Ready for Pointe?

Advancing on to pointe work is probably one of the most exciting moments in a ballerina's life. The thought of owning a pair of satin shoes and turning on the tips of your toes sounds like a beautiful pain to experience. However, it is important that the dancer is prepared for pointe work, physically and mentally.

1. Teacher's Approval

The first thing a dancer will need before starting pointe work is teacher's approval. A dancer shouldn't have to approach their teacher and ask if they are ready, the teacher will come to the student when they believe they are ready. A dance teacher's job is to teach dancers correct technique and to observe the students, if the teachers notice great improvement, they will consider a dancer for pointe work. 

2. Age & Experience
For a dancer to be physically ready for pointe work, they need to be at the right age and have the correct amount of experience to advance. It is highly recommended that a dancer doesn't start pointe work any earlier than the age of 13. It can be highly dangerous to start dancing en pointe during the ages of 11 or 12 because at that age the metatarsal structure is too weak to handle the weight of the dancer's body. Starting pointe work too early when the dancer's bones are too soft could lead to growth-plate fractures and foot deformities. Age isn't the only factor, a dancer also needs plenty of experience to continue on to pointe work. It is usually recommended that a dancer has about 2 years of experience at least before starting pointe. It is also encouraged that the dancers take multiple ballet classes to maintain proper technique in preparation for pointe work and that they devote more time and effort into ballet than any other dance style.

Training

3. Strength
The amount of strength required to dance en pointe is insane. A dancer's core, ankles and back need to be especially strong in order to sustain the body weight of a dancer. If there is concern about the ankles not being strong enough, try these exercises every day to work out the ankles and prepare them. (Video credit: Lisa Maree)

4. Emotional Preparation
Something that not a lot of dancers take into account is the amount of damage that can come from pointe work on the dancer's feet. When deciding to attempt pointe work, the dancer needs to expect blisters, bruises, aches, blood and in severe cases, bunions and corns. Ballet is a strenuous activity that can take a great tole on the human body. A dancer needs to be willing to sacrifice their feet if they want to continue on with pointe work.

A Ballerina's Feet

 In conclusion, a dancer needs to consider all of the factors before jumping into pointe work and check off all of the steps to prepare for such an intense form of art. Was the dancer given an affirmative from their dance teacher? Is the dancer at least 12 years of age and do they have at least 2 years of ballet experience? Is the dancer's body strong enough? And is the dancer prepared for the damage pointe work will cause the body? Hopefully this post has been helpful to some dancers that wanted to know if they truly are prepared for this beautiful, painful advancement in dance. 

Being Successful at Auditions

Auditions for a dance company, team or a certain role in a performance can definitely be extremely nerve wrecking. Being nervous for an audition is completely normal and natural emotion to feel because if you're nervous, it means you want it. I've auditioned for solos, dance teams and I will soon audition for a company at my studio which is really shaking me up. Many other dancers are probably experiencing the exact same situation I am because audition season is here. This post will be all about the steps a dancer can make to ensure that their audition is a success.

Auditions

1. Calm Down

Calming down is probably one of the hardest things to do in a situation like this but it's one of the most important things to do. A way to relax before or during an audition are to breathe slow deep breaths. Hyperventilating in the middle of an audition won't help anyone, so breathing is an extremely important tool to have while auditioning. A way to calm down before in audition is giving yourself a pep talk in the mirror, it sounds ridiculous and probably also looks ridiculous but it can really help boost your confidence and make you feel more prepared.

2. Prepare

Being prepared for an audition is an important part of an audition, make sure to wear  clothes that don't get in the way or move around in an uncomfortable way, keep your hair out of the way and know that during this audition you have to leave your comfort zone. Staying in your comfort zone is not an option for aspiring dancers, you have to constantly push yourself to be better. A good idea is to warm up and stretch before the audition as well, many auditions start right away into choreography or across the floor.

3. Don't be too Hard on Yourself

If an audition isn't going well and you know that you aren't going to get the position, don't beat yourself up or start crying, instead try to learn from the experience. Become inspired by the other dancers there and try to enjoy it while it lasts because auditions can be very character developing and I've learned a lot from them.

4. Have Fun

It's important to take auditions seriously but it's also great to remember that it should be an enjoyable experience where you can meet new people, learn new things and just dance. Don't forget to smile, and be yourself, it will be a lot more enjoyable that way.

Good luck in your auditions and thank you for taking the time to read this post, feel free to subscribe to the blog and to email me any questions or suggestions. 

What to Wear in Spring

Spring is just around the corner which means the weather is going to get warmer and possibly more rain or snow, depending on where you live. Dance has no season, which means that we dance year-round and it can get difficult to stay comfortable in the cold and warm weather. In this post I will be discussing the best materials for your leotards and some great warm up gear to wear when it's a cold day in the studio. 


Fabrics:

Lycra/Spandex:

Lycra

Lycra is an elastic synthetic fiber, meaning that it is stronger than normal materials like cotton. Spandex is durable and stretches so it conforms to your body while dancing and provides a tight fit. Lycra is a great material for cold days, the spandex acts almost like a second skin, providing insulin to the body while dancing. Lycra is not only useful for colder weather but also hotter temperature. spandex is very breathable, wicks moisture and dries quickly

Cotton

Cotton: 
Cotton is a very popular fabric, it's soft and easy to care for. This is a great fabric for dancing in hot weather because it's breathable and absorbs moisture. Cotton can also be worn in cold weather as well because it stays dry and can retain body heat so that while dancing, the dancer can stay warm.








