The Dancer's Blog.

month

March 2011

staring-with-their-eyes asked: for the anon asking about Gaynors:

The problem with Gaynors is that they do a lot of the work for you, which does you no good in terms of strength and can have negative long term effects on your joints. A lot of people make the mistake of putting new pointe students in Gaynors to "help" them, but they never learn proper pointe technique because they can rely on the Gaynors...

everythings-illuminated asked: To the anon who asked about gaynor mindens.. my sister has the shoes but she doesn't have wide feet.. she said they were comfortable, but again they didn't do much for her arches. if she could, she would go back to Bloch's

reveursnostalgie asked: Oh and they aren't terrible for your feet, they just do not enhance them like most other pointe shoes do.. But you should regularly be doing foot exercises so it shouldn't be a problem.

reveursnostalgie asked: May I add to the person who asked about Gaynor Mindens? Gaynors are a great shoe to start out with when you are first beginning because they set your hips in the correct placement, so as you advance you are for the most part set in the correct placement. For those who do not have the the highest arch or strongest feet, yes they do not enhance that, but as a pre-arched shoe they are easier to get...

Anonymous asked: for the anon asking about gaynor mindens, i've heard that while they are comfortable, they are not good for your dancing at all. You lose your strength because the shoes basically do the work for you. I know a girl that had them, and then she changed to Blochs (which she had before gaynors and looked nice on her feet) and had a very hard time even getting over them.

hopeless-dreams1 asked: to the person asking about gaynors. they are verrrrryyy bad for your arches. they are pre-worn in therefor you have absolutely no support. they are also not that great for your ankles. i would recommend blochs or capezios for people who have wide feet. they both are extremely comfortable and they mold fantastically to the feet.

Anonymous asked: thoughts on gaynor mindens?

Anonymous asked: i am absolutely in LOVE with ballet! i havent been doing it for that long.... but i was wondering if u have any advice on a) how to get ready to go up on pointe quicker (and how do i know when im really ready? i asked my teacher and she gave me a really vague answer) and b) any tips on how to get down into seconds splits? i have my other splits down, but i just am having tons of trouble w/ second...

Anonymous asked: Is the right body type, and 180 degree turn out absolutely imperative when it comes to getting into a company? Or in your opinion would they look more for passion and movement???

Anonymous asked: I want to start Pointe this summer, but before I do, I need to strengthen my ankles and hips...any suggestions?

rxk asked: To the anon with the pointe shoe problem,
I have always been told to clip the toenails straight across.
A quick fix, is in between exercises/combos is just to step on your big toe with the heel of your other foot.
Otherwise, this sounds like a problem you need to take up with whoever sized your pointe shoes, because if your big toe is way longer than the rest, there are...

Anonymous asked: hi,, i'm very insipired by your blog!!
i'm just asking this as a general dance question,, however a ballet orientated response is fine by me.
I haven't danced for probably 2 years now,,
just wondering if you have any suggestions for regaining flexibility and overall fitness?? Other than the obvious stretches and dance classes :)

nouvelllefleur asked: I feel the same passion.
Ballet is my life. ♥

Anonymous asked: Hi, i was wondering if you dance on pointe and if you could possibly answer this question. I always have problems with my big toes in my pointe shoes. The rest of my toes feel fine, and the shoes fit me correctly, just the pressure always on my big toes make it so hard to consistently dance on pointe :( i think maybe i have ingrown toenails but only on my big toes? I keep them nice and short so i...

Anonymous asked: Hi, its almost been a year since I've been dancing...just asking for your opinion...do you think someone who started dancing at 20, but has natural talent and strength has a shot of doing any professional work?

Anonymous asked: hi! I'm a competitve jazz dancer (this will be my 12th year dancing, 4th competitively) and I'm having some problems in my ballet classes... whenever I do relevés or any sort of jumps and footwork, my left ankle cracks. Sometimes it's painful, and other times it's just bothersome... any advice?

Anonymous asked: how much of the dancing do you think that natalie portman did in "The Black Swan"?

storyblock asked: When you first started ballet, what stretching routine did you do to get flexible quickly? Also, how did you strengthen your back for a beautiful arabesque? By the way, I love this blog! I do ballet myself !!

tookieclothespen asked: I've heard that this works for blisters...
"Take a needle and thread, and thread the needle through the blister multiple times and then cut the thread from the needle leaving it in the blister. This essentially will allow the blister to drain very quickly by not only having multiple holes in the blister itself, but it will soak up the liquid in the thread."

daydreamology asked: is that you in your icon? ♥

Anonymous asked: Hi, I am a beginning ballet student and I have trouble picking up the choreography during center work. Do you have any advice?

Anonymous asked: is there really any chance for someone to become a professional ballet dancer when they don't have arched feet and pretty legs?

Anonymous asked: Hii i wear bloch pointe shoes but my instructor said they arent strong enough for my feet. Do you know which brand i can switch to that is stronger and has wider sizes?

I love your blog by the way :)

Anonymous asked: I was wondering if you knew a fast way to get rid of blisters? I had rehearsals all weekend and got one large painful one on each of my big toes. My show's this weekend, with dress rehearsals starting Thursday and I would like them to have healed by then if possible. Thanks in advance!

erinballoons asked: http://fuckyeahtapdancing.tumblr.com/

For the girl who asked for Gene Kelly pictures. There's a few on here :)

Anonymous asked: more male dancers porfavor!!

Anonymous asked: Hi your website is amazing :) I was wondering 1st of all what pointe shoes do you wear? 2nd What was your first competition dance?

jumpinginto-theunknown asked: I loved your answer to the anonymous who asked about inspirations and why you kept dancing. I'm not the typical dancer type which probably makes dancing my happy place even more so than some of the other girls I dance with. It's like you're in your own little world.

I love your blog by the way. Ballet is my worst style by far but I love seeing all the pictures you...

cassgei asked: from the looks of that picture, you're very talented!

amorous-disposition asked: SJA;SKLDFJA;FKJFJAKL you're amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!<333

Anonymous asked: How do you keep inspired? Either with body image, or just technique set backs, how do you have the energy to keep going with dancing.

pontocegoponto asked: OMG, this pic of you is so pretty ! :} I'm amazed *-*
How old are you, by the way ?

rxk asked: You betta werk that arm and that foot.