First Pointe Class!

Hello all!  So yesterday I had my first pointe class!  I'm taking Pointe I at my school, once a week after school.  The class is an hour long, and it's pretty small, with only 10 girls.  Two of the other girls are in my regular class during the school day, but all of the others are middle schoolers.  It was homecoming week at our school, so the other high schoolers and I were all decked out in face paint and spiritwear, which was pretty funny.
In the first half of class, we warmed up in our flats, then we learned how to tie our pointe shoes.  Then we went to the barre and did a bunch of releves and echappes.  It was pretty basic, nothing too hard.  My toes hurt, but it was more uncomfortable than actually painful.  It was really fun and I can't wait for next week!  Here are some tips for you first pointe class:

1. Remember to cut your toenails!
2. Get to class a little early
3. Check and double-check that you have your shoes and your toe pads
4. Convertible tights are a must!
5. Don't stress about getting everything right.  It's your first class, you have the whole year to learn and improve.

Comment below if you're starting pointe this year!  Keep dancing!

First Pointe Shoes + Ankle Stretching Tips!!!!

Hey guys!  So....I got my pointe shoes today!!!!

Last Friday, two other girls in my class and I were approved for pointe!  Today, my teacher was at a local dance store to help us get fitted, so a girl in my class and I went.  We both got really lucky; she got the first pair she tried on, and I got the third pair I tried.  My biggest struggle was the padding; they gave me Jr. Ouch Pouches to try at first, but the seam across the toes bothered me.  They'd decided I didn't need a toe spacer because my toes are straight, but they gave me one to try to see if it would relieve the pressure on the seam.  It did, but not very much, so then I tried the Pillows for Pointe Super Gellows, which are seamless, with the toe spacers and it was a lot better.

The first pair I tried were by Mirella, not sure of the name, and they just looked wrong; the second pair were by Bloch but were too narrow; and the third pair were the ones I got: Bloch European Balance, size 6.5 XXX.  They make my feet look waaaayy better than they actually are, and they're pretty comfortable (I mean, for pointe shoes).  But I was really surprised by how much it hurt the first time I went up, but it hurts less every time.  It's something you get used to, I guess.

When I got approved, my teacher said that I'm strong, but my ankles aren't very flexible, so I might have trouble getting on top of my box.  And, as you can see, I can't quite get on top of the box.

That's okay though, she said if I stretch my ankles twice a day, they'll improve fast.  Here are some ankles stretching videos you all might find useful:

So, our first class isn't until late October, but I sewed my ribbons and elastics as soon as I got home today because I just couldn't wait!!  Besides these pictures, I'm not going to go up on pointe again until our first class...no use in getting hurt before class even starts.  Anyone else starting pointe soon?  Comment below!!  I'll update again after the first class, but until then, keep dancing!

Quick Update

Hello!  Since my last post, some things have changed, so I thought I'd just do a quick summary of my current situation so I don't have to clarify in another post.

So, as you could probably tell by the lack of posts, I didn't do the summer intensive in August.  And I ended up not being able to fit Contemporary dance into my schedule this year, so I'm not taking that either.  But I am still in Int. Ballet, the same class I took last year, but this year it's only three other girls!  Since it's such a small class, we get a lot of corrections and have more time to work on things.

Also, this week we're getting evaluated for pointe.  Pointe classes start in October, so if I get approved, the next post you'll probably see here is about my new pointe shoes!  Keep dancing!

This Isn't Goodbye

Hello, all.  As you might have noticed, I haven't posted in forever.  It's just been a crazy year, starting school and all, and I don't expect next year to be any easier.  This fall, I'm going to be a junior, which is said to be the hardest year of high school.  I have three AP and three honors classes, and I'm planning on joining another sport and several other activities.  So, fact is, I might not be able to keep this blog up.  Now, I'm not going to delete it; my past posts will stay here for any other hopeful ballerinas who come along and could find it useful.  And I still have hope that I will be able to put a few other short posts up.  Please don't feel like I'm not here for you guys, though.  If anyone leaves a comment, or any question, I get an email and will answer as soon as I can.

Although my blogging has dwindled, I'm dancing more than ever.  For this upcoming year, I decided to choose Beg/Int Ballet again, because I really like dancing everyday.  I also chose Contemporary as an elective, so now I'll be dancing twice a day!  I'm going to start pointe this fall, too, which is once a week, after-school.  And I already signed up to be in the ballet again next spring; this year, it's Coppelia.

I might be doing a ballet intensive next week, not certain yet-- but if I do end up doing it, I'll have some updates for you guys.  So, look out for another possible post in early August!  And I love seeing comments and reading about your dancing.  Please comment, tell me about where you danced this summer, your own blog, or just say hi!  Anonymous comments are always welcome, as well.  Keep dancing!

Cinderella + More (Extended "Well I've been gone for 3 months" Edition 100th Post!)

Well, I've been gone for 3 months.  I actually thought I'd posted last month!  Anyways, a lot has happened with ballet since January so I'll try to summarize.

First, let's cover the show.  Last week was performance week.  We had two videotapings on Monday and Tuesday, then our four live performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  It was actually really hard.  We would leave our school classes and go straight to a ballet class (on Friday we were also dismissed from our last period class for opening night) and then we'd be there until around 9pm.  By Thursday morning's show, I was already super tired and ready for it to be over.  I'm also kinda upset that I missed a whole week of lacrosse practice and a game, but I did manage to make it to one practice and a game.  And we all have a ton of schoolwork to make up, since there was basically no time to study.

