My Feet!

This one makes me look good...even though I am not that good on pointe!

Class Starting!

First Class!

My first week of dance classes was this week...although I sat and watched my ballet class because I had my wisdom teeth taken out the day before! In that class they did this jump combination...here it is!!!!!!!

Start in first facing front.

1 in first, 3 in fifth (changing) starting the changes with the right foot in front- 1,2,3,4
1 in first, 3 in fifth (changing) starting the changes with the left foot in front- 5,6,7,8
1 jump in fourth (left foot in front) -1
1 jump in second, landing in fifth right foot front -2, 3
Double Echappe to second (with beats), then back to fifth left foot front -4,5
Changement -6
Entrechat -7
Hold 8

Reverse to do the other side!
A tricky part to this combo, is that when you go to the right, the jumps to fourth are with the left foot front.

Photos!

Yesterday I found that I could do this in our hall way! You are supposed to be able to do this sort of thing in the door way, but for me this works better. They we tried taking some other pictures. The last one I edited and added a Bible verse.

Cool!

The other day, I cut some old tights feet off...so I can have tights to ware if I want to just dance around in shoes! They are old cheap tights, so hopefully it will still work with my good ones as they ware out. See then I will use the top part of the tights to make cut tights to go under my leotard! For that you just cut a small hole in the crouch. And then you put your arms through the legs, and your head through the hole you cut. (the tights are then upside down) You can make them more like tanks, or leave a small or long sleeve. Here are some pictures!

Feet Tights

Cut Tights

Jump!

We took this last night!

Then after all that jumping I put these ice packs on my legs!

Wow!

This is the Winner of the Discount dance model youth contest. She is Good!!!!!!

Summer Class

Another Picture of Rachel at Balletmagnificat! She is sitting on the ground of the left. In the middle with the pointe shoes on is the founder of Balletmag! and her husband.

Today in class Rachel showed us the anatomy of muscles, bones, and the ligaments and tendons. (from a dancing perspective-she learned at BalletMagnificat!) It was kind of interesting.

Ligaments attach to bones, and tendons attach to the muscles. Something interesting was about the abs. They don't go all the way across your stomach. They stop right in the middle. Learning about the knee cap and the hip was interesting too. We talked about different kinds of body problems like sway backs, and knock knees. That sort of thing is when your knees are not lined up with your feet.
Sprains are different from strains. I can't remember exactly, but the strain is actually better, even though it stretches the ligaments that are not supposed to be stretched. Because it will eventually heal as the sprain will never get back to where it was.

One more thing... In your calf there are really two muscles, a deeper one then the outermost one. Then off of the calf muscle a tendon goes down to the foot.

Tip

I remembered something that Rachel had taught us before. When your arm is in second position, think about your arm above the elbow as rotating down. Then the lower part of the arm rotating up. Here is a picture. (girl in our studio)

You will know when you get it! You will feel it! (Ouch!)
-Sarah-

Summer Classes!

I am taking summer classes every Tuesday from Rachel. (She is the trainee from Ballet Magnificat that used to take classes at my dance studio) So Here is some Things she has given us students.


-Me on the ground, and Rachel
in the back!-
1. Any stretch over with arm one arm in fifth, you should keep your hand in fifth right above you head. For example you are at the barre, Croisé in big lunge you stretch back keeping your arm going back right above the top of your head.(arms fourth position) So if you were to look from the ceiling, you would see that you would be able to bring your arm back to first without moving your arm to place it back where it should be. Also sort of the same thinking when you stretch to the sides. Keep your hand curved and above your head.
Also when you stretch back you have the choice of head. Looking back at your hand, or looking out.



2. When you stretch over, then roll up, pull up first from your stomach. This will get your posture back in place so you don't have to do that after you have come up.

3. She had us start in fifth(feet) then relevé and go then go to sus-sou. The point was you should be so lifted that you knee shouldn't bend and place into sus-sou. It should be a strong slide over to sus-sou.


