Movin' Easy Dancewear

The Fluent Body with Sarah Brumgart offers group Yoga classes for all skill levels and ages, Wednesdays noon-1pm and Thursdays 6-7pm.

Classes held @ Austin Center for Holistic Healing & Yoga, 5515 Balcones Drive, 2nd floor, near 2222 & Mopac, across from Chez Zee Restaurant, above Independence Title, entrances to staircase by Pakmail or Nails.

Register at  sarah@sarahbumgart.com

512-241-1915

www.sarahbrumgart.com

The Dance Zone is hosting a Pro Dance Prep Workshop and Team Training Camp on April 30th from 1-4pm taught by instructor and owner,  Liz Walter.

You will learn style-specific routines from  professional dance teams, kick lines, special pro team specific workout moves to get you in your best shape as well as tons of other tips and tricks to help you prepare for the upcoming audition season. Including how to get the judges attention, what the directors/judges for each of these teams is looking for ie: what to wear, how to do your makeup and hair, what technical skills to focus on most in your private lessons, why you should add cardio classes and whether or not this is really right for you.

Special guest and Dallas Cowboy’s Cheerleader, Alyssa Sarasani, will also be attending and is eager to share her extensive knowledge about auditioning for professional dance teams. Sarasani began her dancing career in Austin by taking Walter’s UT Informal Street Jazz classes before The Dance Zone opened in 2003 and since then she has danced and cheered with the Ice Bats Batgirls Dance Team, Texas Wranglers, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Cowboys. She will be an invaluable source of information regarding the audition process for these professional dance teams.

To  RSVP ASAP for this event email liz@inthedancezone.com

Pre-registration is open and recommended.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=199546603412908

www.inthedancezone.com

The Austin City Ballet is holding auditions  for

Snow White and The Sleeping Beauty

January 8th @ The Austin Conservatory of the Arts

14735 Bratton Lane, Suite 125, Austin, Texas 78728

Call 512-496-5937 for more info

www.austin-conservatory-arts.com

Dream Learn Dance.  One of my favorite memories is talking to a counselor, I can’t remember of what sort, who said she dreamed in four different ways.  I took her four dreaming styles into the ways I learn, the ways I plan and initiate projects, the ways I interact with people, and the ways I dance.

Her four ways of dreaming were ONE, hearing an inner dialog sorting, planning, or informing, TWO entering the feeling of the action and being involved in the physical movement like in running, falling, or entering a room, THREE point to point awareness of position, now I am here and now I am somewhere else, FOUR sequencing of now this is happening and next comes this action followed by another action.

As I began to apply the four styles, I realized they are distinct ways of learning that educators use to identify how each individual learns differently.  Those styles are loosely auditory, sensory and kinesthetic, spatial, and sequential.

As an example, the four styles apply to an athlete learning to pole vault.  One aspect of the training is being told what to do and perfecting mistakes with a trainer’s comments.  Some athlete’s would concentrate on the sequence of now I do this, now this and follow through to that.  Other’s would concentrate on the spatial orientation of arrive at this position and apply effort or momentum to arrive at another position.  Still other athletes would favor the feel of the running approach, the feeling of how the pole is placed, and the kinesthetic feeling when the body finds the perfect synch to clear the pole.

Visited Mr. Man’s 2^nd grade PE.  Elementary PE is with it, now incorporating elements of dance to encourage students.  They get a larger vocabulary of movement and get to move to music.  The music plays while the coach calls out movement changes that kids do, crossing from one side of the gym floor to the other.  Yes, power walk, jog, and skipping and side slide(chasse).  Of course, some of the children love to throw in a turn or two just to get their brains going a little more.

What’s education without the arts?

Early childhood education is interesting, involving, and full of immediate feedback.  Exploration is the essential ingredient and the arts play an important role.

It is true, education is learning languages.  There are verbal languages, written languages, as well as the languages of the sciences, the arts, communication, and engineering.  Every new structure, every new language we learn helps us learn other languages, other ways to put together information.  What is not understood is that each of these disciplines has their own syntax and vocabulary that are essential to the learning process.

The critical difference in the art languages is that they involve more areas of the brain than what we normally refer to as languages.  As children mature in our school system, they understand the difference between classes that prod one area of the brain and the learning that excites them when they learn video games or workout for a sport.

Looking at the languages of the arts, dance is the complete coordinator of brain connectivity; music does much the same as dance with the benefit of immediate feedback for personal output and for cooperating with others.  Art is well understood at the early childhood level and abandoned as the person progresses in their education.

Because the legislators and board members never received this kind of brain training, they insist that education be limited to the spoken and written forms of language.  Further complicating the picture of what is education, the language of science and communication are limited to the written forms of learning.  What begins as an exciting exploration of learning becomes a plodding study of written facts without a relationship to how fertilizer is made or how a bridge is built. 

