The Struggle is Real ....

Hi there!

Well.....I need three posts before Friday. Typically I'm way ahead on this type of thing, but not this time apparently. SO instead of posting about all the other things I should be posting about (Disney, auditions, stress of upcoming recitals, competitions) I recently got inspired by Bun to Ballet Shoes and I really wanted to do a post concerning the common problems every dance knows. Here we go!

1. No social life ... like at all
When I have taken a look at my social life I've realized it's pretty much not existent...DANCE IS MY SOCIAL LIFE!!!! Amount of friends I have outside of dance: 2, social media: 1 (this blog), Things I do outside of dance with non-dance friends: 1 (maybe). So you may be asking what do us dancers do outside of dance, well here is the answer you've all been waiting for....drumroll please....... we stretch, warm up, do homework, go see ballets, choreography dances, go to pilates, spend time with dancer friends, actually is there anyone outside my immediate family who is/was not a dancer who reads my blog? Show of hands. Let's see 0.....1......oh wait is that someone in the back? ... wait you were just stretching....okay....so 1!!! (Thank you Amanda :).
2. Every dance song ever

My newest loveliest blister

We all know that time when a song you once did a dance to so long ago comes on the radio, and you start sporadically moving your arms and legs? Yup we all know the feeling. But we also all know the weird looks that comes with this kinda thing. Some people look at us stare for a while and then let us go back to whatever the heck we are doing. Others try to help us and ask if we are having a seizure. I mean it doesn't matter where you are when the songs comes on, you have to dance to it. So weather your in the grocery store, middle of class or in disneyland you must dance to the song. Who cares what anyone else thinks, GO FOR IT!!!
3. Feet
Like it or not all dancers develop feet fetishes. We all come to this realization when instead of complementing people on there hair or outfit we complement them on there feet. As dancers we deeply appreciate when we get this complement and feel like our life is put together somehow. (I mean what if someone came up to you right now and said, "You have really nice feet." Think about how good you feel!) But people who are not dancers kinda just look at there feet and fantastic arches and give you a weird look because sadly those amazing arches will never be used for glory. Now don't let me get started on how much I have a feet fetish for my own feet I think the above picture sums it up pretty well.

A portion of my dance closet

4. Dance Wear
Now my all-time favorite thing to is to look for leotards and at dance stuff in general. I could spend (and have) hours on DDS (Discount Dance Supply) and looking at pointe shoes. Dance wear has also taken up half of my closet...

So thank you very much for reading my blog, and thank you to all that have been checking back up with my blog I know It's been a LONG time since I've last posted. A new post will be up on Wednesday and Friday. Til them I hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for taking the time to read my blog. :)

- Ali Grace

My Leotards!!

Hi there!!!!

MERRY SUPER BELATED CHRISTMAS!!!! I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and for everyone who does not celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a great day!! I thought it would be a good idea to do a dance haul leotard random stuff thing. Basically this post will be all about leotards and more posts to come about the rest of the things.

While writing this post I reallized that I had a TON of leotards, as did my dog (pictured above). Thank you very much to my Mom, who bought all these leotards for me. I love you! :)

My Leotard Collection:

Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

My first leotard is a plain, clothish material cami in black. I truly only wear this leotard during competitions and shows, because it's easy to put under itchy costumes during dress rehearsals. This leotard is from Mirella in size 14 it is in the color Black.

Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

My second leotard is also black. This leotard, surprisingly enough, used to have a cool lace back to it but I put it in the washer, on cool, and when it was drip drying the feltish stuff that was used to make the lace design started to fall off, and it did until all of it was off. I still like it though, especially the way the mesh comes from to back to front. I got it from Dance Boutique when I first got my pointe shoes. It's from Motionwear and it is in size: Small Adult.

Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

My third leotard is black (surprise!) and has lace all over it. The lace is not super breathable, and it shrinks a little when you wash it. Although it is a very pricy leotard, it's really pretty. The lace that is in the front is a little annoying but it's not to bad. Mine also has a small rip in the back of the lace, but it blends in well. The leotard is a Suffolk leotard and it is in size: Petite and the color Black Mascara.

Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

My fourth leotard is another black leotard, it's also another cami, but it has a cool backing to it. I really like this one because it's simple but it still has a lot of flare. It's super breathable as well. It's Mirella, in the size Adult Medium in Black.

Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

My fifth leotard is new, and is black. I have not gotten a chance to wear this one to class because I just got it for Christmas. I have wanted this leotard for the longest time!! It's very cofterable as well as beautiful!!! The dots on the leotard are smaller in really life than in the picture and the sleeves come to the tips of my shoulders rather than closer to my neck, but those things are minor details. I was originally going to get this one in white, so if anyone gets it white please send me a picture. Also this leotard is in collection called to Dot Collection by:Natalie Couture, and I love all of the ones in the collection. Here is the link if you want to check it out, just look at the ones that say dot on them. This is a Natalie Couture leotard in size Adult Small in the color Black.

Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

My sixth leotard is PERIWINKLE!!! (NOT BLACK! YAY!) I got this one to wear on Fridays, which is the only day in our studio we are allowed to wear colored leotards. I also haven't gotten a chance to wear this one to class yet, but it is the most comfortable leotard I have even put on! The color is sooooo pretty, and the lace is fantastic and more breathable than the third leotard. It's also in the New York City Ballet collection which makes me reallllllly excited because NYCB is my favorite company!!!!!! It's a Danskin leotard is the color Dusted Periwinkle is size Small.

Fun with the Mirrors
Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

Bloopers
Photo Credits: Me taken by my sissy Samantha
Editing Credits: Photo Grid

A big thank you to my sister Samantha for helping me for about an hour with the whole thing. (She wouldn't let me take a picture of her so I found this one on my mom's phone, it was from a race she was in on the 2th). Thank you to my mom for letting me use her phone, P.S. you can delete all of them from your phone now :). 

Anyway more posts to come about the other things, I really hope you enjoyed this, thanks once again to my sissy Samantha and my Mom! If you like the way the pictures came together the template I used was from Photo Grid. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!

- 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

How to Not be Bored in Ballet Part 2

Hi there!

This is is the second tip in the How to Not be Bored in Ballet series, and it is my favorite. I love prepping and feeling ready before events, even if it's ballet. Although this step is optional I would strongly recommend it.

2. Prep before
This step is optional and kinda goes with step one, but It's still really great to do. It's split into two parts, if you have time or if you don't have time.
a. Have time
So if you have a lot of time after you have gotten dressed and done your hair, depending on the time of your dance I would suggest making a smoothie. It's a great way to make sure you're not hungry and you'll be powered up for later in class. I love smoothies. I think I have one at least once a day. So, if you want to make it really easy to make one, just buy some Jamba Juice smoothie mix, and make it at home! I think they taste delicious and the only thing you need to add to it is water/orange juice/apple juice (one of the three not all three unless your feeling adventurous) I normally use orange juice and my favorite mix is Caribbean Passion. Another thing I would suggest to do it to get a water bottle and fill it up with ice. You can add other things, but I only really like water. A health nutritionist came and talked with our dance group over the summer, and said that if you are dancing for longer than an hour or and hour 1/2 at a time with no brakes, it might be a good idea to try power aid in the second hour. I have never tried this but I might. So for the final thing is that you should try to 'wake up' all your muscles before dance so then they are able to move, like your own warm up before class. I like _____ video, I've used it several time is it's amazing, once you've got it down you can do it in seven minutes or so. If you would like to hear more about my warm up routine, please vote for it on the side.
b. Don't have time
Alright, you can vary this depending on how much time you have, but the first thing I would do is to ask someone to make you a smoothie, I really like smoothies and I love having them before dance. Instead of warming up grab sweats and put them on, if you can wear them into dance that's great because you'll warm up your body more. I would suggest taking off the sweats after tandus. This is my favorite trick, If you don't have enough time to fill up a water bottle, bring an empty one and fill it up at the studio before class.

JAMBA JUICE SMOOTHIE!!!!!!!!!!!  The smoothie in the picture is Caribbean Passion from Jamba Juice

So that was the tip, I hope you liked it! My favorite tip ever is in here which is bring a water bottle to class and filling it up at the studio. I hope you found this entertaining, and thank you soooooooo much for reading my blog!

- Ali Grace

How to Not be Bored in Ballet Part 1

Hey there!

