New Colour Scheme

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick word from me .....

Well, as you may remember, recently I put a poll up saying 'This blog should change it's "look"'. The answers you could choose from were 'yes,' or 'no.'

The poll closed the other day. I can't remember the exact statistics, but it was something like 80% said it SHOULD change its look.

Since I want you to enjoy this blog as much as possible, I have decided to do as you suggested and change its look.
As you may have noticed, I set up another poll today saying asking what colour scheme you would like this blog to be.

Please do vote on this poll and tell me what colour scheme you would like. I will make my blog the colour that gets the most votes.

Thanks a lot, everyone :)

Concert/Exam Results

Hi Everyone,

OK, so I feel REALLY terrible for not updating in, like, ever. I could spent the whole post apologizing for it, but let's just get on with it, hey?

Last Friday my dance school had their first Christmas Concert for 2011. They had another two on Saturday (afternoon and evening.) I was, obviously, involved in all of them.
There wasn't a theme to the concert, it was just a whole lot of random dances put together.

In fact, our dance was the only classical one in the whole concert!

I think that I did a really good job of the dance on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, but unfortunately, on the night that my parents came and watched, I TOTALLY stuffed it up.
Thankfully they didn't really, well, notice. They said they enjoyed my dance and thought I was very graceful.
My Grandma said that she thought my arms were 'very nice.' ha ha ha. Do you remember how when I started at this dance school my arms weren't too crash hot? Well, thankfully that's all fixed now.

The concert was fun, although it got REALLY REALLY REALLY boring backstage. Most people had about four to six dances. Because we only moved to this city half way through the year, I was too late to join any concert classes.
Well, I did join one, but they had only started their concert dance just before I arrived - that's why I was able to join them.

However, I LOVED the part that I was on stage for.

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of my costume. If you want to know the honest reason why, it was because I couldn't find my camera. I can't take a picture of it now (I found my camera yesterday), since I had to hand it back to the dance school last weekend.

My costume was a purple tutu with fake diamonds stuck in a 'V' shape on the top of the leotard. I had a little tiara to wear in my hair, plus pink stocking, pointe shoes etc.

There were five girls in my group; I think it would have looked great from the audience. I mean, all the purple.

Alright, onto something else now .....

Today at about 10 O'clock in the morning, I think it was, my exam results arrived.

eeeeekkkkk

OK, so I'll be upfront about it and tell you that I got a Pass. I know it isn't the best mark you can get, but I'm happy. I mean, as you could probably tell from the post I did after the exam, it really didn't go the way I was hoping.
I mean, the floor stuffed everything up and I wasn't feeling too great that day, either. Plus, I had just been sitting in a car for three and a half hours.

I really thought that I would fail, but it was OK. I passed.
I'll have to do a post explaining the different marks you can get and all that another day.

It's almost dinner time, I think, so I'd better get going and set the table. I'll do a post on Monday again.

Thanks for reading/commenting!

2011 Ballet Concert

Heeellllllooooooo!!!

I am proud to announce that my ballet school will be having their concert on the 3rd and 4Th of December. There will be three concerts in all. One on the 3rd and two on the 4Th.

Unfortunately, because I arrived half was through the year, I was too late to join any concert classes. However, the pointe class I joined is going to be doing a dance in the concert so I'll be in it. WOooH!

Because I am not ..... well ..... friends, as such, with the girls in my pointe class, I was sort of dreading the long rehearsals coming up. (4:00 - 7:00pm every Tuesday). I wouldn't really have anyone to chat to or hang out with.

However, one of my friends from my class at school is in the concert too! I didn't know this until about three days ago. Well, I knew she danced at the same school as I did, but I didn't think she would be doing the concert.

My friend is only in grade 2 (like, in ballet. She's in year eight at school - obviously) so we're not going to be in the same dances or anything, but it will still be fun to hang out with her during the rehearsals and performances.

Also, because school finishes at 3:20, Mom isn't going to pick me up just to drop me back 40 minutes later. (The rehearsals/concerts are at my school in our new auditorium.)
So I'll have someone to hang out with after school while we wait for the rehearsals to start as well.

It's so cool. I'm excited.

My friend was pretty relieved to hear that I was in the concert, too. She said 'Ooh, I was sooo not looking forward to all the rehearsals. I would have nobody to hang out with for like, 4 hours.'

So yes, that's my news. Our dance is coming along pretty well. We are obviously all on pointe so it's great practice. I got to try on my costume on Monday. It's a purple tutu. YAH!

I might just have to take a picture of it and post it on my blog you that you can have a look ......

