Win two tickets for English National Ballet's production of The Nutcracker!
And there is lots more interesting Ballet News at Elise' blog.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Regional Ballet Nutcrackers - Support Your Local Ballet!
This looks like my longest post ever - but it's not, it's just the most lines. This is all USA. I'll need another week to get into links to some other countries....
Hey folks! Support your local ballet! Give Nutcracker tickets as presents, take your family or your Girl Scouts!
Here's a list of regional/smaller ballet companies and schools doing Nutcracker this year, in case you don't live near a major company.....
Tucson Regional Ballet
Virginia Regional Ballet
Utah Regional Ballet
Contra Costa Ballet, Walnut Creek, CA
Pennsylvania Regional Ballet
Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet
Ashland Regional Ballet
Nutcrackers In Ohio
Allen Civic Ballet (TX)
Arts Ballet Theater of Florida
Ballet Chicago
Ballet Concerto Fort Worth TX NOT THE NUTCRACKER, but take a look at their Holiday concert
Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with ABT guests
Ballet Theatre of New Mexico
Ballet Yuma, AZ
Ballethnic Dance Company Atlanta, GA
Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre
Bossov Ballet Theatre Pittsfield Maine
Brandywine Ballet West Chester PA
California Ballet San Diego CA
Canyon Concert Ballet Fort Collins CO
Cape Cod Ballet
Carnegie Performing Arts Center , PA
Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
November Nutcracker with Chamberlain Ballet in Plano TX
The Childrens Ballet Theatre of Michigan
Company of Dance Arts Redbank NJ
Dance Theatre of Pennsylvania
Fort Lauderdale Ballet Classique
Greater York Dance York, PA
Greensboro Ballet NC
Gwinnett Ballet Snellville, GA
Harford Ballet Edgewater, MD
Indiana Ballet Theatre
Irine Fokine School of Ballet
Ithica Ballet
Lake Arrowhead Classical Ballet Company
Madison Ballet
Media City Ballet Glendale CA
Mid Atlantic Ballet De
Midland Festival Ballet, TX
Mobile Ballet with Joffrey and New York City ballet guests - Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty
Mohawk Ballet
Mystic Ballet
Neglia Ballet Buffalo NY
New England Ballet CT
Nouveau Chamber Ballet Fullerton CA (with orchestra)
Nutmeg Conservatory For the Arts
Peninsula Youth Ballet San Mateo CA
Peoria Ballet
Placer Theatre Ballet They require a log in to view the site which I think is a big mistake...
Fort Wayne Ballet
Red River Dance LA
Rhode Island Ballet presents Nutcracker excerpts and Alice In Wonderland
Rochester City Ballet
Salt Creek Ballet, IL
San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet
San Pedro City Ballet CA
Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet
Sierra Vista Ballet, AZ
South Bay Ballet Torrence CA
South Dayton Dance Theatre
Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre
Southwest Virginia Ballet
Saint Louis Ballet
The Toledo Ballet
The Tupelo Ballet
Virginia Ballet Company & School
Westchester Ballet Company NY
Westside Ballet Santa Monica CA
Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre
Woodlands Civic Ballet TX
Hey folks! Support your local ballet! Give Nutcracker tickets as presents, take your family or your Girl Scouts!
Here's a list of regional/smaller ballet companies and schools doing Nutcracker this year, in case you don't live near a major company.....
