Attracting your Dreams

Attracting your Dreams!

Summer is over and still have not accomplished that vegetable garden, nor did you nail the double pirouette turn in the holidays. No need to bash yourself up over it just because of one date in your diary. Setting goals and working towards your dreams do not always run smoothly and there are bound to be obstacles. That's the beauty about it. SO WHAT the days are getting shorter? You are one step closer to achieving your goals just by creating or planning your dreams. Why stop now?? 

2016 has introduced itself quickly and is well and truly making history. January is a warm up, February is a tester and now we are mentally prepared to make 2016 a year you can say I now eat freshly picked tomatoes from my very own backyard or I can now land a triple pirouette turn. But it all comes down to YOU! 

Life is not luck or fate, but more so life is the Law of Attraction (Lynn Grabhorn, 2004). What you put out through thought, feelings and action, you will receive the same. Put out positive thoughts, happy feelings and give love to others and you will feel happier and more energetic and will receive abundance of love from great people around you. If you  want to be successful in landing these pirouette turns you are dreaming of, you must THINK big, FEEL the muscles in your legs work and PRACTICE in every room you enter. All this dreams are accomplished by having a strong positive feeling. You are not going to get through one pirouette with ‘I am too sore today’, or ‘I've tried but…. ‘. Your negative beliefs will take over. Turn it around with ‘I am strong in my legs today’ and those legs will whip you around till the very last turn. You are simply attracting your dreams.

Toxic words lead to toxic magnetic attractions (DR. Catherine Leaf, 'Toxic Thoughts'). Mental health plays a major role within sports, whether it is a team or individual sport. The powerful mind can either make or break an athlete. Don’t let these powerful toxic or negative thoughts drive you further away from your goals. Smile every time you practice, lift your chin every time you fall and just because you’re not where you want to be yet does not mean you won’t get there.



THINK big, FEEL your dreams coming true, and PRACTICE and take action towards your goals. Xx

Happy Dancing!

Pointe strengthening

Pointe Strength and Balance

Pointe doesn't come easily and naturally. 
A lot of practice, time and strength occurs behind the scenes of a professional pointe dancer. 

BUT... With one simple material, ankle strength and core balance can be improved and achieved. The elastic exercise band is used in multiple ways to target different body areas and different techniques for dancer. Here are a few to try and practice at home.

These exercises will be most effective if they are performed slowly and with control. 

a). Starting with the band over the ball of your foot with extra band at the top to ensure the toes are covered at the flexed point. 

b). Holding the band tight with resistance, slowly and gradually go through the motions to a pointed foot. 

c). The toes should be when the foot is fully pointed and not crunched over. 

d). Now reverse those steps with control and in a steady motion. & REPEAT 5-10 each foot. 

For more ankle and foot strength exercises - 

http://www.allegrodanceboutique.com/2013/03/30/how-to-use-a-theraband-to-strengthen-your-feet/

Being strong in the legs as well as the feet is just as important for jumps, leaps and landing.

This little exercise encourages the core to work and improves balanced coordination. All you need is a pole, table, or barre to knot the exercise band around for resistance. 

a). Placing the band around the furthest leg making this your working leg targeting the adductor and abductor muscle and knot the other end to a table leg. 

b). The band should be stretched from behind the body. Standing parallel and now slowly lift the leg up into the air and lowering with control.

C). This exercise continues onto the other side by turning around and the working leg becomes closest to the table. & REPEAT 5-10 times each leg. 



Extra balance exercises head to this link-  http://thedancebuzz.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/thera-bands-for-dancers-improve-balance.html

Resistance exercise bands are easily accessible from in store or online at Showtime Dancewear. http://www.showtimedancewear.com.au/accessories/bunheads-exercise-bands.html

Little practice will make a big difference when it comes to performance and technique. Don't give up on those beautiful feet and strong legs. 

Happy Dancing Xx 

Dancing Career

Careers within Dancing. 

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Dancing all your life, training to become the stage performer everyone wants you to be, but there has been a change in destination or journey... Performing is consistent hard work and a lot of determination, however injuries may get in the way. Your dancing career does not have to end when you walk off that stage, dancing offers many big and exciting careers, jobs and DREAMS. 

'Dance Australia' magazine has inspired this article to give those young dancers more and new options in their next dancing chapter. They have interviewed experts in different areas of exercise and dance. Here is a list of careers that may fall into your journey; 

Choreography - Creative minds and thinking can get you a long way as a choreographer. It's not just the stage productions that need a choreographer but TV, Movies, Fashion Shows, Commercials & Theatre. 

Teaching - Obvious right... but it's the biggest option available and you are able to share the fun and love for this art with young growing children. You can teach within private schools, build your own studio, teach at universities or specialist coach for particular styles.

It doesn't stop there... Ever come across a highly experienced Teacher/ Syllabus designer? Christine Walsh is an ex principle dancer of Australian Ballet in 1989 but has extended her work and career to designing her own program and assessment for Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Philippines schools. 

Physiotherapy - As a dancer and being very involved with the working body and muscles, you are already trained and understand how important careful treatment is for injuries. 

Undertaking a university degree or TAFE course in exercise science, biochemistry or bio-mechanics will aid in our physiotherapists journey. Looking for something with more relaxing, like yoga or Pilates that will help improve dance fitness and recovery & might just be for you to help others excel in their dancing career. 

Dancewear - Now everyone needs to dance in comfortable and fitted leotards, tights, & shoes!! You understand what works best in dance clothing and are always looking for the longer lasting tights & beautiful tutus!! Dancewear brands such as 'Energetiks' & 'Capezio' were originally created by former dancers. You can become apart of a dancewear retail team, get involved with manufactures or design your own dance name. 

