For Christmas I got a Turn Board. Some ballet dancers used to saw off the backs of chairs and use the slippery side to spin around on to practice spotting. The turn board is a new take on spotting practice. It will keep turning while you spot. It's great because you don't have to worry about falling off of demi-pointe and you can find your center while spinning easier than in a regular turn. It has helped me a lot on just relaxing and spotting hard. Be careful the first couple of times though, the board has a tendency to shoot out from under you! You can get a turn board at balletisfun.com. I recommend this product for all dancers who want to make their turns better.
This is an interview with Yuan Yuan Tan of the San Francisco Ballet. I first watched Yuan Yuan Tan on TV in the SFB's Nutcracker. She was the Snow Princess, a role that I had done a couple years earlier. It was cool to watch a professional do the same part I did.She is such a graceful dancer with incredible lines and feet. I like this video because it tells a lot about how her ballet career took off and the problems she had in the beginning. Please tell me what you think of this and my other videos, I love feedback!
I've always known that I wanted to be a professional ballerina but now I know for sure that all I want to with life is dance. We had some professional dancers come and be in our show. It was so incredible to watch them in class as well as on stage. They made everything look effortless and beautiful. I want to be just like that. Ballet is definitely my love and passion. I'm going to work super hard no matter how difficult it may seem. I've even been stretching more and doing some core workouts which normally I do not like. I've actually gotten to the point were it doesn't hurt that bad to stretch in the splits anymore, I enjoy being able to bend my body like that. I guess its a good sign when I don't like breaks because it means no studio time. I just I hope I can be a good dancer, it's so hard to make it big in the ballet world.
You may not have heard of the young and talented Chisako Oga but I'm sure you will in the near future. Chisako is a 17 year old ballerina who trains at San francisco Ballet School. She was invited to participate in the Prix de Lausanne when she was 15, which from what I've seen on you tube, she did amazing! Chisako also competed in the YAGP NYC finals for 2012. Chisako Oga in Supernova choreographed by Asuka Kondoh at the YAGP NYC finals 2012(top) and in a pirouette combination en pointe(bottom)
Hi fellow bunheads! I just finished another great show and have a two week break before summer classes start up.What to do? I'm soooo bored without dance! I'm stretching my way through ballet withdrawal. In the words of one of my dance friends "Here comes some severe post-show depression!" You know you're a true ballet fanatic when you ask your dance teacher if you can come in to the studio and give yourself class even when they aren't there. Been there, done that! Oh well, only 4 days left until the summer dance sessions start. I'm really exited for my summer intensive classes. Two hour ballet classes every morning followed by Variation on Mondays and Wednesdays, or Stretch and Strength on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Later I have Improv/Choreography or Contemporary/Jazz, depending on the day. On Fridays I have an hour pointe class. That means I'll be at the studio 5 days a week(during the school year I normally do 6 days a week) for a grand total of 19.5 hours a week! Yippee!!! Keep dancing and I'll talk/write to you later!
Look for more "thanks -to-dance" quotes in my up-coming posts. I love them, they are so true!
For Christmas I got a Turn Board. Some ballet dancers used to saw off the backs of chairs and use the slippery side to spin around on to practice spotting. The turn board is a new take on spotting practice. It will keep turning while you spot. It's great because you don't have to worry about falling off of demi-pointe and you can find your center while spinning easier than in a regular turn. It has helped me a lot on just relaxing and spotting hard. Be careful the first couple of times though, the board has a tendency to shoot out from under you! You can get a turn board at balletisfun.com. I recommend this product for all dancers who want to make their turns better.
