The Alberta Ballet - Sleeping Beauty

I went to the Alberta Ballet last night to watch Sleeping Beauty. It was a truly beautiful production - with gorgeous sets, costumes and talented dancers. The male lead was of course Kelley McKinlay, and Princess Aurora was placed by Hayna Gutierrez - a new addition to the Alberta Ballet company.

What I really enjoyed about the production was that it was a classic ballet. Every detail was steeped in tradition. The choreography was challenging and the score was glorious. In spite of his smaller role, Yukichi Hattori, was still my favourite. His dancing is so incredibly effortless - the height in his jumps and his grace is unrivaled. But Yukichi aside, the entire company came together and the production was delightful.

I could go on and on about the choreography and amazing dancers, but what really struck me was the number of parents that brought their little girls to the production. One little girl was wearing her Sleeping Beauty dress (I asked if I could take a picture but her mother kindly declined)! It is reassuring to see parents encourage their children to cultivate an interest in the arts. I applaud parents who do so and give their children the opportunity to explore the arts. Had I been give the same opportunity, dance may have found me 18 years ago.

Interesting Quote on Persistence

This quote really resonated with me. I'm sure all of us dancers realize the value of determination and persistence when practicing and preparing for competitions.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence, Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

- Calvin Coolidge, 30th American President

2010 Wild Rose Ball

We had the 2010 Wild Rose Ball in Calgary last weekend at the Polish Cultural Centre. The dancers from our studio did really well. Leah and Richard won Adult Silver, Michael and Clarice won Adult Pre-Champ and also placed fourth in Adult Champ. Whitney and Winston did really well as well - placing second in Adult Pre-Champ. All of us were quite happy with how things turned out. Everyone has been working really hard and their efforts are paying off.

Unfortunately, David and I did not compete. We decided that after the Embassy Ball, we still have quite a bit that we need to work on. We'll be competing at the Grandball in Vancouver next month. So we are working hard to ensure that we'll be ready for that. You have to win a competition before you walk on to the dance floor!

I have attached some pictures of our couples! I was so jealous - wish I was competing as well...

Slavik and Anna Split!

After just one year together Slavik Kryklyvyy and Anna Melnikova have decided to end their dance partnership. This is so incredibly shocking to most of us, since we were convinced that the two of them together would eventually rise to become world champions. Slavik the ballroom legend and Anna the beautiful, talented new girl on the "professional" block.

Its truly unfortunate for Slavik - it is unlikely for him to find a dancer of Anna's calibre again. He's had a good run. Slavik won the Amateur world championship with Joanna Leunis. He was then with Karina Smirnoff (she's now on Dancing with the Stars) for about four and a half years. They were Ballroom royalty. After that split, Slavik was with Elene Khvorova and Hanna Karttunen before he ended up with Anna. Most would think that Slavik was best matched with Karina. The following are some of my favourite videos of Slavik:

IDSF Latin Final - Embassy Ball

I found videos of the IDSF final from the Embassy Ball. Its insane to think that we were competing with dancers of this calibre!

One of My Favourite Videos

Things are slowly but surely falling into place with our routines. The one thing we need to work on is the performance aspect - intensity and sensuality. We found this video of Charles Guillame Schmidt and Elena Salikhova. I love her intensity and Charles is always amazing. Interesting to see how they seem to be reacting to each other without really having to be dancing together. Truly passionate!

A Dance Machine in the Making

I had a moment in yoga class this weekend. The embarrassing kind. Nearing the end of the class, we were in our lotus sitting position – meditating. For some strange reason, I was crying. And I just couldn’t stop. So now I need to find another studio to go to.

But on a more serious note, I was just incredibly frustrated with my progress and I just wanted to cry. I have another competition coming up in November and based on my performance in LA, I realize that I have a ways to go still. So there’s a plan in place – a desperate attempt to improve vastly in 2 months. The problem at hand is that in-spite of my best laid plans, the mind doesn’t always cooperate. Nothing is more frustrating than being at the studio and not being able to get though that mental hurdle. I want to stop in the middle of the routine, I just can’t lift my legs (or arms for that matter) to do anything and everything is half-assed; so what’s the point. Its like I’ve given up and left the building already (that’s actually something my ballet instructor has said to me).

I need to be a machine. An energizer bunny, with an I-will-persevere attitude. Since my crying episode, I have spent a significant amount of time analyzing the situation at hand. I’m a perfectionist. If its not awesome, why do it... I am sabotaging my own efforts. Nothing will ever be perfect. So today’s a new day, my friends. I will check my perfectionist attitude at the door and instead of doing everything perfectly I will simply strive to do it. Let’s just do this one thing and get through it. Because when I think about all 5 routines and having to do each for 2 minutes multiple times over the evening, I want to slit my wrist. So let’s do this one move, and take everything else as it comes. Let’s see where that gets me.