Recital, Summer, Life.

So, as you've probably noticed, I haven't been posting as much.  That's for two reasons: it's the end of the dance year, and summer is starting.  So here's a really quick update about dance, summer, and life.

This week in particular I won't be on much.  As I've said before, I am homeschooled.  But I've decided to apply to private schools for next school year.  I've been studying tons of math (my weak spot) so I can hopefully pass the entrance exams.  Until all this is through, I won't be online much.

For summer dance, I've decided to do one week instead of two.  I'm paying for it myself, which is going to take a chunk out of my savings.  So by cutting off one week, I have about $150 to spend elsewhere this summer.  Which I'm going to need, since my best friend and I decided to write summer bucket lists!

I'm probably not going to be posting much this summer :(  I will try to keep up a few motivation posts and stretching tips over the summer, but I can't promise that.  For most of June and July, I'm volunteering at a camp, which is all day and every day for 5 weeks.  The rest of my time is going to lacrosse practice, schoolwork, and finishing that bucket list.  But if anything significant in the dance area happens, I will post.  Also, if you need to ask me something, or just want to chat, kik me! @totorosfriend82  I'll reply as soon as I can :)  I will be posting the entire week that I'm at my dance intensive, sometime in late July.  Updates everyday then, plus all the tips and corrections that I receive!  I'll also post more in August, when the dance year gets started again and I'm trying out other studios.  And when fall comes, things will be back to normal :D

Well....I guess this is goodbye.  Just for the summer D:  But I will post this weekend about how recital goes.  Keep dancing, ballerinas!

So You Think You Can Dance

So, as you probably already know, So You Think You Can Dance is back.  And as you also probably know, last season's two winners were both ballet dancers!  Since this is actually my second favorite show (behind Criminal Minds hehehe), the theme of this week's motivation post is SYTYCD!  And it's going to be extra long, since I missed last week's post.  Well, enjoy!

These two (above) are my favorite performance and audition.  The videos below are some of the other performances and auditions I thought were amazing...

I've been watching since season one (I was about 7...totally Benji fan haha), my all-time favorite dancer is Kent Boyd, and my all-time favorite choreographer is Mia Michaels :D  If you watch, comment your favorites!  And if you haven't seen it yet, I definitely encourage you to try an episode.  Keep dancing! :)

Dress Rehearsal

Dress rehearsal was Saturday.  I got there just before intermission, and I had to leave right after I got offstage to get to my lacrosse tournament, but luckily, we didn't have a match scheduled in the morning so I didn't have to run from the tourney to rehearsal.  So it went well...mostly.  No one fumbled the lifts, and the younger girls didn't rush at all, I'm really proud of them! :D  We didn't majorly mess up until the arabesque to tour jete to waltz.  The last class before dress rehearsal, we changed it so we would arabesque earlier and have time to chaine to the tape line after the tour jete, before the waltz.  Yeah, well, I guess we forgot we changed that XD  So we were all waltzing in different places at different times.  Awkward lol!

Oh, and our dress rehearsal isn't really a rehearsal.  It's like a first performance with an audience.  It's free and open to the public, and Ms. Athena said over 2000 people showed up last year O_o  I don't even want to think about how many people showed up this year..

Our real/second show is in two weeks, and I can't wait again!  This time, I'm skipping my lacrosse tournament for that weekend (it's too far away), so I'm going to get there nice and early and stay through for the finale.  My third first recital haha...I suppose I should tell you guys my dance story sometime soon.  Anyways, it was great!  Have you already had your spring show?  How did it go?  Summer is coming fast too, do you have summer dance plans?  Comment below! :)

Recital Update

Hey guys!  I know I've been absent this week again, but we had our first lacrosse tournament last weekend.  It was awesome!  I got moved from middie to attack, and I scored 3 times!  We lost two games, but the third match we beat the other team, as I was told, 21 - 6 :D

I have another tournament this weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday actually, this one's huge) and this Saturday is dress rehearsal!  It turns out our dress rehearsal isn't really rehearsal time, it's like a first show.  It's free and open to the public, and they said last year over 1000 people showed up to watch. O_o  Since I need to be at lacrosse, I'm not going to the theater until Act 2 and my teacher is going to let me out after we get off-stage.