Tucson Regional Ballet
Virginia Regional Ballet
Utah Regional Ballet
Contra Costa Ballet, Walnut Creek, CA
Pennsylvania Regional Ballet
Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet
Ashland Regional Ballet
Nutcrackers In Ohio
Allen Civic Ballet (TX)
Arts Ballet Theater of Florida
Ballet Chicago
Ballet Concerto Fort Worth TX NOT THE NUTCRACKER, but take a look at their Holiday concert
Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with ABT guests
Ballet Theatre of New Mexico
Ballet Yuma, AZ
Ballethnic Dance Company Atlanta, GA
Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre
Bossov Ballet Theatre Pittsfield Maine
Brandywine Ballet West Chester PA
California Ballet San Diego CA
Canyon Concert Ballet Fort Collins CO
Cape Cod Ballet
Carnegie Performing Arts Center , PA
Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
November Nutcracker with Chamberlain Ballet in Plano TX
The Childrens Ballet Theatre of Michigan
Company of Dance Arts Redbank NJ
Dance Theatre of Pennsylvania
Fort Lauderdale Ballet Classique
Greater York Dance York, PA
Greensboro Ballet NC
Gwinnett Ballet Snellville, GA
Harford Ballet Edgewater, MD
Indiana Ballet Theatre
Irine Fokine School of Ballet
Ithica Ballet
Lake Arrowhead Classical Ballet Company
Madison Ballet
Media City Ballet Glendale CA
Mid Atlantic Ballet De
Midland Festival Ballet, TX
Mobile Ballet with Joffrey and New York City ballet guests - Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty
Mohawk Ballet
Mystic Ballet
Neglia Ballet Buffalo NY
New England Ballet CT
Nouveau Chamber Ballet Fullerton CA (with orchestra)
Nutmeg Conservatory For the Arts
Peninsula Youth Ballet San Mateo CA
Peoria Ballet
Placer Theatre Ballet They require a log in to view the site which I think is a big mistake...
Fort Wayne Ballet
Red River Dance LA
Rhode Island Ballet presents Nutcracker excerpts and Alice In Wonderland
Rochester City Ballet
Salt Creek Ballet, IL
San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet
San Pedro City Ballet CA
Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet
Sierra Vista Ballet, AZ
South Bay Ballet Torrence CA
South Dayton Dance Theatre
Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre
Southwest Virginia Ballet
Saint Louis Ballet
The Toledo Ballet
The Tupelo Ballet
Virginia Ballet Company & School
Westchester Ballet Company NY
Westside Ballet Santa Monica CA
Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre
Woodlands Civic Ballet TX
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Exercises For Pointe in Adult Ballet Classes - Warm Up and Awareness
Most ballet exercises cover a lot of muscle groups, while exercises to prepare for pointe work, or foot work in general focus on the feet/ankles. Here is a simple exercise you can use as a warm up before class that will activate your posture, leg muscles, and foot muscles. It will get your joints more flexible in a gentle way as you increase your circulation and alert your brain/body that class is about to start!
As an adult ballet student you may have been sitting at a desk all day, or confined more or less, in an office venue. Coming into an adult ballet class, usually at the end of the day, your body is ready to wind down, yet - here you are.
Prances is a wonderful warm up movement. Facing a mirror, you can set up your posture, checking that your legs are truly parallel, with knees over the toes, not turning in toward each other at all. You can also check that your hips and shoulders are level. If not, be aware of tense areas in the body as you warm up. (And check at the end of class to see if you look more level).
So if you haven't learned prances, start by pressing up onto demi/three quarter pointe and then come down on one leg through a flat point, and then lower into demi plie. The other leg bends, and you can press over a little on that (now) working leg, to get a little more flexible in the ankle and toe joints.
Slowly transfer the weight onto both feet as you press up onto demi pointe. Check that your neck and shoulders are not working, and that your core muscles, or lowest abs, are controlling the neutral pelvic posture (pelvis tilted neither forward a little, or back).
Do 12-16 slow controlled prances, then take a little break. Now turn sideways to the mirror, repeat all, checking that your demi plie is going up and down a plumb line, not allowing your weight to press back at all at the depth of the plie.
This is a great yet simple warm up. You can add to it by doing a port de bras - bring the arms up from low fifth through fifth in front to high fifth and down through second position. This will warm up the back and shoulders. Breathe deeply and easily.
This little preparation to class addresses the basic foot movements for ballet - and every use of the foot is an exercise to prepare for pointe work, every single one. Flexing and extending the ankle and arch properly, while controlling your posture, and getting a little flexibility through the toe joints (especially the big toe), is no small feat.
When you do eventually get into pointe shoes, you can do the same exercise as a preparation/warm up, holding onto the barre, and going up onto pointe and coming down through the foot, changing the weight, and pressing over your pointe a little if you need more flexibility. If you have hyper-mobile ankle joints, you can practice holding it back a little, staying on your pointe shoe platform instead of pressing over.
I hope this will help you enjoy your adult ballet class even more!
If you want to go the extra mile, get this book to prepare for pointe shoes.
