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!

Recital!

Recital was yesterday!  I got there just before intermission, just like at dress rehearsal.  I had planned to get there early before the show to get the full "recital experience," but I was at a party Friday night and didn't leave until after midnight.  I was still the first person in my class to get there.  It was pouring (I heard that it always rains on recital day-- can't decide if it's true or just a studio myth haha), so we had to run from our upstairs dressing room to backstage.  There was some bun drama before we went onstage...if you have a show coming up, don't use a sock bun or bun donut!  Waaaay too complicated!  Before we went onstage, our teacher told us that it was a full house.  They actually had to set up some extra folding chairs in the back (my grandma got one of those seats).  I was so excited to go onstage I was just jumping up and down.  Anyways, I think we did really well!  My partner and I landed our lift perfectly, and everyone got to their tour jete on time!  I messed up my grand jete :(  I'm disappointed because I'm the one who jumps across the front of the stage, but I plied too low and went up with my back leg bent.  But I'm also happy because everyone went up into their grand jete at the same time, at least who I could see :D  We went back on for the finale dance, and that was fun too even though no one could see us since we were squeezed in the back.  It was super fun, definitely a great way to end the dance year!  Comment below, tell me how your recital went!  If you haven't had your recital yet, don't forget; there's no such thing as too much lipstick ;)  Keep dancing and happy summer!

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!

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!

Picture Day

Hey guys!  So this week was picture day for recital.  It was really crazy...I'm a little disappointed.  I really hope my pictures turn out good.  I wasn't really ready when they told me they were ready, so I forgot to pull my costume down so my leotard wouldn't show.  My mom noticed my leotard straps sticking out just before the head shots, which was after all the posing.  And my smile didn't feel right, I was nervous and it felt kinda fake. *sigh*  So I really hope they turn out nice, I'll get them sometime in May.  They had the picture stuff set up in our classroom, so there was no class :(  We just ran through our recital choreo in the next classroom with two other classes and the company.  I'm kinda sad that we didn't do much, but we got to see the advanced class and oh my gosh they were awesome!  There was this one girl, maybe 10 or 11 years old, and she was doing these triple fouettes things, she was amazing!  I also learned this pique/emboite/fouette type turn from watching them, it's really fun.

Can't wait until class next week!  I need to start my weekly challenge, I've been too lazy this week to start.  I already decided on turnout exercises for this week.  Also, I think the Turnboard is helping my turns!  I've been landing triples pretty easily lately which usually only happens on really good days :D
No post this weekend, sorry, I'm going to be away.  I'll probably have a new post up by Sunday night or Monday though.  Keep dancing! :)

Update(s)

Hey guys!  A lot has happened since my last update post! :O  I guess I start at the beginning-ish....

Tuesday I went to a lyrical class, the same one I went to for winter break make-up.  Some of the girls remembered me from last time.  The teacher didn't ignore me like the one in the last make-up class I went to, and said I could stand in the back and pick up what I could (no one was absent).  I already knew part of their dance, and I got about 10 more steps or so after what I remembered.  The girls were so cute though!  When I told them I was 15, they all started talking about how I should be on our studio's competition team.  They were really surprised when I told them this was only my first year in ballet and lyrical.  I thought it was really sweet that they thought I should be on the team :)  Ballet on Wednesday was good too, we only have like 20 seconds left of our dance to learn.  Picture day is next week, I can't wait!  Does your studio do pictures?  Have you had yours yet?

I completed my challenge from last week.  I stretched everyday from last Tuesday to this Wednesday, so I actually did eight days in a row and I'm really proud of myself :D  This week's challenge is going to be turnout exercises, I'll probably start tomorrow.

I've got most of my summer plans ready.  I'm (hopefully) going to volunteer at a camp this June and the beginning of July.  The studio I'm going to for summer just released their official summer dates and rates, so I decided to do two weeks in July; four days the first week, five days the second week.  I'm waiting to be accepted as a volunteer before I register.  Some of the classes they have on this year's schedule are Tap, Acro, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Pilates, Lyrical, Conditioning, and of course ballet.  I'm really excited to try all of them!  I don't have anything planned in August yet...I'm probably going to be visiting a lot of studios and trying out classes.
Anyone else super excited for summer?  Do you have any special plans?  Keep dancing :)

