December 7, 2012

Ballerina Profile: David Chapman

studio03This week’s adult ballerina profile is of David Chapman, who bravely started ballet at the age of 57 two years ago. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!

—

Adult Ballerina Project: Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

David Chapman: No–dance wasn’t on the agenda for anyone in my grammar school let alone boys, I played cricket and rugby.

 ABP: Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?

DC: My wife and I always followed Strictly Come Dancing on the television and I’ve always danced “freestyle” with enthusiasm. We thought about taking ballroom lessons but I wanted a real challenge that involved athleticism, acting and dancing which I could do on my own and with others – ballet ticked all the boxes and we go together (my wife took ballet class ino her teens and so did our daughters).

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Adult Ballerinas, Ballerina Profiles, Interviews Tagged With: , , , , , 11 Comments
December 4, 2012

Q & A with Julia and Aaron, the creators of Barre: A Real Food Bar.

From Realfoodbarre.com

Julia from Realfoodbarre.com

Julia and Aaron of Barre, a real food bar designed both for ballerinas and all sorts of athletes, were kind enough to do an interview with me for the site. Both are professional dancers and agreed to talk both about their product and their experience with ballet, They even gave us a few tips for adult beginner ballerinas!

To find more about their product, you can check out their site here. In addition, they’re also running a Facebook competition for a giveaway of barres and another gift by submitting your interpretation of “Barre, A real food bar.” and “Art”. Check out their Facebook page here.

I’ll have my review of their product (and a giveaway!) up Adult Ballerina Project later this week!

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Ballet, Interviews, Professional Ballerinas Tagged With: , , , , , , 1 Comment
November 30, 2012

Ballerina Profile: Scott of In the Wings

Scott is the priest in this photo from a Dracula performance a few years ago.

This week’s profile is of Scott, who runs a blog called In The Wings as well as LoveBallet89. Make sure you check it out and look for guest posts from Scott on Adult Ballerina Project soon!

Adult Ballerina Project: When did you start doing ballet as an adult?

Scott: Hard to believe six years ago at the very ancient age of 39.

ABP: Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

S: I took lessons as a teenager and danced in college. Gave it up partially because I’d grown up, and part because of what people thought of me as a guy dancing. Regretted quitting.

ABP:  Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?

S: Partly because I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle. My younger sister died of cancer. My father started having heart problems when he was in his younger 40s. I was standing in the lobby of the studio where my daughter took classes and realized the fever to dance never really went away.

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Adult Ballerinas, Ballerina Profiles, Ballet, Interviews Tagged With: , , , 6 Comments
November 26, 2012

What was it like to get your first pair of pointe shoes?

Bloch Signature Rehearsal pointe shoes with a ...

Within the next couple of weeks, I’ll be going to get fitted for my first pair of pointe shoes at a store nearly everyone recommends in Philadelphia, The Rosin Box.

I’m not going to lie, I’m terrified. I’m worried they’re going to tell me I’m not ready. Or none of them will fit me. Or I’ll somehow spectacularly fail at something as simple as a shoe fitting because I’ve never worn pointe shoes before and I’m 21 years old. (Okay, I’m a worrier.)

So I want to know, what was getting your first pair of pointe shoes like? Were you nervous? Anything wish you’d done? I’ll be posting the answers in a separate page for future adult ballerinas to read and get your advice! Make sure you include what your first pointe shoe was!

Filed Under: Ballet, Ballet Class, Info Tagged With: , , , , , 17 Comments
November 24, 2012

Catching Up on Ballet and Real Food Barres

I’ve been MIA lately, I know. With two cases of strep throat in three weeks (yes, two) I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with school work and haven’t made it to ballet in a while. The last class I made it to was a Tuesday night between both cases of strep–and that was only for barre. Hopefully this week will be at least 2 (hopefully 3) classes.

Other than that–I plan on finally starting my next 30 Day Stretch Challenge as I described in my last post tomorrow. How is your split coming? Is it where you expected it to be? Any suggestions for those who might just be starting out?

P.S. Has anyone tried out real food barres? They were developed by a professional ballerina for dancers. I just ordered one of each today because they have free shipping today for Small Business Saturday and I plan on having a review up once they arrive! I’ve yet to find an energy/snack/granola bar I really like. If you have one you like, what is it?

 

Filed Under: 30 Day Stretch Challenge, Ballet, Info Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments