Tiny Tips

Bobby Pins:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/

If you are a dancer, you know that you can find bobby pins just about anywhere you've placed a foot. The kitchen, studio (!), car, clothes, sock drawer... anywhere. Having bobby pins are vital to dancers, especially ballerinas, and they fall out of your hair easily, getting lost easily because of their size. I suggest buying in bulk - you won't end up having to buy a new pack every other week. I bought a pound of bobby pins on Amazon, and find myself content on not having to search for a pin midway through my bun, all because of my (almost) endless supply.



Theraband:

www.discountdance.com

You are always on your feet in dance, so it is important to take care of them. I've had small achilles issues in the past, and my physical therapist highly suggested getting a theraband. I have heard this suggestion from teachers and other dancers, as well. You can find them on Discount Dance for a decent price, and I HIGHLY suggest you do so. They are used to strengthen your feet, working every little muscle. This will improve the health of your feet, strengthen them, improve technique and pointe work. I was told that with the right exercises, I could also make my pointe shoes last longer because I am working the right muscles (trust me... not being extremely wealthy, I look for any possible ways to make my expensive pointe shoes last). NOTE: there are different resistance levels available for the theraband. I would suggest starting with the low or medium, and work your way up... especially if you are preparing for pointe.




Dulling Your Pointe Shoes:

The difference is noticeable even with
my camera flash!

On stage, almost everything gets washed out by the bright lights and distance from the seats... everything but your shiny pointe shoes and sparkly costumes. Your brand new pointe shoes reflect light, taking away from your line and drawing attention to your feet. Since I don't have those crazy bendy feet, and most don't, I try to draw attention away from them and towards my better features. Using calamine (sounds crazy) or even some make-up is the best way to make your pointe shoes non-shiny. *You need a certain kind of calamine in order to get a light pink, rather than a hot pink (Western Family and Kroger do the trick). It acts as a 2-in-1 doing this to your shoes: 1. allows them to blend in with the color of your tights, making your legs look longer instead of seeing exactly where your "reflective" ribbon starts, and 2. covers any dark stains on pointe shoes from wearing them or from dust/dirt on the floor. Of course, every studio has there preference, which you should follow, but this acts as a huge bonus. I would also suggest sewing your ribbons shiny-side-in to save some work when making your pointe shoes dull.