They've Got a Label?!?! and Other Great, Unintentially Funny, Pop Music Inspirations

We have probably all heard Rebecca Black's "Friday" song by now. Something so bad, it's good because it's hilarious, right? Well, let's do something fun. I found some songs by female artists (and some with music videos for bonuses) that are so bad, they're just hilarious....and then there are some that are just bad.

Let's get Youtube on a tab and browse away! Here are some of the worst pop songs by female artists I've heard.... yes they are trying to do this professionally. Dear god.... forgive them for they know not what they do.


5) Barbie, Christie and Teresa - Wonderland

Just because something's for kids, doesn't mean it has to be bad... Plus, just think about the parents who had to listen to this entire album on loop just to get to Florida without the kids asking, "Are we there yet?" a million times.

Crowning Moment of UGHHHHHHHH
The lyrics.... are painful. Come on! Even Disney could pull it off! Don't just phone it in!

Where We Give Her Props
They keep it G-rated? I don't know...

Listen to this instead... 

She can actually sing! How 'bout that? Plus, you can actually dance to it while keeping a PG-rating! She has a lot of pretty good songs, actually. She got her start like many talented singers: writing music for more popular artists. Hope to see more of her soon because you can hear all the effort she puts into her work.
 
4) Chady - Bad Girls Club

 The autotune.... THE AUTOTUNE!! It burns! The lyrics are no better, are they? Is she one of those Housewives putting out albums just because they have connections? Actually, no. Believe it or not, she's actually a "bikini fitness model" (their words, not mine). Hmmm, interesting. Might want to stick with that instead.

Crowning Moment of UGHHHHHHHH

Where she channels Kesha around 0:40. Have I mentioned the autotune?

Where We Give Her Props

As awkward as this entire ad is, she does look good for her age.

Listen to this instead...

Kimberly Cole's "Smack You"

Maybe not genius, but definitely some star quality. She's funny...sometimes in a vulgar way, but you have to love it. Don't believe me? You can hear it in her lyrics. Her song "Pocket Rocket," with lyrics like "I take it out/I pop the top/And then I twist it," is actually a song about her lipstick. She doesn't abuse the autotune (does she even use it?). In the video posted above, she gives her inspiration behind the video and tells people it's not to glorify fighting, but to tell a story. Gotta respect a woman who has values and can distinguish them from her art.

3) Jenna Rose - My Jeans

Yep. It's another Rebecca Black, folks. But could this possibly be a worse version? Yes. Yes, it very well could be worse. I don't get it...she's such a cute, little girl. How could this be as painful as it is? Luckily, it looks like Jenna is more of an actor than a singer. We can all breath a sigh of relief. And is anyone else reminded of Winifred from The Ballet Shoes? And who the hell is Kiki Palmer?!

Crowning Moment of UGHHHHHHHH

Get the point?

Where We Give Her Props
Well, she's only twelve. She's got a long way ahead of her still.


Listen to this instead...

Jackie Evancho's "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again"

No, it's not pop music. But I'm sure we understand each other perfectly anyway. And she's only seven. You may have seen her on "America's Got Talent"; she's the talented little girl with a big voice. Jackie already has an album out and she's not even in her teens yet.

2) Nicki Idol - I'm in Love with a Vampire

Yep. The song is suppose to take "a stab at sparkly Twilight vampires." Whether the bad music was supposed to make fun of a bad book--and was meant to ironic--is still unknown. I swear to god she's signed. Her bio on their website is also quite, well, arrogant. Do your friends really describe you as iconic? Do you really feel addicted to "putting on a show," and if so, what's your excuse for the above performance? And you've got to love the part on her bio where she says, "I also recorded a program for [Three Counties Radio Program] about 'computer music.' Which is obviously something I know quite a bit about." I'm lost as to whether agree with her or disagree with her on that one....

Crowning Moment of UGHHHHHHHH

CLICK ME!!!

 It's no better in studio. Is that keyboard out of tune as well?! How.....