What is left out is the essential elements of the arts, exploration.

Here at Movin’ Easy, all of our Dancewear Specialists go through an extensive 6 week pointe shoe training. Throughout our many years serving the pointe shoe community, we have put together a list of some FAQ’s. We hope this answers any questions that you may have about pointe shoes! Haven’t found what your looking for? Give us a call and we will assist you! 512.474.0980

Q. At what age should a student start pointe class?

A. 12 is the standard age to start pointe class. Putting too young of children in pointe shoes can be very dangerous to growth plates, and can lead to serious injury.

Q. How long does a pointe-fitting take?

A. Usually a pointe fitting can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. The more inexperienced the dancer, the longer the fitting so a Dancewear Specialist can be very thorough to ensure a proper fit. An appointment is always recommended for a pointe fitting, whether beggining or advanced.

Q. Is it OK to buy pointe shoes with growing room?

A. Fitting with growing room is not recommended for safety purposes. Pointe shoes that are too big can lead to serious injury.

Q. Is there a right and left shoe?

A. Not initially. The student decides which feet they go on, and then mark the ribbons and elastic as left and right. The shoes will mold to the dancers feet with wear.

Q. What if one foot is longer than the other?

A. If there is a drastic difference in foot sizes then two pairs of shoes are necessary. Because there is no right or left in the shoes, the student gets two usable pairs of shoes.

Q. What if my second toe is longer than my first toe?

A. The best fix for a longer second toe is adding a special big toe gel pad. This pad is placed over the big toe extending it to be the same length as the second toe. If this does not work, wrap loose lambs wool around the big toe for added comfort.

Q. Why do some dancers crisscross their elastic?

A. The crisscross elastic gives a little more ankle support. Dancers with over developed arches or ankle strength need more support in the shoes so as not to over extend on the platform of the pointe shoe. Also, crisscross elastic helps hold the shank of the shoe straight if there is slight twisting.

Q. What does “three-quartered” mean?

A. “Three quartered” is in reference to the shank of the pointe shoe. It means the shank only goes ¾ of the way up the shoe.

Q. Do I need a “three-quartered” shank?

A. A ¾ shank is usually intended for a dancer that has a less developed arch or ankle strength. The shorter shank helps the dancer achieve a full upright position on the platform of the pointe shoe. Another common case of getting a ¾ shank is for performance reasons. Because the shank is shorter, it takes less time to break in and gives that “broken in” look right away.

Q. Why do I need padding?

A. Padding is a personal decision made by the student after listening to her teachers recommendations. Padding helps cushion the toes while inside a pointe shoe.

Q. What is the best padding for me?

A. After listening to teacher recommendations, try out different padding to see which is right for you. Lambs wool has been around the longest but wears out quickly, and gel pads are more expensive but don’t need to be replaced as often.

Q. When should I buy new pointe shoes?

A. It’s time to get a new pair of shoes when the dancer does not feel supported while en pointe. The shoes will be visibly worn out as well, for example, the shanks become very flexible and the boxes very soft.

Q. Why does the box and platform get soft?

A. Pointe shoes are essentially made out of glue. With wear, the glue breaks down leaving the boxes and platforms soft.

Q. What do I do if my pointe shoes are very wet after class?

A. With wear, students feet sweat, wetting the pointe shoes. After class, take all padding out of the shoe and put the shoes in a mesh bag carried outside of a big dance bag. Pointe shoes require 48 hours to dry completely.

Q. Should I dance in my old pointe shoes?

A. Dancing in old pointe shoes can lead to serious injury because of lack of support in the shoe. But don’t throw them away, you can decorate them and hang them up in your room!

Q. Where is the correct place to tie the ribbon knot?

A. The knot should be tied on the inside of the foot just between the anklebone and achilles tendon. Tying the knot on the anklebone can result in bruising.

Q. What is rosin for?

A. Rosin is hardened tree sap and used on dance shoes if the floor is slippery.

Q. Will pointe work always be hard and uncomfortable?

A. As the dancer gets more experienced pointe work will become easier. Once proper alignment is achieved, dancers become lighter on their feet and pressure on their toes is relieved.

Q. Do men do pointe?

A. Typically men do not do pointe work. Under certain circumstances, men use pointe shoes for strengthening ankles and arches.

Dance shoes made with quality materials and workmanship can last for years.

Heels and soles are replaceable.  Padding can be refurbished without destroying the shoe.

Straps can be repaired and full toes patched.

So if you have a pair of shoes that you love, take them to a reputable repair shop.

In Austin, we suggest Karavel Comfort Center at 5525 Burnet Road, 512-459-7603