January Update!

January is halfway over, but it also means that my school is going to go full force soon, too. That means I'll be really busy, but I'll keeping recording information on here!

In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm going to be keeping up the January fitness theme. Since many people's resolutions are to get into shape, I thought I could review a couple ballet inspired exercise videos. Again, here is the link to a full list of exercise videos, hosted by Amazon: Ballet Based Exercises! It already seems quite popular! More popular than this blog, as a matter of fact. But I shall persevere!

I'm going to keep up with the ballet fitness theme until the end of January. So far, I have a couple more items planned. In my last review, I stated what I had planned, but I realized that I left a thing or two off it by accident. So here's the full list of items I'm going to be reviewing:

Ballecore (book)
Ballet Boot Camp
Ballet for Beginners
...and whatever else that may come up and tickle my fancy :)

I will also be reviewing my strength bands and see how well they help train my feet. I just received word that they'll be shipping soon. It's about freakin time! I'll also let you know how those are going.

On a different note, my ballet leotard pattern is coming in soon and I will start sewing that as soon as possible. I really need a uniform and if I use this pattern right, I will be saving myself a lot of money in the long run. Also, I'll be able to personalize it for myself. Can't wait! I'll be sure to comment on that, as well.

Since this month is already halfway over, I should already start thinking about next months theme... hmmmm... I wonder... If you have any ideas, feel free to leave a comment!

Tomorrow I have ballet class and I'm already spinning around, giddy with excitement. I was practicing my pirouettes today in the kitchen and I must say, I have remarkably improved in the short time that I've been practicing. I even managed a double! Granted, the form was probably terrible, but it sure made me feel good! I'm debating on how I should make my "Before" video to show you guys my progress (and myself progress). I'm still slow on the exercises and don't know them all by heart, which is the problem. Perhaps that should be included in the learning process, hm?

Stay safe in this dreary weather!

Ballet Sewing Pattern - Fabrics

My pattern has yet to arrive. It's been over a week and I'm starting to get a tad antsy. To prepare for its arrival, I have already started looking for some fabric so that I can get started right away and have a leotard for class as soon as possible.

I'm probably going to buy from JoAnn's, since it's the only fabric store nearby that carries the type of fabric this pattern will need, but it doesn't stop me from browsing the market a little bit.

Looking for:

• Black
• Spandex mix
• At most $10/yard

We are looking for a fabric with at least two-way stretch. Preferably something with spandex. The pattern recommends Lycra, but any spandex mix will do. It seems cotton/spandex mixes are the most popular for leotards, but I've also seen nylon/spandex. I'll only need one yard for the leotard, and I will probably make a practice leotard out of some black polyester/cotton knit I have to make sure I don't waste any of the spandex because as I found out, spandex can be quite expensive.

The pattern also calls for 59'' wide fabric, which we must take into consideration. If we don't listen to this, then we could end up with not enough fabric. Taking the pattern's requirements into consideration, I found these fabrics:


72% Polyester, 24% Rayon, 4% Spandex; $9.99/yard at Hancock Fabrics
95% Rayon, 5% Spandex; $12.99/yard at JoAnn's
86% Polyester, 14% Spandex; $12.99/yard at Hancock Fabrics
95% Cotton, 5% Spandex; $12.95/yard ON SALE! for $6.95/yard at TrimFabric.com
50% Polyester, 45% Cotton, 5% Spandex; $18/yard ON SALE! for $10/yard at TrimFabric.com

These you would have to buy more fabric of since they aren't quite wide enough:
97% Cotton, 3% Spandex; $8.99/yard at Hancock Fabrics

For the skirt with this pattern, I probably will prefer a chiffon. I have some gorgeous purple chiffon left over from a high school toga costume. I've been dying to use it and plan on using for this pattern. If you don't have chiffon, and want to wait for it to be on sale, then don't worry. Chiffon goes on sale often, I find. You'll only need a yard of it so it'll be very cheap for a ballet skirt. The hardest bit will be sewing it since it's transparent and unravels. I'd recommend overlocking/serging the edges or using a narrow zigzag stitch. I'm going to try zigzag first. If it works, I'll let you guys know! You could also do a narrow hem, but since it's a curved edge it looks like, I'm probably not going to even attempt it.

 I also have this really pretty sparkly fabric my aunt gave me. I was planning on making a cover-up out of it, but I like the idea of a ballet skirt better.

Review-- Pure Barre Original

This review is for the Pure Barre workout. Pure Barre is a specific type of workout designed by the instructor of the DVDs, Carrie Rezabek. She started a workout group and it became popular enough that they thought to release her program onto DVD.

The DVD is $20 on the Pure Barre website, and only $15 on Amazon. Let's see if it's worth the money!



I pop the DVD in and... is this menu screen for real? I am actually concerned that perhaps I have a ripped DVD or some sort of bootleg disc. Luckily I got this from the library so I don't have to worry about getting my money back.

