The 32 Fouettes - AKA The Grand Finale

The moment when you feel you might fall over and die right there on the spot but can't, is vital. You may have just finished the hardest section of your dance or for principals, the thirty two fuoettes or mineges of jetes at the end of the coda. You may have just run what seems like one hundred miles, but still have one left, or have yet another mentally challenging homework assignment. This is the last push, the ultimate test. You may feel that you don't have it in you, but oh, you do. It isn't whether you are fast enough, athletic enough, or smart enough... it's whether you believe in yourself, and have that drive to success. And boy, the feeling after is priceless. For us dancers, there isn't anything much better than dancing on stage in front of the audience. Well, except the applause and appreciation from the crowd just past those blinding lights. Getting through the ups and downs to the grand finale is what I have found at the end of each day, week, and now year as I come to an end with my blog. My blog hasn't just shown improvement in my writing, it has shown that it's okay to accept your struggles, but embrace your achievement.

TRUE. Credits to: picturequotes.com 

Writing a blog isn't easy. I knew that before I started, but assumed choosing a subject I'm close with, almost too familiar with, would take a couple pounds of the load. See, that was where I was wrong. With ballet, we are always striving for "perfection", which we all know isn't possible. What I have learned through this blog though, is it's so easy to miss it all. If I only focus on what's wrong and what it needs to look like, won't dance just become something I don't enjoy? Eventually. Having to put all aspects of dance into words gave me a new perspective. I like to imagine that some other bunhead out there happened to fall across this school assignment that turned into so much more, and realized they aren't the only one facing this seemingly unachievable struggle. This to me, shows that you aren't made of your mistakes or problems. Multiple people will face the challenge of turned out positions, but can everyone show their love of dance on stage? Very few. Accept that you are doing something wrong, do your best to fix it, but allow your self to say "Hey, I did that pretty well." Seeing the things you are good at will give you pride from the inside out. And if you are making your way to the top in a breeze, you aren't reaching your full potential. Those hard pushes are where you can accept that what you are doing is not easy, and afterwards be proud that you did it. You receive so much more satisfaction when something difficult is thrown at you, but can get by it, even with struggle.

So, even when you see yourself no where close to Svetlana Zakharova or to those crazy olympians, as long as you are doing your best, it doesn't matter. Continue to push through each barrier, and you will notice yourself facing them with ease while approaching more... it is just life. Don't forget to applaud yourself every once in a while, though.

Below the Shoulders and Down

Abdominal Muscles-
I mean, who doesn't want that toned six pack stomach?  Especially if you are wanting to be able to do multiple turns. But people tend to exercise the one region of your stomach, rather than all parts.  It is very important to also exercise your obliques, lower abs, and all the other muscles in between. One excercise that will get your lower abs, and the smaller muscles that are hard to get is to start by laying on your back, and rolling up. You want to do these for a bit, going slowly up and down, keeping your arms by your ears. Then after you've done about ten or so of those, you will stop part way when rolling up / down in your "hard" area. This is the area you often miss, and therefore is weak. Once you find this spot, you will do small pulses, then continue rolling. For your obliques, which are the muscles on the sides of your stomach / torso that help with control and placement, you can do either standing or sitting. You just lean to one side, then only use your sides to pull you back to neutral. It can be difficult to isolate those muscles, but they will help you maintain a position or contract and move it. After stomach exercises, you can stretch by going into cobra, a push-up position with your hips on the ground.

To stretch out. Credits to: 30dyc.com

Lower Back-
"Aim high, arabesque higher," as they say.  These are the muscles that will pull your leg up (as well as back and hip flexer flexibility), so it is important to strengthen them.  You can always just do back ups--laying on your stomach and lifting your back-- or you can do something more challenging. It's basically the same thing, but using an exercise ball. You lay on it, stomach down, with the ball at your hips, so you are in an upside down V, or downward dog position. You will need somewhere to tuck your toes so you don't move forward; I usually place mine under the couch. From this downward slope angle of your back, you will come up so that you are in a straight line from head toe. This way, you are keeping your abs engaged, and when you go past straight, you are releasing them. You'll get an extra workout in your stomach, as well as help to prevent injury. After you've come up, go back down all the way, and just continue to repeat. Do this at a medium pace.