As an adult ballet student you may have been sitting at a desk all day, or confined more or less, in an office venue. Coming into an adult ballet class, usually at the end of the day, your body is ready to wind down, yet - here you are.
Prances is a wonderful warm up movement. Facing a mirror, you can set up your posture, checking that your legs are truly parallel, with knees over the toes, not turning in toward each other at all. You can also check that your hips and shoulders are level. If not, be aware of tense areas in the body as you warm up. (And check at the end of class to see if you look more level).
So if you haven't learned prances, start by pressing up onto demi/three quarter pointe and then come down on one leg through a flat point, and then lower into demi plie. The other leg bends, and you can press over a little on that (now) working leg, to get a little more flexible in the ankle and toe joints.
Slowly transfer the weight onto both feet as you press up onto demi pointe. Check that your neck and shoulders are not working, and that your core muscles, or lowest abs, are controlling the neutral pelvic posture (pelvis tilted neither forward a little, or back).
Do 12-16 slow controlled prances, then take a little break. Now turn sideways to the mirror, repeat all, checking that your demi plie is going up and down a plumb line, not allowing your weight to press back at all at the depth of the plie.
This is a great yet simple warm up. You can add to it by doing a port de bras - bring the arms up from low fifth through fifth in front to high fifth and down through second position. This will warm up the back and shoulders. Breathe deeply and easily.
This little preparation to class addresses the basic foot movements for ballet - and every use of the foot is an exercise to prepare for pointe work, every single one. Flexing and extending the ankle and arch properly, while controlling your posture, and getting a little flexibility through the toe joints (especially the big toe), is no small feat.
When you do eventually get into pointe shoes, you can do the same exercise as a preparation/warm up, holding onto the barre, and going up onto pointe and coming down through the foot, changing the weight, and pressing over your pointe a little if you need more flexibility. If you have hyper-mobile ankle joints, you can practice holding it back a little, staying on your pointe shoe platform instead of pressing over.
I hope this will help you enjoy your adult ballet class even more!
If you want to go the extra mile, get this book to prepare for pointe shoes.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How Adult Beginners In Ballet Can Progress To Pointe Work
Most adult ballet beginners I talk to are motivated to add home practice to their dance class schedule. If you want to progress to pointe work, you can save time and money by learning exercises targeted to prepare the foot muscles for pointe. An added bonus to this focus is, that the same exercises enhance your balance and all your ballet footwork.
Exercises involving just the intrinsic (in the foot only) foot muscles do not require a ballet barre (or bar), a mirror, ballet wear, dance music, or any kind of workout equipment.
Furthermore, once you have learned these exercises properly, you can do them while you watch television, read, or engage in casual conversation.
Adding an exercise to determine and then improve your turnout requires enough floor space for the length of your body, and a small cushion or folded towel if you are very thin.
Practicing press ups on one leg in a cou de pied or retire position requires a kitchen counter or chair back for use as a barre.
Checking for a correct ballet position to practice in, is best done with your ballet teacher. However, if you have a full length mirror, you can also check at home, once you understand what is right for spinal posture, pelvic position, and leg positions.
Plan on adding ten to fifteen minutes a day for foot exercises to progress toward pointe work. While your feet get stronger, you will find a better push off in all your releves and jumps. Landing through the foot will become easier as well.
Some adult ballet beginners may never get to dance ballet in pointe shoes because of previous dance injuries, extremely inflexible ankle joints, or another reason. Yet, adding specific foot exercises to your routines will definitely help you progress toward pointe work and better foot work in general.
Learn more about how to progress to pointe work, with targeted foot exercises in an easy-at-home learning format to support your ballet class work.
Exercises involving just the intrinsic (in the foot only) foot muscles do not require a ballet barre (or bar), a mirror, ballet wear, dance music, or any kind of workout equipment.
Furthermore, once you have learned these exercises properly, you can do them while you watch television, read, or engage in casual conversation.
Adding an exercise to determine and then improve your turnout requires enough floor space for the length of your body, and a small cushion or folded towel if you are very thin.
Practicing press ups on one leg in a cou de pied or retire position requires a kitchen counter or chair back for use as a barre.
Checking for a correct ballet position to practice in, is best done with your ballet teacher. However, if you have a full length mirror, you can also check at home, once you understand what is right for spinal posture, pelvic position, and leg positions.
