Stitch

I suggested he said something along the lines of "I had a great weekend surrounded by scantily clad gorgeous girls who all adore me.....

... and it's really true!

It's the dance belt that my boys found a bit tricky to start with ! After the laughter had died down they actually found them quite comfortable !

If you can sew, an athletic supporter works very well.  Cut the back straps off at the waist then sew them together at the center of the waist.  A single needle machine will work with round or ball point needles.

A large number of male ballet dancers marry ballerinas.

I can confirm that.

That's funny Stitch. I have always told my son to tell anyone that questions his choice of dancing over more 'masculine' endeavours, that he is surrounded by pretty girls wearing very little, as opposed to sharing a shower with a group of sweaty, hairy blokes.

Good one!

Harwel and aileen,

There's one problem that boys in ballet don't have ... meeting girls.

They need to have a male teacher (which might help them want to take the class in the first place) for at least one of their classes.

Yes, Anjuli_Bai, that made all the difference for me.

On that same subject, soon I hope to post something about fingers.

It always hurts when I see feminine fingers trained into male dancers.

To "Dancer Sugar Plum" and "aileen":

To this day, people think I'm gay.  I'm not.  (Of course there's nothing wrong with being gay, it's just that I'm not) 

Here's a response that always seemed to help me:

"Ballet is a place where there are lots of pretty girls wearing spandex."

Thank you for enlightening me, JulieW.  That is exactly opposite of what my impression was.

In the United States, we have always had a shortage of males signing up for ballet class.  I think what partly explains that, is that many boys simply don't want to put on a tight white t-shirt (the color of underwear) and black tights.  Might it be helpful (at least in the beginning) to allow entry-level boys to wear clothing that more resembles what they wear for other activities - like baggy shorts and baggy t-shirts?  I understand that we need to be able to see the body as it is being trained, but you can't train the body that hasn't signed up for class, and any teacher with an experienced eye should be able to discern if turnout is coming from the feet or the hips regardless of what the student is wearing.  So I'm curious.  How do others view the attire boys wear for ballet?

I find that, when I am turning on the left leg, I fall off-balance to the left and vice-versa. I can hold a balance in passé yet suddenly can't do double pirouettes?!

The above quote points to one area of possible correction.  Try to notice if you are throwing your lead arm away from your center as you begin your turn.

I was led to believe that with this type of injury they like to do a steroid injection before surgery as it confirms the diagnosis if it gives relief.

If the purpose of the injection is not to mask the pain, but rather to confirm the diagnosis, then that sounds like a sensible first step.  It seems to me that passing over that recommended first step and going straight into surgery would be unwise.  Afer all, there are risks associated with surgery such as general anesthesia and  possible infection. 

Spacy, you stated, "My DD has been injured since April."  Can you explain how your daughter was injured?

Additionally, I'm curious as to how surgery can help inflammation.  Did anyone explain that to you?

Any dancewear manufacturers out there? Get your act together, please!

I have been manufacturing cover-ups and screen printed items for dancers for many years now (we never made leotards or costumes in my shop because it has always been too competitive).  You are quite justified in being frustrated that sizing is so different from manufacturer to manufacturer.  For years we tried to find standardized measurements that were uniformly observed by the garment manufacturing industry, but no such standards have ever been agreed to.  So we are where we are, and I don't think the situation will ever change.  But I have one suggestion for dance moms that can save them some frustration (or maybe replace one frustration with another).  Sewing isn't for everyone - especially these days, but for dance moms who might be interested in doing their own alterations, this might help point you in the right direction:

Sewing really isn't that difficult - especially if all you need to do is make alterations on knit fabrics.  Sewing knits is pretty easy if you have the right machines.  You will need two different machines:  a standard single-needle machine (use round or ballpoint needles), and an overlock machine.  The term "overlock" is one that is used in industry.   The home sewing version of the overlock is called the "serger".  You will use the single-needle machine for things like shortening straps (cut and splice together).  The serger is used for taking in seams.  You can almost never "let out" or enlarge a knit garment because they aren't sewn with any seam allowance - the seams are sewn with a three-thread overlock (serger) which trims off the excess seam allowance as the seam is stitched.  The merit of the overlocked stitch is that it stretches, so you don't need to do that "stretch and sew" stuff.  You will only need a three-thread serger, but, to my knowledge they are only manufactured as 4 or 5 thread machines.  You buy the 4 or 5 thread machine but only use 3 threads.  In the olden days, overlock machines were only available in the big industrial size.  But these days, they are commonly available as home sewing machines (sergers).

