I know every little girl wants to be a ballerina… (and some little boys, too, for that matter) but for a lot of them, it fades away after a while. for some of us, it sticks around, pushing us to class every day, forcing us to work hard, reminding us that it's all worth it.

But what if it's not?

What if you do all that work, refine all that technique, practice all those foutees, all for nothing? just to be turned down from company after company? just to find that you're just not good enough/tall enough/strong enough/thin enough? what if you're too tall?

For me, I struggle with this regularly. I'm very injured, my body does not cooperate with me in pointe shoes, my knees rebel when I walk, let alone when I dance, and I have no turn-out. I'm also five feet and nine inches, putting me at six feet en pointe. On top of all that I have injuries that keep me from dancing, and very un-refined technique due to me having to cut hours because of those injuries.The likelihood of my joining a company? Rather slim. And that's okay, because I've decided I want to be a teacher. But how am I supposed to build my reputation if I can't be a dancer?

So that's what I'm struggling with right now. I've trained under David Howard and Galina Panova, I teach 12 classes a week, including private lessons at a prep school. I sound pretty good on paper --for a college graduate-- but the next step is joining a company, and that's a step I can' take. I have to find a replacement step to get me where I want to be… and that's to eventually open my own studio and company.

I know it's not hopeless, and I know God's got a really awesome plan… but it's really stressful to be graduating in the spring and have no idea where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do.

So I'm not really a health-nut, but my boyfriend teases me about being one. Here's how I operate: I eat super healthy food most of the time, but often eat chocolate in the evenings, usually end up ordering a caramel latte at Starbucks for my morning treat, and almost always eat 3-meat cheese-stuffed crust pizza for Friday night dinners.

But today I was in the mood for something healthy and yummy. So I went to the store and found a recipe on the back of a whole-wheat flour bag for banana bread. But the thing is, I don't like bananas. So I changed the recipe drastically, substituting everything I could for something healthier.
And they turned out amazing.

These would be great before class/rehearsal/performance because it has a very good mix of complex carbohydrate, unsaturated fat, and protein!

Health nut Muffins

Their recipe	My recipe
2 C mashed bananas	1/2 C Pumpkin 1/2 C Apple Sauce 1/2 C Cranberries 1/2 C frozen blueberries 1/4 C frozen fresh Coconut
1/2 C Vegetable Oil	1/2 C Chunky Peanut Butter*
1C Sugar	1c Sugar**
1C Unbleached all-purpose flour and 1C Whole Wheat flour	1/2 C Wheat Germ, and 1 1/2 C whole wheat flower
1tsp baking soda	1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder	1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c chopped walnuts	none ***
1tsp vanilla extract	blop of vanilla extract (highly precise!)
2 large eggs	2 large eggs
3 tbs milk	plop of milk
	cinnamon
	pumpkin spice

1. Mix fruit, add in wet ingredients
2. mix in dry ingredients
3. Pour into muffin tins and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon/sugar/pumpkin pie spice on top
4. pour into muffin tins and bake for 10-15min at 350
5. eat with a hot cup of chamomile tea. <3

*They tasted VERY peanut-buttery… so if you don't particularly like super-peanut-buttery stuff, just use olive oil or veg.oil.

**I'd have liked to use Stevia, but 1. Walmart doesn't sell it, and 2. the Truvia was $6 vs sugar $1… I'm a broke college student.

*** I don't like walnuts… also I used chunky peanut butter.

MMMMMmmmm so yummy and perfect with a cup of tea!!

and point your toes.

Please vote for my photo entry in this contest!

This is the pre-pointe notebook I put together for my students who are pursuing pointe shoes. Enjoy!

PP1

One of my students has a stress fracture in her foot—bless her heart!—but she still comes to class and does what she can while sitting on the floor or laying down with her legs in the air. Sometimes she'll do the releve series on one foot. She's a trooper!

A while back I started giving her private sessions with pilates, conditioning, and floor barre exercises. This has lead to an interesting journey in exploring training methods, and I've found that floor barre has many awesome benefits.

