Handsome Little Nutcracker

Our handsome little Nutcracker on picture day.

Alive in the Music

Those fleeting moments when you are free within the music and alive in the movements…I’m still not there yet, but everyday my foot is getting stronger and I hesitate less before moving on my bad foot. I’m looking forward to letting go again!

Quote of the Day #4

A Picture is Worth...

Just a few photos that I took last weekend!

I really like the texture of the fabric.

 Love, Lillie

Observations

Here is a short list of things that I notice from my first two Nutcracker Rehearsals last weekend!!!

1. Not everyone wanted to be there. Most of the girls seemed happy to be in the Nutcracker, but there were a few that started to grumble and moan 15 minutes into rehearsals! Shame on them! 
2. Bringing a snack is not only okay, but NECESSARY! About half way through our 4 hour rehearsal we were allowed a 15 minute break to rest. Most girls used this time to eat snacks! Lots of fruits and nuts! I will never not bring snacks again.
3. "Dance Moms" observable in their natural habitat. Not the overly dramatic, foul-mouthed type shown on TV, but the kind that are just always there watching from the corner or whispering to their daughters. 
4. A lot of time was wasted trying to remember what was done last week. Did we change that step? First or Third arms? Are we in a line here? Which count do we start on? Let's watch the video from last year again! 
5. Missing one person makes everything confusing. Having to keep track of where the "ghost" is hard when you are learning new steps and positions. Especially when dancing in and out of circles and lines.
6. Absolutely don't talk (unless you want a serious telling off). Those girls were stupid. I couldn't believe how much they were talking. 
7. The amount of bourrées that I'm going to have to do is going to kill me! As a lilac flower in the Waltz of the Flowers, I will pretty much bourrée forever. Good bye toenails! 

1.  

    

I've Known Since Monday

I've known since Monday, but I did not want to say anything for a while because I wanted to make sure it was real. After everything that has happened with my foot injury over the summer, I was fully resigned to the fact that I would have to wait until next year to make one of my dreams come true and try-out for The Nutcracker. Yet, the ups and and downs of life always have a way of balancing out. 

I am officially in this years production of The Nutcracker!!!!! Even though I have been unable to dance for the past couple months and I was unable to try-out for the Nutcracker, my amazing and supportive teachers felt comfortable enough in my dancing abilities to cast me in the show even without an audition. I'm honored and beyond thrilled to be one step closer to my dreams, but I am terrified at the same time. My teachers have faith that I will be performance ready in time and that is a lot pressure coming back from a serious injury. Not that they are pushing me to return too soon and aggravate my injury! I just want to be at my best for them and for myself.

Anyways, enough with the feelings, and feelings about feelings, and feelings feelings, and one feeling that turns into another feeling... :P

I know that when someone says "I'm in the Nutcracker!" the immediate response of the other person is "What parts did you get???". 

I am a Snowflake and a Lilac Flower! I promise to write more about my first Nutcracker rehearsals (which happened yesterday) later. Right now I'm floating away on a cloud of happiness towards my second rehearsals later today! 

Never give up on dreams, people! 
Love, Lillie 

Catch Up Series: New Beginnings - NYC Ballet

There are times when words aren't enough. Times when there are no words or combination of words that can accurately describe a feeling or event. The video below, from the New York City Ballet, is a better commemoration to the events of 9/11 than any words I have ever heard.

 

"It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, 

and a tribute to the future of the city that New York City Ballet calls home"

Catch Up Series: Going to the Beach

Went to the beach. Wasn't a lot of fun. The End.

Love, Lillie

Catch Up Series: Breaks Come in Threes?

I visited my ballet studio a month or so after my injury, you know just to check in and make sure the place hadn't fallen to pieces without me... more like, to make sure that they hadn't forgotten about me!

And I found out that about a week after I broke my foot in class another girl broke elbow, but not in class. I think she fell off of a horse or something like that. Then! A few days later another girls mother was in a car accident and broke her leg!

It is a weak coincidence at best, but it could be said that I was the first of three bad things to happen, and that's how bad things are said to come, in sets of three.

