What's in Alli's Dance Bag-- My tricks of the trade!

It's that time of year again! Back to school and back to Ballet!! (yay!) Today was the first day of my NINTH SEASON with Ballet West!  I can hardly believe it! Time is flying.  My summer was filled with exciting new adventures like the #IAmYourFriend Benefit Dance Performance Rex Tilton and I produced in SLC to raise money for the non-profit organization, Fahodie for Friends, as well as the inaugural year of my very own summer intensive called The artÉmotion Summer Intensive with my new business partner Ballet in the City!  I am really excited to finally be back in the studio and back on stage myself!  I spent the weekend shopping for what I need in my dance bag to keep me on my toes and I thought it would be great to share some of tricks with you!  All summer, especially from my artÉmotion students, I would get questions about what I do to deal with pointe shoe issues, or blisters, etc., so here it is for you all!

First up, pointe shoes!!! (And how to make them last longer!)

Professionals are lucky and we get shoes from the company.  But, trust me, I remember the days when my parents had to buy me pointe shoes all time! They are expensive!  Lately I've been enjoying wearing dead shoes. I don't recommend it for young dancers starting on pointe or still developing their strength, but its just what I am preferring right now.  With that being said, if you are not able to get new shoes as often as you'd like here are a few tips on dealing with dying toe boots!

Trick #1 Glue is your best friend!  When your box is getting soft it can be painful and cause bruised toenails, not to mention turning gets rough! Us Ballet West girlies use a brand called Hot Stuff!  We simply put it in the inside of the box! It keeps them going strong for a very long time!  If you need help on how to apply the glue correctly watch my silly How to sew Pointe Shoes video on YouTube! The video also shows you how I like to sew my shoes as well, which leads me to.....

Trick #2 Sew with dental floss!  I really wish I could remember who taught me this nifty trick, but instead of yarn or thread I use waxed dental floss to sew my shoes!! It is so heavy duty and reliable! I promise it will work and it's cheap and easy to get!

#3 Use duct tape to fix a broken shank!  Have you ever had that perfect pair of shoes and your shank decides to break in half? Or they break and you're waiting for your new shoes to come in the mail?  The perfect remedy for a broken shank is duct tape!  It keeps your shoes lasting a bit longer and it helps you not to get cuts on the bottom of our feet!  I do this all the time so make my favorite pairs last longer!

Trick #4 Use rubbing alcohol instead of water to soften your pointe shoes!   When I first break in shoes the only place I really like soft is the box around where my knuckles of my toes are.  I used to use water to help soften that part of the shoes but it often stained my shoes and made them look bad. I had a friend who suggested rubbing alcohol!  I tried it and its amazing!  It doesn't stain the shoe and it works perfectly!

Trick #5 Options, options, options! If it's possible, try to rotate a few pairs of shoes at a time!  I usually operate with three pairs any given day.  When one pair starts to feel sweaty and like they are softening up, take them off and let them dry out.  Use another pair and continue the cycle. I find it keeps shoes lasting longer!

Second up, tricks to keep you on your toes!

When your feet and body hurt, you dance bad.  Let's face the truth, we all know it! Here is a list of a few ways I try to keep my pain to a minimum!

Duct Tape! Again, but this time colorful!  I find that taping my toes with duct tape works the best.  It stays when my feet get sweaty and it never breaks or moves around.

Band-Aids.  Always have them on hand in case a blister or some other type of wound pops up!  You don't want silly injuries to get infected! 

Corn cushions and corn pads.  I suffer from corns sometimes and they can get really painful.  I usually just wrap a corn pad around my toe but corn cushions work just as well! You can tape the cushions around a nasty blister, too!

Arnica Cream. Arnica is a savor.  If you have a bruise or sore muscles you can rub arnica cream into your injury for relief. It's safe and natural and I use it often.  I had a stone bruise on the ball of my foot last week and I applied arnica to it everyday for three days.  I do not feel it any longer.

Toe spacers.  If you have a large gap between your big and second toe like I do, using toe spaces help relieve pressure that can be put on your bunions.  I never dance a day without them!

Extra toe pads.  Even if they are old, keep them in your bag.  You never know when you can lose one!

