Jogging in Peoples Park and Anne Hathaway Stars In Black Swan?!?!

"Dancing Fountain" People's Park, Davao City

  Came home from jogging in People's Park. Sigh, the irony of fresh air in the middle of a bustling city. People's Park is only a short walk from Locsin's  and is as beautiful at night as it is in the morning. At night, they turn on the "Dancing Fountain". I've never seen it live, just pictures :P This morning, lots of prople were in the park. Jogging, sitting down, walking, there were even some people practicing Arnis! :D
  When we came home, Dad turned on the telly. We don't usually watch local T.V. because it's a school rule not watch T.V. on weekdays.On weekends, though, we watch mostly movies.
  The host in Umagang Kay Ganda was talking about Venus Raj's Black Swan costume. Gosh! She made a mistake with the credits! Its Natalie Portman who starred in the movie NOT Anne Hathaway!!! Outrage much!

  Oh well, we all make mistakes... Will try to post a video of it :P
 

Halloween and The Week After

Hahaha, read BalletNEWS' Ballet on Halloween-Shoes, Style, and Shivers and realized that there are ballet's for Halloween. There's Giselle, because of the Willis, and La Sylphide.

  Speaking of Halloween, I really went as a pirate for the School party, and, guess what, I won 2nd Place!!! Hahahaha :))

  This morning, at Ballet, I happily realized that class after pointe work is so much easier! It's actually relieving...

 There will be no class for this whole week, Ballet and school. Holidays... Except on Saturday there's Ballet. planning on doing Yoga and all those other thing to fill the spare time... :P

Happenings; Yesterday, Today, etc.

Yes! Got to attend one on one class yesterday :D We had to end early because the older levels had rehearsals. Grrr... Can't get the steps right away '_' "Don't over-think, just dance!" Kuya Henry keeps reminding me. What worries me about myself is that maybe I'm not over-thinking, maybe I'm not thinking at all! :( Not good. This was exactly my problem in LCB.The reason I got reprimanded and cried :S. Brain cells must start working faster >_<
  I have a new point of view with dancing now. Instead of the usual "No pain no gain", It's more of applying the little steps on the barre to other things. For example: when we do plies I won't just concentrate an the step right now, it's not just getting it right and stuff, but while doing it I'll think about the muscles I'm using and how it will help with center work and the choreography.

Natalie Portman in "Black Swan"

     * * *

  School Halloween party this afternoon!!! Hahaha! Of course my very first choice was to go as a ballerina but then I don't have a tutu so I decided to go as a pirate :| Now I'm having second thoughts of going in tights and leotards in a wrap-around skirt and pointe shoes... Oh and, just an idea, copy the makeup from "Black Swan"!!!:P

Not Again...

  Missed one on one class today. Again! Felt sick at school this afternoon so I cancelled the class.. Why is this happening to me?  The days that I'm supposed to have one on one, I feel sick!!! And to think I was looking forward to today's class! I hope nothing like this happens on Thursday...
 Class yesterday was great though :D Oh, and no Dance Club this week, Holloween Party \m/ I wonder if there's a ballet with a Halloween theme? :P

Ballet is Beautiful!

After fighting over the chocolate-pointe shoe thing :P

Ahhh... The world is beautiful again! I got my energy back and I don't feel down anymore :D I'm so happy... Had class today and the choreography is great! Class again tomorrow. One on one.

  Over the weekend my parents encouraged me to eat chocolate. Yes, chocolate! Ha ha! They said that when you eat chocolate, your body releases some kind of hormone that makes you... Happy :D So I had the privilege of eating a chocolate cake for desert after lunch and some pieces of chocolate before sleeping <3 Looks like chocolate is actually good for you :) Will find a way to smuggle chocolate somewhere in the house for my own personal enjoyment... One small serving per day will keep me on my toes, I'm sure <3

  Speaking of chocolate, and remembering my pointe shoes, I had this fight with a friend in LCB once because she put chocolate on my pointes! We did not talk for the whole day but in the end, we made up and hugged and cried :P

  LOL, Just read from Dance Magazine E-news that candies and chocolate can reduce your risk of being overweight! O_O Really?..

