How to Make New Years Resolutions Work

I've always been a very goal-oriented person.  I needed a set outcome and I worked to get myself there.  It seems as though the concept of New Years Resolutions would be perfect for me, huh?  Well, not so much.  So what's wrong with New Years Resolutions?

I worked in one of the largest casting offices in DC and around New Years is when the phone was ringing off the hook- "I've always dreamed of being an actor so how do I get started?"  I would take in a deep breath and say, "First, get professional headshots, type up your resume, oh?  Don't have anything for your resume?  Then, search craigslist for student films, 48 hour films, everything to get some stuff on there."  Not sure how many people followed up on my advice on how to get started or really stick with it, but by March, we might have a few new faces show up on our database, but not too many.

Also, working at a dance studio- you see this often, too.  Before working here at Ballet Petite, I worked at a studio with a large adult dance population.  January, followed by February were by far our busiest months.
So moving on to how to do New Years Resolutions without being the mass that has faded away by March?  Set an outcome for December of 2014 and a path of "mini-goals" throughout the year.  For example, the brand new dancer, set a goal to move up to a Advance Beginner class by the end of 2014.




January
Sign up for Introduction to Ballet Class
Learn the basics

March
Move into a proper Beginner's class-- forward movement is important around this time as the vigor from New Years is gone.
Work on flexibility, strength, and basic technique.

May
Add another class during the week- try something new or add another ballet class
- Where's my flexibility?
- Work on basic leaps and turns.

 July
Should know terminology by now
- Where's my flexibility?  Do I have my splits yet?  If not, start working on them.  If you do, work on other splits- "bad side," "center splits."
-How are your turns & leaps?

September
Dance is now a part of you!  Congratulations!
Think about finding a performance class that's listed as an "all levels" or for "advance beginners."  End the year with the reward of performing.      

December
Start thinking of new goals to set for the upcoming New Year.  Perhaps try add a new genre of dance along with taking ballet.  
Are you ready to move into a Advance Beginner's class?
Keep in mind, the leap from Advanced Beginner to Intermediate takes a bit of time and will probably take a few years.

It does seem to feel a bit daunting this way, after all, many people seem to set several New Years Resolutions:  Lose Weight, Travel to Europe, Be in a Play, Take Dance Classes, Learn a Foreign Language!

Perhaps this is why my projects seem to get somewhere, whereas my resolutions get nowhere.

Happy New Years!

~ Miss Jenna

"A dream is just a dream.  A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." - Harvey MacKay






 


    

"Well, if the Shoe Fits."

Almost as important as the dancer's feet are the shoes. Having proper and good-fitting footwear can make all the difference in a practice and/or performance.

For younger dancers who are just starting to dance, having the proper footwear can actually be vital. Children, even toddlers, knows when something does not fit right. Ballet slippers that are too tight can make dancing uncomfortable and not enjoyable because all the dancer is focused on is how much their feet are hurting.
Parents should be mindful of their little dancer's feet:
Shoes that are too tight can hurt the skin on the ankle. Also, the toes should be nice and flat in the shoe, not curled.
Shoes that are too big can cause blisters and dancers can trip over their feet.
For children that are still growing, I would recommend trying shoes that are 1/2 - 1 size bigger than their fit. Dance shoes can be expensive and you don't want to have to buy them every few months! If they are a little bit big, nearly all ballet shoes have drawstrings on the shoes to make them tighter. As your dancer grows, you can loosen the strings to make the fit more comfortable. Just be careful not to pull those string too tight; it can hurt!

For the older dancer who is a little more serious about dancing, footwear is VERY important.

I remember getting fitted for my first pair of pointe shoes. I was SUPER excited to finally get them. I think it took about 30 minutes to find the right pair that fit. I went through so many different sizes and brands to find the perfect pointe shoe.

I also remember getting shoes that did NOT fit so well. I got so many blisters and sores on my feet!

Older students should definitely get shoes that fit snugly. Intense pointe work or even rigorous tap dancing and cause a lot of strain and discomfort if shoes do not fit right.

It is also the responsibility of the dancer to make sure that their shoes are just right for them. For my pointe shoes, I would smash the box in a doorway to soften it a little, or wrap my toes up in tape to avoid blisters. For certain brands of shoes, I would add an elastic on it to make sure the shoes stayed on my feet. Also,
I always carried a screwdriver in my dance bag in case my taps on my tap shoes became loose. 