Strengthening Your Feet

As many of you probably know, at the end of this year I will have been dancing for ten years. And as I'm sure many of you know too, I have only been en pointe for nearly three years.

I had to do seven years of ballet before I could go anywhere near a pointe shoe.
Why? Well, your feet need the strength before you can put all your weight on them. Plus, you rely a lot on them for your balance.

To make your feet strong for pointe, there are some exercises you can do to help strengthen your feet. I know you would have all heard me say this before, but you have to do lots of releves.

A lot of the work you do at the bar, especially the demi pointe work, is set to help prepare you for your pointe.
It's there to strengthen your feet and ankles so that by the time you reach a grade where you need to dance with pointe shoes, you will be well prepared.

Some other thing you can do to help strengthen your feet for pointe is to do ankle circles every day. Twenty-five on both feet in each direction.
Rolling your arch with a tennis ball also helps. Do it 35 times on each foot. Once with your foot parallel and then with your foot turned out.

If you are wanting to get stronger feet, I hope this post has helped you. If you have any questions or perhaps any other ideas on how to strengthen your feet for pointe, be sure to leave a comment.

Thanks everyone.

New Logo

I am excited to say that 'My Pointe Of View,' has now got a logo! It's it completely pretty? I am in love with it and decided to have the unveiling of the logo today. What do you think of it?

The Exam!

Dear faithful followers,

I am SOO sorry I didn't get around to posting sooner. I know I said that I would post on the 18Th. And now it's already the 20Th. *Sorry*

OK, so let me tell you all about Monday and the exam. I'll start from the very beginning, hey?

Well, I got up in the morning feeling surprisingly ..... calm. I had a shower and washed by hair. I didn't blow dry it because that makes it too hard to work with. I let is sort of just dry its self whilst I was having breakfast.
After breakfast I put it into a perfect bun. I was proud of how I did it, actually. For all my other exams my Mom has done my hair for me. This was the first one where I did it myself.

We left our house at about 9:00. Dad took me to Melbourne for the exam. We stopped in Geelong for morning tea. When we got to Melbourne it wasn't nearly time to go into the Opera Center (where the exam was held) yet.
Dad and I just walked around Melbourne for a while. The weather was absolutely beautiful. I love Melbourne - it's such a pretty city. I have only been there one other time in my life.

Eventually it was time to go to the Opera Center. Dad and I had made sure we knew exactly where it was the minute we arrived in Melbourne. We didn't want to be looking for it at the last minute.
Actually, the Australian Ballet Centre is in the same block as the Opera Centre. We ended up going in there thinking that's where the exam might be. ha ha.
The lady there said she didn't think any exams were being held there but we could go up to the 5Th floor and ask.
Dad was like 'well, it was supposed to be at the Opera Centre, so I think we'll keep looking.' So we did.

Anyways. So when we got the the Opera Centre a lady came and took me and three other girls up to the warm up room. I must say, it certainly wasn't as flash as last year. It was still nice, but not as fancy.

We got changed, warmed up and then before we knew it the examiner was ringing her bell for us to enter. It was really weird because I was SOOOO calm!

The exams was ...... well ..... not so good.
In fact, it was pretty awful.

I'll explain.

To start off with the floor was completely .... yeah - wrong. It was this rubbery stuff that hurt your feet so much just to stand on it and it was SOOO hard to dance on.
I would have much prefered to be dancing on thick carpet.
So that was incredibly disappointing. I felt that I couldn't do my best and could feel myself failing by the minute. Stupid Floor.

In the middle of the exam I actually felt like crying. My feet and legs and whole body didn't want to do what I told them to do. And I know this is going to sound lame but I blame it all on the floor.
You really need to be able to trust the floor when you are dancing. And .... if the floor's rubber it's pretty impossible to do a pirouette on it - let alone a double or a double-and-a-half.
Sucked really.

Plus, to go with that, when I got up that morning I had a really sore throat. It got worse during the day. By the time I got home that night I was coughing pretty bad. I went to school on Tuesday, but by Tuesday night I knew there was no way I was going the following day.

So I didn't go to school yesterday or today. Actually - I'm supposed to be at school right now .... in Major Project. he he he. Got out of that one OK I guess.
But I still feel pretty awful. I think it's the flu. I've spent the last 48 hours on the computer, piano, reading and bed.
Sigh.

On the way back from Melbourne Dad and I stopped at McDonald's for dinner. I had ....... a double quarter pounds, medium chips, medium coke and a soft serve ice-cream.
YUM!
That certainly was the best part of the day.

