Top 5 Blog Posts: Dance Advantage Round-Up

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I know, I’ve already posted this before, but since Dance Advantage’s monthly roundup is your top 5 posts, I figured I’d clean up this post a bit.

When I started this blog back in September, I didn’t expect to fall in love with ballet like I have now, attending four classes a week. Although it’s been a struggle (between two ankles injuries and a number of sicknesses), I’m looking forward to a new year where I won’t be so bogged down by class work and can attend even more ballet classes.

Why Should You Take Ballet Classes as An Adult? One of the very first posts I wrote for this blog, listing a lot of reasons why you should do ballet (a lot of them from readers). I’d love for this post to keep growing, so if you’ve got suggestions, add them.

Boyfriend Does Ballet I dragged my boyfriend to ballet at Koresh, and he helped write a post about it. I’m hoping to drag him to more classes in 2013.

What Was it Like to get Your First Pair of Pointe Shoes I love this post for how helpful everyone was in the comments. If you’re getting pointe shoes soon, read them.

Two Week Split Challenge: I made a plan to work on my splits with various yoga sequences and other stretching plans so that it wouldn’t get boring. It was an expansion on my 30 day challenge and a way to make the challenge really work.

Q & A with Julia and Aaron, the creators of Barre: A Real Food Bar. Julia and Aaron took some time out a few weeks ago to answer some questions for ABP.

What are some of your favorite posts YOU’VE written this past year?

(Note: a form of this has already been published. I cut it down to 5 posts for the Blog Circle at Dance Advantage.)

Ballerina Profile: B of Under the Purple Magnolia Tree

This weeks post comes from B, who co-runs Under the Purple Magnolia Tree. She restarted ballet about a year ago after dancing throughout her teenage years. Enjoy!
Adult Ballerina Project: When did you start doing ballet as an adult?photo 3

B: I restarted ballet in September 2011 with one class a week to ease back into things, then properly started again in January 2012, so I’ve had just over a year of doing ballet as an adult. I turn 25 this year so it’s actually only been about a 5 year gap between stopping and starting.

ABP: Did you ever take lessons as a kid?

B: I actually spent all of my teenage years dancing. I started at 10 with ballet and then added jazz the following year. I tried Irish for a couple of years, along with rhythmic gymnastics, but it wasn’t until I was at university that I discovered contemporary dancing and started to combine that with my ballet. I did ballet until I was 18 or 19 (my last year of uni), the only reason I stopped was in anticipation of moving to a new city and because my body wasn’t physically coping with dance on top of everything else I was doing.  I did my grades through to Intermediate Vocational Level in the British Ballet Organisation, which is equivalent to about grade 7 but with pointe.

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

B: I’m a middle school teacher, and in 2011 when I started teaching I started up a dance group for my students at school. Watching my students get excited about dance reminded me of how much I loved it and I decided it was high time I went back. I’m not so into the performance side, so I decided to go back and work towards my ballet teaching qualifications instead. Of course I still take regular classes to help refine and maintain my technique while I study for my exams.

ABP: Where do you take classes?

B: I currently take three advanced level ballet classes at a studio in my home city Wellington, New Zealand, one of which is advanced pointe. It’s a pretty great little place, nothing fancy but with seriously awesome teachers. In New Zealand all ballet classes are taught within an exam-based syllabus – usually British. The one I take classes in (and always have) is BBO or British Ballet Organisation. They’re not as well known as say RAD but I really love the challenging nature of the choreography and the emphasis on developing dance quality and musicality.

ABP: What is your favorite part about ballet?

B: I love everything we do at the barre. It’s absolutely my favourite part of class. I also love port de bra – it along with epaulment is probably the part of dance that comes most naturally to me. I’m a big fan of anything in ¾ time too, so waltz enchainments have always been a favourite of mine. I’m learning to really love turning en pointe too.

ABP: What is your least favorite part?

