Dance Diary | 7th Week of Ballet

And here I am again with another dance diary. I didn't blog this week because I had so many things to do and my classes demanded so much of my time I couldn't spare a minute to do anything leisurely. I did treat myself though and took an hour break to watch the first episode of the 2nd season of Breaking Pointe. I miss the show and like all other dancers was so exicted for it to be picked up for another season.

Dance was good this week I guess. I mean I'm getting into routine and starting to not feel so dumb with the steps and can follow along without looking down as much. I am trying to train myself into looking straight ahead and at the mirror aswell.

I'm cutting it short this week so I hope you understand I should be doing my thesis instead of procrastinating. But this was a really fun distraction for me! 

xo  Jackie

Dance Diary | 6th Week of Ballet

So, if you didn't notice I didn't attend last Saturday's ballet class because of the storm we had. I had class in the morning and went to that and I was going to drive down to the studio but the rain was so harsh and the wind was just terrible and I knew I wouldn't be able to drive away from my campus and an hour and a half away from my house in that kind of storm so I had to miss it. I was so upset about this and really wanted to go to class. This was my first time missing it and I promised myself that no matter what I would go even if I was sick but I just couldn't drive through it and risk an accident or getting stranded in the city. I'm glad I took a class last Wednesday or I would have felt worse that I didn't take ballet that week. It was almost like a sign telling me to go to class on Wednesday.

This week though, I thought I would be a little behind and I feel like since I missed a week I would have trouble again and that my body will be sore. I did get used to it again though and it was like all the other times I did class.

We are still doing technique and improving. I am getting better in holding in my stomach and trying to remain nice and long. I think I'm doing okay and even if I'm not in class I am starting to form a habit of holding in everything and improving my posture. I felt like I slouched before but now I am slowly learning to elongate myself.

I'm not getting corrected as much like the other girls who are always getting yelled out for doing something wrong. But I did get corrected with my allonge. I always seem to flick my wrist and I was told that it is bad but I have been doing it that way ever since I was little so I need to train myself to stop flicking my wrist. I was furious with the teacher because I am not just a ballet dancer but also a tap dancer and I used to do it before to give it an effect when you dance so it is not so plain. I really had to think to stop getting my wrist to flick out when I do my routines. Other than that I am remembering to stand tall, point my toes and I am hoping with dear life that I can balance.

My big problem I seem to have is balancing when I am on my toes. I can do it but I think since I have so much weight in my that my toes are having a little hard time balancing all that weight. I can hear my ankles crack when I first go up in relleve but then I am fine and find my center. I just have to improve my balance and I will be fine.

I do have good news this week. We have a recital coming up! I thought it was going to be in December and there is one which will be a full production but this August our recital is going to be happening. They do it every quarter and so there is one in August, December and March. You cannot believe how excited I am and when I found out I was so thrilled and couldn't wait. I have something to look forward to know that is much closer. I was so excited for December and planning things but now I have a small recital to plan for. It is also an evaluation which I know I wont get promoted or anything but it is exciting. We don't have full costumes this time which is a little sad but I do get a skirt and we get to dance in the main theater which is great. I am planning on bringing my whole family because when I was in the US, it was only my mom and dad and now I can bring a whole army with me. I have an aunt who is actually considering to make me a banner and block peoples view and shout my name and give me a standing ovation before I even start. She is so sweet and is definitely my number one fan now and so is her daughter. She is two and loves to watch me perform so I can't wait for that.

Another good point is I got an I.D. Which is not a big deal but to me it was. I just kept on starring at it and as you can see it might not be fancy and made out of paper and laminated yet I love it so much. The picture is from way back in high school because that is all I had and I use that picture for pretty much anything. You'd think I would get another one done soon. I do love my drivers license picture which is rare cause you look awful but I look great in mine. I wish I could use that one instead though.

I hope you enjoyed my dance diary this week. I hope not to miss anymore but I will just have to see. And I also am so excited for recital day and I hope you guys are to since it will be my first time to perform on stage again after a long time.

xo 

Jackie

Meeting a National Ballerina!

Can you believe I met a famous ballerina!? I can't believe it either! In my last blog post I talked about going to the company's open rehearsal and one of the people who attended was the Philippines national ballerina, Lisa Makuja-Elizarde. She is famous for doing ballet here and it was a priledge for me to talk to her and actually meet her. My aunt was ecstatic as well and a little more of a fangirl than me.

