My Recital(s) Stories

   Since recital at my studio is coming up (oh dear!) I thought I would share some silly moments from the past years that have made me smile.
  The Wifi Dilema(2015)- At my 2015 recital, I was put into a room with all my company friends. All of us are probably the most idiotic, clumsiest people you would meet. Since all of company get moved into one room, we were all messing around. (Before I move on, keep in mind that all company girls get let into the dressing rooms early, don't ask why. Because I have no idea.) We were waiting for the show to start and we were all on our phones. The Wifi was reaalllly bad in the room we were in, and some of us were desperate. There was only one spot in the entire room that had wifi: in the corner ceiling. To get there, people had to climb on stacks of chairs to get good internet. One of my friends climbed up there... and fell. It was scary at the time, and then it became a funny joke.



2/4ths(2015)- This was actually at a competition, not a recital but I thought it was worth sharing.
We were all at our third competition of the year and we just finished our solos. We were talking about how we think they went, and some people were saying how bad they did. I tried to cheer everyone up by saying at one of the competitions I thought I was smiling the whole time. But as I watched the video back, I only smiled (I tried to say 1/3rd) 2/4ths at the time. I didn't realize I could of said 1/2 instead of 2/4, and I still get teased about it today. Every time I get interrupted, I like to say "Will you let me finish my 2/4ths?!" Its a joke were its not very funny, but somehow, it is.



The FALL(2015)- Last year at recital, I had a tap company piece. We performed it in all three shows, but the first show, bad things happened. We had a turn section in the dance, and I FELL, on my butt, in front of EVERYONE. It was super embarrassing. It was so bad that They replaced that video with a different one in the recital dvd, so no one would see my fall.

How to Handle your Dance Stuff

 Whenever you go to a dance competition/recital and your in 7+ dances, I strongly recommend getting a dream duffel. Its a large suitcase that turns into a costume rack, and it comes in handy ALOT.

      This is what it looks like with the rack all set up.
   There are many different parts of the dream duffel, and Ill go through them right now.
  The accessory pocket-  Theres a pocket where you put an accessory box in. Inside the box you can store bobby pins, hair ties, safety pins, and all sorts of things. There are dividers so nothing gets mixed up.
 The inside pockets- Inside the dream duffel, there are about 5 pockets that you can put anything in. Its good to put shoes in, hair spray, makeup, and anything else.
 The food pocket- In the front left theres an insulated pocket for putting food, and water in.
The back- In the back theres a large pocket where you put in a stand up stool.
   Thats really all there is to it. The dream duffel is an awesome way to store your costumes, especially when you have a long show coming up. Its what I always use!

Different Dancers

    Hey! I was thinking about a certain Youtuber (SuperWoman) and how she always makes different types of people videos. I thought, what if I made of for dancers? And here I am. These are just some stereotypes that I've come across throughout the years.
   Disrespectful Student- This student doesn't care about dancing, they're just there because their parents won't let them quit or their best friend is in the class. I once knew a girl who took her phone and started texting behind a pillar while my teacher was teaching. It really upset me.
  The Quiet One- This dancer is silent during class and focused, but once they leave the studio, they yap and talk so much that it annoys you.
  That Girl- This girl is one of my least favorites. This person is defiantly not the best in the class, but they like to think that they are. They talk back to the teacher asking for special parts, when they really don't deserve them.  
  Modest Girl- This dancer is generally really good but doesn't think that they are. There are the Modest girls who say that they suck just to get compliments, or the modest girls who really just don't think that they're good at dancing.
   Theres not a name for this girl, although they're my favorite type of dancers. They're not the best, but they know that. They know what they have to work on, and they try really hard in all their classes.
    These are just a few stereotypes that i've come across throughout my years of dancing. Thanks for
reading:)

The Time I Got Stuck Onstage

 Just a funny story from a few years ago!
  A few years ago, I used to take aerial dance class (aka dancing on silks). It was my first year and I put myself straight into a level 2 class, even though I didnt even know how to climb the rope! It was the end of the year and we were getting ready for our annual recital. I knew the dance pretty well, and I was excited to go on stage and perform.
   It was the day of recital and we went on stage. During the dance a was getting ready to do a move and my foot wouldn't get out of the silk. I honestly felt like I was stuck there for five minutes. I finally got out, and finished the dance late. At the time I was super embarrassed, but now its just a little laugh.
  I guess you could say that the reason I wrote this was to show that after a few years, people forget things. Unless its really major, people a lot of the time forget things. So if you think something is really embarrassing, it won't be in the future.
 