Catch Up Series: Words of Encoragement

Long story short:

I was feeling a little down about my injury; feeling like no one around me understood my frustration. So I decided to take a chance to ask for advice from someone who knew exactly what I was going through...I think I told y'all that I suffered from the same type of break that Ronnie Underwood (First Soloist at Ballet West) suffered from during the second season of Breaking Pointe...ANYWAYS,

I messaged RU on facebook asking him about how he handled his injury and if he had any tips for me. A few days later he responded!!!!!! He suggested watching lots of videos of ballet while recovering and doing lots of ab workouts so that I could return to ballet with an extra strong core. 

I know that he isn't a ballet superstar, but I can now say that I've kind of talked to a professional ballet dancer and that is pretty freaking awesome! He didn't have to take the time to respond to me and it really made my day that he took the time to encourage me. 

Thanks Ron ;)

Catch Up Series: Ding Dong the Cast is Gone!

I have a foot again!  
I can see my entire leg and foot! 
I can take a shower without having to cover up a cast and worry about it getting wet!
I can scratch that annoying itch on the bottom of my foot! 
I can put a sock on my foot if it is cold!
I can do so many things with my foot! 
It's like I'm a whole human again!

but I still can't walk...  :(

Another few weeks with a big boot ( you know the big clunky Velcro kind) and then I can start to put a little bit of pressure on my foot. The doctor confirmed that the bone is healing nicely, but I still had a lot of swelling and bruising so I need to take it slow. 

Let's Catch Up!

It is hard to start this post partly because I feel like I have so little to say, and partly because I feel like I have so much to say. 

Part of the reason I have been so absent from DAB is because the fall semester started at the beginning of September, and like many adult ballet enthusiasts, balancing ballet and my adult life is always a challenge. It takes a while to get back into the swing of things, but I am super pleased with my schedule so far. For those of you haven't taken college classes, your schedule can make or break you.

Over the past few weeks there have been several things that I wanted to write posts about it, but just didn't get around to it so I have decided to kind of make quick bullet list of things that I really want to write about here and then dive deeper into each bullet point in separate posts in the next couple of days! That way I am forced to get those post up, lest I make myself a liar, hahaha!

Catch Up Bullet List: 

(crazy awful title, but I like being literal)

(by the way, I am going to try to put these bullets in chronological order)

(not that the order makes much difference... it just seems neater in my mind)

Ding Dong the Cast is Gone!

Words of Encouragement - Ronnie Underwood Style

Breaks Come in Threes?

Going to the Beach

New Beginnings - NYC Ballet

My Alternative Nutcracker Plans

Take it away Annie!

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya...

Seeing that I get my cast off tomorrow, I thought I would share one final picture of me and my cast!  :)

This was a super impromptu little photo shoot with my good friend Michael. He is an amazing photographer and I more than recommend checking out his website here: www.michaeldiamante.com. 

P.S. 

I know my form is awful in the picture, but it turned out to be a cute photo.

Love, Lillie

Quote of the Day #3

“To tend, unfailingly, unflinchingly, towards a goal, is 

the secret of success.” 

― Anna Pavlova

Climb a Mountain, Ride a Horse

I should be getting my cast off next Wednesday. One week from today. I'm really looking forward to getting the cast off and being able to move my foot again, but I'm also scared too. There is a possibility that my foot will not have healed correctly or completely and that surgery might be necessary or at least a few more weeks with a new cast...but, to be honest, I am more scared of trying to get myself back to were I was before the accident. 

Ballet, for me anyways, is a constant battle of trying to increase your abilities (or at least maintain your current level) while balancing work and school and real responsibilities like watering the plants and washing the dishes. I feel like I've been climbing this beautiful yet terrific mountain to reach my goals and I was so close to the summit when I got pushed back by a sudden avalanche. I know I want to go straight back up the mountain and get back on that proverbial horse, but golly-gee-wiz I am pretty discouraged right now. 

Nutcracker try-outs will be held on September 14th a mere 24 days from now (only 17 days from the day that I get my cast off). Even if my doctor does clears me to return to ballet immediately (I'm pretty sure that won't happen), I don't think I would be strong enough to do pointe work for at least a month after getting back to class. 

