March 13, 2013

Yoga, Pilates, Running and More!

It’s been really tough to keep up with this given that I haven’t stepped into a studio in awhile–but I should be back relatively soon. Lately though, I’ve been trying to get into better shape over my spring break with a little bit of pilates, some stationary biking, and some yoga. It’s been tough, but I’ve been feeling a lot better lately. I’m looking forward to both getting back to ballet and getting into some running (I just bought a fancy armband for my phone!)

yoga

 (Photo credit: GO INTERACTIVE WELLNESS)

Check out Do Yoga With Me for just about any yoga routine. I did their Runners Injury Prevention one this morning and it was awesome.  It was just challenging enough to help stretch out some of the issues I’ve been having.

What are your favorite activities to do besides ballet?

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February 27, 2013

Oops…

…I’ve been neglecting this blog again.

It’s really tough to write about ballet when you can’t do any of it, and that’s been one of the reasons I’ve avoided blogging. Good news is, I don’t have a stress fracture, but my leg still has its moments when it hurts like hell–especially after some speed walking I shouldn’t have done to get to a meeting on time on Sunday. I have another ortho appointment a week from today.

Does anybody have any recommendations of good yoga video online–I’m in desperate need of SOMETHING to do. Sitting around doing nothing has not been good for me.

The other reason I haven’t written here in a while is that I’ve been busy. I’ve been writing articles for local dance publications like crazy–I’ve had three published in the last two weeks and I’ll be writing another about a performance this Saturday.

Passion Ignites Kariamu and Company

Review: Hold Me To This, Temple University MFA Thesis Concert

Review: An Evening of Duets

In addition, I saw a show at Bryn Mawr College Saturday and then had a workshop with the wonderful Claudia LaRocco from the NYTimes and ThePerformanceClub.org. I was truly a great experience, and I learned a lot about writing.

And, because you’ve probably been missing some ballet advice here’s a few articles to read until I get my act together:

On Balance: How to Nail Long Balances

The Ballet Bun: Best Practices (okay–it’s meant for parents–but that doesn’t mean it’s not helpful).

And not ballet advice, but if you’re a Bunheads fan, here’s an article from Times Magazine on why the show is important:  On the Importance of Bunheads

Please fill me in on what you’ve been up to!

 

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February 18, 2013

Yikes! A Stress Fracture

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been having some ankle/lower leg issues that I thought were just really bad shin splints/tendonitis. So when I went to see an ortho specialist, I was just expecting a “stay off it for about two weeks, ice/heat regularly…blah blah blah” and I’d be back to ballet in no time. So turns out, it could be a stress fracture in my upper shin (it’s all swollen and stuff) and I’m in a walking boot and schedule for a bone scan for Wednesday (which takes like 5 hours). I don’t know when I’ll see the inside of a ballet studio next.

photo (4)

My super cute Valentine’s date outfit.

I’m going to try and keep updating this blog on a semi-regular basis (there’s only so much a girl feels like writing about ballet when she can’t actually do it–and I’m currently looking into floor barre, thanks Janis for the local suggestion!) but as always, I’m looking for guest contributors to get more conversation and other viewpoints on the blog. Check out these great posts:

Different Teachers, Different Perspectives

Advice for Men in Ballet

Profile Of Susan Attfield

If you’re interested, you can shoot me an e-mail at adultballerinaproject@gmail.com

Filed Under: Ballet 4 Comments
February 1, 2013

Brief Hiatus

Hi Everyone!

I’ve been overwhelmed lately with my classes and new work commitments that I’ve been at a loss of what to post on here lately, and I feel like I could use a brief break to get everything organized and focus on my ballet classes and practice and figure out the direction this blog is headed.

I also need some time to figure out and manage the issues I’ve been having with horrible shin splints/tendonitis/whatever.

I’ll be back in roughly two weeks with more articles and profiles (sorry to those who’ve been waiting to see there’s go up, they’ll be up when I get back, I promise!)

Thanks for continuing to read this blog, and I’ll try to keep posting some links with tips and other advice in the meanwhile to the Facebook page.

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January 31, 2013

Dancing in the Street?

Well….kinda.

 

I don’t usually ever dance in public. Even practicing in an empty studio felt weird (A local studio was renting during the daytime for super cheap rates– so me and the boyfriend decided to get some extra practice in as well as some photos).

 

Sapporo subway platform

 

But recently, I’ve found myself marking out combinations (or other moves) while waiting for the subway to come. While occasionally I’ve done this while walking somewhere with the boyfriend or in my apartment, I felt the need to do it right after class on Monday while waiting for the subway–otherwise I was never going to get the beginning of the combination–a sequence of balances en tournant–into my brain. I often find that if I spend time thinking about the moves after class I can sometimes figure out the ones I couldn’t get in class. Bu, I can’t wait too long after the class has ended or I just won’t be able to remember the moves.  Maybe not the execution, exactly, but I can figure out how a step was supposed to be performed if I didn’t get it when it was first explained.

 

I looked like an idiot on the subway platform, but hey, I think I finally may have figured it out.

 

Do you dance in public? What tricks do you use to memorize tricky combinations?

 

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