4. (At the Barre) When ever your feet are in fifth and sus-sou (I think), your head is out. When you go to the side you head is forward. To the back your head is out...you can slightly keep it forward or tilt it back toward the working foot.


5. When doing demi plies, relax everything except your stomach. Oh, dear that was new!


6. She told us to lift our sternum. She said that she always thought to lift your sternum that meant your rig cage wasn't closed. But now she knows the it doesn't mean that. I think it is a fine line...but does make a difference.

7. Your spot is your rhythm. So find our how fast the turn is and spot your head, too that. This will helps you get around.


8. When doing an Arabesque, (like in relevé) Think more of making it longer and stretched then pulling upward and scrunching together. I think this helps you get your leg higher!

I think that is all for now!
-Sarah-

Photos!

Pictures Mom took of me today! Sometimes the edited one will be after the original. Enjoy!
-Sarah-

Our family/Me are OU fans!

Love this one!

Rachel!

I started teaching my little sister some ballet the other day. We used the play pen as a barre, and my piano Cd as music. We did plies, and point your toe to the front and side, some relives, then we did some thing in the center. - Point your toe to the front then turn. Do that several times, then pretty arms (fifth) and bow!

It has been fun!

For future reference...these might be good Pointe shoes for me.

Link to the page on Discount Dance


http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.php3?mf=/dancewear/page_SHOE_p1.html

Dance Performace!

Yesterday was my dance recital! I think it went really well. Here are some pictures from dress rehearsal...and some memories.

On Friday rehearsal night, I had to move my stuff several times. First I put it in the dressing room because we couldn't change in the hall because of a meeting. Then someone was on the phone with Claire, and said we were supposed to be somewhere else. So I thought they meant the band room, so I went in there and the lady from the school was telling someone else, that we were supposed to be down the hall through the double doors. (choir room) I knew where that was so I went there. There is several doors to other rooms, once past the double doors. I didn't see any Choir room, nobody's stuff, so I just put my stuff in that small landing room. Then a guy walked out of a room right by me. That was going to be kind of interesting changing there! But I just left if there and went into the auditorium. Then I learned that they WERE in another room off of the place where I was! So I changed in the CHOIR ROOM!
The dress rehearsal went pretty good, but long!!!!!!!!! There was not a sound guy at first. And it just took a long time. Little did I know.....but dad had come and had watched me practice both Pointe and Ballet.

Now the performance. I got there, and Libby was there and opened the door for me because it was locked. Then were getting someone to come open it. And Libby's and Miranda's costumes were in the choir room locked up too. But they soon got it opened. We did about a half and hour warm up(Gracie taught it) and then prayed in the band room, and it soon was started! When it came time for jazz,(I am not it that) Gracie said she still didn't have a hair piece! Then Lacey almost forgot hers. I also helped Gracie get her silver head piece from ministry, unstuck from her hair net. Lacey asked me to help because she was needing to get dressed also! Those girls do so many numbers. A lot of them did 7. I think Pointe went better overall then dress rehearsal. (Yours by Steven Curtis Chapman) It was exiting to have Pointe over, I jumped in the hall "yes that's over!" Then it was intermission, and we changed for our ballet number. We tried to get the counts right and all the same before, but I still messed up. Oh Well. One time during our ballet routine, I was close to Lacey on a tombe coupe jete, and I tried to miss her. I think I bent my let and flexed my foot, but I didn't want to hit her. Oh, then the curtain call. I messed up...it was kind of a disaster, but that is just the way it goes. I am glad though that there were not two performances this year!!!! I was pretty dead after the Ballet on Saturday night...my arches were cramping, and my legs were dead! But it was worth it!!!!

Photos of Dress Rehearsal

This is the Ministy Class(Love the costumes!)

This is Graice zoomed in from the picture above. She is in the front on the left.



Jazz


Little Tap Guy


My Beautiful Rose from Mom and Dad!




I took these today!


I actually fell over on this one!