I got some great responses.
Name- Chris
Parent or Student? Parent
What is your activity? Gymnastics, basketball, softball
How long have you been dancing? 1 year
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) ballet and hip hop, but now she is doing the dance team;hip hop, jazz, tap, ballet
Do you do pointe? NO
How has ballet helped you? Ballet teaches her the balance and posture she needs to be a better gymnast
How has your activity helped you with ballet? I think, as do many parents I talk to, that ballet definitely makes a difference.
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? She will compete 5 or 6 times throughout the season
How do you balance a busy schedule? There is no balance….but my kids enjoy being active!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name- Hilda
Parent or Student? Student
What is your activity? figure skating
How long have you been dancing? 1 year
Do you do ballet or another form of dance? ballet
Do you do pointe? no
How has ballet helped you? the flexibility and strength required in ballet has helped me progress faster in skating. As for grace, I don't lack it, so it doesn't quite help me. My posture is good in ballet, but not in skating.
How has your activity helped you with ballet? As skating requires strength and flexibility too, I can practice those two for both ballet and skating at the same time, which is really convenient.
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? my studio doesn't have shows regularly, but when they have, I do participate
How do you balance a busy schedule? My schedule is not busy. I attend school only half a day, others is dedicated to dance or skating.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name- Dani (she is my dd)
Parent or Student? - I am the parent
What is your activity? Gymnastics (sometimes cheer, she is a flyer)
How long have you been dancing? This is her 2nd year
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) Ballet
Do you do pointe? No, but she is interested in pointe
How has ballet helped you? It has helped her grace, posture, leg strength and flexibility.
How has your activity helped you with ballet? The gymnastics has helped with the strength, flexibility and balance.
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? Yes
How do you balance a busy schedule? Time management and planning things out really helps. Plus, I make sure she has "off days" where she can just chill and do nothing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name-Lolly
Parent or Student? Student
What is your activity? Gymnastics
How long have you been dancing? 6 years (since I was 9 and my coach suggested it)
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) I do ballet and tap
Do you do pointe? Yes
How has ballet helped you? I gained grace, elegance,better leg and back strangth for things like arabesques, much better general movement e.g. in my floor routine
How has your activity helped you with ballet? Strength from gymnastics definitely helps and also the work ethic and discipline I gained from it
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? No because the dancing is at my gymnastics centre so its mainly to supplement gym
How do you balance a busy schedule? My coaches value my ballet time as much as my training in the gym so they were happy to sit down and work out a schedule with me
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parent or Student? student (used to be anyways)
What is your activity? gymnastics and cheerleading
How long have you been dancing? i took ballet for two years
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify) ballet and jazz
Do you do pointe? for about 6 months, but quit because it hurt my feet too much. i had bloody toes and it was hard for me to preform in the gym.
How has ballet helped you? game me a lot more grace and agility...judges always commented on my fluid movements.
How has your activity helped you with ballet? i was already very deadicated and a perfectionist
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker? yepppp. i was the sugar plum fairy my final year
How do you balance a busy schedule? lotsss of hw and eating and changing in the car.
____________________________________________________________
Many Skating and Gymnastic teams offer dance as part of training. Some girls are full time dancers and competitive dancers. I recommend dancers to try gymnastics or go to an open gym. It's amazing what you learn and how much it helps. I go to free skate a lot to.
This is one of my favorite montages on youtube
It shows how much dance is in gymnastics.
This is a tribute to a great skater and ballerina
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Ballet as a Supplement?
Many people take ballet as a class to help them with another sport. Figure skating, cheerleading, gymnastics, even football. Ballet helps develop proper posture/alignment, flexibility, strength and grace. Do you? We want to hear about how ballet helps another activity you do.
Name*-
Parent or Student?
What is your activity?
How long have you been dancing?
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify)
Do you do pointe?
How has ballet helped you?
How has your activity helped you with ballet?
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker?
How do you balance a busy schedule?
*optional
Pictures and videos are always welcome.
If you are under 13 it is preferred that a parent fills this out
E-mail responses to dancingteenblog@gmail.com
Name*-
Parent or Student?
What is your activity?
How long have you been dancing?
Do you do ballet or another form of dance (pls. specify)
Do you do pointe?
How has ballet helped you?
How has your activity helped you with ballet?
Do you participate in end of the year shows or Nutcracker?
How do you balance a busy schedule?
*optional
Pictures and videos are always welcome.
If you are under 13 it is preferred that a parent fills this out
E-mail responses to dancingteenblog@gmail.com
Sunday, August 16, 2009
New Year, Nutcracker Auditions ***UPDATED***
Sorry about not posting as much! I've been on Vacation! So i know dance has either already started back up or is starting soon and wanted to wish everyone good luck this year.
