Dear Dream Seekers

Dear Dream Seekers,

You are wonderful. You are inspiration. You are life being lived.

I love seeing so many adult ballerinas emerging currently. Particularly on Instagram, it’s like watching these beautiful buds of hidden desires start opening their dare-to-dream petals and blossom into the most beautiful, soulful dancers.

Something I have noticed is that there seems to be an ever persistent pressure flowing from within many of the adult ballet students I see.

Inner pressure to be good at something we love is not a new thing. It is natural to want to progress.

And I am no stranger to that inner pressure. I felt it. I breathed it in and out, day and night. And it happily went and killed my love of ballet (for a while.)

And so I feel a little sad when I see people putting huge amounts of pressure on themselves to be better at something they love.

I mean, if you love it, then you should be doing it for love.

Let’s repeat that: If you love it, you should be doing it for love.

I know that you want progress. And I know that the ballet studio is a pretty intense place regarding your progress — indeed, it can sometimes feel like a comparison festival is happening in each class.

Everything you want is a valid desire. Improvement, enjoyment, strength, musicality, memories, flexibilities. It’s up to you what you want to aim for. It’s your life. Your choice. No-one else can, or has the right to, choose them for you.

But please be sure to think about it first. Think about you and what you really want because of how those things make YOU feel.

Don’t look at what someone else is doing and just follow along. God knows, you might wake up ten years from now able to do the splits but not able to dance in the centre. You might then shake your fists in the air and scream at yourself for following the splits trend only because it was what others were doing — and you missed getting your teacher to help you learn some amazing mini-solo piece that feels like heaven to dance.

Don’t set yourself up to one day wreak of regret.

So, with that in mind, what I do hope you do is sit with yourself a while. Ask yourself what you feel in this moment you want to do — like actually do right now — because you never know what amazing idea might have been waiting to flow through you but just hasn’t had the window opened to it before.

Then, ask yourself what you think you might regret NOT doing in twenty years time. I usually get my deepest inspirations flowing from this one.

Then lovingly think about all the things you, your body and mind, are good at doing. Really appreciate those things. If ballet is your thing, maybe you’re really musical and your body just naturally flows with the music, maybe you have lovely hand expressions, maybe you have a sparkly passion, maybe you have strong muscles, maybe you can smile during class (harder for some than others!), maybe you understand combinations, maybe you are flexible, or have lovely feet, or maybe you feel your soul fill up during ballet class.

These are all wonderful elements of what you do and of how you feel. I feel it’s important to fully embrace them. Soak yourself in the things about you and your passion, that you love.

When thinking about what goals to set yourself, or what path to set off on, I think it’s really important to take stock first, of all the wonderful parts of yourself that already exist within your passion.

I would look at what you love doing now, look at what you would regret not doing, and set your path accordingly.

If achieving the splits for ballet is part of that path then set your goals and go for it. If it’s smiling more during class, or learning a combination, or performing — then set your goals and go for them.

But be sure to start your intentional path with the full acceptance of how incredible you already are.

Be sure that you don’t discount all of your gloriousness and just focus on what you cannot yet do. If you do that you will be starting your journey with a destructive cycle of focusing on your downfalls. You should be real about yourself. But leave the negativity at the door. If negative self-worth is already an issue for you then I would suggest adding that to your goals — “Learn to love myself for all that I am.” That, and if neccesary, see a therapist, because honestly, that bullshit will become a serious obstacle to you fully realising your dreams.

So, in summary…

1) Align your goals with what YOU enjoy doing and what you feel you will regret not doing.

2) Make sure to begin your path to your goals/dreams/passions swimming in self-appreciation for all the wonder you already are.

Always remember why you’re doing it.

Always respect yourself for doing it.

Always hold your head high.

Remember,

You deserve to be in the room.

Zoe xxx

How-To — Stretching For Adult Ballerinas

OMG! My first how-to post! I’m so excited!

Firstly, remind yourself while you attempt these stretches that you’re only human.

Some people say there is a right and wrong way of doing stretches.

I tend to think it’s all a bit open to interpretation.

Okay, so here are the stretches I want to show you today. Enjoy! 🙂

1) The Floor Has Never Felt So Fucking Far Away

This stretch is to release the hamstrings. You want to gently reach down to the floor.

It helps if you stretch your fingers out really wide and express all your pain with your face.

Visualization has been proven to be a powerful tool. Being able to see yourself reaching further may help your progress. So hallucinogenic fungi might be helpful for this one.

2) The Crotch Cramp 

In this stretch you want to place your foot on the barre and gently reach for it. If you feel your crotch starting to cramp up, you’re probably on the right track.

It’s important to aim for straight legs and back in this stretch. But most important is that you fully express how badly you want to reach your foot.

3) The Crotch Cramp — With Port De Bras and Happy Face. 

When you are feeling confident with your execution of The Crotch Cramp stretch, it is probably time to add some delicate ballet arms and ballet face to the pose.

When doing this, you simply want to do the same as the previous stretch, but add some lovely fifth position arms and turn toward the camera/audience/teacher and express your best, delicate, in control, poised ballet smile.

