Bananarina

Ballet, Health, Fitness, Plant based Food. Here to help you be Healthier, Happier and SUCCEED!

[bananarina]

What do you think about gaynor minden pointe shoes?

I know they are very popular. Very popular in Russia now. Almost wveryone wears them in school and the companies in Russia. They make turning easier for people, jumping easier etc but they don't suit everyone. I have very archy, long wide at the front feet. Gaynors are generally very narrow. They also dont provide much support. The way they feel is incredibly different to normal pointe shoes and if you switch over to them you need time to get used to them but make sure they fit and support really well. If i was to try gaynors i would get they custom fit in NYC so i had the very best out of them i could. I may try them one day out of interest but for now the stock shoes dont suit me at all so i will stick to what i am used to.

[bananarina]

My ballet teacher always tells me to stretch my knees more. Like when doing developpè or whatever my legs don't seem to be stretched enough. But on the floor I can lift up my heels when streching the knees. How could I practice to stretch them more? Do you ever had problems with it? What could I do?

Really think about pulling up the thigh muscles just above the knee cap. Don't clench the big thigh muscle but think about the knee being super stretched and strong. And also doing ponche against the wall with your bottom leg away from the wall is a good stretch for the knees and pull up the thigh muscles at the same time so you can practice straitening the leg and getting muscle memory. Hope that helps! Thanks for the question 🙏🏻

[bananarina]

For no reason I somehow get depressed from time to time. During these times it's hard for me to stay positiv even in ballet. I want to give my best but I get the thoughts like "for which reason? You won't make it anyway." "It won't get better" and I just get the feeling of not wanting to do anything but sleeping. I stand in class and just don't want to. Do you have any idea what I could do about this? The depression may won't go away but how could I handle?

I know exactly how you are feeling and I would go in detail but this is the Internet and I don't want my whole experiences online. But Often unexplained depression stems from problems inside your body like your gut/digestion and nutritional deficiencies. Could you give me an idea of what you eat? Do you take vitamins? Let me Know as I would love to help you! 😘

[bananarina]

How do you push yourself in class or rehearsal even when you're completely tired? Often times in the last classes of the day or after an exhausting day I just can't push myself enough anymore..

Hi! If your exhausted on the Point of collapse and you physically can't push anymore then it's handy to have a sports gel of some kind of even better have electrolytes on your water etc to keep you hydrated. There's nothing you can really do st those points except have something high in carbs and quickly absorbable like a sports gel ( only for emergencies, not on the regular) and be vey careful in rehearsal because that's when you get injured so focus on what you are doing. I remember performing many shows back to back utterly exhausted and the only thing that got me through was a sports gel so I would think about that for the emergency lacking in energy moments! Hoped that helped.

[bananarina]

Any tips for jealously in ballet? There is this one girl at my class and she always gets all attention. No matter how hard I try, she gets all parts and always should show things. I mean I like her as person but what annoys me the most is, she's not even working as hard as me. Yes, in class she gives all she got but she never does additional working. I don't want to waste time on being jealous but I can't help..

I think this happens pretty much in every school scenario. There's always one girl who seems to get everything, be the favourite and doesn't even make the same amount of effort as others. Some people mayes earlier in their bodies so hey are stronger etc, if she is genuinely good then good for her, and try not to be jealous because the more you practice by yourself the more you will discover about your own body, and you'll become very strong and consistent and probably surpass the others. Some people have it naturally and don't need to work as hard as the rest but try to enjoy the extra work you do, and know in time you be appreciated and valued! Don't get defeated or compare yourself to others. Keep doing what you are doing. If the teacher isn't paying you enough attention then speak to him or her and be honest with them and say you would appreciate a bit more attention in class. If you need tips on that then let me Know! Also I'll be offering mentor coaching to people on my new website coming very soon! So we can always go into detail about what you need help with if you are interested. Thanks for your question!

[bananarina]

Do you think one can be too ambitious in ballet? I mean it's a lot of hard work and you won't get anything without effort but do you think there is something like too much? If so how do you notice what's enough and what's too much? Do you know dancers who are too ambitious in their career?

I don't think it's possible to be too ambitious because we can never be good enough in ballet. However I do believe you can try too hard to the point of injuring yourself which is counter intuitive. You have to find the balance between working really hard and not injuring yourself because your working too hard. Also there are dancers who are very ambitious and they let it become a personal thing, they become an unkind person, ready to stomp on everyone around them. I fundamentally believe that it's incredibly possible to be a nice caring person and still work hard and make it to the top and be incredibly ambitious. You can never be too ambitious but there's a fine line between hurting your body and hurting others if you don't work mindfully and technically correctly. Hope that helps x

[bananarina]

I have been vegan now for 1.5 years but started to really stop restricting only 3 month ago. Since then I don't stop gaining weight. I go 7 days/week to the gym and do 30-60 minutes cardio and also have ballet class nearly every day. I'm at a healthy weight, so I don't want to keep gaining, what could I do? Should I eat less? I eat everything vegan and on occasion "vegan junk" but not daily. And if sugar then I use coconut sugar and eat mostly plant based (like 90%).

