"it's all over now" RACHEL WANTS

"it's all over now" the rolling stones

Drum roll please....... durururududururududuurrr

fashion post yay!

I have spent the past week putting together a post of 10 amazing things.  check em' out.

1. velvet

 Yes, velvet.  Every little girl's xmas dress fabric.  I am especially obsessed with velvet LEGGINGS and shoes.  Winter is not over.  And it definitely won't end anytime soon in Pittsburgh.  Alors maintenant, il est parfait!  yay I remember some French. go me!






2. head scarf

 It's definitely no secret that I love Natalia Makarova.  She does a helluva an ODETTE (almost up to Plisetskaya's par I must say) and has some of the most astonishing technique and care of movement.  But she also has an amazing wardrobe of head scarves.  Almost every video I've ever seen her rehearsing in, she's wearing one.  And they're never the same.  How does she make it look so non-babushka?  And non-Jackie Kennedy Onassis?  And non-pirate? Next to shoes, scarves are my favorite clothing to buy, so I'm going to be spending alot of time developing scarf-wrapping techniques.  Yippee for lots of free time!

3. that punky-colored-hair-strip

I just spent like ten minutes looking for the perfect example.  Unfortunately nothing has come of it.   Uhmmm. so close your eyes and imagine (well don't close them yet, read first!).  Pretend your going to itch the skin right behind your ear but keep going back.  I want to dye a little strip of hair a bluish-green color. Just because I CAN.  No one can tell me not to. mwahahahaha!!!

I did come across this.  And just had to share with you guys.  God bless those with this hair style.    God bless.

4. those sexy pussy-kitten winged eyes
It's no secret winged eyes are "in".  So why don't ya grab that eye liner and paint yo face?

Of course, every dancer will tell you that the "winged eye-liner" began with Suzanne Farrell.

 5. UNIQLO winter coat
UNIQLO is an awesome Japanese casual clothing store.  I checked it out when I was in the city this past winter.  It's a very cool store.  It is definitely very very casual and essential.  They have very basic lines with many many many different colors to choose from.  Their #1 item that was literally on every single mannequin was their light-weight winter coat.  Stupid me, I didn't take advantage of their 50% sale.... oh well.

Just one example.  They had many other shapes and colors.

6. urban outfitters men's boots
I don't think it's necessary to explain any further... I don't care if they're for men.  Rachel wants.

$285. yeahhhhh buddy

7. long-pleated skirt
I'm seeing this all over LA fashion bloggers.  Who says it can't come to the east coast?  

$62, american apparel

 8. bedazzler
You'd be crazy if you said you didn't want one.  Don't even try to lie.  Every girl (and some boys) want it.  Just imagine.  Bedazzled shoes, belts, blazers, hairbands, skirts, gloves, YOU NAME IT.

 9. pashmina scarf
I just bought one =]  They're awesome because you can wear them in soooo many ways.  Around your neck, around your head AND neck (my personal favorite babushka style), skirt, shawl, and so much more!  They come in beautiful colors and really unique designs.  I say it's a must.

 10. leotard/bodysuit
I'm honestly still trying to figure out this one.  I wear a leotard everyday, so why would I want to wear one outside of the studio?  If anyone knows, please explain.  There must be a reason why companies are selling them (hem hem american apparel).

 

"if"

"if" pink floyd.

 I am truly very jealous for anyone reading this that can understand Russian.  I want to know what this woman is saying SO BAD. 

So I had to make this post because I was watching a bunch of random youtubes (story of my injured life), and I came across this set of 4.  It's a documentary from Perm Ballet School (anyone else remember when that other Perm video came out called "Beautiful Tragedy"?  Yeah, I do.  Check it out if you haven't).  Anyways for those who don't know, Perm is one of Russia's best schools, at least from what I've heard, and this teacher is awesome.  First off, she always wears the same purple sweater with colorful embellishments.  Secondly she makes girls cry, smile, and giggle all in the same class.  Thirdly she also parties!!  Fourthly, and maybe most importantly, she is friends with MAYA PLISETSKAYA.  The  most amazing female dancer ever - I don't care what anyone else thinks.

in case you didn't believe me, here is the sweater

Her name is Ludmila Pavlovna Sakharova.  Unfortunately I could not find any other information about her except that she is a great teacher and she thinks that, “A teacher must possess many qualities – firmness and softness, patience and perseverance and sturdiness… But above all is love for children, desire to train them up, all of them, both week and strong. And, creativity in one's approach to one's task is also above all.” (Sakharova from a Ballet Magazine article).