Recital Update

Class this week was alright.  We didn't do barre, we didn't stretch, we didn't do center or across the floor.  We worked on the recital dance the whole time.  We got our costumes!  Only five of the eight of us are in recital.  They're trying to get a costume for the new girl, but she came too late for them to order one.  So we tried on our costumes and they're gorgeous!  They fit us all perfectly.  They were supposed to drape from our arms, but there's only one elastic instead of two.  I suggested we just put hair elastic around our wrists and pin the fabric to it.  We ran through the dance a couple of time while wearing the costumes, then we took them off so they wouldn't get dirty (they're white).  We were also officially assigned to our spots.  I was center in the beginning line, but then Ms. Athena realized there were six of us, not five (there is a girl in another class that is with us) so I have to move left a bit to split center.  I'm a bit disappointed; last year I was in all the middle/back rows in our groups.  I really like the routine and song though, and I'm so excited!  This is our song, btw.

Ms. Athena said she would tell us more about stage makeup later, so I don't know how we're going to look :O  After class, I asked her if I could use the Pro-Arch foot stretcher and she said "Sure, anytime," so I'm going to use it as much as I can before recital :D  I stay every week after class because my mom has to pick my brother up from soccer at the same time, 20 minutes away.  I usually have about 30 min, but this week his practice ran super late so I had about 45 min to practice.  Since we only had the choreo in class, I did a short barre, some feet exercises, turns, and some turnout exercises.

I did all these stretches and exercises, and I think they work.  My hips and thighs were sore, so I guess they were good lol.

Have you guys gotten your costumes yet?  When's your show?  Keep dancing! :)

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

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!

Class Update(s)

My classes this week were so fun!  I went to a lyrical on Tuesday as my second make up, then my regular ballet Wednesday.  The lyrical was Lyrical Intermediate 1, and like Ballet Intermediate 1, it was a class of younger girls.  It was a wider range of ages than the ballet class though; these girls seemed to be about 7 to 12 years old.  One of the girls I saw in the Ballet Intermediate class too.  We were in Studio 3, so this was my first time in a different room than Studio 1.  Weird, I know.

After a full stretch, we did battements "Around the World" across the floor.  It's basically a battement combination front right, front left, side right, back left, back right, side left, then repeat.  It was interesting because we've never done battements away from barre in class.  Then we did some leap combinations across the floor.  I pretty much failed miserably at that...I'll be working on my leaps, I guess haha.  They were just starting their choreography for recital, so I took the place of a girl that was absent.  Their dance was to 'Too Close' by Alex Clare (love that song).  With two other girls, I had to lift one of the smaller girls and we carried her downstage.  The rest of the choreo was fabulous too.  We only learned about 15 seconds of it, but I love it.  It also helped me improve a lot, I think.  It included a double pirouette which I nailed every time (I think it's safe to say I finally have a consistent double :D ), and a drop and roll from the pirouette.  It also had a slide into a right split, so I could push myself closer each time.   The routine was also strengthening; we had a section where we held in push-up position, and another where we sat up by pulling forward with our hips.  Overall, the class was really awesome.  I find that the two things that give me the hardest time are leaps and ground parts, so I'm glad I got to work on them.  My mom said if I really liked it, I could sign up for it.  I don't think I will, though.  It's too late to get the costume now, because the late fine would make it over $100.  There's the option of taking the class and not performing in the recital, but I know how much I love the choreography and how it's going to disappoint me.  So I think not, but I will definitely be going back for make ups.

Ballet this week was super fun too, as always!  We did a center barre again, which I love.  Then we did some piques, and I finally nailed a double in the combination (yay!).  Then Ms. Athena showed us how to use a resistance band, and something cool at the studio...a Pro-Arch foot stretcher!  She let us all try it and it was really cool!  We started the recital choreography this week.  All we have right now is the stage entrance, but I think it's going to turn out really pretty.  We also did this jump combination that we're supposed to have down by next week, so in a way we have homework.  Unfortunately, I hurt my ankle yesterday and can barely walk.  No practice for me :(

My classes this week were awesome, and I feel like I've actually learned a lot.  I'm kinda sad that I don't have anymore make up classes left...I liked checking out the other classes lol.  Do you like make up classes too?  I hope your classes are amazing as well and you're achieving some goals ;)  I'll post and update of my goals in a couple weeks, but I'm still working at them.  Keep dancing guys!

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?