Pain relievers!  (Ask your parents about these if you are too young to take them by yourself!)  I always keep ibuprofin, Pepto-Bismol dis-solvable tablets and Tylenol Cold in my bag! You never know when something will spring up on you!

Lastly, snack and other important items!

I'm always preaching to my students about snacks!!!! We burn so many calories while dancing and it is important to keep your body energized! Today for example I brought crackers, clementines, raisins, and a protein shake!  Whatever you prefer will be great! Make sure it's full of nutrients! Also, don't forget to drink water!! 

 I have a locker at work, but I always like to keep a few pieces of warm up clothing in my dance bag at all times.  I have one shirt to wrap around my waste, a pair of pants, socks, leg warmers, a jacket and a clean leotard to change into after lunch!

I like to have extra bobby pins and hair elastics, toe nail clippers, chapstick, a brush and foot spray in my bag!  The foot spray is refreshing after a long day and helps with foot odor!  I also have deodorant in my purse!

My last few tips!  Have thera-bands and a tennis ball handy!  You can use the ball to roll out tight muscles and if you're on a small break it's always great to get a few ankle exercises in!

Well, that's it for now!  Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope my "tricks of the trade" will help you in the future!  If you have any additional info you think is useful add it to the comments below!  It's always great to help your friends!

xoxoxox
Allison

Audition Season--How to Stand Out in a Crowd

I have teamed up with Ballet in Cleveland, and this summer we will be presenting our very own Summer Dance Intensive called artÉmotion!   I am beyond thrilled to offer this amazing opportunity for young dancers to work with some of best names in the business!  The Faculty, along with Jessica Wallis (Founder of BIC) and myself, includes Ballet West Principal Artist Rex Tilton, Ballet West Artist Director Adam Sklute, BalletNext Artistic Director and Former American Ballet Theatre Principal Michele Wiles, Amelia Lowe of SYTYCD Season 9, Jordan DeBona Actor at the Pioneer Theatre, and Inna Stabrova co-founder of the Ohio Conservatory of Ballet.  Jessica Wallis and I designed this program with the goal to help mold beautiful Artists for the next generation of dance!  Our motto at artÉmotion is, “No movement without a purpose, without a unique story.”

Classes will not only include ballet, pointe and classical partnering, but also contemporary, character and acting for dancers.  I really want students to walk away from the experience with a sense of self.  Not just technique but a realization of their artistry and self-contribution to our beautiful art form.

With all that being said, I have received many questions about what I will be looking for in students to accept to artÉmotion.  It is officially “audition season” and I know many young dancers want the edge against their peers when in a room full of talented dancers.  I have said it before, I value a strong technique because that is what sets classical dancers apart from anyone else, but for me, that is not the only thing that makes a strong Artist.  I will be looking for individuals who are willing to push themselves, take chances and doing something different.  Stand alone in room full of people and be confident. 

Many of you may ask how that can be done.  Well, here is what I’ve always thought about and chose to do before and during an audition.  First off, chose a leotard, or shirt if you’re a guy, which makes you feel really good!!!  Being confident in how you look always helps when you are trying to make an impression on someone else.  You will not appear to be confident to someone in the front of the room, if in fact you don’t feel confident in yourself!  Second, make sure you take pride in your appearance.  Have your hair done well and make sure your shoes look clean and well put together. 

Now, to the dancing!  Try to be as alert as possible! Learn all the combinations quickly and well.  That will make for a very good corps de ballet member and you will be of value to any company or school!  Don’t try to mimic anyone in the room.  From the first port de bras at the barre, choose a story in your head to portray.  You are not just doing steps.  In an audition it’s hard to gauge how a dancer may be on stage, so as the dancer, you must consider that audition room a stage!  Show the person in the front of the room what makes you special.  Lastly, if you make a mistake be OK with it and keep moving!  I know we all make mistakes, what matters most to me is how you recover from those mistakes.  It shows maturity.

I hope this all helps in one way or another.  I hope to see many of you at artÉmotion!

Visit www.balletincleveland.org/artemotion for more info!  Auditions will be in Cleveland, OH January 18^th but we are also accepting video submissions for dancers who cannot make it in person!

You can also follow artÉmotion on social media!