Whenever you or your dancer are getting shoes fitted, especially for pointe shoes, call the store first and ask if they have an expert shoe fitter.

It is SUPER important that dancers take care of their feet. Feet are a part of your instrument of dance and they need to be given the most excellent care. Get the proper footwear and never settle for less.

So, happy dancing, and love your feet!

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

How to Choose A Ballet Teacher

From as early as I can remember, my ballet teacher was Mrs. Short.  I know I had another instructor in my wee years, but as the start of my “formal” ballet training, I had Mrs. Short and stuck with her through high school.  My other dance experience was doing plays and needing to learn from other choreographers, which was easy peasy, I thought.

When I arrived at college, I had a ton of new teachers.  This became a problem.  Fast.  I had three new teachers my first semester:  Mr. Chang, Miss Jane, and Kate.  Miss Jane was a ballet instructor that put so much fear into me, I had insomnia.  

She was infamous for videotaping our midterms and then play it back for us with a laser pointer- “Do you call this a turnout?”  “What position is this?  Somebody tell me please, because I don’t know!”  Who was this monster???   There were some students in the class that had just as much trouble adjusting to her than I did, but there were plenty of others that weren’t phased at all. 

 I decided the next semester; I would not take class with Miss Jane.  Then one class, she pushed my left hip forward lightly and it POPPED into place and said, “There.  Do you feel that?”  YES!  Yes, I did.  I ended up staying the next semester with Miss Jane, not because she saw something Mrs. Short or my other college dance instructors didn’t- but because I adjusted to her.  She no longer frightened me.  I was able to understand Mr. Chang’s very thick accent over time as well- and he was so great about explaining the origins of each ballet term that it helped me not only remember them, but execute them properly.  And Kate, who was actually a grad student who taught a beginner’s Modern class and would force us to improvise, something I was very uncomfortable with.

The wonderful thing about ballet is that it is universal.  A tendu is executed correctly everywhere, all around the world... However, you might have to hear it three different ways (which typically means from three different people) before that “ah ha” light bulb goes off.  As dancers grow up, they have to adjust to other teaching styles, different choreographers, etc.  Professionals may have to learn choreography from several different dancers, from different dance backgrounds, and from all over the world.  

So what happens when you need to find a new instructor?  Great.  This is a good thing and will benefit your dancer in the long run. My parents are always so apologetic when they have to move their child to another instructor and I reassure them that their child will be fine, our other instructors are great, we're all teaching the same thing, and that ultimately it might be even better for them.  I think the same rule of thumb should be applied to seasoned dancers looking for a new instructor as a dancer new to dance trying to find the "right" teacher.  

A few things to keep in mind:

1. It typically takes a few classes for the teacher and the dancer to become oriented with each other.

2. Repeated injuries, frustrations, or boredom probably means it's time to switch teachers rather than quit dance.

3. If your dancer doesn't "like dance," I would try a new instructor whose personality might "vibe" with your young dancer a little better.  

4. You know your dancer better than we do. Utilize the staff to help you with the right "pick."  Does your child need a strict instructor in order to focus, personality types that work or doesn't work, etc.

Happy Dancing!

~ Miss Jenna


"It's a supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge," - Albert Einstein   

A Dancer's Diet

After watching the film Food, Inc. in my college health class, I vowed I would never eat meat products from fast food places again. However, the other night, out of desperation and hunger, I walked into a McDonald's for the first time in over four years and ordered two small cheeseburgers and medium fries.

And, I'll be honest...

It was so delicious.

After eating my satisfying McDonald's meal, I started thinking about health and nutrition. Today, our society is OBSESSED with dieting and nutrition. Everywhere we look, we see ads for the latest dieting trend, the fastest way to lose weight, and the blah blah blah of the blah blah blah.

The International Association for Dance Medicine and Science provides a very precise dieting formula for the more professional dancer. They state that a dancer's diet should be about 55-60% carbohydrate, 12-15% protein, and 20-30% fat. Those percentages should also depend on the amount of rehearsal and performance time a dancer has. But, this is more for a professional who dances several hours week. Their bodies need a lot more energy since they are dancing so much.

For the younger dancer who only attends class 1-2 times a week, basic proper nutrition is all they really need: fruits, plenty of veggies, drink lots of water, limit the amount of sugar and fat intake, etc. Years of scientific study shows that good food and plenty of exercise helps children focus, prevent sickness and keep their energy level up. Proper nutrition needs to start at a young age in order to help build healthy habits. Frequent stops to the McDonald's drive-thru only enforces that it's okay for our bodies to have fast food all the time.

