Parkour Meets Ballet Dancer

I thought this was interesting concept. A ballet dancer trying out parkour. Lots os slow-mo bits, so you don't miss a thing.

Dude!

The Was a dude in my Saturdays class!

That's a first I ever seen in the flesh in the classes I've attended. He was there more in the fall, and bit less consistently in the spring though.


Man, could he jump.



Well, that's not him. But almost could be... ;D
Pic from here (Beyond black and white)

Which reminded me of this. Everyone has probably seen it already, but sharing it anyway.

"Take me to church" by Hozier and Sergei Polynin

To Be or Not to Be

I've been pondering the future of this blog a lot the past six months. To continue or not, that is the guestion. The is some traffic to this site on a weekly basis, but still. Some how I feel like I'm alone talking to myself here in the vast emptiness if the internet.

Ha Ha. Dramatic much?

Thought about combining the ballet related stuff with my knitting and hand craft blog which is in Finnish.

Didn't feel right. The to topics feel worlds a part. Even tough some over lapping issues always occur on ballet related projects. Some aggressive crosslinking could resolve the issue...  Maybe.

Still I was wobbling on to just fade out this blog. The whole thing felt useless to do. Then I reminded myself why I started to do this in the first place. To record my journey in the world of ballet. So could come back even after years to recall what it was like back the and then. The classes. The gear. The projects. The ups and downs.

Trying out brand new pointes

So for now this stays as it is. I will try to push a post out every now and then. I do have some ideas on the self just waiting to be written. Stuff from the past now, really. But who cares if the are published six months late even? I don't.

My journey. My rules.

I'll wear a tutu if I want to

Can't deny that some followers would be nice...

Back on Track

The fall season is here. The regular classes all start this week. I'll have my regular 3 classes per week. On Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays that is.

I have had 3 three weeks of pre -ballet classes (twice a week) with some awesome adult ballet dancer friends of  mine. So the start of the season is not so harsh as could be imagined. But still I think come Sunday, I'll pretty cramped up. But it'll be a sign of work done.

I had big plans for posts to write all through summer, but then life happened and I have bee otherwise occupied. Or just too tired to think of writing in general. But the life changes are now starting to be in check and the future brighter than in a long time.

I wish you all inspiring fall season. I, for one, am exited to get back on track.

Crash! Boom! Bang!

I've done it again. I managed to further injure my already hurting right leg. Nice.

Luckily this seems to bee passing by quite well.

So the thing that happened was that I banged my right tibia right next to the knee on the dishwashers door/lid. Hard. And it Hurt. Big time. It hurt through the night and the next morning. Second day was a bit easier, but I had to walk with my right leg completely straight. If I put any weight on it with the knee bent, I got a shot of pain and the sensation of losing control of my leg. It felt like it was caving in on me. Not nice.

Due to this I had to skip one of the few remaining ballet classes before summer break. Broke my heart a bit, really. I did get to attend the last two classes, thankfully. But now there are no more classes before the fall season begins. Sumemr is on.

I'm missing ballet already, even though its been less that a week since the last class. How are you all holding up the summer break?

Confessions on the Dancefloor

I have to confess something. Promise to keep it to yourself? Good.
.
.
.
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I have never seen live ballet. U know on a stage. In a theater. In situ. With a live Orchestra and the hole shebang. I have seen some peaces of ballets on tv. Never have I watched a whole show from beginning to the final curtain.


And since I've started this whole confessing thingy,  I might as well continue.

I never have understood the male ballet dancers. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with guys doing ballet. Absolutely not. But the dancebelt!?! I don't need to see that! No one needs to see that!

I just can't unsee it. I can't appreciate the great jumps and the numeral pirouettes, when there's that. It's a health issue I'm told. I don't need to know that! No one needs to know that!

I cant unthink it though...

So I'll leave you with this...



From the movie Top Secret.
Of course.

The End Is Near!

Spring is here! :D

The official season is over. Been for two weeks now. Only the summer classes hold on. In May I'll have 3 lessons a week. And in June 2 per week for the first 2 weeks. After that I'm on my own for the summer. How about you? :)

Spring time always reminds me of this particular strip of Calvin and Hobbes. Pure genius!

The Mecca of Shabby Chic

This is something I've been thinking about for quite some time now. It was Marias (from blog Why do I dance) post about her realization that she keeps on using tights that are full of holes, that hit the final nail to my coffin so to speak.

Ballet classes are a place that usually has rules of dressing. Sometimes quite strict ones too.  As adult dancer, one does get a bit more leeway in the matter of dress-code. Even more so if you dance in a community collage and not a "real" dance studio.