She looked amazing and was so kind when I asked for a picture. She didn't turn me down and even asked how long I was dancing for. I couldn't believe I was talking to a real live famous ballerina. It's not everyday you meet someone like this. In my whole dancing experience I think I have only met a handful of famous dance people. I might have to do a blog post on the others I met sometime.

I kind of regret not wearing something more formal. As you can see I was in my leotard and tights with just sweatpants and a coverup. I think I even had legwarmers on but not really sure. But it did get me noticed and I think I was the only dance student form the school to watch the company event so it was okay I guess. I hope to get to meet her again because I would love to hear more about her career in person and what it was like going all over the world to perform these princpal parts.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about me meeting a famous ballerina. Have you ever met one? It is such a dream for an aspiring dancer to actually met someone you want to be just like.

xo
Jackie

Ballet Philippines's Open Rehersal "Zebra"

Last July 6, I was invited by the Artistic Director of the ballet company I work for to watch the open rehearsal of a new choreographed modern dance they will be performing next February. I was really interested and since this was a rare thing I decided to go. So after my ballet class which ended at 4 PM I waited 3 hours to watch this show. I took my 2 Aunts and my niece to the main theater. The dance studio is inside the theater so we didn't have to go far.

When we finally got the tickets we went inside. I was expecting to be seated in the actual seats but there was special seating right on the stage so we get a live and up close view of the dancers. I thought it was neat and a little more personal. It was a pretty nice event if I have to say but I felt a little underdressed. As more and more people came in they were wearing formal clothes while I was in my leotard and tights with only sweats and a t-shirt cover up. I know next time to wear more decent clothes.

The show started and my niece who is 2 almost 3 years old was making some noise and this is kind of late at night for her so I was getting annoyed because I didn't want to get embarrassed because she was the only kid there while the guests were mostly important people. She was pretty good but I still was trying to make her keep quiet. She enjoyed the dancing but when it came to the people who were speaking about the event she wouldn't listen. We were sitting in front of the 2nd cast who will perform on the next night of the actually performance, what was so cute was some of the company members were talking to her and werent annoyed at all. She then yelled that they were amazing when the show was over. So, one of the comapny members took her to meet the cast and she even got a picture with one of them. She even complimeted the principle dancer. She is 2 like I said and they all htough that was the cutest thing.

Enough about my little niece, my thoughts were it was a lovely event. The company introduced new projects and the upcoming performances by the company. The Executive Director also gave a nice speech about new things coming up and what to expect. She explained about the new studio that is in process to improve the quality and invite in more dancers. The Artistic Director introduced the choreographer and his work. This performance and event was technically dedicated to him because he is leaving to go back to France in a couple of days and probably wont see the show in February because he is a company member in France. I also forgot to mention he did a short piece himself and I would have to say it was well done. I love the style and how he really used his body and movements. He is such a great dancer and the piece he choreographed was amazing as well. It was very different and really captured what he was trying to portray in today's society.

I take this as a privileged to be apart and to attend the event. I met some important people and it is definitely a rare and unforgettable experience. 

Zebra is part of one of the dances Ballet Philippines will hold in February 2014 entitled "The Art of Dance" which will be apart of the 44th Season: IllumiNATION." Another performance they will be hosting is Giselle which will open August 16.

*Disclaimer: My thoughts of the event are my own and even though I am affiliated by working with the company this does not affect my thoughts or my opinion about the event. 
*Zebra Poster: Credit to BP's Website
*Picture: My own I took at the event.

xo
Jackie

Dance Diary | Midweek Ballet Class

Yay, a special midweek dance diary! So that means I went to a ballet class but not on a Saturday. I will still go to my Saturday class though. Yesterday I posted I might be taking a ballet class because I didn't have to attend any college courses that day so that gave me an opportunity to take a class.

I left my laptop at the office at my ballet studio so I couldn't write this 'till now. So, I did my internship duties during the day and afternoon like always.

