May 9, 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?

 

Filed Under: Ballet, Ballet Class, Clothing and Gear, Info Tagged With: , , , 8 Comments
May 7, 2013

(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?

Filed Under: 30 Day Stretch Challenge, Ballet, Blog, Etc., Info, Outside Class Tagged With: , , , , 11 Comments
May 5, 2013

Weekly Recap: 4/29-5/4

It’s been a really long and difficult week. My legs are seemingly rebelling against me after I had two really great ballet classes last week. Sigh. Anyway, here’s what it looked like:

Monday:

It was rainy and yucky out so we went to the gym and I got one of my Couch to 5K workouts done as I  clung to the sides of the treadmill the entire time. But, I got it done. I spent the rest of the day going over my presentation for one of my English classes.

Tuesday:

Because of being tired and needing to get some last minute work done, I take today as a rest day from working out.

Wednesday:

I had another rough Couch to 5k day out on the track here on campus, but I get it done. I had planned on going to the new jazz class at my dance studio, but since my journalism awards ceremony took forever (and I stuffed my face with both with sushi and a quesadilla afterwards because I was STARVING from not having eaten) I decided to rest at home for the remainder of the day. But, I am pretty proud that I won an award for my dance reviews.

Thursday:

Ballet was kind of rough because the class was packed and I kept forgetting combinations, but it wasn’t horrible and my legs feel alright.

Friday:

My boyfriend and I head to the gym so I can test out the treadmill again–but this time it doesn’t go nearly as well and I can’t even finish my workout. I feel like I’m somehow just pushing myself harder than I should be on the treadmill given the speeds I set the treadmill to.

Saturday:

The first part of the ballet class is rough. I’d forgotten to take my allergy medicine so I’m stuffy with a headache. I just feel tired and my arches are killing me for some reason. My leg isn’t happy either, so I do pointe class, sadly, in flat shoes so I don’t kill my leg. I get through 20 minutes of the yoga for today when I take a break to head to the gym with the boyfriend and make up for the rest of today with a really slow and painful #C25k, but I get it done.  I know by the time I get home I’m way too tired to finish  yoga, and I call it a day.

I ended up sleeping for about 10 hours last night, so I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. So hopefully I’ll be able to fit a #C25k workout into today along with some yoga and a lot of paper writing.

How do you recover from a really challenging (and disappointing) week of workouts?

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Etc. Tagged With: , , , , , , , 2 Comments
May 3, 2013

Help me Pick a May Challenge!

Yoga Class at a Gym

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So I’ve used challenges recently to try to get me to get more motivated to actually do the exercises I need to be doing, but I’m kind of clueless about what I should be doing for May (yeah, I know, it’s already May 3rd, but I’ve been busy bee). So, while I’d like to keep it kind of related to ballet–a lot of things do, when it comes down to it–pretty much anything is fair game. I will create a post detailing the challenge as well so anyone who wants to join in can. No matter what I end up doing, I plan on updating at least once a week with how I’m doing.

Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with (I’m slightly leaning towards yoga or the ab challenge, but don’t let that influence you):

-Mile a Day (I’m still going to be doing #c25k, but this would push me to get a little extra mileage on my off days)

-Ab Challenge (I’ve done planks for about the past month, but this would mean doing more exercise ab-related exercises)

-Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred (it’s $8.99 on iTunes and could help me get in better all around shape, something I really need)

-Yoga Challenge (A different yoga video everyday to help improve my overall flexibility)

-Split Challenge (Yes, I’ve done it before, but if this wins I promise to give you photos on bi-weekly basis)

Vote in the poll below for one of these options, or leave your own suggestion in the comments.

If you suggest something new and exciting and I pick it, I’ll send you a pair of pink shoelaces from Sweat Pink as a reward!

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Etc. Tagged With: , , , , , , , 3 Comments
May 1, 2013

Beginner Ballet Tips: How to Improve Jumps

Now that my legs finally seem to be getting back in shape, it’s finally time that I start to work on my jumps a little bit more, which, honestly are pretty pathetic. I’m not a jumping person AT ALL. In fact…it’s probably my least favorite part of ballet. But, I am ever so jealous of pretty professional ballerinas and their perfect grand jetes.  So I did some research into what I could possibly to do improve them and found out the key was:

Plies, Plies, Plies!

Plies are one of the keys to  jumps (and  turns as well).

The Ballet Dancer’s Guide says:

Your plie is crucial to every single jump, for both the landing and the take off. Without your plie you simply can not jump, but more importantly, without the right use of the plie you won’t be give full value to each jump.

Other tips from Dance Advantage (which also mentions plies!) include strengthening your core and proper alignment (my dance instructor is always reminding us of this). I know I need to work on proper alignment more, as its one of the things I’m likely to forget as I’m focused on something else. It also mentions working on strengthening your feet as well through exercises in class (tendu, degage, releve) as well as through theraband at home exercises.

Dance Advantage also has some pretty great tips for doing grand jetes.

What do you do to improve your jumps?

 

Filed Under: Ballet, Ballet Class, Info Tagged With: , , , , , , 2 Comments