I want!!

I want to have deeper joy.  I want to grow more in my love toward Jesus.  I want the joy of Christ burning in my heart at all time.

I also want more extension, better turns, more arched feet, better elevation in jumps, and better grand allegro.

Jesus, I give you these desires.  Please instill in me deep joy, and help me to work toward the abilities that I want.  Lead me to you through my striving!

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

-Nehemiah 8:10

Mandy

(pictures from tumblr and indulgy.com)

Never wasted!!!

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." -Psalm18:32

These next couple months are the very scary summer intensive audition months!  Eeek!  Dancing in front of critics is so so scary... but it can also be a fun experience to perform under pressure.  I don't know about you, but tend I get really nervous the 15 minutes before the audition starts and then I start to get less nervous during the actual thing; at least usually.

Either way, you are dancing for the sheer joy of doing something beautiful for the Lord.  If your hard work gets you into where you are trying to go, that's fantastic.  If not, never give up.  Because any moment spent dancing will never be wasted.  Ever.  Dance for Him alone; for the joy of pleasing others because you dance for the Lord, and for the joy of dancing.  Yes, there's gonna be hard days, and yes there are gonna be days when it just doesn't feel worth it, but the time you've spent dancing is not wasted time.  Hands down.  Ever.  Period.

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

-Mandy

I found these pictures on pinterest... I am sorry that I don't have any better citations!

Barre Stretch!

I don't know about you, but my ballet class has a set barre stretch that we do at every class every week.  It's a nice rest after a difficult barre, and since it's the same each week, I don't have to think a whole ton about it, just sort of count and breath.  It's great after a difficult barre--or an easy one for that matter--it just feels great.

 Here is where I found another blessing: I can pray during barre stretch!  It's the perfect time to re-give your dancing to the Lord and to refocus while you dance.  It's calming and grace-filled - a present from God!

Pray during your barre stretch - it's a gift from God!!!

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

Mandy

P.S.  Another thing about a barre stretch: I personally think that you should always purposefully life your foot onto the barre during barre stretch.  Even just a 2 count develope, or a releve lent or anything rather than the lift-and-flop method.  Even after a hard barre, you owe it to yourself to make you dancing that much more polished.  Just my opinion there for y'all. P

Pics found on pinterest and tumblr :)

Don't Limit Yourself!

Have you ever heard someone tell you not to limit yourself to a double? Or a triple, or whatever you're used to doing?  My teacher told us to stay in releve the entire time we're turning so that we can see where we are falling, because dancers often automatically drop out of a pirouette just because they are used to stopping, not because they are done with the turn.

Today I read from two different sources about the power of expectations.  The Word Among Us said, "Don't limit what God can do for you, in you, and through you.  Life with him is full of surprises!"  So it's the same with God?  In One Thousand Gifts Ann Voskamp, went as so far to say, "Expectations kill relationships--especially with God" (169).

Wow.  Today I don't want to limit myself to what I expect from God, or to a double pirouette.  It won't be easy, and I won't do it perfectly, but I think it's what God wants of me today.  Are you with me?

"He must increase but I must decrease." -John 3:30

-Mandy

P.S.  The dancer in above video does a great job of pulling up during her whole turn.  This is key for multiple pirouettes!!

Happy Dancer?

Hey look!  See it? a pretty dancer :)  Not surprised, are you?  What can I say?  I really like inspiring photos of beautiful dancers.

Oh look... there's another one. ;)

Ok - just one more:

Notice anything in particular about these dancers?  They're all smiling.

So? Here's a little story:

You just finished a difficult combination.  Panting hard, you follow your teacher's instructions and head to the center.  Guess what you get to do?  Jumps.  Hard, slow, jumps.

How do you get through it?  Well, here's one thing that helps me (with hard combo's and dances, unless, of course your teacher tells you not to): SMILE.

It helps!  Smiling helps relax your face and with your body relaxed it can be easier to work.  It won't solve all of your technique issues, but it will help you relax and make a difficult combo much more enjoyable.  It also looks polished and professional.

Try it - God loves a happy dancer. :)

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

-Mandy 

The Freezy Dance

Today I have a really mini testimony to share.  It has to do with ballet too - here goes:

Yesterday my two year-old little brother was privileged enough to receive a freezy.  It was bright red.  He proceeded to bring it down into our basement.

I didn't take much notice of this occurrence until I went downstairs to practice ballet.  (We have a hard floor downstairs and we have some mirrors that I got from my Grandma's house set up.  A ledge along the wall serves as a barre - I am so thankful for the set up!!)  Anyways, I was about to slip my technique shoes on when I noticed that sticky red drips covered the floor.  It looked as if my brother had sprinkled his freezy all over the floor.... I sighed, grabbed up a wet paper towel, and wiped up the mess.