Back-up exercise. Credits to: pinterest.com

A stretch you can do to counter this exercise is to sit on your knees, grab behind your knees, and pull away creating a curve in your spine. A stretch you can do to become more flexible is to grab your leg in attitude behind you and pull, making sure it is behind you and that your shoulders are close to square. Another one is leaning back in your splits. I like to do this underneath a barre, so that I can grab the barre and walk my hands backwards for a greater stretch. Always keep in mind your limit when stretching... injury is the last thing we dancers want.

Counter stretch... not listed, but works great. Credits to: workoutlabs.com

Back attitude stretch. Credits to: f.tqn.com

Head, Shoulders, Not Knees, or Toes

Now that we've reviewed our basic body parts through the song (title--kind of), let's continue on our body fitness.

Upper back-
This should be where all arm and upper body movement comes from. Let me just say, I struggle with this one like no other. It has taken a LOT of explanation from my teachers to understand the muscles to use... and I still can't do it. I find that you can be just a hair off from this position, but never actually be right on. And even though you are just barely away, it affects your movement and look. To me, this is what separates the principal dancers of a company... they have mastered how to move their upper body to match their legs, and it adds a whole other element to their dancing. It's up-lifting. First and foremost, the muscles used to hold up your arms aren't actually your biceps or triceps (although they help), it's your lats. These muscles are responsible for almost all movement of your shoulder joint, but are hard to find and strengthen (at least for me). You know when teachers tell you act like you are squeezing tennis balls in your armpit without actually moving your arm? They are trying to get you to engage your lats. Obviously if I have trouble doing it, I'm going to have trouble explaining, so I apologize. But, once you find how to use them, it will keep your shoulders form creeping up, as well as help with partnering. Check out this website to find strengthening exercises for your lats. Arm-wise, push ups, repeated arm pulses out to the side or any direction, resistance exercises with a Theraband, lifting, tricep dips, or whatever will help you with your upper body and control in movement. I would just suggest not to bulk up TOO much, especially if you are looking for long and lean muscles.

Lat muscle. Credits to: wikimedia.org

Neck-
Remember, any head movement shouldn't be too crazy, and should technically only be the result of your upper back moving. You also shouldn't be needing to strengthen your neck, but may need to stretch it every once in a while. Doing this helps to loosen the muscles connecting to you back, and keeps shoulders down (that also is an issue for me). All you do is gently pull on your head either directly down, to the diagonals, or the sides.

GENTLE. Credits to: mahealthcare.com

Ribs-
All I have to say about this is to keep them down. It probably means you are curving your upper back, or "lifting up" form the wrong area, or both! Thinking about engaging your abs and opening up your back and shoulders will prevent your ribs from jutting out.

Health is Wealth

Of course, your health is first... if you question that, you need some serious change in views. As you can tell from my previous posts, there are lots of things you can do with your body to strive physically, but it all should come from a place where you feel well. Any uncertainty from the start is like chapter one in a book; for each new chapter, the more events happen, which could be serious injuries in a dancers case. Treat yourself well... you should be your own priority. Here are just basic things to do to get healthy, and stay healthy.

Let's start here, as in you are faced with restricting pains / injuries. Get on those like you would for a project due first period in the next morning! Go to the doctor, or one my favorites, physical therapy. Physical therapy looks for treatments away from medications or surgery (yay!), and towards massage, heat, and physical exercises. It does require some at home responsibilities to push towards less hurting, but puts you in more control of your body. If you are in bad situation where this won't help, it may require a visit to the doctor... not even an apple can keep you away in these cases. You've got to do what you've got to do, though. You're body needs proper care, especially in order to continue doing what us dancers do.

What you put into your body will highly affect your daily and long term self performance. Drink water everyday throughout the day, even when you aren't dancing, so that you will stay hydrated. I would even suggest electrolyte water during dance (specifically multiple hours of doing so), so that you prevent dehydration and absorb the water more quickly from the potassium and sodium found in it. Gatorade also does the trick; look for the Mio Fit water enhancers, for they give you vitamins and electrolytes, but have less sugar and other not-so-good ingredients. Make sure you eat a well rounded diet, with proteins to help build and sustain that muscle you work hard for, and fruits and vegetables for the vitamins needed to live, etc. Check out this page for more elaborate details on the ideal foods to eat to live above, and beyond the bare minimum.

