Dancewear haul (Discount Dance) and first impressions

The best way to really stock up on dancewear at an affordable price is to visit Discount Dance Supply. I’ve been ordering from them for many years (my mom even used to phone in orders from the mailed catalogue when I was young!). They offer pretty much anything you could need related to dance supplies. I recently ordered some new items and wanted to share what I got!

My newest goodies!

The goods: Two leotards, tights, toe pads, technique slippers.

Toesavers SkinnyDips Toepads – I have been wearing the same old toe pads for a few years now. They have holes in them and aren’t doing much for me anymore (and are pretty gross now to tell the truth). The trouble is that every time I try to get a new pair, they are too thick. I like to be able to feel the floor and too much padding makes me feel unstable. These “SkinnyDips” are nice and thin. I have worn them for one rehearsal so far. They offer just enough padding to protect my easily bruise-able toenails, but are thin enough that I feel like I’m in control of my feet and balance. So far my one complaint is that they are rather big and I will need to trim them so they don’t show from under the vamp (though to be fair, I did order them in the bigger size).

Theatricals Convertible Tights – I always want convertible tights or stirrups. I absolutely have to be able to get my toes free from my tights during classes or rehearsals, so I never wear footed tights. Unfortunately, tights can be pretty expensive, especially considering how easily they wear out. I’ve been on a quest for affordable, but durable, tights. These aren’t the most durable I’ve had, but they make up for that fact with the affordable factor. They are currently only $5.95 on Discount Dance! They have a wide array of colors to choose from. I got mine in “Prima Pink,” which is a perfect ballet class pink. Another perk is that these tights are really comfortable. Really soft fabric and not itchy. Also the convertible foot is smooth and doesn’t bunch up under the toes like some brands do. I’d say they are excellent value for your money.

Leotards by Natalie.

Deep V-Back Long Sleeve Leotard – A new favorite leotard of mine! I actually ordered the red one in a previous shipment, wore it a few weeks, and LOVED it so much I had to get it in blue also. Long sleeved leos are my favorite because I feel like they make my arms look longer. The super low back helps to keep cool. The silhouette and fabric together are just so flattering! I think I want it in black next… 🙂

Theatricals “SofTouch” slippers.

The last thing I got was a new pair of technique slippers. For the past three years or so I’ve been wearing Sansha technique slippers, and I’ve liked them, but I started to see my fellow dancers wearing the Theatricals “SofTouch” Canvas Stretch Split-Sole Ballet Shoes and decided to give them a try myself. So far so good. I’ve only worn them for a short warm up so far, but I love how light they feel on my feet. It almost feels like wearing a sock. They are also really form fitting and flattering on the foot without baggy bits. So far the main thing I prefer with my old Sanshas is that the sole on those was very flat and you couldn’t really feel it. With the Theatricals I can definitely feel the sole under my foot and it’s a little bumpy. Not too bad though and I think once I wear the shoes for a few classes I will become more used to the feel.

And that’s it for my dancewear haul! I will definitely be doing more of these in the future as well as reviewing more of my favorite brands/products. Let me know if there are any that you particularly recommend because I would love to check them out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Lets talk about Pointe Shoes…

Recycling used ribbons… Worn out old shoes on the left, shiny new pair on the right.

I just finished sewing my first pair of pointe shoes in two years! Yes, two years is a very long time between shoes! Typically a standard pair of pointe shoes only has about 8 hours of good life in them before they’re mush. A couple reasons why it’s been so long for me to finally get a new pair: First, I had my year off dancing while I recovered from burn out and tendonitis. Next, my more recent ankle sprain. The brand new shiny pair of shoes pictured in the photo above I ordered in the fall last year around the time I slipped and got the sprain that still haunts me. After getting injured there was no reason to sew them since I wasn’t really doing much dancing at all, let alone pointework. I even danced Nutcracker on my older shoes because they still had life left in them from barely wearing them at the beginning of the season. Finally I’m doing enough dancing and rehearsing that it was time to sew a fresh pair.

Another reason why I haven’t needed to sew a new pair so soon is that a few years ago I made the switch to Gaynor Minden brand pointe shoes (read about what makes them special: here). I had gotten fed up with forking over all my money on a new pair of shoes every other week, so when I heard from the other dancers in my company that they were wearing Gaynors for months at a time, I knew I needed to try them for myself. The transition was difficult because they really don’t feel much like the typical pointe shoe at first, but once I got used to them I really fell in love! Gaynor Minden shoes can last me 2-6 months or more depending on the type of rehearsals I do.

So, here’s a little pointe shoe pro tip: Reuse your ribbons! When I was finally ready to sew my new pointe shoes I realized that I had neglected to order new ribbons… No problem! All I had to do was detach some ribbons from an old pair, wash them, and sew them to my new pair! It’s always a good idea to take good care of your pointe shoe ribbons because if you keep them clean and from tearing and fraying, you can reuse them on a second pair of pointe shoes.

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Coming up I will be posting some more updates on how I am doing with rehearsals and my return to pointework. Some more tutorials are in the works too, so come back soon!

Hugs,

Top Workout: Ballet Beautiful

So I know everyone has been wondering when the fitness part of this blog is going to begin… And that is right now! Today I am going to share one of my top favorite workouts.

