JEANNE TEACHES DANCE

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...