Dance It

Hi there!!

Today I wanted to share a little bit of why I dance, and why dance is so important in my life. I hope this helps find out how you can dance your heart out and let go and fly into the world of ballet.

Ballet is my outlet, it lets me forget about everything that is going wrong in my life and lets me fly, escape from reality and makes me feel on top of the world. So if you just let go and become a "pretty pretty princess" and have a moment as Ms. Julianna says, ballet is far from boring. Make movements more fluid, and let go. We are NOT barbie dolls so it's time we start adding fluidity and grace to dancing or else it isn't ballet. You might be wondering, how in the world do I add danceiness to my movement? Well, it's hard, but I would first start with knowing the combination. Although this is hard, pay attention to details. Start asking yourself the question, where can I add my own flare?

NYCB's dancers truly dancing it.
Photo Courtesy of: New York Times

If you have an arm that comes down when you plie, lift a bit before you lower. In a piece with strong accents make sure you hit them. Another idea is to keep moving. Ballet is not poses, and once again we are not barbie dolls. In plies make sure you never have a spot where you are 'stuck'. In Adagio challenge yourself to keep your arms moving the whole time. Not only will it make your movement look more professional, but it will make it look like you are a advanced student in ballet. It's all about the details. Now, after you have mastered the combo and added your own flare, let the music take you somewhere, and get involved. One of my favorite quotes is, "Dance is music made visible." - George Balanchine. 

My favorite quote
Photo courtesy to: Pinterest 

If dance is music made visible then dancing will take you to a different place, making you feel as light as air, or as strong as a solider, or as fearless as a bird. This will make ballet a whole different world you can escape from reality in, which is the reason I like it so much. It reminds me why I'm dancing in the first place. Long hard weeks of dance sometimes leaves us with no more emotional or physical energy. When you connect with truly dancing, it's freeing from that pain and something all the money in the world couldn't buy. When you truly experience this it's like a taste you can't forget, you keep trying to find it and when you do it's almost even better than the first time.  Another reason I love ballet is that you'll never stop improving because you'll never master anything in ballet. Even principal dancers say that's why they love ballet so much. Ballet is something beautiful that everyone will be in a different place with. Ballet is never the same for anyone. For me it's a way to get away from the world. Maybe for someone it's knowing that dance is a safe place for them. Find something you can connect with for dance and it will transform your dancing experience. 

Well, I hoped you liked that! It was basically a rant of why I love ballet, how you can love ballet and how everyone can connect with it. Once again thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and I hope you liked it!!

- Ali Grace

Dear Megan Fairchild...

Dear Megan Fairchild!!!

Image Courtesy of: PlayBill Vault

Hello!!!!!!! To think that you would ever stumble across my blog is crazy to think about! I'm a big fan of you and how far you've come in your dancing journey! I have so many questions to ask you like, what was it like when you were picked to join New York City Ballet? How did you come from Salt Lake City and make it to New York City Ballet? What was the hardest part? What's your favorite thing about dancing? What inspires you to dance? What was it like to win the L. Wien Award? But anyway, I'm not here to ask questions but to tell you about why you inspire me, and about my blog.

You inspire me so much, because you were about to work your way up to being a principal dancer in one of the greatest ballet companies in America today! I also think it's really cool that your brother is also apart of your dancing story and dances with you as a principal as well! It's crazy to think that you were a part of Ballet West's company too, which I have seen preform several times and are amazing! From the video clips that I've seen of you dancing I can tell that you love dance immensely and are able to bring emotion and character to the stage.  I've been dreaming of seeing New York City Ballet preform live and to see you preform as well would be a dream come true!