Most importantly, listen to hints from your body of when you are pushing yourself too far and allow for time to rest. Sleep (and rest) is not for the weak (only), but rather for humans and especially those being active. You can't build a house if your basic building blocks are not strong, and therefore treat yourself right so you dance without unnecessary obstacles.

WRONG! Credits to : spreadshirtmedia.com

Knees to Hips

Like I said earlier, SUMMER! Oh, and ballet.

Knees (again):

 A common way that you can hurt your knees is by forcing turnout from your knees and feet, causing strain to those joints. You can tell this is happening if someones knees jut out forward when they plié, as well as their feet may roll towards their arch. Instead, think of all rotation initiating from your hips, using your inner thighs, focus on your knees always being directly above your toes, and lifting your arches.

Hamstrings:

Lunges, leg lifts (in parallel too), and leg curls are all great strengthening exercises for this muscle. There is one that will really do the trick, and by really, I mean burning. You need an exercise ball, and simply on your back, with lower calves on the ball, and use your hands for stability at your side. Raise your butt about a half foot of the ground staying in parallel, bring your heels toward you, (the fun part) then push them out again. Do about two sets of twenty, or wherever you feel like you need to be. Enjoy.

Many people (including me) have tight hamstrings. The best way to stretch, and although painful, is putting your legs straight in front of you while seated with flexed feet, and lean forward. Arching your back in downward dog, sticking one leg out in front of you while on one knee, laying on your back and pulling one leg as close as you can to your face while slowly flexing and pointing, also all work.

credits to: www.flynntherapy.com

Credits to: www.perfectwifemag.com

Quadriceps:

Strengthening wise, if you are pulling up your knee caps, it probably means you are engaging them (which will make them stronger). You want to aim for long, lean quads, rather than more bulky ones. Look here for exercises if you need that extra strengthening, but I feel that you will work them the right amount in an ordinary classes. And for stretching, there are two that I prefer. The first one is sitting on your knees, and slowly walking your hands back, aiming to keeps your legs on the floor. The other one is putting one leg in a right angle lunge position, and the other bent against the floor, then pushing your hips down... it's a good one.

Both knees stretch and one knee stretch

Hips:

*the stretches under gluteus are good for loosing up your hip, as well.

I don't know of many people looking to strengthen their hips, considering it's mostly bone, so I'm going straight to stretches, which will give you much more range of motion. Going into a grande plié in second position, then pushing your knees outward with your hands is simple and one of favorites. The "frog" and "butterfly" are basically a position in between a plié and grande plié, either laying on your stomach (frog) or back (butterfly),also loosen this joint up.

Frog stretch. Credits to: f.tqn.com

Second position stretch

Gluteus (turnout muscles):

First and foremost, turnout. This is the muscle that should initiate it, with the help of your inner thigh, and will probably get extremely sore if you use it all the time. During class, just keep thinking about your heel going forward / up, and your knee to the side. An exercise that is good for this is laying on your side, with your hips stacked directly on top of each other, and lifting the top leg about two feet then back down. Then you can do knee drops, turning in then out back to retiré, and développés and envelopés.

Stretching this muscle is the kind of stretches that "hurt so good" because they get deep down. Doing a pigeon pose with your front foot in a right angle, pushing down your knees in butterfly and leaning forward, crossing one leg over the other bent one and twisting, placing one knee on top of the other with your feet going outwards (placing your knee on your other foot, and your foot on your other knee does the same trick as this one, but less intense) are all of my favorites. Refer to the pictures if my terrible explanation doesn't help!

Less intense stretch of one below (knee on knee)

One leg cross twist stretch

Pushing knees and leaning forward in butterfly

Pigeon stretch (ignore arrows). Credits to: massagetherapy-brighton.co.uk

Never give up! You can do it! Set goals! I know you want those lean, but strong muscles! Just thought I'd throw out some motivation... I know I need it.

From the Knees Down

In the following three posts, I will be talking about exercises and stretches for your body to help you obtain those "ballerina goals", otherwise known as the "ballerina look." As always, do what's best for you and don't go to the point of pain, but only slight discomfort. Let's get to it, especially because you know what's around the corner? SUMMER.

