A Dream, a Wish, an Idea!

If money was no object, What would you do?  Who would you be?

If you could dance freely through life and be your true expression, Where would you go?

The reality is, we are here; We are empowered or limited by our circumstances and surroundings.

However, rather than let life's "realities" dictate to us our destiny, let's be proactive and create an environment in which we want to thrive!

Let us grow where we are planted!

Let us dance on the ground we are physically standing on.

Dance Fundraiser for Finger Lakes SPCA

Announcing:   A Dance Fundraiser for Finger Lakes SPCA

                        Sponsored by Wendy Hall’s Ballet Studio

                        “Alice in Wonderland” ~ September 2011

 

Performance Dates:     at East High School Auditorium, Corning, NY

Friday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 PM

Saturday, Sept. 17 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM

More Information on the event here!

In-Studio Performance: June 4th (Sat) at 5:00

Hello Parents and Dancers,

Our In-Studio Performance will take place on June 4th at 5:00.

Costumes are provided and there is no charge. Dancers may invite whomever they would like.

Punch and appetizers will be served from 5:00 - 5:30 while the girls are getting changed.

See you there,
                           Alysia

Contest! ABT win a weekend in NYC

Win a once-in-a-lifetime Cinderella weekend in NYC for you and your family!

Open to students in grades K - 12 throughout the continental United States.

http://go.abt.org/site/PageServer?pagename=National_Photo_Contest

Effacé Devant and Coisé Devant

Here is an example from the American Ballet Theater on Effacé Devant

http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/terms/efface.html

Here is an example of Coisé.

http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html

*Here is a link that will show you how to get the accent marks for your French words! http://french.about.com/od/writing/ss/typeaccents_7.htm

Check out The Ballerina Project - On Facebook

I stumbled across The Ballet Project on facebook and thought I would pass it on:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=376477493242

Interesting Ballet Pictures shot in NYC, thought you might enjoy looking at them :)

Glissade Jete - Visual Definition

Glissade Jete -

I found this video on youtube that I think will be a helpful review for our glissades and our jetes.
Notice the position of the dancers arms in this video. Glissade arms are in 2nd position. Notice the arms for jete as they alternate and depend on which leg is your standing leg. Also notice how clean her moves are! She ends in a fifth position after every glissade jete.

Below is a detailed description of these two Ballet moves:

Glissade -
Literally, to glide. This is a traveling step starting in fifth position with demi-plié: the front foot moves out to a point, both legs briefly straighten as weight is shifted onto the pointed foot, and the other foot moves in to meet the first. A glissade can be en avant, en arrière, dessous, and dessus; start in fifth position plie, push off back foot moving the front foot forward and bringing the back foot that you pushed off on in the front landing in fifth position.

Jeté -
Jeté is a jump from one foot to the other similar to a leap, in which one leg appears to be "thrown" in the direction of the movement (en avant, en arrière or sideways). There are several kinds of jetés, such as petit jeté, grand jeté, en tournant, jeté entrelacé, etc.

(Descriptions from Wikipedia Ballet Glossary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet)
This is a good resource to look up moves we do in class, but keep in mind Wikipedia is not perfect and occasionally there are mistakes as it is edited by users!

Pointe Students - Breaking in Shoes

Hello Intermediate and Advanced Pointe students,

As some of you have new pointe shoes I thought the attached video might be helpful for you to break in your shoes. Please do this at home if your shoes are extremely new before coming to pointe class this tuesday. We will also be working the shoes in class.

Look forward to seeing all of you at the studio,
                                                                           Alysia

What to Wear

Hello Dancers,

Just wanted to expand on what the guidelines are for class attire. For the Classical Ballet classes I am following the standard guidelines for practice attire that you are familar with. The following classes will follow the classical guidelines: Tiny Tots, Ballet Technique, Classical Ballet I, and Classical Ballet II.

Classical Attire Guidelines:
- hair in tight bun
- tights (pink)
- leotard (black)
- pointe shoes (pink/european pink)
- ballet shoes (pink/european pink canvas or leather)
- dance sweaters (pink or black)
- leggings for warm-up (your choice)
- no danging earrings, or jewelry that will distract or get in the way

For Stretch/Ballet toning, and Modern Ballet Fusion:
- wear clothes that are tight fitting and will not inhibit your movement
- colors and self-expression are welcomed
- for feet: ballet shoes, jazz shoes, modern thong sandles, or dance sneakers
(wear something on your feet that is not slippery and will allow you to work)

Adult Lyrical:
- wear something comfortable (example: yoga/stretch pants and t-shirt/muscle shirt)
- or - flowing skirt to emphasize lyrical movements are a plus
- ballet slippers (canvas or leather) or modern thong sandles

Any questions, leave a comment here on the blog so we can all have it answered or email me at: alysiahillyard@gmail.com

If you need to purchase dance attire try:
http://www.discountdance.com/index.php

We will possibly be planning a Pointe Shoe fitting trip if there are dancers that need new shoes.