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 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

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 :)

27 Days To Go!

Hi again everyone! It is only 27 days until the concert! YAY!

I am so proud that I have been so efficient at updating my blog recently. I think that I was just getting so bored of the old background to my blog, that I couldn't stand looking at it.
But, now with it's new background, I love blogging!

Anyway, as I sit here at the computer, eating my 99% fruit raspberry and watermelon icy pole, and listening to the rain trickling down the gutters, I will tell you all about last week at ballet.

Well, on Monday we worked on "Peter and the Wolf." My dance is very fast, but I think that I am kind of starting to get the hang of it.
Then we worked on our normal syllabus. I sucked at pirouettes.

With the primary and grade 2 classes on Monday, my Teacher and I split the students up into two groups. I took one group and my teacher took the other. About 95% of the kids were as crazy as ever.
In my class, I did a small pirouette on pointe. I was SO happy!

Friday was a good workout. My pirouettes were fairly good, I even managed to do an almost perfect double one. I was pretty proud of myself.

In pointe, I didn't realise until I took my pointe shoes off, but the blister on the side of my toe had started bleeding again. Sigh! I wish it would just disappear.
I don't mind the other ones, but this one is just so visible and uncomfortable. Ooh well, that's ballerina's feet, I guess!

On Saturday, we had a High Tea to raise funds for the kids clubs for the slum kids in India. My ballet teacher came to that.
At the end of it, she gave me a beautiful black long sleeved leotard to try on. She was going through some of her stuff and found it. It didn't fit her anymore, so she wondered if I would like it.

That night when I tried it on, I was really disappointed because it was too smalle for me. Just a little bit, but still too small. Sigh

Anyway, I will return it to her today. Perhaps some other lucky student will be able to wear it!

All New - Intermediate

Hello again everyone!

Sorry for not updating for ages, I have been quite busy and forgetful.

Since my exam (which I still have not found out the results) we have been working of intermediate.
Because we had already done a little bit of it, it wasn't toooo hard to to remember. Though it is still new. I think that I have almost mastered all of the barre, but there are still a few things I am not sure about.

There are lots of new terms, which I had never heard of before, so that can be really confusing sometimes. Luckily I am starting to remember some of them.

One thing that I am super hopeless at are the pirouettes. The single ones are not that hard, but the double ones - I HAVE NOT IDEA HOW I WILL EVER BE ABLE TO DO ONE! Sigh

However, it's good to be able to have new music and exercises to do. I was starting to get very bored or intermediate foundation by the end.

I Did A Double Pirrouette - Yay!

No more coughs, so back at ballet this week!
On Monday, it was absolutely freezing outside. Because the hall that we do ballet in is so big, I thought it would be freezing in there, too. Luckily it wasn't.
The people who work in other parts of the building had turned on the heating, so it was really nice and warm.

Wednesday was another story, though. When I arrived at 3:30, it was so cold. Some of the little girls that are in the classes that I help out with, looked absolutely frozen with just the leotard and stockings on.
Lucky for me, when I help out I wear a t-shirt and pants over my leotard. When it came time for my class (an hour and quarter later) I had completely warmed up, and the heating had had time to worm the place up.

I managed to do a double pirouette from fourth position. Let's not talk about how good it was, though. Thankfully I only have to start doing double pirouettes next year!

Talking about 'next year' I am now going for an extra class on Fridays from 11:00 - 12:-00. We will be doing the grade above (elementary).
Actually, it is not really every Friday, I must just text my teacher and every Friday morning to ask whether it is on or not.

Anyway, I had better go. Got to go and do some Italian art homework.....Big Sigh!