Ballet Tutus

   When I was in my assisting class at dance today, I was inspired to write about tutus. One of the little girls in the class that I was helping with was wearing one, and instantly, I knew that tutus was what I was going to blog about.

   Being a ballerina myself, tutus are a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I know that sounds really cheesy and kind of strange, but it's true. I absolutely love them. I've done a little bit of research about them so that I could know about all of the different types of tutus. Ballet tutus are absolutely not to be mixed up with any other form of women's skirst. They are specifically titled ballet tutus for a reason. Ballerinas wear them when dancing a ballet.
 
      Now, there is not just one style of tutu for ballet that everybody uses, there are many. In ballet, there are four major types of tutus. There is bell or pancake tutus, which are both classical, then there is the romantic tutu and the Balanchine-Karinska tutu. Because I was so excited to learn about these tutus, I felt that I should share what I learned with my readers.

•  Classical Pancake Tutu-The pancake tutu extends directly from the hips. It is worn with a hoop to keep it's shape very straight and flat, like a pancake.

•  Classical Bell Tutu- The bell tutu extends directly from the hips. Unlike the pancake tutu, it is not worn with a hoop. Instead, it has the sloping shape of a bell.

•  The Balanchine-Karinska Tutu- This tutu actually has an interesting background. The famous ballet master George Balanchine often choreographed ballets with a very large number of dancers. There were often many problems with the dancers traditional pancake tutus brushing up against each other, so Karinska, a famous designer from the 1950's who costumed Balanchines dancers, set out to fix that problem. She created the so-called powder puff tutu that had a much looser appearance and supported itself without a hoop.

• The Romantic Tutu- The romantic tutu is in the shape of a bell and it is between knee and ankle length. It is free flowing and emphasizes lightness and ethereal quality when used in the romantic ballets. It is said to have been invented and made famous among European ballet dancers by Marie Taglioni, a famous ballet dancer in the romantic era.

   After reading this, I hope that you have learned some new things about tutus. The next time that you see a ballet, I hope that you would appreciate all of the different styles and forms of the beautiful art of...
THE TUTU

  

  

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

    Thanksgiving holiday is this week! Yahoo! I know that when Thanksgiving comes around, people start making lists of what they're thankful for. Right now, I'm going to do just that. However, since I know that it can get a little boring hearing the same thing over and over and over again about what people are thankful for, I'm going to change things up a bit. Don't get me wrong, it's great to share with other people what we're thankful for, I'm just going to make it a bit more interesting. I'm going to write a list of small things that I'm thankful for, not just the average "I'm thankful for my family and friends..." type stuff. It'll be more like random, slightly insignificant things. So, here it goes. . .

I am thankful for...

1. Napkin baskets. I was just sitting here at my dining room table thinking about how much I like my napkin basket and of how useful it is.
2. Clean water.
3. Being able to have free access to an extremely large amount of books through libraries.
4. Learning Espanol.
5. Cars and telephones! Without them, I wouldn't be able to be in contact with family in different states.
6. Porcupines. They are really cool and I think they're super cute! 
7. Museums.
8. Pot holders.
9. Exfoliating face wash.  
10. Really warm socks.
11. Belts.
12. Paper. I love paper.
13. Sudoku.
14. Christmas lights. I'm glad that we don't use actual candles. My Christmas would end in disaster every year if we did!
15. Candles. (As long as their not on a Christmas tree!)
16. Potato peelers. 
17. Pony-tail holders and bobby pins.
18. Cameras.
19. Umbrellas. They're just so much fun, AND they're very useful!
20. Pens. I'm glad that we don't just have quill's and ink to use anymore. We have more options now! 
21. Ice trays.  

Old Rhymes . . .

   I was just flipping through my old journal that I used in my English class a few years ago hoping that I would find some inspiration for a blog post to write. Then I found it. Exactly what I was looking for.

    I found my old poetry.

   As I was reading through it all, I was very entertained and laughed at a lot of it, yet, I was also pretty impressed. Some of my poems weren't actually that bad! My junior high self actually had some pretty good ideas. I was beginning to think that it would be fun to share my poetry with other people. I find it rather entertaining(even the bad stuff. It makes me laugh!), so I was hoping that it would also entertain others besides myself. But then I realized that the only two people in the whole entire world who have seen my poetry is myself and my English teacher. Then suddenly, I had an epiphany! I could just re-write my poetry into my "modern journal" . . . My blog!

   So, without further ado, here is my old poetry! About 99.9% of this poetry is all haikus; but, alas, haikus are my favorite form of poetry. :)

"y=mx+b"
Graphing is not fun.
At least, that is what they say.

Yet, it is my joy!

"Tendus & Bautmas"
Releve, plie,
Releve, plie, jump, jump.

Life has ups and downs.

"She is"
Dancing, she is
Clothed in orange and red, she is

She is the fire.

"Valentines Day"
Distressed and lonely
Until this very day.
Where everything is cheery
And in a bright array.

"The Journey"
The big grey waves
Up and down we go along

With a yellow stripe.

"Dreams of Summer"
The summer fairies,
The dandelions in the air,

Are just the snowflakes in my hair.