It is good to have the exam out of the way - but I am really really really terribly disappointed at how it went. I hope I passed. I mean - surely she can't fail me. I mean, she can, but you know - there would have to have been SOME good things I did in it.

I think it will be about 1 - 2 months until I get the results back. eeeeekkk. Well, I did the best given my situation and that's all I can do, hey.

I am really sorry I didn't post earlier. Thanks for reading everyone!!

Tomorrow = Intermediate Exam!

Tomorrow is the big day!

I am ...... SO ..... nervous. And also excited in a way, I guess. I mean, I get to go to Melbourne and dance in front of some well known ballerina. Plus, the location of the exam is pretty famous too.
AND I'll have a massive awesome hall to dance in, and get the chance to meet other ballerinas that will be doing the exam with me.

I am fairly confident with all my exercises, dance and pointe. It doesn't mean that I'm not completely nervous to the point of feeling sick.

Later today I am going to pack all my stuff and tripple check that I've got everything.
It's going to be so good to get into bed tomorrow night and know that it's over with for a nother year.

Actually, after publishing this post I am going to go back and read what I wrote on this blog the day before my exam last year.

As completely nervous as I am, I think that I'm just a bit calmer that the day before last year's exam. Although it's still over 24 hours away so that could all change.
I couldn't sleep last night - I just kept thinking of the exam, exam, exam, exam, exam. eeugh. I just want to get it over with right now.

I mean, I love dancing, and I like doing exams. It makes you work on exercises and have them perfect by a certain date. Plus, as I said earlier, there ARE advantages to doing the exam such as getting to dance to live piano music.

Anyways, I'll post on the 18th (the day after the exam). I won't be able to post tomorrow because we'll be getting back pretty late.

Bye Bye To All ....

Picture Post

News Flash

Well ......

I went to ballet today for an hour, and I've got an hours class tomorrow, and the next day, and on Monday, and on Friday!

ha ha

By the time my exam comes around I'll be very ready for it, I'm sure! It's only 11 days to go!!

The other teacher I went to see last Friday told me that I was not drawing my supporting leg in when I was doing pirouettes.
I practiced around the house, and at ballet today I noticed that it had actually made a HUGE! difference. Now I can do a double pirouette almost perfectly. I just need a little more practice .....

Bye for now!

Quick Post From Me

Hi Fans!

Today I went up to a town about an hour and a half away from where we live. I had a special ballet class there.
A while ago I went there for a class, remember. However, this time it was a private lesson, not like last time where I was in a class with lots of other girls.

The class was extremely intensive and went for over two hours! By the end of it my legs were shaking like jelly!
The teacher didn't mind my pointe work, but I thought it was pretty horrible. Because my legs were shaking so much, it was really hard to balance.
At the end of the class, when I was putting on my shoes, my legs were shaking so much it was embarrassing. I seriously couldn't stop it.

Despite the hard work, it was good and I'll be going up for another two hour class next Friday. When I got home tonight, I immediately got in the shower to help relax those muscles.
The long trip home was good, too. It gave my muscles a chance to relax.

The teacher said that I need to work on my double pirouettes. She said they were good, but they could be better and I needed more momentum to get me all the way around ...... twice.

She also said that I need to work on my pas de bourrees. Apparently I am not stepping into second enough, and my foot is going behind instead of coming in front. So I'll be practicing them on demi-pointe and on pointe over the rest of the holidays.

Apart from that, she seemed happy with my dancing and said that I was certainly ready for the exam. Tomorrow it's the first of October, which means it's only 17 days until the big day. eek!

Thanks so much to all the people who voted on my poll. The results were:

7% - I dance but not ballet

14% - No

78% - Yes

Be sure to keep an eye out for my next poll. I haven't put it on yet, but I will. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Quick Update

Heeey!

OK, so not much has been happening at the moment. Although I did just find out that my exam is in about a months time, so ...... yeah - I'm really nervous.

Working on those pirouettes hard, must say!!

My teacher said that if you don't have space to practice pirouettes, then simply go over to a bench or a barr or something and practice your releves on one leg.

Hold your leg in the pirouette position for as long as possible. This helps you keep your leg up when you are turning.

So that what I'm doing. I also got new pointe shoes a few weeks ago, so I've been doing some pointe work at home.

I'm sure I've already said this, but my new pointe shoes are AMAZING! They are soft, but still good to work in and when I pointe my foot it looks great too.

I tell you, European Balance is the WAY TO GO!!

Thanks to all those people who have been voting on my most recent poll. However, I think I've only got 10 votes so far. Come on guys, surely more than 10 people have looked at my blog in the last two weeks.

