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.