 Where We Give Her Props

It takes a lot of nerve to go up alone on stage. Especially without your precious autotune. Britney doesn't even have those nerves of steel.

Listen to this instead...

Natalia Kills's "Zombie"

 She's in love with a zombie not a vampire, but close enough. Natalia is a rising star, opening for big names like Katy Perry. She's definitely got the horror pop thing going on. Her lyrics are pretty clever. Who doesn't like the line in "Zombie" that says, "Do you want me for my body?/Do you want me for my brain, brain, brain, brain"? Check some of her other stuff out.

1) Nadia Oh - Egyptian Lover, Got Your Number.... pretty much everything she does

It starts off okay, right? It's not good, but not bad. But then you get to the chorus.... and THEN... you get to the guitar solo (~1:50). Lasers? REALLY? As if that couldn't get any worse, go watch some of her other music videos. I had such a hard time picking which one was the worst. "Egyptian Lover" won because of the laser-shootin' guitar, but I was also thinking about "Got Your Number" and "N.A.D.I.A. OH." What's even sadder is that she's working with Space Cowboy on all these songs. Space Cowboy has worked with people like Lady Gaga before, so there's really no excuse to how lame all these songs are.

Crowning Moment of UGHHHHHHHH
The soulless dancing, how bored she sounds.... everything is so half-assed

Where We Give Her Props
It must be nice knowing the right people. Insta-career!

Listen to this instead...

Emii's "Magic"

  What can I say? The girl can sing. She's working her way up slowly but surely. Plus, the gay guys love her. Don't know why I'd thought to add that, but I did anyway. Unfortunately, like many starting artists, she doesn't have a lot of songs, and the songs she does have are not all studio recorded yet. Shame, some songs like "Stilettos" have a nice beat to them that you can really enjoy.

Sassy Gay Friend!

I know I've repeatedly stated that I'm not a Black Swan fan, but I am a Sassy Gay Friend fan! God, this was hilarious. They made fun of all the dumb parts of the movie and the girl's acting is spot on XD

*spoilers in video*

I hope you like it! I got a kick out of it! And just in time before the month ends! (Though anyone else get the impression that he didn't enjoy the movie either? Maybe it's just me projecting my own opinions.)

More funnies!

Phew.... I don't even know where to begin. Ballet has been going better and I already feel a great difference in my plies. But I have just been a lot of...pain lately. I'm not quite sure if pain is the right word but it seems to be the best word to describe it. It's this pressure on my chest and I feel almost like I'm longing for something, but I don't know what I'm longing for. Wow, that probably sounded really, really melodramatic...but I'm wondering if this stress of school is starting to affect my health.

Anyway, to boost everyone's mood, I found another ballet clip. This one also features Dawn French but this time she is paired with an actual ballerina! It's very funny and I hope you enjoy it.

French and Saunders

Awhile ago I was watching some French and Saunders clips, and I came across this one feature ballerinas!

I find it absolutely hysterical! These women are so talented. And actually, during the part where they say, "We have many interests outside ballet," I think the image on the television is from The Red Shoes. It sure looks similar..

April Fools!!

In case you couldn't figure out, my last post was a joke post. I hope you did get a nice laugh out of that video, though, because that woman is hysterical. I need a job, too, but it looks like that is not a good way to audition for one. Hahahaha!

Anyway, this month's theme is going to be "Comedy" since we started off this month with a joke day. So for today, I have this clip for you guys:

Yes, those are men in pointe shoes.

Dance of the Dying Swan

Isn't this just the most fabulous performance you've ever seen? Every move is perfectly executed--a real professional. It's a shame that she doesn't dance for any particular company :(

How Pointe Shoes are Made

I decided to share another awesome Youtube video today! This is a special on television that shoes how pointe shoes are made!

No wonder shoes are so expensive!

Review-- Dance, Subaru!

Time for another ballet movie! This one is a Japanese film called Dance, Subaru! It's based off a manga by the same name. I haven't read the original manga, so I can't compare this film to its original source, but I'll do what I can! Unfortunately, since it is Japanese, I had to watch this on Youtube. You can find it up on Youtube with subtitles, but the quality is really poor. What this means is that I won't have great screencaps for you guys to enjoy this time around, sadly.