My class started at 7 PM and I stopped working around 6 to get dress and to stretch. When I got all dressed I sat in the hallways with my other classmates and stretched with them. Some of them I knew their faces from seeing them in class on Saturdays. I started talking to one and found out some much about her. She was so nice and really inspiring. She is a mother of triplets and her daughter wanted to try ballet. She used to do ballet but stopped because she couldn't afford it anymore, now that she can she dances 3x a week while her daughter dances once. She was so friendly and I liked getting to know the other ballerinas. To me it was kind of strange having older girls in my ballet class but I know it's a semi- adult class so I shouldn't really be surprised. The other girls were my age or close and some of the boys were too.

When class finally began we had a lot more students than what I was used to. All the barres were full and my normal spot was gone which I was kind of sad about but I dealt with it but you get so used to a certain spot. Some of the dancers took our class even though they just got done with the class before us. I thought our regular teacher was going to teach us because I gotten so used to her even though sometimes I was a little annoyed with her since she teaches slow and always reminds us and corrects us. But boy this class was not what I was expecting.

Our teacher was a company member and you should know that company members think you know everything like them so the class is fast paced and there is no movement being corrected. You either do the combination or figure out a way to do it. She was shouting out commands without demonstrating first and I hardly remember them anymore and I was just guessing and copying and trying to do everything all correctly at the same time. You thought I was having trouble doing it all before well this time around I was about to lose it.

I did keep up but I was trying to correct my technique and keep up with the pace. I know now not to complain about my regular teacher because it is slow after taking this fast one. But I do have to admit it was a nice change. I think I should take a couple slow classes that focus on technique and then this kind of fast paced one.

During class though she made us do releves every combination and then end in passe on demi-pointe. I can hardly keep my balance doing a regular passe so I was very unstable plus our arms were supposed to be in fifth position so that made me even more wobbly. I tried to remember what the teacher said and suck everything in and just imaging yourself being pulled up and I did and it did help a little but since I am carrying so much weight my ankles started cracking and I would go down right away. Now I know I should practice those and get my ankles to be stronger so I can don more combinations on demi-pointe.

Since I am writing this the next day. I went in again for my internship and to get my laptop back, my regular teacher was there and asked me how was class. I told her the truth and said it was fast but it was enjoyable and also I tried to follow her advice and tried to correct myself as best as I could. I was a little surprised with her answer, she said that it is one of the hardest classes on my level and she was glad I took her advice and did some correcting because that is what she wants to help me with. She also said since I took ballet before I knew most of the steps so she just wants to teach me the proper ways again instead of the actually move. That's why her class is slow and she does more corrections because she hates sloppy ballerinas and I know that would look bad. You should have seen us though we were all over the place with the company members class.

I hope to take it again though but since I have classes it might be a rare thing only if I get a break like this week. I enjoyed even though my ankles are in so much pain. If you would ask me if I would do it again I probably would. I am getting used this ballet thing and I think I will stick with it for a while. I'll still be doing my update on Saturday. It's going to be weird though because I am still a little sore and I usually wait a week in between my classes so my pains end up going away. We'll see what will happen than I guess.
xo
Jackie

Stretches I Do at Home

I got home early today because it is University week on campus and since there is so much going on we got to go home early. Also we don't have to go in tomorrow or the next day because of a huge celebration. I'm too lazy to go to it so I am going to go get some hours at my internship so I can finish and yet I don't want to finish it just yet.

So, since I was early I decided to do some stretches! I put on some music in my room and started doing some simple tendus and to start off with. I also did some releves, I keep my feet parallel then I lift my feet to demi pointe (in relevé position). I repeat this several times until I get tired or my feet cramps up.  I hear this helps your calf muscles, tendons and ligaments which will get all stretched out so they are ready. I've also notice that the releves help improve my balance so that is what I am struggling with. I did that for about 15 minutes. I don't do anything to extreme at home yet but maybe later on I will.

Next I just sat in a side split while I was messing browsing blogs and my instagram feed. I am trying to improve my spits and since learning that stretch in class I'm trying to get as much practice and more stretchable.

After that I just got a chair and started doing some feet exercises. I do these because I was on a blog that recommended them to strength your foot for pointe and I am trying my best to make them ready so I can get there faster. First I get a small ping pong ball and then I pick it up a few times. This helps strengthen your toes, your arches, and your ankles joints. I usually do it while on the computer.

