JEANNE TEACHES DANCE

Today I stumbled upon the most stunning dance photograph collection of Evgenia Obraztsova, Prima Ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet.  It is a beautiful, beautiful thing when a skilled dancer and a skilled dance photographer come together.  I've included my favorites below, but you can view the entire collection via blog HERE . Happy New Year!

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Attention Hawkins Students: The studio has decided to close for classes today,  due to flooding in the Folsom area. I will see you all on Monday.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Royal Ballet Date: Tuesday, December 16 Time: 7:00 p.m. (local time) Run Time: 3 hours 25 minutes (approximate) Fathom Events invites you to experience a classic tale of magic and wonder when Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is screened in select cinemas nationwide on Tuesday, December 16. Christopher Wheeldon’s full-length ballet based on Lewis Carroll’s beloved book is an exuberant piece of storytelling featuring an instantly recognizable cast of characters, among them a tap-dancing Mad Hatter, a tetchy White Rabbit and a raucously bad-tempered Queen of Hearts. BUY TICKETS The Nutcracker - Streamed Live! Bolshoi Ballet Date: Sunday, December 21 Time: 12:55 p.m. ET / 11:55 a.m. CT / 10:55 a.m. MT Tape-delayed to 12:55 p.m. PT/AK/HI Run Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (approximate) This choreographic version, created for the Bolshoi by Yuri Grigorovich, is full of romanticism and philosophical reflections on ideal love. Master

With so many great dance products out there, I thought I'd share with you, what I'm currently using. You might find some of them helpful, or discover something even better! Shoe Bag SHOE BAG  (clockwise from top right): 1. Freed of London mesh shoe bag--a sponsor gift from a national summer program audition tour, ages ago. 2. Foot Rubz massage ball--great for foot cramps! 3. Theraband, for strengthening feet and ankles. 4. Thread and needle for sewing shoes...at least I hope the needle's still in there... 5. Leo's Soft Pointe toe pads. 6. Ouch Pouches (I'm trying out different brands of pointe shoes right now, and some of them feel better with different padding). 7. Capezio Glissé pointe shoes. Pointe Shoe Kit 8. Bloch Zenith stretch ballet slippers--these are great, they really hug your feet! POINTE SHOE KIT (clockwise from top left): 1. Mesh zip bag - Freed of London sponsor gift from a national summer program audition tour (also ages ag

I received some questions this week about sewing and prepping shoes, so I'll attempt to answer those and include some additional information.  During the week of September 1st-5th, I will be spending the first half of class making sure everyone knows how to sew their shoes, but here are some pointers for how it's done. Elastic and Ribbons Elastic should be 3/4" wide.  Dancewear stores will typically give you enough to sew one elastic per shoe, unless you specify that you wish to "criss-cross" your elastics, in which case, you'll need double the amount. Criss-crossing can help if you find that the heel of the shoe is slipping off with only one. Be advised that dance elastic is much stronger than what you will find at your local fabric store, and more readily comes in pointe shoe-appropriate colors.  Melting the edges of your cut elastics will prevent fabric fraying, but don't let the elastic actually touch the flame--burnt elastic smells pretty nasty. 

Next month a whole new crop of my students will be getting their first pair of pointe shoes--a sacred event for every ballet student, when she can finally call a pair of those mysterious and magical, petal-peach shoes her own.  In honor of this event, I'm posting a few more videos to supplement everyone's pointe education. Enjoy! Visit the Grishko factory and see how one of the most popular Russian brands of shoes are made. Three ballerinas from the Australian Ballet discuss their individual shoe preparation. Freed of London shows you the production process of handmade shoes.

A little something to brighten your day --may it inspire you to reach new heights.

Free People ad showing model in pointe shoes When I first saw Free People's "Movement" ad mockingly posted on fellow dancer's Facebook pages, I chuckled--then I cringed, and when AdWeek's article came out a few days later, the response comments telling passionate dancers to basically "get over it," started to make me upset. The under-valuing of trained dancers is nothing new.  Taking something that is an incredible athletic feat and making it look like a walk in the park, well, that kind of achievement lends an art form to misconceptions about just how difficult it really is.  If professional dancers weren't so consumed honing their craft and pouring their bodies and souls into their art 24/7, maybe they would have gotten around to promoting ballet to the masses and securing a higher working wage for company positions, but they've been a little busy training, rehearsing, recovering, performing and being some of the most beautifully sc

SACRAMENTO BALLET Community Center Theater, Sacramento February 13-16 Website TREY MCINTYRE Wild Sweet Love EDWAARD LIANG Wunderland MA CONG World Premiere From the Partridge Family to Mendelssohn’s famous Wedding March, from Puppy Love to deeply felt emotion, Trey McIntyre’s Wild Sweet Love shows us that love wears many faces. Beautiful and intensely moving, Edwaard Liang’s Wunderland was the run-away hit of the 2011 Modern Masters season. Ma Cong, one of the most sought after choreographers in the nation, takes aim with Cupid’s Bow to create a fresh new look at love with a World Premiere. CEDAR LAKE CONTEMPORARY BALLET Zellerbach Hall, California State University, Berkeley February 22, 23 Website   KYLIÁN Indigo Rose PITE Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue * STRØMGREN Necessity, Again (music: Aznavour) * Since its founding 10 years ago, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet has become the go-to group for some of the world's most innovative and exciting work by up-and

Every university and business has their interview process; a way for both the applicant and the institution to try each other on for size and see if it's a good match.  For ballet dancers, this process begins long before college and job applications. I attended my first summer program at San Francisco Ballet School when I was fifteen years old.  I remember the school auditions in January and February--feeling much more confident when the auditions were held at our studio--we had the "home advantage" so to speak.  I remember sizing up the competition, banding with my friends for support and solidarity--but once the audition class started, we were on our own.  We had about an hour and a half to prove to a new set of teachers that we deserved to study at their school.  We pointed our feet until they cramped, and treated each combination as if it were a performance.  In the weeks following, we waited like nervous High School seniors, for letters of acceptance or rejec