First of all thanks so much for voting on the poll on the side. I again want to emphasize how important this is for me!!! This literally takes 15 seconds of your time and gives me so much inspiration. If you want to know more about this please check out announcements and/or everything postable. So here it is what you've all been waiting for.........HOW TO NEVER BE BORED IN BALLET!! (Have you noticed I like capital letters? It makes everything so dramatic)

1. Find some way to say to yourself, okay now it's time for ballet, before class
Okay, so this probably sounds like a very weird tip, but it makes sense. When I enter my ballet class we always do reverence. It's a tradition my first ballet teacher started. It's a simple way to enter the class and get yourself into a ballet mode. Reverence literally means to give deep respect for someone, and in ballet class it's showing your teacher respect by bowing the teacher to thank them for teaching you. My ballet teacher Julianna said that she can always tell how the class is going to go by the reverence. The whole reason we do it is to get yourself in the ballet mood. You need to be in the ballet mood, because then you can focus on ballet, and really have ballet become a part of you. Now I know everyone has those days they just cannot do anything in ballet, mine was last Wednesday in Brenda's class, I couldn't do a turn from fifth no matter how I tried and I always ended up on the floor. (If you don't believe me, ask Mikelle or Alecia).

Reverence by me

So in addition to the reverence I would like to add other things that I do to get the mood of ballet. A thing I like to do is find things in my life that i would like to dance for. I know this is deep, but it helps a lot. Today when I was walking home I saw a little girl alone in her driveway silently talking to herself and drawing with chalk. I thought about how it felt to be very little and have that great big imagination. I will think of it when I dance and try to incorporate freeness and dreaming into my dancing. I looked around me and saw the whole beauty of the world that God created, and when I danced I thought about how beautiful it was and tried to incorporate the beauty into my dancing. 

Another great thing that i like to do is play a piece of music that reminds me of dancing or why I dance or compels me to dance, it makes me feel great and excited for dancing. My top right now are:

Flight of the Eagle - Brian Crain

It makes me feel so inspired and so ready and excited for dance

Where is my Mind - Maxence Cyrin (from the movie It's Kind of a Funny Story)

 I LOVE this song, I am currently choreographing a dance to it, and every time I hear it it makes me want to dance.

White Flag - Chris Tomlin 

I am obsessed with this song I know all the words, and it makes me want to dance. 

Thank you so much for reading my blog! Posts in the How to Not be Bored in Ballet series will be up soon. I hope you enjoyed this!

- Ali Grace

Hey There!

Hi! My name is Ali Grace, and I'm a dancer at Park City Dance. I love dancing and I believe this year will be my tenth year in ballet. Ballet is my passion and I'm very excited to be able to share my journey, tips, tricks and ideas with you! This blog will also go over what it's like to be a dancer, outside and in the studio. I also love to choreograph, and hope to be a prima ballerina, or choreograph someday. I love dance because I can do it whenever I want, wherever I want. It's not like other things where you might need a piano, a ball, or a net, to dance all you need is yourself. I dance when I'm happy, I dance when I'm sad, I dance when I'm tired, and I dance when I'm wide awake. I love dancing so it's good that I am able to do it a lot.

I want my blog to be interactive with my readers and write what is interteresting to you, so it would be make me really happy if you could tell me what you would like to hear next. (click one or more answers on the side of this post) If you don't see a topic you like feel free to email me at aherman19@pcstudents.us. After reading these posts I hope you are more educated about the life of ballerina or at least entertained.

Before I go here are the top 5 things dancers wish you knew. Most of my posts might look something like this, or along the lines of this:

Top 5 things Dancers wish you knew:

1. Ballet is a sport
Ballet has been and always will be a sport. We are athletes and work just as hard as you do. All dancers put sweat, tears and blood into their sport.
2. Although we might be beautiful in the studio we are not always
Like my ballet teacher Juliana said, "We are only allowed a certain amount of gracefulness in our lives, and I have used mine up!" Although ballet dancers might look beautiful on stage they aren't always like that in real life. Take me for example, I am very very clumsy, do not trust me with anything fragile! :)
3. We always try our hardest
As ballet dancers we are pushed to try our hardest so we always strive for perfection. This is good, until you run our of time to do everything perfectly. It can stress ballet dancers out because they are always push themselves to be perfect
4. Everything on our body cracks
My neck, my hips, my back, my feet it will all cracks and sound like it's braking at least once a day. Although it might sound like it hurts it really doesn't, it feels good, surprisingly!
5. Just because I'm a dancer it doesn't mean I'm flexible
When I'm not warm I'm not flexible. If a you are not warm you can pull/tear your muscles and it's not fun. Dancers might not be flexible of genetics, if their hips are not the flexible, they don't have a great range motion. (like me) Just because we're dancers doesn't mean were flexible!

Thank you so much for reading my blog!!!

- Ali Grace

Me at the studio

(Photo taken by Taylor)