The Ballet Shop

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When is World Ballet Day?

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We are always in a flurry of activity and sometimes we are suddenty faced with a post of sorts – World Ballet Day, International World Ballet Day ….  but many of you will ask, “When is World Ballet Day?”  How do you know to celebrate it if you were not aware?

We’ve looked around and it seems that in 2022, it will be held in October.

“World Ballet Day is celebrated every year in October. Ballet, which can be traced back to the 15th century, is an intricate and artistic dance form that involves precise, light, and graceful movements and gestures, performed to music. World Ballet Day is a special occasion for people around to celebrate this well-loved art.”

Ballet is full of fascination – the lights, the costumes, the movement and the floaty feeling associated with the fairy-like ballet world, for the more classical ballets; or a more raw sense of movement for ballets approaching the more modern style.

So how can you celebrate World Ballet Day ?

Go to the ballet. Watch a ballet online. Or, as the aim intends, get on your feet and go to a ballet class. Sign up for a term.  Ballet today is no longer stuck in the rigid terms it was before: there are many styles and forms of ballet, and the costumes vary based on creativity and the scene being set.   It is no longer bound to classical music and there are also new dance forms that have emerged, such as contemporary, lyrical, modern, and neo-classical dance.  These are all off-shoots of ballet, and you can dance in any way you want, while celebrating World Ballet Day.

At our shop, we have dancewear for every form of dance – just ask if you don’t see what you want and we will see whether we can source it for you.

Grooming and Discipline – at the Heart of Dance

Buying dancewear and shoes, Uncategorized

 

When I was a little girl, I remember my first ballet mistress, Mrs Lilian Attard, telling me that a good chunk of the exam marks, in a ballet exam, was the grooming.  How you dressed, how your hair was groomed, the ribbons on your ballet shoes (yes, we had ribbons then)…

The proper presentation is what makes the dancer attractive, young or older. The fairy-like quality cannot be achieved if the dancer’s hair is all over the place, or the uniform is not worn properly.  Ill-fitting uniforms are also a problem – besides the lack of grooming, there is the problem that the dancer is either uncomfortable (and this comes out as bad posture), or else in pain (in the case of shoes or waistbands and leotard ends that are too tight).  Ill-fitting shoes can also  cause permanent damage to the feet, long-term.

Grooming is all-encompassing when it comes to presentation.  You need to look good for the show to look good – there are no two ways about it. If you look shabby, so will your behaviour on stage be a little bit shabby – or a lot.  That’s fine if you’re doing street dance, but not for classical or other styles.

Our shop features dancewear and shoes for all styles – whether you’re a groomed sort of ballet dancer or prefer the chillaxed style that comes with street and similar forms of dance.  Take your pick, or check out our bargains corner for things that might take your fancy!

I’ve Never Had Pointe Shoes Before!

Buying dancewear and shoes, Pointe Shoes

We often get this comment when people are starting out with their pointe shoes.

Incidentally, they are not ‘point-ey’ shoes: ‘pointe’ is a French word meaning tip, because you stand on the tip of your toes (‘en pointe’) so you do not pronounce the last ‘e’. It’s pronounced like the English word, ‘point’,

In any case, these are very special shoes made of layers of glue and satin. A few layers of these are placed on to a mould, and then the whole thing is baked so as to give the rigid shape. The leather sole is sewn on to this concoction and in many cases this is a hand-made affair.  Each individual pointe shoe maker lovingly leaves a mark on some brands – such as a logo or little emblem – to indicate the person who has made that particular pair.

So what if you’ve never had pointe shoes?

Well, don’t try getting onto them without guidance. It is not they that are dangerous, it’s the very act of attempting to go en pointe without the proper strength or training. It might seem like a lot of fun – but it can be painful, and definitely is very painful if you fall off your pointes.

So what’s it all about?  Pointe work started in the 15th century in the French courts, to create the floaty feel / appearance of a dancer.  Marie Camargo was the first of these dancers.

This has gradually developed over time – but what hasn’t changed is that you need to build up the strength to carry your body weight on the tips of your toes.  Which also means that a healthy diet is important if you don’t want to hurt yourself.

Pointe shoes require particular care – they cannot be stored in humid conditions and need to be properly aired after use. You cannot clean them with a wet cloth, and you need to allow them to air between sessions.  As your classes become more frequent, you will need to perhaps alternate pointe shoes between classes to give them enough time to dry, particularly in hot and humid countries.

We will soon follow on with another article on fittings – though we have done this a while back.  Watch this space and meanwhile, contact us for a fitting.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, 2022 !

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We wish our esteemed clientele, family and friends a very happy Christmas, and we also hope that 2022 will be an even better year.

2021 started under a rather dark cloud – we did not know when, and how, we would reopen our stores to you and while you have continued to be our loyal customers, we must admit that we have struggled.

We want to thank you for your continued loyalty and for the support you gave us.  Further, we take this opportunity to remind you that these are the last few days of the Shopper Lottery chance – submit your receipts over EUR 25.00 and you will be eligible to win great gifts!

Online and offline purchases have continued and thus we have closed our 20th year of business.  To celebrate this, we will have some promotions in January so watch this space!

 

Back to school – autumn is here!

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Schools in the performance / arts communities are reopening in Malta and this is such a relief. Although children have to wear masks, which can be a bit difficult when the activity involves strenuous exercise, it is always better than not being able to continue with tuition at all.

At The Ballet Shop, we have stocked up for all forms of dancewear for different forms of dance, but remember that if you have a uniform requirement for a particular school, you need to be specific about what it is you need.  The colour and material of the leotard is important, for example.

Ballet shoes, tights and socks, hair nets, bunholders – these are universal. A pink bunholder is the same in any school as is a pink wrap-over cardigan (ok you might be asked to choose between fleece and normal knitted cardigan); hairbands are the same colour as the leotards (usually) and tights, socks and shoes are invariably pink.

Head over to our shop now and see if there’s anything that works for you!

Bouncing Back – Life after COVID-19

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I have not written here in a while, the confines of trying to keep busy during the last one and a half years while locked inside having driven me crazy.

My COVID journey was long. Less than one week into the dreaded limited human contact (not a full lockdown but schools and offices and everything else, were closed on 17 March 2020), I fell of my bicycle and went into 6 weeks of using a steel brace and crutches as I was unable to get anyone to see my injury. Finally, an orthopaedic surgeon advised that if I wore the brace any longer I risked a thrombosis; and that I should do some gentle walking and swimming.

I’d already tried some swimming and gentle walking and this was all the impetus I needed. The ballet shop suffered because I was unable to climb 4 flights of stairs to the little outlet; but the online sales continued to the extent that people were still dancing. Not much of course – reduced or no classes at all, reduced salaries for some. It all adds up.

This year we are appearing to go back to the life we once knew, with classes carrying on – with masks, if you please, but carrying on. The performing arts get a new lease of life.

We still have some uniforms sourced from UK with pre-Brexit prices as they are on our shelves since before Brexit.  Other EU-sourced merchandise remains the same, of course.  We have increased our platforms to include Revolut besides PayPal; and BOV Mobile payments if you are in Malta. If you are present in our shop, our BOV Cards machine accepts all international and Maltese cards. You’re spoilt for choice.

We will always have some bargains on – just look up our bargains corner from time to time, our check out our website for any ongoing deals.

That’s it! Happy Shopping!

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