My Weekly Schedule

As you have probably noticed if you keep up-to-date on my blog (Shoutout to my three great followers!!)  I dance a lot! At ballet west there are no breaks, because everyone wants to be a professional and only a few will make it. We train hard from Monday to Saturday. Sunday is the only day we get off and if we didn't live in Utah we probably would dance then too. There are the occasional auditions on Sundays though so there is that. I thought that it might be interesting to tell you what exactly my schedule is. So, here is an inside look on a level 8 at BWA (Ballet West Academy) is like. If there is anyone reading this feel free to comment what your schedule is like I would love to hear it!

* During the week I wake up at 6 am. :(  I get ready and take the bus to school and after rush strait down to Ballet.*

Our New Studio
by
Salt Lake City Rundown 

Mondays: On mondays we get out of school early so I have a breather from 1:45 all the way until 2:30 when it is time to head down. I live in Park City and dance in Salt Lake so it is a 30 minuet drive down the canyon every day. Dance starts at 3:15 and it is pointe class. Our Teacher is  Cati Snar. This class ends at 4:45 and our next class is Variations with Heather Frixell. Variations is also on pointe. For those of you who do not know Variations is where we learn solo's from actual ballets. Curently we are learning one from Swan Lake, in honor of Ballet West performance.

Tuesdays: On Tuesdays I go straight down and class starts at 3:15 again only this time it is on flat and with Miss Jan. ( I don't know her last name). That class ends at 5:00 and then we have modern class. Modern ends a 6:00.


Wednesday: On Wednesdays I head straight down again and we have flat again but with Heather Frixell. Then we have Character with Lisa Hoyt. Character is combined with the level 9's which is always very fun.

Thursday: On Thursdays I go down for class at 3:15 and it is with Miss Cati again and it is pointe again. After we have conditioning with miss Jan and the level 9's along with the 7's. FYI- Conditioning is not for your hair it is strengthening and flexibility class. It is actually pretty hard.  Conditioning ends at 6:00

FRIDAY: On Fridays I have only one class from 3:15 to 5:00 with Miss Jan or Mr. Jeff. This is a flat class.

Saturdays: On Saturdays we have a very long day with many classes. We start at 10:00am with technique combined with the 7's fought by Miss Cati. It is a flat class then we have a 15 minuet lunch break at 11:45. At 12:00 we start Rep. which is short for repertory. In this class we learn our dances for our shows. They are all on pointe.  Finally at 2:00 we start contemporary class. This is a new class at the academy when they got the new building they wanted to have more extension classes and this was one of them. Although they are called extension classes all of our classes are mediatory and the academy has a strict attendance policy. If you don't go often enough you could get kicked out of the show or the school.

Hope you enjoyed! :)

Summer Intensive Auditions

Summer auditions have finally come this weekend there were many auditions around the US. Along with many of my class mates I auditioned for SAB (The School of American Ballet). The audition was stressful as always but fun. If you have never auditioned for a summer intensive they are almost always the same. This is how a basic audition goes. First you get up and get ready making sure you look perfect. Once you have your hair done absolutely perfect, you've found the perfect leo and you have cute warm ups to sike out the competition on you're ready to leave. I like to eat a really small healthy breakfast like and apple. You leave over budgeting about 45  minuets. Then you get there and you see everyone. The feeling you get is a strange mix of desperation, cockiness and a hint of fear. Then, You go get your number and pin it the front of your leo like 15 times until its perfect.  It is always really crowded but somehow cold. Its almost silent and there is this weird who is the most flexible contest going on while every one is stretching. (Although no one every says anything about it, you just know.) Finally when your group is called in you all get up and stand up as straight as possible to walk in, because first impressions are everything! Then it really gets intimidating. You all stand at the bar while three to five judges stare you down watching your every move. Once you finish the bar sometimes they let you grab a drink or they just move straight to center. It depends on the level you are if they ask you to put on your pointe shoes or not. Some auditions the entire class is on pointe.

Photo by Ballet Strength

 After center is over you clap and line up to thank the teacher then you go home and wait. Waiting is the worst for a couple of day then you forget about the whole thing or go to another audition. Usually you do not her back until April or May to see if you got in. All this waiting then you have about two weeks to decide which one you will attend. This particular audition was weird because it was in one of our own studios that the school rented while the Capital theater was under construction.  It was held there because when schools hold auditions for summer programs the tour the country and have to use what ever venue is best suited in that city. It was held at the Marriott Centre for Dance at the University of Utah.  Auditions are really intimidating but the are also really exciting. I personally do better at auditions because I try much harder. Although you probably won't get into every single school you ever audition to it is still great practice and a good experience to audition as much as possible, also aren't auditions and performances what you trained for?

All things pointe shoes

Once you reach the intermediate levels of ballet you go on pointe. To anyone who is not a dancer yes, this means you dance on your tip toes. Once you get your first pair of pointe shoes there are a lot of things to know for the many that come. 

First, Pointe shoes are expensive! The average pair of pointe shoes cost around $90+. Then you have to buy all the necessary supplies like ribbon, elastics, rosin, toe pads and etc.. 

