, so I got a sunburn :(  and I rolled my left ankle and could walk on it most of Sunday night and Monday morning.

Yesterday I went to an adult class at the studio that has the summer program I'm interested in.  We got lost on the way there (we somehow drove past the entire plaza without noticing lol!) so I was almost 10 minutes late.  When I got there, the lady I talked to on the phone last Monday was there, and she remembered me so she took me straight to the classroom.  They hadn't started yet, they were still putting their shoes on and stretching.  I totally screwed up at barre...I had no idea how they did their arms, and apparently neither did the woman in front of me! XD  The rest of class went pretty much the same way, until we got to pirouettes.  I landed every turn on my right as clean doubles and made some halfway decent singles on my left.  Aside from all the messing up, I actually learned a lot; a few new jumps, promenade, and coupe.  And hey, my ankle made it through the whole class, yay!  I'm pretty sure they're teaching a different method than I'm learn right now, it seemed like they used coupe a lot more than we do in Cecchetti.  It was really fun, and I like the idea of learning a different method, so I'm going to sign up for their summer intensive.

So, readers, how was your weekend?  Go to any good classes lately?  Comment below :)

Oh, and I got my first quadruple pirouette (turned out, not modern) on Sunday night!  It was so clean, so perfect...and on an injured ankle.  In a similar fashion to a boss ;D

My Daily Exercise Routine

I have a sort of exercise routine I do everyday.  I don't do the exact same thing everyday though, I switch in and out some exercises.
I always start off with pirouettes.  I like to do modern (legs parallel) pirouettes to the right first; hold, single, double, triple, then quadruple if possible.  Then I do the quarter turn exercise from Anahiem Ballet's Turn Tips video.  I do four quarter, two half, two single, two double, then triple turns if I can.  I'll do some fouettes if my pirouettes were consistent.
After turns, I stretch a bit.  I don't do a full stretch everyday anymore, just some easy stuff to keep loose.  I touch my toes, pike with my feet flexed, a relaxed middle split, etc.
I love this exercise from Joffrey Ballet School's Ballet Fit: get on your hands and knees on the floor.  Pull one leg and your head toward your chest, then kick your leg back and up (like an arabesque) and put your head back, before pulling in again.  I do 15 for each leg.  If I don't do these, I do leg lifts.  I sit with my back straight against the wall, legs straight and pointed in front of me.  I lift one leg as high as I can, hold it for 2, then put it back down.  I do 8-10 of these for each leg, turned out and parallel.
I always do crunches.  Occasionally, I might switch out for sit-ups instead, but only if I'm looking for a challenge.  I do 20-60.  Having proper form in crunches is super important to get the most out of them.

Lately I've been doing push-ups too.  I have to lift a little girl in our recital routine, and I'm scared I'm going to drop her! I'm not strong enough to do more than 10 push-ups on the ground, so I do as many as I can on the ground then do as many as I can against the wall.
I do tons of eleves and releves.  Eleves are like releves without the plie.  Sometimes I do eleves on one leg, parallel, or even just point and flex while laying on my back with my leg bent.  Just as long as it makes my calves and ankles burn.  I especially like eleves in parallel while facing a mirror, so I can make sure I'm not sickling.

I do what I can everyday.  Even if I don't feel like it, taking three seconds to do a pirouette will help me more than doing nothing at all.  So sometimes I do all of these and more.  Sometimes I just do some quarter turns and leg lifts.  If I don't feel up to it, I don't have to do it.  But when it's this short, this easy, I somehow always end up doing something.  I hope you like these exercises, I'd love to hear about your favorite exercises!  Keep dancing, bunheads ;)

Class Next Monday!

Yesterday, I called the studio that has the summer program I want to go to.  I told the lady on the phone that I was interested in the summer program and I'd like to try a class before signing up.  She asked my name, age, and how long I've danced (passed 6 months last week guys!!) and said she would ask the studio owner and call me back.  About an hour later, she called back saying I could come take the adult class on Monday and the owner would evaluate me and see what level I would be put in for the summer camp.  So guys, next Monday I have a class/evaluation!  The class is the same time as my lacrosse practice, but I'm going to skip practice and try to go to the one on Wednesday.  Which means I have to skip Teen Ballet :(  But I'll do a make-up on Friday or Saturday, so yay lol :)  And next Saturday is Romeo and Juliet, and I'm sooo excited!  I still have no idea what to wear, any suggestions?

Do you guys have any summer dance plans?  I'd love to hear about them :3  New poll up, btw.

Class Update and Link

Class today was really fun!  We didn't dance much, though.  We went to some of the other classes and watched them perform their recital dance.  Recital isn't until June, but everybody is almost done with their choreography already O.o  We're only at the beginning of ours.  We performed our little part for one other class and I think we did really well!  Ms. Athena says they're getting the first batch of recital costumes just after spring break, so I really hope ours are with it!  Can't wait!
I wore my new slippers today too, but I didn't like them.  They kept sliding around on my foot, and it was really uncomfortable.  I'm going to keep trying with them though, maybe I just need to get used to it.  You might want to keep a pair of socks in your bag, btw.  My socks really came in handy today when I didn't want to wear my shoes, because my brother had soccer practice tonight so my mom had to pick me up a half hour late.  There aren't any classes after ours in our classroom, so I asked Ms. Athena if I could use it until my mom came.  She said sure, and one of my classmate's dads was late too, so we practiced together for a while.  She had to go after about 10 minutes, then I had the room to myself for another 30 min.  It was awesome!  I got soo much practice in :D

I found this really awesome link today, on how to build your own Flexistretcher.  It looks really good, I'm going to try it sometime next week.