There are only 4 more days to vote so get voting everyone. I appreciate it, as I'm sure you're aware of.

Thanks xx

Poll Update

Sorry

I probably should have posted this, like, two weeks ago, when the recent poll ended. Anyways ...... here are the results:

15 % Informative
30% Picture Post
53% 'Diary,' updates

Thanks you so much to all those people who voted. I think it's a bit obvious that the 'Diary,' updates won.
I'll sure do a lot of diary posts from now on, but I am still going to do some informative ones, and picture ones, of course!

Be sure to vote on my next poll ...... I want to see what you think!
Thanks guys!

Tips To Improve Your Arabesques

Hey there!

I've got twenty minutes before I leave for my Monday dance class. So, I decided to post in that time.

A while ago, somebody suggested that I do a post about how to improve your arabesques. Well, it's your lucky day, Cu's' this post is for you!

To start off with, let me ask you a question. What is the most amazing thing about an arabesque? Is it the standing on one leg, or the working foot? No, it's the graceful curve in the spine whilst the leg is extended.

It depends on how flexable your back is as to how high your leg will get.

Use the 'cobra,' stretch to improve the flexibility of your back. The more flexible your spine, the nicer the arabesque will look, and the easier it will be to keep your leg up.

Secondly, keep your arms looking graceful, but relaxed. Don't force your shoulders out when you extend your arms. Having your arms in the wrong place will pull you off balance. It will twist your spine and this will ruin your arabesque.

When you do an arabesque, all you think about it the leg that's up in the air, right. Yeah - I do too! We forget about the leg that's actually giving us support, and that's the leg that we are standing on.

Turn it out from the hip as much as possible, and keep it totally straight.

Here are just a few small tips, I'm sorry, but I must be off to dance class right now. If you want to know more arabesque tips, simply ask me in a comment and I'll reply to you with some more arabesque tips.

Got to run ..........

How To Get Stronger Feet

As a ballerina, you obviously need strong feet. After all, they carry all your weight and are one of the main points of balance for any dancer. But how do you get strong feet in the first place?

Well, first of all, start of doing foot workouts every day. No matter where you are, as long as you have feet, you can do them. Stand on the balls of your feet and roll up and down working through your feet.
Do this fifty times on each foot. After 2 - 3 weeks you will notice a difference in the strength of your feet.
You should do leg lifts every day, too. This will add to the strength of your feet.

Another way to strengthen your feet is to actually get into those pointe shoes and so some work! A great exercise is to rest en pointe one leg at a time. Hold that position for a couple of minutes, and then repeat on the other foot. Do this three times every second day.

I know you will hate me for saying this, but you really need to do LOTS of releves to get/maintain strong feet. And when I say lots, I mean LOTS! Like, twenty in each position, including parallel.
So that's 120 a day!
You can do these en pointe or on demi pointe. It doesn't really matter.

One last tip I have for you is to do ankle circles. Do 20 clockwise, and 20 anti-clockwise on each foot every day.

If you are looking for stronger feet, I suggest you do these exercises. Try them for just three week and trust me, they'll make a BIG difference for you!

Inspiration Please!

Hey!!!

OK, so I haven't posted for like a month or something ridiculous. I'm so sorry. Every time I get on the computer (which is like ten times a day), I think 'ooh, I really should update my blog,' but then I just end up checking my e-mails or doing homework or something daft.

But tonight I am specifically on the computer to update my blogspot.

Another thing that has been holding me back is that I'm not really sure what to write about. I feel like it's time to do an informative post, but I'm not sure what to write on it. Do you have any suggestions for what I should do an informative post on?
What would you like to learn about on my blogspot?

So I promise that the next post I do will be an informative one, but for now I have no inspiration. Come on guys - I'll write about WHATEVER you would like me to (regarding dance) in the next post.

Anyways ......

Going onto a 'diary update,' now. Mom and I filled in the exam form the other night. My exam is going to be some time in October.
We didn't know this, but it turns out the exam is in Melbourne. It'll be a bit of a drive, but it will still be fun. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it - exams are too scary for that - but it'll be OK.

On Saturday Mom and I headed up to the local ballet shop to get some new pointe shoes. My other ones are not too small for me, it's just that I've overused them so now they are pretty hopeless.

The ballet shop didn't have the ones we were looking for, but they have ordered them in for us and hopefully we will have them in the next couple of days. It was so quick and easy it was hard to believe!

Where we used to live, we would have to travel a few hours to Canberra and go to the big BLOCH store there. We would spend ages in the shop looking of the right pointe shoes.
However, this time, because I know what I'm looking for, it was basically just in and out of the shop in ten minutes.