Knees:

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a ballerina's knees is hyper-extension. This is something you are born with, or aren't, and therefore you SHOULD NEVER FORCE IT. It does create beautiful lines, but you can be just as beautiful without those knees that bend backwards. One thing I suggest for all dancers looking for those sculpted muscles is simple. Use them, especially in this region by "pulling up" your knee cap. This engages your muscles in movement, using them for initiating movement, rather than your bones or joints.

The difference between pulled up and relaxed knee caps. 

 

Calves:

Your calves are probably constantly being worked if you are doing pointe, or just ballet in general, since your foot is in a pointed position more than a relaxed one. You should engage your calf anytime you point your foot or straighten your leg to get the most efficient workout. This usually means pointing your foot all the way to your toes, as well. One good exercise for your calves is relevés. It is best done in multiple positions, as well as doing them on one leg. You can also make it more challenging by standing on a stair so that when you lower, you are going further than a regular standing angle of the ankle. 

Because you use these muscles so much, they get very tight, and there lots of stretches, but downward dog or simply extending a leg behind you in standing position does the trick. Stretch it often during class (especially after combinations) to prevent them from cramping and becoming even tighter. 

Feet:

Feet are often mesmerizing beauties, or the thing ruining your line. You can improve them of course, but it isn't hard to cause damage. Strengthening wise, there are two major things. Theraband and how you use your feet in class. You can buy Therabands of different strengths and what it does is cause resistance for your feet as you point and flex, and helps you work your whole foot. On that subject, during class anytime your foot leaves the ground, extends along the floor, or rises up to relevé, you should be using all parts of your foot. Think of massaging the floor (or even air) and articulating how you point your foot. 

Now as for stretching your feet, this is where you can hurt yourself if you aren't careful. Stretching them on your own (with your hands or the floor) is the best way to stretch them because you are in control and can ease off if it's too hard of a stretch. One way, is to sit with both feet straight out in front of you and gently push on your arches, working your way on to your toes, eventually pushing on your whole foot. This stretches your hamstrings as well. Another way is to stand, and cross one foot over the other so that the top of your foot is towards / on the ground. Plié both legs (slowly), pushing the foot crossed forward, with that heel slightly outward so your aren't stretching in a sickled position.

13 Common Dancer Problems

You know those things that dancers do, that are a little strange from the point of view of strangers, even though they probably know you're a dancer because it's only a thing dancers do? Well I'm going to list them here, and don't even pretend like you don't do them.

• Turns and leaps in grocery stores
So tempting when there is just empty space, without having to cut corners or jump in place with the usual walls at the studio. You feel free and alive... until a shopper walks into the aisle with a funny look, of course. "Is it also possible to buy some of your floor, it's perfect for turning?!"

•Bobby pins just about anywhere
The car, just about every bag, bed, sibling's jean pockets, lunch boxes, shoes, the driveway, interweaved into the carpet... you name it.  But then when you are in the process of doing your bun, they are nowhere to be found. How does that even happen? There must be a secret hiding place for bobby pins, and one day I'm going to crash that party... only to realize that the party is the bottom of my dance bag and in the corners of the dance studio from flying out during fouettes.

Desirable. Credits to: www.polyvore.com

•"Now reverse it..."
As if my legs aren't tired enough. And put right on the spot to figure out which way to tondué now, or pirouette and land in what corner in time to actually do it.

•Pedicures are still a thing?
It's been awhile, I must say. The massaging, warm water, superior smells, and myriad of colors is nice, but I don't always enjoy the strange faces of the nail artist after telling them "Don't touch my calluses." Especially you are paying money for something that will soon be scrunched up in a pointe shoe. Not worth it.

•You don't have hairspray?
Say whattt? To all my non-dancer friends who I guess can mange their fly-aways without this magical potion.

•Dancewear shopping.
It not doubtful that I spend more time shopping online for dance clothes than real clothes (and that's saying a lot, considering my fondness for shopping). I've even gotten to the tenth page on google looking for new stores... I must've been desperate.

•*Crack* *Pop* *Crack*
I'm surprised I haven't set off an earthquake from the amount of popping my bones produce in plies. I often have to tell my friends to wait a sec for me to pop my hip.

