Posts Tagged ‘ballet’
More Fun in the Philippines!
Sunday, January 15th, 2012Acts Manila@the CCP
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010Acts Manila performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. My second ballet video 
Credits: Ms. Chelo Gemina, Artistic Director-Acts Manila
photography: Tes Pedrosa-Tirol
Pretty Tablescape
Friday, June 11th, 2010We had the opportunity to display some of our Everything Ballet products at the CCP Lobby last month. I found a lot of inspiration online on how to set up our display table. I wanted to do a little shabby chic inspired tablescape much like this one from Such Pretty Things.
Here’s our version of her lovely table:
Everything Ballet cupcakes
Everything Ballet cookies
We displayed a lot of products on our table aside from the pastries above. We had bags, cards, stationery and anything and everything ballet-related. It was a fun experience and hopefully we can plan a better setup next year. I think I’m going to look into those point of purchase displays to see how we can step it up a notch next time. Thank you to all who purchased from our table. Until next time!
Ballet Recital
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010The recently in concluded ballet recital of ACTS Manila was quite sucessful. It just made clear our vision that Ballet is our way of shaping society for God. Every step we take, every number we perform is a testimony to the great abilities our God has to establish the principles of His Kingdom on earth. All the sleepless nights and rehearsals were worth it. The extra doses of vitamins for women were all for a worthy cause. Excellence…Faith…Social Transformation.
Physical Training
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010Its been over a year since I started teaching ballet. Since then, I have lost about 30 lbs. For a lot of people, its really the lack of physical activity that leads to being overweight or obese. The best weight loss supplements can’t beet engaging into physical training. It forces the individual to take ownership of his or her weight problem. Whatever the nature of the training is, it has to be something you really like. For me , Dance works best because there is a level of performance I push for. You experience a certain level of frustration when your body fails to achieve the artistic expression you desire. Its not just looking good but being able to communicate your thoughts and feeling somatically.
Performance Emergency
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010Today, our son and daughter performed at the school where they have ballet lessons. We woke up at 530am and got to the place at around 7am. This was just in time for the agreed call time with their ballet teacher. They had 2 runs of their dance and then they were set. While waiting for their time to be called, they were given juice and some little cakes. As they were about to go to the performance area, my daughter says she needed to go to the bathroom for some heavy relief. I told her to hold it. It was a good thing that she was able to do so. After their performance, I cancelled my plans for the morning and rushed home thinking about the scale of the mess she needed to make (Think of the hemorrhoid relief she might need, ha! ha! ) .Good thing it was not as bad as I thought it would be.
I think the moral of the story is for me not to give them juice early in the morning particularly during performances. When your kids have a show, it would be a time to be adventurous with your food or drink choices. Stay with proven staples until after the show. You would not want to risk ruining your kid’s pretty costume. In my case, this would be regular tasty bread and water for breakfast. Stay away from stuff with mayo or are acidic in nature. These usually spoil or cause violent reactions in your child’s sensitive tummy. A pinch of prevention is definitely better than a pound of cure.
Pointe Shoes
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010In my son’s ballet class today, their teacher asked the kids how old they were. Most of the girls indicated that they were turning 10 this year. When the teacher realized this, she told her students that they needed to have 3x per week classes starting July. She stated that in Classical Ballet, a dancer’s time is limited and that upon reaching 10 no time was to be wasted. Before even getting their first acne treatment, the teacher intends to start them on pointe work. She says 3x per week training would ensure that the kids are strong enough to do more demanding pointe routines.
While it is good to get kids on pointe shoes soonest, it is normally not advisable for them to do this before 10. Doing so would lead to growth problems because children’s bones are more cartilagenous in nature. They also must have demonstrated strength in routines done on regular ballet shoes. The bleeding toes are definitely not for the faint of heart.
Pointe shoes are the distinguishing mark of a ballerina from other dancers. The seemingly effortless moves on stage result from years of tears, dedication and hard work.
What to do for your child’s 1st Ballet class.
