What's in my Dance Bag? Part 3: What Dancers Normally Have in Their Bags

Hey There!

So now it's the moment you've all been waiting for, the end of the series of What's in my Dance Bag. For the finale post I've decided to do what dancers normally have in their dance dance and a summery of thing you need in your dance bag. 

This is a really big group of things for warming up and stretching. This includes, my yoga mat, my sweats, a bag for my sweats, amazing socks, and my phone, my Thera Band (not pictured). My yoga mat is essential to stretching/warming up, because I have a very bony back. This helps to protect my back, but also gets me in the mood/motivates me to actually warm up and stretch. Sweats are really great for stretching because they keep your body heat in so then your muscles warm. They are also really comfy so you can focus on being comfortable and try to forget the pain you are in. My amazing socks are great because they feel like clouds and warm my feet up. It's also important to let your feet breathe (A.K.A. not wearing socks) because if your feet go from socks in boots to fuzzy socks to cramped pointe shoes, you can get athletes foot and in grown toenails really easily. I need my phone just in case my mom forgets to pick me up, class runs late etc. but it also is great if you listen to music on it. Music is what motivates me.  "Dance is music made visible." George Balanchine. We need to warm up to music of we are to make it visible. My Thera band, shown in three pictures below this one picture, is great because it builds strength in your feet. There are so many exercises that you can to with it. They are relatively cheep and you can get them from Walmart.

And like any dancer I have trash in my bag. Band-Aid trash, more band-aids and of course more bobby pins. I also have a spare Advil. Here's a tip, if you don't have IcyHot, brake the Advil and use the liquid stuff inside of it. Make sure it doesn't get on your tights. Wash your hands afterwards. 

I also have my dance shoes in my bag. It's a good idea to always have them in your dance bag, but if you don't have enough room put them somewhere you can easily access and find them. I suggest getting Bloch flat shoes, because they stretch with your feet and will last you along time, It's also a fantastic idea to label them right and left and put your name on them. I love my no lace Capezio tap shoes. You don't have to tie laces if you get these. It's amazing and less time consuming. I also have my Capezio Foot-Undies. These are great for turning, and for Jazz but they are easily destroyed...

So this is all the things I suggest you should have in your dance bag. Ballet shoes of course, food, a phone, IcyHot, a bag for sweats, this is really helpful trust me, and a book of Bible verses.
Here are some pictures to explain what I meant above:

Foot stretching with Thera-Band

Rolling out my feet with a tennis ball

Pointe shoes with socks

I hoped you thought this was funny or inspiring or thought provoking or entertaining. This was so fun and I hope to post again soon!

Thank you so much for reading my blog!!!

- Ali Grace

What's in my Dance Bag? Part 2: Things I Need

Hey there!

This is the second in the series of What's in my Dance Bag, the things I need in my dance bag. If you are wondering, yes they are being split into different posts because one post was too long. If you would like all the What's in my Dance Bag posts, go to the bottom of this post and click the label that says What's in my Dance Bag. Now here is your post: 

These are the things I need in my bag. They are, IcyHot, Ice Breakers Coolmint, a tennis ball and a bouncy ball. IcyHot, or in other words magic, is like instant pain remover. This works great for cramps, sore muscles, or feet that hurt. I use this before and after practice. It helps me forget that I am in pain and just focus on dancing. I have to say this is my favorite thing in my dance bag, which is a big deal because that means I like it more than my pointe shoes. Ice Breakers, are lifesavers. A lot of times I end up eating before I go to dance and my breath smells pretty bad. So I just eat one and then I'm good. They also just taste really good. You might be wondering, why do I need a tennis ball? To roll out my feet. Rolling out my feet loosens up the muscles in my feet and makes it easer to articulate my feet. It's amazing. The bouncy ball is used for the same reason, but it focuses on more specific places. It was given to me by Gold Medalist Nikki Stone. She came in to tell us about recovery and how she kept trying even when she blew out her back. It was really inspiring. At the end of the presentation she gave us the bouncy balls and said they should be a reminder that when we hit rock bottom, we can bounce right back up.

Of course I have bobby pins, hair ties and a head band. KEEP HAIR TIES IN YOUR BAG. It's a really good idea, you'll never know when you, or someone else will need one. I suggest keeping bobby pins in an empty box, empty mint container, or a thing that you are supposed to keep chapstick in. I love this head band, it's thin but keeps my hair back. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO BOBBY PIN YOUR HEADBAND ON! If not It will fly off your head when you're doing turns and it will hit someone in the face. Too many experiences with that....

I also keep candy in my bag, not a good idea, but if you really are craving chocolate, then it's okay. I would recommend keeping a healthy snack such as granola, snap peas or nuts in your bag. I also have another pair of socks. These are for tap shoes they are really nice and make it so then you don't get blisters. Do you see the spot on the back of it, that's blood.

Your welcome :)

Thank you so much for reading my blog, I hope you found this entertaining, or you learned something new. This series will be going on for a little while by the end I expect about 3 or 4 posts. Thanks so much for tuning in.

- Ali Grace

What's in my Dance Bag? Part 1: Pointe Shoes

Hey There!

First of all thank you soooooooooooo much for anwsering the poll on the side of my blog! This helps me so much because then I know what you want to hear. This post was so much fun! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. So, without further to do.... here is what's in my dance bag! All pictures were taken by me. 

This is my dance bag:

Just kidding, this is my dance bag:

Let's get a good look at it:

Ya, it's kinda messy, but I try. You'd be surprised how many things can fit in it, and these are things I use every day for dance. I hope this gets you inspired for things you can put in your dance bag!
Here are my pointe shoes:

I love my pointe shoes, they are my second pair. My first were Russian Pointe. I love Bloch, I feel like they look the prettiest on my feet. I am over my box on both of my feet, and I am getting pretty good at a single turn en pointe! I also got my first blister on this pair of shoes. It wasn't because of the shoes though, it was because I wore my friend's mother's Ugg boots without socks. If you want to hear more about this blister, my pointe shoes or my first pair of pointe shoes, please vote for it on the side.

This is all the things I need for pointe, my toe pads, tape, band-aids, waxy thread and socks, and the bag for my pointe shoes. My toe pads are Ouch Pouches by Capezio. They are my first and only pair of toe pads, and I like them, they make pointe a little easier. My favorite thing in this group would probubly be my tape. I don't know the brand, but I call it magic tape. It helps support my feet, and keeps my band-aids on. Last year when I had hurt my arch, I wrapped this around it and my arch felt way better. I adore my band-aids. They are just typical Western Family band-aids. I have been using them with my blister and the majority of the time they make sure the blood doesn't get everywhere. Now, the waxy thread/floss. DO NOT I BEG OF YOU USE WAXY THREAD TO SEW YOUR POINTE SHOES! My friend, Mikelle would know this. We used it to sew our pointe shoes and it just doesn't work. The wax gets everywhere. Just use the normal kind. I love my socks because, If you want to walk around the house or carpet with your pointe shoes and you don't want the bottom to get frayed, just put the socks on and then they are protected!