1. You are forced to use correct alignment. When you're laying on the floor—or sitting up on your sits bones—it is physically impossible to do many steps incorrect, because if you do it wrong, you'll literally fall on the ground. It forces you to do it properly, and work within your turnout and flexibility, which is very good for young dancers who are trying to find their positions.
2. It develops key muscles. As mentioned above, you're forced to do it right: therefore you're using the muscles you're supposed to be using. Because you don't have a barre to hold or a floor to press into, you have to use isometric muscle movement, which strengthens your muscles in a different way than isotonic. When you get back up off the ground, you'll be able to hit new heights.
3. It relieves stress on joints. For those of us with chronically bad knees, hips, shoulders, etc. floor barre lets you use your muscles and hit your full extension/strength without compromising your joints. For example, I can do a high developpe to the side without worrying about pronating on my ankle, or popping the knee of my standing leg.
4. It strengthens your balance. A woman's center of balance is in her hips and torso. Because you're laying on your back, or sitting up on your hips, you're forced to use the correct alignment, therefore you're centered as you should be, and will learn the position quicker. When you stand up, you'll have stronger balance.
   
   Also, ever lay on one hip with your arms in fifth position and do a developpe to the side? You'd be surprised how hard you have to focus on balance.
   
5. It helps with coordination. Try this: lay on your back, and do a fondu and extend to the front. But instead of pointing both legs when you fondu, pointe only the working leg, and flex the "standing" or floor leg. It's more of a brain teaser than you'd expect! When you train your brain to send different instructions to different body parts, that skill transfers to other aspects of dance, like sharp petit allegro and graceful arms, or having the legs move en de hors while the arms move en de dans. It can be done, but you have to stretch your brain.

I'll be posting a series of floor barre videos as soon as I get a chance to film them ;) Meanwhile, check out these videos:

 

 

One year, for Christmas, my ballet teacher gave me a sweat cloth. It has the ballet studio logo on it, with my name embroidered in the middle. It's a pretty purple lavender color, and I always keep it in my dance bag.

At first I thought it was a really strange gift: I always wore legwarmers because I was always cold, so why did she give me a sweat cloth? I figured it was to fold up and place on the barre for when we stretched on the barre, so we wouldn't hurt our ankles.

Years later, after I've left the studio and gone to college, and now teach 12 classes a week, I finally understand the purpose of that cloth. It's a bright purple so I can place it in the corner and spot it when I can't seem to concentrate. I keep it in my dance bag for when I break down after class or after a late night, so I can clear up my face. I have it on hand for when a student spills a water bottle. I look at it and remember how smart and experienced my teacher was.

But mostly, I keep it by my side during barre to remind myself that I should, at all times, be working so hard that I'm pouring sweat, and therefore need a sweat cloth to wipe it off my neck, back, and wrists.

With that gift, Miss Laura still helps me work hard in class today, even though I haven't trained under her in over three years.

Guess what my students are getting for Christmas?

I'm not fat. Really, I'm not. Here's a video of Alesandra Danilova performing the choreography of Sugar Plum that I know… I'm skinnier than her, and I can do the dance just as well.

Here's Margot Fonteyn doing Le Corsaire. I'm skinnier than her too.

Here's my audition shot in high-school, before I lost weight.

I look pretty much the same now, more toned in the thighs and back, and I have a much better arabesque, but I had—and still have—larger legs.

Why do ballerinas have to be super skinny? there's no reason for it. curves look better on a lady than protruding bones do anyway.

One of these days, my dancers—who will be fit and strong and healthy—will take the world by a storm, and remind the companies that you don't have to be a size 00 to dance.

Sometimes you just have to go back to the basics. Even professional dancers sometimes go take a beginner class so they can focus on technique. Clean crisp technique is a must-have, especially considering the competitive job market for dance. Here are a few tips that will help every aspect of your dancing.

1.      Plie is your power-house, your beginning and end, your safe-haven. You can make it big or small, fast and powerful, or slow and sustaining. Plies can absorb shock from a jump, or propel you into your next one. Most steps have a plié in them in some way, shape, or form. Jumps, leaps, traveling steps, stationary movements, almost all of them have a plié. Make sure your plies are clean by keeping your heels from poping up, making sure your knees don’t push forward, and watching that your toes aren’t clawing at the floor.

2.      Head. You probably look at the floor more than you think you do. Figure out specific places for you to look for every movement in your dance or in a combination: a corner, a wall, a spot, your hand, your foot, whatever imaginary sylph is flying through the air at the time… but unless the choreography specifically calls for you to look at the floor, don’t look at the floor. It distorts the line and drastically changes your balance.

3.      Breath. Do you hold your breath while you dance?  Try to engage your breath and connect it to your movements. Exhale when you flex a muscle (or bring a limb away from your midline) and inhale when you extend (or bring a limb closer to your midline). Grand Battements, développés, or big rond de jambes are the ones that usually get you holding your breath. Remember that your muscles are connected to your diaphragm and your lungs, so they won’t work properly if you don’t breathe. Also, you could get dizzy or tired if you don’t breathe enough.