The artÉmotion Summer Intensive on Facebook

@artemotioncle on Twitter and Instagram

Love you all! Xoxox

Allison

Summer Programs! Post your progress in #ArtWithAlli

Summer Programs—What you learned!

We are nearing the end of July and that means Summer Program madness is almost over!  Being at a summer program can mean quite a few things for every dancer.  With summer programs comes growth, fun, frustration, setbacks, and sometimes, a lot of pain!! For many dancers heading to summer programs for the first time often means it’s the first time they will being dancing all day!  This is challenging both physically and mentally.  They are often away from their families for the first time, too! Getting into your dream summer program is also a very big accomplishment for every young dancer, but there are some dancers who may not have the means to go away from home to summer programs.  However, they stay at their studios all summer and take classes from guest teachers.  Either way, summer programs should be approached as a time for extreme growth in your dancing, at any age.

I have told you this before, I did not go away for a summer program until I was 18 and a high school graduate.  I went to the ABT New York program.  I had auditioned for summer programs when I was younger, and did get in, but chose not to go because I wanted to spend time with my family in the summertime.  I just enrolled at my studio’s summer program.  I have fond memories of guest teachers who made a huge impact in my dancing.  I always liked training in the summers because it was the only time of the year where I could focus only on dancing because I did not have to worry about school, too.  I also loved being at the studio all day.  Taking ballet, jazz, modern, character, acting, pointe shoe and makeup seminars and stretch class! 

This summer I have traveled across the country to teach students ballet.  I was in Louisiana, Illinois, Utah and California so far. One thing I notice among the students is, it is hard to motivate them to dance outside of their comfort zones and deviate from what they are used to doing.  If any of you have ever taken class from me, you know that I preach a few consistent things.  First, be smart dancers.  Everyone is a good dancer now a days, so to set you a part from someone else you must be mentally sharp.  Learn combinations quickly, pickup on details of the entire body, and take corrections well.  Second, remember the studio is a safe place.  It is the arena to grow and make mistakes.  Fall on the ground, jump higher, and hold your leg up a little longer.  Everyone in the class is there for the same reason, to grow. Be confident and do not be shy about your dancing.  And last, tell me a story!! Remember you are an Artist above all.  I like to see my students working on their artistry from the beginning of class. It does not come out of nowhere.  You have to approach everything you do as if there is an audience watching.

I thought it would be cool, for Art with Alli, if everyone would post pictures from the summer program they attended this summer.  Tell us who your favorite teachers are and what you have learned so far.  It would be nice to see what everyone is up to and see if they have learned something different from you!  Be sure to post in the Art with Alli Forum and post on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using #artwithall.  Be sure to tag @artwithalli and @allidebona.  I can’t wait to see what you are all up to!

I will be sharing posts on my @artwithalli Instagram and Twitter accounts, so be sure you are following those accounts!!

Link to the Art With Alli Forum--   http://artwithalli.freeforums.net/

xoxo

Allison

                                         Photo by Vicki Lanz Photography for Ballet in Cleveland.

A Confident Post-- Revisiting Paquita

Definition of confidence (n)
1. Belief in own abilities: self-assurance or a belief in your ability to succeed


There it is boys and girls.  Webster's definition of CONFIDENCE.  It's empowering just reading it, isn't it?  For some people confidence comes easy and for others it does not.  I am a confident person, but I have definitely had my bouts with confidence as a professional ballerina.  Did you happen to catch what I was just saying there?  I wrote, "I am a confident PERSON, but I have definitely had my bouts with confidence as a PROFESSIONAL BALLERINA."  It should be one in the same, but I've learned the hard way that sometimes as a performer it's not that easy.  Here's to revisiting Paquita and what I've learned from falling on my face in front of America.