How are your classes going?  Is your recital coming up?  I'd love to hear about it!

New Slippers!

Last weekend, we had just left the library when I realized my favorite dance store was on the way home.  So, naturally, I begged my mom to stop by.  My leather slippers have been bothering me, so I thought I'd try some canvas ones.  I got measured and tried on like, 20 pairs lol.  The man that was helping me pointed out that my toes are very tapered, so he bought me some slippers that have a left and right (so cool, right?!).  They were too wide though.  I ended up with the Bloch Zenith Canvas Slippers in a 7.0B.  They were a decent price too :D

Aren't they pretty?  So while I was getting fitted, I met this adult ballet beginner who was getting fitted too.  We talked about some studios that have adult classes, she was cool.  And there was this girl getting her first pair of pointe shoes.  She was maybe about my age, a little older probably.  I was excited on her behalf lol.  Yay for teen beginners!

Ballet Books Reviews

I recently got a whole bunch of ballet books from the library, and some were pretty great!  Others...not so much.
The Ballet Companion: THIS BOOK.  Oh my gosh, I love this one so much, so helpful.  I got it from the library but I'm definitely going to buy it now.
Biography of Alvin Ailey: It was interesting.  I didn't finish it though.  I didn't like the author's writing style.
Winter Season: I didn't like it.  I got about a quarter way through and just put it down.  It wasn't bad or anything, but I just didn't find it interesting.  It did bring up some good points though.
Audition: This is actually the very first ballet book I read.  I loved it at first.  Then I didn't.  I thought it was going to be about her finding herself and learning to work hard, which is what it seemed like at first.  Then, plot twist (I'm not going to spoil it though).  I was like "...are you serious."  So, great writing style and first half, but the second half was disappointing.
Meet the Dancers: Looove this!  It has an inside look of life and training from 16 professional ballet, modern, and Broadway dancers.  It had a lot of great details; how they got started, childhood facts and pictures, their different training, how they made it, etc.  It was a really great read.
The Young Dancer: This was a rather old book from the Royal Ballet School.  It was kinda funny, because it had some really old ideas in it, but very informative.
Joffrey Ballet School's Ballet Fit: This book was more for the adult absolute beginner.  It had some good tips, and a few good exercises.  The resources section was excellent, though.
So You Want To Be A Ballet Dancer: I also bought this one a little while ago.  I thought I might get some tips and tricks from it.  I did learn some interesting things, but I was disappointed.  It didn't have much helpful information.

To read:
Bunheads
The Sugarless Plum
Classical Ballet Technique
Ballerina
Girl in Motion
The Perfect Pointe Book

Goals Update

I figured I should update you guys on my first set of 2013 goals and my diet (I hate that word...let's call it Jordan's Epic Weight Loss Mission!).  Let's just say that they're both going spectacularly well while also going horribly.  It's kind of hard for me to stick to one consistent plan, so I...ummm...took an off-road path?  I guess that's a good way to put it haha.

My Epic Weight Loss Mission hasn't gone as planned.  For the first about four weeks, I got down to only one or two processed carbs a day.  But then it got a little busy, with lacrosse starting and my mom has this huuuge deadline at work, and I relaxed it a bit.  A lot :o  I'm back up to five or six processed carbs a day (guilty...lol) but I'm definitely getting back on it.  And it worked really great that first month!  I was actually able to squeeze into my favorite jeans from last year :D  They're a size 7, and I wear a 9 or 11 now, so I think that's pretty good for four weeks without changing my exercise habits at all!  I didn't get to run it that 5k though :(  It was earlier than I'd thought, so I would have only had two weeks to train.  I decided not to do it, but I'm planning on doing this 5k in May.  It's not quite a 5k...if you go the wrong route, it can be a 10k!  And of course there's the undead chasing you, no big deal.  I'm so excited, it's going to be so fun!  I ran a mile last week just for fun at this event, and I did pretty alright.  I didn't get my time, but I'm guessing around 10 or 11 minutes based on my first lap time.  I wasn't really out of breath or tired when I finished, but my Achilles were cramping and dying.  Still trying to stretch it out >.<

My goals haven't gone as planned either.  The only thing on my list I've accomplished is a triple pirouette, and I got a quadruple modern pirouette this evening while practicing.  But I've made crazy awesome progress on my non-goals!  My ankles and calves seem much stronger, and my pulling up has definitely improved.  I'm really close on my left front split, I actually sat in it completely while I was stretching with my friends at a sleepover!  (I think they enjoy watching me be gumby hahaha)  I haven't been able to get all the way down again though :/  I think I lost some flexibility after that mile too.  I need to get back to a short barre everyday, crunches, and releves.

My last set of goals are going to carry over to this next goal period.  New goals: before the end of April.
1. Go to an open class at a company school.
2. A consistent fouettes.

Failure is not an option.

I'm also planning on joining a gym again.  I want to get into their Pilates and yoga classes, I heard that it helps to cross-train.  And guess what, guys....I'm going to my very first ballet in a few weeks!  My mom and I just found some tickets tonight at half-price, and I totally jumped on them :D  So exactly three weeks from now, I will be watching Romeo and Juliet.  I'm so excited!!  It's a nearby company/school, and when I was looking through the cast list I actually saw someone I know :O  Have you been to a ballet before?  If you have, I'd love to hear about it!

What are some of your goals for 2013?  What have you accomplished so far?