4.      Abs. We all know abs are important in dance, but do you know how important? Your abdominals are connected to your oblique’s, hip flexors, back, pecs, lats, and most importantly, pelvic floor, debatably one of the most important muscles in the body. Instead of pulling your stomach in like you’re “sucking in,” lift the bottom of the abdominals up towards the top ones, therefore flexing them and pulling them up. You’ll feel the difference in your stomach, back, and shoulders.

5.      Imagination. One of the biggest things people forget about technique is that it’s literally all in your head. If you fall in your head, you’ll fall when you do it. If your extension is stuck in your head, it’ll be stuck in your legs. If your legs get twisted up in your head, you’ll get confused when you dance it. If you find you’re having trouble with a certain step, rather than trying it over and over again, breaking it down over and over again, and going nowhere, try closing your eyes and doing it in your head until you can see yourself doing it right.

*this post was originally written for 8Count Audio*

Do you ever leave class or rehearsal and think “that was fun, but I don’t feel like I got anywhere new today?” That’s never a good sign. A good dancer is always trying and working to improve and raise their personal “best” to the next level. Sometimes we get tired, or frustrated, or stressed, and before we know it, class is over and we don’t remember anything we learned.

But don’t worry. There are ways to avoid that.

1.      Eat at least an hour before class. You can’t think or dance if you don’t have gas in the fuel tank. End of story. Complex carbohydrates and complete proteins are the best. So, pbj anyone?

2.      Before class, drink water. Water improves your brain function and keeps you from feeling sluggish and tired. It gives your muscles and shock absorbers more flexibility and life. It also starts the rehydration before you get too behind. Don’t forget to keep drinking water during class! Don’t wait until you’re thirsty: by then it’s already too late.

3.      Don’t let your mind wander. Studies have shown that people who go through the motions while thinking about something else don’t get nearly as much out of the exercise as those who are focused and attentive during their work-out. This is because you fully engage the muscles rather than just doing enough to accomplish the movement.

4.      After class, write it down. Try to remember the corrections your teacher or coach gives you, and write them down in a dance journal or diary. This forces you to recall what your teacher said, whether it be technique tips, or corrections on a number you’re rehearsing. Then, before your next session, go over your notes and keep them in your mind.

5.      Have your priorities straight. This is a tough one. For dancers who do a lot of competitions or performances, sometimes the line between being dedicated and being dangerous gets blurry. Don’t forget that if you fall apart because you aren’t getting enough sleep at night, you’re useless as a dancer. Don’t forget that if you get behind on your homework, you might not make it into dance college, no matter how flexible you are. It’s not the end of the world to skip a class to get important stuff done. With that in mind, don’t make excuses not to go to class! Figure out what the most important thing is, and make it your priority.

If for some reason you still feel like you aren’t getting anything out of dance class, talk to your teacher. You may need to go up a level—or even go down a level. If everything is too simple, you’ll get bored (however, don’t forget that even a professional dancer can get a good workout from a beginner class if they work hard). If it’s too advanced, you’ll get confused and you won’t be able to do your best because there will be too much to focus on.

Don’t be afraid to dialogue with your teacher or coach about it: they’re here to help, and they want to challenge you. And as a dancer, you need to step up to the challenge. 

Some dancers work for years to get pointe shoes. Others work for just a few months before their ready. And some work hard for what seems like forever, and their teachers still haven’t put them en pointe. Maybe you’re wondering why you still aren’t ready.

Yesterday I thought I was going to die.

Back in High School, I spent 25+ hours a week dancing, teaching, rehearsing, and walking around the studio in a pair of ballet slippers. Now that I'm in college and I have a life, a career, and two jobs, I don't have the time to spend that many hours working out for myself. So yesterday when I started my regular teaching schedule, suffice it to say my body was not prepared.

I mean, 4 classes isn't that many, is it? Not really. And they were all only an hour long. It wasn't that my muscles were exhausted, or even that I was mentally exhausted: Rather, it was my feet that were killing me.

And my feet don't usually hurt, because as a dancer, my feet are pretty strong! But I learned something yesterday: I can dance in flats for six hours a day, but I can only walk around in them for three before my feet start to ache. I can almost guarantee it has something to do with the way we dancers use the muscles in our feet when we dance as compared to when we walk. 