Story:

The story is about a young girl named Subaru. She and her twin brother love to dance. After sneaking a peek into a dance studio's rehearsal for Swan Lake, they promise each other to become great dancers one day. But unfortunately for her brother, that is never to happen since he develops brain cancer at a very young age. The tumor causes him to forget memories, but Subaru's dancing allows him to remember her even just for a bit.

A sad day comes when her brother doesn't survive his cancer and dies. Subaru is devastated and wanders away during the funeral. She comes across a brightly lit building that calls itself the "Palais Garnier." She enters the building and finds a small dance company. It's hardly professional and tends to specialize more in humorous ballet and stripping than classical ballet, but Subaru finds herself a niche there with the workers.

Years go by and Subaru is working at the Palais Garnier as a dancer. She dances only during select times during the day/week since she is still in high school and the owner doesn't want her working as a stripper. As she is performing, an American named Liz Park takes note of Subaru's dancing. Liz senses a rival and presses Subaru forward a bit in order to strengthen her dancing. 

Subaru and her childhood friend, Mana

Liz isn't the only one, a childhood friend of Subaru's, also a dancer, named Mana, pushes Subaru to audition for a ballet company. When Subaru is accepted into the company, new paths are open for her. She gets a part in Swan Lake and decides to enter a ballet competition. This is where her story really begins.

The story wasn't bad. There were parts where I was really confused, but it wasn't too complicated or too simple. There was enough drama to keep me interested, and overall, it was paced really nicely.

Characters:

The characters, hmmm... I'm actually not quite sure how to go about this. The characters were fine. Subaru is a bit aloof and almost mysterious. She tends to keep to herself and will only show herself to those she really trusts. Her supporting characters are also admirable in their own ways. I found Liz particularly interesting. She purposely helps Subaru improve so she could have a rival. Interesting....

It's actually the actors that I'm more interested in. These scene-stealers are definitely the actress playing little Subaru, the actor playing little Subaru's brother, and the actress who plays Liz Park.

The kids playing the younger versions of Subaru and her brother are amazing. The amount of emotion the little girl can portray is really good for someone as young as her. Her little cat dance for the brother is also adorable. Their performance left me amazed.

Liz Park and Subaru Miyamoto

Liz Park's actress is also amazing. Why? For one, she's speaking Japanese and it's not her native language; she's Korean. Not only that, but her accent isn't too bad! Second, she learned ballet for this role. Granted, it's not amazing, but it's not bad either. Third, she's a model, not an actress. The fact that she can play a somewhat selfish, genius dancer is pretty amazing to me. I'm impressed and slightly gobsmacked because I can't learn Japanese as well as her in such a short amount of time. She worked really hard for this role, good for her!

Sets/Costumes:

Hmm, not much to say. The setting is in Japan, mostly in the Palais Garnier building. Then there's the dance studios and competition. The settings they pick work for the story. 

The costumes I can't really comment on either. They are either street clothes or their performance clothes. The tutus they wore for Swan Lake looked like your traditional tutus so there's not much to really say here.

Music:

Hmmm, music. I didn't really notice anything that amazed me, to be honest. Some classical music was used, like the Little Swans' song from Swan Lake and "Bolero." The other music didn't wow me.

Camera:

The camera was, actually, really good. There were some really nice shots that I wish I could show you guys, but the quality is so bad it ruins it. For instance, in the Palais Garnier, the owner was speaking in her office. A window opening to the stage below showed the dancers performing as the director spoke with an employee. I loved how they did that since it add depth to the scene.

Also, the editing for the dancing was really good. They did a nice job of matching up the scenes with previously performed moves; as well as transitioning from dancer to dancer during the competition scenes. Also, since the actors weren't professionals, the edits between the actors and their body doubles were really nicely shot. The seemingly effortless shots really made this worth watching.