But I willing to bet that there is something in common in almost all of the ballet classes around the world. Ballet dancers use their gear to the maximum. Slippers are not thrown out when the first hole appears. Tights are used even though the original color has been mudded into somewhat greyish tone. If they break from the toe, you just cut the toe seams of and voila! You have leggings.

Pic from here

The favorite leotard is used again and again until its worn and torn. You use the legwarmers even if they have holes in them. And they could be originally be the sleeves from and old sweater you used up. The ballet studio could very well be the mecca of shabby couture.

The next pic is blurry, sorry, it's a still frame from a video me trying my pointes,
but do note the absolutely horrific brown stockings  I'm wearing. A perfect example. I got them as gift when I ordered something else from ebay. Don't even remember what it was. They were horrible. So I automatically thought to use them in pointe practice at home, so I don't have put tights on. I can I just say WHAAAAT? Who does that?

Shabby shabby shabby...

A ballet dancer, that's who. Or in this case a wannabe ballet dancer. The  denier was right, so... Why not! You use what you have and once found to work, you use it until it practically disintegrates.

There must be something more to this than the cost of buying new gear. It can be costly, but seriously I doubt that that's the whole story. There must be a some sort of collective ideology behind this, right?

Somehow you look the part more, if your clothes aren't all brand new. I cut one of my tights to leggings (or footless tights if you will), 'cos holes in the toes (super annoying). Wore them to class, and somehow they look just so right. They made my feet look more like a ballet dancers, more than black tights or shop bought leggings ever have. They were worn, a bit torn, hand cut uneven. In a word shabby. And they looked the just the part.

The holes and worn and torn bits tell a tale of the hard work that has been done. All the repetition, the sweat, the frustration, but also the glorious moments when you nail a particularly hard combo or your first clean pirouette. So in a way, the more shabby your gear look, the harder you have worked to get there?

Besides, all the cool kids do it.

Pic from Australian ballet
Do notice the run in her tights <3

Don't get me wrong, I love to get new gear too. As much as the next girl. Just saying.

Help Wanted

Dear dancing friends and strangers, a fellow dancer is in need. Of help,that is. And you can do it.

Bush ballerina needs something simple from you. Her request is here, clickclick. In short all you need to do is measure your heart rate right after doing one side of plies ( from 1st, 2nd, 4th&5th incliding port des bras if you like). That's option A.

Option B is to measure your heart rate after both sides of plies in row.

How simple is that! Just measure your rate and report back to Bush Ballerina. Help a fellow dancer in need.

And the same in Finnish just in case  it helps:
Bush Ballerina pyytää apua kaikilta balettia harrastavilta. Hän tarvitsisi sydämen syke tietoja A) yhden puolen plie -sarjan jälkeen (plieet ekasta, tokasta, neljännestä ja viidennestä asentosta+ port des braat jos haluat), ja jos jaksat niin myös B) molempien puolten pliesarjojen jälkeen.

Tärkeää on molemmissa tehdä sarja/t ja heti sen jälkeen mitata syke.

Sykeenhän saa mitattua joko kaulalta henkitorven vierestä tai ranteesta peukalon puolelta. Laske kuinka monta kertaa sydän lyö 15 sekunnin aikana ja kerro neljällä= on sydämen syke minuutissa. Käy raportoimassa Bush Ballerinalle, tai jos haluat, voit kommentoida tuloksesi myös tähän postaukseen, niin välitän tiedon eteenpäin.

Lisähelppiä sykkeen mittaamiseen.

How Come I Wasn't Told?

On Fridays class my spot at the barre is in a corner in front of mirror. We start the class with left hand on the barre so I'm facing the mirror.  By the time we get to the grande battements I'm doing fine on the right side. No problems, enough space to swing battements away to my hearts content. But on the left side, it's always the same problem.  I'm this close to kicking the classmate in front of me and almost every time I do kick the mirror (now behind) me at least once.

So yesterday it hit me. My left leg must be at least 20 cm longer than my right! Why else would I have these problems only on the left side?

How come no one never told me this?

How come the FTs, the Orthopedist and other doctors never noticed this?

I mean, no wonder I'm having issues with my right foot, 'cos it's that much shorter!

If only it were that simple though... Right?

Bet her legs are the same length!
(Pic reference)

Well, I had a MRI scan of the right foot on yesterday (prior to the epiphany). Maybe I'll get some real answers finally.

With my luck, the found nothing, though.

I really do love the minions! I just wish they wouldn't make me crave cheese puffs so much...

I feel restrained

Kinesio taping on my right foot.

Needles to say I saw my FT. She taped the foot again. This time it's just so tight around the ancle that I can't really point my foot. Or do releves for that matter. Or so it feels at least.

