5 Reasons Why Ballet Dancers are Better

1. We turn out better (duh)

Not only is our legs able to turn out to 180 degrees which is impressive to the average joe, we are just awesome people. We learn discipline, manners, and good work ethic. These are skills we will carry on for the rest of our life no matter what career path we choose to take. 

2. We are Flexible

Not in our time because I don't know about you but I have dance almost every day leaving no time for regular stuff. The reason this makes us awesome is because we can reach things that fall off our bed with our feet in any position. I mean, why else would we stretch?

Look how heavy metal this is
Courtesy of: Pinterest

3. We are way more hardcore than you

We have to put all our body weight on our toes. Look me in the eye at tell that is not hard. So next time you explain to us that ballet is SOOO easy, we will cut you. 

4. Our makeup will look way better than yours

Trust me we have had plenty of practice. It can take hours to put on stage makeup. And those fake eyelashes. Don't even get me started. If you want to your makeup to be on fleek, I would consult a dancer not a makeup stylist. Have you seen the makeup they wear at Sephora? S

5. We basically know another language

Lets not forget that ballet terminology is all french. There are a bagillion terms that we know from the top our head. What does Jeté mean? Easy, to throw. Fondue? No not strawberries and chocolate it means to melt. You were close though. We are basically fluent. 

Check out this article explaining all the other things we put up with everyday

Dealing with Mean Teachers

I've had my share of mean teachers in my ballet career and probably many more to come. Sometimes it can be easy to get discouraged by their comments, but you can also turn it into a positive experience. I once had a teacher that the whole year she didn't say a single word to me. I was very upset but mostly confused. Am I doing good? What am I doing wrong? So in every class I tried my hardest to get her attention. It didn't work but her ignoring me actually help me improve in my mindset. It made me think, "I should be working this hard in every class."  So along with this one, I will give you tips on dealing with hypercritical teachers.

Apply their corrections- If they are always yelling things at you left and right try to apply them. It will show them that you actually care. Well, you should always care but show them that you care more than you usually care. It might get them to pay attention to you.

Ignore "The Favorites"- We all have a favorite in our group. Its going to happen and it really sucks when its not you. Sometimes it might even be for stupid reasons like they give the teachers spa treatment coupons once a month or something. Anyway, they are them and you are you so stop trying to be them. You will never be satisfied if you compare yourself to others.

I found a great article about dealing with favorites by Pointe Magazine if you want to check it out.

Suck it up!- Ok, this might sound a little harsh but if you are planning to be on a professional ballet company there are going to be directors that will be mean towards you and there is nothing that you can do about it. In the long run you will see how much you have grown mentally and physically.

Talk With your Teachers- If you feel that you are ignored or bullied by your teachers then ask them after class if they could talk with you for a couple minutes about. Maybe they didn't even know that you felt overlooked. It will be intimidating but you won't regret it.

Know when it is time to switch- Sometimes some schools aren't right for some dancers. Once you have done everything to improve your situation and still feel like the teachers aren't giving you feedback to help you improve it might not be the right place for you. Ballet is a subjective art and your style might not fit the style of the studio or the teachers

Courtesy of Ballet Classroom

My Daily Stretching Routine

We all stretch during our dance classes, but to make progress go much quicker it is important to stretch at home at least 4 times a week if not daily. Before you start be sure that you are completely warmed up. I do this by running five minutes of running on the treadmill or 75 jumping jacks.

 I like to focus on one or two areas at a time until I am satisfied and can move to the next area. Of course I do a full body stretch, just not so strenuous in the rest of the areas. At the moment I am working on my hips and achieving a flat grande jeté. These are the two most troubling areas for me because my hips are naturally turned in and even though my hamstrings are stronger than they are flexible making it hard for my leaps to be flat


After warming up a do simple stretches to prepare my muscles. I start out with a lung to stretch the hip flexor. Grab your back foot to incorporate the quad and deepen your stretch

I then loosen up my hamstrings just by leaning over with my feet parallel in front of me. I hold this stretch for a minute. For thirty seconds I flex my feet and straighten my back.

Now on to the hips. UGHHHHHHHH. I have to do it though. I start with three basic stretches

I look so done in this photo haha

When I am done crying I will get into some intense s**t. Not really.  I open my legs as far as they go which is not very far and lean forward and hold for 45 seconds. I do the same thing shifting side to side.

My dog really wanted to be in the photo

To wrap up the intense hip torture I hold a my middle splits for 30 seconds and wall stretch for 3 minutes.

I'll take a one minute to pull myself together and then do my splits which don't really hurt anymore so I will grab my back leg

To conclude, I will then do my super splits and back ups

Staying Healthy for Ballet

When most people hear about a "ballet diet" they think of starving themselves to achieve a small frame. That should not be the case! Twenty percent of dancers are anorexic and rising. However, there are other options. It shouldn't be a matter of when you eat it should be what you eat.  I will tell you my favorite healthy meals that are super easy to make and some tips when making food choices.