T_T

It turns out that the cause for my tiredness is actually this anti-fungal medicine I'm taking. It's side effects can lead to depression O_O I stopped taking it now but I still feel very tired... Had pointe class yesterday. I really have to work on my stamina. I mean, what's making me this tired T_T I'm doing everything on pointe all wrong...Oh :( We have choreography for our Christmas show... I'm a bit vague about my part but I hope I dance it perfectly :D
  I think I'll skip one on one and make it once a week instead of twice... and I can make up for it by doing Yoga with Mom... Really, I think I'm stressed.

Better... or Not

  Finally better. Attended one on one class today. Felt so weak. I don't know why I feel so tired these days. Maybe I'm burned out or something. I just don't feel like dancing. I hope this will go away.
  This morning, Mom found the website of the New Zealand School of Dance. I went through the site for the whole morning.
  Something bizarre I found on the net, it's not recent but I guess it's worth sharing:
Man attacks Russian Ballerinas for Speaking Russian.

One On One

I wish I could stretch like that...

  Had a one on one class with Kuya Henry, the Ballet Manila trained teacher, last night. When I woke up this morning I felt very sick. I think I'll have to miss pointe class tomorrow T_T. Why, why, why? This flu has been going around me and my classmates at school. My head hurts so much... I don't remember the last time I had fever. I'm just watching ballet videos and reading BalletNEWS' Cupcakes & Conversation Series.

  Last night Kuya Henry asked me if I was on a diet to which I replied no. It was time I started counting my food, he said, because my tummy sticks out. I tried doing sit ups every day before, when I was still in LCB, but my little bulge just wont go down! :P

  He taught me this stretching routine which they did in BM. Its called Vaganova Stretch. It's really different when there's someone there to help you stretch. It's easier and you get a better stretch. I should do this more often.

   On the barre he said, "Slowly when you move! In ballet your movement is as if you are in an aquarium." which gave me an idea of practicing Por de Bras in a swimming pool. We did pirouettes across the room. "When you turn, attack, no, the attack in ballet is different, were not going to war!"

  Oh yeah and we just used music from the radio, not classical. He said classical makes him sleepy :P

  He also gave me tips for a higher arch. I should wear my pointe shoes around the house and force my arch when sitting down.

  I hope I get better by Monday...

Haters

  So this guy tells me that ballet is boring and that dance club just makes our bodies hurt. What is he throwing at me? I mean what the heck will he get from saying these things anyway? He’s not even part of Dance club! Well, he was but he quit and told me he hates it.

  Ok, I have to understand that when you go professional there will be standing ovations and tomato throwing. There will be times when you’ll be booed off the stage and, when that happens, you just have to remember all the people who said you were talented.

  I still have my loyal Dance club-ers to count on for inspiration. Yes my own students inspire me. They inspire me to keep going because they like what I do, that what I do works for them. They are so much nicer than my little critic anyway.

  It’s useless to ask “What did I do to get this kind of treatment?” because we’ll never know. So many different things go on in people’s minds and there could be a thousand things for him to dislike me. Maybe he finds me annoying, self centered. Or maybe he’s just jealous or doesn't even know the magnitude of what he's saying… :P

  And maybe ballet is boring, TO HIM. And maybe dance club is a strenuous activity, FOR HIM. It’s all a matter of opinion and one guy with foul mouth aint’ gonna’ make mah dance club crumble!!!! Movie stars get it all the time, I mean all this talk of Justin Bieber or Charice being cyber bullied. That’s how it rolls…

Haters only make you famous!

A Visit from Ballet Philippines

Ballet Philippines Artistic Director Paul Alexander Morales

 Watched Ballet Philippines perform "Faces of Eve" in SM Mall Davao on Sunday. They were so good!! What I noticed most of all was that their jumps were silent, as in soundless! They performed both classical and contemporary pieces. I took some videos but, unfortunately, they won't upload.The pictures are kinda blurry too T_T.

  Most of what they performed were works by Filipino artists (Go Pinoy!) like; "To Whom It May Concern" by Novy Bereber, "Crisostomo Ibarra" <3 by: Paul Alexander Morales, and a lot more. They also performed Variations from "Harlequinade", and "The Sleeping Beauty".