This past year was not my only year off from a serious dance schedule. I had a year off after I graduated college. It was a tough time and I had to really push myself to workout on my own. I was not in an area where I could take many ballet classes and the whole online workout thing had not quite taken off yet (or maybe I just hadn’t discovered it yet). So, for a while when I didn’t have a ballet class I could attend, I would just go use the sad half broken elliptical in the tiny fitness room near my apartment.

Then, when browsing Amazon.com for ballet related DVDs, I discovered Ballet Beautiful. At the time it was just the first two DVDs available. It was a spontaneous decision to just order the DVDs without having any previous knowledge of them. I saw that Mary Helen Bowers (the founder of Ballet Beautiful) had been a dancer with New York City Ballet, so I figured that was good enough for me to give the DVDs a try!

When I first got the DVDs I mostly used the “Total Body Workout”. This one is now referred to as “the Classic.” The other DVD is the “Blast Series.” I have not used the blast DVD in a while, so I will have to try it all out again soon before I attempt to describe it. That will be a future post.

The Classic DVD is about 60 minutes long, but is divided into 6 parts. Each part has a different focus. Bridges (butt and legs), Abs, Inner Thigh, Outer Thigh, Arms, and a standing portion. It’s great because you can also use the separate parts on their own if you don’t have time for the whole thing or if you just need to target a specific area.

The Classic DVD has sort of become my “old reliable.” I love to return to it frequently because I know what to expect from it, and I know it will give me a great workout! When I first tried it though, I was blown away! The moves in Ballet Beautiful are usually small, but very high rep! My first attempts at it I could hardly make it halfway through a particular series before having to take a break. But over the year I was off from dancing I used the DVD very regularly. That year I saw muscle definition appearing in my legs that I hadn’t really seen before! I also managed to hang onto certain aspects of my ballet technique even though I was mostly doing mat work and not getting enough time in the ballet studio. Because of this, I am so grateful for Mary Helen Bowers and her Ballet Beautiful method!

If you’re looking for a great ballet related workout program, this is definitely a great one to check out! It did amazing things for me and it is a program I will always return to.

If you are interested in trying out the Classic workout you can find samples on the BeFiT YouTube Channel: Bridges, Abs, Inner Thigh, Outer Thigh, and Arms.

The Classic DVD can be ordered on the Ballet Beautiful website here.

In the future I will be doing more posts about different workouts I like as well as how I personalize my workout by incorporating different elements from different programs.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

What’s in my Dance Bag?

I’m the type of girl who usually has to carry a large purse. I do really like small purses (so cute!), but if I have a small one for the day, I often have a larger one waiting for me in my car in case I need anything that won’t fit in the small one. This is because I get anxious if I feel like I’ve forgotten something I might need… I’m also this way with my dance bag. Some dancers don’t even carry a dance bag, or can get away with a small one. Not me! I have to have everything with me.

I change up my dance bag fairly frequently because carrying so much stuff takes a toll on the bag. My current one has lasted nicely for a few years though. It’s by Victoria’s Secret PINK, but I do believe I bought it used. They don’t have this one available anymore, but I definitely recommend their gym duffels. The quality of mine is quite good!

So, here’s what I have in my bag:

It’s hard to see (because most of it is black), but there are a lot of clothes in the bag there. This includes:
– Leg warmers
– Three skirts! All black. I’m not quite sure why I need three… Maybe I’d better take one out. Two are wrap skirts, neither of which still have their tags on, so unfortunately I don’t know the brand. The third is my favorite though. A lovely little black pull on by Abigail Mentzer Designs. I do intend to buy it in every color eventually!
– Black booty shorts. For when I want a little something over my leo, but not in the mood for a skirt. Mine are by Natalie Dancewear. They are quite old, but you can often find similar ones on Discount Dance Supply or other dance wear sites (the same goes for most of these items!).
– Black knit shrug. To keep the arms warm, but not cover up anything else. Mine is by Bloch.
– Black wrap sweater. No tag.
– Purple mesh tie front top. No tag.

I tend to buy a lot of black dance wear. This is mostly because black goes with everything and that it is a flattering and slimming color for me personally.

And here we see:
– Mukluk style booties. So warm! My go to for keeping my feet warm backstage before a show, or while stretching before class. I bought mine in a little store in downtown Asheville NC. The tag says “Hand made in Pakistan.”
– Gel Toe Separators. If I’m doing a lot of rehearsing en pointe I sometimes get hard callouses between my little toes. These spacers help to get rid of those.
– Plum Band. So nice for stretching!
– Tiger Balm. For sore muscles.
– Anbesol. To numb my toenails if I’ve bruised them and have to keep dancing in my pointe shoes.
– Orajel. Same as above!
– Antibiotic pain relief ointment.
– Pouch full of band aids.
– Bunheads Stitch Kit.
– Toenail clippers.

A bit more!
– Deodorant.
– Water bottle.
– Tennis balls for rolling out sore muscles.
– First aid tape.
– Scissors.
– Extra gel toe pads.
– Four pairs of canvas technique slippers in different colors.
– Three pairs of pointe shoes. I currently use Gaynor Minden because I don’t wear them out as fast as other brands.

Also, some things I normally have that are missing at the moment:
– Theraband. I usually carry one with me, but mine broke! Time to get a new one.
– Extra pairs of tights and maybe an extra leotard.

I hope this post was fun an informative! Please get in touch if you would like to know more about a specific item or where to get it.

Hugs,