September 12, 2013

Blogtember: The Ways Blogging and Social Media Changed Me

Welcome to the first of my Blogtember link-up posts! There’s a lot more of them to come, too!

Social media has always been a big part of my life. I was one of the first people I knew to get Facebook as well as one of the first people of my friends on Twitter (although, I never had a Myspace). I started blogging my freshman year of college and loved it, especially when I connected to people who had the same quirky TV tastes I did.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but this blog was started as part of a class called “The Entrepreneurial Journalist” by the same professor who was the reason I started my old TV blog. While before the class I was running a personal blog that did feature a lot of ballet, it wasn’t the primary sole purpose. I needed a solidified topic for this class for an online magazine or blog, and I chose ballet cause it seemed like a semi-good idea, even though my professor wasn’t sure. But I’m glad I chose it, and I’m glad I’m still doing it, and I can’t wait to do more with it.

When it comes down to it, social media and blogging have changed me because they’ve connected me to people who are interested in the same things I am. I’ve found so many people who do ballet as adults and your support has been amazing. I don’t think I would’ve kept doing ballet if it wasn’t for the wonderful community. In addition, the running community has been amazing as well, and is extremely supportive. Social media and blogging keep me going with running and ballet, which are now an integral part of my life. I don’t think they’d be that way if it wasn’t for an awesome online community.

How has blogging/social media changed you?

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Running Tagged With: , , , 1 Comment
September 10, 2013

Splits and Increasing Flexibility

There’s been a lot of talk about splits and flexibility in general on this blog, including a post on is there a such thing as too much flexibility as well as a stretching series with its first post on increasing back flexibility (and hopefully we’ll have more posts in this series soon by Caysie!).

Ballet stretch

Personally, I’ve kind of put stretching specifically for splits on the backburner, and I’ve recently adapted more of an injury prevention and working towards generally increasing my flexibility instead of stressing my splits, because things like my back tend to get ignored when I’m focused on splits. So I’ll be working on more general stretching for awhile until I get my way back to the splits.

But for when I do, I’m researching different methods to stretching. There’s a lot of different tips out there (many of which contradict others) such as stretch everyday, stretch every other day, stretch in short bursts throughout the day, etc. I even found this fairly lengthy split stretching guide–that I’m thinking about trying out.There’s just so much information out there that kind of makes my head spin.

What have you found works best for you to increase your flexibility?

 

Filed Under: Ballet, Info, Outside Class Tagged With: , , , 3 Comments
September 9, 2013

“Why I Love Dance” Link-Up

Recently, one of my favorite things about the blogging community has been the idea of Link-ups, where bloggers can all share a post they’ve written on a single topic in one place and read the blogs of others. I wrote one called “Weekly Wishes,” and I’ve got several more coming up in the month of September to help keep me motivated to keep blogging. So I’m hosting a very simple one to get the ball rolling called “Why I Love Dance.” At the bottom of this post you’ll find instructions on how to add your post. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a post you write specifically for this link-up–feel free to share anything that generally relates to why you love dance.

If you don’t have a blog and would like to write a post, you can contact me about getting yours posted here. I would love to have it!

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Why I love dance

As a kid, I did practically every sport imaginable. I did dance, gymnastics, t-ball, soccer, swimming, cheerleading, and more I’m sure I’m forgetting (however I was NOT a runner as a kid–I kind of can’t believe that I am now). The one I probably the missed the most, however, was dance.

I took ballet (as well as other dance classes) for two years in elementary school before my mom switched up what dance studio I was attending–and soon after that I quit and moved on to take gymnastics classes. Growing up, I was always jealous of those who had stuck with it and were dancers and thinking to myself that I couldn’t possibly go back to it–I was always too old (sidenote: this post on What Sends Grownups to the Barre is highly accurate). It wasn’t until my junior year of college that I actually decided I could go back and it took a lot to get me there.