Another one I do is when I am just sitting around the house.I usually just draw the alphabet with my foot while its pointed. I do it in cursive and then regular. I sometimes do numbers but my ankles hurt after I do all 26 letters so I usually switch feet. I do this when ever and what's great is I can do it sitting or standing. I sometimes do this during class and I feel like I get strange looks.

The last thing I did was do some choreography work. I am trying to do a tap routine and it is doing good. I just started messing with some steps and all of sudden I was making a dance. It is so cool. I wasn't planning on doing this but it turned out great and plus it is one of my dance goals to start doing more tap stuff.

If anyone has any ballet barre routines they recommend from youtube please let me know. I am trying to see if I could build a PVC ballet barre at my place and once I get that done I can do some routines whenever I have some time off from classes.It is another goal I am trying to set which is practicing at home. Also how do you stretch at home. I only do basic stuff so I would like to know what you do.

Hope you found this helpful! I also might be taking a ballet class tomorrow since I have no college class! It's late though, the class starts at 7 and ends at 8 but I think I might do it since I have no class the next day too. And an extra day of dance is good, right?

*weheartit

xo
Jackie

Dance Diary | 4th Week of Ballet

The picture was taken after class at the main theater. I wanted a little pictorial session so I got my aunt to take a few pictures. She is not that handy with my Iphone so they didn't turn out that good but I saved a few of them. Next time I will bring my good camera and hope to get better shots of my dance outfit!

I've been counting down to ballet class all this week just because of my new stuff! I usually have been counting down to Saturday's because they are a highlight to my week but this week's was most anticipated for some reason. Partly I was excited for wearing my new dance gear but another reason was I have been practicing at home to help me a little more and to get me more flexible and such.

Class began as normal. I realized if I get in the room as soon as the other batch of dancers get out I have more time to fix my ballet shoes and get them comfortable instead of trying to redo them during class. My teacher likes to start right away so I don't have much time to prepare.

This week we did barre as usual but my teacher was very focused on making us find our center and sucking our belly buttons into our spines. I know weird and crazy! She kept on say it over and over 'till we got it. I tried my hardest to get my big stomach in as hard as I could. I wasn't really breathing through the routine because I was so focused on holding in all that I got to be tall and stretched up as possible. It was kind of hard because I can hardly keep myself up and to suck everything in was definitely a challenge.

Next she tried to make us do different barre routines than our normal ones. I am still having trouble remembering the names and what they actually do. I forgot the names but I know how to do the move. Sometimes it frustrates me because my mind is trying to remember, my stomach is being tortured to stay in and all at the same time I am tying to keep my balance and do everything. I am beginning to struggle and I know my teacher sees that and has been pointing it out more. I really am trying but some times it is frustrating. I am not as sad I was in my previous week but I am just annoyed at how I cannot do anything all at the same time plus I just started again and yet I want everything to be more difficult. I don't know if it is because it is too beginner for me or too fast paced for me to pick up on.

Throughout the class I was always called upon to point my toes. How can I point my toes when I have 50 things running in my head to get everything perfect? I do not know how I did this before. The teacher always said perfect ballerinas have beautiful feet. No they don't because they are in shoes that help them and do not look at your feet when you don;t have shoes on because they are probably not perfect as she says. It just frustrates me that I have so many things I am trying to work on and she is calling all these demands making me confused.

Another thing we did was stretches for splits. I got my splits done before but quitting and not doing anything athletic for 5 years makes you lose that flexibility. Doing those exercises made me hurt badly. I can not do what they were doing and I felt like my knee was going to give out from holding up so much weight. I did try but I could hardly take it. When we did the other side I could almost do the split but it hurt so bad and I couldn't go down anymore. We finally stretched it out and I was so realized to stand up because I can not handle it. I hope to get flexible again. Her goal for us is to get down in front splits by December but I don't think I could do it.

One thing we did different this week beside the stretching was across the room. We haven't did that since we started and I was wondering if we ever would. I would always like that back then and now it seems like not so much. We did a coupe tendu which was different from what I remember. Before I never started in B plus attitude and then the move but that is how she taught it. At first none of us got it and we looked so bad but as we kept doing it we got better.

Finally when we got to the center part of class, we put all our time into across the room which I liked instead f center. I don't really like center all that much so when we only had to do a short routine I was glad. We did a move that I used to love but I forgot the name I even forgot it in class until she demonstrated it. The only good thing about that class was I was doing good with that move and looked graceful. U also liked the way my skirt swayed and moved with that move. I must remember its name next time. After that class was pretty much over.