I knew as soon as it happened that the Nutcracker would be out this year, but the reality of it gets a little harder everyday. I think I might ask if I can sit in on auditions and maybe a few rehearsals so that I might have a slight advantage of knowing what to expect for when I try again next year. For now I'm trying to stay positive about the experience.

My Top 5 Ballet YouTube Channels

Since I can't share very much about my own ballet rehearsals/classes/experiences right now because I'm injured, I thought I would share with y'all some of my favorite ballet YouTube Channels. I use YouTube almost exclusively to watch ballet; ALL of my subscribed channels have something to do with ballet. So here are my Top 5 ballet YouTube channels! (The title of each channel should be a link so click away!)

Ballet YouTube Channel #5

Ilya Kuznetsov
This channel is created by Ilya Kuznetsov, a ballet teacher at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Not only do his videos give you an amazing behind the scenes look at such an ASTOUNDING and historical academy, the videos are also beautifully filmed and produced. I never get tired of watching the videos even if they are in Russian!

Ballet YouTube Channel #4

Sara Mearns

Have you ever wanted to know what it is like to be best friends with a Prima Ballerina? Well, through her YouTube channel, Sara Mearns makes you feel like she is talking just to you. She shares her joys, her sorrows, and everything in between while giving us dreamers a glimpse into what being a REAL ballerina is like. I LOVE IT!!! I hope you will too!

Ballet YouTube Channel #3

New York City Ballet
The NYCB channel is everything that I think about when I think of Balanchine; fast, dynamic, original, and breath taking. The videos are not only of high production value, but they also hold a lot of beautiful content. I particularly enjoy the little mini interviews with some of the company members. Another great thing about this channel is that they upload videos regularly so you never run out of new things to watch.

Ballet YouTube Channel #2

Royal Opera House  /  Topic - The Royal Ballet
So, these are kind of the same YouTube channel because The Royal Ballet is a TOPIC under the Royal Opera House channel, but you can subscribe to them separately? I'm not really sure how it works, but I like to watch both channels on the regular. The ROH channel covers EVERYTHING that happens at ROH like operas, theater productions, and ballet performances. They have some really neat behind the scenes videos of what it takes to produce full length ballets! Under the topic TRB there is some amazing looks into the company classes, rehearsals, and performances. One of the things that TRB does is they open special rehearsals to the public so that we can see how much work goes into creating masterpieces. It is truly amazing! WATCH NOW!!!!

Ballet YouTube Channel #1

mydancetv

I have a special place in my heart for this Youtube channel... I don't want to get too sappy, but this was the very first YouTube channel that I ever subscribed to a few years ago and was a great inspiration to me getting back into serious ballet and starting pointe. The vlog style channel follows Robbie, an aspiring ballet dancer, as she works towards her dreams. I think she and her mom started the channel when she was around 10 years old and now she is a teenager so you really get to see her progress over a few years. Some videos are short and funny and others are more serious. I just really appreciate the passion that Robbie has for ballet and her dedication to sharing that love with others. Thanks Robbie! 

I hope y'all enjoy these video as much as I do! It was really hard to decide which 5 channels I liked the most, so I am thinking about doing a part 2 of this post and extending the count to my top 10 channels, but we will see if that happens or not. Happy Monday!

Quote of the Day #2

How Casts are Made

This will definitely help my street cred... HAHA!

Life BFF and AFF

Life BEFORE FOOT FRACTURE and life AFTER FOOT FRACTURE

BFF my life consisted of going to work, going to ballet, and hanging out with friends.

AFF my life consists of trying to go to work or working from home, dreaming about ballet, and hanging out with friends.

BFF

I took this photo right before class. T-minus 1+1/2 hours until AFF

AFF

This is how I shop now!

My "Breaking Pointe"... Review

Just in case some of you don't know, CW recently aired the season 2 premier of "Breaking Pointe", the reality TV show about a few dancers at Ballet West. I am constantly searching for new documentaries, shows, and videos about ballet, so I was pretty happy when I heard that BP would be returning for a second season. 

I think it is amazing to bring ballet into more mainstream markets, but I have to admit the reality TV style of the show makes me cringe. (I much prefer the fictional and quirky world of Bunheads, but sadly that, I believe, has not been renewed for a second season) I hold my breath for the moments when they show bits of Ballet West's classes, rehearsals,  and performances. Personally I could care less about who is dating whom, and why some girl is mad at another girl... 