Thursday, March 18th, 2010Its summer in the Philippines and you have found a good place for your child to start training ballet ( or any other dance for that matter). Have you ever thought about what you should be doing in preparation for the 1st class? First order of business is to get your kid in the right attire. Before the 1st class, you should ask the teacher about the attire. In ACTS Manila ballet schools we have a prescribed uniform ( fuschia sleeveless leotard and a skirt of specified length ) so it would be a waste to buy something other than what is called for. You should also ask about how the hair should be done. Second item would be teacher’s gender. I’ve had some kids refuse to join my class because I was male! (As if they didn’t have any fathers!) If you know before hand that the teacher is of opposite gender to your child, you may want to prep the him/her. Thirdly, be ready with food and water. Kids can get really hungry and thirsty after class. Fourth, make sure your child has gone to the bathroom prior to class. Lastly, prepare for things that need to be paid for. Uniforms, tuition, registration, etc. Don’t forget promotional items or coupons giving you discounts or free classes.
Ballet is a wonderful experience for little girls and boys. They get to dance out fairy tales instead of just reading them. I wish you and your child the best in your ballet experience. If you live in the Sta. Rosa, Laguna area, you can reach me at 09083020319 for ballet classes. Mention this blog for a free class.
More on Ballet pictorials
Saturday, March 13th, 2010In my last entry, I blogged about our recent ballet pictorial. As my wife does the post production part of the shoot, we have been staring at all the student’s photos for quite a while now. In so doing we noticed a few more items worth some attention. First and foremost, would be the smiles. As I stated in my previous entry, we had to constantly remind kids to smile. It was not a surprise to see good shots getting archived because the kids were not smiling. Second would be jewelry. Just because your kid has a pictorial, doesn’t mean that you have her wear all your loose diamonds. You have to follow the artisitic direction of the producer. Its funny if your kid has the role of a simple village girl and her ears sparkle. Lastly, the weight! Please STOP your children from always going to McDonalds or eating chips and chocolates. If you don’t think their fat, look at their pictures. It even gets worse when they get on stage. The worst thing that could happen is if they won’t fit in their costumes come recital time. Give them real, nutricious, high quality food.
What do you do in a Ballet pictorial?
Friday, March 12th, 2010The weekend was quite busy for us. It was the pictorial of ACTS Manila ballet schools. While Saturday was not so bad as it only involved my wife, Sunday engaged all four of us. We woke up very early to be at the pictorial site at 730am. The shoot started around 830am, with my daughter’s ballet class. About an hour later, it was my son’s ballet class. At around 10:30am, it was the turn of my students to be photographed. The whole morning was practically a family affair. After lunch, it was back to my wife’s monopoly of things to do.
Perhaps your kid is about to have look into that Canon camera in a ballet pictorial setting. Here are some practical tips:
- 1.) Come early! – In a production pictorial setting, you have to put on a costume or wear special make up. For this reason, call time is usually 1hr before the scheduled shoot. By coming late, you run the risk of not wearing the costume properly or putting on the best make-up. In some cases, you may even damage the costume.
- 2.) Wear make-up before getting to the site. – If your circumstances permit and no special make-up is required, you should have your kid wear make-up before arriving at the photoshoot. This way, you can focus on his/her costume.
- 3.) Keep the kids busy. - Do what you can to keep your kid preoccupied while sitting down. Bring books or games that will keep him/her from running around and destroying his/her costume. Pictorials usually take long because of the number of kids to be shot, so you have to bring quite a number of books and games.
- 4.) Bring food. – Because of the long wait time, bring along some snacks. However, don’t let your kid eat brownies or other dark colored stuff unless you want his/her teeth to have stains. You should also stay away from messy stuff like cream pies as they may spill on the costume.
- 5.) Bring a good container for the costume. – Bring a container that keeps the costume from being damaged during transport or storage.
- 6.) Practice your child’s smile. - It’s interesting that we had to nag kids to smile. Have your child practice smiling the night before. It would even be better if you have a mock pictorial!
Hopefully this makes your pictorial experience more memorable in a positive way. Smile!