So I'm sorry this post sounded like a mini rant. I dint mean it to but my teacher can be a little perfect and a little strict when it comes to these things. I hope again next week;s will be better and that I can get more practice and get more a hang of everything. Hope you enjoyed this post and again 'till next week.

xo 

Jackie

Another Dance Haul

I wasn't really content with what I had so I went out and bought more! I knew I would because I needed some basics to last me since I am trying to start ballet semi-full time. So when pay day came around I marched straight to the mall that held the local Capezio store and just bought whatever I thought I needed. The lady there is so friendly and knows me personally now so you can tell I go there a lot.

Leotard | Capezio Size 22
I got a basic short sleeve leotard cause this is what I find to be most comfortable for me. When I tried it on the material was nice and not silky like ones I had before. And I was kind of surprised it had a built in bra support thing. I think I was surprised because all my leotards I was wearing was for children and I finally got an adult one. I feel so grown up and I a little proud I can still wear my childhood leotards but this one obviously fits me way better and I hope to dance better in it.
leotard

Wrap Skirt | Capezio Wrap Skirt Size XL
I was so happy I got a dance skirt. I had always wanted one because when I was doing ballet before I wasn't allowed to wear one because our teacher said they weren't showing our hips which we needed to work on. I have been staring at this skirt since I got it and it makes me feel so pretty. I like that it isn't too short on me and that is what I was afraid of. I like the material but when I tried to take pictures of it the material is so see through it reflects weird. I can't wait for Saturday so I could test this skirt out!
skirt

Tights | Danskin Pink Size D
You can't have enough tights can you? I needed more tights because I didn't want to be washing my pair every week and wear it out quickly. I really wanted convertible ones but they were so expensive and I thought instead of spending the extra money I could do it myself and save and since the price was very high compared to the ones I buy I think I would have saved but maybe later I would invest in a pair or two.
tights

So that is what I bought! I hope to get some more things later because I am becoming obsessed with dance wear again. I can't wait to use my new stuff at my upcoming ballet class!

xo 

Jackie

Dance Essentials I Recommend For Starting Again

Since I started ballet again, I wanted to help out those who need advice on what they should wear/have during dance class. These are just my suggestions and what I think about them. I used some of these myself so if you need a personal opinion, here you go!

A Comfortable Leotard |
Of course, the basic leotard is an essential in ballet. One that I recommend for beginners are ones that are comfortable and that are not to revealing. I know if you are a beginner it is scary to show your body especially like me. I wore so many layers that it isn't funny. I recommend a short sleeve leotard that is very basic. I don't think you should go with open backs or criss-cross just yet unless you are okay and comfortable with showing your body. It took me a while when I was in my teens to transfer over and now that I put on some weight I am glad I still have my basic leotards with me.




Tights |
I have had Danskin tights since I started dance. My mom loves the tights and swears by them. I still have the tights and they are in perfect condition. I really love them and they are very comfortable to wear. I love that they are not too pink or not too white and are just the right ballet pink for me. Getting tights you like is very important because you should know if they breathe right and even fit to your liking. 

Wrap Skirt |
Actually any type of short skirt will do. I love these because they cover just right on me and I like that they aren't too long or too short to be so revealing even in a leotard. I choose black because it is basic but if you are required a color than follow that. And make sure if you could wear a skirt in class because some studios might have a dress code. Luckily, mine doesn't have a strict one so I can wear mostly any accessory I want.





Ballet Shoes |
A must in ballet class. I had so many pairs of ballet shoes that I don't know where to store all of them. Finding the right one is going to make your feet extra happy. Remember that ballet shoes might be smaller than your actual size or sometimes bigger than your actual street shoe size. I have pairs that were 2x too small that my street shoes and then the recent pair I bought is 2 sizes smaller than my actual street size. It just depends on the brand I guess. Also make sure you buy the shoe so you can test it in the store. I know I have had my mom get my shoes when I was around 13-14 years old and we ended up getting mad at each other since the shoes never fit me just right. I learned after that to always do it myself or have both of us go.  Just remember that it is your feet and they should be comfortable.

Hope you like and I hope anyone else can suggest something for starting dance!

xo
Jackie