Happy New Year!

Hi!  Welcome back to my blog.

I hope you and your family a very happy New Year.

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet?

Here are my New Years resolutions:

1.  Work harder in school and listen to my teachers.

2.  Practice my ballet steps every day.

3.  Listen to my mom and dad and help around the house.

4.  Stop fighting with my brother Mortimer.  (This one is going to be hard!)

5.  Be kind to everyone I meet.

Below is a video to watch.  It’s the Little Mermaid!

Now we can color a picture from the movie, Little Mermaid:

I hope you’ll come back next week.  We’ll learn and practice more ballet steps.

See you then.

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

(sponsored by the Exercise Equipment Super Store and the Healing Tai Chi Store)

Let’s Review the Dégagé

 Hi!  Welcome back to my blog.

I’m happy to see you again.

Today we’re going to review the ballet step called “dégagé”.

A “dégagé is a movement or a step in ballet in which the working foot is lifted off the floor.

Below is a picture of three people performing a dégagé at the barre.

I think this video of a ballet student practicing dégagés to the front, side, back and side again might help you better understand how the step is performed.

Now,  you try it.

I found a picture for us to color after we practice our dégagés .  Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you.  Don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you”.

I hope you’ll come back next week.

 See you then.

You can subscribe to my blog if you’d like.  If your mom and dad agree, click on the subscribe button at the top of the right-hand column.  Each new post will be sent to your email inbox as soon as it is published!

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

(Millicent Mouse is sponsored by the Exercise Equipment Super Store and the Healing Tai Chi Store)

What Does Allongé Mean?

Hi! Welcome back to my blog.

 

Today we’re going to find out what the ballet term “allongé (aa-lohn-jay)” means.

 

Allongé means to stretch out or make longer.

 

For example. when we are doing an arabesque, we want the leg that is up in the air to look as long and stretched out as possible.

 

Look at the picture below to see how the dancer’s leg is stretched out:

 

 

Boy, this girl’s legs are really long!

 

I’m just a little mouse so mine are kinda short. 

I have to work really hard to stretch my leg out.

 

I bet you do, too.

Here’s a video for you to watch:

 

Below is a picture for you to color after you practice your allongé.

Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you.   Don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you”.

 

 

 

Looks a little bit like me, doesn’t it?

 

Please come back to visit next week.  We’ll talk about more ballet stuff.

 

 

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

Happy Labor Day!

H!  Welcome back to my blog.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

I’ll see you next week with more ballet terms and steps.

See you then.

In the meantime, here’s a picture for you to color.  Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you.  You did say “please” and “thank you”, didn’t you?

Let’s Practice the Bourrée

Hi!  Welcome back to my blog.

 

Today we’re going to practice the ballet step called “bourrée” (boo-ray).

 

We will begin in fifth position…

 

 

Now, releve.  

 Remember what that word means?  

It means to rise up onto the ball of your foot or, if you’re wearing pointe shoes, to rise up onto the ends of your toes.

 

Now that you are standing on the balls of your feet, move the front foot forward a little bit then slide your back foot close to your front one.  Keep taking these little steps forward.

 

This step can also be performed moving backwards and to either side.

 

Look at this video so you’ll understand this step better:

 

 

I found another picture for us to color.  Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you and don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you”.

 

I’m going to go practice my bourrées.

 

See you next week!

 

 

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

Let’s Practice the Glissade

Hi!  Welcome back to my blog.

 

Today we’re going to practice the ballet step called a glissade (glee sahd).

 

Below is a drawing of this step as the dancer moves from fifth position stretches out to second and then closes again in fifth position.

 

Now you try it.  

 

I think the video will give you a better idea of how the step is performed.

 

 

Did you notice the different foot positions between the drawing of a glissade and the dance student performing the glissade?

 

You noticed, I’m sure, that in the drawing the dancer is moving from fifth position to second (for just a moment) and then closes in fifth postion again. 

In the video, the student is moving from first position to second and then back to first and from third position to second and back to third again. 

 

Whew!  We sure worked hard today.  Let’s sit down and color a dance picture now:

 

Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you.  You remembered to say “please” and “thank you”, didn’t you?  I know you always remember your good manners.

 

Please come back again next week when we’ll talk about more ballet steps and poses.

 

See you then!

 

 

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

Do You Remember How to Do an Attitude?

Hi!  Welcome back to my blog.

 

Today we’re going to review the ballet position called “attitude” (ah-teh-tewd).

 

An attitude is a pose in ballet in which the leg is raised in the air with the knee bent

 

 

 

Here is what it should look like:

 

 

 

Below is a video of a ballet student practicing the attitude. 

  At the end, this girl extends her leg into an arabesque, lifts the leg slightly then lowers it to the ground.

 Did you try it?  It’s hard to keep your balance, isn’t it?  Yikes!

 

I found a ballet picture for you to color.  Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you.

 

Did you remember to say “please” and “thank you”?  I know you did.

 

I’m going to go practice the attitude now.  Please come back next week.

 

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

Let’s Practice Our Battement Tendus

Hi!  Welcome back to my blog.

Today we’re going to practice the ballet step called “battement tendu” (baht-mahn – tahn-dew).

Here is a picture of students practicing battement tendus:

This video might help you to understand what a battement looks like when a dancer is practicing:

I think we’ve used this video before but it is a good explanation of how to do a battement properly.

Now, you try it.  It’s a bit harder than it looks, isn’t it?

I found a picture for you to color.  Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you and don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you”.

 I’m going to go practice the battement tendu.

 Please come back next week when we’ll talk about some more ballet steps and poses.

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

Let’s Review the Arabesque

Hi!  Welcome back to my blog.

 

Today we’re going to talk about the arabesque.

An arabesque is a pose in ballet where one leg is extended to the back and off the floor.  At the beginning, most dancers can’t get their legs very high off the floor but with practice, the muscles stretch out and we can get our legs higher and higher.

Here is what an arabesque should look like:

 

This lady is a professional dancer and has studied ballet for many years.  If we practice hard enough, someday we’ll be able to do a beautiful arabesque like she is doing in the picture.

 

I found a good video of the proper way to do an arabesque:

 

 Here’s a picture for you to color:

 

Ask your mom or dad to print out the picture for you.  I know you remembered to say “please” and “thank you”, didn’t you? 

 

This is the link to these beautiful pictures to color if you would like to look through them and buy the coloring book or run off the free pictures.  There are many different categories I think you will like.  I love them!

http://coloring-nicole.blogspot.com/2008/03/ballerina-primavera-coloring-pages.html

 

I’m going to go practice my arabesque.  I hope you’ll come back to see me next week.  See you then.

 

 

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse

Happy Independence Day!

Have a wonderful Fourth of July!

Here’s a picture for you to color:

Ask your mom or dad to print it out for you and don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you”.

I’ll see you next week right here at my blog.  We’ll practice some more ballet steps.

xoxoxo,

MilliMouse