I highly recommend watching these videos (why else would I post about them?), however I will give you a brief summary of each so that you can rate their importance and decide which you prefer watching if you have lack of time.

Part 1: They show a little bit of barre and then center.  She makes two girls sit out.

 
Part 2: Center continues and then they switch to examination day.  And then one of the best parts is MAYA PLISETSKAYA.  If you are also a Plisetskaya fan, fast forward to 13:20 to see her gorgeous face along with five pounds of eyeliner (but hey she looks hip!)

Part 3: This part is super boring.   They continue exams but not really showing much of the actual dancing.  Then they show a girl crying and blahblahblah, part of their show with a weak performance of Don Q pas, and then their awards ceremony.  If you're truly trying to find something to do to fill your boring day (ahem like me), then I guess you could watch it.

Part 4: Ok, probably the best part.  After the performance, the kids celebrate, AND SO DOES SHE.  Great dancing.  Anyways if you're not into old ladies dancing (which I personally think is awesome), at least you see the last of the pas de deux with the girl's fouettes.  The rest is just fill-in scenes like an empty studio and people walking on the street and such.

So if you're not familiar with ballet and have watched some of these, maybe you've learned that ballerinas aren't as "soft" as you think.... I wish my dad would watch this.

I did promise a fashion post, and don't worry it's coming up.  I'm just spending extra time/research on it to make it awesome.  Ohhh yeah.

Also, a little tidbit here for ya: TODAY IN HISTORY, Puccini's Madame Butterfly premiered at La Scala Opera House in Milan.  Oh and it's also Michael Jordan's birthday.

Ta ta for now everyone!
xox

holocene

"holocene" bon iver.  cool sound. thanks SNL

warning: been stuck in my apartment all week, time to vent. lots of anatomical terms getting ready to shoot your way...

when it first started... much different picture now.

So it's been snowing since yesterday, and it shows no sign of stopping! UGH.  Even though I hate the cold and everything that comes with it (hem hem SNOW. ew), I was looking forward to going sledding at least once.  BUT NO.  I am currently wearing a "boot", aka the dancer's 3rd-rate footwear (and practically every dancer has one of these bad boys stuffed in their closet wrapped in a plastic bag to keep the stench concealed).  Luckily I got a new one because my old boot is somewhere at home probably giving the stink-bugs in the basement a run for their lives.  This new one is awesome because... well it's 5 years newer than my old one!  It's got this awesome pump thingie that allows me to control how tight all the cushioning is.

oh yeah. look at that sexiness

Ok, ok.  I know.  The suspense is killing you.  So Monday I thought I'd be all goody-good and take another class after rehearsals (almost getting past my plateau.... or at least I was....) and my foot started acting up, so I shook it off and put on a leg warmer and marked some things.  Yuh.  Every dancer does this (or at least the less intelligent ones).  And then petit allegro came up, and I promised I'd only do it once even though it's one of my favorite parts of class.  And as I went into a glissade, I twisted my foot.  Thank gawd I was on the side in the back, I just hopped over to my stuff cursing under my breath and made my way to the locker room - still doing a weird hoppy-limp thing.  Oh YAY! Even greater news!  It's my right foot!  aha  yesss safe driving home!  That was an adventure!  Don't try pressing the gas pedal with just your toe....