I always say 99% of being a ballerina is mind over matter and I really mean it.  We train hours upon hours for years of our lives to gain the technique and strength.  Somewhere in our computer of a brain is the hardware to get the job done.  When I joined Ballet West in 2007 I was confident in myself and was ready to work as hard as I could to get roles that I desired.  Even when I was not chosen for a role, or when I understudied everything for two entire years, I never wavered in thinking that it was only temporary and I was going to get my chance one day.  Once Paquita rolled around I had already been given quite a few amazing opportunities and had been promoted to Demi-Soloist at Ballet West.  I was also cast to dance the Principal role in George Balanchine's Emeralds and the 5th Duet in Yiri Kylian's Petite Mort.  What more could a girl ask for?  Before Paquita was cast I had learned the first, second and fourth Soloist variations.  Although they were technically challenging, I was able to do all three.  I thought that I had proven that I could do them and I'd love the chance to dance Paquita on stage, but if I didn't get cast I wouldn't be upset because I was doing so much already and was thankful.  During a run of the variations Adam Sklute (BW's Artistic Director) called me over and said that I was cast to do Paquita!  He then proceeded to tell me that he would like to see me in the third variation.  I thought I heard him wrong.  I hadn't been asked to learn the third variation and in my mind it was for a short girl who was cute and could move fast.  He said something to the regards of, "You could do the other three, so I'm assuming you can do this one, too."  I remember my stomach sinking.  It was never a role that I had envisioned myself doing well and it definitely didn't fit my personality, in my eyes.  It was such a strange place to be in.  Usually, as a dancer, if you don't get an opportunity you spend so much time trying to prove to your boss that you can do it, but here I was getting all the confidence in the world from my boss and was trying to prove to myself that he was right. 

I'm always watching other people's rehearsals and learn their steps even when sitting on the floor.  I wanted to be in every rehearsal with Elena Kunikova because I wanted to learn as much from her as I possibly could during Paquita.  She asked me to run the 3rd variation even though she hadn't taught it to me and I said I could because I learned it from watching.  Then, she asked me to join the other Soloists and Corps in the opening dance and in rushed the Breaking Pointe cameras.  They were literally up my nose!  I was new, never learned that spot, and they recorded me messing up every two seconds.  Remember the episode where Elena was stopping me every two seconds? I all of a sudden felt a pressure to succeed like I had never felt before.  There was Adam telling me he could depend on me even though I was feeling so unconfident. To top it off, it was all transpiring in front of the world (literally).  All I can remember is falling down a downward spiral.  I would be on cloud nine running Emeralds and Petite Mort and then wanted to be sick putting on a tutu to run Paquita.  I got in my head.  I'd mess something up and let it bring me down to the point of tears.  Even if it went well, it wasn't good enough for me. 

Opening night I was nervous and had to talk to myself to calm down before the curtain went up.  I remember the opening dance feeling great and I thought, "Ok! I'm going to do to this!"  My family was in the audience for support.  I came out for my variation and the music started....the rest is, well, on Season 1 Episode 5 of Breaking Pointe.  A MESS.  It was an out of body experience and I couldn't wait to get off stage.  I remember barely trying to muster up a smile during my bow.  I had to suck it up because we had an entire finale to dance and I couldn't blow that, too.  After that night I spent a year struggling with my confidence.  I fell on my face (figuratively and literally) a few times after that night, too.  What was happening to me?  I had to re-evaluate my approach to working in the studio and rebuild my confidence that had been drained.  This past summer, I taught a lot and traveled a lot.  I took those opportunities to dance in as many different places as I could.  I spent two weeks taking open classes at Alonso King's Lines in San Francisco and that was when a lot in my mind began to change.  I was dancing because I loved it and loved to work hard.  I was doing things I thought I couldn't do in those classes.  Pushing myself to not be afraid of falling on my face, but learning to fall with grace, because sometime kids, you're going to fall on your face! Sometimes when you mess up something on stage it feels like it lasts a lifetime.  I went back and watched videos of when I royally messed up on stage.  The mess up moment was quick, but what lingered was my demeanor after the mess up.  This past year I learned how to be a performer through my mistakes.  I had to accept that sometimes things are not going to go well on stage, and although my bosses and peers may notice those technical fouls the audience is focused on my artistry.  I try to control a lot of things, so messing up really isn't something I handle well, but I had to learn to.  The lifetime on stage as professional dancers isn't very long and if you spend all your time dwelling on the bad then you will miss all the wonderful opportunities and experiences.  I'm thankful for sharing my hardships with everyone who watched Breaking Pointe because I hope that some young dancers learn that you may fall down but you won't stay there.  I also learned not to type cast myself because there are already enough limitations in our little artsy world, so why apply more to yourself?  Accept any role as a chance to grow as a technician but more importantly as an artist.  I hope I get to do Paquita again in my life, because I can't wait to kick its butt!!! 