The production has only one camera and will change occasionally so you can see what she's doing. But... the camera! I could do better. They often cut off important parts of her body. Instead of cutting and adjusting the camera for the shot, they'll just zoom in or move the camera... while still shooting. It looks like a bad home video. It doesn't help that when they change angles, the focus is off and does the infamous "shaky cam." There were some shots where they got her back and you could see where her mike was hooked up. Just unpolished and unprofessional.

The camera will cut off her feet, hands, or both.

 Speaking about her mike, The instructor's voice is muddled, but audible. This is probably because she has an attached microphone instead of a boom mike.

Also in regards to sound, the music is extremely repetitive. It wouldn't be too bad if it changed up a little more. One music segment has what sounds like children screaming. I had to stop the video to look out the window and see if kids were outside playing until I realized it was supposed to be part of the music.

I actually really like the setting they picked. I like how they tried to spice up a grey, dreary room with colored lighting. I just wish they did a better job hiding the cords. Seriously, black duct tape will do the job. The only big problem with the setting is that the instuctor is wearing all black, which is hard to see at times against the dark floor, but it's not too bad. Her pants cover her feet, which sucks for a exercise video. Several times I had trouble seeing if she was turning her feet out or not during exercises.

The camera goes out of focus sometimes, especially during close-up shots like this.

Still, she's not a bad instructor at all. She's not ridiculously happy, and it sounds like she knows what she's talking about. She's great at giving cues, too, which helps since I could sometimes not see how her body was angled. She also had some great similes for how to hold your body, but some of them she used and abused multiple times. She mentioned "like you're zipping up your tightest pair of jeans" three times, but I don't even know what that means. All my jeans are super lose. Still, at times, she could be very boring.

As for the workout, the most important part, I loved the mini-barre they had for her to work on. Where did she find that? I sort of want one. But during the barre work, the camera cuts off her feet. Those are sort of kind of important. It's also not really ballet except for the presence of a barre. There are some relevés, splits, and pliés, but that's about it. I don't think this is really a ballet workout, even though the name may imply that.

The workout is also disorganized. After doing some work at the barre, you go to your mat. You're there for at most five minutes before she cuts away and tells you to go back to your barre again. There was hardly anytime for a decent stretch on the ground before you have to get up, put your mat away, pull out your chair or whatever you're using in place of a barre, and then get into position. It was awkward and I didn't like it one bit. Plus, the workout could have used a lot more floor work. I don't like going into splits almost immediately after a couple short stretches.

The exercise is also repetitive and a bit boring. There's nothing to spice it up. You don't even switch legs; you keep working the same leg over and over and then finally switch to the other side. Though it's a great strength-building workout, it doesn't do much to keep my attention. I found myself analyzing the cat hairs on my yoga mat instead. That's forty-three minutes of dullness. But a tough dullness, which makes me say that this is probably not good for beginners. Also, it's mostly strength building. So if you want to build flexibility or have a cardio workout, this is not for you.

The workout really works your thighs and butt mostly. There are some stretches for back, abs, and arms, but it's mostly the butt and thigh area you workout. For a similar, more ballet-oriented workout, just use the Element DVD instead. Still, no to little ballet in this DVD. Just because there's a barre, doesn't mean I'm going to call it a ballet fusion exercise. Still, a decent workout, but something I would recommended passing up. I heard later sequels from the same instructor improve and maybe these have more ballet in them, but this one doesn't.

Workout: 7/10

Instructor: 8/10

Setting: 7/10

Camera: 3/10

Level: Advanced-Expert
Is it actually ballet? No

Overall: 6/10

I deducted points for the boring, repetitive workout, but it saved itself with it's challenging moves. The instructor was decent, but got boring later in the DVD and also wore the wrong type of clothing for an exercise video. The setting was okay, and I gave it credit for effort. The camera was terrible and zoomed in and out slowly to make corrections instead of just re-shooting the scene. But most importantly, there was little to no ballet incorporated into this DVD. From a DVD that said it was a pilates/dance fusion, I expected more. I recommend trying another video from this series.

Review-- Yoga Booty Ballet Master Series

I borrowed this DVD series from my library in hopes that it will live up to its name. So here is one of my last ballet exercise video reviews for awhile, Yoga Booty Ballet - The Master Series. The Master Series is a two-disc set. The first DVD is entitled "Goddess Booty," and the second is called "Yoga Core." Let's see if it does it's title name justice!


Yoga Core
I'm actually going to start the review with the second DVD, Yoga Core, since that is in the order I exercised to them. The disc doesn't have a DVD menu. It pops right into the exercise after a minute or two of warning notices that I'm starting to really hate.

So we start the workout with a brief mediation and then go into some warm-ups. I really dislike the yoga where it feels you're constantly breathing, or the instructors have you do rapid breathing so I skipped over part of it.

The move that incorporates first position arms.