But I'm pursuing teaching, and this is going to be my life. Miss Laura used to teach seven or eight classes a day, half of them to ages 2-5. I'd better get used to it, right?

So I've compiled a list of ways to save your feet, strengthen arches, and relieve pain. 

1. Tennis Ball. Every dancer should have at least one tennis ball. I have three, and a golf ball. Many dance companies sell a device similar to a tennis or golf ball. Just put it under your arch, and push and roll gently and slowly. 
2. Tape your Arches. There is some controversy about this, but it all boils down to arch support. There is no arch support in ballet shoes (unless you buy an insert and put it in your shoe). If you need the arch support to save your knees and ankles, tape your arches and do some strengthening after class or in your free time.
3. Ice/Heat Treatment. As a dancer, one of the best feelings in the world is getting out of bed and standing on a freezing cold tile floor... I know that sounds strange, but seriously, try it some time. It sucks the aches right out of your feet. Of course if you only ice your feet, the muscles will get hard, and that won't help you much. So if your feet are really killing you, twenty minutes on ice and twenty in a hot water foot bath or heating pad will ease the pain away.

Also. Ibuprophen is an amazing thing.

Margot Fonteyn danced for a good long time before quitting dance, and returning to it ten years later. Her technique was drastically improved.

 

*this post was originally written for 8Count Audio*

 

Fouetté: the word inspired fear into the hearts of ballet students everywhere. The uncontrollable nightmare that whirls you off your feet and sends you flying across the room into embarrassment and humiliation.

Okay, maybe you’re not as terrified about fouettés as I was. But honestly, that’s how I used to think of them.

Until I figured them out.

There are a few key secrets to mastering fouettés. I’ve done my 32, and I got up to about 24 en pointe (that was in High School when I was dancing every day) and really, once I figured them out, they were a lot of fun.

The turn. There are two basic ways to actually do your turn. The French method is to plié in your battement front, then relevé in second, passé to turn. I’ve found that this method is good for people who have shorter legs—but if you have long legs, it will whirl you around so fast you’ll probably lose control. My suggestion is to try the Russian method: plié in your battement front, carry to the side while still in plié, and then relevé passé. Some people even skip the battement to the front and just go side/passé/side/passé.

The heel. Don’t slam your heel down when you plié. It makes you completely lose all control over your balance. Instead, imagine you are squishing an orange or a bouncy-ball under your heel every time you plié, and lift up in your spine as you go down.

The energy. Energy is extremely important in fouettés. When you plié and battement (either front or side) visualize shooting beams of energy up out of your head, straight out of your arms, down into the floor from both of your hips, and out of your extended leg. Your sacrum is your center of balance, so imagine a glowing ball of light that creates those beams of energy. This “cross” of power will keep you centered and keep you from falling, losing control, or traveling across the room.

The timing. Don’t try to do fouetté to a 2/4 or a 4/4 beat: do it to a very fast waltz. Count off to three a few times, and use the 1 as your whip, the 2 as your turn, and the 3 as your plié. Once you get the rhythm, fouettés are not the nightmare they used to be!

The spot. Don’t forget your spot. It’s still the most important part of your turn. Without it, you completely lose yourself. Remember those beams of light you’re shooting? Shoot them out of your eyes at your spot as well!

The mind. If all else fails, don’t be intimidated by fouettés. They’re just like any other turn, just a little harder. Don’t think too hard, and let your body do what it knows to do. If you can’t seem to master them, try visualizing yourself doing six or eight—if you fall in your head, you will fall in the studio. Your problem may be in your mind!

Are you ready for pointe? You might be ready physically, but are you ready emotionally and mentally? It's just as important to be mentally prepared for the challenge of pointe as it is to be strong.

Image source

1. Everyone’s body is different. Everyone’s feet are different. Everyone’s flexibility and muscle development rate is different. Dancers who go en pointe too soon can injure their feet, knees, joints, back, and bone development. If you teacher says you’re not ready for pointe, it’s not because they don’t like you, it’s because they don’t want you to ruin your feet and never be able to walk again. This is not an insult to you as a dancer, it only means your body isn’t ready yet.

2. Don’t miss class. One missed class results in putting you back three days physically.

3. Pointe is a joy, but it isn’t fun. It is very uncomfortable at first, it means no more pedicures until you’re done dancing (like, forever), and you will be sore for a few weeks until you gain more strength and stretch your tendons out and develop callouses. You will probably get blisters. Every pointe student bleeds through a pair of shoes at least once in their lives. It does get better! But it is uncomfortable.