Xoxo
Allison

How to Sew Pointe Shoes

How to Sew Pointe Shoes


Hey everyone!!! If any of you have been following Me the past few weeks, you would know that I have been traveling and doing A LOT of teaching! I was in Pittsburgh teaching for four different schools and in Cleveland to teach Master Classes and dance in a Gala for Ballet in Cleveland with Rex Tilton and Christopher Ruud.  One question that seemed to pop up everywhere I taught was, "How do you sew your pointe shoes?"  I'm here to answer your questions!

If you ask any professional ballerina I'm sure they will tell you that how you prepare your pointe shoes is a very personal matter.  It takes a lot of time and planning to get your shoes the way you want them to feel and look.  If you do not know, I wear Grishko 2007 shoes with a few "specs" or special changes to make them perfect for me.  For example, I get the vamp and heel cut down a bit, with a medium shank and heel pin, xxx width and three quarter shanked.  I also do a few things at home to my pointe shoes like glue the toes and shank and cut a divot in the sole of the shoe where my arch is.  Obviously, it would be very hard to try to explain in words how I sew my shoes, so this Saturday will you join me on YouTube for a tutorial on how to sew pointe shoes the way I do??? 

I will be making a YouTube video this week that will show you step-by-step how I sew my shoes and how I prepare them to wear for rehearsals and performances.  I invite all young dancers and their mothers so that they understand, too.  I was surprised to hear from so many moms this week about how they wish they were taught how to properly sew shoes, too.  Here is a list of things you will definitely need for Saturday.

• Your Pointe Shoes
• 2 Needles (in case one snaps)
• Waxed dental floss in white (Yes! It's the strongest thread you can find and it's cheap!)
• Clean ribbon and elastic
• Scissors

My YouTube channel is Allison DeBona.  As soon as I post the video I will post it on my Twitter and Instagram accounts (allidebona) and my Facebook page Allison DeBona Breaking Pointe.  If you have any questions you can leave a message on the video and I will answer them as soon as I can.  I can't wait until Saturday! See you then!

xoxo

 

Allison

The Great "Weight" Debate: The Ballet Body

The Great “Weight” Debate:  The Ballet Body

 

I’m sitting here trying to start this blog and already feel torn over what I am going to say about how to achieve the perfect “ballet body.”  The thing about the subject is I’ve got so many questions asking, “How can I get skinny for ballet?” or “I’m having weight issues, can you help?”  It already nerves me thinking about answering them because majority of the time they come from very young girls, typically 13-17 years old.  My blood actually starts to boil as I read them because I’m thinking to myself, how can a child actually be worrying about this?  Unfortunately, in our beautiful art form, how we look sometimes overpowers artistry and talent.  I am obviously not a doctor, but I am a high performance athlete who has managed to steer clear from any serious injury thus far in my professional career.  I attribute that to not only my physical activity but also my diet; and I don’t mean “diet” in the fashion magazine quick way to lose 10lbs way, I mean actually what I eat for nutrition to stay healthy.  I would like you to stop thinking about things in terms of getting “skinny” for ballet, but getting “healthy” for ballet.

 

I am going to be careful what I say here, because I do not want to offend anyone and I do not want to steer any young child who is reading this in the wrong direction.  People ask me about how I eat all time.  I reply that I do not really constrict myself from much and I get the old response of, “Well, you’re just lucky you have that body naturally.”  I could not disagree with that statement more.  I’ll tell you about the many “bodies” I have gone through in my 30yrs of life.  I was a string bean as a kid. When I turned 15 my body completely changed.  I grew to be 5’9” and I started to gain weight for the first time in my life.  If you’ve read my previous blog, you would know that during that time I was not dancing full time.  I had taken time off.  When I went back to ballet is when I started to become very VERY aware of how my body looked. It was when I was 17, turning 18 that I decided to go on my very first “diet.”  I thought I knew it all.  It was when the Atkins thing was taking off and I thought to myself it would be the perfect way to lose the 10-15 extra teenage baby pounds. I almost completely cut out all carbs from my diet.  The only carbs I was really eating were from vegetables.  Everything was going great at first; I lost weight fast and my muscle tone was really starting to show.  It wasn’t too long before I noticed that my energy levels were becoming low and I started to get very bad tendonitis in my Achilles, which I never had before.  It was opening week of the Nutcracker at my school and I was to be dancing the role of Sugar Plum Fairy.  My teacher flew in a professional male dancer from Ballet Arizona to be my partner.  We were in rehearsal and I remember telling my mom that I felt like my Achilles was a rubber band.  The next thing I knew, I felt a sharp and very hot pain in my leg.  I had torn where my calf and Achilles meet. 