Awesome.

I will post soon. Please remember to comment and say what you would like me to write about.

Poll Update

Just a quick update to tell you about how my polls have been going.

Well, the first one closed on Monday. The results were:

Awesome - 33%
Interesting - 38%
Boring - 0%
Informative - 17%

So thanks to everyone who voted. The reason I am setting up all these polls, is because I want to know what YOU think of my blog. Because after all, it's the readers who need to be enjoying it, as well as the author.

The next poll that I just set up a couple of minutes ago asks you what type of posts you would like to see more of. You can vote:

- Informative posts
- 'Diary,' updates
- Picture posts

This is just for me to get an idea of what posts I should do MORE of. However, if 'picture posts,' wins, say, it doesn't mean that I am going to totally stop doing other posts, it just means that there will be MORE picture posts.

Please vote on my polls. I really want YOU to enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing on it. As I have said before, you don't have to have a blog or a Google account to vote, so please, head right over to the right had side of the screen to vote now.

Thanks all!

P.S: Thanks you so much for not voting my blog as boring, everyone. ha ha. U R All Awesome :) lol

I Am, Officiall, Ready For The Exam ...... Almost!

Hey All,

I will apologise again for the lack of updates in the recent weeks. Sorry. I have been very busy. However, I have a few minutes now, so I decided to jump on the Internet and update.

On Thursday last week, I went to a ballet class in another town, with another dance school. The girls in the class were actually doing the grade of ballet above me (Advanced Foundation 1), so they were all about sixteen or so.

However, we all did the exercises from Intermediate so that the teacher could look at how I was going. The other students and the teacher were extremely nice.

At the end of the class, the teacher called me up and said that she thinks I am ready for the exam. There are a few things I have to work on, such as getting my leg higher in one exercise, and getting more 'whiz,' on my double pirouettes.
Otherwise, I'm set to go! So that's great and exciting news.

One thing the teacher also said to me was that my pointe shoes were looking a bit 'soft,' but as all ballerinas know, you don't want to get a new pain just before the exam. However, she gave me a really good tip: get new pointe shoes now, and wear them at the moment. When the time for the exam comes around, just wear the old pointes, that are already broken in.
So I reckon that's what I'll be doing.

Thought just to share it with you all .........

Thanks for reading/commenting. Will post soon.

Keeping Fit During The Holidays

Holidays, ahhhhh how ballerinas look forward to them! A well deserved rest from a hard term's work of dance. It also gives your feet a chance to rest from those stiff pointe shoes.

But don't you worry that you'll get all 'out of shape,' for those few weeks you aren't dancing? Well, here's a plan.

Yes, you obviously deserve that rest. Your body need it, too. It gives you something to look forward to, and a chance for your body to recover. However, you don't want to get all unfit.

For the first week of these holidays, I let myself just sit back and relax. Then it was time to get into action. I strapped my pointe shoes on every day this week, and practiced for about twenty minutes to half an hour.

Now, that's not long or anything, but it keeps your feet in shape, so you don't go downhill during your few weeks off.

Also, I've done a bit of stretching. No more than five or so minutes a day, but it keeps those tendons working, so I can still do whatever I need to when I get back to class next week.

Thanks for reading/commenting, everyone!

P.S:

On the right hand side of my blog, just below this post, I recently created a poll. It is the first of a series of poll. I am wanting to know what you think of my blog (that's what this poll's about), what you want more of on my blog, and so on. Please vote!

So far, only five people have voted. Come on! Please, if you havne't, I encourage you to. This blog is for your benifit, so I want to know what you want more of.

You don't have to have a Google Account to vote, either. It's as easy as just clicking a button.

Thanks again.

Diary Update

I have noticed that recently, as in, the last few months, I have hardly told you anything about my ballet life.
I mean, sure, I've bee posting a lot. But they have all been 'advice,' articles. Personally, I think that's fine, and I'm sure you'd agree. In fact, it's probably better than just talking about me me me all the time.

However, I'm sure that you want to know what's I've been up to recently in my new ballet school.

Well, I've been having lessons on a Saturday morning. In these lessons I am working towards my Intermediate exam. I think I am doing OK in those lessons. I now know almost all the exercises, and am working to perfect them.

On Monday, I have a 'pointe class.' This whole class is done on pointe. Unlike my Saturday classes, I share this class with about six or seven other girls. I reckon I would be the youngest in the class.

They are all a good one or two years older than me. One of the girls is even at Uni! I don't really mind being the youngest, though. I fit in really well, and it's fun, too.

