I fell OFF stage?!? A little story time

We all have our embarrassing moments in dance. Whether on stage or in the studio, we make mistakes. No body is perfect, and that's alright, because perfect is boring. You probably already know where I'm getting at based on this title. And before you ask- yes it is possible to fall off the stage.

December 21st 2016- A wonderful Christmas show. During one lovely performance, we were to gracefully skip down the aisle and hand out a hand full of candy canes to the audience members. I thought it was a cute little touch, but to do this, us dancers had to cheerfully walk down those incredibly steep steps on the side of the stage. Quickly grab a bag of candy canes, and do our cute little business. I was worried about this before hand, because I'm incredibly clumsy and on top of that, those stairs were hard to get down.
And when the time comes, you know it, I fell. On the last step too. Isn't it crazy? Thus falling, my natural reaction was to jump back up and walk gracefully and happily down the isles. I bet my dance instructor was slapping his forehead at me. That, or he didn't notice. (Hoping it was the second one LOL!). It was so embarrassing for me and at the time it was a pretty dramatic event.
But now I'm pretty much amused at the memory, and happy that I didn't get hurt.

Lessons learned!!


Let us know in the comments if you had an embarrassing moment on stage. Thanks for reading this post.

We love  and engagement! As you can see we just strongly encourage you to leave a comment.

Be sure to follow our Instagram page! (@ballet.for.brains)

Hope to see to in the next post! Please to subscribe to our blog so you don't miss out!

Dancer's Workout

Although dancers are already very active, it's important to work on strength just as much as you work on cardio, speed and technique. DISCLAIMER: I'm not a professional fitness instructor or dancer. I'm only 16 years old and I'm an aspiring physiotherapist. Make sure that you are warm before working out and STOP if you feel any abnormal pain. Also, remember to stretch in the end, to keep your muscles long and lean. Also, these are just some of the exercises that you can do - I advise you to do more research and find other blogs, websites and videos to give you more exercises, tips and advice. (Also, this is a long post... I suggest bringing a snack)

Arms:

Arms are unfortunately often neglected by dancers, especially girls. It's important to have strong arms for dancer (boy or girl). For example, the stronger your arms, the faster you'll be able to bring your arms together during a turn sequence, which can help you turn faster/do more turns.

Push ups:

 

Quick tip: make sure that your butt isn't too high up or too low - you want your body to be in a straight line, like a plank. Bend your elbows to 90* and come back up, making sure that you are controlling your every movement. If you are finding this difficult, put your knees down to reduce some of the weight. Start off with 3 sets of 5, if this is to easy, do more e.g. 3 sets of 15. There are variations to push-ups: triceps⁽¹⁾, and shoulder ⁽²⁾ (as my friends and I call them). You should be doing both if you have time.

Arnold Presses:

Quick tip: make sure your back isn’t arching too far forwards or backwards. Bend your knees a little to stabilise yourself. Don’t straighten your arms all the way (i.e. don’t “lock” into them). As with most exercises, it’s best to do these slowly to get the best results out of it. I recommend starting off with small weights and building your way up, without rushing yourself into anything. If you don’t have weights at home and don’t want to buy any, you can always use two water bottles. Start off with 3 sets of 15. If this is too easy, increase the weights – not the number of reps.

Curls:

Quick tip: as with the Arnold presses, make sure that your back isn’t arching – keep it as straight as possible. You can do these to the front of the side, and once again, it makes more sense to use some weights for these. Again, do these slowly and controlled. Start off with 3 sets of 15. If this is too easy, increase the weights – not the number of reps.

Over head extensions:

Quick tip: overhead extensions are great for your triceps. Firstly, make sure that your back is straight. When you’re raising your arm, make sure that your elbow stays in place, and make sure that you don’t lock into it. To make sure that you are using the correct muscles, squeeze your triceps – this way you get more out of the exercise as well. Start off with 3 sets of 15. If this is too easy you can increase the number of reps up to 30. After that I would recommend getting heavier weights.

Triceps Kickback:

Quick tip: I recommend doing these on a bench, but if you don’t have one around you, your bed or two chairs will do just fine. You know how this goes: make sure your back is straight, keep the elbow in place and make sure that you don’t lock into it. Do the exercise slowly and controlled and squeeze your triceps to get more out of the exercise. Start off with 3 sets of 15. If this is too easy, you can increase the number of reps up to 30. After that I would recommend getting heavier weights.

