(Source: nicholebell)
(Source: teatrodelamaestranza)
Apologies
For not keeping up with this blog. I’ve been checking it sporadically and I feel bad when I end up with a mountain of messages to respond to.
I appreciate every single message you guys send in. I’m so grateful that so many of you trust me enough to ask my advice. It’s very flattering!
Stay safe and never hesitate to send me a message! I’ll be making an effort to keep this running and posting regularly!
Anonymous asked: I've been a ballet dancer ever since I was young, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot get my arabesque above 90 degrees. My back is flexible enough, I just cannot ever hold it there about 90 while looking graceful. Do you have any tips?
Strengthen your back muscles! Do any back exercises you can, because that’s where the height of your arabesque will come from.
Anonymous asked: Is it better to be skinny or larger in ballet?
I think that depends entirely on your personal preference, to be honest.
Personally, I prefer to be thinner. BUT that comes with complications. I feel lighter when I weigh less and it DOES make partnering a little easier but that’s not to say it’s the ideal.
Of course, the desirable shape for woman in society (not just ballet) is always changing - Look back a few decades and you’ll see that the “ideal woman” was curvier and softer than she is now. The same with ballet.
It wasn’t until Balanchine came along that very thin dancers became desirable.
But, I’ll go back to my first comment - It’s entirely up to how you feel. If you feel comfortable at a larger size, then stay that size. If not, that’s up to you to decide. I don’t believe in conforming to what you perceive as the “right” way to look. It’s unhealthy and comparing two bodies never achieves anything.
Natasha x
Anonymous asked: Hi! How can I have nice calves? I'm doing like 100 somedays, like once per week. And I don't see good improvement. Can you tell me how ? Thank you!
Hey!
Try standing on a step, with your heels hanging off the end. Do a few sets of 20 rises, making sure to drop your heels as far as you can when you lower. If you do these every day, you’ll hopefully see an improvement in not only your calves, but the length of your achilles tendons as well!
Natasha x
Anonymous asked: Hey, I was just wondering how I can make my back more flexible? (:
Hey!
Simple back stretches are the way to go. You need to be careful when it comes to stretching your back because our spines are not made to bend the way we want them to. Our lumbar are designed to stay put, our thoracic to bend sideways and our cervical to bend forward and back. So it’s not easy to coax them into moving ways in which they’re not accustomed.
And a lot of flexibility in the back comes from strength. One of the most common strengthening exercises used is this:
Lay on your stomach, legs stretched out behind you. Have someone hold your ankles if you find you’re lifting your feet off the ground to aid you. Start by pushing yourself up with your hands. Try to keep your hips on the ground and your elbows straight. Once you feel like you’re stable, remove one arm and put it in second position. Then the other. Try to keep as upright as possible.
When you feel you’ve got that down pat, start in the same position with your arms in fifth. Without pushing off the floor with your hands, lift your torso up off the floor, keeping your hips anchored. Move your arms from fifth, down to first (in a reverse port de bras) and push further back “through” your arms. Then through to second, back to first, to fifth, and relax back into the floor.
I hope that helps some!
