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.
I hope you like these :) If you want to know about more accounts you should follow on IG, comment below! Also, I'm thinking about making a Blogger version of this post...thoughts?
Has anyone been keeping up with So You Think You Can Dance? .....I haven't. Haha I'm only at the Top 16 right now, so don't tell me anything I shouldn't and I won't tell you anything you shouldn't know! So my favorite girl and guy at this point are Makenzie and Alan. But I love Fik-Shun, Paul, and Nico too, and my favorite couples are Amy and Fik-Shun and Makenzie and Paul! Comment below who your favorites are :)
And may I just say Sonya and Christopher Scott are killing everything.
Travis Wall, Season 2. He started off brilliant, became even more so during his time on the show. Watching his solos, you can literally see how much he grows and improves with each one. Now look at him, an amazing, world-famous choreographer.
I saw this, then I hit 'rewind' and saw it again. And again. And again. Like, I have no adjectives for this...whatever magic he's done here.
Hey there, ballerinas! How's summer been? I hope you've been practicing more than I have...I tried to turn a pirouette today and failed. Miserably. It's been 4 weeks since dance ended and since I've really practiced. I was getting quads, now I need to work on my singles again *sigh* And it's been 3 weeks since I last stretched (sat in my right split that night woohoo!), and now touching my toes almost hurts. Take me as an example, keep practicing! Don't lose everything you've worked for!
This week was my first week of volunteering as a counselor at camp, so I've been really busy! I'm at camp for 9 and a half hours every weekday so I'm still trying to work out where to fit in dance and lacrosse practice around it. I really love it though, so I signed up for 2 more weeks! I have dance camp the week after it ends, I cannot wait ^_^ Next week, I want to start doing a couple of Pilates workouts each day and stretching. I hear Pilates is really good cross-training for ballet, and you can never stretch enough right? Getting my splits is on my summer bucket list and I plan to finish the whole thing! Happy summer and keep dancing :)
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! :)
Daniel Cloud Campos (aka B-Boy Cloud), is one of my favorite dancers and in my opinion the greatest b-boy ever. Very unique, original moves and great musicality. You might have seen him in Step Up 3 (he was Kid Darkness) which is where I first saw him :D
I'm going to put some of his videos below and if you like them, check out his channel. There are TONS more! He's not just a breakdancer; he's also a choreographer, actor, filmmaker, and more. He's just an all-around artist.
Brilliant, isn't he? This is this week's motivation. I know it isn't the type of motivation that makes you want to work toward your splits or better turns or whatever, but I was hoping it would inspire you to find your artist. Don't forget that dance is an art too. Try to freestyle a bit-- no choreography, not thinking about technique, and just feel the music. Be unique and keep dancing! :)
Also, Happy National Dance Week! This week, I'm choreographing my own dance to Lovely by Sara Haze to celebrate. I might upload a video of it if I can find my camera when I finish it!
I'm going to try to do a new motivation post every week from now on. This week's motivation: Hannah Bettes. She is unbelievably talented! She was born to be a dancer - hyperextended knees, high arches, natural flexibility, long legs, etc. And not only is she naturally gifted, she also works extremely hard. There is a video of her in the last motivation post.
I know that spring break is over for most of us now, and if you were pretty inactive over the break (like me...guilty lol) it can be a bit hard to get back into the flow of things. But a couple videos of amazing dancers and you'll be right back to the Theraband ;)
Her feet. O.o
I know I posted this video before but it never gets old! Amazing choreography, incredible dancer!
If you need a seriously major boost (like I did teehee), I found the full movie of First Position on YouTube this morning! :D Also, I found a website I think you guys might like. They have a lot of nutrition tips and exercise tutorials, check them out! Fit4Dancers
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?
Lately I've been looking up choreography to my favorite songs on YouTube. These are some of my favorite songs and choreo that I just love!
Do we have any hip hop dancers reading? These are brilliant!
I loooove the guy in the white shirt. I click the video to 1:00 and I just watch him....I can do this on repeat for several hours lol!
This is not actually one of my favorite songs lol. This is at Gotta Dance Atlanta. I went there this summer (not this class though) while my family was on vacation, and it's the best place ever! If you live in/near Atlanta or you might visit, try it. And omigosh, the guy in the plaid shirt. He killed it :O
I hope you guys enjoyed these! I might make another post tonight, after class. Yep, today is my make up class....SO EXCITED!! So I'll try to update you guys tonight :3
Well, this is my first motivational post that won't include pointe shoes. Enjoy!
This. I have no adjectives...it was just so beyond, I can't even.....
"I don't think Baryshnikov became Baryshnikov sitting around trying to be Nureyev." Ahaha love it ^_^ I realized that though I love male dancers, I've never added any videos of them. One of my best friends reminded me. I like men. This was for you Goldilocks XD
Happy 2013! Ahhh I can't believe 2012 is over! :O It's a new year, and I know most people have some kind of resolution. I never have one big goal at the beginning of the year, so I just make lots of little ones as I go through the year haha. These are some things I want to accomplish before March:
1. Both front splits
2. A backbend
3. A triple ballet pirouette and a quadruple modern pirouette
I don't really have a deadline for it, but I really want to learn a variation! I haven't decided on one yet, maybe Blue Bird? :)
Also, without any specific goals in mind, I really want to work on my extensions, ankle strength, turns to the left, and turnout this year.
Do you have a resolution or goals this year? Please comment below, I'd love to hear about them! Happy New Year and keep dancing!
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.
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!
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.
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 ;)
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.”