Abs:

Abdominals and the Core are things that most dancers already work on, and if you're not doing so already, I highly suggest doing so. Having stronger abs, equals better dancing - let me explain: your abdominals are in the centre of your body, and they're essentially the centre of your dancing. When you do one-legged exercises or moves, or better yet on relevé, you use your core and your abdominals to stay up and to stay tight. The stronger your core and abdominal muscles, the longer you'll be able to stay on relevé. Also, your hip flexors run from your abdominals into your hips. Strengthening your abs will help you increase control and height of your leg for developés etc.

Plank:

 

Quick tip: planks work on all of your abdominal muscles, which is why they are so popular. Make sure that your shoulders (or hands) are in line with your elbows and that your body is in one line. I can’t really tell you how long to hold a plank for, because it depends on how strong and patient you are. I would recommend starting off with at least 30-45 seconds and building yourself up from there.

Leg lifts:

Quick tip: use your abs to make sure that your lower back is on the floor. If you feel like your lower back is still arched, place your hands underneath your butt to get some extra support. Make sure that you lower your legs only as much as your back allows you to – try not to arch it. Use your abdominal muscles to get your legs back up. I recommend doing 3 sets of 20, and doing a different exercise (superset) between each set of leg lifts. If you are finding this too easy, you can increase the number of reps up to 50 or you can keep your legs lower the whole time: don’t bring them back up to 90* when you lift them up – keep them a little lower to keep your abs engaged the whole time.

Side Plank:

Quick tip: these are very similar to regular planks. They can also be one on your elbows or hands depending on what you prefer. Once again, make sure that you are in a straight line – don’t let your hips dip downwards (that’s another exercise which I might mention in another post) Personally, I find side planks a little more difficult, so I don’t hold them as long as I hold my regular planks, but I would still recommend starting off with at least 30-45 seconds and building yourself up from there.

Russian Twists:

Quick tip: make sure that you are sitting on your sit bones and not behind them (this way you’d be activating your digestive system!). Keep your back straight and make your shoulders back the whole time. You can keep your toes on the floor or lift your feet off the floor if you’re up for a challenge. Make sure that your back is still straight when you’re twisting, don’t hunch over – it’s gonna make the exercise more painful and its less beneficial. Aim to touch your elbow to the floor ever time, however if you see that you can’t do it yet, take your time and make sure that your form is correct. Try to keep your feet and hips in line and make sure to always come back to centre after each twist. I recommend doing this exercise for 1-2 minutes in your own speed. Once this gets easier, you can increase the duration and speed.

Mountain Climbers:

Quick tip: the “starting position” is a plank – any information you need about form you can find there. Bring your knee to your opposite elbow (right knee to left elbow and vice versa) and then straighten your leg back into the starting position and repeat on the other side. This one is meant to be done relatively quickly, but feel free to start of slowly and increase your speed as you go. If you’re doing this exercise for the first time, I would recommend doing 20-30 reps and increasing your speed as you improve. Once you feel more comfortable (shouldn’t take very long), you can start doing the exercise with a timer: I recommend 30-45 seconds. This exercise increases your heart rate a lot, so if you feel that you can go on for longer, feel free to do so, but you bay be a little tired for your next exercise.

Legs:

Legs are more complicated when it comes to strengthening them, as there's more parts to them:

Your quads are responsible for plies (height of jumps), developés (keeping them up) etc.

Your hamstrings are the complementary muscle group to your quads. When your quadrilaterals contract, your hamstrings relax.

Another important muscle in your legs, is your calf muscle. It's the "other half" that's responsible for your jumps. The stronger (and flexible) your calf muscles, the deeper your plies (therefore the higher your jumps), and the higher your relevé, not to mention that you'll be able to hold your relevé for much longer.

Wall sit:

Quick tip: this exercise is very easy: All you do is lean on a wall with your knees bent at 90*. Try to stay there for as long as possible, but I recommend trying at least 45-90 seconds. Make sure that your whole back is touching the wall and that your feet are completely on the floor. Don’t put all of your weight on your toes.

Plié:

Quick tip: if you’re a dancer, I won’t need to do much explaining. But just as a quick reminder, make sure that your tuck your pelvis in and that your back is straight. Don’t lean forwards and make sure to turn out as much as possible without forcing yourself into positions that your body can’t handle. In first position, keep your heels together for as long as possible – try to only release them when you’re in grand plié. In second position, your heels should be touching the floor the whole time – make sure you use your turnout and keep your back at a perpendicular angle from the floor (90*). In third and fifth position, make sure that you’re engaging your turnout the whole time and that your heels stay together the whole time. In fourth position, make sure that your weight is between the two of your legs and that you’re not leaning forwards or backwards. Keep your back straight and make sure to engage your turnout as much as possible. Start off with 5-10 in each position. If you find this too easy, do them slower – the slower you do them the more muscle you’ll need (and therefore build)