Ballet Presence:

This entire movie is full of ballet. Though there is other drama, it centers itself around Subaru's dancing. Sadly, the dancer playing Subaru isn't a really good dancer, so her dancing scenes are limited, and those we do get you wish you didn't get. 

For instance, there's this scene where Liz and Subaru's pseudo-boyfriend take her to a hip-hop club to loosen up and learn how to dance with a group of people. The result is...painful. Instead of hip-hop, you get this. No joke.

So though ballet was present, it was mainly only passable with the lead. Everyone else did a really nice job otherwise.

Overall Enjoyment:

This movie was actually really well made. I do wish that there was more dancing and that the lead dancer could be a little better of a dancer, but the director clearly knows what he's doing and is incredibly talented. He knows how to get just the right shot and it pays off during the dance sequences. Despite all this, after seeing it once, I feel as if I've seen it all, really, so I probably wouldn't be willing to watch it a second time. 

Absolutely Adorable

This video popped up on my Yahoo! homepage today and I just had to share it with everyone. It's just so darn cute!

So what can we learn from this little girl? Even if you can't get it, just keep trying! You may look silly, you may be behind everyone else, but you know what? At least you tried.

Dancing Together

I believe dancing in sync is more difficult than dancing solo. Sure, it's a lot less stressful and embarrassing if you mess up a little since you have twenty or so people supporting you, but timing is crucial.

Here's a corps that does a really nice job! I just love the lighting on their white costumes!

Foot Exercises

I was browsing around a bit on Youtube to keep up with this month's theme, and I found a great video showing various exercises you can do with your feet to strengthen them. Even if you're not en pointe yet, I think these would be very beneficial for your feet.

Her feet are so flexible! I'm going to try this a bit.

Modern Ballet

Though this video is an advertisement for a ballet school, I still love how it was shot and all of the dancers. This is slightly different since it features modern ballet.

Quite lovely, isn't it? I just love watching people dance!

Snap!

I was browsing online awhile back and came across an artistic short featuring ballet dancers. It was so clever that I thought to share it with you guys. The video calls it "stop motion ballet," and they couldn't have picked a better name for it.

Not bad, huh?

Not in a good mood :(

Today was ballet class again. I don't know why, but I was just in a sad mood today. I don't think I got enough sleep and the stress from trying to balance all my schoolwork is starting to get to me.

It didn't improve my mood much that we started talking about recitals. My adult class is thinking about performing during the regular academy's recitals. I really don't want to go. My teacher wants us to be an inspiration to others, but I just don't want to show off my meager dancing skills just yet. Also, I've tried to dance in front of others before, and I always got really nervous before performing. (I used to be a danceteam, remember? That was many posts ago.) Not only that, but I'll just be really boring since I can't do much yet.

Anyway, they spent at least ten minutes, in addition to the ten minutes warming up, speaking about this. That means we wasted twenty minutes of practice time. Since I'm working really hard right now to pay for these classes, it's rather frustrating to be wasting them talking about something that can be talked about before or after class starts. I'm just really sick of all this wasted time!

Also, this new leotard I made... it really reveals everything, you know? I have rolls of fat on me that I never knew I had, and I consider myself skinny! It's so easy to see how girls, wearing these uniforms, get really self-conscious about their body and develop eating disorders. 

This all just put a damper on my moods, and I just didn't feel like putting that extra effort into my dancing today. It's just depressing and frustrating at the moment. 

As for the recital, maybe I'll do it. It'll be sort of a contradiction of mine to host this blog to support older dancers (and by older I mean 13+) and not perform. If my teacher thinks of it as inspirational, what harm could there really be in doing it?



Today's Youtube recommendation is this soloist's Black Swan pas de deux:

Isn't that lovely? And it's in great quality, too.

Chinese State Circus + Swan Lake

Okay, so this doesn't have a lot of ballet, but it's still absolutely amazing. Though these girls weren't ballet dancers, it's interesting to see how their careers crossover with other arts. Both their gymnastics and ballet require a solid, strong core and a lot of balance! Kudos to them for doing such an excellent job!