A new Dance year can bring happiness or disappointment. In my case-disappointment. I have been taking classes with girls older than me for 2 years but now my AD wants me to be with girls my own age so I have to repeat a year :(
Also with the new dance year is Nutcracker Auditions!!!!!
This is my Guide to Nutcracker Auditions
A new Dance year can bring happiness or disappointment. In my case-disappointment. I have been taking classes with girls older than me for 2 years but now my AD wants me to be with girls my own age so I have to repeat a year :(
Also with the new dance year is Nutcracker Auditions!!!!!
This is my Guide to Nutcracker Auditions
- Most auditions for children's parts are based on size because they reuse costumes year after year and cannot custom make them every year. So don't be upset if you/your child doesn't get a part she is to tall/short for, it doesn't mean she is not a good dancer
- Many Nutcracker auditions consist of learning choreography from the dance they are trying out for. A good way to be prepared is to watch some of the company's past performances or videos on youtube.com to become familiar with the choreography.
- Auditions for older girls can sometimes take place in the form of a class, learning choreography at the end.
What to Wear?
- Hair in a bun with bangs back (http://justanotherdancingteen.blogspot.com/2009/05/ballet-buns.html)
- Leotard, tights, ballet slippers, pointe shoes (if needed)
I have created some audition outfits using DDS (http://www.discountdance.com/index.php) Under each picture is it's "ID" number, search it on DDS.
[For tights and slippers browse the site or use your own]
You may want to call the Studio/Company you are auditioning for and ask if there is a dress code.
For 6-8 year olds
Light blue is a step above the classic pink,but the cap sleeve still says little girl and looks great with flowers around the bun. The bag is small enough to carry with no problem and has a separate compartment for slippers
[TB132]
[2390]
[4317]
Under 6
These girls are always cute in pink. Pair a ballet pink cap sleeve leo with a hair wreath with a big bow. The bag is small enough to carry with no trouble and has just enough room for her ballet slippers
These girls are always cute in pink. Pair a ballet pink cap sleeve leo with a hair wreath with a big bow. The bag is small enough to carry with no trouble and has just enough room for her ballet slippers
[CL5462]
[PB27596]
[B17C]
9-11
These girls can be uncomfortable with their bodies. These are sturdy leotards that are fully front lined. They are also available in adult sizes. They come in a variety of colors because these girls like to make their own decisions. Available in Black, Burgundy, Garnet, Hunter, L. Blue, Navy, Pink, Royal and White. The second leo has easy sizing as it comes in traditional clothing sizes. It comes in Black, White, L. Pink, L. Blue, Lavender, Mulberry, Royal, Red, Yellow and Seafoam. Both bags are fashion forward. The 1st one has a graphic and the second one is more quiet and as a coin purse. Most of the Girls this age won't want a bun wreath. Many will want a single flower or scrunchie available at Claire's (http://www.claires.com/)
[CC202C]
[Y1555C]
[3610]
[1002DLX]
14+
For serious girls, camisoles are a must. The 1st style has many color choices; Black, White, Lemon, Eggplant, Mint, Dark Teal and Fuchsia. The pinch front and low back are very flattering, and the princess seams are slimming. The second leo is a classic black camisole. The straps are both adjustable and detachable allowing for a criss-cross back. The big tote bag can hold everything you need for a day of rehearsals-including a compartment for pointe shoes.
[N8041]
[N8129]
[4366] I will be giving more tips throughout the rest of August. E-mail me with any ?s or comments. We would love to see your audition outfits!!
Monday, August 3, 2009
My story-Part 2
Part 1
Ugh, you’d think after five years I’d be able to sleep on this stupid train. But no, every night I lie awake until midnight or later swaying back and forth, hitting bumps and going around corners. Sometimes I wish I could just go back home.
My name is Polina. My parents, they knew they were going to send me away when I turned two. You see, we lived in Russia, well they still do. They were relatively poor so there only option was to hope there first born was a girl and then send her to the Russian Academy of Dance and Acrobats. They sent me there because if I was good enough at eight and toured around the world with the company, the government would pay my parents. It turned out I was so that’s why I’m on this stupid train. I don’t talk to my parents much but I do know that just two years after I was sent away they had a little girl named Tania, meaning fairy princess. This annoys me because my name means little stone. Let me tell you what I look like. I'm from the part of Russia near Europe so I have blue eyes, straight blonde hair, and fair skin. I'm 5’2 and really, really thin.