It only took a few minutes, so I was soon running through plies and tendus.  When I get to degajes, I tried to make myself really push against the floor.  I have had many teachers tell my class to pretend that something sticky is on the floor and we need to try to work through our feet before they leave the ground.  Guess what?  Pretending that something sticky was on the ground became really, really, easy, because now there was something sticky on the floor!  As I began to degaje side, my foot came in contact with a bit of freezy that I had missed.  Sssliiddeee!  My foot pushed against the stickiness, through the ground and lifted off the floor.

The moral of my story??  (yes, there is one :P)

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28.

God used my two year old brother to help me with my technique by spilling his freezy all over the basement.  Maybe you think it's just a coincidence - God didn't do anything.  I don't think so.  God is always working - you just have to look for His loving hands.

How has God worked in your life lately?

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

-Mandy

Picture found at: http://www.classicalballet.com/

Pirouettes Are Back!

First off, I want to apologize that this blog has been silent lately!  Hopefully, now that summer is here, I'll be able to post a bit more.

I have promised that I would post more about releves and pirouettes.  I haven't forgotten, even though it's been a million years since this post.

Well, as I've slowly progressed, my teachers have given me a few pointers and corrections about pirouettes that I'd like to share here.

• Instead of springing onto releve retire, try to "push the floor away from you."  This should feel like a strong push down into the ground instead of a "sproing" into retire.  This habit helps avoid "jumping" into releve on your pointe shoes and helps you turn more smoothly.
• In turns from fourth position, be sure not to "sit" in your back foot.  Instead of putting all of your weight into your back foot, use it as the force to get you turning.  
• SPOT!!! I've said this before, but it makes a huge difference.  Find a picture, or a spot on the wall, or someone's face, or the piano player, or whatever!  Just spot and it will help!
• A teacher once said to me about pirouettes, "It's like a cookie cutter shape hung on a string.  The shape stays the same, you just turn it."  Try to keep the same shape all of the way around and then hold it as you finish, just like the girl in the picture below.

Again, my turns need lots of work and I hope that my little discoveries will help out some. :)

I also found this article insightful, as well as some tidbits from The Ballet Companion, by Eliza Gaynor Minden.

-Mandy

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

I haven't Forgotten!

I have promised that I would post more about releves and pirouettes.  I haven't forgotten!  I have been just a little busy lately.... as I'm sure many people can understand.

I will post more about both topics!

Joy in Jesus,

-Mandy

On Your Toes!

 Today is releve day.  I enjoy releves.  They seem to make everything shorter, or perhaps they make me taller, or a little bit of both. :D  Anyways, I would like to adress the subject of sickled feet in releve.  We are going to focus on 3/4 releve, not full pointe.

There are two main mistakes that can be made in a releve, and both are consequences of sickling the foot either out or in.  Pictures of these are below:

 As you can notice in picture #1, I am leaning on the big toe for support and the pinky toe and the fourth toes aren't even touching the ground.  This is sickling forward.  The feet can look more "archy" and "beautiful" in this position because the ankle is rolling forward, but all toes must be reaching for the ground and preferable touching it.  Keep the ankles forward, but don't sacrifice by lifting your toes from the ground.

Number 2 is also brought about by sickling, but sickling backwards. This often occurs when you begin to let go of the barre, because your balance gets off.  Now the weight is on your pinky, fourth and middle toes, and the ankles are rotating back.  Try to feel as if a magnetic force was pulling your heels towards each other, and turn out your entire leg so that your heels come forward.

This is the "correct" position, or as correct as I could get it.  In reality, my heels should be slightly more forward and my pinky toe touching the ground.

Hints on how to improve your releve will come soon!

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

-Mandy

Turning

Pirouettes don't like me, and I don't like them.  The main reason, is of course, that my pirouettes are far from perfect.  I'm practicing though, and hopefully, God has some improvement planned for my future.

Here are some tips to try: (I am still working on these.  You really need to find out what works for you and then concentrate on that.  Focusing on one of these aspects a week would also be a great idea.)

1.  Use your plie.  Practice engaging your gluteal muscles at the barre.  Feel the control of the rise and fall, then take it to the center.  Your plie should be just as it was at the barre - this gives you a firm foundation to spring from.

2. Don't sit!  Even though your plie is important, don't sit in it too long.  Feel the engaged muscles and then go straight into your turn.

3. Be on count. Since you shouldn't sit in your plie, make sure that your turns are timed correctly.  Don't stop too soon, because then you will have to wait to prepare.  Feel the counts, and try to be right on time.

4. Spot, Stop!  Control when you stop.  If you do not spot, you won't know when to stop, and if you don't know when to stop, you get confused, and chances are, you won't end your turn correctly.  Spot your turn, and keep your retire position.  If you lose the reitre, the turn will fall apart (I speak from experience).

More coming soon!  I will try and share as much as I can as I discover more about turns!