Breakfast

Eggs (I liked mine hard boiled or scrambled)

Wheat toast with jam or peanut butter with banana

Raw fruit

Sugar free cereal

smoothies

Breakfast burrito

yogurt parfait

Lunch

PB&J

Salad

Raw or steamed vegetables

quesadilla w/ wheat tortilla

skinless chicken or turkey

wheat pasta

Snack

Butter free popcorn

All the good foods!
Courtesy of Roma Foods

apples with peanut butter (can you tell that I love peanut butter?)

hummus and pita chips or carrots

almonds

KIND bars

brown rice cakes

cheese cubes

granola

applesauce

jicama

Dinner

Skinless turkey or chicken

Vegetables

Chicken noodle soup 

baked sweet potato fries

veggie burger

grilled cheese

Tips

•Get most of your carbs from fruit

•Delete fried or processed foods out of your diet

•Eat the right portions for you

•Drink lots of water

•Think of your food as fuel. If you are not hungry don't eat it.

Fat burning foods

•eggs

•nuts

•Grapefruit

•green tea

•chili peppers

•spinach 

•oatmeal

To get more ideas visit this website showing what real ballerinas eat!

Are You a True Bunhead?

This is the time to put your inner bunhead to the test. I got this idea from the magazine, Dance Spirit, and I thought it was super fun. To be honest, I wasn't as good as I thought I was. The answer key will be at the bottom but try not to cheat. Good Luck!


1. What does tendu mean?          
a. to touch
b. to stretch
c. to slide
d. to brush

2. Who composed the music for La Bayadere?
a. Pyotr Tchaikovsky
b. Igor Stravinsky
c. Sergei Prokofiev
d. Ludwig Minkus
e. Taylor Swift

3. Where ballet originated in....
a. France
b. Russia
c. Italy
d. Great Britain

4. What was the first ballet that the dancer did 32 consecutive fouettes?
a. Swan Lake
b. Paquita
c. Cinderella
d. Coppelia

5.In the ballet, Giselle, Giselle dies of what?
a. heart failure
b. cancer
c. broken heart
d. suicide

6. In English, Chaîné means?
a. to flip
b. to link
c. to change
d. to turn

7. The Artistic Director of Houston Ballet is?
a. Ben Stevenson
b. Nina Popova
c. Peter Martins
d. Stanton Welch

8. Who choreographed the ballet, Jewels?
a. George Balanchine
b. Marius Petipa
c.Vaslav Nijinsky
d. Fredrick Ashton

9. How many hours does it take to make a tutu
a. 2 hours
b. 90 hours
c. 24 hours
d. 40 hours

10. Shanks of pointe shoes are made of what?
a. wood
b. metal
c. pain
d. cardboard

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Answer Key
1.) b
2.) d
3.) c
4.) c
5.) a
6.) b
7.) d
8.) a
9.) b
10.) d


Let me know in the comments how you did!

My First YAGP experience

Day One

After school on Thursday, I started packing. It's not a good idea to pack 30 minute before you leave but, whatever. 

MY PACKING LIST

When we got to the airport we found out that our flight was two hours and thirty minutes delayed and were were there an hour early. My afternoon consisted of Instagram, frozen yogurt, and sleeping. When we got to the hotel I went to bed right away. I had a big day coming up.

Day Two

My open stage was scheduled to be at 12:30, but they were 15 minutes behind so it didn't start until 12:45. Incase any of you don't know what open stage is it is a 30 minute period where the dancers and their directors go behind the curtain to practice their piece. Although there wasn't a lot of room, it was honestly so helpful for me because I got to feel the floor decide how much I could travel. My contemporary was first. I think it went well. I have been doing the same contemporary for 3 years now but this time it was en pointe. It seems like a long time to be doing the same solo but the other one that I learned was not even close to being ready in time. As for my classical variation which was the second shade from La Bayadere. Surprisingly I wasn't so nervous the second time. Which is good. I see YAGP not as a competition but as a way to get more comfortable performing under that kind of pressure. 

My judges were:

Claire Baulieu- She has studied at The Ailey School and in France. Later she began teaching modern dance at the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1986 she became the artistic director of the Bagnolet Dance Conservatory. Today she continues to teach at the Paris Opera Ballet and others around the world.

Kelly Boal- She trained at SAB and earned a promotion to soloist at the New York City Ballet. She left NYCB to be in guest performances as the Dutch National Ballet and Ballet Manila. She taught at the School of American Ballet and served at PNBS as a part time faculty member.

Richard 'Wes' Chapman- He joined American Ballet Theatre in 1984 as a corps member. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1989. While at ABT he performed leading roles in works by many major twentieth century choreographers. He also founded the Alabama Ballet School and their summer program. Later, he returned to ABT as the ballet master and then the Artistic Director of the Studio Company.