But will that stop me from watching the show? 
    Honestly, no! 
Why? 
    Because how often do you get to see some of the inner workings of a professional ballet company? 

In this first episode we learn that several of the girls will be competing for the coveted role of Cinderella, Rex and Allison have officially broken up, BeckAnne has a new beau, and Ronnie is injured. Having so recently been injured myself (Like just a couple days ago! Ugh, I still can't believe that I broke my foot!!!), it took me aback when Ronnie announced that he is seriously injured and unable to dance. 

Then, Ronnie starts talking about what type of injury he has and I will be the first to admit that I started BALLING the second he said that he fractured his 5th metatarsal, just like me! I guess I wasn't prepared to see how serious my injury might be...I have an appointment next week with an orthopedic doctor to determine if I need surgery or not. Granted, he also broke his 4th metatarsal bone, so I don't think my injury is quite as serious, but only the doctor will be able to tell me. By the end of the episode we learn that Ronnie's foot has become infected after the surgery. I'm not even going to begin to think about how much that scares me, especially if I too require surgery. The series title "Breaking Pointe" definitely has a whole new meaning for me.

Over all, I wish the show was less docuDRAMA and more DOCUdrama, but I am looking forward to seeing where this season goes. 

Broken

So when I started this post it was going to be completely different than what it will be now... but more about that later. 

My original post was going to be about my first class back after a two week break.  I was thinking of titling the post "The Early Bird" because I got to the ballet studio 30 minutes before my class. My ballet teacher told me I could warm up in the studio if I wanted! I felt kind of silly all by myself, but I took advantage of the space and did some plies, releves, and battements to warm up my muscles. I moved away from the bar and did a few pirouettes and some of those familiar tombes pas de bourrees combinations. It was nice to have the whole space to myself, even if I wasn't doing much. I was so happy to be back in ballet class and I couldn't want to write about it here. I was nervous about such a long break, but I felt like I was finally home again. 

My empty studio. It isn't much, but I love it. 

So now that I've told you what I was going to write about on Monday evening, I'm going to tell you why I couldn't write "The Early Bird" post and why it has taken me until now write this new post. During the very last combination of our class, on the very last step of the combination, I jumped and landed poorly on my right foot and fell to the ground. It happened so fast, I hardly remember being airborne, but I do remember hearing a pop as I came down. I didn't find out officially until later, but I had fractured a bone in my right foot. 

I stood up so fast, I didn't feel any pain, my teacher thought I had just slipped or twisted my ankle. She asked if I could walk and if I wanted ice. I vaguely remember looking down at my foot and seeing a lump under my pink tights, but I walked into the office and we put my foot up on a stool and put some ice on it. I thought I was going to be ok; I felt weird, but I didn't feel too much pain. Mostly I felt super embarrassed for interrupting class and having fallen so badly in front of a couple of the much more advanced dancers! I pulled off my ballet slipper and pulled my convertible tights over my toes and I knew something was wrong. The swelling had grown from marble sized to egg sized within 30 seconds. I started to feel very hot, and sick, and dizzy. The office lady gave me water to drink and I felt better, but everything was going kind of colorless. I asked if I could lay down on the floor. 

I started to cry, and they called my boyfriend and my mom and an ambulance. All I could think about was the Nutcracker tryouts in September. I don't remember what my ballet teacher asked me, I think it was something about the amount of pain I was in, and all I could say was "I wanted to be in the Nutcracker". My teacher was so sweet and said that I will have plenty of time before tryouts to recover and that she knows I am hard worker and that I have been improving so much over that past few months. The ambulance was on it's way by that time and my teacher asked me if I had a jacket or anything in my bag because it is always cold in hospitals. When I said I didn't, she gave me her own jacket and wrapped it around me so that I wouldn't get too cold. 

I want to remind you that all of this was happening right at the end of my class and right before the adult ballet class was supposed to start so the studio was PACKED with people. I was so embarrassed. My teacher left the office to try to get the other class started and out of the waiting room so that the EMT's could come through when they arrived. One of the more advances students ( she has taught a couple of my classes actually and I think she used to be in a company) came into the office with me and told me that she broke her foot in the same place a few years back and now everything is fine. Even though I've seen her dance beautifully in class, all I could ask her was "So you can still dance? Your foot is ok?". All I could think about is those horrible stories that you hear of injuries taking ballerinas out for life. 