Lunges:

Quick tip: be careful that your knee doesn’t go over toes – try to keep them exactly above your ankles (90* angle). Engage both legs and make sure to use all of your upper legs (thighs and hamstrings)

Relevés:

Quick tip: go as high as you possibly can. You can do these on one leg, or on both. If you’re doing them on 2 feet, make sure to keep your ankles together the whole time. If you’re doing one leg at a time, be careful not to sickle your foot and try to push yourself to go to a full relevé every time. I recommend doing 20 on each leg, and then 20 on both at the same time. If this is too easy for you, increase the number to 40, or do it with a resistance band⁽²⁾.

Developés:

Quick tip: don’t lift with your quads – lift from the adductors and hamstrings to increase the height of your developés. Squeeze your gluteus to maximise your control and to be able to from front to side developés easier. Engage your core to keep your balance. Hold it for as long as possible.

Gluteus:

Gluteus (butt muscles) are also very important - even if they don't seem to be. Your gluteus support your hip flexors and reduce the chances of hip tendonitis. It also helps you hold and control your developés and penchés for longer.

Donkey Kicks:

Quick tip: make sure to engage your gluteus on your way up and down. Try to keep your leg in line with the rest of your body – don’t go into a diagonal line with your leg. Start off with 3 sets of 10 on each leg. If this is too easy, you can add a resistance band to make it more difficult (experiment with different strengths to see which challenge you the most).

Glute Bridges:

Quick tip: make sure that your knees stay above your ankles and that they don’t fall behind. Try not to arch your back – ultimately, you should be forming a straight line with your upper body. Go up quickly and squeeze your gluteus at the top, and come down slowly and with control, still engaging your gluteus. Try 3 sets of 20 and if you find this too easy, add resistance bands to your thighs and try to engage your turnout a little (don’t overdo it though!)

Hip thrusts:

Quick tip: make sure that your knees stay above your ankles and that you don’t turn out. Keep your feet at hip width. Go up quickly and squeeze your gluteus at the top, and come down slowly and with control, still engaging your gluteus. Try 3 sets of 20 and if you find this too easy, add resistance bands to your thighs and try to engage your turnout a little (don’t overdo it though!)

Squats:

 

Quick tip: don’t let your knees go over your toes – ideally they should be above your ankles. Keep your back straight and your gluteus engaged the whole time. Start off with 3 sets of 15. If you find this to easy, try jump squats instead – jump up every time you come back up and land in a squat position again. You could also try them with weights once you feel completely confident – have someone spotting you to make sure that your form is correct the whole time(!)

Glute Walk:

Quick tip: put a resistance band around your calves and make sure to always have it in tension. Walk from left to right (and back). You should feel the sides of your gluteus burning after approximately 50 steps on each side. Remember to keep your knees slightly bends and your back straight. I recommend starting off with 30-40 steps on each side and working your way up from there. You can also use stronger resistance bands to make it more difficult.

Feet:

And finally, feet. A dancer's most important part of their body (apart from their legs of course). As you probably already know, strong and flexible feet are important for dance, because it emphasises the articulation on stage and looks a lot cleaner.

Use a theraband for resistance. Go through demipointe into pointe and back to demipointe to strengthen your metatarsals. You can also go from a flexed food through demipointe and pointe (and back) to strengthen the arch of your foot as well.

Feet are super important for dancers and I’d have to make a whole separate post on how to strengthen and stretch them, so instead of doing that right now, click on the picture above to see a video with some stretches and strengthening exercises to make your feet stronger.

 Click the Instagram logo to follow our page:

Important note #2

Beh, nessuno è perfetto e sbagliando s'impara. Per migliorare, è necessario essere pazienti e la pazienza è una virtù. Ogni cosa ha il suo tempo, bisogna solo avere la pazienza e la forza di aspettare. Non competere con nessuno, sii la migliore versione di te stesso. Ne sai più di quanto credi, fidati di te stesso. A volte può essere un fardello - avere forza.

