Best Ballet Shoes

As the session begins, we have many new dancers coming to us, and they all need some ballet shoes! We get questions at the front desk about fit and size, especially when it comes to the little ones. I thought I would point you to this website: http://www.bestballetshoes.com/!

They address lots of questions - from fitting your toddler to buying your first pointe shoe! In our boutique, we carry children sizes starting at a 6 up to Adult sizes in 7-8. We also carry tap and jazz shoes if you are taking a musical theater or add-on class!

Spring Sessoin 2011!

Hello Dancers! We have officially started our Spring 2011 session in Bethesda, McLean, Potomac, and the Kentlands! We are excited to have new stories and costumes this session, as well as a possible visit from Angelina Ballerina in April for National Dance Week! Also, on April 30th, our performance company will be at the Glen Echo Family Day in Glen Echo Park! This is such a fun activity to do in the nice spring weather - there will be painting, balloon animals, and so much more! And keep reading the blog - we will be previewing some of our wonderfull summer camp themes! Happy Dancing!

April Showers Bring...

.. May Flowers! And Spring! Although it may not feel like it outside, it is officially spring time! Which means, this Monday, March 28th is the first day of our Spring Session! We also have Spring Camps running next week and the week of April 18th.

And don't forget, Summertime is around the corner! Our whole Summer Camp schedule can be found online at www.balletpetite.com!

If you haven't gotten out to see the National Cherry Blossom Festival, make sure you come out April 10th to see the Ballet Performance Company!

Happy Dancing!

Summer Camp Kickoff!

Ballet Petite and the Youth Performing Arts School

announce

Summer Camp Kickoff!

Weekly Camps - Bethesda & McLean

Daily Camps - Mclean, Potomac, Kentland's

Check out our schedule at

www.balletpetite.com

Early Bird Discount!

Register for camp before April 30th and

receive 10% off!

Summer time...

Get ready, dancers!

Next week is our summer camp kickoff!

Dance Move: Pas De Bourre

Hello Dancers! Did you know that ballet steps and terms are used in other dance forms as well? We learned a "bourre turn" in my salsa class the other night - does that remind you of anything? If you said: pas de bourre, you are correct!

A pas de bourre consists of 3 steps - behind, side, front - and in ballet, it always ends in a demi plie. (In my salsa class, we use it mostly in conjunction with turns). It orinigates from the area of Auvergne in France.

Recital: Newsies!

For our older dancers, we are thrilled to have our June recitals! We have them once a year to showcase our ballerinas, tap and jazz dancers who have been working on choreography since February!

One of Miss Katie's classes will be performing to the musical number "King of New York" from the film Newsies. Funny coincidence, but Disney will be introducing a staged musical of Newsies starting this September! Here is a video of the movie cast singing "King of New York."

Guest Blog: How to Find the Best Ballet Shoes

Hello Dancers! Did you get to read the lovely article from Lara? She has kindly written us another post about how to find the best ballet shoes for you! Be sure to check out her blog, http://www.bestballetshoes.com/blog.

Part II: Find the Best Ballet Shoes for Young Children

Your little one is now an adorable ballerina – complete with a tutu, a leotard, and of course ballet shoes. But did you know that the ballet shoes are one of the most important tools that a dancer has to create this beautiful art?

Here are 3 tips on making sure your little one has the best ballet shoes:
1) Size – A good rule of thumb is that the ballet shoe should fit snugly, like a sock. Not too loose, and not too tight. If you can pinch material at the tip, the shoes might be too loose. If you see the big toe trying to break free through the leather, the shoe might be too tight.
2) Material – This one is a matter of personal taste, but most often children’s ballet shoes are made from leather. Leather tends to hold the foot more snugly, and will mold to the foot better.
3) Type – There are two main types of ballet slipper soles – full and split. This one is also a matter of personal taste, but more advanced dancers prefer the split sole because they can pointe through the shoe more easily. A full sole leather shoe is good for beginners as they learn to feel the floor early in their technique.
For more tips on finding the best ballet shoes for young children, visit Best Ballet Shoes.

Petite Boutique: Bunnies!

Don't you love it when all the springtime animals come out to play? I remember watching rabbits in our garden and squirrels in trees next to my window as a child. As we get ready for our spring session and spring camps, we've been bringing out some of our spring friends in the boutique!

Do you have a favorite spring animal?

Story Corner: Country Bunny

Hello Dancers!

Even though its still a little cold outside, we are preparing for our Spring Camps! We have some wonderful new stories this year, and I'd like to introduce you to one. "Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes" by Du Bose Heyward tells the story of Cottontail, who dreams of becoming one of the five Easter Bunnies. However, when she grows up and has 21 little bunnies of her own, her dream seems an impossible task. Will Grandfather Bunny choose Cottontail as the next Easter Bunny? Come to camp and find out!