Ugh, Recitals

 To some people, recitals are the best part of the year. To other people, they really suck. And frankly, I'm starting to dislike them ALOT. I used to love recitals but now I'm tired of them. When you've been doing them for a certain amount of years, it becomes exhausting. And this stage of my life I would much rather be learning combos then one dance for 6 months.
  When I was younger, I would only be in one show, performing one dance. Now I'm in all shows, performing in 14 dances. When that's all you've been doing for 6 months instead of learning different dances each week, you kind of go crazy! (Well, I do at least) That's one of the reasons I love conventions. You learn six different combos a day!
  I'm sorry for the small rant, but I wanted to get this off my chest. Thanks for reading!:)

What The Heck Do You Do At Conventions?

 Whenever I go to a dance convention, I'm always extremely scared, but also really excited. I mean, two full days of master classes is pretty awesome, but then there's the audition. Ugh, the audition. This week, I'm going to go over a few tips that my teachers have taught me when it comes to conventions.
1. Where clothes that stand out- When you go to a convention, you want to get noticed. When you get noticed you have a higher chance of winning a scholarship. Who doesn't want a scholarship? Im not saying you have to be one of those girls who wear their old solo costume to a convention, but be fun and colorful. For the upcoming convention i'm going to i'm wearing purple leggings, and a red sports bra for one of the days. Maybe i'll wear a tank top as well.
2. Don't ditch the audition- Last year a few people that I knew ditched their audition because they were scared. My teachers got extremely mad at them and well, long story short we don't even consider skipping the audition anymore.
3. When you're given your audition piece, freaking PRACTICE IT.- You want that scholarship? You have to earn it. Practice that dance until you know it inside and out so you'll make sure to be prepared the next day.
4. Stretch before your classes start- Although the teacher will most likely do a small stretch with you before you start learning combos, it's good to stretch for yourself so you know that you can be more flexible on the dance floor.
5- Don't talk with your friends- This one is pretty obvious. Just, don't do it.

These are the most helpful tips I have for conventions. Thanks for reading! :)

Guide to Improv Dancing

 Okay. When I say "Guide" I really mean what I do. I am in no way an Improv master (in fact, I think I suck at Improv) but these are what I do when I am improving to a song. Here a list of what I do when I improv.
1. NO MORE DARN TRICKS- Yeah It's okay to add in one or two turns here and there. But doing Battment after piroutte after areals?(sorry for spelling errors) The point of improv is to express yourself, NOT show off.
2. Feel the music- I usually let the music move me, not the other way around. If theres a click in the music, my elbow clicks. If theres a loud boom, I would do a knee drop. Your body should correspond to the music. Don't just move completely off beat. It looks weird.
3. Don't stress out about it- I know a lot of people who worry about what they're going to do during improv, but.... its improv. The point is to make it up on the spot and not pre create the dance.

Improv is a really good way of letting go. (in my opinion) Don't just stand there and look uncomfortable. Move!
 Sorry if I sounded mean :)

Favorite Contemporary Dance Songs

 This week I really wanted to make a list of my favorite songs that you could do a contemporary piece to. All of this songs a LOVE so much and love dancing to them. Even if you don't dance, you could still jam out to these songs. Heres the list!:
(In no particular order)
1. Slip- Elliot Moss
2. Trndsttr- Lucian Remix
3. Brother- Matt Corby (my current solo song. Im in love.)
4. Resolution- Matt Corby
5. Slacks-  St. South
6. Little Game- Benny
7.  Weight in Gold- Louis Futon Remix
8. Here-  Alessia Cara
9. Alive- Sia
10. Youth- Daughter
11. Run- Daughter
    At the moment, thats the list I have. There are probably some more that I really like but these were the ones that popped into my head first.  I know song of these sound like they wouldn't be very good songs to do a contemporary piece to, but to me I think they would be great. Thats all for this week. :)

