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)!

...

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!

...

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

Time to Get Nutty - Part Two

Continued...

(3:10) Saturday, December 13-

I just did my part in the opening scene (Young Clara's dance) as Sugar Plum Fairy (there are three of us), and changed into my snow costume.  Our timing still wasn't spot on, but the feeling as the curtain comes up made up for it.  No matter how old I am or how many times I go on stage, I always get butterflies and spurt of excitement!  I'm feeling emotional AGAIN (2) thinking about how this is the seniors last Nutcracker...I will miss them.  Anyways, time to bring on the snow (for real though... Park City is lacking it's usual piles of snow).

(5:30) Still the Same Saturday-

The first show is now done, and went well, with some mistakes, of course.  But they will be fixed soon enough because the second show is almost here.  We also just a received a surprise... a dancer friend of our, who moved to the East coast this past summer, came to watch the show! None of us knew, except one girl, and when we walked into our dressing room, we thought we were seeing things!  Then we were all in one giant hug!  I was teary-eyed (3) and we all joined her for a circle to hear about all her new adventures.  Then I made my way out to say hello to people who came to watch.  Three of my old dance buddies, who now do cheer, came to watch and brought flowers, which again made me tear-up (4) because I realized how weird it was that they weren't on the stage with me!  Now I am back in my dressing room, fixing up my make-up... once again, about to make my way backstage.

Fixin' Up

(6:30) Same Day, As You Probably Guessed-

This was the last time I got emotional (5), I promise.  The reasoning behind this one is because I actually hurt myself (it was bound to happen to someone eventually, we were all waiting for it). Our dressing room floor is sort of slippery, plus we are in pointe shoes, and I was running out to help someone change quickly in the little time we had.  A girl had left her big, fluffy, snow tutu on the ground in the doorway, and I slipped, banging my shin right on the corner.  BAM!  At first I was laughing with everyone, and went to feel my shin.  It wasn't funny anymore.  I felt my shin bone go from a dent to a big bump.  It was weird.  Then I felt the pain and looked at it to see a big big bump and a scrape.  And to top it off, it was only two dances before I had to do Sugars in front of all my family that came to support me.  I told my teachers I'd be fine, and just pulled it together for my very last dance. With all the adrenaline, it didn't hurt me too bad on stage, and people said I hid the pain and tears well...phew!

(7:30) Same Day and Finally Done-
Woohoo!  I made it, and had such a blast.  I feel über-grateful for the many flower bouquets I received from friends and family, and I'm really looking forward to relaxation.  Although I wish I had started the day off more positive, I think it's normal to be completely emotional.  We all worked hard for today, and showed it and enjoyed it.  I gave myself a small pat on the back for doing my best in all of the many Nutcracker shows I did.  Time to give many thanks and "good jobs" to friends, teachers, family, and my little dancing feet!  Then just a week more of school before I make my way down to Central America (BEACH!) for the holidays.

-Hayden