Surprisingly, my first dance class as an “adult” wasn’t ballet, in fact, it was a hip-hop class with a friend. We went to a tiny studio a fair distance away. While I enjoyed it and we swore we’d go back, it was truthfully too much of a commute for a Sunday morning, which was primarily my homework day. But still, I wanted to dance, and was forever jealous of my boyfriend’s participation in dance performances at Temple.

My next class was a hip-hop fitness class that just wasn’t for me (sorry, but shaking my butt for 45 minutes just isn’t my thing). I think the primary reason I had chosen hip-hop was because it seemed easier and that more beginners were doing it, but it wasn’t working out for me.

Eventually, somehow, I ended up walking into a dance supply store and ended up purchasing a pair of ballet slippers after I found an absolute beginners class online. Then I knew I HAD to go to ballet, despite being terrified.

But, I fell in love.

Dance primarily serves an escape for me, I think. It’s a hobby, but sometimes it’s so much more. It’s an escape–the times I’m struggling or stressed out the most are the times I feel like I need to get into a ballet studio even more. Although every week I go in terrified I’m going to mess something up or make a fool out of myself I get to come out stronger every week having learned something more.

Why have you fallen in love with dance?

Add Your Post

The rules are simple (and pretty flexible):

1. Your blog post must relate to the topic in some way. Like I said, it’s pretty much open as long as some how the post communicates in some way why dance is important to you.

2. Link back to this post if you want. Here’s an easy widget you can use if you’d like:

Adult Ballerina Project

3. Comment on the blog link that was posted before yours to share the love!

Entries will be open until the end of September, so keep sharing!


Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Etc. Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments
September 4, 2013

Happy September!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend! Mine got off to a rough start on Thursday with a pretty rough ballet class. As I mentioned last week, I was dealing with some pretty painful top of my foot pain after a pre-pointe class so I was trying to stay off it as much as possible.

I almost decided not to go last Thursday because my toes were in an awful lot of pain because of the flats I wore to work that day (I have such a bad habit of wearing shoes that are horrible for my feet) but decided to go anyway. It was painful, and although my balance felt super off on my right side because of how painful it was, my instructor didn’t seem to notice.

Things got better on Saturday when I finally got a 3 mile run in after not getting any in for the past two weeks, although my calves were super tight afterwards. Unfortunately on Sunday I started coming down with a cold so the rest of my weekend was spent relaxing.

 

Emergen-C

Necessary after catching a cold this weekend!

I started a new part-time job yesterday, but today I’m spending relaxing and working on a few blog things, including getting an editorial calendar organized and getting a jumpstart on working on the studio website (finally!)

scarf

I’m getting ready for fall!

I’m also working on crocheting a scarf today to get me into a fall-like mood. I’m loving this chunky bulky yarn. Any other crocheter or knitters out there?

But…back to Adult Ballerina Project. I’m loving this calendar printout for getting myself organized on the blog. I know a lot of people love reading tips on different ballet moves, so if you’d like to see something specific on the blog such as “How to do a better pirouette?”, let me know in the comments, by e-mail, or by filling out the form below! While I’m certainly no expert, I love compiling research to help myself out with ballet and you guys as well, so let me know what you want to see and I’ll add them to the calendar!

I’m also working on setting a blogger link up, so if you have any suggestions for that as well, don’t be shy!

What would you like to see on Adult Ballerina Project this fall?

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Etc., Running Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment
August 27, 2013

Goodbye, Bunheads.

I was pretty sad to learn that Bunheads wouldn’t be renewed, but at least they made one last farewell video!

 

Some key members of the Bunheads cast and the show’s creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, got together on Aug. 17 to film this farewell dance. Set to Elton John’s “Blues for Baby and Me,” the choreography, by Marguerite Derricks (as always), is a callback to some of the show’s most notable dances. Sherman-Palladino directed the video.

Farewell, Bunheads. You can read more on Buzzfeed.

Filed Under: Ballet, Etc. Tagged With: , , , 2 Comments