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.

Wooly mammoth, Batman!

A.k.a the woolly shorts -project. Needed warm up gear for my rear. Ha Ha.

Seriously speaking, I did. Last year I had problems with my hip flexors. Even think I had a mild sprain on the right after doing grande battements. And o'boy are they always cramped so tight. Realised at somepoint that it could my hip flexor were not warm enough for the big movements. So tried doing some preclass warm ups for those. And it worked. But being a bit lazy an idea for warm up gear just kept haunting me.

So The Jämäballerinas (= leftover ballerinas) were made. Used up some stashed left over yarn for these. Hence the name.



Stripy stipes
In Ravelry

They are nice and comfy. Warm too, but that was the idea, so...

Every Day Should Be a Tutu Day

Few years a go we decided to surprise our teacher with some more Ballet-y gear. It was the last class just before Christmas break. We wanted to have a tutu-day. So we all made a no sew tutu for the class.

Classmates getting ready.
lots of excitement and laughter in the air.

I also made a tutu for our teacher.

Tulle

"In making of"

Ready.
Beads and all

Just before the Best class ever!

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.
.
.
.
.
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!

A Pointe Shoe Assembled

I stumbled across this video in youtube some time ago. The makings on a pointe shoe.

Fascinating to see how those are made. Inside out first, then rolled so that the inside is where it should be, inside the shoe. And after that the glue is cured an the box hardens. Anyone else finding this fascinating?

I also found this pic, which made me wonder what kind of insole there is in my pointes. Especially if there is the cut area under the demi pointe spot. Sure feel like there ain't one. Rolling en pointe through demi is hard enough.

pic from here

I guess I have to wait for my shoes to die on me to know. Waiting for the dissection a bit too much! *Drool*

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.

Yo, Bunheads! (on tv)

On tv, there is ballet related tv series now showing. Bunheads on imdb.com
It is on Hero Monday to Thursday (or Friday, not sure) around 11 pm to midnight I think. Todays episode is 3rd (season 1) so it'll be easy to catch up with it.

Pic fron imdb.com

Of course if you live anywhere else than Finland this info will be totally useless to you ;)

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!

First Pirouette en Pointe for Eva!

I did it! My first pirouette on pointe! It was terrifying! I wasn't sure I would make alive, but I did! Haa haa!

We started from the fifth and did pique pirouettes. U could just to step on pointe and bring the other leg to passee, if the piroutte was too intimidating. Which it was for start. But the I just thought to try it. And I did and it wasn't so hard that I had imagined to be. I'm sure it was far from elegant and graceful, but it was a legit turn on pointe with the other leg on passee. And I didn't even break my ankles. At all.

Afterward I was all like

From giphy.com

...without the firewood of course. Why would I have those in ballet class, duh!