Again, it’s important to hold straight legs and back. But more importantly, your smile should hide the pain you and your crotch are in.

4) The Barre Hang

This stretch is important for developing your front splits. It’s mainly just important that you look really proud of yourself and that you hold on really tight so that you don’t fall onto the floor and break your vagina.

5) The Barre Hang — With Port De Bras

This stretch is fairly self explanatory. You are simply adding some lovely port-de-bras to the previous stretch. We do this because adding another level of complexity to our exercises always helps us progress so much more (as you can see in the photo demonstration.)

It’s really important to relax into this stretch.

I hope you have found this how-to tutorial helpful. If you would like to see any other how-to tutorials from me, let me know in the comments or on one of the social media gatherings.

Zoe xxx

****DISCLAIMER****

This is a joke.

This is not real instruction.

Don’t do these stretches like this.

Don’t stretch without being really warm first, and I don’t mean warm in front of a fire, I mean having warm muscles.

Don’t stretch without instruction from someone.

Don’t pull those faces.

Don’t be stupid.

gwenyth Modern Classic Top + Tunic

Dearest Readers,

I’m excited to tell you about the Modern Classic Top + Tunic by gwenyth, a product I was asked to review, and fell in love with in the process.

This product is very versatile and acts as a supportive dance/workout top which converts to a tunic if you should so desire. It’s kind of like a singlet that’s had a NASA make-over, with thoughtful strap adjustments for better comfort, an extra back strap for more adjustments and two different styles of bra pads.

Firstly, this top came in packaging that knocked my socks off! I know, I know, I don’t even care about packaging, so why am I suddenly getting all distracted with it? I almost want to hold a competition for the best packaged product now. Just so I can see the pretty packages! I think I’ve turned. Packaging has seduced me. I’ve been pulled. I’m becoming a packaging addict! I need a support group and a program with steps. Somebody get me some steps!!

Immediate Impression:

Really nice. Beautifully soft, but not flimsy, fabric. Love the ‘ballet pink’ colour I got, it’s a light, almost neutral pink, which means you will be able to wear the top out to other places.

Within the box is the top/tunic, an extra back strap for added adjustments should you need it, bra pads for either shape and support or just for extra coverage and instructions about all these gorgeous gwenyth components.

As an added bonus, and in MacGyver-esque style, the extra back strap can also double as a headband. I have no photos of me wearing the headband as I haven’t enough hair yet, but I was reviewing it so I did put it on, and it is soft and doesn’t pull on my scalp like so many other headbands do. So if my hair is ever allowed to grow longer again, I will definitely use this headband.

How it fits and feels:

The gwenyth top feels VERY comfortable on. The soft fabric is gentle but supportive. Nothing twists around or rides up the waist.

It fits perfectly as it should for a ballet/dance top. Nice and snug to hold everything in place. It feels supportive in the bust without cutting into the shoulders and also feels comfortable around the torso.

I have quite wide shoulders compared to the rest of me and I often find cross over straps are uncomfortable on my shoulder blades as the proportions just aren’t right for my shape, but I found being able to adjust the straps on the gwenyth top eliminated that problem. So big tick from me on that one!

How it looks on (is it stylin’?):

I really like the look of the gwenyth top. I would wear it during a ballet class or going out. I would have no trouble going to lunch, movies or the gym in this top.

I might not wear this top during a Studio Tibor group class as I prefer to wear a leo in that class for the sake of formality, but in other classes I would be very comfortable in it.

Again, I love the colour. It’s unassuming, which I love as you can dress it up or down as you please.

The ties on the side for adjusting the length are neither here nor there for me, visually, but during a class I would tuck them under.

How it performs:

I honestly thought that this part might be the undoing of this gwenyth top. My two big concerns were about the sides of the top riding up during class and about the colour being so light during a sweaty workout — I was looking for that “Oh crap! You can see my everything!” moment. But I was pleasantly surprised when neither of those became an issue.

You all know from my previous reviews that my favourite items of dance gear are ones that I don’t notice I’m wearing. Well, this product hit a home run there.

I thought this top was going to ride up on the sides when doing port de bras but it didn’t. I didn’t once have to stop and adjust this top during class.

And what about that sweat? The gwenyth top wins again with this one. Firstly, I don’t know what they’re doing with their fabric, but it actually took a lot for the sweat to begin showing through this top, and my followers and dance buddies know how drenched I am during class. Also, the coverage bra pads would stop that worry about the lighter colour becoming see-through when drenched. (But I wanted to try it without just to see.)

This top also has a built-in “Sling Bra” which adds to its comfort and support during class.

My favourite things about this product… 

– The obvious quality that has gone into it.

– The support and comfort it gives.

– The ability to adjust the top to the length you want. (I really liked having this top down over my hips during class. Felt really comfortable and looked nice.)

The Tunic…

Okay so the other element of this product is that the top can be pulled down at the sides and become a tunic. This isn’t my usual style (so my tunic pics were a bit awkward) but I think this is a neat idea and it would look great on lots of people.

