The Ballet Years: Learning to Dance

Ballet is said to refine, making use of normally unused parts of the body. The New York City Ballet say that just as we statistically are said to use only a small percentage of our brains, the same can be said of the body; dancers have a heightened awareness and knowledge of themselves and their instrument. I too want to better understand my instrument (giggle, giggle). So...

...it's finally happened, I've delicately slipped into a tutu - ok, fine, my tutu - draped my shoes around my neck and hit the barre. The bright lights, the adrenaline rush as you float ethereally across the stage and the indulgent escapism one feels when in the melodic throws of Romeo & Juliet...are all things I haven't felt just quite yet. Pain? Oui, beacoup du pain. Feeling like your body might crumble like garden Jenga that's been left in the rain all winter? Yes, I'm familiar with that simile. I'm clumsily trying to unlock the gates to all balletic secrets with a key made of marshmallow, but I love it.

Anyway, rather than flit from 'self-cunilingistical' statement to the next, I'm just going to show a few moves that you might find creep into your workouts.

 


Hip Rotations - great for lower abdominals, and policemen.



What to do:

 

- Basically, lie on your back with both feet in the air and lower abs pulled in to stabilise the pelvis.
- squeeze your thighs and calves together and keep your heels together at ALL times.
- flex your feet and, squeezing your bum, rotate your legs,within the hips, outwards, using your inner thigh and deep rotator muscles under the glutes. Push as far as you can into first position as possible.
- return to the start.

- repeat 16 times.



Grand Battements - amazing for quads, glutes and inner thighs...in fact, everything.

- rather than try to explain this one, here's a picture and a video. I would say, however, that you should try doing 3 to the front, side and then back. Starting with only lifting the leg half way to what you're capable of.
- http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CgKXn1Evj-o


 

 

 

Plié Relevé - good if you want the kind of legs that the child of Darcey Bussell and Usain Bolt might have/have had...you heard it here first.

 

- begin in 1st position (look it up)

- bend knees as you rotate legs outward, knees over toes (demi-plié)

- return to starting position

- squeezing glutes, press inner thighs together, lift heels up, place weight on balls of feet.

- return to starting position, pressing inner thighs together as you lower heels.

- aim for 3 sets of 16 reps.

 

 

It's dawned on me that explaining these seemingly straightforward movements is in fact difficult and, I expect, even harder to follow. So, we'll stick to just these three, for the time being.

Time for me to hit the bar now....I know, I know, I'm better than that - I'm not, I'm really not.

F.

3 Foods That May Change Your Life, But Probably Won't

More time has slipped through my literary clutches and I now write from a new and fresh beginning; the self imposed shackles of establishment have been cast away. So, what to write about. Well, in lieu of launching a food range (we now do lunch boxes for the nutritionally needy), I thought I'd list the top three ingredients from this opening week and why they're just, like, oh my god, so über important for looking, like, reallyreallyreally good.

1. 'We need to talk about Quinoa' - Seriously, if you're interested in nutrition and this isn't a part of your life by now, you've failed as a human being. Congratulations, you are the equivalent of bed cushions, wind chimes, Scientology, ITV3, dream catchers and vegetarian bacon - utterly pointless. Anyway, quinoa contains all 9 amino acids (building blocks for muscle tissue), has a low GI (energy is released slowly), is alkaline forming in the stomach and low in calories. Exactly.

2. 'Spelt, as in how is it' - this super grain was wildly popular during medieval times but got edged out of general contention by bread wheat, along with public flogging, dysentery and throwing your shit in the street. It tastes amazing, goes well with a LOT of things (feta cheese, spring onions and rocket, to name a few), is high in protein, fibre, B- Vitamins and low in calories. I know, stop it....no, you stop it.

3. Chilli - wow, where on earth do I begin. Here are just a few to tickle your intrigue:

a. Capsicum (the substance I'm chillies that gives the heat) lifts your metabolism by activating your sympathetic nervous system - which leads to fat oxidation - by up to 42%! 

b. Aids blood circulation.

c. Prevents and relieves arthritis - it's an anti-inflammatory.

d. It triggers the release of endorphins making you happier than Pharrell on Xanax.

e. It's a natural remedy for herpes...apparently...well, according to a friend of mine.

Right, that's it. Short and sweet. Brevity in blog form. We might talk about eggs next time...it was that or Jesus.