In the beginning at RADA I studied dance, then at age four I started acrobats, and at age six I started rhythmic gymnastics. So I was training full time at seven and at eight six of us girls were chosen to go on tour. That was the last time I saw Russia. At first I was scared of the train. Me and the other five girls became friends. We met some of the other girls who had been on tour for many years. Our first performance was in London, England. We arrived a day early to practice. We practiced for five hours straight. As the youngest performers we had a small part. The big girls practiced for ten to twelve hours. Our costumes were beautiful compared to our drab, gray practice dresses. They were pink dresses with white lace bloomers. Our hair was curled into perfect ringlets topped with big pink bows. We only did one short dance because it was our first performance later on the schedule became way more intense.
After that we traveled all around Europe. We spent about four days per city. On the train we all had one bag for our things, a mat and quilt for a bed, and a bag for our performance apparatuses. In our bag of performance apparatuses we each have a purple and silver hoop, a metallic purple ball, a silver rope, a purple ribbon, and purple and silver clubs to match our purple and white skirted leotard. We no longer wore the cute pink dresses. For our acrobatic performances we wore a blue leotard. We no longer preformed our dance routines.
Part 2
“Polina, sang Diana, time to get up!”
“Not now, Dasha!”
“I’m Diana, Dasha’s still sleeping. She's just as bad as you!”
“I don’t want to get up!”
“But were going to be in Venice for the week!”
“Fine”
Polina sat up on her mat, the sun was shining through the train windows. The air was warm. This is definitely Italy, she thought. She giggled as she watched Diana trying to wake up her twin sister Dasha. They were so carefree. They never seemed to be sad. They liked traveling and probably never thought of…..running away. Polina shook the thought out of her head. If she ran away her parents would stop getting paid and they would never let her back in their home.
Fifteen minutes later then train stopped and the girls unloaded. They each carried both of their bags up to the hotel room. The best part about staying in Venice was that they got to stay in a hotel, and sleep on real beds. The hotel owner felt bad for them and allowed them to stay free as long as he got two tickets for his daughters to one of the shows. After they put away their things they each grabbed a piece of fruit and ran over to the theatre to start rehearsals. The rehearsals used to seem long but now they were just a normal part of her day. First they did an hour long dance class followed by 2 hours of tumbling, afterward they had an hour stretch class. Then they had lunch and rest for 45 minutes and then spent the rest of the day rotating between rhythmic gymnastics and rehearsing their routines. Their day ended around 7:30pm. They all grabbed something for dinner, went up to the showers, showered, and went to their rooms and fell asleep.
The next night was their first show.
“Polina, Dasha; WAKE UP!!!! It’s a show day!”
“Diana, not now! This bed is SO comfortable.”
“But it’s a show day; we have rehearsal in 20 minutes.”
The girls jumped out of bed and changed into their practice clothes. After a long day of rehearsal they went to the dressing rooms to get changed. Polina’s favorite thing about being on tour was the performances and getting ready for them. For her first few performances Ekaterina helped her get ready. She was 16 when Polina first joined the tour. She had since ran away and gotten married. Polina knew this because they kept in contact. Ekaterina would send letters to RADA and they would be sent to the train’s next major stop.
“Dasha”, asked Polina, “have you ever thought about….running away?”
“Of course not! My parents have 4 other children to take care of. Now come over here so I can do you hair. Madame Olena wants two Dutch braids into a bun. I know you have trouble with the Dutch braids.”
After Dasha did her hair they slipped into their blue leotards, and packed their rhythmic leotards and apparatus. Polina stood in front of the full length mirror. After admiring her braids she looked at the rest of her body. Her arms and legs were thin but, muscular and her ribs stuck out like a plateau. This can’t possibly be right, she thought.
After they ended the tumbling part of their show they quickly changed into their purple and white skirted leotards and started to warm up their routines, as the youngest girls performed their dances.
“Udachi, good luck!” called Dasha and Diana at the same time as Polina went on stage to perform her hoop routine. Polina stood on stage waiting for the music, someone caught her eye. He was tan, had dark brown hair and….the most amazing brown eyes. They sparkled like stars at night. Her music started. She arched her back and began her routine
Ugh, you’d think after five years I’d be able to sleep on this stupid train. But no, every night I lie awake until midnight or later swaying back and forth, hitting bumps and going around corners. Sometimes I wish I could just go back home.
My name is Polina. My parents, they knew they were going to send me away when I turned two. You see, we lived in Russia, well they still do. They were relatively poor so there only option was to hope there first born was a girl and then send her to the Russian Academy of Dance and Acrobats. They sent me there because if I was good enough at eight and toured around the world with the company, the government would pay my parents. It turned out I was so that’s why I’m on this stupid train. I don’t talk to my parents much but I do know that just two years after I was sent away they had a little girl named Tania, meaning fairy princess. This annoys me because my name means little stone. Let me tell you what I look like. I'm from the part of Russia near Europe so I have blue eyes, straight blonde hair, and fair skin. I'm 5’2 and really, really thin.
