Holiday

I am on holiday now for a week which means that I don't have any scheduled classes which is very strange for me!
    Over the weekend I went to a market and was selling a couple of things I make including earrings, pencil holders made out of old pointe shoes, and cookies. I had printed out a bunch of pictures from the photo-shoot I did with my dad last weekend. So many people were interested in them that I started giving them away at the end of the day.It was quite exhausting because I was waking up early every morning to bake the cookies, spent the entire day at the market talking away and was busy in the evenings too. 
                        

My pointe shoes were all sold out by the end of the weekend!

However I did meet a ton of really great and interesting people at the market. It was really surprising that so many people have a close connection to ballet, and it was really nice to meet so many supportive people it really made me feel like something good will happen and there will be some way that I will be able to pay for my tuition and all of my audition expenses this year.

     It was very tiring and since I've come home it kind of feels like I hit a brick wall. Summer seems to have ended and it has been very rainy. I've stayed inside for most of the day, sleeping and resting up. My energy levels are at an extreme low. Yesterday I barely did anything besides getting my hair cut and going for a brief walk. Today I plan to go to the gym later on and also I am going to alter a couple of leotards that I have been planning to fix up for ages. Hopefully I will feel more energetic soon because I really don't want to spend my entire week off feeling lethargic! <3


Also please watch one of the girls who used to dance with me. She is dancing on So You Think You Can Dance Canada. She danced with the Washington Ballet for a while. Here is a video of her performing at YAGP when she was 17. I had just arrived at Goh when she got top 12 for YAGP that year. It was amazing to watch her perform it in person!

Kirsten Wicklund performing Esmeralda Variation
  

Company Class

    I have had quite an exciting 24 hours.
Yesterday after Act 1 rehearsal for the Nutcracker I went to go see a performance at the Dance Centre with one of my friends. We watched Move the Company's small production. It was a collection of works that ranged from the amazing to the very, very strange.
   Some definite stand outs were Caitlin Griffin's solo that she choreographed that was based on Pandora's box. A piece choreographed by Lara Barclay (my old contemporary teacher) and danced by Cai Glover & Crystal Willis. And a piece by Jackie Lopez. My favorite was the Pandora's box piece. It was so polished, clean and stunning to watch!

Caitlin Griffin

    Back to my 24 hours, after going home and sleeping I woke up early and went to the gym and then at 12:00 I went and took company class with the new company Vancouver City Dance Theatre (http://www.vancouvercitydancetheatre.com/). That was really exciting and new for me!
4 of my friends are in the company so I was quite comfortable taking the class as it is open and it is also free so quite a lot of people take it. I really enjoyed watching the other dancers! There are 6 boys from Italy in the company and they are... technically brilliant. A couple were trained at La Scala and some others come from Napoli. So that was really great and I'm planning on taking class with them for the next week or so to stay in shape.
 I also got to watch the rehearsal for their upcoming performance The Dali Universe. From what I saw (Act 1) and what I've heard it is going to be a spectacular performance so I would really recommend that you buy tickets and support the arts community in Vancouver!!! The performances are going to be at the Playhouse on September 16th , 17th & 18th.

  That's all for now!
<3

Great Weekend!

  This weekend was my first full two day weekend in what seems like eons. It was fantastic!
On Friday we danced and were filmed which was quite nerve wracking but now I am "semi-officially" 2nd cast Flowers Soloist!!! Yay. I was so relieved that I didn't lose my part and that when we filmed it it went quite ok even though I was with a new partner (who was great =)   ).  That afternoon I went up to Bowen Island were my grandparents have a cottage.
    On Saturday morning my dad and I went out and did a photoshoot  in my practise tutu and pointe shoes around Bowen. It was really fun and we got some really good pictures. I definitely got some strange looks and when I was out on one of the docks that we shot on I got some applause and cheers. That was hilarious. I met a man who used to dance at the Royal Ballet way bak when it was still Sadler-Wells. And I also caught a fish (while wearing my ballet attire)!!! My dad wanted me to pose with the fishermen so I did and they let me hold their fishing lines when suddenly I felt a tug. It was the biggest fish I've ever caught off a dock, and right away too. I was so surprised!
      Another dock that we shot on was way out on the water. It was incredibly difficult to stay balanced, I almost took a "swandive" in a couple of times!!! Anyways here is a couple of pictures from the photoshoot.

Btw my dad is an amazing photographer... <3

 

Last Couple of Days

  Last Saturday we had our demonstration day which lasted from 9:30-3:00!!! We were not dancing the entire time, class first, then contemporary then acting then ending with ballet including the Grand Pas variation, Paquita, and the Kingdom of the Shades for me. It was exhausting because we were so on edge. The schedule ran a lot earlier than it was supposed to so it was super stressful because suddenly you were being told this and then suddenly you were being told that. It was kind of crazy! To make things even better we were performing so all of the adrenaline was going through our bodies for a very long time. Most of the time when you are performing it is not for an entire day, you know when you are going to be doing what e.t.c (more or less). Anyways having adrenaline going for so long really wrecks havoc on your boy and most of us were stiff and very sore for the three days after the demonstation. Quite surprising what stress can do to you!
I enjoyed the performance. It was extremely hot inside the studio because of the weather and the fact that so many people were crowed inside. So sometimes I felt like I couldn't get enough breath, but it was ok. Nothing went wrong for me so I was quite happy =)
     For the last few days we have started Nutcracker rehearsals. We are going to be touring to Victoria with a smaller cast this year and Anna-Marie Holmes is not going to be around for the entire time so we have started rehearsing Nutcracker in August. It is very strange to be in the studio listening to Snowflakes while the sun is beating down from the skylights above.