Of course, its not going to kill you to enjoy a cheeseburger every once in a while. Just like with everything else in life, we need moderation.

 

 A healthy lifestyle leads to a long and healthy life with plenty of energy to spare! Feed your dancer well, and they will be dancing for a long time!

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

Top Seven Holiday Gifts for Dancers

Whether it be Christmas an upcoming birthday, it's hard to be an outsider (or a non-dancer) and try to find out what the perfect gift for your dancer might be.  Well, here's a comprehensive list of the top ten gifts for any dancer:

1. TIGHTS ($8.00 - $20.00)
We can always use more tights.  If we don't need them now, we'll need them soon.  It's just a matter of time before there's a run or they've been washed too many times.  It never hurts to have some back-up tights in your closet waiting for you when you need them.  For more mature dancers (middle school and up), convertible tights might be best where younger dancers tend to prefer footed tights. 





2. LEG WARMERS ($8 - $15) & WRAP SWEATERS ($20-$30)
Dancing in the winter time is tough when the required attire is a leotard and tights.  Leg Warmers and Wrap Sweaters are perfect to help keep muscles warm to prevent injury and are typically welcomed in a classroom, unlike socks or bulky pedestrian sweaters.


3. HAIR ACCESSORIES ($2 - $10)
Hair pins, hair nets, bows, headbands, etc.  Anything you can do to help pull that hair off of your dancer's face and give them a little sparkle in class is always welcomed, no matter the age of the dancer.  I had a dance teacher once who used to teach looking like she was ready to perform- make up, hair, everything looked picture perfect.  She said when she looked her best, she felt her best, and so she danced her best. It made perfect sense.  There's not a lot we dancers can do, especially if we're specific uniform, but our hair is one area we can add some flair.

4. TICKETS TO THE BALLET ($24- $300)
Going to the ballet is always an experience.  Even my youngest students can't stop talking about 'The Nutcracker' that they just saw and a local theater.  The tickets prices varies of course, whether you're seeing a local dance company or the Moscow Ballet at the Kennedy Center. 

5. DANCE MOVIES ($12-$24)
Dance movies are just so much fun.  Having a good DVD or BluRay at hand is a great gift- for your dancer to watch with friends during a sleepover, a day home sick, or just for fun!  Some good ones:  Center Stage, Flashdance, Footloose, Step Up (the original), and Billy Elliott.



6. ANYTHING DEGAS
Degas iconic paintings of ballerinas are all over tote bags, notebooks, t-shirts, and more.  Everything I see a Degas item- I want it.  They're beautiful, elegant, and a great gift for any dancer, any age.  Here's a link to degas gift items:  http://www.balletboutique.com/14-degas-ballet-gifts 

7. PEDICURE ($10-$35)
We're on our feet a lot.  It's nice for them to get some pampering and look pretty for a least a little while, especially if your dancer is on Holiday break.  Most dancers won't bother spending the money for a pedicure for themselves since they know the damage it might endure while we're in the studio, but trust me- we all want it anyway.




Happy Holidays! 

~ Miss Jenna

“And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon." - Eward Lear, 
The Owl and The Pussycat

"The show must go on..."

Those who have had many years in the performing industry are no stranger to last minute and unpredicted  changes.

Yesterday, Ballet Petite presented its first two shows of The Nutcracker at the Greenberg Theatre at American University. Despite the long day of rehearsals and shows because of an unsuspected change of rehearsal schedule, our young ballerinas got through it and did a stellar job!

In case you have not heard, this past week, Ballet Petite needed to cancel their two rehearsal days at the Greenberg Theatre to make room for an interview between President Obama and MSNBC's Chris Matthews. Despite having booked the theater space nearly a year ago, Ballet Petite quickly tried to formulate a new plan to try to accommodate rehearsal time for our dancers so that they could get the practice before the shows on Sunday.

Ballet Petite places absolutely no blame on President Obama; in reality, American University should have honored their agreement for use of the Greenberg Theatre.

Understandably, our guests were upset. I would be too. However, I applaud the attitude of our many talented dancers and their parents.

"The show must go on," they would say to me. This is very true.