Megan Fairchild preforming in Giselle
Image courtesy of: Woman Fitness 

I also live in Utah and have a great passion for dancing and inspire one day to be on stage at the Lincoln Center! I love dancing and started my dancing career at a very young age as well in a small town. Dance lets me take a brake from real life and lets me express my self and let go. The fact that you were able to chase your dream of dancing and preforming and actually make it happen is part of what drives me to work hard and commit to dancing. I dance because I want to share the joy I have with the world and I feel like I'm right where I belong when I'm preforming. I also couldn't live without it. :)

I choose ballet as the topic of my blog because I want to share the joy of dancing with others. I hope that when you read my blog you see another aspiring ballerina who's passion is for dancing. I hope that you would relate to some of my posts because you once started in a small town, and understand having ballet with you from an early age. I would like it very much if you you came back to my blog because you find what I say entertaining and want to tune in to my dancing journey, as I dance through life.

If you really are reading this, thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I hope it was worth it.

An aspiring ballerina,
- Ali Grace

RANDE DE JAMES A.K.A. Why I Love Ballet

Hi There!

I haven't written in a really really long time, and I really really need to write again so here it is. I have promised a 10 things I like and don't like about ballet post for quite a while now, and I haven't gotten to it. Because I like to rant it's split up into 4 parts. YAY!!!

1. Those people who dance so well you can't take your eyes off them
You know when you see a dance, and although you want to look at the group as whole but there's that one person the you can't take your eyes off of? Although this person might be 'disliked' among her friends, the person makes me so happy. They really got into the dance connected with you and dragged you into the story they were telling and you got to experience it for the whole 2:30min dance. It's amazing and that's what dancing is all about (in my opinion) connecting with the audience and speaking your emotions though movement.

Can you tell what emotion she is trying to get across? It's a powerful image.

2. The companions you make
Iv'e never had the chance to be with the same people in my studio for more than one year, but every year all of us connect.  The best thing about your friend you make in dance is you can go up the them and be like, "Her arches are so beautiful they make me cry." (actual thing said by Mikelle) and your dance group will totally understand. Also, your dancing group is probably almost always with you, (A.K.A. during school and dance which is the only thing I have time for) so you never run out of things to laugh about, and you connect on a different level than normal friends.

My wonderful dance group (from 2014)

3. EVERYTHING ABOUT RAND DE JABMES
OHMYGOODNESSGRACIOUS I LOVE RANDE DE JAMBES SO MUCH THEY ARE MY FAVORITE  THINGS EVER AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND I COULD JUST WRITE MULTIPLE SERIS OF BOOKS ABOUT THEM BECAUSE ITS ALL OF THE THINGS MIXED TOGETHER IN TO ONE I LIVE THEM SO MUCH THEY ARE MY FAVORITE THINGS EVER THEY ARE EVEN BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE AND NOTHING BEATS CHOCOLATE.

I LOVE THIS SHIRT SO MUCH I WANT IT SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!!
The best picture ever courtesy of: spreadshirt 

4. Preforming
I really really like preforming almost as much as rand de jambes, but not as much. (rand de jambes are they favorite can you tell?). I love the ability to preform to others and have them get a taste of why I like dancing so much. I love the Nutcracker soooooooooooooo much!!!!! I love the chance for people to come and take way something from my dancing and I love the thrill of preforming and the whole process.

Last year's Nutcraker (Taylor is the Soldier King on the Right)
Photo Courtesy of: Park City Dance

5. Stage Makeup
Some people might think I'm a little crazy but I really like stage makeup. This might sound a little strange because I hate normally makeup, but I love the process of putting on stage makeup. It helps me get my game face on, (haha see what I did there?) and it is fun I really like putting on crazy makeup that makes me look insane in person.

Stage Makeup
Photo Curtesy of: Dance-for-Kids

Thank you so much for reading my post, the next five will be out soon, and I have an exciting announcement, I'm giving y'all a Christmas present!!!! I will post five more times before Christmas and you get to read them YAY!!!!!! For more check the Announcements tab it will be up soon.
- Ali Grace

Feet Fetishes

Hi there!!

This post came completely out of the blue, but this is a topic I feel like needed to be addressed and I needed another blog post. I do realize that this post is rather disgusting, but it is a post I am passionate about. So if you do not like hearing stories of my gross feet, than you can skip this post and come back next week.