The EMT's arrive ( like 6 giant men! HUGE! think The Rock or Hercules) and asked me a few questions about what happened and how old I was and stuff like that. Just as they were loading me up into the ambulance my Love got to the ballet studio. I asked him to take a picture of me in the ambulance, because how often do you get to ride in an ambulance? ( hopefully not too often because it was boring and expensive) I didn't realize how sad and pathetic I looked when I asked for the picture. Later, when I looked at the photo on my phone in the hospital I couldn't stop laughing!

Well that will be all for now. I fractured the 5th metatarsal (the long bone behind the pinky toe) near the ankle joint. I have to see an orthopedic surgeon to make sure that I don't need surgery to mend the bone. But, very sadly, it is safe to say that I won't be dancing for a while. However, I am not going to let this get me down. I may not make it into the nutcracker this year like I had hoped, but there will always be next year or even the spring show! I'm going to keep blogging about my journey, so stay tuned in! 

Keep Dancing! 

3 Floors Up

This post isn't necessarily about ballet ( I know, I know.. my last couple post have only been vaguely related to my ballet training, but don't worry, some good stuff is in the works *wink wink-ity wink*), but I think it definitely has something to do with me and my personal stamina. We all know how much stamina ballerinas need, even if others don't! 

Anyways, I work on the third floor of an office building and I make it a point to ALWAYS take the stairs. On days that I am feeling good I will try to jog up the stairs, and on days when I don't feel good I practically pull myself up with the railings, but I ALWAYS take the stairs. I've even been know to go up and down all 3 stories, just for fun if I have been sitting at my desk for so long. I will admit that this doesn't happen as often as it should, but it has happened. 

Stairs are not only a great way to relieve the tedium of an eight hour work day, but they are an amazing way to get the heart pumping on days that can't attend class. I've become so fond on my stairs that I wanted to share some snapshots of the two stairwells that I usually use. I used to use one for UP and one for DOWN, but I mix it up to it interesting. 

Ballet-CULUS

This week my ballet studio is taking a short break from classes. They will open again next week with a combined Int. and Adv. class and the Adult ballet class. For the past month I was going to ballet 4 days a week: Monday/Wednesday was Adult ballet and Tuesday/Thursday was Int. ballet + pointe. But I think I will have to cut back on the number of classes I am taking and drop the adult ballet class because of financials.

Anyways, in case I didn't tell you, I am working full time as well as taking summer classes, so this week off of dance has given me an opportunity to spend a little bit more time studying. Here is a picture of what the non-ballet side of my life looks like.

Calculus II is the bane of my existence!

I love school, but Calculus II is just tricky! I'd much rather do 

^^^^this many ^^^^

plies, than work a calculus problem. 

See what I did there?

(The answer is about 97 plies)

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day

I say if you are going to try to make a 4th of July themed photo for you ballet blog, you should definitely go ALL out! No holding back on the RED, WHITE, and BLUE-Y-NESS.

p.s. be jealous of my crazy fabulous photo editing skills!

One (Pointed) Step At A Time

So tonight the intermediate class (my normal class) got thrown into the advanced class, because both of the classes were really small. The guest teacher was really fun, but also very demanding. Very loud, telling us to smile and then calling someone out for not doing something right. In the middle of center he called out to me 

"You're killing me! You. Are. Killing. Me!" 

me: EEEEEEeeeeeeh EEEEeeeeeeEEEEEEeeeeh 
him: "Look at your beautiful feet!"
me: Not so bad! He is complimenting me! Yes YES YES!
him: "And you are wasting them! You aren't pointing your feet!"
me: eeeeeeeeh, shoot.... 
him: "If I had had feet like yours, I would have been famous. I have ugly feet. Now use those beautiful feet. Show me how you point your toes. The WHOLE foot! Point!"
me: toe cramp!
him: "Do that every time!"

This was in front of the entire class by the way, AND to make it even more mortifying the director and some company members were in the class! YIKES. 