In my own experience as a performer, there have been many times where a show could have been a complete bust:
- One year during a dance recital, I had to do a really quick costume change into a tuxedo for a tap dance. The curtain person was supposed to hold the curtain for an extra minute so that we could change. Well, that didn't happen. The music started, and no one came on stage. So, we all just came out at the end of the song and did a bow. We didn't even do the dance.
- When I was in the 8th grade during my dance recital, a girl in my class kicked my hand and broke my finger while we were on stage! Since it was only the beginning of the recital, I had to go through the rest of the show with a swollen, broken finger. Changing costumes and tying shoes was not so easy.
- In my senior year of high school during a choir performance, a girl in my class broke out in bright red itchy hives all over her face and arms right before her solo performance! She went out there anyway and performed like a rockstar.


Yesterday, our ballerinas did fantastic and handled everything like true professionals even though many of them had a long twelve hour day ahead of them.

Things happen. They ALWAYS do. Sometimes it is completely and totally out of our control. It may not even be our fault, but what really matters is how we take the experience and use it for our betterment.

Just like my students kept telling me last week, "The show must go on," and indeed it did.

 

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

Classic Children's Literature

Here at Ballet Petite, we have a "story dance" portion of the class, where we sit down and read a story to the students and then dress up as the 'main character' and dance the tale we had just read.  We primarily focus on classics in these story corners, every once in a while mix in a current "ballet story" such as Angelina Ballerina or Ella Bella Ballerina.  The classics include:  Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Nutcracker, Hansel and Gretel, and many other stories we all remember as children.  These stories, mostly originated in Germany or England, are a part of our history and are carried from one generation to another.

I am honestly surprised when I hold up a story I know well, especially one that I've known for as long as I can remember, and my students say they've never heard it before.  "REALLY?  You've never heard of the story of Little Red Riding Hood?!  REALLY?"

A part of me is thrilled that they get to hear these iconic stories through me for the first time.  For most of these stories, I don't remember where I heard of them first, but a few of them, I do- like Hansel and Gretel was reading it sometime in grade school and then we saw a performance of it done by high-schoolers.  It was so cool for me to see the story come to life! 

A parent recently was upset that we lacked diversity in our stories during "story corner" and the comment hurt.  I completely understood where she was coming from. We do have a few stories that feature characters of different ethnicities, but out of the hundreds of stories we carry, it is possible that in a semester one of these might not make it into a specific class.  Her comment highlighted a bigger issue that exists within our culture today.  The large majority of our stories are classics and unfortunately, stories that originated between the late 1700s to the late 1800s Europe (more specifically, England and Germany.)  The pure economics is that these countries were actively investing in the telling of children's stories:  believing that it was beneficial to the value of childhood and served a didactic purpose.  Money was put into publishing houses to cater to the growth of children's stories specifically.  Charles Dickens, ETA Hoffman, and France's Jean-Jacques Rousseau were household names in children's literature and told stories featuring Caucasian children.

So the question is, in the modern world, where is this push for children's literature now?  Why aren't we creating stories that will be classics generations from now?  And, where are the stories of different ethnicities being represented?   Or will we still be reading the same stories 30, 40, 100 years from now?

There is something about these classic stories that are untouched right now, which is why so many 21st century stories are recreations:  Wicked, Snow White in New York, The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood, and some feminist recreations of classic fairy tales.  These stories are structurally sound (following a clean, 3 Act structure), serve a didactic purpose, combines a fantastical world and the fight to "do the right thing."  They're complicated; the characters are worth rooting for (as in, they are an "active" part of their world and create dramatic action) instead of playing a passive role in their lives (where things are happening to them instead of making things happen for themselves.)  It is hard for me not to notice the lack of dramatic action in modern stories, the lack of the good structure, and just... immature writing.  The writers of children classics wrote for adults as well; they gave their children credit to grasp complicated themes and characters.  They wrote beautiful sentences, rather than a series of fragments.  I always try to read the stories to our students as they're written and give them credit to pay attention and put together what's going on.   

Don't get me wrong:  There are a few good children stories written today that represent different ethnicities, such as The Apple-Pip Princess, that follow the structure of the classics we love and we have here at Ballet Petite.  My students LOVE The Apple-Pip Princess, which, by the way, is just a great story told properly.  After reading it in my last class, one little ballerina sighed and said, "That was really good."  There's not enough of these, clearly. 