I am a little obsessed with taking pictures of my feet, ask Mikelle. I personally like it's keeping a diary of your feet, by taking pictures of them when ever they are bleeding or when a new blister appears. You might ask, how do I get so many blisters on my feet? Well, because you asked her is a story of my beautifully bloody feet. You're welcome :).

1. My first blister

My very first blister before it popped

I first got this blister, not even from my pointe shoes, but from Claire's mother's Ugg Boots. It was Autumn Aloft and it was getting very cold, and I had flip flops on. Claire's very kind mother offered me her Ugg boots. I was very thankful for her giving me them because my feet were getting cold. there was only one problem, the boots were a tad to small for my left foot, and would rub on my heal when ever I walked. At fist I didn't notice, but then it began to get more painful. After I took of the boots, I saw indeed I had a large blister. The next was Monday a.k.a. pointe class. It popped and it was very painful. It also didn't go away very fast, and hurt very much.

2. My bloody blister

Photo taken from my locker at school

I didn't even know I had this one until one day I was at school when a kid stepped on my foot. It was no big deal, I knew he/she didn't mean it but it hurt pretty bad. The more I walked the more I felt the bottom of my flip flop getting stickier. I thought it was juice I had stepped in but it wasn't. My blister which the kid had stepped on was bleeding profusely all over my flip flop.

3. My infected blister

This photo was taken in the better days

I got this one during Waltz (waltz of the flowers) rehearsal. My toe pad was bothering me very very much, and the side of my right foot my rubbing up against the box of my shoe. over the hour and thirty minute class this gradually got more and more painful, until for about a minute the pain was unbearable. That was when I realized that a blister was created and popped in one hour and 1/2 class. Over time this blister began to get more and more disgusting, until one day when it looked quite infected. My father who is a doctor, had to agree that it wasn't infected badly but it was infected. (It was pusing). After many nights of pure hydrogen dioxide and pain it recovered and it is looking much better today.

4. The one on top on my foot

It's beautiful isn't it?

I really have no idea how i got this one. It just appeared.

Thank you so much for reading, I know this post is fairly disgusting but next week will be back to normal.

- Ali Grace

The Battle between Ballet and my Life

Hi there!

This post was due along time ago because you voted on it, now a new poll is up if you want to vote for next week's blog. So I'm doing this a little different than I normally do my posts, I'm doing it in conversations between dance and various other things such as sleep, P.E. and social life. I think this helps to bring the pointe across (ha ha see what I did there) and brings a little humor. Here goes nothing!

Anywhere with long hallways
Dance: I'm going to Chaines down this whole hallway
Life: DON'T DO IT!!!!
Dance: YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!!!
Life: People are looking.
Dance: YAY!!!!! That means I'll have an audience...
*does Chaines down the whole hallway*
Life: Don't I know that person?
*covers eyes and walks away fast*

Photo Courtesy of: quotesgram

Dance vs. Social life
Person: Hey wanna hang out tomorrow?
Me: Let's see I have ballet from 5:00 - 6:30 and conditioning from 4:00-5:00
Person: Okay, Saturday?
Me: I have two rehearsals we could do in-between.
Person: *walks away defeated*
Dance vs. School
School: Homework time!
Dance: Time to fix the elastics on your pointe shoes!
School: Homework time!
Dance: Remember how you couldn't that combo, let's practice that.
School: Homework time!
Dance: Time to randomly choreograph every song you know
School: I give up.
Dance vs. Friends
Social life: You should start to make new friends outside of dance.
Dance: I have tons of friends.
Social life: Ya, but how many of them aren't dancers
Dance: 1...1.....2 um she dances but not at my studio does that count?
Social life: YOU ONLY HAVE ONE FRIEND THAT IS NOT A DANCER!!!!!??????
Dance:.....maybe?......
Dance vs. P.E.
Dance: I can do this!
P.E.: Oh ya?
*P.E. teacher says to run laps*
Dance: How long have we been running?!?!
P.E.: Not even one lap.
Dance: Why is this so hard for me!!!!! I can run around all day with pointe shoes on and go to a 2 1/2 class on Friday but I can't even run one lap?!?
P.E.: This is pathetic.