Allison Debona- Growing up she trained with the Parou Ballet Company and Pittsburgh Youth Ballet. After graduated high school she attended Indiana University. In 2007 she joined Ballet West and is now a Soloist. She now spend much of her time teaching across the country.

Gary Lewis- Was raised and trained in the US Virgin Islands. His professional career began at the Capitol Ballet of Washington, DC. He made is Broadway debut in the "Lion King."

Maria Mosina- Was born in Moscow and graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. After graduation, she joined the Bolshoi Ballet Grigorovich Company and was immediately picked for Principal roles. In 1995 she was invited to join the Colorado Ballet as a Principal Dancer. She is now an active teacher across the United States and in her 19th year with the Colorado Ballet. 

Claudio Muños- Was the ballet master of the School of Ballet of the Santiago Ballet in Chile. As a professional dancer he danced principal roles in Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, and New York. He was awarded "Best Teacher" at the Interdance Competition in 1996. Today he is currently the Ballet Master of Houston Ballet

Stephanie Saland- She entered The School of American Ballet at age 15. Three years she was invited by George Balanchine himself to dance with New York City Ballet. She has danced many leading and principal roles in Balanchine's ballets. After retiring, she became a freelance instructor teaching all around the world.

Getting ready for my contemporary!

Day Three

Today was just a day of rest for me. I watched my friend perform her variations and then I went shopping before awards. While I was watching the senior category I watched this girl and it was obvious that she had brand new pointe shoes. When she went to do a battement to the side her foot slid under her and she fell square on her back. It made a huge sound and a gasp went through out the audience. I wouldn't doubt that she really hurt her self. Moral of the Story: don't wear new pointe shoes on stage. At the very end of the night was awards. There were so many people on stage it wasn't even funny. They call up your studio one at a time by alphabetical order and my studio starts with a W! I had to stand for so long in high heels and it sucked. Next year I will definitely be wearing flats.

Look at all those people

My friends and I

Day Four

Finally, there were the classes.  They started at 10 am but I got there at 9:30 to get a barre space. But people already beat me to it. I was also the youngest in the 14-15 year olds. They kicked out the 14 year olds that were born in April and on and my birthday is March 31. 

My first class was ballet technique with Kelly Boal. It was hard to do the Balanchine style, but she was understanding because most of us had not been taught it. I thought it was a very fun class and she was very nice. My second class, which was my favorite, was variations class with Stephanie Saland. She is a really cool teacher and taught us a very fun balanchine variation (I can't remember the name.) Finally my last class was contemporary technique with Gary Lewis. For the first half of class we did floor barre. Boy, was that the hardest floor barre class that I've ever taken. Then we did a combination choreographed by him

That is a wrap on my 2015 YAGP Experience!

Flight from Denver

Tips and tricks to keep your pointe shoes alive

Someday I will find a way to make pointe shoes that never die. But until then, there are tricks that could give a couple hours of life to them.

Re-hardening the Shank

Floor Wax Method

You will need:
•Floor Wax (with acrylic in otherwise it won't work)

•Old toothbrush (Or your brother's)

•Dead pointe shoes

•Newspaper

Steps:

1. Lay down newspaper and maybe wear something that you don't mind ruining incase of an accident

2. Preheat oven to 200ºF

3. Squirt some floor wax into the pointe shoe. Warning: It comes out fast

4. Immediately brush the toothbrush everywhere that there is floor wax

5. Do it a second time if you wish

6. Put foil on a cookie sheet and set your shoes on the cookie sheet

7. Turn the off the oven. I repeat: TURN OFF THE OVEN. If you do not it is guaranteed that your house will burn down. That will suck

8. Take a nap

Jet Glue method

*Where you glue depends on where you break in the shoe the most. I'm just showing you how I do it

You will need:
•Jet Glue or Super Glue

•Dead pointe shoes

•Newspaper





Steps:

1. Lay down that newspaper

2. Fold down the heel

3. Apply the glue on the edge of the shank where your arch is

4. If your box is broken down squirt it in the bottom of the shoe like so

5. On the sole of your shoe, spread the glue on the arch. Do not put any on the ball of your foot or on the tip. You will slip which will end in  disaster and humiliation

6. Prop up against a wall so the glue dries evenly.


If none of these methods work try CPR... jk

Tips for keeping your shoes from dying too fast

1. Take your pointe shoes out  of your bag at night so they dry out. Sweat softens the shank so drying them hardens it back up.

2. Learn to pull up out of you shoes. If everything in your body is relaxed you are putting all your weight on the shoes. They will die much faster

3. I always use two or three pairs of shoes at a time. No, I do not have 6 legs. What I mean is that you shouldn't wear the same pair of shoes for a week. Switch off your shoes everyday.