I'm kinda nervous.  The younger class we're grouped with tend to rush through the choreography, so my class is left to either go through it at the right timing, or try to keep up with them so at least we're in sync.  I also don't have my stage makeup yet!  I went to Walmart last night, but only found eyeshadow and lipstick that suited me.  I still need liquid eyeliner, hairnets, foundation, and blush, so hopefully I'll get them today before dance.  And 17 days until recital, and I still have like two more inches until I can sit in my splits!  I want to get them before the show, because I have a grand jete right across the front of the stage.  There's been so many changes in the choreo I barely remember where I'm supposed to stand, or how my arms are supposed to look anymore D:

....okay, I'm done ranting now.  Thanks for listening/reading lol.  I'll have posts about stretching and stage makeup coming soon :)  Is your spring performance coming up soon?  Has it already passed?  Tell me how it's going!  Keep dancing!

Altering Leotards

Hello ballerinas! :)  So, I just finished sewing up the straps on my new(ish) leotard.  I bought it to wear under my costume, but the straps didn't line up with where the costume's straps lay.  So I just snipped them off and sewed them back on about 4cm closer.  Leotards are very adjustable with just some safety pins, or a needle and thread.  If you have a plain leotard, you can make a pinch front with a safety pin.  Take a small safety pin, point it up, and weave it back in forth through the front inside of your leotard (like how you made paper fans as a kid...we all did that, right?).  Just make sure it's centered and enough material is bunched up so you can't see the safety pin.  I did this on my Capezio BraTek leo, and I love it!  Here are some pics for example:

Sorry for the bad pics, I don't know what's wrong with my camera..

There's tons of ways to alter your leotards!  Comment below if you have other ideas.

Update

Guys, I am soooo sorry I haven't been posted in like two weeks!  But I have a really good excuse, if you want to hear it!  Ok, it's kinda cliche, but true; I've been busy.  Really!

Summer lacrosse started last week, so it overlapped a week with spring lacrosse.  Spring lacrosse ended this week, and we lost every single game this season! *fist pump!*  Not a fist pump for losing, but a fist pump because we improved a ton!  The games when from being 12 point differences to only 4 or 5 point loses.  Pretty good for 10 weeks, right?

This Friday, I went to my very first concert!  Yeah, finally -- I refused to miss this one, after I missed All Time Low and then Maroon 5 >.<  But this was Ed Sheeran...even with the rain, the hour drive, my friends ditching me to go to prom, and my mom complaining most of the time, I would not miss it!  And I didn't!  And he was soo amazing! :D

Class last week wasn't that great.  My brother's practice was rained out, so I couldn't stay after to practice.  Also, the foot stretcher has mysteriously disappeared from our classroom O.o  Since spring lacrosse is over now, I don't have practices on Monday, so I can go to the other class now, yaaay!  I went this Monday and it was pretty fun.  I was assigned my munchkins (my nickname for the younger girls lol).  I have to lift one, then two others use my shoulders to hold an attitude.  I'm so scared I'm going to drop my munchkin...I nearly dropped her twice while learning the lift :O  It's a common misbelief that lacrosse players have upper body strength XD  So I'll be hitting the push ups and arm circles as much as I can before dress rehearsal.

Oh, and I started French this week.  I always take one or two classes over the summer, so this year I chose French (and involuntarily, Geometry.  I finished the first segment but I need "special help" on the second segment...poo).

So yeah, busy busy!  But I'm still sorry :(  I'll put a quick update about class tonight or this week's motivation post later this week.  And I have a DIY post I keep meaning to finish...hopefully I'll get around to it before next week!  Keep dancing :)