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

-Mandy

A Great Ballet Dictionary

This ballet video dictionary is a fabulous source of information for those of you who would like to know how various steps are executed.  The dancers are gorgeous!  This website also holds written info on steps, and other cool and informative stuff.

Look at grand battments on there--the dancer's extension and flexibility is stunning! 

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

~Mandy

Rotating the Upper Leg

Here is another (not quite as conspicuous) turn out exercise.  This is great to work the upper thigh, and should be repeated as much as possible!  A great way to practice this is while watching TV or a movie, reading a book, or anytime you find your self sitting on the floor!  It is also fun to challenge your friends to try this.  It takes a surprising amount of endurance!   

Step One

Step one: Sit on the floor with your feet stretched out before you.  Sit up with a straight back, and make sure that you are aligned correctly (e.g: head over shoulders, shoulders over ribs, ribs over hips, etc).  Turn your feet out into first position.  Make sure that you can feel your entire leg working to turn out.

Step Two:  Lift one leg up off the ground about seven to nine inches off of the ground.  Lower to the ground and repeat on each leg.

It is really up to you as to now many you would like to do, but I suggest doing ten on each leg, and repeating at least once so you do twenty on each side.  

Practice, Practice!

For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.  

-Hebrews 10:36

Dancing Through The Mall- Turnout Exercises For Every Day

My lovely dance teacher has given my class some exciting new exercises to try.....at the grocery store.  Many dancers are known for their rambunctious attitudes, so this wouldn't be a problem for them.  If you are not quite as rambunctious as these dancers, just slip on your socks and do these exercises on your kitchen floor.

This is how they work: While shopping at the grocery store, or mall (any where that has a cart), turn out your legs and scoot forward with small "steps", making sure that you are turning out correctly and not shifting your weight from leg to leg.  Another variation of this is to shase through first position while pushing the cart.  Both are acceptable.

A video is below:

If you muster up enough courage to try this, perhaps you should wait until you are in an isle vacant of other humans.  :)

More is coming soon!

The joy of the Lord is my strength! 

 -Mandy

Another Note: Do your best not to sickle your feet as I did.  Make sure to feel your arches!

This Week's Theme: Can You Guess It?

This week, I am going to talk about turn out.

Turn out is a difficult and beautiful thing--imperative for dancers.  I am still working on this, but I am going to try and post a few of the techniques I've learned over the years.  

So, keep on the lookout for some helpful hints!   

See how much turn out she needs to extend her leg in the back?

~Mandy

Yes. . . . It is Possible to Patch Ballet Shoes!

This is a little trick that I figured out so that I could go to a ballet workshop with out holes in the toes of my shoes (yes I am a bit of a nerd :). It has helped my shoes stay intact longer than they would have, and it really isn't very noticeable. Note: My ballet shoes are canvas- I don't think it would work on leather.

Step one: Choose the Correct Fabric. Make sure that the canvas's weave is about the same size of the weave of your ballet shoe. The fabric in the picture is a little too patterned, but if you have a pattern that isn't extremely colorful or busy, you can use the wrong side.

Step Two: Cut, Pin and Sew. Cut a circle out of your fabric that has a half of an inch extra all around. Fold the fabric under and pin it onto the shoe. The more pins you use, the easier it will be! Use as small stitches as possible, making sure they are close together. Don't sew on the leather sole of the shoe. This part can be difficult, but it's doable.

Tada! The canvas will stretch a bit and mold to your foot. It is much easier to dance in un-ripped shoes- believe me! It is a pretty simple project that is quite effective!

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

-Pandy

"Did you know that doing the splits can make you flexible?"

He he! I couldn't help using this quote from my dance teacher. She was shaking her head at my class while she watched us try to execute that particular stretch.
So, this is how I practice the splits, as taught to me by one of my teachers. It has helped me keep my hips square, and made me much more flexible in the log run. Note: As all splits are, this exercise is done completely in parallel. EDIT:  I have recently discovered that not all splits stretches are executed parallel.  I would suggest doing this stretch turned out, since you would want to be turned out when doing a grand jete, or any other split-type jump.

Step One: Prepare.

Begin by positioning yourself on the floor in a deep lunge with your back knee on the floor, and your front knee directly over your front foot. Pull your back foot back as far as you can, but remember to keep both hips facing straight ahead. Your weight is balanced over your front foot. Stretch for 8 to 16 counts.

Step Two: Shift Weight
From your lunge, lean back so that your front leg is straightly pointing ahead, and your weight is balanced over your back leg. Feel your front leg stretching forward. Stretch for 8 to 16 counts.

Step Three: Do the Splits!
From the position in step two, stretch your front leg forward into the splits position. Keep your hips facing front the whole time! Stretch for 16 t0 32 counts.

Remember- always be properly warmed up before you do the splits. It is allot easier and you are much less susceptible to injury.

This stretch is great for practice in hip alignment. It has taken me time to get the splits and I'm still working at it, but it looks clean and nice when you get it.

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

~Pandy