Isn't that amazing!? I loved it.

February Follow-Up and Introducing March

So February has come and gone. I was thinking a bit last night about how this month went, and judging by how many people clicked on the reviews of the movies, it seems to have gone quite well! I hope you enjoyed what I wrote up about the movies because I really enjoyed watching them. Phew, I'm really tired, but I want to get this done because I've been terrible all month about blogging. I've just been so busy!

So here is my top ballet movie list, based on the movies I watched this past month (and The Red Shoes and Black Swan added to the mixture). If you're sad that I didn't like a movie as much as you did or that I didn't watch a movie you love, leave a comment! And since these are just my opinions, be sure to take them with a grain of salt. I'm not a film expert so I don't really know what I'm looking for outside of entertainment value.

8.) Ballet Shoes (1975)

Poorly acted and awkward dancing. I was ready for this movie to end. Was it the worst movie I've ever seen? No, but that doesn't mean I had to enjoy it either.This was made for little girls, and it can't compare to its newer remake.

7.) Black Swan

 I had a really hard time placing this movie. It was either this movie or The Turning Point in this spot. I liked neither. I enjoyed neither, but this film got knocked down after much consideration for several factors: 

1) Natalie didn't dance her parts. And if she did do any, it was not the girl from Turning Point, who did fantastically; 

2) Ballet was featured more in Turning Point. In Black Swan it's just sort of....there. Mixed in with some Swan Lake; 

3) Turning Point didn't have blatantly obvious symbolism and precede to beat me over the head with it every several seconds. 

For those three reasons and those three reasons only, Black Swan is in my #7 slot. I wanted to like you, Black Swan, but sorry. I just liked the other movies a lot more. Perhaps we should go on and see other films? No, no, don't cry. It's not you; it's me. No, wait...it's you. Move out, please.

6.) Turning Point

I just couldn't get into this film. It had a decent story with decently developed dialogue but something just felt dead inside. I don't know what it was from because I really couldn't put my finger on it, but something tells me that the story is just lacking. It was a forgettable film for me, and I probably won't really remember it in the long run. Despite my impartiality toward this movie, it wasn't bad. The dancing was done by the actors. Emotions were portrayed nicely by the actors, too. It was a nice film, but not one of my favorites.

5.) Suspiria

Dario Argento... I used to cringe at your name... thinking that all you were was some crackpot old fool who liked to film his own daughter naked. Okay, so I still think you've got some issues, but I actually really enjoyed Suspiria. For a horror movie, and one coming out of the 70s, it wasn't too bad! When I imagined little girls playing the roles, it made it a lot more exciting and horrifying. Yes, it's tacky, but that's exactly what I was expecting and that's what I got. Plus, you've got a great horror theme that isn't from a classical piece. You were either going to be here, Suspiria, or in Ballet Shoes (2007)'s spot. I downgraded you because I think I'd rather watch Ballet Shoes again first, and I thought the acting was significantly better. Also, it had a stronger ballet focus. 

4.) Ballet Shoes (2007)

Yes, I'm surprised I put this movie above Turning Point and Black Swan, too, but I just liked this movie so much more. The girls were all great at playing bratty little girls. The little girl, Posy, dances her parts nicely, Emma Watson has a brilliant cry scene, and I liked the period setting. I felt enveloped into their world, which is exactly what I want a movie to do. For a television movie, I thought it was quite brilliant and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The movie would appeal to more than just little girls thanks to the great acting from the entire cast. The only problem is that this doesn't have a lot of ballet in it, like Suspiria.

3.) The Company

For a movie without a solid plot, I sure enjoyed this movie! There was enough going on for me to stay interested, but it was not structured. If anything, this felt more like a window into reality than a movie. I felt it was an honest movie. Plus, I loved the dance numbers. This movie had its drama, comedy, and romance. I went in completely neutral and came out quite happy with the movie I watched. Would I watch it again? Sure, why not? Is it my favorite movie? Probably not.