It would definitely be comfy to wear with tights on the way to the studio or gym.

Do I recommend it?…

Yes. I definitely recommend this product. The product itself is great quality and very comfortable, but I also love the company’s philosophy of trying to get one product perfect before moving on to new products. The gwenyth company is not putting quantity before quality and they really genuinely want to do right by their customers.

Hope you enjoyed this review. If you’re interested in checking gwenyth out, click on this link: gwenyth website. For anyone interested in making a purchase, gwenyth have kindly give Bush Ballerina readers a fabulous 20% discount. All you gotta do is use the code xoBushBallerina20 when making your purchase.

[I was given this product in return for an honest review. As per my agreement with companies requesting a product review, I will only actually write reviews about products that I like — because I just don’t want to spend time on stuff that doesn’t float my boat. Therefor this is an honest review. I genuinely love the product. I also have no affiliation with products bought or links clicked on.]

Bush's Knock-Offs (a bit of fun)

Dear gorgeous readers, dancers, friends and fans,

Remember when I did this?

This was something I wanted to do more of. Actually I wanted to make a photographic series out of them.

After thinking about this for ages and ages, I’ve decided to stop fretting about the what-if-I-fails and just have a go.

It will be a photographic series of knock-offs. Bush Ballerina knock-offs of professional ballerina photos.

Basically I’ll choose a photo, acquire the needed costume, props, setting etc., and then click, click, click. Magic! Hopefully they will be like the ones above only much better.

I’m so passionate about this idea that I’m prepared to actually hire the theatre in town to take photos where a stage in necessary etc. AND last week when I was the (big) town we go to to shop, I saw there is a COSTUME SHOP that has opened up. OMG! Help me now. How will I resist!? LOL

Okay anyway, so back to project Knock-Offs, I would love your input. If you have a favourite photo of a ballerina, I’d love to see it. You can pop it to me in the comments here, pop it in the comments on the facebook post or email it to bushballerina@gmail.com

So damn excited about this. 🙂

Bush xxx

Sweat and Sydney Take Two

This is how I look after pretty much every ballet class. Very sweaty!

But I love it. It is a sign that I have worked hard. If I’m not literally dripping sweat to the floor, then I need to do some more until I am. 😀

A couple of pics from today’s class. I have been mainly practicing what I learned in my Tibor class, in each of my own ballet classes. Then recently I have started adding a little something that I would like to experiment with at the end of the class. Today I was thinking about arabesques. I wanted to try some but I didn’t want to overdo anything and hurt my hips. So I had a go, with extreme caution and focus on my core, not twisting, not overextending. I had fun. 🙂

Feeling my core to make sure I am not twisting in this arabesque…

Arabesque…

Practicing elonge and twisting head off shoulders…

On Sydney, well, pictures speak louder than words, so here you go…

I will be flying to Sydney for a lesson in February. Can’t wait! Just a quick fly down, fly back journey. Should be a beautiful day.

Hope everyone is having a great start to their ballet 2014 year!

BB

Ballet in the Park — Unexpected Gems

We took the kids up to a lovely country town today called Tenterfield. We had a great time and just before we left I asked Hubby to snap a couple of shots of some ballet stuff in front of this gorgeous park gazebo.

The unexpected gem in this was when I looked back at the photos I realised that my arabesque has improved! I notice a rise in my neck (doesn’t look as hunched from the scoliosis as it used to), my leg is rising a little higher, and my torso is more upright.

It’s not great, no. But it’s improvement. And improvement is key on this journey!

I wasn’t expecting to even take the photos today. I hadn’t planned anything ballet-ish other than my class, and the slipper purchase. I’m so glad I followed my impromptu thought and took the pics.

I was majorly embarrassed to take pics in public. There wasn’t many people around, thankfully, but I was still very self-conscious.

What are some unexpected gems that you have seen in your ballet journey?

Some ballet in the park pics…

BB

Guess What I Accidentally Did Tonight?

….. An arabesque straight out of a pirouette! OMG, I couldn’t believe it, I laughed so loudly, all the family turned to see what had happened. 

I’m sure there is a technical term for it, but “arabesque out of pirouette” will do me for now. 

I was just practising pirouettes at the back end of my class, and on my second attempt I over-spun and in trying to catch myself I leant forward a little, then my lifted leg just spun around behind me and before I knew it I was in a well balanced arabesque. And I suddenly went, “Oh, that is how they do that thingy!” Haha. I’ve seen it done on youtube but I didn’t know the sequences to get there. Now I do know, and I got there all by myself! 

Of course, I tried a million more times and couldn’t repeat it nicely. I could still do it, but was back to being wobbly again. 

Speaking of wobbly, I have found that I seem to have days when my vertigo is worse and days when it is better. On the better days my pirouettes are much easier to do. I am starting to get better at them, occasionally completing a full right (to the right) pirouette without wobbling at all. But mostly I am still struggling with them.

I am happy with my pirouette progress, though. I have taken it really slowly, because I knew I couldn’t push myself with the vertigo. I have a few different exercises that break down the pirouette move itself, and I just take it slowly. It seems to be working.