Workin after studenthood

Hello My Lovelies! I have been taking a tap class lately and have fallen back in love with rhythm. I'm taking from an old mentor and its funny to see how much we haven't changed. (I still hate wings and single pick ups!) But I think whats most interesting is how much my work ethic has changed how I view my students.

I guess I always was a bit of a lazy person. I have a wonderful talent for convincing myself that I don't need to do something, and since I don't need to do something, I shouldn't have to... So I won't. Hence why I've taken tap for almost 19 years off an on relationally and still can't do wings or single pick ups. I've been talking about it with my tap teacher and she agrees that while I can be very convincing to myself by coming up with an excuse and not performing a task or practicing these things, I'm not very convincing to her and should do it anyways. (Now that I am a teacher this tactic seems like it does wonders for the child, but I now remember that it doesn't make kids care about what you're trying to get them to do. I usually explain what the stretch or exorcize is used for and it helps them understand its importance.)

She also brought up the word can't to me. It seems I tell at least four people a day saying the word can't and then thinking, "well if you said I can, you might be able to..." Yet when it comes time to do something I dislike, the first words out of my mouth are almost always: "I can't." I know I'm holding myself back, yet continue to do so.

Why? I mean it honestly isn't that hard to change what words you use on a daily basis, but I'm so programmed to just do the same things over and over that I mostly don't realize that I'm harming my own potential. What kind of a role model does that make me? Human.

Some days it really isn't easy being a human teacher. I wish I was devoid of emotion from time to time or from the possibility of error. It would make my life a lot easier... But when I do finally master wings, I'll be sure to thank my instructor for not backing down with me ;) -Ms Ivy

Ballet Weddings

Have you ever noticed how many ballets feature a wedding? A positive and happy ending for our tragic story thus far! My best friend was married this Saturday and it inspired this blog post. I got to thinking about how many ballet things I'd want in my ceremony and then got to thinking about all the ballets that have a wedding in them!

My favorite ballet wedding would have to be Coppelia's. The nervousness, the tension, the humor? That's right folks, if you aren't very into ballet you don't know there are comedy ballets. My favorite ballet is actually one such comedy and has an adorable wedding scene that makes you giggle!

Maybe the most noted wedding is Sleeping Beauty's. The third act is all celebration! "Come see the Prince and The Sleeping beauty wed!" And the notable kiss mid Pas de Duex is such a sweet memory (and so iconic) for this classic ballet.

There are honestly hundreds more ballets that feature weddings but that's all I have time to mention right now. Maybe in the future I'll do a part 2?

Thank you for reading, My Lovelies! If you ever have any questions or just have something to say in general, please feel free to post a comment or message me! -Ms Ivy

Top ten things I'm thankful for this holiday season

I know its a little cliche but every once in a while I feel it necessary to do a list. I strive to be a very organized individual, but unfortunately life kinda comes at you faster than you'd expect!

10: My greatest life saver this year has been Moleskin's pocket notebooks. (I've gone through four and I'm working on a fifth this year alone.) They're portable, perfectly sized and work so well for just jotting down corrections, shopping lists, to-do lists, blogging ideas, poetry, (I could just go on forever!)

9: Strawberry energy water enhancers have seriously been getting me through the day as of late. With the current time change, the lack of sunlight and crazy, hectic schedule I've had they're definitely worth mentioning to you all.

8: My metal water bottle has been a constant blessing since the day of its purchase this time last year. I never have to remember to keep cash in my purse for studio bottled water and knowing I'm helping the environment just that little bit makes me feel better about my walk through life.

7: I don't know if I've ever mentioned my darling little fuzz ball of a pet on here yet, but Gypsi is a force to be reckoned with when she feels so inclined. If you're lucky she curl up in a ball on your lap, cuddle you and probably lick you until you can't stand it anymore! If you're unlucky however... She can get a little scary when she wants to be. I swear she's tried to kill me over not giving her kitty treats as often as she'd like them! Gypsi keeps me calm though. I never worry about being alone as long as I have a pet and she is darling when she wants to be.

