Returning to dance after tragedy: Adrianne Haslet-Davis

The Boston Marathon bombings shook the world a year ago, but it is hard to imagine the emotional and physical pain that the victims have had to endure.

One such victim is Adrianne Haslet-Davis. She and her husband were just steps away from one of the bombs during the Boston Marathon.

Prior to the event, Haslet-Davis was an award winning ballroom dancer and her husband had just returned from a tour in Afghanistan.

The intensity of the bomb blew off her left foot and rendered her an amputee.

For months, the loss of her foot was agonizing. The initial realization that her foot was gone was heart-breaking. Dance was her life and passion, and it seemed like it was unfairly taken away from her.

Video documentaries of Adrianne and her husband show really emotional and challenging moments after the bombings. Realizing that their lives had been put in danger left emotional scars and terrible anxiety. Even the sound of fireworks would set off a panic.

Apart from the emotional stress, there was also the physical aspect of being an amputee. The introduction to a prosthetic leg was very painful. The physical therapy sessions were long and difficult, but none of it was done in vain.

After lots of hard work and a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg, Adrianne was able to dance again! She  recently performed a rumba routine on stage at TED Talk and even gave Anderson Cooper from CNN a private dance lesson on camera. She is also working out dates to dance on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

Adrianne is a survivor with a dream and a passion. No mental or phyiscal roadblock was going to get in her way of continuing on with her dream.

 Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

Learn Ballet: How to do a développé!

Développé  is short for the term battement développé.

The movement involves lifting the leg to a retiré position, then fully extending it through an attitude position until the leg is straight. The movement can be done to the front, side, or back.

A retiré position requires the dancers to bend their knee at a sharp angle so that only the tips of the toes are touching the supporting leg. The working leg, the one raised in the retiré position, should be kept out to the side, parallel to the body.

Retiré position

Once you've reached the retiré position, extend the leg so that it is straightened all the way. Keep those toes pointed!

Extending into développé

Tips for a beautiful développé:

- Keep the hip dropped: do not raise your hip. If you were looking into a mirror, you would want there to be a straight line across your hips parallel to the floor.

- Turn your leg out! When the leg is extended, watch where your knee is facing:

         1. Front: knee should be facing out away from body

         2. Side: knee should be facing up to the ceiling

         3. Back: knee should be facing out away from body

- Don't forget about the upper body! Lift your chin and chest.

Keep working on that leg extension and soon you'll be able to perform beautiful, strong développés all day long!

Happy dancing!

 

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

How to Do Chaînés Turns

Often when we see ballet performances, we see the prima ballerina turn and turn all the way across the stage for what seems like a long time on her tippy toes. She never tumbles or loses her balance. She is doing chaînés turns!

The word chaînés is an abbreviation of the phrase tours chaînés déboulés: a series of fast 360 degree rotating turns alternating from one foot to another. The most effective and showy way to do chaînés are en pointe or en relevé (on the toes) in a tight first position.

One of the most important parts of doing a chaînés turn is learning to spot properly. Spotting involves the rotation of the head and body at different times to allow the dancer to focus on balance and prevent dizziness, as seen in the image below.

 

Proper body placement is also very important. To maintain balance, the dancer's body must be kept tall and straight, as if pulled up by a piece of string on the top of their head.

Watch the instructional video by clicking here for help on learning how to do chaînés.

Although ballerinas make it look easy, chaînés are hard. You will wobble and fall at first, but with a lot of practice and perseverance, you can make your chaînés look flawless and easy.

Happy chaîné-ing!

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com

New season of Dancing with the Stars

I am SUPER excited for the new season of Dancing with the Stars!

The new line-up of celebrities includes their usual Hodge-podge of actors, comedians, athletes and reality stars. This season's prospective winners are:

Sean Avery -pro hockey player
Candance Cameron Bure - actress
Drew Carey - actor, comedian
Meryl Davis - Olympic figure skater
Nene Leakes - reality television star
James Maslow - actor and singer
Danica McKeller - actress
Diana Nyad - swimmer
Amy Purdy - Olympic snowboarder
Cody Simpson - singer
Charlie White - Olympic figure skater
Billy Dee David - actor



As always, television viewers and the audience have expectations as to who they think will come out on top and who will go home early. 

I think its safe to say that a lot of pressure will be put on the shoulders of Olympic figure skaters Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Their background in ice dancing may prove to give them an edge in the competition.

But, my favorite competitors have always been those who surprise us with their confidence and dance ability. Everyone loves an underdog, but I think that every one always enjoys the competitor who can really bring the element of surprise in their skill.

I think my personal favorite dancer of all time was Rob Kardashian. I think most people expected him to be a failure, but he went on to become one of the top three for that season.

I hope that everyone will take the time to watch this season's Dancing with the Stars. It's a great show that exemplifies hard work, determination and positive attitudes!

Happy dancing!