Safe Stretching in Expensive Leotards

Upcoming shows at Ballet West:

The Nutcracker starts December 5th it runs until the 31st at the Capital theatre and in ogden November 28th and 29th . Come see the classic Christmas Ballet full of dancing dolls and wild parties. Personally I think you should go during December 18th to the 20th then you can see me. The nutcracker is fun for all ages and a great ballet. I have seen it over and over again not to mention from back stage and I never get tired of it even though the songs get suck in your head for ever.. This is good for the whole family and really gets you in the mood for the holidays. So, come enjoy the annual nutcracker at Ballet west. If you buy your tickets now they are 40% off. 

Photo by DC Metro Theaters 

Reviews:

Photo by Yumiko Berlin

Yumiko Dance wear. This review is on the one and only Yumiko. If you do not know what Yumiko is it is a dance wear company that makes very cute yet equally expensive leotards. A single leotard can run upwards of $80! They are an international company and their website is in 6 languages. All though they are expensive they have good quality and hold for a long time not to say how they are very stylish and have great ballet fashion. The website was easy to navigate and gave a very in depth selection. Once you have chosen the style you like you can chose a different trim and color and sized exactly to your needs. This is because they are all hand made. That is probably one of the reasons they are so expensive. I personally do not have one but it may be on the way soon for a holiday or upcoming birthday. (fingers crossed) Over all Yumikos are a great brand that everyone loves just not the price.

Stretch of the Week:
Good stetting techniques are necessary so you do not get injured. Here are 3 things to always remember when stretching. Before you stretch a muscle you must warm up. A good way to do this is by doing a plié combination or just getting you blood pumping. That can even be done by jumping jacks. Also do not jump into splits right away you could tear a muscle. Warm up properly before hard stretches. Another tip is that over stretching is worse than not stretching because you can pull a muscle and be hurt for a long time. You should not stretch your splits for longer than 2 minutes at a time then you can go back and do it again up to 15 times in one sitting but you need to give your body brakes in-between. When doing other stretches that come in reps like leg swings only do sets of 15 at a time and repeat this as much as you want but do not do more than 15 at a time. You may think it helps with endurance but really it just weakens the mussel and trust me you will be sore. Finally make sure to stay in your boundaries no matter what if you try something to far out of your comfort zone you will get hurt. An example of this is over splits. Over splits are when you elevate your leg then do the splits. I can do over splits on a chair but some people are not that flexible and no matter how warm they are they will get hurt. Work at your own pace and don't care about the people around you.