So before each show we had an hour warm up class taught by a senior, then dinner in the cafeteria, and then an hour to get our make up and costumes on.  Since I'm only in Act II, we also had the entire Act I (about 30min + 10min intermission) to get ready.  I ended up helping a lot of people with their buns; not counting my own, I did about five or six every show, before starting my make up.  So usually, I barely made it on stage on time.  Life is hard when you're the best in the bun game ;)

Friday night was our opening night, so before we had dinner, our teachers read us some emails from the alumni.  It's a tradition every year during the ballet, I've learned; dancers that have graduated write encouraging letters to the cast.  Everyone was crying and hugging and we all just felt like a family.  Then all the seniors in the ballet gave their speeches, since this was their last ballet with the school.  I didn't cry until one of the guys that was volunteering gave his speech, the last speech, and it was exactly what I needed to hear.  After the letters and speeches, we were all ready to dance.  The rest of the shows went great and even though I'm really glad this week is over, I can't wait for next year's show.

Oh, and tutus are a pain.

Now besides the show...we were selecting our courses for next year, and I chose to take Intermediate Ballet again.  I didn't ask my teacher if I could take Advanced because I'm not sure if I want to.  I can always change later, of course.  Here are the pros and cons of Advanced vs. the pros and cons of Beg/Int.
Advanced
Pros:
Honors credit
Kinesiology and dance history
New things to learn
Cons:
Actual tests (like with paper and a pencil)
Double period every other day
Much larger class
Choreography
Different (more strict) teacher

Beg/Int
Pros:
Same teacher
Class everyday
Familiarity with course (easier during a tough junior year)
Very small class
Only dancing/terms (no tests)
Won't get in trouble on days I don't feel like dancing
Cons:
Learning same things
Regular credit

Opinions?

Sometime last year, I posted about starting pointe next fall right?  Okay, let's just assume I did.  So I was talking to one of my friends who's planning to start pointe next fall too and she mentioned that she's going to start over the summer at her dance intensive.  I'm probably going to go to the same dance camp I went to last year, so I'm thinking I can probably start pointe there!  We talked about getting pointe shoes together and I'm super excited for summer!

So this is about it, the end of this never-ending post.  I hope my readers are still there; comment below if you've had a ballet performance recently, or about your pointe plans!  Or just say hi!

Oh, and funny story...I missed bows during the first recording.  Oops.  Keep dancing guys!

Cinderella Rehearsals and Semester Projects

Rehearsals for Cinderella started on the 11th of this months and are every Saturday.  They run rehearsals from 9 - 5, but we only need to go for the times for the rehearsal of our parts.  The schedule changes every week, though, so we highlight our schedules for our times, and we also need to know where (Studio1, Studio2, Auditorium, or Lower School Studio).  They have two warm-up classes in the morning, one at 9am and one at 11:30am, and we go to the one before our first rehearsal.  So if I have an 11am rehearsal, I'd go to the 9am class.  If I have a 1pm rehearsal, I'd go to the 11:30am class.  I'm a court lady, and we're only in two scenes, so we have a lot of time between classes and rehearsals.  We mostly do homework, sit in the hallway and talk, or watch other rehearsals.  Yesterday, we had an hour and 15 minute break, so even I bought my lacrosse stick and practiced a bit!  Yesterday's rehearsal was also the first rehearsal for the court men too, so we finally got to see how the court dance is actually going to work out.

For second semester, we have two projects.  The first one is for this quarter, and we have to make up at barre and center combination and teach it to the class.  For next quarter, we have to choreograph a 1 - 2 minute routine to any song of our choice.  I'm really excited/nervous about this one!  I'm still working on choosing a song; I'm trying to narrow down my list from about 30 songs.  We're allowed to mix ballet with another style too, so I'm probably going to do lyrical/ballet.

Lacrosse season is starting up next week, so posts might be less often and shorter.  Hopefully I'll learn some new stretches or exercises to share with you all, though.  Keep dancing!

New Year Goals and Workout

Happy New Year!  At the beginning of last year, I posted my goals for 2013.  I didn't complete all of them, but I did make good progress in certain areas.  Some of them I did complete, but then lost because I didn't practice consistently.  So my goals for 2014 are to keep motivated, keep practicing through the summer, and to work hard to get as strong as I can before I start pointe in the fall.  Comment below what your goals for this year are, and what goals you finished last year!

To start off this year, I did a workout today with these two videos.  It was really fun, but hard.  If you want to try it, do the cardio video first and then legs video, and if you really want to challenge yourself you can do the cardio video again after legs!  Let me know if you try it!  Also, Blogilates has a ton of other workout videos so check them out if you're interested.

Happy New Year, and keep dancing!

Bloch Prolite II Hybrid Slipper Review

Just after classes started this fall, I got the Bloch Prolite II Hybrid ballet slipper, so I've had them for maybe 4 months now.  They are leather and split sole with a canvas arch insert.  At first, I didn't like them so much, but now that I've gotten used to them, I love them!  They're not too different from the Bloch Dansoft full-soles I'd been wearing.  I like them better than the Dansofts because the leather is a little less thick, so the pleating under the toes isn't thick and lumpy (which was really uncomfortable to relevé on).  It also clings to my foot better so you can actually see that I'm pointing!  So if you're looking for a new pair of flats, I totally recommend these!  A few other girls in my class also have these and we all love them!