There is one other machine that may be useful - but not necessary for leotards.  You know that stitch that you see on the hem at the bottom of a t-shirt or tank top?  That's called a coverstitch.  Coverstitch machines are also now available as home versions.  Like the overlock stitch, the coverstitch will stretch.  Coverstitch machines are tricky to use and are prone to skipping, but for those of you who may be interested in going further, a coverstitch machine is very useful.

You stated that you "only take one pure ballet class per week".  May I ask over what  span of time you have been attending ballet classes?  Have you been taking ballet classes for weeks, months, years?  I think that additional information will be useful for us to base our advice upon.

All good advice so far.  Many ballet positions use muscle groups that are not commonly used in everyday life.  Second position is a perfect example of that.  You must learn to synergistically employ the correct muscle groups in order to gain height while keeping your hip down.  A good second position comes from learning as much as it comes from  strengthening.  Seek out teachers who can help you find the right muscles to engage, and keep it low while you are learning.

Thank you, Anjuli_Bai, for mentioning the back.  The back is soooooo important in ballet!

When training développé a la seconde, one must be mindful of the importance of the back muscles - especially the upper back.  It is the same with arabesque.  The task is to identify the muscle groups in the back that articulate the arabesque, and employ those same muscles into your développé a la seconde.  Swanprincess, you are probably naturally using your back muscles on your left side without realizing it.

We rightly use the word "strength" when discussing such matters, but I think it is also about synergy.

My daughter was close to tears and the teacher then told me she was brave because she didn't cry

Yes, that's going too far.  Imagine evaluating students on the basis of whether they cry or not!

Most kids in a conservatoire municipal are there for the fun

 

It's a mine field for parents of serious dancers but it's a great system for recreational dancers...

 Afab, thank you for expanding on the nature of the conservatoire.  Your comment about kids in a conservatoire being there for fun may help to reconcile Window's experiences with these two teachers.

I first began to wonder if the conservatoire was "recreation oriented" when Window mentioned her daughter's displeasure with not being able to "make up her own dances" as she apparently had become accustomed to doing.

Could it be that her conservatoire is in fact recreational (very healthy for children ages 5-7) and that the second teacher of "full on" classes simply represents a more focused (and,yes, more disciplined) course of study?  And wouldn't that be appropriate for the daughter as she matures into adolescence?

Could it be that Window and her daughter are merely experiencing a "jolt" as they transition from recreation to study?  And could it be that the "strict" teacher isn't so bad after all?

My daughter is nearly 8 and has been doing ballet for 2 years in our local 'conservatoire' (we are in France).

It seems as though you are at a "fork in the road".  You are apprehensive about going forward with the "serious" teacher, but the original school might not be ideal either.

May I inquire further about the original school which you refer to as "our local 'conservatoire' "?  Is it an institution dedicated to ballet or does it offer a variety of activities such as dance, music, and theater?

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Her teacher introduced her to another teacher in Paris and she has started classes there this year.\

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I'm curious as to why her teacher of two years, introduced her to another teacher, and why you decided to take classes from the other teacher.

Your title said "dance" not "ballet".  So I would say yes, tumbling can help add an often required skill-set for jazz dancers, street dancers and cheerleaders.  I don't think it has any relevance to ballet whatsoever.

Thank you for your advice. Can I just ask what are the recommended water : vinegar proportions?

You might want to be careful here.  If you are the one who has altered the floor  (perhaps by using vinegar), and if someone falls and becomes injured, then you might have placed yourself in the path of blame.

I know nothing about the vinegar solution, but I don't think anyone will be able to accurately answer your question as to what the correct proportions of water to vinegar should be (if it will even work at all on the floor in your hall). The best answer might be to try a given mixture on a rarely used corner of the hall.  But doing so probably won't give you an accurate expectation as to how the center of the floor will react because a rarely used corner will almost certainly have a different texture than the center of the floor which as probably been abraded by now.

I went through exactly the same situation many years ago when a student (actually in the flooring business) bartered with my teacher to clean and polish her wooden floors.  The floors looked great, but they were very slippery.  Here was the most frustrating part:  While I and some of the other students complained about the slippery floors, some dancers actually liked them!

You might want to poll for a consensus before you do anything.

That's a great question, and one that extends beyond ballet to just about every other form of human creation as well.  In music, for example, a new artist can re-make or "cover" a previously recorded song - and, apparently, do so legally.  Would the original song have been able to "live", as you say, without change?  I would answer yes, they can all "live", but, without renewal, they may need to rely on "life support" from academia and historical societies to do so.

I've read about dipping feet in coke instead of water but does it really help? Will it not damage shoes or the floor?

Coke or water on the bottom of the shoe will overtime turn the bottom hard and shiney which will make things worse.  I found a little relief by always carrying in my dance bag a rough grit sand paper.  You can use it to roughen the bottom of the shoe and give it a little bite - but you must keep doing it and it is not a perfect solution.