Ron Fung, Australian distributor of Sansha Pointe Shoe, brought something new to the pointe shoe industry after being an international performer. He now designs many different pointe shoe styles to fit everybody's needs. 

Arts & Events Management - Like to be in control and are excellent at time management and organising? This area of the arts field is the very backbone of putting dance shows together. By simply completing an events course at TAFE you are on your way to help manage arts festivals, educational institutions and administer theatre productions. Competitions and Eisteddfods need big and new event ideas that are behind the scenes and behind the stage curtains. 

Remember, when leaving school or have come to a new chapter, there is not just the one road to be apart of the dance life.... There are many exciting and different opportunities for you to extend your knowledge and explore. 

Dream big Xx

Competition season

Competition Season

The fun and exciting season of dance is just around the corner. This is the time to show off the talent you and your dance team have been working hard for. There is a lot of preparation to go into eisteddfods, hours of practicing and hours behind the scenes getting costumes spic and spam for the spot light. 

One thing that is commonly left to the last minute is make-up preparation. Ordinary daily make-up is not going to cut it for the hours wearing it on stage. A dancer's make-up wants to be longer lasting and noticeable. It is well worth it for the competition season to invest in the right quality make-up to eliminate time touching up. When building your make-up kit, you'll want to look for 
           BOLD & BRIGHT  

colours. Also double up on mascara, eyeliners or even lipstick. You'll be surprised how much mascara you go through. 

Dancing for hours all day, all weekend at these competitions can be tiring and exhausting for little bodies. The costumes and dance routines are important but not nearly as important as your health and nutrition. A big breakfast full of protein and fruit will help fuel your muscles for the day ahead. Remembering to keep up the hydration with water through out day. Snacks can be tricky, as you don't want to be feeling heavy for the next dance. Bananas & apples or carrot sticks can help keep you full as well as nuts and popcorn. Your body has worked all day and what better way to finish off the day with one of mums delicious dinner recipes. 

Hope to see you all ready and full of energy for the competition season. 

Happy Dancing Xx

To all my gorgeous dancers

To all my gorgeous dancers out there, 

In a world that is constantly comparing us to them and them to us, it is easy to join in with the voice of justification. Constantly comparing yourself to those around. Whose the strongest? Whose turns are the best? Turn out? Jumps? Flexibility? Grace? Musicality? The list never ends.

Don't get me wrong, healthy competition is fine, it will even bring out the best in you when you know its down to you and your decision to bring your finest to the floor no matter what! But, when that need to win at all costs outweighs your dignity and behaviour towards your fellow peers then we need to stop and ask ourselves, what's it for? Am I dancing because I love it, I love the joy and colour it brings to an otherwise grey world or do I need this win to feel whole? 

Dancers come in all shapes, sizes and colours. And ethical inheritance does not determine body shape or dance ability. Stereotypes are incredibly inaccurate and can be very hurtful. It is everyone's responsibility to be aware and to educate themselves - so that you can respect everybody, regardless of whether you agree with them. Australia is very diverse, and home to more than 200 different cultures. Some of these cultures are more reserved and private (not all dancers are comfortable changing costumes in front of each other), some have dietary preference that you are not used to (comments do not need to be made). Every culture and ethnicity are individual and are just as valid as each other.

I believe each and everyone of you are created to just be you. With your strengths and even your weaknesses, just as a flower brings beauty, colour and perfume to this world. A bouquet of flowers however brings delight to all who is honoured to be given such a gift, as the combination of individual flowers placed together creates an overwhelming statement of beauty in all its glory. 

Please precious ones, don't compare yourself to each other any more than you need to. Speak encouragement to each other. Demonstrate grace for You are all wonderfully unique. When you see that you will then be free to appreciate others uniqueness.

Harmony day is the 21 March, and celebrates the cultures within our society and the freedom we have to all live together in peace. Purpose celebrated on the 21 March to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. So, to my beautiful dancers, remember, you are all here for the same reason; the same passion. So respect each other, as you'd want to be respected.
All my love xx

Frequently asked Questions about Dance

Most frequently asked questions about 

DANCE..

Dancers or dance mums or even the society can be full of questions that haven't been answered before. Dance in general can be confusing and stereotyped. Here are some answers for those newly introduced to dance or just have a common question.

1. Q: Do you call male ballet dancers Ballerinas?

A: Ballerina is the Italian term for female ballet dancer, where as for males in Italian is 'Ballerino' meaning dancing master. The French also have a different title for the male ballet dancers, 'Danseur'. 

2. Q: How long do pointe shoes last?

A: The time frame for a pointe shoe depends on the students foot shape, the students timetable and how often they are practicing. A younger dancer who is dancing twice a week will most likely grow out of their pointe shoes before wearing them out. It will also come down to how well the dancers are looking after the shoes by airing them out after each use.  

3. Q: How do you break in pointe shoes?

A: The best way to break in new pointe shoes is to go through demi pointe up onto full pointe allowing the box to weaken. Raises in first position will also help strengthen the ankles and muscles needed for beginners. 


4. Q: Classical or Contemporary Dance? What is the difference?

A: There is certainly a difference between the two dance styles. Classical Ballet is known for its 'set rules' and unique technique. It incorporates pointe work, turn outs and extensions. Where as Contemporary dance is not as strict to body alignments and has a wide range of free movement. It combines classical dance with flexed feet and hands as well as floor work.

Hope these answer any of your long over due questions.. Please ask us if you have any more questions about anything dance Xx