Archives for May 2013

The Random Questions That Lead People to Adult Ballerina Project

If you’re a blogger, I’m sure you’ve looked at some of the questions that have caused readers to end up on your blog–and I’ve gotten a few random (and weird) ones–so I’ve decided to answer some of them here for those who probably didn’t find the answer:

Why are tendus in ballet important?

They’re one of the most important moves in ballet because they’re a foundation move for a lot of different movements, especially jumps.

What are toe spacers used for in pointe?

I use toe spacers because it helps distribute the weight between my toes and take some of the pressure off my big toes.

Why shouldn’t dancers run?

Unless you’re a professional (or pre-professional) dancer and worried about too much stress on your legs, there’s no problem with running. A lot of my fellow adult ballet buddies run and it’s actually helped improve our stamina in ballet class.

What is covered in adult ballet?

The same things that happen in any other ballet class. There is usually a barre section, then center, adagio and allegro. For more information, see here.

What is it like to dance in pointe shoes?

I’ve only taken a couple of pointe classes so there are probably better answers out there from other people, but it’s a lot different than dancing in ballet slippers. My feet always feel weird and super long when I’ve got them on and they’ve taken some getting used to.

 What is your favorite ballet leotard brand and what leo?

I really like my plain, simple black camisole Capezio leotard. I own a few others, but I usually end up wearing the black one as long as it’s clean. I don’t really care for my BraTek one, however.

 Do adult ballet beginners perform on stage?

Some do–a lot of my fellow adult beginner ballerinas do–Legal Ballerina and Disney Ballerina have recitals coming up, Dave Tries Ballet and loveballet89 have performed in productions I believe.

 As an adult, how often do you take ballet?

Anywhere from once to five times a week probably. I’m trying to fit in at least two (three when I’m not busy)–which is all my budget allows.

Make boyfriend take ballet?

You can’t make your boyfriend take ballet, but there’s certainly reasons why he should. I’ve dragged taken my boyfriend to a ballet class a couple of times now and he’s enjoyed it and plans on going to another one in the future.

When is too old to take ballet?

NEVER! I’ve profiled people who are in their 70s for this blog. They’re awesome.

Does ballet make your feet ugly?

YUP. Pointe especially with make your feet ugly and you might lose a toenail. I’ve ended up with some bruised toes just from dancing in slippers, too.

 Is it safe for a beginner to practice en pointe at home?

Not until you’ve had some classes in a studio en pointe, otherwise you’d risk injuring yourself.

 How to make pointe shoes out of leg warmers?

Ummm…you want to do what? You shouldn’t try to make pointe shoes. There’s a lot of crazy homemade ones out there on the internet…I’m not even going to link to them because they’re so unsafe. Stick to professionally made ones. They’re worth the cost.

*I’m not an expert or a ballet teacher, these are just from my own personal experience.

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What crazy search terms have led people to your blog?

 

A Huge Accomplishment–I Completed a 5k!

Well, for me at least, given all the troubles I’ve had with my legs/ankles.

photo.

 

I’ve written here multiple times about how I’ve dealt with horrible shin splints. I attempted to run a 5k back at the beginning of April and didn’t even get a mile in before giving up because it just hurt THAT bad. It was embarrassing.

So I’ve been working on doing a Couch to 5k Program for the past few weeks, and recently I’ve gotten frustrated with the set of intervals I’ve been on (as well as treadmill running–which I DETEST because I can’t seem to move fast at all), so today my boyfriend and I decided to run on the indoor track at my college’s gym. I decided that we’d be doing a two minute walk/two minute run interval kind of arbitrarily (knowing that the previous intervals of 1:30 were too easy and 3:00 was slightly rough on my shins)–BUT it worked. After doing about a mile and a half (which has been our normal distance without warm up or cool down walks with C25k, I decided we should keep going and try to complete a 5k and I did it, in around 34:00 (the GPS was slightly off between our two iPhones, 34:00 is the average).

I just feel so happy to have been able to come back after what felt like such a failure over a month ago.

What exciting goals have you accomplished lately?

