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The elastic should be positioned hgh in the instep. This ensures a good fit at the heel.
1. Fold down the heel of the shoe until it is flat against the socklining.
2. Place a pencil mark where the fold creases closest to the binding.
3. Stitch only one side of the elastic onto the binding right below the drawstring. Be careful not to sew the elastic over the drawstring.
4. Put the shoe on the dancer and gently pull the elastic strap over the instep where it is the most comfortable.
5. Place a pencil mark where the elastic meets the binding.
6. Stitch the elastic below the drawstring being careful not to sew the elastic over it.
7. Repeat steps one through six for the other shoe
Hair - The Speedy Ballet Bun
1. Pull the hair back into a ponytail and secure with a hair elastic - ensure the top of the head is smooth with no hair sticking up!
2. Back brush the ponytail to 'fill it out'.
3. Place a hair net over the backbrushed hair and secure evenly around the hair elastic.
4. Using hair grips grip the hair net to the head all around the edge.
5. If the bun is slightly pointed just give it a little 'tap' with the back of a hair brush to flatten it
Should take about 30 seconds!
Works great if you have short or thin hair
5 General Principals of Body Conditioning
The basic principales of conditioning for a dancer are nto much different than the principles of conditioning for athletes. Dancers, however, have three additional categories not used by athletes. The 4 principles used by dancers and otehr athletes alike are strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and cardio-respiratory endurance.
The additional three categories for dancers are conditioning for alignment, neuromuscular coordinations and relaxation.
1. Warm-up/Cool Down
It is always important to prepare the body for the stress you are about to place upon it. Warm ups generally include stretching, slow repetitions of movement accompanied by breathing exercises, and jumps or other activity to warm the large musclesgoups.
2. Use it or Lose it
Muscles being to lose their 'memory' after 48 hours of non-use. Therefore, dancers who are going away from technique for a holiday, need to consider this principle. When not dancing for a period of time it is possible to not 'lose it' all by continuing a conditioning program.
3. Progressive Overload
To increase the capacity of the human body, the stress placed on the body must continually increase. For example, for strength training, one must continually increase the resistance to the muscles. The acceptable level of conditioning must be decided upon by the individual, as you cannot just continue to overload forever.
4. Working in Mechanically Efficient Positions
Any type of conditioning can cause the dancer more problems if she it habitually misalinged. Proper alignment is essential for a successful conditioning programme. Bad alignment can cuase joint stress which in turn can cause arthritis, stress factures or chronic pain. Misalignment is common when the dancer is tired - so make sure you do not set yourself up for these problems by planning your exercise programme efficiently.
5. Sequence the Exercises Effectively
Start off gently and gradually build to more vigorous activity. After an exercise that really stresses a muscle group, take time to undo the bad effects or note the good effects. Before doing a major stretch 'set up' the stretch by doing a maximum contraction of the opposite muscle group. Listen to your body!