I think it's great we have stories we can share from generation to generation, but I also feel as though it's time for publishing houses to make a push for children's literature much like England did in the 1800s.  Times have changed; gender and racial issues have matured, and it's time for new, good, stories to arrive for the children in generations to come.

~ Miss Jenna

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison

 

              

  

December winter display: The Nutcracker!

The Nutcracker is perhaps one of the most famous and treasured ballets of all time. It is a classic and fantastical Christmas story all about a little girl, her nutcracker doll, and their winter wonderland journey to the Land of Sweets on Christmas Eve.

Clara and her family are celebrating Christmas by having a party at their home. Friends and guests arrive and they begin to dance. A mysterious guest shows up at the party, but Clara recognizes him as her godfather, Drosselmeyer. Drosselmeyer is a toymaker and brings presents for all the children at the party. He gives Clara the best gift of all: a beautiful nutcracker! It isn't long before Clara's brother, Fritz, grabs and the Nutcracker, plays with it and eventually breaks it. Clara is upset, but Drosselmeyer takes a handkerchief and ties it around the Nutcracker's head to fix it. They gently place the Nutcracker on a little bed under the Christmas tree.

As the night goes on, the children begin to get tired, and it's time to sleep. Clara decides to check on her Nutcracker doll one more time before going to bed. She falls asleep under the Christmas tree with the Nutcracker in her arms.

She wakes up and everything is growing around her! The house, the Christmas tree, and the furniture are enormous! Suddenly, an army of mice dressed in uniform march out lead by The Mouse King. Clara's Nutcracker doll leads an army of toy soldiers against the mice and they battle each other. Just when the Nutcracker is about to lose to the mouse king, Clara takes her shoe and throws it at the king's head, knocking him unconscious.

The grateful Nutcracker turns into a handsome prince. The little bed has transformed into a magical sleigh. The prince and Clara get in the sleigh and they drive though a wintery forest to the Land of Sweets.

Clara and the prince are greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy and are honored for their bravery against the wicked mice by a huge celebration and feast. They enjoy the dancing of the Spanish chocolates, the Arabian coffee, the Chinese tea dancers, and the Russian dolls who perform the trepak. Mother Ginger, the gingerbread house, appears and reveal little dancing gingerbread men from under her skirt. They are followed by the Waltz of the Flowers and the evening of festivities finish with a dance performed by the Sugar Plum Fairy and a Cavalier.

Everyone bids Clara and the Nutcracker Prince farewell as they travel home.

Clara wakes up the next morning with the Nutcracker doll still in her arms.


The original story of The Nutcracker is based on German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (Nussknacker und Mausekönig), which was written in 1819.  The story starts with the familiar plot of Marie and her family on Christmas Eve as they celebrate by holding a big party. Drosselmeyer gives Marie a nutcracker doll. Later that night, a battle ensues between the toys and mice. Marie tries to tell her parents about what happened the next morning, but they don't believe her. The story continues with an explanation of how nutcrackers came to be, the fight between the Mouse King and Queen and Drosselmeyer's nephew, who is cursed to look like a nutcracker until someone can love and accept him for the way he is.The story ends with Marie breaking the curse and marrying Drosselmeyer's nephew who is actually a king.

In 1844, author Alexander Dumas took Hoffmann's version and created an adaptation. This is closer to what we see in the ballet version.

The ballet itself has its own history of failure and success.

After the huge success of The Sleeping Beauty, composer Peter Tchaikovsky and choreographer Maruis Petipa were commissioned to do The Nutcracker by the Imperial Marrinsky Theatre. The first premiere of the ballet was a failure. The ballet was criticized for nearly everything, from not being true to Hoffmann's story, the confusing battle scene, the length of the ballet and also the inadequacy of the dancers. Tchaikovsky's music, however, was praised.

Alexander Gorsky staged his own production that eliminated the Sugar Plum Fairy and cast all adults for the children's roles. It tried to address many of the criticisms that the first production received.

It was choreographer George Balanchine who first produced The Nutcracker for the New York City Ballet, and since the 1960s, it has been a regular Christmas tradition for ballet companies all over the world.


I LOVE this ballet. I honestly get teary-eyed when I watch the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier perform their pas de deux. The music is just so incredibly moving and beautiful. I can't help but shiver a little whenever I watch. Whenever I see it, I just try to breathe it all in.

If you have never seen a production of The Nutcracker, I highly recommend that you search for a performance here in D.C. and really experience it for yourself.

 

 
Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com