Anyone Can Do Ballet!
Last Thursday, my boyfriend and I went to go see the Pennsylvania Ballet‘s performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream to review for thINKingDANCE, my internship. I loved it and it made me want to go back to ballet even more (I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to go back Thursday!)
You can read my review here.
What performances have inspired you to dance?
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!)
(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?
…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
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!
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.
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
If you’re interested, you can shoot me an e-mail at adultballerinaproject@gmail.com
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).
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?