Our school is doing the musical, Cats. I overheard a conversation about a part in the musical where one of the cats does a solo dance. Apparently they don't have anyone to do that dance at the moment.

They were going to get a girl from year 12 to do it, because she dances, but I don't think she was all that keen on it.

My Mom went and talked to the music teacher at out school about it. I haven't heard anything about it since, but I'm hoping that I might get the part. How awesome would that be?

Fingers crossed.

So that's what's been happening in my dance life for the last term. I'll post soon ..... I promise !!

Looking For Another Ballet Blog To Follow?

If you are looking for another ballet blog, apart from 'My Pointe Of View,' to follow, I have written 'reviews,' on a few ballet blogs that I follow.

You can find these reviews under the 'Other Ballet Blogs,' page. They are all great blogs that I really enjoy following. And you know what, if YOU have a ballet blog, and you know that I follow it, there's a strong chance that I have written a review about it.

So go and check it out. I hope you will have as much fun as I have following these wonderful dance blogs. Even if you are not that into ballet, some of the authors also write about here day-to-day life. If they do, I mention it in the review.

Enjoy .....

How To Do A Simple Ballet Bun

When you go to your ballet classes, you will obviously need your hair nicely scraped back and away from your face. Most ballet schools insist that your hair is tied up, usually in a bun.
When you try to do your first bun, it's really tricky. However, the more you do, the easier it gets. Here is a 'recipe,' on how to tie your hair up in a bun.


You Will Need:

1) A hairnet that is the same colour as your hair. It should not be visable once in your hair. Also make sure that it has no holes.

2) About 10 - 15 bobby pins.

3) A hairband the colour of your hair.

4) Hairspray

5) Scrunchie the same colour as your leotard


Method:

1) Tie your hair into a pony tail in the middle of your head. Make sure that it is tight and secure. However, you don't want it so tight that it hurts.

2) Take the hair and twirl it around its self. Then, wrap it around the pony tail base. (The the pony is attached to the head.)

3) Once in this position, you can put the bun net on. You may need to twist the net around a few times to make it tighter.

4) Place bobby pins into the bun, all the way around. Leave a few over to secure any loose pieces of hair that didn't make it into the bun.

5) Spray with hairspray. And tie scrunchie around it.


So that's how you do a simple ballet bun! Of course, there are thousands of other types of buns that you can do, but that's the one most ballet dancers use. It's easy and very effective.
At the moment, I have got quite short hair. When I tie it into a pony, it would only be about two inches long. That doesn't stop me from putting it in a bun, though.

No Way.

It's so easy, you can even do it with really short hair.

BLOCH

BLOCH is one of my favourite brands in the whole world! I love their shops, and their leotards, bags, outfits, tights, etc are just amazing! If you don't own something made by BLOCH, I highly recommend you to do so. Here are just a few pics of some BLOCH stuff. My fave :)

Tendinitis in Ballerinas

A common problem for ballerinas is tendinitis. Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendons in the foot. It can be very painfully and quite inconvenient.

Why does it occur, you may ask? Well, the two main triggers for tendinitis is overuse, and your foot being cold.

If you have overused your foot muscles, or injured them, they are prone to tendinitis. You must be careful around this stage, because once you've got it, it takes ages to go away.

I live in a very cold place. It's presently about 7 degrees outside, so not the most pleasant weather you could think of.

The cold will not do the muscles in your foot any good, especially if they are a bit touchy to start off with. So, if you've got a foot that you have overworked or injured, then keep it warm, don't let it get cold, whatever you do.

Once you have got tendinitis, it takes a minimum of eight weeks to disappear. The worst period will be at about 3 - 6 weeks. When I had it (recently) I could hardly walk when I got up in the morning, let alone dance.

I had to take it very easy, and was constantly taking neurofen and rubbing anti-inflammatory cream on my right foot.

If you have got tendinitis, you should, as I just said, take neurofen or panadol whenever it starts to hurt, and also keep rubbing anti-inflammatory cream on the sore area.

Also, keep things easy, but don't stop using your foot altogether. Moderate exercise will be fine. Just don't do anything that hurts your foot.

Once you have exercised, put and ice pack on your foot. I know that I just went on about keeping your foot warm, but after exercise, it's a good idea to ice your foot using the method a wrote about in a previous post the other week.

If you have tendinitis, don't fret; it's very common for ballerinas, as irritating and painful as it is. If you have any other questions regarding the subject you would like to ask me, please don't hesitate to do so.

Thanks!

P.S: It is often the Extensor Hallicus tendons that you get tendinitis in. (see the diagram above.)