But, he was right! I could point my toes harder, I can jump higher, I can spin faster and balance longer! The only way to get better is to push just a little bit past the "safe" zone of familiar. I have the facilities to be a dancer, but I still have to work to become a ballerina! :) And, people, I know that I'm not going to be a REAL ballerina, but I can at least feel like one! I never feel so beautiful as when I nail a combination. 


ANYWAYS, after technique class, the intermediate girls went into the smaller room for pointe class. I feel like I am getting more comfortable back on my pointe shoes, but I'm not super confident. I need to remember to hold my body and pull up out of the shoes. We started with a really short bar and when to center. It was another small class so the instructor would watch each of us in turn after a combination to correct individual mistakes. I always need to relax my shoulders and arms. 

THEN! We tried the Four Little Swans variation from Swan Lake, except we only had three little swans. We held hands and everything! Boy, those little hops are fast! It was fun though. We got almost the whole way through holding hands, until we let go during the last set of echappes. 

Tips and Tricks #2

So this is a tip that I am still trying to master myself... SNACKS IN THE BALLET BAG! It seems so easy, and possibly unnecessary, but I tell you what, there have been so many times that I wish I could take a quick bite of a granola bar in between technique and pointe class. My hunger during class might be more than some, because I go to ballet straight from work and usually have no time for a light meal in between. Which means that when I get out of class around between 8 an 9 pm, I am practically starving. There have been times that I am so hungry right after class I will race to the nearest Whataburger or Wienerschnitzel (fast food  joints) and stuff myself full with burgers and hot dogs...Gross, I know! But I can't help it. 

I vow to the world now, that I will never again forget to put a granola bar or fruit in my ballet bag! 

Male Leotards

Ooooooook, ladies, I think we can all agree that it is fun to have some boys/men in class with us. First of all there is a very slight chance to practice some minor partnering skills (this does not happen often at my studio because they have a separate pas de deux class) and second it is just exciting to see some of the different jumps and spins that men do! A co-ed class just has a different feeling to it.

There are two guys that come regularly to the Adult Ballet classes that I attend. One of the guys wears a white t-shirt and black shorts. The other guy, however, wears what I can only describe as a male loetard! Please understand that I am not trying to make fun of or criticize him; he is an extremely nice guy and a wonderful dancer! I just want to share.

He has the same style of leotard in a couple of color variations, but the one he normally wears has large vertical purple and grey stripes all over! The shape/style of the leotard reminds me of wrestling uniforms? Thin tank straps and a really low front that definitely exposes chest hair and the occasional nip slip, if you know what I mean. Maybe it is an old wrestling uniform and not a leotard at all! Anyways, who ever said that only the girls can have pretty things to wear in ballet! More men should express their personal sense of style in ballet! Unless, of course, there is a dress code at your school. Then you should definitely, ALWAYS,  adhere to the dress code.

At my studio the adult ballet class has no dress code so there are always lots of colors and skirts and leg-warmers! It is like walking into a pastel rainbow. All of the other classes require black leotards, pink tights, and no pretty skirts. Personally I hate  not wearing a skirt, but I understand that it can be easier to make sure you have proper alignment and everything with no skirt on.. so I'll take my skirt off for those technique classes. 

P.S. I have been drafting up a lot of posts over the week, but just haven't had time to finalize them because I have been so busy. My goal is to get them all up this weekend! =)

Be colorful!

Quote of the Day

Tips and Tricks #1

Try Spin Pins
I don't know about y'all, but I always take pride in trying to have a pretty ballet bun. I especially like experimenting with different parts, braids, and accessories! I might be twenty-two, but I still love to wear a bow in my hair. However, I always struggled to  make a bun strong enough to endure any number of pirouettes in class. Even after stuffing my bun with what felt like 1/2 pound of bobby pins, my hair would still fall out in the middle of class!

Finally I decided to spend a few extra dollars on these crazy looking spiral pins and I am so glad that I did! I bought Goody brand, blonde 'Spin Pins' at Walmart for $3 or $4. Only two pins come in a pack, but after figuring out how best to use the pins, two is really enough! Granted, I still us a few regular bobby pins with the spin pins, but my bun hasn't fallen out once since I tried them! 