   The good thing is that this year I am doing a soloist part in Waltz of the Flowers which is a lot more challenging than the corps. Still I don't know if I am just understudying it, 2nd cast or even maybe 1st cast. That is quite disconcerting because I really want to do it.... I really, really want to do it! But I know that the other girls are way better than me by far... but they also have significant roles in other parts. It is very confusing to me. I wish I knew what I was doing but I also don't want to know if it is going to be bad news. All I can do is my best so I am going to keep trying as hard as I can and I suppose we'll see what happens.

   Today I also went to the gym for almost 2 hours. I went on the elliptical for an hour and then did stretching and strengthening too. I have been going to the gym almost four times a week and have kept very active outside of dance too this summer. Not working very much has been great for my mind and body too. I think I am getting a lot more toned from all the ellipticalling I have been doing. It is a great machine because it is very low impact and doesn't make your joints hurt!
   <3

Runthrough

  Today we had ballet class, then rehearsal, then runthrough of Grand Pas and Paquita, then a break then a runthrough of La Bayadere which went 45 minutes over time. Oh dear! Tomorrow we have our demonstration day starting at 9:30 and going to 3:30. I am quite excited to perform everything but also quite nervous. Wish I could write in more detail but I really need to go to bed!
<3

Grand Pas Classique!

  During the past two days we have learnt the variation from Grand pas Classique. I really, really, really love it. It is one of those variations which is extremely challenging and is known to be super hard. I was so worried when our teacher said we were going to be learning it. It always has looked so difficult!
 Fortunately for me it is not as bad as I thought it would be.... actually I think I have fallen in love with it. I really want to get it coached so that I could perform the full variation for an show, competition or an audition video e.t.c. I really surprised myself when it was my turn to do the variation in variations class and I managed everything even all the releves on diagonal first time through. I didn't think I was able to do it but it was fairly easy for me =). The variation was for from perfect but I love doing it!!! And I love the music!!! And I just love it!!!
To understand what I'm talking about you should definitely check this video out. It has both Sylvie Guillem and Elisabeth Platel doing the variation. Personally I like Elisabeth Platel doing it better in this video.
                            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXnPVTHtzVI

This is the Pas de Deux before the variations. Dancers are Elena Vostrotina and Dmitri Semionov from the Semperoper in Dresden... she has such beautiful legs and feet!!!

                               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=932QPQDXvw0&feature=related

Paquita

  Another post!
We had class with Jean-Yves Esquerre today, I enjoyed his class and hope to learn a lot from him. He gives really good corrections. However at barre he noticed that my grands battements side are still a bit "hip hoppy" i.e. my hip moves too much... I felt kind of frustrated because  I have been working on it for soooo long. Seriously every time we do grands battements I think "Ok hips stay still, stay still, stay still"... Obviously my hard work in that aspect still hasn't paid off... grr....

 On a more positive note in repertoire class we are doing Paquita which I already know and have already performed. I would have liked to be learning something new, but the last time I did Paquita was so long ago that it almost felt like I was learning a new ballet (almost).

                                                  SFB performing Paquita (Yuan Yuan Tan)

After class I went to the Dancer's Transition Resource Centre. They are helping me figure out what I will do in term of funding my tuition next year. They were extremely helpful and I would recommend that canadian dancers look into becoming a member.
Check out the Dancer's Transition Resource Centre

Summertime!

  Well now it is the summer and so far it has been very exciting!

First I went to Toronto which was an amazing experience. I was there for a week with Ballet Jorgen and really enjoyed the experience. The program was great, it is brand new and was very small. I wish I could have stayed longer & highly recommend it for anyone wanting to clean up their technique. I  felt as though I got to really know the company closely. I will definitely be auditioning for them this year.

Tara Butler and Preston McBain, encouraging, inspiring dancers and teachers http://www.balletjorgen.ca/

Then I came back home, after a busy week going to the gym, swimming, doing chores, and relaxing a bit, summer school at The Goh finally started!
I can't believe it has been 3 weeks already. We have been having class with Che, Ping and repertoire with Chan.  I've really enjoyed our repertoire classes because we have been learning The Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadere. The first ballet DVD I ever received was La Bayadere and The Kindgdom of the Shades is my favourite part... basically I forced all my close friends who came over to watch it... I have watched it over and over again, and always have wished for the day when I would finally be able to learn and perform it.
   So naturally I was overjoyed to learn it (while everyone else was feeling like they wanted to die). The Shades start off with all of us coming down a ramp in a series of extremly slow gruelling arabesques. The first girl especially has to lots of repetitions before we finally do something else. I was 7th in line and I felt tired!!! It is so beautiful to watch when it is done well though and not boring at all somehow!!!
Then it goes into a very slow adagio part, and then it went into a jumping part and then into variations.
I did the Second variation which one of my friends told me to try one time a long time ago, somehow I don't think it was a perfect fit like I had hoped but it was good to learn! All in all after the Coda was over we were all dripping, dripping, dripping... it felt good to perform it on Friday, a dream come true.
Please watch the entrance of the Shades here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4wzCIWHHOc

The same day I managed to achieve two other major goals to do with my back flexibility which made me so happy. It was a great Friday.

Right now I have been watching Raise the Red Lantern by the Central Ballet of China. It is a beautiful, beatiful ballet, the dancers are really amazing and the sets/ drama is incredible. It is truly theatre and I beg you to watch it! When I was in London they were performing it at the Royal Opera House and I really wish I had gone and seen it because it would be so incredible live!