B: Batterie and petit allegro – I’m not a natural jumper and I find anything that beats requires so much concentration. Pirouettes from 5th is another thing I’m really not a fan of.

ABP: Who/What is your ballet inspiration?

B: Hmmm… that’s a tricky one. I really love the Royal New Zealand Ballet and there are a couple of dancers in particular I enjoy watching. I guess my teacher also inspires me in terms of my teaching study since she is such a fantastic teacher.

ABP: What motivates you to keep dancing?

B: The little successes and the ultimate goal of sitting my teaching exams. I had a whole term out this year on crutches and in a moonboot due to a misdiagnosis, and coming back in to dance in the last term of the year has been all about the little things. When I restarted ballet back in 2011 I launched back into advanced level classes and coped fine but also took my body for granted. When you’re coming back to dance after an injury and find you have to work hard just to releve, it changes your perspective and you appreciate the little successes even more.

ABP: Do you take any other dance classes?

B: As much as I love classical ballet, my biggest love is actually contemporary ballet – I love the fluidity of it. I also take an advanced contemporary class at the same studio – I really do think it is a great compliment to ballet as it teaches you so much about being grounded in your body. I also teach a lot of creative movement and intro jazz and contemporary classes at the middle school I teach at (though it’s not the main aspect of my job).

ABP: What are your hobbies outside of ballet?

B: I love creating things, enjoy writing and love literature. My partner and I both have a strong interest in living a simpler, more sustainable and down to earth life.

ABP: What advice would you like to give to those who want to start ballet or have just started?

B: Go for it. Yes it can be very frustrating I won’t lie, but it challenges you to think about yourself and experience  movement in such a profoundly different way.

 

Core Activation and Pilates

Curso de Instructor de Pilates

Check out this link for Grown Ups at the Barre about core activation and how important it is for ballet dancers.

I completely agree with the author, there is no substitute for actually attending a Pilates class, but like she says, we’re busy adults and it’s not always possible (not to mention, sometimes crazy expensive, and shelling out for ballet classes every week can be enough of a stress on your bank account).

She links to a video on the Five Principles of Pilates as a great starting point for those who can’t make it to a real class.

Do you do workout DVDs?

Ballet Studio and Instructor Reviews + Poll

I am finally, finally headed back to ballet tonight. I can’t wait, even though I know it’ll end up making me super sore.

Otherwise, I just wanted to remind everyone that you can still submit studio and teacher reviews at the following links:

Studio Review

Instructor Review

Those that have been submitted have been posted under the resource tab, so check them out! If anything is incorrect, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at adultballerinaproject@gmail.com.

Lastly, I was just curious if readers preferred stretching/ballet advice in video form or text/pictures. So let me know by taking the short poll below!

 

Ugly Feet

(Note: This is a repost from my old blog, so some of you may have already read it)

KAITLYN JENKINS, EMMA DUMONT

Dancers (especially ballet dancers, because of dancing en pointe) are known for having rather beat up feet. It’s been brought up on several dancing-focused shows like Breaking Pointe, Dance Academy, and of course, on Bunheads, where the girls enter an Ugly Feet contest for dancers (and win).

Despite that all the major ballerinas having less-than-pretty feet, I didn’t expect this to become a problem for me, since I only take once or two classes a week.

But, ugh, I was wrong. At class on Tuesday, two of my toenails cut into the sides of my toes (I keep my feet well-groomed mind you) and my left big toe’s nail started peeling back again (I slipped once in the pool locker room and OUCH! bent my entire toenail back).

On top of all that, my ankles often get black and blue (because they’re so weak) which results in me taping them like crazy (although the bright pink KTTape I just bought I must say looks pretty cool).

I think I see a pedicure in my future.

Do you have “Ugly Feet” because of dancing? What do you do to make your feet pretty again?

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to leave a comment on this post to help me enter in a DanceAdvantage contest: Top Dance Blog Contest 2013: Recreational Dancer