T Minus 5 Rehearsals Left Until Recital!

Aaaahhhhhhh!!

When my instructor told us that in class last night, all you could hear were crickets! That's not very many rehearsals, but we have finished all 4 recital numbers, all that's left is clean up.  It's too bad we had to take 2 weeks off for spring break/easter.  I feel like we had a lot of setbacks being off for so long, now we are scrambling again to catch up to where we left off.

Costumes are rolling in and being fitted, which is always exciting.  My ballet instructor made all of the costumes for ballet and pointe, and they are seriously awesome!

Ballet is the routine with the extra long sleeves, modeled after traditional Chinese dance.  Check this out!!

It looks really cool when we are all in sync, but it's really obvious when we mess up, too.  It's really coming together though!  Very different piece.  Shameless plug-- I'm proud of my version of our modified panche arabesque promenade position.  I can hold my leg much higher, but adding in the promenade is a whole different story.  Lol. Kind of a weird angle.  We pretty much tip straight forward, our head to leg line is supposed to be parallel with the floor.







And my plie a la seconde hold is getting better.  Working on my core is paying off, I can hold this much higher for much longer.  It's a long slooooow 4 counts, so a little challenging.  Need to work on my alignment a bit.  This is also kind of a weird angle.  This hold comes at the end of a long combination-- developpe, arabesque, promenade, attitude, passe, plie a la seconde.  All on the same one leg and very slow.  The  music is suspenseful here, almost waiting for one of us to fall over.  :)


Pointe is going really well, we have been refining movements, fixing arms, etc.  Unfortunately I completely snapped the shank in my right shoe in it's 4th hour of wear, and had to buy another pair of shoes.  I got another pair of Grishko 2007's.  My first pair of 2007's lasted a really long time, even with all of the crazy problems they had.  The 2007 Pro's had platforms that collapsed and started pushing up into the shoes after the 2nd class.  I pushed it all back together and used super glue to reshape the shoe, which worked very well.  I just need the extra support a shoe with a full shank (not 3/4) offers.

The snapped shank

I went in to be fitted at a local store that recently merged with another store and gained a lot of new pointe shoe stock.  A review to follow on one specific shoe I went there to try, the new Capezio Studio pointe shoe!  The Capezio Studio comes only through size 10, and they were just a smidge too short for my feet.

I tried on several different models of Russian Pointe--I think the Rubin would be a great shoe for me, unfortunately they didn't have a shoe narrow enough for my feet in stock.  I also tried on a couple of square shaped Grishkos in different widths, but as I suspected none of them were appropriate for my feet.  It doesn't hurt to try on everything in your length, just to help understand what suits your foot, and what doesn't!

 

Our pointe number is probably my favorite.  I've improved enough this year that I'm not constantly focused on my feet, but I can work on actually dancing through the choreography.  

I need to seriously dance it full out, face included.  It is hard to force myself to smile and do facial expressions at my teacher.  It feels so awkward, but then again, will it be any less awkward when I'm performing in front of 600 people?  In show choir and doing musicals in high school, I didn't have a problem with face, because you are singing.  I'm not sure what to do with my face so I don't just have robot smile the whole routine.  I need to practice in front of the mirror.  

I've also found through recording each rehearsal, that I have this weird habit of dancing with my eyes squinted.  I'm not sure if I just subconsciously look down at my feet in the mirror constantly or what, but it always looks like my eyes are closed.  I'm pretty positive I don't dance with them totally closed all the time, so.....  I need major work on turning on my facial expressions and lifting my eyes and eyebrows.

Keeping my head and neck aligned is another thing I've noticed slacking on my videos.  So many hours of staring at a computer at work over the years has changed my posture, which makes me sad.  I've been making a conscious effort to sit with good posture while working and dancing.  I raised the height of my computer monitors so the screens are at eye level.  I try to be conscious of it when I dance, but I don't hold correct alignment 100% of the time when I'm thinking too hard.

In other news, I picked up this great new shorty leotard, with built in shorts.  It was on clearance and in a tall length.  Fits great!  It's olive green with purple piping, super cute, I'm wearing it in the pointe pics above.  Unfortunately I forgot how colored leotards show sweat.  Not good, not good at all!  Gotta love obvious and embarrassing sweat marks.

One more thing and them I'm done-- after my pointe fitting on Saturday, the ladies in the pointe shop asked if I'd be interested in working there as a fitter!  I am scheduling a meeting with the owner soon and I hope to start working a few Saturdays!  I'm so excited.  :)

High five for reading this whole thing if you made it this far!  Too much to write about since my last update!

Can't wait for recital time!!!

-L