Finally I got to seeing a sports doctor.  Turns out I have "type 1 accessory navicular bone syndrome"!  Woo hoo I have a syndrome (stay with me here, I get excited over cool words since I've been in my apartment all week watching Lord of the Rings.... oh and I watched A Clockwork Orange twice, once with commentary. fabulous choodessny. Never gets old).  Everyone has this "navicular" bone.  It's one of the tarsals in your inner foot below the sticky-outty ankle bone.  The posterior tibularis tendon runs over this tarsal, so unfortunately it hurts to do certain movements with my foot.

there's that suckah.  circled it for ya

and here again, the bone shaded in green "D" medial view.

the posterior tib is shaded in red.  So as you can see, my foot hurts in inversion and dorsiflexion (fortunately just at the navicular bone, the larger part of the tendon does not hurt)

So the doc says, we should get you an MRI!  Woo hoo hooray!  (sarcastic much?)  At the moment I'm waiting to hear from my insurance company whether or not I'm covered for the MRI.  Until then (or then and thereafter) I must wear this damned boot for 3-4 weeks because immobilization is the best remedy.  Hypothetically if the bone (or cartilage... whichever shows in the MRI) hasn't healed I may have to get some steroid injections (double yay for getting even more fat!).  And then worse comes to worse... dum dum dum. surgery.  But lets not talk about that.

My friend taught me this trick to name ten things you appreciate right off the top of your head when you're a bit down.  Think it's a good time.

1. I opened up my anatomy book for the first time since anatomy class two years ago.

2. I love black nail polish.  I don't care what people think
3. my magic bullet.  just learned that it has more than just the ability to make smoothies and margaritas. it can make breadcrumbs too!
4. candles.  who doesn't love?
5. my jim morrison poster.  he's just staring at me.  no matter where i walk in the room.  it's like a huge mona lisa! except manly and topless and beautiful wavy locks of hair
6. youtube.  fell in love with a Japanese beat boxer today
7. ability to call something "artistic" because in reality you can't use watercolor for your life so you just try to make it look abstract when really, you just messed it up so bad.

 

view from my eastern window.... awesome sunrise at 7 in the morning. thankyou, insomnia

8. hot cocoa
9. frozen lima beans

10. my guitar.  even though i still can't play to save my life, it's definitely a time consumer.

OK. yeah. That made me feel happier =]

Update on random stuff:
- PBT is performing "Uncommon" this weekend.  Oh and they just announced next season's rep!  I'm beyond excited for Giselle because it's my most favorite ballet.
- started putting a real dent in Anna Karenina.  I got to Part 2!! Only about 600 pages to go!
- have officially watched all three Lord of the Rings.  That was a doozy.  Smeagol is my favorite.
- Jackie Brown has found its way into my collection of Tarantino films =]
- am preparing a super-awesome fashion post since I have a lavish amount of time

So if anyone has had a similar problem with an accessory navicular bone or is super smart or something with advice, comments are especially appreciated.  Actually, in addition to that, anyone can comment.  It isn't required to have a higher intelligence level.  All levels of smartness are acceptable. =]

random sharpie.... the dude is Ralph or Ralphie. whichever you prefer.  just random stuff. i swear i'm not a druggie, I've just been incorporating mushrooms in my diet often lately since they've been on sale =]

maturity

"maturity" from Cinema Paradiso soundtrack.  beautiful movie by the way, definitely a tear-jerker.

I came across these beyond-GORGEOUS heels today, and I just knew I had to make a post about them. 

Alexander Wang, $250

First off, everyone knows that nude is in.  Secondly, who says you can't wear light colors in the ghastly winter?  I will admit, I love black (it's my comfort zone since it goes with everything almost), but getting some nude pumps would be an excellent showcase.  They're great because they can easily be worn everyday or for special occasions (although I'll must say, this pair in particular would look best more casually).

Soooo in reality....  Serenade is going alright.  Although today was a complete fail for me. Oh well.  I know I won't mess it up next time now.  Tomorrow is my first company audition of the season.  It's for Texas Ballet Theatre.  I hope they're actually hiring this year so that the audition will have been worth it.

That's all for now folks!

this joint

"this joint" slightly stoopid

Today was my fifth day back dancing (from my extremely long holiday break).  Still horribly sore.  My left hamstring/inner thigh has been locking up on me and cramping sometimes, tendinitis in hips bad, left achilles acting up, and now my right calve feels pulled or something.  UGHH!!!!  At least my back isn't horrible (yet).