4. Pointe is expensive. Pointe shoes range from $40-$100 per pair retail, and a pointe student should be re-fitted in a store for the first two or three pairs, or until your feet stop growing (usually six months after your first menstrual cycle). Brand new pointe student’s shoes usually last for 12-20 hours’ worth of dancing. Once the dancer is stronger, they last 6-10 hours. Padding ranges from $10-$30 and lasts for about six months.

5. Pointe is a risk. Because pointe involves standing in a way that is not natural to the body, it is possible to injure yourself from pointe work. Even if your body is ready, it is still possible to hurt yourself.

What does this mean for you as a student?

• No cheating! Do it the way you know you have to, even if it’s hard.
• Try not to wear skirts or leg warmers, so your teacher can catch mistakes.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• If something hurts, tell your teacher, just in case.
• It’s okay to ice things if they’re sore.

Now, I'm not trying to scare you out of pointe work… but remember it's not a joy ride. Pointe is a serious commitment, and it takes as much mind strength as it does physical. Work through it—and don't forget to find the joy in it!

I made some videos for my new pointe students—All five of them got permission to start pointe! I'm so excited!—and I'm going to post the videos here. Here is a link directly to the playlist. I plan on embedding them into a blog post later, but right now youtube is being finicky. So. Go see the videos. :)

When I first started dancing I only wore a leotard and tights. I never broke a sweat, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing (it was bad). Then I got a pair of leg warmers for Christmas. They were pink and soft and a warm cotton/acrylic blend. They were awesome. I wore them every day in class.

And something changed: instead of doing barre and centre and finishing feeling good, my muscles were legitimately tired after class. I loved the feeling! My flexibility increased because my legs were warmer, and my ankles and toes weren't numb after plies because of the air conditioning.

I continued to wear leg warmers for a good two or three years. I never took them off—literally. I'd put on two pairs before class, and by the time class was over I'd have one pair on, but I still had my legs covered! I had found that if I took them off, my legs would get cold and cramp up.

When I went to summer camp at Carolina Ballet, they didn't let us wear warmers. They kept the studios freezing cold though, and I had a serious problem with my legs just not getting warm. One day I was so cold I was doing plies in between combinations, and the teacher noticed and let me put on my sweat pants because I couldn't do anything my legs were so cold.

That summer, I changed something: I forced myself rather than just releve and hold, I pushed into the ground as hard as  could, engaged all my leg muscles simultaneously, and then held it. and then did it again. after a few of those, I was a lot warmer. And I realized I could warm up without coverings on my legs.

As I got stronger, I learned how to fully utilize my muscles and articulate my movements further: rather than just sticking my leg out there, I was really engaging as much as possible and pushing off the floor, lifting the abs, wrapping my turnout…

Now I only wear warmers until my toes re-gain circulation. I generally take them off before degage (which is fast-paced enough that I warm up quickly without them). I wear them if I'm rehearsing, or teaching (in which case I'm dancing on and off) and of course I wear them over my jeans when it's snowing outside.

So now that I've told you my life story, here's a simple bulleted list to help you decide if you should wear warmers in class.

Pros:

• Protect against cold air conditioning
• Help warm up your body faster—especially if your toes are cold or numb before class
• Keep you warm between classes and rehearsals
• Helps increase flexibility

Cons:

• If you get warm and then take them off too late in the game, you'll get chilled, which isn't good for your muscles
• If your muscles are too warm, you'll get tired quickly
• You don't have to work as hard to warm up, so (for younger dancers) you don't end up trying as hard in class

There is no definite "Yes I will wear leg warmers" or "no I will never wear leg warmers." I advise getting a pair or two that you like (one thick, one thin) and having them available when you need them. Just remember: when you're just warm enough, take them off and warm yourself up with your body, not with acrylic and cashmere.

I make some really cute hand-knit and crochet leg warmers at my etsy shop. They're awesome because they keep you warm between combinations when you're standing still, but they breathe really well when you're dancing. It helps regulate the temperature! Check out my warmers here.

Super-chunky and soft                                                 Thin Black and red OR black and white

I've been a bad ballerina this semester.

How I feel (Image)

Last year, I was on top of my game. I was exercising, doing cardio exercise, stretching, dancing every single day, drinking lots of water, not eating any sugar, and at almost five foot nine, I was 120 pounds.

This semester, I haven't got the guts to step on a scale.

