Battle of the Bloat

Remember that not so fun topic I mentioned a few days ago..... well here it is, Bloating. There is nothing fun about being or feeling bloated, ESPECIALLY when you are just about to squeeze into the tiny leotard that magnifies every line and wrinkle under the damn thing. Let's not forget either, those dreaded muffin rolls from the waist bands of your tights (some brands are worse then others) that unless you are stick thin (which I'm totally not!) cuts into your tummy at the softest part until you manage to position it high enough on the torso that it "holds everything in."

IN YOUR FACE!!!!

I was in pointe class the other day... we were all lined up along the barre when the teacher came around to make her adjustments. When it was my turn, it started as usual with... pull up those hamstrings.. long.. long.. use those muscles, thighs! up.. up!..up! Good... now pointe through the foot.. more! more!

And then...for the briefest moment my feet actually felt like they were really starting to lengthen in my shoes, all ten toes super straight, my arches pushing hard through my ankles and my legs working so hard that they started to tremble a bit from all the effort......when all of a sudden........ my feet inside my pointe shoes felt like they started to bend the the shoes so much that I was pushing over my box...like way over...like almost.... all-the-way-over-over....Roger, Roger.

I had never managed to push through my shoes quite like that before, but I am pretty sure I did exactly what my teacher wanted me to for all of about 30 seconds...but it was a great 30 seconds!

( a VERY extreme example of the kind of sensation I felt for the brief moment)

Maybe thats just what "getting over the box" actually feels like... ??? I have no idea, but it was awesome! I didn't get a chance to take a look at it, to see what I was actually doing... so I decided to pull out the camera.

Ugh! You are never quite prepared to see just how bad you look.... then you actually see yourself. It's terrible! Not that I ever thought it would look even close to graceful... but the errors in technique are so abundant, it's almost depressing.

Well... I didn't manage to get that same feeling again in my pointe shoes.... but I noticed the many things I need to improve on... (thank gawd I only stuck with plies and some releves on pointe)


Need more leg strength. My teachers have already told me that I really need to improve my leg strength.. that it is affecting my pirouettes, my releves, my extensions, flexibility......etc... etc.. She gave me an exercise so, hopefully that will help.

I need to work on my feet ALOT more. Must push the arch through the ankle more! more! more! Time to break out the thera-bands.

Neck and head... Gaaaaah! This is horrible.. to much neck pushing forward. Must keep my ears back.

Lets see..... Aaack! Is that a dropped elbow?!?! Eeeeeck! And that tummy it just hangs out!  /facepalm

Bruises and pink tights

I am always bruised. I don't think there has been a straight week where I was free of bruises. Out of nowhere there would always seem to be a new one pop up somewhere on my body.

My legs are always speckled in bruises, some weeks they can range in sizes from quarters all the way up to the size of my palm. Which is pretty big, and very obvious especially since they are always so dark purple/blue.

Last week, literally within 2 days.. I managed to get 3 very large and obvious bruises all on the same leg. The first one was when I tripped over my garbage can. I didn't realize it was right in the middle of the hall after being emptied and somebody didn't bother to put it back. (>.<) This little can packs a punch, it's one of those ones with a heavy weighted bottom. I kicked my shin into it so hard knocking it over and onto the carpet... at least it was empty, heh. Then... I got a large palm sized bruise on my thigh from trying to unsuccessfully maneouver my new bed into placed and bumped into the cupboards handle and then... after my nice new bed was just made I ended up smacking the right side of my outer shin on the corner of the bed post! Gaaaaah!! And that one still hurts!

Shhheeeesh!

Pink tights do nothing to cover these bad boys. I can only imagine what my teachers are thinking. I've heard there are creams out there that are suppose to help, I've also heard that increasing vitamin C might help....so, I dunno, maybe I'll have to pop into the drug store and give it a shot.

Fingers crossed!

"You know you're a dancer when....."

I've seen these kinds of threads before... all over ballet and dance related forums or blogs. As amusing as they were to read, I never thought anything could ever really apply to me.

After all.. a dancer.. I am not.

Yet, the other day I had to snicker at myself...


So here I was working one day... it was a pretty long day, which started rather early (so much for my get up and stretch plans! >.< ) Being the "last minute" type of person that I am (why can't I ever be on time??? I really.. REALLY... try.. but no matter how early I wake up or leave.. I'm always at least 2-3 mins behing) WHY!!!!?!?!?!

er... so yeah.. I had to rush off to work... so  I didn't have time to eat... or make my mental checklist of the rooms/house  ((i.e do I have this... and this.. and this...???? did I turn off this...  and this...??)) and much like all the other times I never get the chance to mentally check off my list... I of course forgot quite a few things... one of the those items was water.

Well... I work with alot of people that never seem to drink water. I don't understand it because I am always thirsty (I am not diabetic as far as I know O,o) but still.. talking to people...(so many people... ) just kills your mouth, drains it out.. I MUST have water, erm... (and gum).. BUT thats another obsession I will get into later....

Luckily while digging through my purse I realize I have enough change to buy a drink from the vending machine (over-priced- bottle-of-water btw...) so up from my desk I leapt and bolted to the machine down the hall.


5 mins or so later I am digging through the filth of my purse... scraping old gum off coins.. palming each coins total.... adding it up.... $1.50..... $1.55....Oooo a quarter!!!.... $1.80.....$1.90.... AH HA...$2.00!!!  Yep water costs $2.00 here. you can forget about that O.J.  That will cost ya up to Two-fitty! But, hey! have this chocolate bar with all the extra fat.. for $1.25..... Like really?? Really.

Errr.. so anyways mid through, when I hit about the $1.80 mark I suddenly realized that while standing in front of this over priced vending machine, as I was digging for change, I had without realizing it,...managed to prop my purse up onto a very balanced and turned out attitude devant leg,  I couldn't believe it! And just like most amazing dreams,  as soon It's realized it..."I suddenly awoke" I lost all my balance, and I couldn't restore it. ..  I had to resort to propping up my purse against the machine itself. My amazing balance fading into mist much like your favourite dream vanishes behind those sandy eyes upon wakening.

Ahh sigh. "You know you're a dance when...."   

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