•Imaging a dance in your head when a song comes on
My words: "This would be a great song for a contemporary dance" "I've done a combo to this... kick, turn, slide, step, step, hold 7 and 8.

•"Check your attitude" isn't just a line you hear from your parents
You just can't ever get it spot on... in both places.

•When no one sees your perfect turn
DID ANYONE JUST SEE THAT?! Of course not. Now, when I'm going to go across the floor and everyone is watching, I will barely make that double with a sloppy landing. So awesome.

•Summer is spent more inside than outside for at least a month
Ballet + indoors = summer intensive = no tan.

•Beauty IS pain (especially new pointe shoes)
Getting new pointe shoes never gets old, they are just as pretty every time, but somehow manage to morph into bricks for the first class. Hello, five new blisters.

Oh so pretty. Oh so painful. Oh so expensive. Credits to: www.4dancers.org

•There goes my wallet
$80 spent on soon-to-be dead shoes, and to be put in the pile with the dozens of others.

Pointe Shoes and the Difficulties Within - Part 2

CONTINUED...


Bloch (heritage & european balance) - Bloch continues to get better each year, including their pointe shoes. In the past, the shoes were very boxy, and "blocky"... ironic considering the name. They now have a sturdy build, are cheaper in price compared to some brands, and can be worn by dancers of all levels. This brand's pointe shoes fit people with generally wider feet, but the heritage tapers more and the european balance is wider with less taper. Bloch is a great option because it fits so many different foot shapes, and don't die fast. I might consider trying them again in the future, I just felt that I couldn't get on my box as well as other brands, but did feel that it hugged my foot nicely other than that.

Bloch. Credits to: www.blochworld.com

Suffolk (spotlight & solo) - I found (almost) success with these shoes and definitely can always keep them as my back up plan. They are a newer shoe, but can work for both "archy" and "non-archy" feet. I would consider myself right in the middle of the two, and found that it fit to my arch very well, probably because it is a 3/4 shank. This allows your arch to be accentuated, without any digging in, and can help those with flatter arches get on their box. My only issue with these is the box, speaking of which. With the Suffolk Spotlight, they felt really (and I mean really) nice the first few classes, but died fast after that. I didn't have them much longer than the Freeds. The Suffolk Solo is gene
rally a harder shoe overall than the Spotlight, but was slightly restricting me from pointing the lower part of the shank, the part by my toes. They do look nice, and because they are newer shoes, I'm there will be even more variations of the existing ones in the future. I highly recommend these for a try!

Suffolk. Credits to: www.discounts4dance.com

Freed - Two words : two weeks. That is how long these lasted me. You have probably heard this, the fact the Freeds don't last, and that is because these are more performance shoes. Hence professional ballerinas use them for one show, and one show only. I don't have much say on these since I had little time with them, but they are very narrow, and do taper.

Freed. Credits to: www.motionunlimiteddancewear.com

Russian Pointe (lumina) - I've had these for a week now, and find they work pretty well for my feet so far. They don't restrict me from from my foot or getting on my box, and aren't narrow like most Russians. Considering I don't have narrow feet and fit these shoes how much brands evolve and expand their selection. Russian Pointe's shoes are louder than others when hitting the floor, and also require some breaking in by the hand, but do last long from what I've heard. They are like Grishko's in the way that they help make your feet stronger because they are a harder shoe, as well.

Russian Pointe. Credits to: www.allaboutdance.com

Stay tuned for a blog on preparing your pointe shoes for a more efficient fit!

Pointe Shoes, and the Difficulties WIthin

Pointe shoes, or should I say "toe shoes" according to the general public, are a major part in a ballerina's career. In fact, they make a dancer complete when dancing in a ballet. It is often the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'ballerina', how effortlessly they glide across the stage, as if the pointe shoes are part of their feet (sort of are, when you think about the time spent in them by company dancers). They are stunning, but incredibly hard to master and, for me, incredibly hard to find for YOUR feet. By that, I mean that everyone's feet are different and require different a fit, luckily with a huge variety of brands and sizes of pointe shoes to choose from. That is what I aim to do on this blog: give insight on pointe shoes and some helpful pointers to help you reach your potential on that one inch tip made of wood. This will kind of be like a science class on ballet, specifically pointe shoes.