Perfect Pirouettes

Pirouettes - they are SO hard, don't you agree?
Whilst doing a pirouette, there are heaps of things to think about. Here are a few tips to help you do a perfect single/double or even triple pirouette.

1) Relax! I know, it's really scary, but if you just relax and think positively, it will be much easier, trust me. It sounds really lame, right? Well, just try it. Relax your breathing and think positively.

2) For most pirouette exercises, they count 1, 2, 3, 4. On the 1, you pointe to the side, The 2 and 3 you close to second and then pointe derriere, on the 4 you, you lunge. However, my teacher told me not to lunge on the beginning of the count of, four, but on the very end of it. This way you are only touching your foot behind you, then you are straight away up and ready to go. It really works!

3) Don't over throw your arms. Keep them in a normal third, don't put them too far behind you. After all, then are not your major turning point, they just help you to get around.

4) Think of a pirouette as a releve that just happens to turn. I know it's just a mental point, but it really helps.

5) Keep your let up! It's probably the hardest thing about pirouettes. You just have to keep that leg UP! Even if you come off demi pointe/pointe, and are just turning on flat feet, keep the other let UP UP UP!!!

6) If you are only doing a single pirouette, then you obviously don't need as much force as if you were doing a triple pirouette. If you use too much force, then you are likely to overbalance at the end, and fall over. However, if you are doing a triple pirouette, you are going to need more force to get you around than if you were doing just a single one. If you use little force, then you are only going to do a single or double pirouette.

7) Last but not least: the ground isn't actually that far away. I know, it's a really scary thought if you fall over, but you are not going to die, and it would be very unlikely to break a bone. Keep this thought in the back of your mind. Don't worry, if you fall over, it's not the end of the world!

I hope some of these tips can be of some help you you. Chat sooooon :)

My Bro's Blog

Hi Everybody,

Sorry, this is not a ballet related issue, but I would like to give you the URL for my brother's blog.

Just half an hour ago, I helped my 11 year old brother set up a blog. He was just recently diagnosed with diabetes, so has decided to set up a blog to share his thoughts about it with the world.

Please follow his blog. It's really touching and he has done an amazing job of it. Here is the URL:

http://wwwdiabetesinboardshorts.blogspot.com

Thanks so much! You will love it, I'm sure of that. However, because we only set up his new blog half an hour ago, it may not be on the internet yet. It should be by tomorrow afternoon, though.

Hope you enjoy it, and thanks again!

How To 'Ice,' Yourself

If you have not a strained/pulled muscle, one of the first things you are probably going to do, is to put an ice pack on it. But did you know that there is a particular way to ice yourself?

Well ...... there is!

You see, if you put the ice pack on yourself for say, 20 minutes straight, then take it off, it will actually probably do more damage to yourself than if you just left it be.
Why?
Because if your leg, let's say, has a strained muscle and is at room temperature, then you go and wack a freezing cold ice pack on it, you leg isn't going to appreciate that sudden change in temperature.

However, if you put the ice pack on for 5 minutes, then take it off for five minutes, then put it one for four minutes, then take it off for four minutes, until you are down to one minute, it would be a much better idea.

Just recently, I really hurt the tendons in my foot. My teacher said that I should ice my foot just like I told you in the paragraph above.
It actually really works, and is way better than just putting ice on it for 20 minutes straight.

Below are instructions on how to properly ice yourself, so you can print them out and keep them out and keep them stuck to your fridge or somewhere like that, so that when you need to ice yourself, you can easily glance at the instructions and know exactly how to do it.


INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Get an ice pack out of your fridge (not freezer. A frozen ice pack won't work as well as just a cold one.

2) Apply the 'ice,' pack to the injured part of your body for 5 minutes.

3) After five minutes, take the ice pack off for another 5 minutes.

4) Apply the ice pack for 4 minutes.

5) Take the ice pack off for 4 minutes.

6) Yep, you guessed it, put the ice pack back on your sore muscle for 3 minutes.

7) Remove the ice pack for another 3 minutes.

8) Re-apply the ice pack for 2 minutes.

9) Keep ice pack off for 2 minutes.

10) For the last time, put the ice pack on your sore muscle for 1 minute.

11) Now you can remove the ice pack for good. Rest your foot for another 7 -8 minutes. Do this at least twice a day for 7 days, or until your muscle is healed.


Thanks everyone for following. You are all awesome!

My Ballet Treasures

Hi Followers!

I would like to share with you today three of my most precious ballet treasures. Here they are, I hope you enjoy .....

My first pair of ballet shoes. I got them when I started ballet when I was only five years old. That was almost ten years ago! I have had them ever since!