There will be interesting ballet classes this weekend. Me trying to point my right against the tapes. Well at least I'll get a proper work out, right? (no pun intended) Silver lining and such. Maybe I should tape the other ancle too? Yeah, right! No I mean left! Oh, whatever!

I'm off to class.

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Fleeding moments of lost inspiration

I've been noticing having moments in class when I'm wondering "Why I'm doing this?" Why am I here? Trying to flex and stretch my body into positions that, frankly, aren't that healthy. I mean honestly! I'm feeling tired, exhausted really and can't keep my thoughts together at all. This happened last fall too.

My weekly schedule is now:

Monday: 40 min core for dancers & 75min ballet
Friday: 90 min ballet
Saturday: 75 min ballet (with short pointe work at the end of the class)

In the fall I also had the 60 min pointe work after the Fridays class. I dropped that of my schedule, 'cos the plantar fasciitis issues.

How that going by the way? Still active. Had second Orthopedist appointment and the second cortisone injection. Got recommendation for some new gear and have seen the physiotherapist of the occupation health care for few time now. Will post about those more later, but in short: no real progress yet.

But back to the lost inspiration. I realized at some point that it only occurred on Mondays. So no real panic there.

It's just Monday

Was this supposed to help?

Had my ultra (the foot just so no one get the wrong idea). Nothing was found.

Had the orthopedist consult. He thought nothingh wrong with the big toe tendon, just the plantar fasciitis issue.

Got a cortizone injection to my heel. Wasn't excited about that then either. Now its been week and all I'm thinking is: Was this suppose to help me? Optimism gone.

Okay, I have to admit the pain is not in the same anymore. Location and general feel have changed. So far the pain level has been more painfull than before the injection. Great. Most of the time it feels like walking on a bruise under my heel.

First three days were really bad. Made me miss the first ballet class of the term. Now for few days the outer rim of the heel has hurt when I walk in addition of the bruise under my heel.

"No need to limit your activity" he said. Yeah right. I have a follow up appointment in a week. Have things say.

But today I'm going to class. The gear for today:

Turquoise leo from Plume
White skirt by me
Off white legwarmers from... dunno
Black tights from Revolution
Bloch Elastosplit slippers in Sanshas bag, hah

Yes, I wear black tights with pink slippers and off white legwarmers. So sue me. Don't really care right now (read: never).

Christmas Break, New Year and so on

The leg issue is still on. More on the matter. Persistent bastard that one is.

Well at least this Christmas break has shown again, that break from ballet is not the cure for my itch, so to speak. I have had both, pain in the hell and outer thigh too (IT band). Regular foam rolling keeps the thigh in check, but only when done regularly. Thats to say every 2 or 3 days. What a drag really. I mean, I'm on a combined Christmas holiday/Summer vacation (yes I really did save some summer vacation days for this time a year), and all I wanna do is slouch on the couch, U know. And I have work for my health! Geesh!

Saturday will sort me back to regular schedule, ballet lessons start to rolling again. To work I had to go already yesterday. So the slouching will have stop. Before that I will have an appointment with a doctor and an ultrasound, followed by an appointment with an orthopedist. For the leg, recommended by the PT. Lets see if they can sort whats wrong with the foot, an more importantly, if there is something that can be done to fix it. It's only been 1,5 year, so I'm so ready to get rid of it! 

Right now the weather is nice and frosty

Thanks for the death grip

The classes I attend, most are in a class room with portable barres. So If one happens to rely the barre to much for support, it tends to start to migrate. Also the classes are usually packed so that we have students on both sides of the barre.

Portable barre (pic reference)

So if U are on the other side of the barre, and a fellow student with a death grip is on the other, it can happen that your barre is being pulled away from you. Really a big problem when doing grande battements. 'Cos some may have the tendency to use the barre as a way to rev up their battement. I know, I am probably guilty for it too. But not anymore, thanks to my friend with the death grip. At least not so much. A friend like that does wonders for your core muscles! And for your supporting leg. In fact, I therefore propose that everybody should have a friend like that!

Starting ballet as an adult

Found an article about starting ballet as an adult. You can read it here. If you know Finnish that is. If you don't you can always try your  luck with the google translator. That ought to be fun.


Basically its about three journalists trying adult ballet for the first time, and their comments after the very first class. They found ballet to be challenging and harder than what it looks like. Yes I can relate.

Pic reference
www.mariannerothbauer.com

After I saw that article, I came across some of other material on the subject too. Here  (in English) are some pointers to consider before going to your first class. Could have been useful before my fist class, I guess. Or you can do like I did,  just sign up and show up. And figure the rest out as you go. Over thinking it won't help you either.

