What's Your Style?!

The LOOK... 

Being able to express your style through dance can feel so free with no rules, with just you and the music. So when you finally get that freedom of free dress for a day or even a week, you want to be able to express your style with dance-wear (clothes suitable for movement and the genre). 

It can get frustrating when you don't have a back up outfit for these surprise fun free dress days. So we are here to help give you some tips on styling your look but also within the recommendations of your school, A.K.A. Simple, Comfortable, Warm.

#TipOne. Keep It Simple. 
Nothing worst than trying to dance in clothes that have too much fabric, that are falling off the shoulder and getting in the way of your free movement and style. We suggest to keep it simple, to keep it to two pieces of items, either a nicely fitted crop top WITH high waisted tights or loose fitted shorts, depending on your preferred style. 

#TipTwo. Dress For Comfort.

Most of you dance for hours at a time in the afternoons, during the day and WEEKENDS.... be kind to yourself and dress comfortably, our feet cop enough beating during the day. Toss on a flow singlet or over sized t shirt to add the comfortable look with your style. 

#TipThree. Warmth Is Key.
We all have heard the safety rules on how to keep our muscles warm to reduce injury. Well warmth can be stylish too. Think of those bright colours you can wear with new leg warmers or a gorgeous knitted shrug. Add some funky toe socks to your warm up look. 

As a dance-wear store we hope we can help with any styles and looks you are wanting to create, and we would love to see your unique freestyle LOOK! 

*This blog has supported our suppliers products and images.

2017 Showtime Dancewear, QLD. 

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

Juices

Super Juices for Super Dancers!
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Green Envy
  - Spinach
  - Celery
  - Pear
  - Grapes
  - Lime

Purple Burst
-Beetroot            

- Pears               
- Blueberries      

- Apple               

Orange Juice

  - Carrot
  - Mango
  - Orange
  - Ginger
  - Lime

Health Kick

- Pear               

- Pineapple       

 - Kale                

- Spinach          

- Lime               

- Mint                

- Apple              

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

Turn Out

Turn Out

So one thing you need to remember is that it's not going to happen straight away. It will take time and regular practice for your turn out to improve. If only we could wave a magic wand and have amazing hip rotation like Svetlana Zakharova. ➝

Here are a few exercises you can do at home to help improve your turnout.

Warm up:

Warming up your hip/bottom/thigh muscle first is a must! Gently swing your legs forwards, backwards and sideways to increase blood flood to these areas.
Hug your knee to your chest and hold for 8 counts, repeat opening up your turnout by pulling your knee towards your shoulder.

Butterfly Stretch: 
Sit with your legs bent and so the soles of your feet should be facing each other. Make sure you keep your back straight and your head up too. 

Prone Butterfly Stretch:
Lie flat on your tummy and draw your knee up, keeping your feet together and attempting to get your feet to touch the ground. The shape made should be similar to the exercise above.

Back Straddle Split:
Lay on your back with your legs up in the air at 90 degrees, feet turned out and toes pointed. With resistance, lower your legs out to the side,  into a straddle split and then draw your legs back up into a closed position 90 degree position. Repeat.

Cool down:
Stretching out those hip muscles is again very important. You've just worked and stretched them and they need to recover. Repeat the 'Warm Up' exercises.

How to relax over Christmas

Relaxing over Christmas, without losing form.

Keeping up with your fitness over summer is very important but so is RELAXING! You've worked hard all year, busting your gut over eisteddfods and exams and concerts; you deserve a little break!
It can be very hard changing your mindset as we come into Christmas where chocolate, cake and biscuits seems to be the only food in the house. All year you've maintained a healthy balanced diet and now it

seems to be going to shreds, BUT this is okay. Christmas happens once a year, take the opportunity to reward yourself for all your hard work and know that one (or two) days of eating like Queens and Kings will NOT have any long term repercussions. Remember that Christmas cake is essentially dried fruit with a tiny bit of egg and flour to stick it together. A roast dinner is a good source of protein with a lot of vegetables available.

The flip side is exercise. Flexibility and strength work are important to keep up with over summer, but there is no need to be excessive. Do exercise to your hearts content, Do what makes you happy but Don't let it become the focus.
Pick up a summer hobby that is fitness but a lot of fun, maybe something you wouldn't normally have time to do in the rest of year due to dancing. Take some skating lessons, or ice skating lessons if your area offers it. On the Sunshine Coast, we have a trampoline facility (a very large room with floors and walls entirely covered with trampolines. Or maybe pick up a fun dance class over summer - if you've never done Hip hop, consider that class, etc. or even a gymnastics class, a silks acro class or a Pilates class. Keeping up your fitness is important, but not at the expense of enjoying your summer. Another idea is to do this fun exercise with friends/family who aren't from dancing, for a change.

It all comes down to your attitude, are you avoiding Christmas cookies because you genuinely don't like them? Are you hammering yourself everyday because the energy makes you feel alive? Or are you looking over the next few weeks with dread?

Relaaaxxx....

Sometimes in our busy lives, we forget to step back and take a break. 