An important note #1 -

http://balletvoices.blogspot.it/2016/12/cose-ballerine-fanno.html?m=1 

Pesso guardiamo a noi stessi, solo per vedere i nostri difetti. I difetti che altre persone non possono vedere. Le cose che non sono importanti. Spesso perdiamo tempo cercando di risolvere le cose che non sono compromesse. Basta essere fiduciosi, amare se stessi e chiunque altro. Ama il tuo corpo e ama la tua anima. Fa una grande differenza nella vostra danza.

https://m.facebook.com/BalletVoices/

@Ballet.for.brains

Dealing with Stereotypes and Body Image Issues

Unfortunately, stereotypes are very prominent in the dance world and it’s affecting many people’s dance careers:

(This post is gonna be a long one, so grab yourself a drink and a snack J)

Most dancers, especially ballet dancers, find it very hard to fit into the mould that the dance world has created over the years. Not all dancers are tall, thin, white and blonde, and not all dancers have hyperextensions and naturally arched feet (!). The problem with these stereotypes and the moulds that have been created, is that it can cause many eating disorders, self-confidence issues and injuries.

*this post is in collaboration with @dwimpye, @eryery123 and @m_dancer18 on Instagram – go check them out!*

The first question that I’d like to attempt to answer, is how do I deal with the “tall and thin” stereotype? Here’s what Melinda thinks:

Firstly, it’s important to learn that you can dance no matter what you look like. Tall, short… none of it matters if you truly love to dance. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you love.

As for the whole “skinny” stereotype, I have a few more words to say about that one. Not all dancers are skinny, and not all dancers have an extremely fast metabolism. We’re all different, and that’s the beauty of our world – everyone is unique and everyone has something different they can bring to society.

Unfortunately many dancers suffer from trying to be skinny enough for dance and start reducing the amount that they eat (drastically). There’s a difference between bulimia and anorexia, and I’d like to talk about both, because many think that if you’re a dancer, you’re naturally gonna be anorexic. Don’t try to lose weight to be a better dancer or to have a body that’s more suitable for dance. If anything, try to work on building strength and working on your technique. Dance classes are pretty much the best workout you can get: you work on your form, strength, and you sweat (cardio). Something I want to stress, is that there’s a difference between “fat”, muscular and thin – and that all 3 are perfectly all right. Don’t let one person’s opinion affect your life! You’ll move on to bigger and better things in the future, and those things that were bothering you now, are going to be just a mere bad experience.

          Now we all know that casting directors love tall dancers, but not all of us are blessed with long legs and arms! Misty Copeland was told that she was too short and muscular to be a dancer. Now she’s a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and is more successful than ever! Don’t let something as silly as your height define whether you’re going to be a successful dancer or not – there are many other things that come into play when it comes to being cast in for a role, for example confidence(!).

Unfortunately colour is still an issue in the dance world, and it’s affecting many dancers’ lives - not Destiny’s! Here’s what she has to say:

Don’t be upset if one or two companies don’t accept you because of your skin colour. It’s their loss, not yours. You’ll get to audition for another company who’ll see beyond the colour of your skin and you’re going to be much happier there. If you’re preparing for an audition and you’re worried that they may turn you down because of the colour of your skin, make sure you work hard enough that they don’t have a reason to reject you. After all, auditions are about talent: the only reason they could have to reject you, is not being good enough – not the colour of your skin. Don’t let something as silly as that get in the way of your career!

Need some extra motivation? Erin has something she’d like to tell you!

Marina https://www.instagram.com/m.a_dancer/

Amanda https://www.instagram.com/amandakuznetsov/

Audition tips

Auditions... some people like them, others hate them and will avoid them at all costs. Nevertheless, to dance professionally, you need to take chances. And that means you need to audition.

As well as the other posts that you'll see on this blog, this post will be updated with a new audition tip every week. Because everything is going international, posts will be in several different languages, such as English, German, Greek, Luxembourgish and French. Hopefully this will help you calm down and make you feel a little more comfortable, going into an audition.