Pain, ache and some woe, part 2

So what's up with my right leg? I have been seeing my physiotherapist this fall, total of five times I think. I had, sadly, the last appointment week before last. The right sole is much better now, but still walking and standing irritates it. So I'm not all in the clear yet.

The FT concluded that the main issue was not plantar fasciitis, but that I had had a tenosynovitis in the tendon that flexes the big toe in the spring when this all started, a year and a half ago. And that had left the tendon immobilized and that in turn cramped up the hole sole including the plantar fascia.

In my appointments with the FT, he worked the problematic tendon, getting it loose again. He also worked on Achilles tendon and the IT band related muscles, because they were cramped up too.

IT band and related muscles (pic reference)

I've had had problems in the past with the outer head (greater trochanter) of the femur being sort of  rubbed by something, a tendon or what'sit. The friction occurs when I walk, and can be felt if hand is placed on the outer head of the bone. The area can get sore, if I continue walking in spite the rubbing. This happens only in the right leg, never has it been on the left. So I have concluded that my right leg in whole, is second rate product. I have made a complaint to the factory about it, but my mom has not been compliant so far. I don't remember having these issues back then in the spring 2013. But I have had those issues this fall again.

The femur (pic reference)

my spikey

Though plantar fasciitis was not the main cause of my pain, I found some of the remedies for it useful in my case also. This video shows a very effective stretching and massaging for the plantar fascia. I have also used icing on the sole after exercise or stretching. I have been rolling a tennis ball under my foot a lot. Also I have used spikey massage ball and a soda bottle frozen with water for rolling.

And then there is the Strassburg sock.  I usually put the sock on when I go to bed and take it of at some point in the night. So I don't have on the whole night, maybe 2-4 hours, depending how well I sleep. Before my first appointment whit the FT, I had it on the whole night, and boy was I happy, when he said I could stop using it ('cause it did not help so much). I took the sock back in my routines after my very last appointment whit the FT, and it seems to help keep the sole in check. Or has no effect what so ever, who knows... But I am reluctant to find out what it would be like not using it.

Strassburg sock. (pic reference)

This post had very little to do with ballet, I have trouble staying on point U see. Will do a post about the stretching and rolling the outer thigh area later, for I have been doing a lot of work with that too this fall. And the fascia surrounding muscles in general. That too will have little to do with ballet too, I think.

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This post is solely based on my experience, what I have found useful in my case. I'm not advising anyone to do as I do, for I'm not an expert on the matter. Though most of these things can be found also in several plantar fasciitis sites on the net. 

Adult beginner has a Give-Away

Adult beginner has a Give-Away. It is worldwide so go there and enter. Now. 

Photo from Adult beginners blog.

I do recommend her blog to anyone interested in this adult ballet genre. I love it :)

Walk like ballet dancer

So I've seeing this  physiotherapist who's specialized in the lower limb (and back) problems. First time I was there, he made me walk across the room several times and just watched. Felt funny. Didn't really know where to focus my eyes. It's relatively hard to walk as you normally would walk when someone is watching you walk.

He made me do a bunch of other stuff too, I'll get to that later, but after the walking he said that I do walk like a ballet dancer. My first thought was: Oooh, so I glide across the room gracefully just like a fairy on a clearing?

Second thought: maybe that wasn't a compliment...

Meh.

Starting point(e)

So I decided to start a new blog, after spending most of spring and summer not blogging. Splendid idea! And I decided to write it in English. Even better, I'd say!

But I have my reasons. I have wanted to write about ballet from an adult beginner point of view. Have wanted to do so for a while already. And thought that the average knitting/ handicraft blog reader probably wouldn't be so interested in leotards and battements and whathaveU's.

I have taken adult ballet lessons now for some years in a local community college. I took some lessons as a preteen, we just started to take up pointe work, when I quit. Returned to barre in my mid twenties and took one class per week for a bout 4 to 5 years. Then I discovered the ballet blogs in the interned and really got the spark for the stuff. I think I was reading Johannas blog, when I realized I too could take more than one class per week! I really should thank her for that, who knows how long it would have taken me otherwise to get this grand idea. (Yes, it's perfectly ok to roll your eyes at this point, I am!) They don't say that people from Häme are slow for nothing! Ha-ha!

And so about a two years ago I took a second ballet class in my weekly schedule. In a half year I made so much progress that it was almost intoxicating. So naturally it followed that a 3rd class was added to my weekly routine. This fall I also registered for a shorter pointe work course. I have done some pointe work on a unregular base in my current classes, but this one will be the first time I'll be really focusing on it. Can't wait for it to start! I'm both exited and horrified! Super fun combination, right?

Yeah, I wish!!
Picture from here 

So here it beginneth. To the pointe!