Guest Blog: Lara from Best Ballet Shoes!

Dancers - today we have a wonderful opportunity to hear from a dancer who now runs the website http://www.bestballetshoes.com/. This is her story about how she went from dance to writing a dance blog!

I remember my first pair of ballet shoes fondly – I was 5 years old, and they were a bit floppy. It was the classic “she’ll grow into them” kind of shoes.

As I grew older, I did grow into them – and out of them – quickly. Finally, in my teenage years I got to keep a pair of ballet slippers for a year or so before I had to replace them from being simply too worn.

I began dance when I was about 5 years old. My first memories of dance were a small studio in Columbus, OH. I had a Russian teacher who was a bit older – maybe in her 50s at that time – and she came dressed in street clothing and heels. She lined us up by height along the barre. Being the shortest, I was always in the front. When we learned a new exercise routine, I had to remember it since everyone behind me was following me!

When I was about 8, we moved north to Cleveland where I continued my ballet training at the Cleveland School of Ballet. Now it seemed, these were some serious classes. I was training several days a week. I even got the chance to be in the Nutcracker as one of the child carolers at the very beginning. It was my first time seeing what it was like to be backstage. Even at that young age, it became very clear to me that ballet was a lot of hard work. No matter how effortless it looked on stage, the dancers always exited the stage nearly breathless, sweaty and sometimes in pain from their shoes.

My next endeavor with ballet shoes were the coveted pointe shoes. I loved the feeling of finally being able to rise to the tip of my toes. However, this came with much more frustration around finding the best fitting pointe shoes. My first were Bloch’s, then I tried Gaynor Minden’s, and finally I ended up with Grishko’s. I loved dancing in them and they felt so comfortable to my feet – I truly learned the value of a pair of great-fitting ballet shoes.

So here I am – no longer a dancer – but passionate about writing and emphasizing how a good pair of ballet shoes can improve a dancer’s performance by allowing them to focus on the art rather than the discomfort that can come with ill-fitting shoes. That’s why I seek out the best resources I can find all around ballet shoes and share them on my blog. I also like to share any good tips that I’ve learned along the way.

To read some of these tips about ballet shoes, check out http://www.bestballetshoes.com/.

Lara Friesen is a newbie blogger and former recreational dancer. She hails from Cleveland, OH, where she learned ballet at the Cleveland School of Ballet as a child and later studied at Dance by Gloria until her mid-twenties. She now lives in San Francisco with her husband, where marketing is her full-time job.

Dance this Weekend!

If you think DC is lacking in dance activities, then look around! Dance is everywhere!

From March 1st - 20th, the Kennedy Center is celebrating Indian arts and culture with "maximum INDIA," and it includes a beautiful dance portion by native dancers!

Step Afrika, a nonprofit performance group formed in DC in 1993, is performing at the Jefferson Center today and tomorrow.

Also tonight and tomorrow, local dance companies such as MetroTap and Dancin' Unlimited are hosting a Tap and Jazz Festival, featuring Rasta Thomas!

Go out and see some Dance!

Disney Princesses!

Have you ever wondered what you'd look like as a Disney princess?

Check out some of Hollywood's hottest stars photographed as Disney princesses!

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/slideshow/disneyleibovitzfairy-tales-true-2827506

Meet Miss Kasey!

Its time to meet another one of our wonderful ballet teachers who is also our artistic director! You may have seen Miss Kasey around the studio - she always looks like the perfect ballerina! She has a passion and excitement for dance that is contagious!




Miss Kasey started dancing when she was 3 years old! But it was when she had to write an essay for class on what she wanted to be when she grew up that she realized dance would always have to be a part of her life.

She says she enjoys class and rehearsal even more than performing because there is always something to learn! Miss Kasey described to me: My last year of college I had the most phenomenal ballet teacher, Susan Stowe. She had such an incredible understanding of technique, gave a great balance of compliments and corrections and criticism, and I always wanted to do my best in her class - for myself and to show her how much I appreciated her. It made me realize how rewarding it could be to spend each day in the studio, constantly refining technique, helping students' find their passion, getting them as excited about ballet class as I am.

At Ballet Petite, Miss Kasey teaches regular classes and helps oversee the ballet performance company rehearsals. She always tells us how proud she is of her students and about how their hard work and sense of humor make her smile every day.

Fun Facts: Miss Kasey's favorite performance to dance in was Telemann Overature in E Major. Her favorite performance to watch is Romeo and Juliet.