Do and Do NOT

 Hey! Today I felt like sharing what to do and what NOT to do in your dance classes, and competitions. Heres the list!
 CLASSES: DO
DO Make sure to go to your class on time (the earlier the better!) so you can stretch for a little bit before you start. Being late is rude!
DO apologize  for being late. It's okay to be late every once in a while, but only if necessary!
DO be polite and quiet. It's okay to crack a smile every once in a while and talk if you're allowed, but don't go to overboard
DO work on what you feel you should outside of class. I always work on my flexibility outside of class, and other things I think I need brushing up on.
CLASSES: DONT
DONT show up late without an excuse.  It's extremely rude to just barge into class without good reason.
DONT look at the clock praying that class is over soon. It's okay to occasionally sneak a peak, but not so much that the teachers catch you.
DONT wear baggy clothes (hip hop (usually) okay) unless you are warming up. It's okay to wear T-shirts (if your studio allows it) but don't wear sweatshirts!
COMPETITIONS: DO
DO be polite to every one. Even if you know that they are better than you and you want to crush them, try to stay polite.
DO congratulate everyone (even if they're strangers!) after their dance. It's makes them feel good!
DO warm up before performing. Going on stage un stretched sucks. Seriously.
COMPETITIONS: DONT
DONT give other people mean stares. We know they may be better, but just stare at them in your head.
DONT forget your materials. Pack the night before! We don't want you forgetting your costumes!
DONT get upset after your performance. There's always next time :)

Favorite and Least Favorite "Tricks "

 So today is Friday (thank God)! I really wanted to share my favorite and least favorite dance most/least favorite moves/tricks.
 Favorites:
1. Second Jumps: I LOVE these jumps. I really like the feeling I get when I get it right, and I'm much more of jumper than a turner.

2.Tilt Jumps- They're like second jumps, but tilted. I also think that these are really fun.

3.Switch Leaps- I used to hate these, but now it's one of my favorite moves. It's a leap that switches midair, like this:

Traditionally it dosent switch into that, just a side jete, but I couldn't find a gif of a regular one.
Least Favorites:
1. Fouttes (is that how you spell it?)-I DESPISE these turns. I'm never able to get the hang of them, and I can never keep my center.

2.Tilting- I'm not as flexible as I would like, and it shows in my tilts. I can never get the hip placement right!

3. Developing into a hold- I don't know what do call it, but it's when you develop your leg very high, and hold it without using your hands. I'm working on it a lot, but as of now I don't like them.

These were all of my favorite and least favorite dance moves/tricks. Thanks for reading!

Tamagotchis

   For my birthday I just recently got the brand new tamagotchi, called Tamagotchi P's. A tamagotchi is a small handheld virtual pet that you take care of and I LOVE them. The new one is one of the first Tamagotchis to be made in color, and it's my favorite tamagotchi that I've ever had. I take it with me everywhere and take care of it whenever I'm not busy. The new tamagotchi allows you to paint your pet(which you couldn't in the last one since it essential made in color). You can also have kids, get married, and all that family stuff. Along with this, you can play games with your pet, buy it clothing, and MUCH more. I just thought I would do a little review on it :)
(They are quite expensive since they're from far away, and it takes a while for them to deliver. I recommend buying them off of amazon since it's very trustworthy.)

The Bad and the Good

      Hello! After last weeks competition, I thought this would be a good thing to share. There is a lot of bad things that happen that total control your life, but there will always be something good. This happens a lot to me, especially at dance competitions. At my first competition this year I had a solo, and did terrible at the competition. I got the lowest placement you could get, and didn't even place in my catergory. But at the next competition when I did my solo, I got her to the highest placement you could get, and I even placed in the Overalls (as well as my category). The way I danced didn't change, but it was all based on what the judges liked.
     I was SUPER upset after the first comp that the judges didn't like me. But after the second competition I realized that I felt like I did awesome when I performed my solo, so it only really mattered what I thought. I don't really have anywhere to go with this story, I just thought that I should share it. Bye! :)

Prepping For a Dance Competition

  Hello! Last week I had the first dance competition of the season! It was extremely fun, and my next one is this Saturday! Today I wanted to list things to remember at a competition and what to bring:
1. COSTUMES- of course, you always need to bring your costumes. Even if I don't have a certain dance one day, I always bring all my costumes incase something happens and I need to use a piece from a different costume( it has happened to me! )
2. MAKEUP- although I do my makeup at home, I always bring my supplies incase I need a touch up.
3. A CUDDLY BLANKET- when you have a break, it's always fun to wrap up in a blanket:)
4. FOOD AND DRINKS- chances are the food and drinks at competition are overpriced. Although most competitions don't allow food in dressing rooms, it's pretty easy to sneak some in.
5.HEAD PHONES AND PHONE-  Chances are at one point you'll need to text your parents during the day, and bring headphones to listen to your dances.
6. LASTLY- A NICE ATTITUDE- Those who are rude to other studios make the competition experience terrible, and being nice to the other companies is common manners! Clap for them and be polite.
 These are the most important to me, hope this helps! Until next week :)