 

The doctor was surprised that someone as young as me would sustain such an injury.  He started asking me questions and when he got to the bottom of it, he told me that a large part in the breakdown of my body was that I was not fueling it properly for the amount of physical activity I was doing.  NO CARBS was A VERY BAD IDEA.  After my injury I started to eat a well-rounded diet and felt great!  Then, I left for college the next year.  Freshman 15? That would have been nice, try freshman 25 for me!  I ate like crap, to be frank.  Pizza late at night and Snickers for a snack from the vending machine.  I was in college on my own for the first time and didn’t have much money.  It wasn’t until I was 23 and at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre that I finally started to figure out how to treat my body well.  I made two very major decisions— I was cutting out fried foods and cutting out alcohol (for all of you who are over 21 years old and up).  I started eating small portions of food, but at least six times a day, and was very religious about taking a multi-vitamin and B-Complex.  For the past 7 years of my life, I have really not changed how my body looks or my weight much.  I have figured out how to maintain a healthy and strong body for ballet through healthy eating and moderation.

 

So here are my thoughts.  If you are a young girl or boy reading this, you have absolutely no business depriving your body of anything.  A “diet” shouldn’t ever be in your vocabulary.  You can, however, start learning how to eat healthy to maintain an athlete’s body.  You will obviously need your parent’s help, but for example;  instead of eating french fries at school for lunch, consider packing your lunch with a nice turkey sandwich and some fruit and veggies.  It’s also OK to eat ice cream and pizza with your friends, but you don’t have to be excessive.  I truly believe that moderation is key.  One awful trend that I have seen from teaching around the country is being in front of a herd of 13 year old kids and halfway through barre struggling to get them to respond to combinations let alone get through them.  I always ask if they have had breakfast, and more often than not, I hear “NO.”  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it jump starts your metabolism and gives you energy for the day!  Try eating some scrambled eggs with cheese and avocado or oatmeal like I do EVERYDAY. 

Another problem I see is young students are not taught how to “snack” between classes and rehearsals.  I do not mean cookies and cakes.  I would suggest bringing some crackers or fruits and veggies with ranch to have on breaks.  It keeps you energized in the body but also the brain!  I always drink a high protein shake after every ballet class I take.  I wouldn’t suggest that for young kids, but an alternative would be to pack a 2% chocolate milk with you.  When you get older, maybe 17 or 18, drinking a protein shake would work!  For a major meal like dinner try to be as balanced as you can be.  Eat a protein like chicken or beef, a vegetable and maybe a bit of pasta.  I promise you that if you maintain a well-balanced diet your body will respond in the way you want it to.  Like me, pass up the French fries for a salad or soup and maybe eat 1 cookie instead of 5, but do not totally restrict yourself from foods that will feed your mind and body.

 

My belief is that, while training as a young dancer, we should not be programmed to think “skinny” but rather, “healthy.”  Lay off the scales kids.  Crying over a stupid number will not make anything better and most of the time it means nothing!   Start to focus on your health and strength so you can dance until you’re well into your 40’s injury free!!!!!

 

Xoxo

Allison

What's on YOUR mind?

Hello Everyone!!

I can't express how excited I am about FINALLY starting a blog!! Besides dancing, I have always had a passion for journalism.  I consider it a way to connect to people and I believe it is our relationships with each other that keeps the world a happy place.  Since Breaking Pointe, I have been given the gift to travel around the country meeting so many of you!  From young to old it has been such a pleasure to see with my own eyes how my life could effect so many, positively.  I get questions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram so often and it's hard to answer in just a few sentences.  I think this blog is the best way to answer all of your questions!!!  Don't be afraid to ask away!!

xoxo
Allison