Review of Zola Coconut Water

Zola Coconut Water were provided by Zola free of charge in exchange for a review. I was not paid for my review.  The opinions contained in this review are mine and based on my experience, and do not reflect the opinions of Zola or anyone else.

Recently I was given the chance to review some Zola Coconut Water through the love ladies who run the Sweat Pink community. Now, I’m not normally a huge fan of coconut water (it tastes a little too sweet to me)–but I’ve love adding it to my smoothies. However, I loved Zola’s Natural Coconut Water.

Coconut water has the following benefits according to Zola:

Coco-Hydration™ Each Sip Offers:

Natural hydration

Essential electrolytes: sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium

100% Natural & Delicious

Gluten and GMO Free, 100% Vegan

Coco-can

It was extremely refreshing, unlike the Vita Coco that I bought from the local grocery store here in Philadelphia. To my surprise, I drank almost an entire can after ballet class. They also sell Acai Juice (which I enjoyed although it tasted a little grainy–I’m not sure I would get it again) and Coconut Water with Pulp. The Coconut Water with pulp was definitely not for me (I’m a pulp-free OJ girl too)–the pieces of coconut were weird and it tasted more milky to me. But I loved their regular coconut water and I’m hoping I can find it in a store near me soon (you can see if you can see if you can find it using a their store locator).

The only downside is that it the 17.5 ounce version comes in a can and it’s not as easy to keep in your fridge if you don’t finish it all–but to fix this I just poured the can into one of my many reusable water bottles. They also sell it in a liter size that is resealable.

Zola Coconut Water were provided by Zola free of charge in exchange for a review. I was not paid for my review.  The opinions contained in this review are mine and based on my experience, and do not reflect the opinions of Zola or anyone else.

(Almost) 30 Day Yoga Challenge

EDIT: Oops. It appears I can’t find today’s (May 7th) yoga video anymore, so pick one you’ve enjoyed so far or try a new one! (I did yesterday’s since I was in a yoga class yesterday). I will find replacement videos for the other times this one appears in the schedule.

I’ve decided to go with a yoga challenge for the month of May, since it’ll help with my general flexibility (and for those of you who voted for splits challenge, I focused on a lot of leg yoga stretches). They’re all beginner level videos, so feel free to participate no matter what skill level you are at!

Here’s the challenge:

mayyogachallenge

All the videos can be found on my favorite yoga website, www.doyogawithme.com. Just do a quick search using their search tool and you’ll find the video. I still think I’ll try to post photos of my flexibility throughout the month for motivation.

How are you challenging yourself during May?

More Life Updates–Busy, busy, busy!

I mentioned going to a journo awards ceremony last Wednesday, but I didn’t mention that I happened to win an award for my dance reviews! The award was called the Sam Singer Reviewing Award, after a critic who worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

My latest review was also published about a Philadelphia contemporary ballet company, BalletX.

In other news…

Yesterday’s yoga video, Yoga for Athletes, was really awesome. I’m off to a double whammy of yoga and ballet at my dance studio as long as I feel like my stomach can hold up to it (I didn’t sleep well last night because I wasn’t feeling great). I’m going to try to remember to take a picture of my splits (to use as a comparison for my starting point) when I get home tonight if I’m not exhausted.

I won tickets to the PA Ballet for Friday. YAY!

I have orientation for my new internship tomorrow–also awesome.

The boyfriend and I are running again in the Urban Scramble as part of Philadelphia Runner again this Thursday–it’s a scavenger hunt where you run over the city to collect raffle tickets.

I’ve also signed up for a Nutrition, Health, and Lifestyle: Issues and Insights class on Coursera so that I can learn more about eating healthy (something I really need to do in my life)–hopefully I’ll be able to fit in in with everything else crazy I’ve got going on this summer.

bh420

Lastly, I bought myself a new pair of ballet slippers (mine were getting pretty gross) and some Bunhead Hair Nets (finally after everyone kept recommending them) as an end-of-the-semester present to myself.

Mostly, I’m looking forward to getting lots and lots of sleep–something I’ve been lacking in the past couple of weeks.

I’ve only got one more final to go next week  and I’ve got lots of great posts planned for the upcoming week!

What exciting things do you have planned for this week?