Plan on adding ten to fifteen minutes a day for foot exercises to progress toward pointe work. While your feet get stronger, you will find a better push off in all your releves and jumps. Landing through the foot will become easier as well.
Some adult ballet beginners may never get to dance ballet in pointe shoes because of previous dance injuries, extremely inflexible ankle joints, or another reason. Yet, adding specific foot exercises to your routines will definitely help you progress toward pointe work and better foot work in general.
Learn more about how to progress to pointe work, with targeted foot exercises in an easy-at-home learning format to support your ballet class work.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Understanding Myofascial Release and Ballet Training
Releasing tension in the fascia, the covering of our soft tissues (to put it in my rustic terms) is different from just releasing tension in the muscle centers. For an example of a situation that is addressed from a myo-fascial release viewpoint, read about it on Deborah Vogel's blog at The Body Series.
(Click on the 'blog' button on the top). You'll see an interesting article about slow recovery from a foot injury - that involves the whole body.
(Click on the 'blog' button on the top). You'll see an interesting article about slow recovery from a foot injury - that involves the whole body.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Still Trying To Lift Your Leg "From Underneath?"
Well, give it up - it's not going to work. Trying to get the legs up by pure force and effort is quite frustrating. Believe me, I understand!
Nichelle at Dance Advantage wrote a detailed article about the iliopsoas muscle and pelvic area that's well worth reviewing.
If you want better extensions, read this through as many times as it takes for you to sense this muscle and surrounding area.
Nichelle at Dance Advantage wrote a detailed article about the iliopsoas muscle and pelvic area that's well worth reviewing.
If you want better extensions, read this through as many times as it takes for you to sense this muscle and surrounding area.
Learn Basic Ballet Positions - Can You Learn On Line?
For the curious adult beginner, or younger student wanting to learn ballet, there are many offers to learn ballet on line. Is this really possible? There are many articles and you tube videos showing basic ballet positions. Even if they were all perfect, how would you learn ballet at home? Maybe your body can do ballet positions easily, maybe not.
It's easy to view the great ballerinas and male dancers doing ballet as perfect as it gets. So you can do it because you can see it, right?
Well, you already got my point. The professional teachers who put e-books, videos, and print books about ballet, anatomy, exercises to prepare for pointe, and dance injury recovery information on the internet, assume that you have a ballet teacher and that you have a basic grasp on the basic ballet positions and movements.
To learn classical positions properly, you need a ballet class. Certainly you can improve with taking advantage of the abundance of information obtained on line. But only if you understand how you are doing things right in ballet (or other dance style) class, and how you are seeking to improve turnout/posture/core strength/exercises for pointe etc., etc..
And, for example, ballet flexibility (or getting more flexible for cheer leading or dance/sports/fitness) is also a topic that has been updated and written about in the recent past.
If you love dance, clarify your goals with your dance study. Determine what topic in dance that you need the most information in, and find it. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to find answers to any of your dance questions.
You can learn all about ballet positions easily. Then, follow up with data on getting more flexible, increasing your ballet turnout, and exercises to prepare for pointe. You can bring all this info into your ballet class practice and get optimum results!
It's easy to view the great ballerinas and male dancers doing ballet as perfect as it gets. So you can do it because you can see it, right?
Well, you already got my point. The professional teachers who put e-books, videos, and print books about ballet, anatomy, exercises to prepare for pointe, and dance injury recovery information on the internet, assume that you have a ballet teacher and that you have a basic grasp on the basic ballet positions and movements.
To learn classical positions properly, you need a ballet class. Certainly you can improve with taking advantage of the abundance of information obtained on line. But only if you understand how you are doing things right in ballet (or other dance style) class, and how you are seeking to improve turnout/posture/core strength/exercises for pointe etc., etc..
And, for example, ballet flexibility (or getting more flexible for cheer leading or dance/sports/fitness) is also a topic that has been updated and written about in the recent past.
If you love dance, clarify your goals with your dance study. Determine what topic in dance that you need the most information in, and find it. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to find answers to any of your dance questions.
You can learn all about ballet positions easily. Then, follow up with data on getting more flexible, increasing your ballet turnout, and exercises to prepare for pointe. You can bring all this info into your ballet class practice and get optimum results!
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