*I am not a doctor or professional pointe shoe-er (probably not a thing), just someone with some experience who's sharing helpful tips learned on the difficult journey to finding the perfect pair (still on that journey). You should always do whats best for you, and if what I say with affect you in a negative way, please do not do it.... thanks! Also, for terminology help, check the Dictionary page on my blog.

To start, here is a list of existing pointe shoe brands I could find:

Bloch, Capezio, Chacott, Freed of London, Fuzi, Gaynor Minden, Grishko, Mirella, Prima Soft, Repetto, Russian Pointe, Sansha, Suffolk, Só Dança.

Here's my thoughts on the one's I've tried:

Grishko (2007) - My first pair of beauties, must I say. At the time of starting pointe, I had a teacher who taught a more Russian style, and highly recommended (more like requested) us to start by wearing Russian Pointe or Grishko. I have wider feet, so Russian wasn't an option for me (or so I thought). I think she did this because these shoes were harder than others, and our feet would grow stronger faster, which did work for many of us
. Grishko's worked very well with my feet, and still do, but don't quite showcase the arch that I really have. The box is very nice, but the shank breaks in in mainly one place, and that place wasn't the highest area of my arch, which is why I never felt the shoe hugged my foot. It is also very tapered, which I now think may have contributed to my bunions (as well as inherited genes). These shoes are definitely up there on my list of preferences.

Grishko. Credits to: static0.dancewear365.com

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST... sorry, it's just a bit of a big topic.

Summer Intensives

Taking day(s) off from dance come back to bite you in the bum during the first class back...in certain cases, it hits hard.  Three day weekends are one thing, two week breaks for the holidays are another thing, but a whole summer?  Not dancing regularly for a whole summer are the cases that will hit hard.  But you can avoid that with...summer intensives.  These are becoming more and more common every year, with more places holding intensives.  Whether it be your local studio's summer camp or American Ballet Theatre's intensive in New York, there are many options for you to choose from.  In this blog I will be sharing my experience and what intensives might be best for you and accommodate your needs.

Auditioning:

Audition for as many summer intensive that you can.  This doesn't mean you have to attend all of them, it just allows you more opportunities.  Not only is it great taking class from a new teacher, and seeing where you fit in with other dancers, but you put your name out into the dance world, as well.  Even if you don't make it, you gained audition experience that will be valuable in your future.  I see it as taking master classes from different teachers from all over the country... of course, with a little pressure on your shoulders. 

Photo courtesy of media.utsandiego.com

Paying:

As you may or may not have noticed, intensives generally run in the pricey range.  Especially if you are traveling away from home and staying in the dorms provided.  You shouldn't let this stop from chasing your dreams and wanting to improve!  I suggest applying for financial aid or scholarships, if that is an option.  I also suggest trying fundraising!  You can sell unused items, work (even babysitting will help), do food stands, and I highly suggest using fundraising websites. With all the technology today, there are many websites that help share why you are raising money and what your goal is.  Then, after creating one, you can share on social media or send it to others.  Of course, you don't want to post and say "Give me your money!" (not that anyone would necessarily do that), but I'm sure if family and friends saw that you are taking the matter into your own hands, they will want to support you in doing something beneficial.  It's the type of thing grandparents are all about. 

What It's Like:

I have attended one summer intensive so far, and loved every second!  I attended Ballet West's summer intensive (and will be again this year), which is close to home.  Since it wasn't that far of a drive, I didn't stay in the dorms, so unfortunately, I don't have any advice on that area of subject. I think that the most beneficial part was taking multiple classes from a variety of teachers.  It was so interesting to see the different techniques and style of ballet.  This will make you a more well-rounded dancer and will allow you to adapt more easily to teachers.  You usually go from the morning to mid-day with a variety of 4-5 classes and breaks.  It is quite intense, as the name suggests.

Bonus: No need to worry about getting / keeping that "rockin' summer body"!

The Best Time:

If you are financial, emotionally, and physically stable to do a summer intensive, maybe even travel away from home, at a young age.... go for it!  But if you aren't all of the above, I believe you should start with attending your studio's / academy's program.  I think the sooner the better, but isn't what I necessarily want to emphasize.  I think that as you are coming closer to the age where you have to decide what you want to do in your future, that is when a summer intensive might come most valuable.  You want to attempt to go to the company that you are interested in working for, which will allow you to get familiar with how they function, the faculty, and may gain you recognition in later auditions.

