You don't need a whole lot of stuff to dance. You need music. Some place where you can move freely. If you take ballet, a barre and a mirror. For clothing, something that's form fitting and comfy. For your feet either flatties or pointe shoes. I have on occasion managed to pack as little as one leo, leggings, flatties and a towel - and fitted all in my handbag. But usually, it looks more like this:
I have long hair, so I can't leave the house without my bunhead essentials: hair brush, pins, elastics, mirror and hairspray. A small towel if I need to hit the shower afterwards. Antiperspirant. Lip balm, this one from Labello. My spikey pilates ball, and/or my trusted tennis ball. Good for kneading and rolling out tension in muscles and under feet. Rubber theraband for warming up. Water bottle is a must. I always carry a snack, either bananas or natural energy/protein bars like these. If there's pointe class, I can't dance without ouch-pouches. I also have a big-toe jelly tube in my bag, just in case. The ibuprofen is seldom needed, but I like to be prepared. Bunhead's stitch kit is handy for sewing emergencies. The nude coloured fabric medical tape works great for patching up canvas flatties! The ones shown here are still new, and travel along as a spare pair. All this stuff, and still not ready to step into class. No, for that I need an outfit like this:
The blue leo is from Bloch, as is the skirt. I wear my pink tights on top of the leo, which feels more comfortable. And it keeps that leo in place, no wedgies! On top of the pink tights I usually wear seamless black shorts. I like to wear another pair of black leggings for warm-up. These are old winter tights, which I cut off at the ankle. The pointe shoes featured are Bloch Balance European, and still fairly new. I've worn them for a few regular classes, just to break them in. The new flatties are Sansha Pro1 (my current flatties are too dirty to be pictured). Since this is my summer ballet bag, there are no legwarmers, wool socks or fleece zip-ups. Yesterday's ballet class was so ridiculously hot and humid, we all had sweaty rivulets running down our backs after first pliés!
As for the rest, all you need to bring is yourself, your full attention and a happy attitude!
Your bag is like a pro´s bag, i must say! :)) and by the way, what´s the brand, i love it with those purple and white dots!!
ReplyDeleteI´ve not got to this level yet, but you are very VERY inspiring as to pay attention to all these things which are very important too :)) THank you for your posts once again, they keep me motivated in all the aspects!
Hi Baluka!
ReplyDeleteI like to be prepared, makes life easier :)
The bag is from Aarikka, got it with a magazine subscription.
Thanks for your lovely feedback, I'm glad I get to motivate you!
Johanna! I love the idea of wearing seamless shorts over the tights! I hate wearing tights on the outside because of the way they look but I like the idea of being able to take them off right after class because we don't have showers/locker room at our studio. Having to go home in sweaty tights is not my favorite thing of all time. Once again, you are brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI've been a bad blogger - so much going on - your posts always inspire me!
Always happy to help! Tip: Look for black shorts in the underwear department, somesort of sporty microfibre works best. I'm not crazy about the tights over leo -look either, somehow only pros seem able to pull it off. Obviously they have other concerns than gusset-visibility, and it is more practical. With black leggings I don't mind though.
DeleteI'm surprised that you have no showers/locker rooms. Can't imagine a studio without. Then again, I've seen lots of girls pull on their street clothes over their dance wear.
Thanks for your nice feedback, it made my day! Now, get back to blogging - pronto! :)
So pretty! After a couple of incidents of forgetting an item or two (you may remember I once forgot to bring any bottoms at all, and my teacher let me borrow her spare!), I've unwittingly gone the other direction and now overpack. Before heading out to class I do have an idea of what I want to wear, but LOL then I get to the locker room and open my bag, and I'm like, hmm, do I want to wear tights? or shorts? or sweats? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jeff! I've fallen into the same trap of over-packing. Last Friday I had two skirts in my bag, but couldn't decide which one.. But it's better to have spares than to beg & borrow. And yes, I do remember your bottom-less incident! :))
Delete