Photo by Meres Flares

Second, not only are the expensive but if you stick with it you will use A LOT of pairs. Most beginning pointe dancers only go through one or two pairs their first year. This rapidly increases on a personal level after that. The better a dancer you get the more pointe shoes you will go through in any given amount of time but it also depend on how strong your feet are because then you are putting less strain on the shoes. I have gone through 13 pair in my 2 and a half years on pointe. 

Photo by Wikimedia

Next, Sewing!! :)Just kidding sewing pointe shoe is horrible! At the academy you have to sew your own pointe shoes. They are so specific abut how you sew them that they give you a course when you first go on pointe. Here are some quick step to sewing them properly; start by marking where you want the ribbons to go and which foot is which. Then sew the elastics. I use one elastic place pretty far back near the heel.Click here for a stitching pattern to follow.  Then move to the ribbons, repeat the same sewing pattern that was used on the elastics.  Finally you burn the end of the ribbons to prevent fraying.

There are many necessary supplies when it comes to pointe shoes. You need to get elastics and ribbons, how ever usually they come with the pointe shoes. You also need a stitch kit; stitch kits have the proper thread and a needle made for sewing pointe shoes. You can get this at any dance wear store. Probably the most helpful supplies are spacers and toe pads! These will save you from bleeding and prevent bunions. You also need rosin to help them not slip while you are dancing.

WARNING:The pain of pointe shoes is not exaggerated! Pointe doesn't hurt that much at first but after your amount of pointe classes increases so does the pain. After a long saturday rehearsal you can almost not feel your feet anymore, and that comes as a relief. The pain of pointe shoes is really painful especially if your toe nails are too long or too short. The worst is without toe pads though. Once I forgot my toe pads in the wash and I had to go without any thing except a cheap paper towel. It was probably one of the most painful two and a half hours in my life! For the last 30 minuets I was dying and definitely looked horrible. After class I took my pointe shoes off to find blood and blister and purple toes. After that experience I always triple check to make sure I have my toe pads. It took me three weeks to fully recover and do pointe without wanting to cry. It really is true what they say about ballet causing blood sweat and tears!

So all though Pointe causes pain and costs a fortune thats what defines a dancer. Getting your pointe your first pair of pointe shoes is so exciting and it gives you a great sense of accomplishment! Pointe shoes are worth the suffrage they cause and there defiantly is a lot of suffering going on.

Nutcracker recovery

After a long 4 days with 8 shows I am as tried as can be but the next morning at 8 Am I got on a plane and went to Minnesota. It has been 6 days since nutcracker and I am still recovering. I have been sleeping until 1 pm then at 3 I take a nap and then go to bed at 11. I guess you can say my sleeping squeal is pretty messed up. It has been pretty rough since I am not home and I can't recover how I normally would, so I thought I would share some ways I relax after performance weeks. Oh, and by the way I hope your holidays were wonderful and not full of to much nutcracker music. I got a turn board! The best way to recover is pretty different than you would think. First you should get a normal amount of sleep. (not what I did...) Then have one day to relax. I like to take a bubble bath and try to get all my make up off but chances are the eyelash glue will be stuck for months.Washing your face and hair a lot is good because they will probably be pretty ruined from all the harsh make up and hairspray. I also love watching gossip girl and drinking lemon tea.(This is pretty much what I look like.)

Photo by Sunny-Rainy-Day

You should also eat healthy because it will help you not feel like crap.  Then a pretty important step is that after your one day you should exercise. Not super hard core, and doing something other than dancing really helps to not make your muscles sore. Some fun things you can do are hiking or even just walking around. It is better to do something outside because chances are if your show schedules are like mine you will have not seen the sun for 4 days. After this you can pretty much return to your daily routine with out feeling very tired but as I learned this break if you just sleep and never do anything it makes it so much worse. Happy recovering everyone!

Nutcracker Show

I am exactly in the middle of Nutcracker Hell at the moment. I am in B cast and we have four shows in eight days. This basically means we don't see the sun for four days. You come in at 10 for call time and leave at 9:30 with one break at 5:30. If you have ever wondered what goes on in a dressing room the day of the show it goes a little something like this; put on your make up do your hair and put on your costume then you wait. While were all waiting for our time on stage we play cards, talk and put on more makeup. In the case of this year our dressing room is in the basement with no signal which means we can not use our phones at all except for music. Today was when the boredom kicked in and some of us, me included, tried to sleep on the rolled up rug in the corner. Once the ladies in waiting put their costumes on they can not sit down so we all put our costumes on 15 minuets before we go on. That how ever does not help when we are waiting for our second appearance. It depends which cast you are in how many shows you do and how long they are spread apart. A cast is the most spread out with some shows at a different theater. Needless to stay I am not in A cast.