I mean, it's not bad. I'm not fat by any stretch of the word. I still wear size 2 jeans and dresses. I just have a higher body fat percentage and less muscle tone than I did last term. It's mostly because I haven't had the time (or discipline) to eat right and condition myself.But that's really no excuse. So below are some simple ways to get started in walking the walk instead of just talking the talk.

1. Go to bed earlier so you can get up earlier. Getting more sleep earlier in the night actually helps your metabolism. Getting up earlier does the same. Don't forget to eat a little something—even if it's a half a cup of milk or a piece of banana—to boost your metabolism for the day. *note, it should be a complex carb, not a simple sugar like Captain Crunch cereal.
2. Start off exercising for five or ten minutes—first thing in the morning (because we all know if you don't do it first thing, it won't get done). As you get used to getting up earlier, you can increase the time you exercise. Don't try to do two hours on your first day; you'll never want to work out again.
3. Eat Slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it's full. Eat slowly so you don't accidently eat too much.
4. Stay Hydrated. Water is the fourth macronutrient, and it's much more important than you may think. The best way to check your hydration is to look at your urine color. First thing in the morning, check your hydration level, and determine if you're on track, or dehydrated. Decide how much water you need to drink that whole day, and then aim to meet that goal.
5. Pick one day of the week to let yourself eat yummy junk-food; and then stick to your strict dancer-diet for the rest of the week! I usually pick Saturday, because I don't have to go to class, and I sleep in that day anyway, so I don't want to worry about my metabolism. This is a very important one, because
1. It makes you think "three more days, and then I'll let myself eat that cake,"
2. Your body gets used to that one day a week, and it compensates for it by burning the extra calories
3. Think about it: if you eat veggies and whole grains every day and then eat pizza and ice cream, you're probably going to feel a little nasty… so you'll eat less of that junk food because you're body isn't used to it anymore. Not only are you only splurging once a week, you're consuming way less of it!
6. Keep a food journal. This is a very simple way because all you have to do is write down what time you eat and what you eat. Even if you're the only one who will see it, simply writing down what you're eating makes you want to eat healthier, because you really don't want to write down that you had a coffee at 10, a cookie at 1:30, and a slice of pizza at 6. It keeps you accountable, if only to yourself. Want to up the challenge? Pick an accountability partner, or start a public blog!

Good luck! And if you have any advice or suggestions, leave a comment below!

This is the essay I wrote for school in Spring 2011. I will be updating it soon (mostly for passive voice and poor sentence structure) but I hope you get a chance to read it.
Basically, I spent a semester studying how dancers can achieve a low weight without starving themselves. Like, literally, that's what this is about. I ended up trying it on myself, and it worked quite wonderfully. Eventually I plan to get a team together to all do the experiment at the same time, so I know it wasn't just my body doing what I wanted it to.
Enjoy! And don't forget your carbohydrates!
Eat More Weigh Less Keep Dancing by Haley Mathiot Summary of the Food and Exercise Journals First 7 days of food journals

I've blogged about carbohydrates before; not extensively, but one of these days I'll definitely do a full post about them. For now, we're going to break it down into really simple building blocks for you to digest.

(see what I did there? digest? sugar?…no?…okay.)

There are 2 basic kinds of carbohydrates

One kind of carb is simple carbohydrates, like table sugar, honey, stuff you get in candy bars and sodas and, believe it or not, fruit. Yes, fruit has simple sugars. Fruit is good for you, though, because it hasn't been processed, and the actual process of biting into an apple and chewing it and digesting it burns enough calories that you don't end up storing a ton of fat on your body.
The other basic category is complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs take longer to break down, and there are more parts that are of value to your body, so you get more usable energy from them. Examples of complex carbs are oatmeal, fiber, potatoes, whole wheat or multi-grain bread that hasn't been processed… which basically means anything that lasts for more than three days.

So why do we need carbs?