In conclusion, summer intensives build experience from the first audition of audition season, to applying your knowledge when you return to regular class in the fall.  I feel that you find a lot of improvement when doing this, especially because you are putting yourself out of your comfort zone found at your local studio and working hard for a many weeks straight.  I can almost promise that you will grow as a dancer, and hope this gives some useful insight!

~Hayden

The Experience and All the Little Details - Part 2

... (continued)

First things first, I'm just a tad bit tired, to be honest.  I'm relying on my adrenaline to perk me up, which I know will.  Man, am I going to sleep hard tonight though.  It's a little shocking that I have to dance again, at 8:30 p.m.... it's just not sinking in yet.  But I'm almost finished with make-up, then will head over to compete and get über warmed up.  I forgot to mention the open-stage earlier, which is a short amount time we get on stage before we compete to test out the stage and practice parts of our dance.  There isn't much room with all the others, but this is very important, especially for my variation, to see how well I'm on my leg and how my pointe shoes do on the floor.  As my family and I make our way to the car, I'm start to think of what I need to practice most during that time... I need all the time I get.

...

They are running slightly early, so I didn't have time to get my costume on for open stage, but it's not too big of a deal.  Things happen...especially at competitions (*reminiscing over all my "oh-no!" moments in the past).  Right now, waiting in the dressing room before I need to go backstage is when I get really stretched out and focused.  Then when I go backstage, I do jumps and relevés en pointe to warm my muscles up, as well as stay completely calm.  I almost want to be sweaty when I go onstage.  I sort of wish I was more towards the beginning of my time slot... this waiting is beginning to take a toll on me.  Just have to stay focused!

...

Both done!  Woohoo, but also (sad) aww!  I can't believe all that hard work was just wrapped up like that of a snap.  I didn't feel as great about this performance, but know it could have been worse.  I think with a huge time gap in between my dance, and having to perform to late at night (not that that's an excuse for anything) changed my mojo.  Also, the fact that someone did the exact same variation as me and did it so well, just a few before me didn't help.  This competition is truly so inspiring, watching all the talent.  Even though there was some stumbles, and I know I could have been more prepared, it will still be a moment I will cherish.  Time to sleep... a very, very, very deep sleep.

After the Awards Ceremony!

Saturday, January 31 - Last day on the stage....

Today I watched all my other teammates compete, and they all did beautifully.  Not only did I love watching them, but I loved watching the other competitors.  I looked at it like - I could try to apply what they were great at to my own dancing.  Shocker that I made it an educational thing. But later I will be doing my ensemble piece, which won't be as nerve racking because I won't be the only one up there!  I really just want to enjoy being on stage once more... plus I have awards later, which will be fun too (a chance for me to get all fancied up)!

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In the end, all that matters is the progress I have made throughout the year.  Unfortunately, I won't be competing in New York, but got invited to go and do their week long intensive through my contemporary piece, which I may or may not attend. But now I have another year to look back on, and continue to grow from! Not sure what to do with all the free time when I return home where I would normally have rehearsals.. but now time for bed, and then a full day of master classes tomorrow.

~Hayden

The Experience and All the Little Details

Another two-part post... there's just too much to talk about with these things!

This past weekend was the longest weekend of my life, but probably one of the most memorable. Twelve of us from our studio made our way down to Las Vegas to compete in YAGP (check out my last post for preparation details), for our second year. To be honest, I didn't do as well as I'd hoped, but I still had a blast and gained a lot from this experience in positive ways. I'm going to format it kind of like my Nutcracker post to explain how each day went... hopefully you will want to go to this competition after reading this, and I highly suggest you do sometime in the future! Alright, now down to business.

Thursday, January 29 - And we're offff *airplane lifts off*

I think I'm physically and mentally challenged when it comes to packing... my brain gets stuck and I find myself laying on my floor, picking at the carpet with a bobby pin.  That's why it's crucial for me to make a list, and so I did last night.  And now I am double checking over that list, and probably will a few more times in final hours before my flight. TIP: If you are flying somewhere for a performance of some type, do not risk checking anything you will be needing onstage (costumes, pointe shoes, tights, etc.)... that would not be good if your expensive costume ended up on the wrong side of the country.   I love style, and this is Vegas, so I spent a lot of time, a little too much time, debating which outfits to bring last night at midnight.  Now we are about to leave for the airport (so much better than driving) and will be there by 6:00 tonight!

