In my dance bag

I had to do some serious cleaning the other day, and, came across my dance bag. I've seen youtube videos of bloggers posting about what's in their dance bags, and was always like ...Ahhh... hmm... oohhh... and never for a second really even considered my own bag as being anything worth mentioning.

Yet, the other day I just had to go through my bag( it was getting pretty full and it was laundry day) As I was pulling this and that out of it, sifting through what was dirty, what was clean, and, Oh that's where that went...and... how did that get in there.. moments....I figurered that perhaps its these items from those moment that make a dance bag what it is.... or is it?

Anyways, It's not like I planned and purposely placed these items in there out of experience, or necessity. I really just threw these things in there while picking up laundry, stashing away odds and ends, or lazily tossing things "out of sight/will deal with them latter" objects.

Okay so, first off, im still very much a noob so, I'm proabably missing out on a ton of items "every dancer should carry" but when it came down to my net blog topic entry for today, it was either this or some topic not quite as fun.... so I picked fun FTW!

..and..ah 5...6...7...8!

When I was first told to start counting... back in the early beginner days, you know those days were you think you know it all.. ballet hard? ha! Forgetaboutit! Those super early days when "you just know you're a "natural" and really haven't figured out just what you were getting yourself into...

Ah c'mon I'm sure most of us were there at one time.. one of my classmates even admitted it out loud a few weeks ago. It's really kinda funny, the process of learning ballet. From know it all.. to knowing absolutely nothing so quickly, I'm sure it might be some of the reason why there are so many adults dropping out after a class or two. It's a shame really... I always thought the hardest part was just gathering the courage to walk into that first class...

Anyways, so yeah... I put it off... counting that is. I would let the music lead me... or my memory should hold up just fine.. and it did... back when it was easy. When there wasn't alot really going on, and following the movements of the bunhead in front of you was the simplest solution.

But now, it's just not possible.. and when I finally gave up trying to remember combinations and actually started counting each step, everything seemed to click. Why I waited so long to give in, I'll never know. But it really, really does work.

As soon as I started counting my movements in class, and listening to the music, I finally saw it.. it smacked me so hard in the face ... PATTERNS! There are patterns to the exercises! How did I never see this before?! Where have I been all these months? It's the same studio room... the same ole wooden barre, but the movements are so much clearer. 

It's the weirdest of sensations. Another of my classmates said... one day it will just "click."

Lazy Sunday on a Tuesday

I know what I should be doing.... I know I should be up and practicing yesterdays ballet class, the steps, the beats, that pirouette I didn't complete, and that combination of steps I shuffled awkwardly through.

It is my day off afterall, and I was looking forward to spending time at my barre (Mr. STB made me a very nice portable barre) and then finish up with some stretching (those splits aren't going to split themselves) But I just can't get myself out of bed... and away from this computer.

Perhaps a good inspiring quote can wake me up... or give a boost to someone else.

“The start is what stops most people.”

- Don Shula

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”

- Jerry Rice

Hard or Soft

Ahh... pointe shoes. You love em.. you hate em... you cut, sew, scratch, glue, break in, dry out...

Hate them what??! You're probably asking yourself is that even possible?? Well, my very first pair... yep, hated them. They were way too hard, the vamp far too long, and the width insanely narrow. I tried extra padding, less padding, crushing the box, and bending them.

Although the ones in the store seemed to fit really well and were comfortable, the ones I got sent home with were a nightmare. Besides the aching pain on the tops of my toes, the bunion area burning, and the lack of proper placement on the platform, these shoes probably could have killed me!


Fast forward to my current pair. First glance they probably look way too soft, and I probably look like my toes are clawing, or I'm not pulling up and out of my shoes, but honestly I love them!

I love, love, love, love soft shoes! I don't understand it, but bloch feels incredibly soft to me. These shoes were broken/molded to my feet literally within seconds of wearing them. My right foot is stronger then my left, and I am pretty sure I broke the shank in an odd way that I had to switch it to my left foot. (much weaker) Yet I love them!

Yes they are super soft, and take a bit extra work rising to full pointe from flat, but I can feel the floor in them.. I can feel the platform and where to balance, and I can concentrate on really lengthening through my foot in these shoes.

I'm going to be so sad when they die... I'm crossing my fingers they last for at least a few months.

I don't really know if wearing a softer shoe is a bad or good thing when it comes to learning how to dance on pointe... but I know I REALLY prefer the very soft and broken in feel of shoes and despise the hard ones.

The feet of the first girl in this picture feel alot like (and I think) look similar to mine. Where the toes almost seem to bend and the the rest of the foot "sits" in the shoe. Maybe it's just the shoe.....