What about all those diets out there that advertise weight loss by eating only protein? Or cutting out as many carbs as possible? Not a good idea at all! here's why:

1. Your brain runs solely off of a carbohydrate energy. This energy is called glucose. Your muscles are made of glucose. Basically, if you stop eating carbs, your body has to start burning off muscle so your brain can keep functioning.  When it runs out of extra glucose in the muscle stores, the brain can use a bi-product of burnt fat, but it much prefers potatoes and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And of course, as dancers, we need our muscles! Not only that, we need our minds to be sharp.

on that note,

2. Carbohydrates restore the glucose in your muscles. When you do any kind of anaerobic or endurance exercise, your body uses glucose for energy rather than fat stores. That's why your muscles are tired after working out: you used up the glucose stores to exercise! Both carbs and proteins replace those stores, but if you are trying to gain strength (which, as a dancer, is a priority), you want to replace the glucose stores in your muscles as soon as possible after exercising, and you also want to make sure your metabolism stays even at the same time. So you need to eat carbs because…

3. Carbohydrates boost your metabolism. I'll have to talk about weight loss and meta-boosting another time, because there's enough to write a 18-page paper about it (trust me, I did it). But in order to keep your blood sugar levels even, and in order to keep your body burning a regulated amount of calories per day, you need to keep your metabolism going steady and even (basically, don't let it be fast and furious one day and slow as a snail the next).

More on this topic to come. Again, remember that extremely long paper. I've got some cool stuff to share with you all :)

Meanwhile, take a look at this video. Hank talks briefly about sugar (in a very snarky entertaining way).

Today I have three videos for you! More will come,  promise. I have to film them, though.

What to do: Slowly releve in a parallell position, pushing up as high as you can. When you lower, lower slowly, making sure you resist "clopping" your heels down. Try to eliminate all ankle wobbles

What to remember: When working on Relelve, make sure your arches, toes, and knees are all lined up. Push all the way up on to your arch as high as you can. Check your feet from the front, and from the side.

 

Releve combination: 8 in first, 8 with plie, 8 in sur le coups de pied on each foot, 8 in second, balance in sousus, passe coupe balance in sousus, plie and stretch.

Remember: push your heel into the ground, like there's an orange under it! No wobbles!

 

Plies with arch presses:

Demi-plie like you normally would, but press your arch up onto demi-pointe. Stretch out the muscles under the feet. Make sure when you do this, your arch is lined up with your knees and toes. This exercise stretches and enhances the arch.

Balance is so key in dance. Without it, you really can't do much of anything.  These are a few key things to keep in mind when you work on balance.

Balance is an action, not a position

Balance is something you do, not something you find. Teachers often say "Find your balance." It is true that you have to find the correct position to balance in, but once you find, it, you have to keep it: and that doesn't mean staying still! Balancing is a combination of isometric movements (engaging muscles to hold still) and extremely small isotonic adjustments (isotonic means you're engaging your muscles and actually moving somewhere). Those adjustments, when you first start learning to balance, are large, and they look like wobbles. You will feel like you're falling. But as long as you keep working it and teaching your body how to adjust the hip without loosing the turnout, or how to push harder on the floor without loosing the abdominal strength, eventually balance becomes easy and steady.

Stack Up At Your Center

Think of your body as a set of building blocks: you have to line them all up in order for the tower not to fall. If one near the top is off center, it will pull the others down with it. If one near the bottom is off center, the others will fall off of it. This is why it's important to visualize every aspect of your body while you balance: not just your feet or your hips, but the whole body. You have to line everything up.

For women, our sense of balance is mostly in the sacrum, the top part of the tailbone. Men's center of balance is a little higher, directly behind the belly button. Once you find where your center is, think of both sides of your body being proportionate around it, like those building blocks.

Energy All Directions

Remember that center we talked about? Think about a glowing ball of energy right there, in the middle of your center of balance. Now, as you're standing in whatever position you need to balance in, visualize shooting steady thick streams of that energy straight down into the floor through your standing leg, and straight up into the sky through your spine. You should grow taller from both directions, because you're pushing down from your hips, and lifting up in your back.

Now, visualize your arms shooting streams of energy outwards from your body, and your working leg shooting out the direction it's pointing. No matter what position you're balancing in, you should be able to visualize shooting energy from your center out in all directions, like you're the middle of the clock with a minute hand for every minute.

This concept evenly distributes your force and your consciousness, so you're focused on all parts of your body at the same time, and helps you find the true center of your body in that position.

And don't forget, staring at something helps too! Shoot energy out of your eyes. Pick a spot, and shoot daggers at it.

Let's talk about knees.

Shock absorbers

First of all, ballet dancers rely on their knees for more than they realize. In between the top of the Tibia (shin bone) and the bottom of the Femur (thigh bone), you have two half-moon shaped padded cushion-type-things, called Meniscus. Think of them as shock absorbers. Without them, your bones would be grinding against each other.

But dancers tend to be very hard on their Menisci. We do a lot of jumping, so they do a lot of shock absorbing. But if we don't help them along, they're going to give out.