This is sooooo true.
Photo courtesy of: Pinterest

Dance vs. Sleep
Sleep: Time to go to bed!
Dance: Okay just let me go through every dance in my head.
Sleep: STOP!!! Just go to bed!
Dance: Wait, did I take my toe pads out of my pointe shoes?
Sleep: Alright do that but if you want to be able to dance tomorrow you have to sleep.
Dance: Oh no! I can't go to bed without cleaning my blister!!!!
Sleep: *sighs*
Dance vs. Body
Body: OWWW!!! This hurts stop!!!!
Dance: But I've almost got my 90º arabesque!!
Body: My blister just popped. New record a blister made and popped in one hour and half class.
Dance: Must.......do.........full.....out!!!!!!!
Body: You know your going to be sore tomorrow.
Dance: Ya but I'll be stronger!
*next day*
Body: Can't ...... move.
Dance: And I have dance today.

I hope you liked that!!! It was a ton of fun to write and I hope you found it relatable and funny. Thank you so much for reading my blog!!!!!

- Ali Grace

My Attempt at Being the White Swan

Hi there!

I know I haven't been very active on this blog recently, I'm sorry! A lot has been going on, but I plan to keep getting a post up every week. This post is about Halloween, and I know it wasn't called for but... I'm still going with it so here it is!

Once upon a time there was me on a lazy summer day, bored. Being a ballet fangirl my first instinct was to watch a ballet on YouTube. Because I happened to be very bored I decided to watch my favorite ballet of all time, Swan Lake. Long story short, Prince Siegfried must get married for his birthday, but can't find a bride and next thing you know he falls in love with a swan princess, invites her to the ball pledges his love to the wrong girl, shoots the girl he fell in love with and drowns himself. It's very sad, but stunningly beautiful. So I was watching this when I got an idea. I grabbed my phone and texted Taylor, "I KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD BE FOR HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!", she totally agreed and we were dead set on being the black and white swan for halloween.

The Black Swan is the White Swan's doppelgänger, sent to the prince's ball by the guy who turned the White Swan into a swan in the first place.
Image courtesy of: DailyPainters.com

Fast forward a while later, we bedazzled our stunning tutus and the day of Halloween arrived. We were planning to get together later after Waltz of the Flowers practice. (Yes, I had Nutcracker practice on Halloween). If you know anything about me you should know I am terrible at planning! So Waltz comes and goes and I'm at home rushing around my room throwing clothes and costume pieces into my black sleepover bag and rushing into the car. I arrive at Taylor's house where she and Alicia (who was coming with us as Giselle from the ballet Giselle) were already prepared and ready to walk our the door. I want you to picture how I looked in this scenario. My hair was a mess from my attempting to do my bun in the car, clothes were literally falling out of the bag I was holding and I had a look of panic on my face. Taylor was just like, "Your not ready at all!!!" like she was my fairy godmother getting me ready for the ball. I was rushed into her bathroom (a.k.a. makeup studio), and she slicked my hair into an impeccable bun and made me truly look like a beautiful, innocent swan.

From right to left: Me, Alicia, Taylor
Photo courtesy of: Taylor's Dad

So the night went very well and many people said that we were their, "favorite costume of the night" and were blown away by our pointe shoes. Now, about the pointe shoes. As for the pointe shoes beautiful as they were, they hurt! After we had done half of the houses Alicia had three blisters, and my arches felt like they were going to fall off. Long story short by the end we were leaning on each other to stand and singing Les Mis like our lives depended on it. Although pain happened to all our feet, and we fell asleep right as our heads hit the pillow, it was one of the best Halloweens I had ever had.

My feet after Halloween
Photo courtesy of: Me

Taylor's blood blister from Halloween
Photo courtesy of: Taylor

Alicia's three blisters
Photo courtesy of: Alicia

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this don't worry, more posts will be up soon! I'm so happy you took the time to read my blog!

- Ali Grace