Homemade Pointe Shoes and Instant Gratification

"Homemade pointe shoes".
Punch that phrase into the YouTube search bar and prepare for a night of jaw-dropping stupor!

Girls (who seem to only exist from the knees down) post videos of themselves stomping around in handmade pointes created from clay, cardboard, tacky gift wrap ribbon, and ballet slippers stuffed like Hermann Goring at a smorgasbord.

Nearly all of the videos are filled with comments telling these girls to stop, but it seems to be of little use. Some YouTubers even have multiple models of their "Freedensteins" to view on their channels. In leopard print too!

I think those are Starbucks cup cozies in there?

Nearly all dedicated ballet dancers can tell you about the importance of that magical build-up towards their first real pair of pointe shoes. The months (if not years!) of patient waiting, working hard in the studio hoping for that day when the instructor will finally say, "You're ready". Then comes the celebrated first fitting followed by the first class. It can be a magical time, whether you earn your first pair at 12 or 35.

While the potential for injury with these home-made shoes is obvious, the greater (and more likely) danger comes from training the muscles of the leg and foot incorrectly. By the time you do make it to pointe, you may have a very difficult time breaking the bad habits you taught yourself.

We live in a culture of instant gratification. We don't want to wait for things anymore. We have grown lazy and entitled, and now its even spilled over into ballet. Not ready for pointe yet? Spent all your parent's money on videogames and can't afford classes? Then make your own shoes! Why not?

Not only are these girls robbing themselves of an important life experience (self discipline, patience, etc) and a moment of true magic in their lives, but the readiness and confidence with which they proudly claim "This is completely safe!" and attempt to teach others how to makes these things is astounding. Where are the parents? They need to sit their daughters down and cut them down a notch: "Honey, you are not a foot doctor. You have not studied the anatomy of the human foot, nor do possess any knowledge of shoe design. You are in no position to tell others whether your shoes are "safe" or not. You do not have that knowledge yet." I'm getting a little tired of these self-professed teenage "experts" that seem to sprout everywhere.

Folks, don't rush to be en pointe. ;)

Video - just being a pretty dancer... :P

This was taken at Fanime last year while waiting for a photoshoot. Just a little improvisation...

I just love floating around and being pretty! This is one of my favorite dresses too - I found it at Goodwill eons ago. It seems vintage, but I'm not sure. Shoes are Gaynor Mindens, as are the tights. :)

Ohgosh, a lovely ballet shoutout!

How can I express my happiness right now?

LegalBallerina.com has posted a lovely shoutout to me!
A ballet video that I posted on YouTube almost exactly one year ago has garnered over 34,000 views. The video shows various clips of me en pointe during a beginner ballet/pointe class at a local studio. I firmly believe that ballet is one of the most elegant, uplifting, noble pursuits that a human being can undertake, and I also believe that ballet should not remain only in the realm of children, but should be more accessible to adults who make the brave decision to learn ballet at a later age.
What brings me the most joy from posting videos of my ballet adventures is the inspiration and hope it can bring to adults and older teens who are under the impression that the ballet world is not open to them.

Legal Ballerina of http://legalballerina.com is also chronicling her adventures in learning ballet. She has a very well put-together blog! I first discovered her blog after examining my YouTube statistics - I noticed that a decent number of my ballet video views were coming from her website. After a little digging, I found that my Adult Beginner Pointe video was linked in her sidebar! I was flattered! I quickly dropped her a note of thanks and she wrote a new blog post about me and how my video has been a source of inspiration on her own ballet journey! She writes:

"It is because of Miss Etherington (along with my teachers, fellow students and family) that I believed that it was possible to learn ballet and advance to en pointe at my age. I still like watching her video. If you take a look, notice how nice her sous-sus is and how strong her legs look. Her feet are beautiful too."

I'm all a-flutter! Thank you darling!

Colress from Pokemon in Copic Markers

Colress by ~Stagsleap on deviantART

I saw a picture of this handsome fellow on the 'net and just couldn't resist!

Apparently he's from "Pokemon Black and White II", a game that I will probably never play and have no interest to. I just saw that crazy hair and yellow eyes and fell in love! It seems he's also known as "the trainer with the Internet Explorer logo for a head...".

I threw him through my Bishie Machine, inked his fluffy locks with Sakura Micron pens, and lovingly slathered him with the ink of the Copic Marker.

I made a speedpaint video too, along with spiffy Colress battle remix music! 

I was once a ballet-dancing commodore...

It's me!

Every fall at my college, the dance department has open auditions for their Fall Dance Concert, which is composed of student-choreographed pieces in all styles of dance. I was in three pieces in 2009 (which were mostly small roles) and the experience was certainly worth it. I made a lot of acquaintances and realized how little I actually knew as a dancer. I felt like "the baby" amongst all these other girls (and a few boys) who had years upon years of experience. I had a really difficult time picking up choreography. :(

Fast forward to 2011, and while I had no interest in taking part in another Fall Dance, I did hear whispers that there was to be a ballet segment in a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed dance. Pirates? Ballet? WHERE DO I SIGN UP? Luckily for me, the choreographer used to dance at my off-campus studio and knew of me.  I was given the role of Commodore James Norrington.

It doesn't end there! Of course, every PotC dance needs a Captain Jack Sparrow! Who better than....my boyfriend Duke? For the first time in our relationship, Duke and I would be in full theatrical costume, on stage together, dancing, and in roles that both suit us. It was like a dream come true!

Rehearsals were wonderful. All of the Royal Navy cadets danced ballet, and I event got to dance a duet with Duke. Other segments includes contemporary, gymnastics, and hip hop. Duke and I worked together smoothly and happily. Things got even better when it came time to start rehearsing in costume and makeup. I wore a white "powdered" wig, poet shirt, a cream waistcoat, cream breeches, white tights, and black slippers with white elastic (so they look like black shoes). I had to dance all the choreo with a sword, adding an elegant challenge.

Best of all, Duke transformed into a stunning Jack Sparrow. Not only did he look perfect in the makeup, but he also got Jack's gestures, expressions, and run down pat.

Now, on to the pictures!

In costume as Norry before putting on the wig.

Confronting Sparrow.

Our duet. Apparently, the camera captured my inner demi-god. 

Enjoy the video too! The hip-hop segment was cut for some reason...

Barre en Pointe Video!

Took the beginner/mixed level class en pointe last week. Still struggling with a stiff neck and back. :(

Gerenuk Gazelle in Copic Markers

A little late in posting this to my blog, but here is my latest video! I loved taking a break from anime to create this, and I'm happy with how it turned out. It can be difficult to bring the eyes to life when you're working off a museum specimen, and the final piece has a bit of white gel added for highlight that is not seen. I hope you enjoy this little video!


Gerenuk by ~Stagsleap on deviantART