Hi! Thanks for your question. I will say that in the vegan community there's a trend of smashing in all the food you can and if it's vegan then there's an unlimited amount of food you can eat. Well this isn't the case. Of course you eat more than before because the foods aren't as calorically dense but equally there is a limit to how much you should eat. My advice is eat when your hungry, don't go overboard, eat more veggies than fruit, increase your fats and protein and dont stress. I found when I limited my sugar intake slightly and increased my greens, days and proteins and just had more of a balance then I was sustained for longer, more energetic and not having crazy cravings. If interested in October I am launching my website where I offer ballet coaching, mentor coaching and meal planning. If your interested in the meal planning let me know and I will put your name down! Good luck and hope this helped x

[bananarina]

My teacher and also teacher which I met during workshops use to tell me I'm not strong enough I have to get more strength in feet and legs. But since I'm trying my best, doing Pilates everyday, going to the gym, doing every exercise in class at least twice and sometimes swimming(can't do it too often bcs I get fast too skinny): do you have an idea what I could do else?

Sounds like you’re doing the right training but are you fueling yourself properly to give you strength and muscle? A training plan is one thing but do you have a meal plan? It’s imperative that The two go together….. I’ll be offering meal plans for dancers in early October if you ever want one designed specifically for you. Follow me on Instagram @balletwithisabella and my website link will be there in a few weeks 🙂 thanks for your message

[bananarina]

Should I do pilates everyday to stay in shape during the holidays even if I don't feel like it?

If you don't feel like it one day then don't bother, just relax but generally do your Pilates most days and take a day or two off if you feel like it, ideally not in s row 😊

[bananarina]

Do you think it's important to take a day off per week? Even during holiday? Because during holiday I do conditioning exercises daily and class if I can but should I take a day off per week or just during school time?

I may have answered this already, but on holiday your not doing 6-8 hrs of dancing so you are technically already taking days off, the knot your doing is probably a bit of Pilates, swimming and some a ballet barre? So if you want a day where you do absolutely nothing then go ahead! But if you feel your body appreciated a little exercise each day then do that! And in the school year, 100% take a day off 👍🏻

[bananarina]

Oh..i thought maybe there would hopefully be a short cut. Do there is no possibility in progressing faster in ballet without single classes? Sadly I don't have the money to afford them. Maybe I have to trust that one day it'll be better. Thank you very much for your kind answer :) xx

No problem! Sorry this is such a late reply xx

[bananarina]

Do you think there is a "secret" to success in ballet? I work really hard but I think it's not as good as it should be. How to improve fast and be the best version of you possible? Do there is a secret?

There's no secret, but there's a saying I really like -"don't compare someone's on stage, with your behind the scenes" people out there always look like they are perfect and have it all and never have a bad day. Infanct they all have rubbish days! And behind the scenes to get that arabesque high they work damn hard! And to be successful you just have to work hard everyday, be patient, persistent and the rewards will come! They will!

[bananarina]

My teacher told that dancers do have to starve themselves in order to be skinny. I don't have a problem to starve but if I eat less than 2500 calories (I'm vegan) I feel so tired and am very fast exhausted. What could I do else? I have dance classes 6-8h a day. What could I eat to be skinny and not hungry but have energy?

2500 calories is the perfect amount of calories for an athlete dancing so much. On a vegan diet it's very hard to eat small amounts of food and still be satisfied and sufficiently energised for a long time which can meanyou feel tired. Make sure you are taking vitamins as well. Magnesium, b12, zinc, vitamin c. Increase your protein. This will keep you more satisfied for longer and energisedWhat do you think your struggling with? What do you think is the cause for you not being as thin as you like? - a lot of times people just want me to tell them what to do but deep down they already know the reason. I can definitely help! But not until I know what it is that you think you are doing that's not working out... 😊

[bananarina]

Which is your dream company to dance in?

Somewhere where there's lots of variety in the rep, classical dance, and contemporary. Somewhere where my living situation is comfortable, the city is cultured and where I can have a life outside of the theatre, which I'm realising more and more as the years go on that that's very important to have balance in your life and not take yourself too seriously.

[bananarina]

What inspired you to become professional dancer? And when did you decide to do it Professional?

Probably the music initially got me dancing, I would jump to stravinskys rite of spring in my living room with my dad trying to jump on the music - and then I just enjoyed working hard for something. I not remember making a decision to do it profressionally but I knew I didn't want to do anything else 😊

[bananarina]

Can you do an ankle strengthening video? Ps: Your video's really helped me! xx

Yes I will do! I'm just getting things sorted out and soon I'll be regularly posting videos 👍🏻👍🏻

[bananarina]

what are good exercises to improve pointe work? My teacher always ends up not doing much pointe because she spends so much time on the other things, so I'm a bit ''afraid'' on pointe. Like i don't feel as comfortable as in flats. How can I work on this?

After class or in the evening do some echappés on pointe and practice turning so it's not so scary. If your teacher allows it, ask if you can wear your pointe shoes in class a couple of times a week, or be honest and say can we do more points work please?!