We just arrived at our hotel, which is 5 minutes away from the theatre (bonus #1), our room is like a little apartment with a bed room, bathroom, and living room/kitchen (bonus #2), and the pool meets the (high) expectations of my eight-year-old sister (bonus #3)!  Time to go to one of the many cool restaurants in this town, tour it a bit, and then get rested for my big day coming up!

Photo Courtesy of blog.dancedirect.com

Friday, January 30 - The day we've been training for...

I thought I would be more nervous, but I was wrong.  I just finished getting ready for my contemporary, which I am competing first, then followed by many hours to return late tonight for my classical *sigh*.  That is the one thing about YAGP competitions - with my experience so far, the schedule has been slightly wacky.  Anyways, back to reality.  We are almost to the dressing room, where my teacher will warm me up and I will stretch until a few before me.  At that I point, I will go back stage with my music and headphones, and run my dance multiple times.  Every time I am about to go onstage, I always get butterflies and excited about the number before me... I can't believe that will be happening so soon, once again!

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One done, one to go!  I feel really good about how I did with my contemporary, which I think is the most important thing with this competition.  Of course, being my critical self, there were parts that I could have done better, but it's enough to just be able to perform on stage.  I'm feeling a little shaky from the adrenaline, which means I should probably eat soon.  We have a team dinner tonight, but until then, I'm going to go take a nap in my amazing hotel bed.  I've got to have enough energy, not only to get me through the rest of the day, but to perform again!  See you in a few.

To be continued....

Youth American Grand Prix - Final Countdown

As I've said before, I have been dancing for about ten years... studying multiple dance styles.  Those dance styles have consisted of tap, jazz, and ballet, which is usually required of you if you compete, or are in "academy" at my studio.  Now let me tell a little bit about competitions.  From the point of view of the ballerina critic I am, you see a diverse range of dancers.  My studio may not go to the super "high end" competitions, but they are one thing I don't like as much.  Sometimes, I dread them.  Being on stage, and hanging with friends is fun, but there is too much in-between time with all the other dancers there.  It's also entertaining to pick out all the "Dance Moms".   It's always nice to receive critiques from the judges, but when I performed my variation at one of the competitions, they said "Nice Choreography".... you might want to tell that to Petipa.  A classical ballet variation is just that "classic"  it is not new or unknown choreography.

Youth American Grand Prix is a whole other type of competition, though.  It is one, if not the, world's largest ballet competition, providing opportunities and scholarships for dancers in multiple countries.  The whole process is very professional:  judges who are part of the ballet world, committed dancers of all ages, and strict guidelines that allow no goofin'.

This is my studio's second year participating in this competition.  We took seven girls last year, but now are taking 12... so, only a small group of the top levels.  We start in the summer, and aim to work every week leading up to the competition. We do a contemporary piece, as well as learn a classical variation, both to compete at the three day competition.  There isn't one rehearsal where I come out energized, and ready to continue dancing.  I come out exhausted, using what little energy I have left to walk out to the car.  The program isn't cheap and you want to work hard to present yourself well, so I push myself harder than usual during rehearsals. The most valuable thing from this whole process is the improvement, not only as a dancer, but emotionally.  You improve, learn about yourself, problem solve, and are inspired by all the other dedicated dancers... and of course, it's super fun!  It's also really great team bonding, getting to travel and going to get fit for stunning costumes (thanks to Ballet West for letting us rent the prettiest costumes).

The group (minus one) that went for the first year.

Now it's January 15th, which means 14 days until I leave for Vegas to compete, which means extra hard work... which also means panic attacks.  I'm trying to fit in any last minute fixes, but also just focusing on ways to perform.  "Acting" is often forgotten as a big part of dance, especially ballet, and it's a lot harder than it looks.  You are portraying a role, just like Jennifer Lawrence did in The Hunger Games.  Being able to do that allows you to bring the audience in, being more effective. 

I'm looking forward to competing, once again, and just taking in all the hard work and excitement.  Bring on the blisters!

~Hayden