So we're doing Balanchine's "Serenade".  One of Balanchine's Trust's Repiteurs has spent the week with us.  We finished this morning (five days!! and with two casts!!)  Serenade is one of the few Balanchine pieces I can honestly say I love.  The music, of course, is stunning, and nothing is more gorgeous than 17 girls all in perfect unison.  The piece is about 28 minutes long, and has many different movements.  Not counting Nutcracker, this will be my first Balanchine piece. 

It has been such a challenge for me because I've always been strictly Russian trained.  There are so many miniscule differences (such as one hand being in alonge, while the other is in a position.  Or crossing the arms in in third port de bra).  It's all alot more free, but how do you make a corps de ballet all the same, if there's so much more freedom in port de bras?  Balanchine taught his students FOR his choreography.  I feel like SAB and CityBallet should stick to Balanchine.  Otherwise it's just not the same quality.

PNB's Serenade excerpt

So if anyone has any advice one what to do for an extremely sore hamstring and inner thigh, please let me know.  I'm assuming it shouldn't be iced since it's a muscle?  Maybe heat?  Also for a possibly 'pulled' calf muscle?  Oh the pain.  Been having lots of potassium lately, something has got to give.

my mom bought me groceries!! This will last at least 2 weeks!!! =]

 So now that I'm all chubby from holiday, I'm trying to get back in shape mentally and physically for dance (auditions coming up!)  Basically I'm eating lots of raw veggies/fruits, eggs, yogurt, and kombucha.  Keeping everything between 1000-1500 cals.  So far so good.  It's getting tough with 7 hours of dance everyday though.

pizza with onion ring eggs

This was made during the break with my friend.  She has an awesome recipe where you crack an egg in the ring of an onion.  Sooo delicious!!  I'm trying to justify all the calories, and the only thing I can say is at least it has some protein! haha

dammit

"dammit" blink-182

With a new year comes the closing of another.  I'm wrapping up 2011 and putting it in the past.  I've learned from my decisions and my mistakes, and now it's time to move on! Woot woot.  New Years Resolutions? Nah. That's so overrated.  I always have a set of goals for myself and will randomly renew them when I see it fit.

So I leave home sometime tomorrow, and man I can't wait!  The thing about being home is that it's like the country.  Nothing to do but eat. Literally.  So yeah I'm excited to go back to Pittsburgh and lose some weight and just start dancing again.  I hate not dancing because I feel so lethargic and a waste of space.  I will however miss the comfort of not paying for laundry (or having to walk up and down three floors of stairs and into another building... which is super scary might I add, and the dryer doesn't even dry all the way...)  I will also miss my family and my mother's cooking.  Oh and also goodbye New York City. 

So my break was quite lovely and rather quiet I must say.  I can't say anything bad happened, so it was pleasant.  Actually one unpleasant thing was that a family friend passed away on the 23rd, and may he rest in peace.  After Christmas, I had a little reunion with some friends from Harid in New York City.  Here are some pics =] Enjoy

Chloe, my kitty-cat, under our tree. everyday

with my bestie at Dylan's Candy Barn (probably her favorite place on earth)

Rockefeller. of course.  note my hair was straight at the beginning of the night and then became this mess...

saks

saks.  unfortunately this image quality is horrible because this was my favorite dress of the night...

bergdorf goodman

bergdorf goodman. thought it was cute since one of them had a tutu on

bergdorf goodman again.

bergdorf goodman. yet again

need i say bergdorf goodman again?

no comment haha. but jeez i love the middle one!!!

Cheers to a happy new year everyone!!

"angry chair"..... and some nutcracker pics

"angry chair" alice in chains

view of the audience from the stage sooo big!!

beautiful Benedum ceiling

snow costume

flowers costume

Three more shows left!!!  Thank gawd I'm not in the last one because I just want to get home before Christmas Eve!!  Right now I'm waiting for my friend to come over from the airport.  So excited!!!!  Anyways, I hope everyone's last shows are great!