What fosters energy and youthful enthusiasm in your life? What rituals help you wake up and maintain mindful presence? I’m Blythe Stephens, and that’s what I’m exploring today and in episode 59 of the A Blythe Coach Podcast.
In addition to stressing the importance of making time (and patience) for ballet practice, in her book The Ballet Companion, Eliza Gaynor Minden recommends that aspiring dancers also “make time for rest,” specifically stating that “Professional dancers generally take one day off a week. Allow yourself at least this much rest. Your body needs it.” (The Ballet Companion p.15)
Of course, this recommended minimum applies not only to dancers but to all humans! Life Coach Talane Meidaner insists that, “You need a day to do whatever you want with no plans, no list of things to do, no scheduled brunches, no lunches–a day to be totally free and spontaneous, to rest, to play, to honor your spiritual self.” (Coach Yourself to Success p.216)
Here I am exploring the importance of time off and ways to build it into our lives.
This final week, we are setting up to keep your practice going after the “Intensive” is complete. The idea is to have a well-rounded conditioning and cross-training routine that requires a very small commitment of time. You can continue to add different movements slowly as well as take full-length classes with me online or through other teachers and live studios.
During July, I am sharing a fully adaptable “Summer Dance Intensive” program to develop body and mind for those who would like to be immersed in dance or yoga and don’t have the chance to attend such a workshop in-person. The suggested free sequences can provide a complement or bridge to online or in-studio practice. You can tailor the program to your needs, with anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours per day!
Welcome to week two of my first offering of the Adult Adaptive Summer Dance Intensive! If you have not yet read or participated in Week 1, please go back to this blog and podcast for the full scoop on the suggested program and ways to make it your own! In week two, we are focused […]
Summer can be a fruitful time to advance our craft, with warm weather and time off from school or (sometimes) work to focus on developing dancing strength, flexibility, balance, endurance, skills, & repertory. Even famous ballet pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova remarked on the particular value of working on your ballet technique in the summer months. Back […]
It’s unbelievable, but we are already 6 months into 2021, and I relish reflecting on half a year of learning and growth around the same time that I celebrate my birthday in June. This year has had its share of challenges as well, and it’s also an opportunity to contemplate grief and growth. I personally […]
Like an exhilarating ride on a rollercoaster, or if you prefer, a wave, dancers ascend and descend, sink, scoop, and rise, following or leaving a pathway in space. It can be quite a thrill even at a low level of risk! Our clarity about the described pathway in space, whether it be an scooping undercurve […]
As my birthday falls in June (this year is an especially notable one), I like to reflect at this time of year, considering the last year in my life as well as the 6 months since the official New Year. I relish celebrating my accomplishments and plotting my next steps to progress with my priorities. […]
What do a carpenter swinging a hammer, an office worker closing a drawer, a police officer directing traffic, and a ballerina’s storytelling have in common? All of their movements are traveling through space in relationship to other objects (concrete or abstract), taking specific pathways with particular attitudes. The hammer arcs up and then down to […]