Just as the DVD is titled, the rest of the workout is mostly yoga. They say on the back the exercise is thirty minutes long, and I found that correct, give or take a couple minutes. The workout is light and easy, and it works your back and abs mostly. Sadly, there's no ballet except for a mentioning of pointing the toes and placing arms in first position at one point, though it's not actually called "first position arms." No ballet/yoga fusion here. The workout also combines some pilates with a move called swimming. I would say that this DVD is great for those beginning yoga, pilates, or any time of exercise.

Just keep swimming...

Though I like how they broke down the workout so you can choose how long you want to go or pick an area you wish to focus on, you really need both DVDs to get a decent workout. Plus, they could have easily put both on the same disc, but they divided them up so they can charge you more for them. Given that it says, "As seen on TV," on the cover, these two probably started out selling their product using infomercials.

The instructors use each other to help demonstrate the correct forms.

The instructors are fun and helpful, but I can't shake the idea that the blond looks like Baby Spice. The two instructors interact with each other like they are longtime friends and developed cute names for some of the yoga moves. This is definitely a more light and lighthearted version of an exercise class. But sadly, no ballet at all.



Goddess Booty

The instructors do an "anti-ballet" move where they turn in for resistance.

The exercise is about twenty-five minutes long and works mostly your butt, but also the back and thighs. More ballet moves featured here, but only marginally. They have what they call the anti-ballet move, which is where you turn-in instead of turn-out. This is to build resistance in certain moves you do on the floor. The blond seems to have more ballet training. At one point, the girl with brown hair even mistakes attitude for passé, but the blond later corrects it.

They are really energetic and happy as they workout. The give great instructions for how to complete the moves and often give alternative versions if you have trouble with some exercises. They have their tacky moments, though, like when they say, "Feel your inner beauty rising up, bubbling and sparkling. Feel that inner beauty seeping through your beautiful skin. Gently, open your beautiful eyes." I like how they demonstrate correct form using each other as partners and will have mini (and I do mean mini) funny conversations with each other as they workout.

There's your only ballet, people.

Still, this has barely any ballet in it. I expected a bit more considering that "ballet" is in the title of this entire workout series. I wouldn't even call this an infusion. Just they sometimes use ballet moves. Still, it's not a bad exercise video at all. It's good if you want to do some short exercises without a lot of exercise equipment.

Final Thoughts

Workout: 8/10

Instructor: 10/10

Setting: 8/10

Camera: 10/10

Level: Beginner

Is it actually ballet? No

Overall: 8/10

 I expected a lot more ballet fusion when the word "ballet" is in the title of the exercise series. Still, it's not too bad. The instructors are great. The setting isn't the most inspirational, but it's easy to see the instructors and it isn't distracting. The camera zooms in to show the moves. Still, there isn't any ballet, which is why I'm giving this series an 8 out of 10 possible points.

Next exercise reviews: Pure Barre, Ballet Class for Beginners, and Ballet Boot Camp.
Plus: Jalie sewing pattern review

Capezio Website Still Down... AND Sizing Advice

The official site for Capezio is still down. It's been down for a couple months now. This means that you still can't order directly from their site! Here are the best sites I found for purchasing Capezio brands at a lower cost AND are actually available for purchase:

Amazon's Capezio Dance Store
Discount Dance Supplies

I have ordered from both of these stores and they both deliver on time and accurately. Though I have not purchased from them, there's also:

Zappos
Capezio Dancewear (I have no idea what the difference is between this link and the Capeziodance.com link)
6 PM

BUT.

And here's a huge BUT. Capezio's shoe sizes are wacked up. They say to order your street shoe size, but really, you should order half a size to a full size larger. Materials in the shoe also should be taken into consideration. I find leather stretches more and molds better to your foot than canvas. I recommend a half shoe size larger if you're buying leather, and an entire shoe size larger if they are canvas. Ultimately, you should get your feet fitted for new shoes, but if you're desperate (trust me, I know the feeling) then I recommend you start there.

Also, do not sew the elastic on or cut it in anyway. The shoe should fit like a sock. No toes should be curled in the front of the foot. The heel should be comfortably in the back. You can tighten the elastic a little, but it shouldn't need too much coaxing. If you alter the shoe, you cannot return it to try a different size, so don't think that fixing the elastic and such will correct any errors. If you still are unsure if the shoes are not the correct size, try going into relevé and try a couple sauté. If your feet feel tired or ache, they are probably too tight. If your shoes feel as if they are going to come off, they are loose. Just take good judgment when choosing a shoe and listen to your feet.

Capezio tights, on the other hand, are pretty much spot on. Since they are tights, there's always room for stretching and such, so it's not as big of a disaster as when you buy the wrong size of shoes. I bought the transition tights from Capezio in a size S/M. This size is perfect for me. The sizing chart on the back is accurate in my opinion so make sure to check it before you buy.

Picture of the back. I find this accurate sizing.

Though I have not tried Capezio's dancewear, Discount Dance is running a special on selected leotards. If they are unavailable on their website, check the Amazon link. This is also supported by Discount Dance and I sometimes find they have different items available.