1	Sleep: Make sure to get enough sleep before any audition. Not just the night before, but preferably at least one week before the audition. This will ensure that your body is prepared going into the audition (your muscles recover the most while you’re sleeping). On the other hand, make sure yo don’t get too much sleep, because this will also affect your performance during the audition. On the day of your audition, wake up early enough to give your muscles time to wake up. This way, you’ll minimise the risk of getting injured, and your muscles will look more lean and flexible (!).
2	Nutrition: I’ve done a separate blog post about general nutrition for a dancer, but I think that this is especially important leading up to an audition of performance. Although nutrition is always important, it’s especially important to take care of your body when you’re preparing for an audition or a performance. Don’t try to take any last minute drastic changes, and don’t start to eat healthily only a few days before your event. If your body is used to eating unhealthily, switching to eating healthily just before a performance, can actually decrease your energy levels and your general performance. I recommend to make sure that you get enough carbohydrates and protein into your diet starting at least 2 weeks before your event, and of course making sure that you don’t over eat. Make sure that you get as many meals as your body needs, to make sure that everything is working properly and that nothing is going to go wrong, because of something as simple as the food that you eat. With food, staying hydrates is just as important. It recommend to drink 1-2L a day, and do not start this the day before your event, as your bladder may not be used to the quantity of water (you don’t want to have to go to the restroom in the middle of a performance). Feel free to snack in-between your meals, but remember that being nervous can sometimes makes us think that we’re hungry when we’re really not.
3	Warmup: It’s important to warm up before an audition or performance. Some auditions include a class, and even when they do, it’s important to warm up and stretch beforehand. You never know what they’ll be expecting from you – it could be something that you’ve don’t before, but it could also be completely new to you, and when it comes to doing new steps and combinations, its best to be warmed up, to decrease the risks of getting injured Don’t feel weird if you’re the only one stretching and warming up – it shows that you’re dedicated and hardworking. Also, remember to take your time while warming up, if you need 30 minutes to warm up, make sure you have that time before you start the audition – which means that you need to be there long before the audition begins.
4	Haar & Makeup: Schminke ist nicht immer nötig. Es hängt davon ab, ob es für die Bewerbung oder für den Auftritt nützlich sein wird. Für eine Bewerbung, sollte das Makeup (wenn du es tragen willst) so natürlich wie möglich aussehen, damit der Regisseur und Produzent genau sehen können, wie du aussiehst. Leider ist es so im Tanzen, dass das Aussehen einen groβen Einfluss darauf hat, ob man eine Rolle bekommt oder nicht. (Für einen Auftritt sollte man sich auf jeden fall schminken – sont sieht man auf der Bühne total blass aus) Mit dem Thema Makeup, sollte man auch auf seine Haare achten. Man muss auf jeden fall sehr viel darüber nachdenken, ehe man sich die Haare eine sehr unnatürliche Farbe färbt. Allerdings ist dies für Ballet sehr wichtig – geh bitte nicht mit grünen Haaren dahin(!) Auβer von der Haarfarbe, sollte man auch auf den Style achten. Für Ballet, wäre ein „Knoten“ oder irgend ein updo am besten. Für Jazz ist ein Pferdeschwanz normalerweise genug – bring aber trotztdem ein paar Haarklammern mit. Man weiβ nie wann man sie gebrauchen wird(!) Sieh einfach nach, dass deine Haare dein Gesicht nicht verstecken – sonst können der Regisseur und der Produzent deine Emotionen nicht sehen(!).
5 6 7	Traiter les nerfs : Traiter les nerfs peut parfois être difficile. Surtout quand on est nerveux, se calmer peut sembler comme une tâche très visible. Voici quelques petites choses que vous pouvez faire pour vous calmer: 1.       Respire (!) 2.       Bois un ped d’eau 3.       Écoute de la musique 4.       Méditer 5.       Parle à tes parents (ou à ceux qui sont là avec vous) Quoi qu’il arrive, n’oubliez pas que vous avez fait tout que vous pouviez. Ne vous inquiétez pas si vous êtes assez bon ou pas: si vous n'obtenez pas le rôle que vous vouliez, il peut être pour le meilleur(!) Souvent on demande trop de nous-mêmes, et ça peut facilement montrer. Calmez-vous,  concentrez-vous, et finalement, bonne chance! Caffeine and energy drinks: Caffeine… that beautiful liquid that makes us all feel a little less like a zombie: Don’t drink it in the week coming up to your audition or performance, and especially not on the day! Too much caffeine can harm your adrenal glands. Instead, try a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice – the sourness and the vitamin C should wake you up. Even if you’re like me and you’ve gotten used large quantities of caffeine, it might agitate you on your big day, and it might affect your dancing. Also, Amanda told me that too much coffee can actually stiffen your muscles - so be careful and try some green tea instead! Heat creams and Ice packs: (If you’re injured going into an audition, it’s best to not go at all. If you injure yourself during the audition, you definitely won’t be getting the part. And if you injure yourself after the audition and you get the role, you will have to refuse the part.) Be really careful when you are using heat creams before an audition. A heat cream should never replace a good warmup, and should only be used if you really need it. Don’t use it as a precaution for injuries. If you have a habit of icing your feet or any other parts of your body that may ache, do not(!) ice yourself before an audition. It’s pretty self-explanatory: icing your muscles cools them down, which will not benefit you at all during your audition or performance, and will increase the chances of injuries yourself. Marina https://www.instagram.com/marinaalexandreas Amanda https://www.instagram.com/amandakuznetsov/ Follow BalletforBrains on insta: https://www.instagram.com/ballet.for.brains