So this is generally how I make a quick and easy bun for class:

1. I pull my hair into a tight pony. I like to used 2 elastic bands to hold my hair up because it is pretty long and thick.

2. Twist the pony tail to the end. (not too tight though)

3. I wrap the twisted pony around the elastics to make a cinnamon bun shape.

4. Holding the cinnamon bun shape with one hand, I us the other hand to place a hair net over the bun. 

5. I pull the slack and looseness out of the net and wrap all of the extra tight around the bun. 

6. I put one spin pin at the top of the bun and one at the bottom of the bun. 

7. I use 4 or 5 regular bobby pins around the rest of my bun. 

Finally, if I am feeling particularly fancy, or frizzy, I use hair spray to clean up all the fly away hairs. 

Practice

Lately I have been trying to go to yoga classes to help relax and stretch my body. The yoga teacher said something while we we holding a downward dog position (isn't that the most awkward name for a pose?) that kind of stuck in my mind and resonated with me. I hope you find it as insightful as I did. She said that 

"This practice is not for mastery. This practice is for practice. Mastery comes later." 

At first this didn't sound quite right to me because growing up I always heard people saying:

"Practice Makes Perfect" and "Perfect practice for a perfect performance!"

But demanding perfectness from everything is impossible and exhausting! The next night at ballet classes I approached the combinations with the idea that my yoga teacher talked about. I wasn't as hard on myself when I messed up and I wasn't worried about every single step. I found that I was able to relax a lot more and really dance! Not to say that we should all go to class and not try at all, but that we appreciate practice for being what it really is... just practice.

practice:

1.

  a. carry out, apply

  b. to do or perform often, customarily, or habitually

2.

  a. to be professionally engaged in

  b. to train by repeated exercises

 So , I guess what I am trying to say is that we should all be a little easier on ourselves in class. Every practice does not need to be perfect and mastery (or as close as you can get to mastering ballet) comes slowly over time. I know that a lot of y'all figured this out a long time ago, but it really helped me feel good about myself and all of the progress I have made in ballet. 

Lillian

Blue Bird Variation

Whew! My entire body is so sore! Tonight I had a 1 1/2 hour technique class followed by 1 hour of pointe/variations class. It was a very small class tonight (me and two other girls) so we got a lot of individual attention. We learned the Blue Bird variation from the Sleeping Beauty! I've never learned a variation from a classic ballet before! I really enjoyed the light and airy nature of the Blue Bird solo. I can't wait to practice it again.

Ballet Bag Explosion

EVERYTHING from inside my Ballet Bag!

Technically, if I'm honest, I don't actually keep all four of my leotards in my ballet bag. They are usually in the laundry hamper. However, this is a mainly a list of all of my ballet related items that I usually take to class with me. And, YES, this all fits in the seashell bag!

Seashell bag:

• 4 leotards
• 3 ballet skirts (the blue one is my favorite)
• 1 pair of ballet slippers
• new pointe shoes (Russian Pointe Almaz V-cut size: 37)
• old pointe shoes (Grishko 2007 size: 4 1/2 XX)
• 4 pink tights 
• 3 thera-bands of different strength
• 2 sets of leg warmers 
• tiny rolling pin (a much cheaper option for "rolling out" sore muscles than The Stick. I think my little rolling pin cost $3 at the grocery store, which is great compared to upwards of $20 you could spend on The Stick.)

Smaller Fish bag:I keep this bag inside of the other bag to keep all the little items in one place

• nail clippers
• oragel (for when I have bruised toenails)
• extra bobby points, hair ties, hair nest, ect. 
• tampons/pads (we all need them ladies!)
• 2 sets of toe pads
• 1 set of toe spacers

Chasing the Nutcracker

I want to keep this first post short and sweet, so I'm going to dive right in. Ballet has always been a passion of mine, but I was never able to take classes consistently when I was younger. Being a bit of a late starter to ballet, I'm not letting my age stop me from accomplishing my dream of being a dancer in The Nutcracker. I want to use these posts to document my journey as I push towards my goal. Nutcracker auditions typically happen in September, so let's start the countdown! 

T-minus 2 months, give or take a couple weeks.

Happy Dancing,
Lillie