6: I've finally begun to take control of my weight and my body this year. I can't tell you just how proud I am of myself for this since I've never had to worry about anything like that before and had absolutely no idea where to start. My recent accomplishment was realized when I weighted myself after two months of subtle dieting and exercise and discovered I'd lost ten pounds. I'm so proud of myself! Now if only it didn't mean I need to buy new clothes...

5: I have several very close women in my life who influence me and have helped me become the woman I am today. If not for them I would be a hollow shell of a person with little or no self respect and no desire to better myself in any way. I'm thankful for these ladies and I'm proud to have them as part of my little adopted family in my work place.

4: At this point last year I was still living with my parents, dating the wrong person, barely making ends meet and thoroughly depressed. I'm thankful that I've grown up enough to actually start taking care of myself without relying on anyone else for any sort of support. Not to say that I will never need help again, that would be a foolish and immature statement, I'm just grateful that I am capable of supporting myself and able to help others along the way.

3: My friends are literally the best people in the world. I could not get by a single day without thanking them for being such a huge part of my life! Thank you all for dealing with my more crazy moments.

2: I can't go without saying something about myself here. I love having an artistic outlook on everyday life. Being creative is less of a skill and more of a blessing than people realize and I am so thankful that my parents helped me to bolster that in my childhood and gave me the confidence to continue that on into adulthood.

1: And the number one thing I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving? All my lovely students who give me a reason to get out of bed everyday! Without my girls (and my boys) I wouldn't have started this blog or the Ocala Ballet Theater or even kept on teaching. I have some wonderful students that remind me each and everyday why I'm still here!

Whatever you're thankful for this Thanksgiving day, remember to eat healthy and have fun! Thank you for reading, -Ms Ivy

Social media site's effect on the classroom

With the growing social media scene is slowly taking over everyone's lives, its easy to forget how quickly constant access to a person's life can be detrimental to your reputation as a mentor and a role model.

I've personally decided to adopt an +18 policy on my social media sites, as I'm not at a point in my life where I'm ready to give up my personal life stream with my friends. All the research I've done has pointed to cutting the ties. Its not professional to be "friends" with your students.

Why? Its hard to remember a day when the internet didn't exist for most people. When I was a child we only had a telephone that plugged into the wall and you had to carry the set around the house if you wanted a private conversation. We didn't even purchase a computer until I was almost in middle school and then we all used dial up as a means of conversation. It was a different time and as strange as it seems, simpler as well. Now its part of my daily routine to check my Facebook, my email, my blog, my phone and once a week check the mailbox. How much has changed since the nineties! We're living in a world of instant communication and while this has done wonders for keeping in contact with people its also caused a lot of other problems between how we relate to each other. I know FAR too much about my friends because of social media site's instant access for everyone to see whats on display. I don't think it appropriate for children to see their teacher complaining about money, intimacy, or any of the other problems they may have accrued that day!

I also don't think I would have been comfortable calling my teacher to talk on the phone as a child, yet its becoming more and more acceptable to text message a teacher/student throughout the day. The lines of student/teacher relationship are getting more and more blurry as time goes on. What's the effect on classes? A complete lack of respect between peers and mentors. Knowing that your teacher said happy birthday and talked to you about your plans and how your boyfriend treated you throughout the day generally causes students to forget their place in the classroom.

Year's ago when the ballet classroom etiquette was established your instructor was someone you looked up to and revered, not your friend and confidant. The idea of people being superior to to each other is slowly fading away and while this may or may not be for the good of man kind, its certainly not good for how classrooms are structured. Teachers will do better to remember the difference in being a peer vs a superior in these situations. My social media outlets are designed for me to be friends with my friends and not my students and although it was a hard decision, I made the friends list purge today and am no longer allowing anyone that is a student or coworker to be part of my social media circle. In the end I think its for the best.

What are your thoughts? -Ms Ivy