  I'd say my favorite part was a contemporary piece in which the dancers wore white. I forgot it's title but it was  a really exciting piece.

Locsin's students with BP dancers

  I wish ballet companies would come to perform more often, I mean, we need stuff like this! There's barely any "happenings" around here and when there is the people of Davao flock in one place to be there.

  Anyway, here's a link to the company members of BP:
Ballet Philippines - THE COMPANY
I recognize some dancers including the one I was starstruck with <3 LOL :P Hehe

Dance Club Pictures

  Dance club. This Friday's Jazz class was great! Our students are improving. We didn't do progression this week, we went straight to the Choreography. We danced to 'Black and Gold' choreo by Pat. It rained so hard we had to shout to be heard. Water kept dripping from the gym's ceiling so we decided to practice on the stage... But it was still good.

  After class, we took random pictures around the gym... There was this huge puddle where we did some dance poses like baby freeze and arabesque :D Fun excited for next week. I hope I come up with some good choreo :D

 

Finally... Pointe Class!!!!!!

  Pointe class finally!!!! :D Teacher Agnes told us to bring our pointes next Saturday. So excited! Hello again, dead toenails, blisters, and bleeding feet...

  During the summer, the last LCB show that I performed in, we used masking tape to protect our feet. I wonder what Teacher Agnes will introduce to us...

My Ballet Bag

The Stuff:

1. Ballet slippers - Duh

2. Hairpin box - What a ballerina needs

3. Extra clothes and towel - my leotard's soaking wet after class.

4. Container for glasses - that phobia that your glasses might crushed...

5. Dance journal - I write down the corrections that I get from class.

6. Bug spray - Our studio's open air.

7. Pointes - Justin case that much awaited pointe class comes.

8. Tape - for toes during pointes.

9. Sewing kit - Just in case my I have some sort of wardrobe malfunction :P

10. Book - to read while waiting for Mom or Dad to pick me up

Walking To Ballet Class

 Quirino St.,Davao City. I walked underneath that building
to the left of the taxi. 

  I walked from Quirino Doctors Clinic to Locsin's! I guess that's less than a kilometer but its the first time I've ever walked in the street by myself!!! Yeah, LOL :P I love that part of town. Some buildings, like Locsin's, have been there since my grandma was a teenager. Others are really new and only opened this year. It's a busy but calm part of town, If you know what I mean. It's an urban jungle full of people, cars, and noise. But it's still got that old feel to it...
Mom needed to drop by the doctor's for my brother's check up and she asked me if I could  walk. I don't usually get chances like that. I'm not even allowed to go laag or outing with friends without my parents.  I hesitated at first but then I remember one of my friends walking from school to the mall to meet up with her mom. If this wasn't going to be my first time, then when? I clutched my ballet bag for more confidence and walked passed the mob of people waiting to cross the street. It felt liberating. I felt so at home. Davao is my home. What a milestone!
  When I got to Locsin's, I noticed that the studio on the first floor was fixed unusually, with table cloths and a barre draped with leaves in the middle of the stage. I entered through the back and saw one of my classmates. He told me that there was no class because it was Teacher Agnes' Birthday!!!

  Happy Birthday Teacher Agnes!!! :D

  LOL, hehe... Sigh, what a day! :D

Random Week

DEEEEEEEP Exhale... I've been feeling very un-inspired and un-energized and tired... in short kapoy, Bisaya for tired :P Teacher Agnes hasn't been teaching though. She went to Manila to attend the funeral of Noordin Jumbalon, Ballet Philippines' Principal dancer.. I think :(
  It's funny how close the people are in this country's Ballet world. I mean, everyone knows everyone, more or less...
 Dance club was rather unproductive this week T_T We only had 4 students... Were think of not having formally taught classes... You know poeple will meet up and bring any dance they want with them be it Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap... Like in Step Up 3. We might get our old members back... But some students want me to continue teaching so I'm thinking that anyone, OK, anyone, can teach what ever new dance move they learned... Still thinking about it... :D