Tiny Tips: Grishko shoes cheaper from grishkoshop.com

It seems like discountdance.com should have the cheapest prices for all brands of dancewear.  However, this is not always the case.  Grishkoshop.com, Grishko’s official website, sells all models of their pointe shoes (discount dance only stocks some models).  Grishkoshop’s prices are lower than discountdance’s by an average of about $5 per pair (with some as much as $14 lower on grishkoshop.com), and grishkoshop does not charge tax or shipping.  Packages from grishkoshop do ship from Russia via registered mail and take about 4 weeks to arrive in the United States.  So, if you are able to order your pointe shoes well in advance, you can save a lot by shopping at grishkoshop.com!

Why is stage makeup so heavy and bold?

Are you dreading putting winged eyeliner on your 9-year-old for her debut performance as a Christmas angel?  Or do you hate staining your lips with red lipstick at every performance?  Here are some things to consider to make you feel a little better about your stage makeup.

Why stage makeup?  The basic reason that dancers wear stage makeup is to make them look like they have facial features from a stage distance.  Have you ever noticed how members of an orchestra across the room or baseball players down on the field start to all look like faceless stick-figures?  That’s how dancers would look too if they did not wear stage makeup.

Why winged eyeliner?  Female dancers wear winged eyeliner to make their eyes look bigger and more feminine.  Male dancers (and girls playing male parts) usually wear “basic” eyeliner that defines the eyes without emphasizing a feminine shape.

Why red lipstick?  Girls and women wear red lipstick so the shapes of their mouths are visible from the audience.  Men and boys wear brown or mauve lipstick for the same reason.  If the audience cannot see the dancers’ mouths, they won’t know if the dancers are smiling.

Why contour?  Children don’t need to contour, since round faces appear cherubic and cute.  Teen and adult dancers use contour, highlight, and bronzer to make their faces look thinner and more 3-D from the audience.  A round face is cute for a Christmas angel, but the Arabian soloist generally desires a more grown up and chiseled appearance.

Why false lashes?  Female dancers use false lashes to make their eyes look feminine and defined.  Male dancers usually do not wear lashes (unless performing parts in drag), and from a stage distance, they usually look like they do not have lashes.  If you really, really hate false lashes, you can get a similar effect by applying 3 or more layers of very black lengthening and volumizing mascara.

Stage makeup may be a big pain to put on and take off, but it does a lot for you when you think about how you look from the audience’s perspective.

Help! There's a hole in my costume!

Oh no! There's a hole in your costume! What should you do to take care of the problem?

If you are at dress rehearsal or in the studio, tell a teacher, artistic director, or the costumer. That person will direct you to the proper person to get the hole fixed before the performance. Don't pin or sew your costume unless a director tells you to do so. 

If it's the day of the performance with an hour or more before you go on stage, tell a teacher, director, or costumer. If other dancers are on stage, do not leave the general area where you are to find someone to tell (for example, do not leave the backstage area or green room). Someone should be able to help you fix it in time. 

If it's less than half an hour to showtime, try to find a teacher, director, costumer, or any adult (if you are young). Tell them the problem, and see what can be done. If you are good at sewing and have a stitch kit, it is ok to sew the costume yourself unless a director (or adult) tells you not to. It is better to sew the hole than pin it at this point, so if you don't have a stitch kit or don't know how to sew, ask another dancer to help. 

If it is 10 minutes or less until the time you have to be on stage, pin the costume with a safety pin. You do not have enough time to sew the hole and put the costume back on. If you are partnering, advise your partner that there is a pin in the costume before you go on stage. After you finish dancing in that costume, tell a director or costumer that the costume needs to be fixed soon to be ready for the next performance. 

Navigating the Christmas dessert table

Too many temptations this holiday season?  Did your friends give you sweets as merde gifts?  Did your neighbors drop off a plate of cookies?  Is Grandma in the kitchen cooking up cakes and pies?  In this post, I will outline some nutritional benefits and pitfalls of common holiday desserts.  The goal here is not to tell you to indulge or abstain, but to give you an idea of what each treat has to offer nutritionally so you can make an educated decision when choosing what treats to eat.

Treat	Pros	Cons
Chocolate	Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and less sugar.	Dark chocolate can taste bitter. White chocolate is not actually chocolate, contains almost nothing of nutritional value, and is high in fat.
Gingerbread	Ginger soothes the stomach if you are concerned about sweets giving you a stomachache.  Cinnamon promotes a healthy immune system.	High fat content in moist cake and chewy cookies.  Frosting is very high in sugar and artificial ingredients if it is colored.
Pumpkin pie	Pumpkin is high in Vitamin A and Beta Carotene, which promotes healthy eyesight, good skin, hearth health, and a good immune system	Crust is often high carb and high fat, pie filling is high sugar.  Not a safe dish for egg allergies.
Pecan pie	Nuts are high in fiber for good heart and digestive health, as well as minerals phosphorous and magnesium	Very high fat, high sugar, and not friendly to nut allergies.
Candy canes	Peppermint soothes upset stomachs and contributes to alertness and concentration, also low or no fat	Very high sugar content, fruity candy canes do not have peppermint benefits, lots of artificial colors
Fruitcake	Dried fruits in fruitcake contain antioxidants and vitamins (usually B for berries and C for citruis).	Usually very high sugar content, also beware of cakes soaked in alcohol.
Cinnamon rolls	Cinnamon promotes immune health, and loading up with carbs can be a good way to refuel after a performance	If you are not active, too many carbs will just weigh you down.  Watch out for high levels of saturated fats in the frosting.
Pudding or custard	Dairy promotes strong bones and teeth.	High sugar, also not friendly to dairy or egg allergies.
Sugar Cookies	Carbs are great post-performance, and one super sweet cookie should keep you satisfied on the dessert front for a long time.	Obviously very high in sugar, and chewy cookies are high in fat.  Watch out for colorful frosting with its saturated fats and artificial colors.
Meringues	Very low calorie and fat free	Not safe for egg allergies.  Do not expect a meringue to keep you energized for long!  Can also be high in sugar.

Tiny Tips: warming up hips

To warm up your hips before class or a performance, wear knit shorts or trash bag shorts during warm up.  Make sure you do some leg swings or balancoires too.  This will warm up your hip joint and make it easer for you to use your full extension.

Tiny Tips: the best Starbucks drink to have before a performance

Do you love Starbucks, but never know what drink to get for your pre-performance coffee run?  In order to set yourself up for a good performance, choose something with carbs, protein, and the right amount of caffeine for you.  For most dancers over age 15, moderate caffeine is helpful to fueling a good performance.  Go with medium roast or 1 shot of espresso.  If you are under 15 or don’t tolerate caffeine well, go with decaf or something coffee-free.  Smelling and tasting peppermint can help you focus during the performance, and Starbucks offers both regular and sugar free peppermint syrups.  You can also choose from whole, 2% (default choice), and skim dairy milk, as well as soy and coconut milks to customize your drink. 

If you are getting a quick pick-me-up before a Nutcracker show, take advantage of Starbucks’ holiday menu and order a peppermint mocha (or peppermint hot chocolate if you don’t do caffeine).  Peppermint syrups are available year round, so you can order a regular coffee, hot chocolate, mocha latte, or mocha Frappuccino with peppermint syrup before any show any time of year.