2.) Margot

I am incredibly impressed by this movie. The settings were great. The dancing was great. The editing was great. The acting was great. I found this movie incredibly underrated and didn't receive the publicity it deserves. Yes, this is a made-for-television movie, but the story has many messages it wants to send, and I feel it is quite successful in doing so. 

1.) The Red Shoes

 

I LOVE this movie. I can't say more. It has the right amount of surrealism, dance, drama, and romance for me to watch this movie again and again. It's the only movie of this list that I include as one of my personal favorites. The more you watch it, the more you catch on and notice. LOVE, love, LOVE this movie!


And that concludes my list of top movies for the past month!
March will be Youtube month. This is where I post clips I find on Youtube because I find them interesting in some way, shape, or form! I hope you liked February's month of movies!

Fabric Arrived! - Updated 3/1/11

My fabric arrived today and I open it up on camera pour vous!
(I accidentally dropped the f-bomb once since I was about to enter a state of strong exasperation. Otherwise I'm completely chaste. I apologize for the curse but I can't figure how to edit it out.) 

Yeah... Distinctive Fabrics... I don't know if I will shop with them again. This is mostly due to the steep cost of shipping for a small amount of fabric. This would be much better if you are ordering bulk.

Now, with the disorganization. I ordered samples awhile ago, and when I finally received them, I received someone else's samples. I understood this since the woman had the same name as me, but then when the second batch came, not all of my samples were available. I didn't get credited for another free sample in return for the one they couldn't give to me.

Now I have the wrong invoice? Huh, bizarre. Anyway, my fabric looks fine, and it's being pre-washed as I speak! I can't wait to finally have a leotard for class.

The shipping is very, very high. Considering that this is just fabric and doesn't need to be insured or surrounded in Styrofoam peanuts, that seems really high to me. This is definitely something you need to consider when factoring out your price. It seems that the lowest, standard shipping price from them is $10.75 for in the United States. The lady on the incorrect invoice I received ordered a lot more fabric but still had the same shipping cost. I received my fabric about a week after ordering, though it may have been a bit longer than that.

Still, perhaps the shipping price is worth it because you are allowed swatches, and not just any swatches, but free swatches. That's not too bad. The shipping for swatches is also free, but it will take awhile to be delivered since it'll be by snail mail.

Unless I can find a cheaper company that offers similar fabric, I'll be sticking with this group for leotard fabric. Perhaps later I will compare and contrast their Lycra blends with some suitable fabrics I can find at brick-and-mortar stores like JoAnn's, Hancock Fabrics, and other popular fabric stores.


Further Updates:
I have completed my first leotard using Distinctive Fabric's fabric, and I must say, it is definitely a quality fabric. I feel confident using it, and it's just as they said it would be in the description. So though some things have been off regarding Distinctive Fabrics, the descriptions seem to be quite on. The total fabric cost per leotard is about $13. Compare that to other leotards online of similar prices and you'll find that they don't have the same quality fabric and aren't made specifically for me. (Other factors would be the cost of the pattern, but even that would only add about five dollars per leotard.) I'm really happy with my fabric despite all the set backs and delays due to errors this company has made with the swatches, but in the end, I have a really nice leotard for class.

Long time, Little blogging

I know, I haven't posted for a long time. I've just been so busy! I did try and complete my "before" videos to mark my progress, but I was so tired and hot, that it looks exceptionally worse than usual. Also, at some points, you can see right up my shorts. Yeeeeah... I don't want publicity that way.

So, anyway, despite all the camera issues and the fact that I was croaking in that room, here's a video of me BEFORE on chaîné turns and piqué turns. I later totally mess up a routine I made up to combine the two. 

 

It looks worse than I imagined :( I have a loooooooong way to go.

The day I took this was an interesting day. The snow had just fallen in the Chicagoland area. We got well over two feet. I received no word from the studio about class being canceled, so I attended anyway. When I got there, the regular studio doors were locked. There was no one inside, so I knew that it had been canceled. I still wanted to practice a bit; I walked over to another studio doors, tried the handle, and... Voila! It opened.