What I got for Christmas 2015

 Christmas just recently passed and wanted to share what I got for Christmas with you guys! I'm only going to share my favorite five things I got for length purposes. In NO way am I trying to show off what I got, I just thought it would be fin to do. Lets get started!(In no particular order)

1. Dream Duffel garment bags- It's weird that these are one of my favorites, right? These are garment bags that are really high quality, and they have many pockets to hold different costume pieces. I got eight of them (one for each competition dance i'm in) and it keeps everything nice and organized. Im actually in about 15 recital dances, but thats not until June so I only got enough garment bags for the competition season (WHICH IS STARTING JANUARY YAYAYAYA). These bags go on my dream duffer which is like a huge suitcase that has built in hangers that you can hang your costumes off of. Ill probably show you guys that later in the year.

2. My new Caboodle!- A caboodle is a big container that holds all of your makeup, and I don't wear makeup to school, but I have A LOT for competition. So I hold all of my makeup in the caboodle. (I'll do a caboodle tour later in the year.) The one that I got is a lot bigger than the one I have previously so I can hold a lot more makeup in it. It's clear with polka dots!

It looks like this, except with polka dots on it.

3. Competition makeup- I love getting my competition makeup because it's really fun to organize (I love organizing). I got a bunch of makeup I need for competition,which i'll show in another blog. My favorite is the red Mac lipstick because it smells SO GOOD. I love it so much!

4. A new phone!- I got a new phone! This is because the one that I had stopped working and I really need a new one. I got the Iphone 6s in rose gold and I love the phone a lot.

5.  A Hover board- I got a hover board as a family gift. I don't consider myself as one of "those" people who wander around the streets and school with it, but I do love using it on night time walks and around the house. The one i got is in a maroon/purple color.

          

  Those were my top five Christmas gifts! I hope you guys all had a great Christmas/ Hanukkah and i'll see you next week. :)

Caboodle Tour

I said in my Christmas post that I would do a tour of my caboodle, that time has come! If you really don't care about this kind of stuff, I'm sorry! Lets dig into it!

This is the outside of the caboodle, it's a pretty simple design, but I like it.

When you open it up, this is the main overview.

On the left side, the top has all of my eyeshadow (a smokey eye is required)  The bigger pallet is the Naked 2 Basics and the smaller one is just some smokey eye pallet I found at the pharmacy.

The middle left side has the blush. A mac blush and a pharmacy blush.

The bottom left has a lip balm, some eyelash glue, and hand sanitizer.

The top right side has a red lipstick(which smells amazing) a red lipliner, and a blush brush.

The middle right has some bronzer, and eyebrow makeup.

The bottom right has eyeshadow primer, and mascara

The very bottom has everything that didn't fit in the other slots- foundation, face powder, glitter spray (for my hair!) fashion glue, fashion tape, eyelashes, Q-tips, concealer, eyeshadow brushes, and makeup wipes.

 That's everything that's in my caboodle, sorry if you found it boring! See you next week :)

Kawaii Box November!

I got another Kawaii Box! I really loved this one, all of the items included in this Kawaii Box were super cute! Heres everything that came in last months box.(All Kawaii Boxs come in the next month. So the December box will come in January. Happy New Years and Christmas!)

A charm keychain! I think this is really cute and I put it on the side of my dream duffel.

Some fruit hairpins. Honestly I'll never wear these so I don't know what to do with them.

A strawberry designed pouch. I use this to but my competition tights in so they don't get dirty.

A bread bun squishy. Basically it's just a squishy. Adding it to my collection!

3 Peas in a Pod plushie! You can also take out the peas and use the pouch.

A boot shaped pen. This is probably my favorite thing I got simply because of how cute it is.

A 2016 desktop calendar! It's set up on my desk right now, and I love it!

Pocky sticks! A bread stick with a strawberry coating. No complaints there!

Some really cute mini highlighters. They work really well and I use them for school.

 That was about everything I got in my Kawaii Box! I was very pleased with this one. I also recently subscribed to another box called Japan Candy Box. Once those start coming I'll make posts on those. Thanks for reading! :)