This was my first ballet leotard that I also got when I was only five years old. When I got it, it was way pinker than it is now. I wore it for a year at class, then I used it for dress-ups for about four years afterwards!

And last but not least, my very first pair of pointe shoes. As precious as these shoes are to me, they actually weren't very good pointe shoes. The 'pointe,' was too small, so it made it very hard to dance on. These shoes bring memories of great joy ..... but also of great pain!

A Dancer's Diet

Being one of the hardest working athletes on the planet, ballerinas need a good, stable diet.


A rough estimate are that female dancers need at least 45 – 50 calories per kilogram of body weight. Having enough calories is very important. If your body doesn’t have enough, you won’t have the energy to get you through the day.


A dancer’s diet should be made up of at least 55 % carbohydrates. One – two hours before training, ballerinas should have a meal that mainly consists of carbohydrates. Also, during a long stretch of training, dancers should stop every 40 minutes or so to have a drink of something such as Gatorade or Powerade.


The body uses proteins to produce and heel body tissues. A ballerina’s diet should consist of up to 13 % proteins, so that it can strengthen your muscles so you can perform complicated dance moves. To get proteins, eat meats (including chicken) and beans.


Many dancers are scared that if they eat fat, they will put on weight and not be able to dance anymore. However, fats help organs to function properly, and help absorb vitamins. It can also be used as a secondary energy force. Fats should make up to a quarter of a dancer’s diet! ‘Good,’ fats are available in avocados, nuts and seafood. Preferably consume unsaturated fats, rather than saturated fats.


Minerals and vitamins help the body to function properly. Ballerinas should consume up to four servings of fruit a day to provide minerals and vitamins needed. Vitamins A, C and E are particularly useful in helping a dancer recover from a day of hard work.


Now, last but not least: water. Despite the fact that water doesn't contain vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates or calories, it is one of the most important parts of a dancer’s diet. Water help to keep your body temperature down, and keep your circulation consistent. Ballerinas lose a lot of liquid through sweat, so be sure to drink lots of it!

What I Wear To Ballet

Hi All!

Have you ever wondered what a ballerina wears to dance class. Well, those of you who are reading this, probably not, because you are all professional dancers yourselves.
However, I guess all dancers dress ..... just a little different for one another.
Here's what I wear to ballet:

Tights

Black ballet leotard from BLOCH

So that's what I wear to ballet. I haven't included shoes in my list, since there are so many types that I wear (pointe, demi pointes, flats, character etc ...) that I just decided to leave it be.

If you are wondering how often to wash your ballet clothes, it's as simple as this: whenever they start to smell.

ha ha ha, well, you don't actually want to be smelling in your class, so if you know that they are fine for, say three lessons, and then after the fourth they get a bit smelly, then wash them every three lessons. That's what I do!

What's Inside My Dance Bag .....

My Waterbottle (Well, it's actually my brothers, but he doesn't use it, so I do!)

Warm up 'bunheads,' 'strap.' I do exercises with it before class.

'Dance Energetic,' ballet jumper.



Back up Intermediate CD - just incase my teacher forgets hers or if it's faulty.

Spair leotard (purple)

Two pairs of spair stockings. You never know when your pair might rip!

Ballet flats with ribbons

Another 'Dance Energetic,' ballet jumper

Toe protectors for when on pointe.

My saviour - Voltaren. Great for sore muscles, takes away the pain and heels them in no time. I use this stuff a LOT! It's availabe from most pharmacies in Australia.

Garnier Deodorant - another one of my saviours. Available from most Woolworths, Safeways and Coles.

Demi Pointe shoes. Most of my work is done in these.

Pointe Shoes. $100 from BLOCH

And last of all ..... My Ballet Bag! I fit all my stuff into this sweet little (well, not that little when it's filled to the brim) bag. I got it when I was in Paris for only 12 euros.

I've been thinking about writing a post about, 'what's inside my dance bag,' for a while now. So today, when my Mom was asleep and my Dad and little bro were out fishing, I decided to.

As you can tell by all the pictures, there's quite a lot of stuff. Some of it I hardly ever use, such as the spair stockings and leotard.

Other stuff, like my waterbottle, voltaren, deodorant, pointes ect, I use a lot.

So as you can imagine, my ballet bag is pretty heavy. Although I don't really care, because it's full of my favourite brands such as BLOCH, Dance Energetic and Bunheads.

When I get home, I always hang my ballet shoes up on the back of my door. This keeps them fresh and smell free.

Also, if you leave your sweaty shoes just sitting in your bag until your next dance class, then can grow mold.

Thanks for reading/commenting!