In the beginning at RADA I studied dance, then at age four I started acrobats, and at age six I started rhythmic gymnastics. So I was training full time at seven and at eight six of us girls were chosen to go on tour. That was the last time I saw Russia. At first I was scared of the train. Me and the other five girls became friends. We met some of the other girls who had been on tour for many years. Our first performance was in London, England. We arrived a day early to practice. We practiced for five hours straight. As the youngest performers we had a small part. The big girls practiced for ten to twelve hours. Our costumes were beautiful compared to our drab, gray practice dresses. They were pink dresses with white lace bloomers. Our hair was curled into perfect ringlets topped with big pink bows. We only did one short dance because it was our first performance later on the schedule became way more intense.
After that we traveled all around Europe. We spent about four days per city. On the train we all had one bag for our things, a mat and quilt for a bed, and a bag for our performance apparatuses. In our bag of performance apparatuses we each have a purple and silver hoop, a metallic purple ball, a silver rope, a purple ribbon, and purple and silver clubs to match our purple and white skirted leotard. We no longer wore the cute pink dresses. For our acrobatic performances we wore a blue leotard. We no longer preformed our dance routines.
Part 2
“Polina, sang Diana, time to get up!”
“Not now, Dasha!”
“I’m Diana, Dasha’s still sleeping. She's just as bad as you!”
“I don’t want to get up!”
“But were going to be in Venice for the week!”
“Fine”
Polina sat up on her mat, the sun was shining through the train windows. The air was warm. This is definitely Italy, she thought. She giggled as she watched Diana trying to wake up her twin sister Dasha. They were so carefree. They never seemed to be sad. They liked traveling and probably never thought of…..running away. Polina shook the thought out of her head. If she ran away her parents would stop getting paid and they would never let her back in their home.
Fifteen minutes later then train stopped and the girls unloaded. They each carried both of their bags up to the hotel room. The best part about staying in Venice was that they got to stay in a hotel, and sleep on real beds. The hotel owner felt bad for them and allowed them to stay free as long as he got two tickets for his daughters to one of the shows. After they put away their things they each grabbed a piece of fruit and ran over to the theatre to start rehearsals. The rehearsals used to seem long but now they were just a normal part of her day. First they did an hour long dance class followed by 2 hours of tumbling, afterward they had an hour stretch class. Then they had lunch and rest for 45 minutes and then spent the rest of the day rotating between rhythmic gymnastics and rehearsing their routines. Their day ended around 7:30pm. They all grabbed something for dinner, went up to the showers, showered, and went to their rooms and fell asleep.
The next night was their first show.
“Polina, Dasha; WAKE UP!!!! It’s a show day!”
“Diana, not now! This bed is SO comfortable.”
“But it’s a show day; we have rehearsal in 20 minutes.”
The girls jumped out of bed and changed into their practice clothes. After a long day of rehearsal they went to the dressing rooms to get changed. Polina’s favorite thing about being on tour was the performances and getting ready for them. For her first few performances Ekaterina helped her get ready. She was 16 when Polina first joined the tour. She had since ran away and gotten married. Polina knew this because they kept in contact. Ekaterina would send letters to RADA and they would be sent to the train’s next major stop.
“Dasha”, asked Polina, “have you ever thought about….running away?”
“Of course not! My parents have 4 other children to take care of. Now come over here so I can do you hair. Madame Olena wants two Dutch braids into a bun. I know you have trouble with the Dutch braids.”
After Dasha did her hair they slipped into their blue leotards, and packed their rhythmic leotards and apparatus. Polina stood in front of the full length mirror. After admiring her braids she looked at the rest of her body. Her arms and legs were thin but, muscular and her ribs stuck out like a plateau. This can’t possibly be right, she thought.
After they ended the tumbling part of their show they quickly changed into their purple and white skirted leotards and started to warm up their routines, as the youngest girls performed their dances.
“Udachi, good luck!” called Dasha and Diana at the same time as Polina went on stage to perform her hoop routine. Polina stood on stage waiting for the music, someone caught her eye. He was tan, had dark brown hair and….the most amazing brown eyes. They sparkled like stars at night. Her music started. She arched her back and began her routine
Sunday, August 2, 2009
AUGUST!!!!!!!!!!
WOW! I can't believe it's already August. This summer is flying by. I know some of you went to Summer Intensives. We would love to hear about them. Also how are you getting back in shape for classes this fall? I'm running and doing pilates. I highly recommend getting a pilates DVD.
That's all for now.
That's all for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)