This is especially true for dancers. There is school all day, then straight to dancing, then home to do homework and then its bed time. For many of us, this happens 5 days a week, plus rehearsals on Saturdays. We have very little time to take for ourselves to relax and recoup.  It is so important for your body to take time out to relieve strain on both our body and mind. We can see and feel the effect on our body but often we forget about how tired our mind can get from running around all day, every day. School is mentally draining with its facts and figures and this is due here and that has to be done by that date, And it’s the same in your dance classes. Remember tummy in, posture up, pull your thighs up, hold your head high, pointe your feet, turn out your legs. I’m already overwhelmed and I haven’t even mentioned remembering the routines.

Every now and again, it’s a good idea to take 10 or 15 minutes out (try at least 3 times this week) and without any interruptions, simply relax. Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

•  Read a book
•  Take a bath, light some candles even (get parents’ permission for lighting candles)
• Sit in a tree/swing/seat outdoors and listen to some happy, feel-good music
• Are you artistic? Paint a picture
• Are words your medium, write a story.
• Journaling is always a good idea, even if you don’t particularly enjoy writing. I write lists in my journal of everything that is annoying me, overwhelming me, or just simply stuck in my head. You can draw pictures in your journal. You can buy a wreck-it journal  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lTwgEylMpo)
• Rent a movie (or a series if your timetable will allow the time). Go to the movies, with someone you don’t always see every day.
• Give yourselves a mani (maybe pedi, depending on school and dancing constraints). Though manicures don’t always have to involve nail polish. If nail polish is a no-go, work on your cuticles, hand massage and shaping of your nails instead with maybe a clear coat of nail polish. Youtube is a great place for ideas.

Tell us what you enjoying doing to relax!

Sore Back Relief

Sore back?

After class you need to make sure you stretch out your back especially from all the back bends and walkovers you do. Below you will find a few stretches that you can do at the end of your lesson. 

Hug Your Knees - Lie on your back. Grab your knees, pull them toward your chest and breathe. Slowly push your lower back into the floor. Repeat this a several times.

Side Knee Drop - Lie on your back. Grab your knees, pull them toward your chest and breathe, Hold onto your knees with one hand/arm and extend the other arm onto the floor. Gently drop your knees to the opposite side. Breathe and switch sides. Repeat several times.

Traditional Toe Touch - Keeping your knees straight roll down and touch your toes. If touching your toes is now too easy wrap your arms around your legs and bring your chest to your knees. Then release and roll back up through your spin. Repeat several times.

A little trick to relax your body, lay on your back, bend your knees and feet flat on the ground. Make sure feet are apart so you can rest your knees against each other. Wrap your arms around your neck until your hands are resting on the ground. Lay in this position for as long as you want maybe even put on some relaxing music as you do this. 

Excising: Stretching and Warming Up

Eisteddfods

http://dance.about.com/od/stepsandmoves/ss/Splits_5.htm

Now that eisteddfods are just around the corner, it is so important that you are warming up and stretching properly before you dance so that you don’t hurt yourself. Warming up and stretching are two different things. Warming up is about increasing the blood flow around your body and increasing the temperature in your muscles. Stretching is pushing your muscles to their limits so you can stretch them even further. It is so important that you warm your muscles up BEFORE you start stretching them.

We all know how difficult it is to warm up and stretch in eisteddfods where the walls and floors are covered in bags and even the chairs are covered in bags. So how do you properly warm up in the tiny spaces? Easy, clear enough floor space to be able to stand in first position and tendu – then do your plies and ‘bar exercises’ in the ‘Centre’. After that, jump up and down, star jumps if, there is room, to get your blood flowing! When you’re all warmed up, start your stretching using your friends as a temporary wall.

Because we can’t access the wall for all the bags, balancing on your friend is the next best thing. Link arms and do leg mounts, hold each other’s shoulders to do your grande battlements. If floor space permits, lie on your back and have your friends pull your leg up towards your head in a split. There are many things you can do in the limited space, just make sure you are warming up FIRST then stretching! Good Luck with the eisteddfods.

Dancer's Tips and Tricks: The Perfect Bun

The Perfect  Bun

The Bun Enhancer is a great tool to use to quickly and easily throw your hair up into a bun. It only takes 6 steps and is very similar to the Bun Doughnut. Instead of wasting time fiddling with pins and bun covers, the Bun Enhancer does the job and is extremely versatile (Look for the steps down below!) Want a clean smooth bun for your ballet classes, simply twist the Enhancer tighter. Need a loose stylish bun for that Jazz routine or night out with the girl? Leave the twisting looser.

Step 1: Pull your hair back securely into a pony tail, at the height you want your bun to sit

Step 2: Open the gap in the Bun Enhancer and pull your hair through and close the gap tightly.

Step 3: Lift both ends of the enhancer and slide it through your hair until it reaches the end (but don’t pull to far or you’ll pull it off!)

Step 4: When it’s at the end of your hair, hold both ends, and twist it downwards until you reach your scalp

Step 5: Twist the ends of the Bun Enhancer into a round shape, adjusting as you need.

Step 6: Even the distribution of your hair around the Enhancer until you can’t see the Enhancer and you are happy with how it looks. Bobby pin if there are loose strands.

You now have a fabulous bun that can be modified for all different occasions! Try braiding part of your hair and pulling it into a side bun for a shabby chic look or pull up high on the head for a more sleek appearance. Most importantly, chuck it in your dance bag for those days when there doesn’t seem to be enough time to do your hair before class!

(The Bun Enhancers are available from Showtime in Blonde and Brown)

Here an awesome video to help if you’re having any troubles!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1H6vYzgqs