Picture by Me

 If you don't know the story of the nutcracker here is a short summary. For a full summary click here. Clara receives a toy from her godfather and it is the nutcracker. This toy is magical and her brother breaks it. Then she goes through the magical journey through the lives of her toys. There are several trials and final they win and get through all of the different lands. The nutcracker is a very beautiful ballet and possible the most well known in the world. The best part to dance as a child dancer is young Clara which is typically given to a short girl ages 8-12 around 5 feet tall which is the same height as the solders.  I am a lady in waiting which does not do much. Actually we do absolutely nothing. We walk and twirl in a long pink dress with charter shoes on. If you don't know what charter shoes are they are dancing shoes with a small 1 inch heel. The nutcracker is fun for a lot of parts but this is not one of them. I should probably get some sleep because I have yet another show tomorrow morning.

Ballet on the Beach

For thanksgiving my family does it a little different. Every year we travel around the world to tropical place to avoid the first signs of winter. This year we decided to go to Jamaica. When ever you travel you can spot the dancers right away because usually they are contorting their bodies on the beach or doing tricks for a camera. As you can guess I am also guilty of this.

Photo By Me

Dance is pretty much like an addiction. Once you start you can not stop. I commonly find myself dancing in my living room, in the grocery store and pretty much everywhere I go. So although my training hours add up to about 19 hours a week I am dancing 24/7. On my break from dance I went on many adventures. I went river tubing in the black river and zip lining in the forrest. I also went hang gliding and on a bike tour. I was supposed to go scuba diving and parasailing but the weather took a turn for the worst leaving me to tan at the beach and pool in the rain. Normally I hate rain but this was the warm tropical type of rain that was really refreshing. My favorite part was the swim up bar with piña coladas. (non-achaholic of course)  Being a dancer and being in shape really helped me be able to complete these activities easily. I still stretched everyday to make sure I wouldn't fall behind the curve.

The week after a break is usually pretty difficult but there some ways to prevent that. Here are 6 tips to stay in shape over break.

1. Exercise of the break.  Even if you are not dancing you can still go for a run or do an activity. This really helps because then you still have stamina when you come back. If you just sit around you become lazy and getting back into the swing of things much harder.

2. Stretch as much as possible. Flexibility is weird because some thing you loose easily that took a long time to get. The less time you have been able to do something the quicker it goes away.  Just make sure a week away doesn't effect you the week back.

3. Balances. One good easy way to stay on top of your game that doesn't require a ton of space is to practice balancing. If you are in your room or on the beach you can practice retiré and extensions.


4.Harm up your feet. Stretching your feet is so important because when you come back you don't want your feet to cramp up. Some stretches you can do are just rising up and calf stretches. If you have a foot stretch for your class this is a good thing to go over a couple times.

5. Eat healthy over the break. You can kinda let your self go on break but don't eat so unhealthy that you feel sick. Keep in mind it takes three days for your weight to adjust from your eating patterns so stay healthy!

6. Catch up on your sleep. This last one is possibly the best one. Sleep in! If you are a dancer you are probably sleep deprived and this will help you feel better than ever before. Make sure you don't oversleep though or your schedule will be really messed up.

So, over all have fun over break and let loose but remember that Ballet never takes a break from your life. Even if you don't try to practice dance it probably will happen so just relax and look for the other dancers next break and keep up.

The Perfect Bun

If you are a dancer then you know how important it is to master the perfect ballet bun. At the Academy everyone pretty much has it down by level 6. I have heard teachers and professionals say that they can tell how well a dancer is going to dance by how well their bun was done. This statement is harsh but it is also pretty true as well. if you think about it you are going to put the same amount of effort into class they you put into your bun. If someones hair is sloppy they also can not go full out because of the fear that it will fall out. Anyone who has ever been in a ballet class knows that having your hair fall out in class is the worst and most embracing thing possible. At ballet west if your hair keeps falling out the ask you to go redo it in the bathroom or sit out and watch. So, now that you know how important proper hair is here are the steps and some tips on how to make a perfect ballet bun.

Photo by Me 

What you need:
Hair brush / comb
Round hair brush
1 Hair tie
5 or 6 large bun pins (you can purchase these at almost every dance store or click here.)
Small bobby pins
Clips
Spray bottle (filled with water)
Hair nets
Hair spray
* Flower or Bow optional*

Step #1
Making a pony tale. When you are making a pony tale you should aim for it to be right where your head curves. It helps to get rid of bumps if you wet your hair before you start. You should hold your hair in the position you would put the hair tie in and brush/comb through it several time until it is very smooth and has no bumps. Use the round circle brushes for this. Then put the hair tie in. If there are and bumps or sagging pieces you can secure them with a clip or bobby pins.

Step #2
Twist the hair tightly together, then wrap that twist in a circle following the same direction you were twisting. Use the large bobby pins to secure it. You want your bun to be as flat as possible.


Step #3
Cover it with a hair tie and the secure with small bobby pins.

Step #4
Us hair spray to secure any whispy hair and for a long lasting hold.


Depending on what the policies for you school are after you finished you can add a flower or bow for styling. Ballet west does not allow these like most professional schools, so keep in mind for auditions and programs at schools like these you look more professional without any extras. If you follow these steps you can make a perfect ballet bun. Just remember to wash your hair afterwards  so it stays healthy!