Warm Up:
Warm up gear is great for the colder spring days. When it's cold in the studio, it's harder to do simple things like pliés at the barre because your muscles are freezing. Once your body has warmed up on it's own, it's easy to take off your warm up gear and continue in class. If you have breaks in between dance classes, you can put your warm up gear back on again to make sure your muscles can stay warm, especially if it's really cold outside. Discount Dance Supply is a great place to buy warm ups. Here are some of my favorites, 

Sweaters

Warm Up Sweater 

Sweaters are a great way to keep your arms warm, they're usually made of cotton or polyester. When a dancer is buying a sweater for keeping warm in ballet class or another dance class, it's important to keep in mind that dance teachers would prefer clothes that stick to your body and aren't too baggy because they need to make sure that your technique is correct. The prices for these sweaters are around $25. 

Legwarmers

Legwarmers
Ankles are an important body part to keep warm, in dance. Attempting something that requires a lot of ankle strength like pointe work with cold muscles can be extremely dangerous and lead to injury. Legwarmers are usually made out of nylon and acrylic. When dancers buy legwarmers it is important that they purchase the right size, if legwarmers are too big then they will sag and get in the way of footwork and other activities in the dance class. The prices for these legwarmers are about $10-$20 depending on the quality.






Shorts

Ballet Shorts

Shorts can be a cute addition to your ballet ensemble helping to keep your hips warm. Shorts are usually lightweight so they don't interfere with basic ballet positions like sweatpants would. Shorts for dancing usually are made out of polyester or acrylic knit. Something to keep in mind when purchasing ballet shorts is that buying some with a higher waistband so that you can roll it up to the length that you desire and so that you can adjust it depending on the conditions. The prices of these shorts are usually $20. 





Hopefully this article helped you in finding some products that you can buy to help in the springtime weather. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog and feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions for future posts.

Canvas or Leather?

Choosing a ballet slipper is a very personal decision for a dancer and really depends on the foot type, experience and other factors. First I will give all the pros and cons of each material for ballet slippers. 

Leather and Canvas

Canvas:

Canvas ballet slippers are usually made out of a material called canvas, most ballet dancers will say that they prefer Canvas because they like the way that the material hugs their feet and make their arches look nicer, but canvas is also a lot more lightweight than leather making them more comfortable for some people. Many ballet teachers will recommend leather ballet shoes as opposed to canvas, especially for beginners. 

Canvas Material

Leather:
Leather ballet slippers are the most popular for beginning dancers because of a teacher's or professional's recommendation. The leather material is a lot more durable than canvas which will allow the shoe to last longer than that of a canvas slipper. Since the leather is a lot thicker of a material compared to canvas, it will make the dancer's foot work harder during barre and floor work, which can help with strength and technique for the dancer. This is why so many teachers would prefer their students to start with leather, so that they can improve their technique and strength as much as possible before advancing on to canvas ballet slippers which provide a bit more freedom. 



Overall, it really depends on the dancer's experience and preference when it comes to choosing their type of ballet slipper. Both materials have benefits and both come with disadvantages as well. The company that the ballet shoe comes from can also greatly affect whether the shoe will feel nice and serve it's purpose during class. Thanks for reading, if you have any suggestions for future posts, feel free to send me your input and don't forget to subscribe. 

New Year!

The New Year is a time to set resolutions and a lot of those resolutions have to do with exercising more or being more healthy. Whether you're already a dancer and want to improve in certain things or you're new to dance and your resolution was to try it out, here are some products that can help you out with your turns, flexibility and balance to make this New Year the best year!

Turns: 

Turns can be very difficult to achieve and to improve on, it takes a lot of hard work to improve muscle strength and balance. Here's a product that really helps to improve spotting, core strength and balance. 

You've probably heard about turn boards or seen other dancers on social media showing off how many turns they can do on them. These boards range between $20 and $40 depending on where you buy it from, Amazon has the cheapest ones.

Buy a turn board now!

Here is a video of another dancer trying this product out!

Flexibility:

There are many products out there that can help you get an extra stretch but which ones are really worth the money? Here are the ones that really work for me:

Ankle weights are really versatile and can be used to help dancer in many different situations, but for flexibility ankle weights can help dancers to achieve their center splits. All the dancer has to is strap the ankle weights on to their ankles, find a nice wall and let gravity do the work along with the ankle weight's help.

Buy some ankle weights here!

Stretch Bands are also a nice versatile way that you can use to creatively stretch. There isn't a wrong way to use this band as long as you're safe. These bands are small so they are easy to travel with and can be used to stretch any part of the body you would like to. This product can be found on amazon, link below.

Buy Here!

Balance:



These Bosu Balls are great for improving your balance! All you have to do to use it is stand on the flat side and try to balance while performing ordinary ballet positions like passé, arabesque, or even sous-su. This simple yet effective exercises on the bosu will help you a lot with your balance. There are a variety of these to chose from on amazon:

Buy one here!

Here is a demonstration of another dancer trying this out!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you find these products helpful if you decide to try them out. Don't forget to subscribe and participate in this week's survey!