One of the key ways you can protect your knees is to land your jumps with your knee directly over your two biggest toes, to roll through the foot as you land, and to press your heels into the floor. This distributes your weight correctly and keeps you in alignment, so you don't put extra strain on your knees.

Ligaments

There are tons of ligaments in your knees you need to take care of. The Co-lateral ligaments are two ligaments (that's the "co") on either side of your knees (that's the "lateral"). They keep your Patella (knee cap) from slipping side to side.

You also have the ACL and the PCL. ACL is Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Front, crossed ligament) and the PCL is Posterior Cruciate Ligament (back crossed ligament). They criss-cross under the Patella to keep it from moving forward and back. 

Many athletes tend to injure their ACL. But dancers are at risk of injuring their PCL, mostly because we like to hyperextend our knees, which is very very bad.

See, Ligaments don't stretch back. Once they stretch, they're stuck that way unless you do intense physical therapy or have a surgery. Hyperextension of the knees means you have a loose PCL. If the PCL is very loose, it could tear, strain, or not do it's job (thereby endangering your Patella).

If you are hyperextended, remember not to lock your knees. Your legs should look straight, but that doesn't mean they should be as engaged as they can possibly be! You have to re-train your muscles to stop pushing back, and lift up in your thighs to keep your stability.

Turnout

I will certainly address this topic more fully in another post. But just because this is extremely important, let's mention turnout.

Turnout does not come from your knees.

Turnout comes from your hips.

If you turn out from your knees, you will tear ligaments, rub and tear your Menisci, and cause serious injury to your ankles. (Again, ankles will be another post all together.)

Please, for the love of Marie Taglioni, don't turn out from your knees.

Right now I have the awesome opportunity to teach pre-pointe at a local dance studio in my area! This brings me great joy. I've got between 5 and 7 girls, all of them really excited, some of them more ready than others, but all pretty dedicated. I won't be talking about them on this blog, but I might mention "a student" and "a problem" and "tendencies." It's just for their privacy.

However, I'll be posting some tutorials about muscle strengthening, posture, alignment, Pilates, cross training, and other things that are designed to prepare girls for pointe work. You are more than welcome to check them out!

When am I ready for pointe?

This is a very complicated question to answer, because everyone's body is different, and there is not set time or age or position you have to be able to hit before you can go en pointe.
But here are the basics:

1. You should be strong enough to balance in a releve in first position for a good minute. Without the barre. Your releve should be high up on your arches, forward with your weight over your big toes (no sickling) and not wobbly.

2. Your turnout should be stable: you should be able to do a tendu or grand battement or rond de jambe combination without your standing leg slowly slipping into a parallel position.

3. You should have reasonable abdominal and back strength. If you can do 60 crunches, or an Abs Series in Pilates, you'll probably be okay.

How old is too old, or how young is too young?

You don't have to be really young. I got en pointe when I was fourteen. I knew some people who got on much older than that. I knew some who got on at six or seven. Age doesn't make much of a difference. So don't worry about how old you are. It's all about your body. Ballanchine was famous for saying (something along these lines:) that ballet training doesn't need to start seriously until the age of eight or ten, and pointe doesn't need to start until about twelve. Getting en pointe is great, but you should be able to do something once you get up there.

Will my feet keep me from dancing en pointe? My scoliosis?  My bad turnout?

1. Flat feet make pointe hard. They don't keep you from being able to dance, they just make your life more difficult. I have flat feet. But I can do things other people have a lot of trouble with, like toe hops and promenades, very easily.

2. Scoliosis makes ballet in general difficult. There are some ways you just can't move. I've known some professional dancers who had to deal with their scoliosis, and they made it work. You have to learn what you can and can't do, and then learn to work with it. It may mean sacrificing certain roles because you can't do a certain step the way a choreographer wants you to do it. But it doesn't mean you can't dance at all.

3. Turning out is a movement, not a position. Although good turnout helps, it's not the position of being turned out that helps you dance, it's the action of turning out. It's the muscular flexion and engagement that helps you keep your balance and lift your legs higher etc. I have barely 100 degree turnout. But actually using the turnout muscles is what helps you.

As far as pointe, feet that aren't extremely turned out don't look as pretty in pointe shoes as feet that are very turned out, and you will be forever competing against girls with natural turnout, but it does not mean you can't fight for it—and win.

Want more?
Foot and Arch tutorials, Why you might have to wait to go en pointe, how to know if you're ready for pointe, which pointe shoes should you get?