Anyone Can Do Ballet!
Happy Wednesday!
I don’t have time for a full post today, but I loved this post by Adult Beginner so much I thought I’d pass it along. She describes how to take a plain leotard (which I have a lot of, because they’re cheaper) and ruche (aka cinch) the front of it. Enjoy!
How do you jazz up your ballet outfit?
I’m relatively certain I’ve contacted everyone who filled out my most recent form about being profiled on a Friday for Adult Ballerina Project. If you didn’t hear from me, check your spam (some people told me it ended up there) or send me another e-mail (info at adultballerinaproject dot com). I’m busy/doing 1000 different things at once, so just let me know if I’ve forgotten you somehow!
If you’d like to nominate someone you know (or nominating yourself is always welcome too!), please fill out the form below with their name, a way to contact them, and their website or blog if they have one. Feel free to nominate fellow beginner ballerinas, instructors, and even professional ballerinas!
It’s been a ridiculously busy weekend. I took another WordPress class through the wonderful GirlDevelopIt Philly. I always learn so much through their classes and they’re always super helpful. I’ve taken a WordPress 101 class, an HTML/CSS intro class, and now a WordPress theme class.
As a result of this class, I’ll be working on giving Adult Ballerina Project a major overhaul as I practice my new skills. I’ll keep you updated about how that is going and I’m very excited to get into web development with WordPress since it’s something I love.
I also spent my Sunday morning running another 5k. As I’ve mentioned, I haven’t been keeping up so much with running, so I was kind of nervous and feeling unready for this one. Since I had the class, I knew it was going to be a long day and I’d have a tight schedule.
HQ and I woke up early around 7:15–although later than I wanted since he had worked on a class project until late Saturday night so I pushed our alarm a bit later. We ate a quick bagel and grabbed our running gear and headed down to the Navy Yard in Philly.
Getting there was a little confusing–the Navy Yard only really has one address despite it being a huge complex and walking into it from the subway stop was a little confusing, especially given construction, but we were there in plenty of time for the 10 am start. Unfortunately, I wanted to avoid petting any puppies before the race because of my allergies.
HQ before the race–I took photos of him but we forgot to take any afterwards!
There were a lot of people but the race started on time, and the course was really flat. I had a really good first mile and a half, until we got to the turn around point. I was expecting there to be a water stop, and unfortunately, there wasn’t any, and the second half of my race was much slower. Even though we took a couple of walk breaks, I still beat my last 5k race time by about 2 and a half minutes, which isn’t bad considering I didn’t get much training in the month of August and missed a lot of runs in September due to sickness allergies.
Here’s to hoping our next one in three weeks (for my college’s homecoming) goes better!
What have you achieved lately?
So you’re on your way to your first ballet class, either ever, or in a good few years, and you’re feeling anxious, nervous, excited, a bit self conscious, wondering if it was a good idea at all. If you think this is just you feeling like this, you are wrong. Any dancer feels this at regular intervals, no matter how long they have been dancing. What sets us apart is that decision to walk through the door, embrace those feelings and do it anyway and the achievements that spawn from that first decision are what drives us on!
Dance, Ballet in particular, is not just good for your body, but also for your mind and soul. You learn to be comfortable with your own body, to feel graceful and beautiful, to meet like minded people and more often than not make friends for life.
If you are new to or returning to ballet you may feel frustrated to begin with as you try to master all the steps, or co-ordinate your arms and legs to move at the same time as you are trying to complete a port de bras and plies at the same time. Do not despair, it takes hard work and commitment but each week you will find something is slightly easier, you will remember a bit more and before you know it your arms/legs will be travelling to the right position without even needing to think about it.
On a psychological level this concentration also means that any other noise in your mind; what to cook for dinner, whether you’ve put the washing out; what time you need to pick the kids up, will all be quietened, allowing you that bit of peace in your day to calm your mind and just be present in your body. You will begin to notice every movement of your body, listen to what your body needs, both inside and outside the dance studio.
As a dancer myself, I have found dance to be hugely therapeutic. I am not dancing for the audience, for the other people in the class, I am dancing for myself, getting lost in the music and the movement. I have no doubt that with continued practice friends, family and colleagues will comment on how you are carrying yourself, not only in your physical stance but your persona. Ballet gives you grace in both body and mind!
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Claire started dance classes at the age of 5, taking classes in ballet, modern and jazz and continued until the age of 13. After a short break from dance she then returned to dance at 16 with tap, contemporary, jazz and ballet and continued on to study BA (hons) Dance Studies at Roehampton University, London. Claire has always been very interested in how dance can improve your health both mentally and physically for professional dancers and people new to dance. She is currently studying Msc Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London. Find out more about Claire at www.clairefarmer.co.uk and http://healthierdancers.
Juggling work, ballet, running and more often means that I don’t have time to eat a meal before heading to ballet class or heading out for a run–plus my stomach doesn’t tolerate exercise well if there’s any significant amount of food in it. So here’s a few of my favorite snacks and running fuels that I use to give me some energy when I don’t have time for a full meal:
These are my favorite to munch on before a run (and sometimes before dance class) especially in the morning when my stomach can’t tolerate a whole lot of food. I usually just munch on 2-3 before heading out the door for ballet class or 30 minutes before a run. I love that these usually run me about $2 for 2-3 uses.
Although these are on the pricier side ($2.50 a piece), I still pick some up occasionally at my local Whole Foods. Cinnamon pecan is my favorite flavor. Check out the interview I did with the creators, Julia and Aaron to learn more about how they created this bar specifically for dancers.
These have become my cheaper alternative to Real Food Barres, although I haven’t quite found a replacement flavor for the Cinnamon Pecan that I love so much.
Blueberry Luna Bars are my absolute favorite (although they can sometimes be a little bit tricky to find). These often end up serving as my breakfast on the go even if I’m not running or going to ballet class that day. I also love their cookie dough protein bar.
What snacks do you eat before ballet class or a run?