I slipped inside, changed into my uniform, and started practicing at one of the barres there. It wasn't long before I heard people walking around in the hallway outside. The door to the studio opened, and a man stuck his head in the room. I froze because I knew I wasn't supposed to be there. He completely missed me, even with the mirrors completely revealing me.

This happened several more times, this time with me at the barre. It was while I was trying to film my before video that he finally noticed me. I actually have it on camera: me trying to explain that the door was open. He really didn't seem to care though. He ended up being a janitor at the place trying to fix the heating in the room. He was really nice about it, and let me stay there. He even offered to help me with the music, but since the CD player at that studio is so complicated, I told him I was okay with silence.

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, I guess!

Anyway, he allowed me to practice in that studio for about an hour. I was so happy! That was really nice of him, but it was just too hot in there to take additional footage for my before video. I figure what I have right now is a pretty good indicator since it uses the whole body.

Also, I haven't even started watching the videos I have planned for this month. I've just been way too busy. I'll get started soon and post some pictures up right away!

Review-- BalleCore Workout

I'm really excited for this review because I've planned something extra, super special for you guys! This is a review for the BalleCore Workout. This book is packed with pictures and directions on how to complete this yoga-pilates-ballet-fusion workout. For these exercises, you'll need a bar (or anything thin you can rest weight on, like a thick wrapping paper tube), a Theraband, and a yoga mat if you want.

The book has black and white pictures. They do a good job taking pictures of each step. The problem, though, is this makes it hard to workout. You'll need to stop in between, shift through the book, and then get back into the workout. Until you get very familiar with the routine, it is a tad obnoxious to keep going back and forth to the book. The exercises are great, but it's just too difficult sometimes to flip through the book, hold it open, and exercise all at the same time.

The book makes sure to provide exercises for every aspect of a workout. There are moves for just about everything. The chapters in the book are:

1. Warm-up
2. Core Pilates
3. Stretching
4. Hips and Buttocks
5. Floor Ballet
6. The Back
7. Standing Ballet
8. The Legs and Ballet Variation
9. Hatha Yoga
10. Cool-Down

The book also puts together exercises for you, whether you want to focus more on a certain body part or you have a limited amount of time. It also has a glossary in back for terms the book uses in case you aren't sure of what particular move she is telling you to do.

The introduction is also great. They have several wonderful drawings of the body pointing to the particular muscles and naming them. They also give a list of recommended music to complete the workout to, which I absolutely loved. It was an added detail that made the workout richer.

The only major problem with this exercise book is just that...it's a book. It's hard to follow along and not stop in between exercises. In order to avoid this, I made something extra special for you guys, a little exercise video to help you go through the book. Major sections are left out because this took me a loooong time to put together, and I wanted to make it worth your while to buy or borrow the book. Also, watching this video will definitely not substitute for the actual book. The pictures aren't the greatest and she gives important information in the book that is not included in the video. In order to be safe, read through the book first and then follow along with this video I made. The exercise is a little under thirty minutes.

 I'm so proud of all this work I put into the video. I really hope someone uses it and finds it helpful.

That concludes my review for the book. I hope you enjoy the video.

More Exercises Featuring Ballet - Online Video Edition

Keeping up with the January theme of exercise and keeping to those resolutions, here are some more exercises that will work for dancers. Some of these are specifically ballet/dance based, while one other is stretches for older ladies wanting to improve their flexibility. Since we are adult ballet dancers, this last video should be beneficial!

Ballet Strength Workout -  a full, free 20-minute exercise hosted by ExerciseTV. This combines ballet with pilates. You can download the video for only three dollars or just watch it for free online.

Ballet Butt - another free video from ExerciseTV. This is shorter, but works your butt

This video is for younger dancers.

And this one is for older dancers and probably good for those just starting:

Hope you can use some of these short exercises to keep yourself in trim shape for dance! Also, I received my new ballet based exercise DVDs in the mail. There will be a couple more reviews within the week. Some things will be pushed into the beginning of February, but that's okay, too!