My week days start at the gym before class. After lifting some weights it is time to travel over to Alberta Ballet’s studios for our daily ballet class. Class runs from 9:30 to 11:00. Rehearsal starts at 11:15 and runs for three hours until our lunch break at 2:15. We get a few breaks in there as well. We have an hour off for lunch and then we are back in the studio till 6:15. Then it's time to go home, teach a pilates lesson or see my physiotherapist.
  They are busy days. At times I feel that all I ever do is work and sleep. But performing is well worth all the hard work.
 

Before I left Toronto I was able to complete two licensing courses in Fletcher Pilates. This week two of the other dancers expressed interest in trying Pilates sessions with me. I am really happy to be able to get some experience teaching Fletcher's method to them. After experiencing the benefits of Ron Fletcher's teachings I am excited to share my Pilates experience with others. On top of body awareness, freedom of breath and lung capacity, Pilates provided me with simple images to minimize the complexity of ballet.

I have missed the consistency and guidance with which I was able to practice the work back in Toronto. When moving to Calgary I was really curious to find out what Pilates programs would be available to me, knowing that the Fletcher technique was not taught in the city. This is why discovering Pilates equipment in my Physiotherapy facilities was so exciting to me. The best part is that no one was using the equipment so I have been able to work on my own and Skype with my teachers in Toronto while working on the equipment. The opportunity has helped me feel confident about the conditioning of my body.

I have been blessed to be able to learn Ron Fletcher's work from Sagrario Castilla and Je-an Salas.

The company has been working on a shot of the entire company and today was my turn to have my photo taken. It is not exactly what I had in mind though. They have done a sort of Vanity Fair-meets-dance-shot. You know, like one of those covers that keeps unfolding so that you get one long photo. We have head shots next Thursday. I want to show a picture of the high heel shoes as well.

Yes of course injuries are disappointing and can become an ongoing frustration, but I thought I would share some of the reasons the recovery can make a career in dance even more satisfying and pain free.
While some injuries are accidental, many are the result of weakness or imbalance. Practicing movement a choreographer gives you 6 hours a day, 5 days a week means repeating the same movement pattern over and over. As dancers, we rarely get the opportunity to work our body evenly. Going to physiotherapy, or pilates or many other cross training practices gives us the opportunity to discover these imbalances and condition our bodies to prevent future injury. The recovery period is also a great time to go back to the basics. It’s a great time to go back to the fundamentals of your technique to train muscle patterns that will keep you injury free.
Enough talk about injuries prevention, but I just wanted you to know that there is positive in what many see to be a negative situation.

During the month of July I was extremely fortunate to have an old friend whose family lives in Calgary. They were extremely kind in offering me a place to live while adjusting to the new city. Because I was offered my contract with Alberta Ballet rather late I thought if I had the option to look for an apartment once I arrived, it would be a better way to go.
Moving in went smoothly. My parents drove from Prince George B.C. (my home town) to help me move all my stuff in and make that trip (or two) to Ikea.
Then it was time to look into internet. This became my nightmare. I spent hours on the phone with technical support for about a week and a half. I had two different technicians visit my apartment; the second of whom spent his entire work day on my issue.
Now that I finally have internet, I no longer have to spend time writing the blog on my blackberry.
To top it all off, I sprained my fifth metatarsal* this week. I did it in a petite allegro exercise in class (small jumps). My director Jean Grand-Maître had just walked into the room so I decided to try and jump higher this time round. During a jump on one leg, I ended up slightly sickling my foot (plantar flexion and inversion/adduction) and landed on the side of my foot.
*The fifth metatarsal is the bone that runs from the mid-foot to the base of small toe. This part of the bone is prone to injury. Stress fractures of the fifth metatarsal are the hardest to heal, and may require surgery
(from About.com: Orthopedics).

When I arrived, I was cast as one of the three drag queens in Jean Grand-Maitre’s new work, Elton John Ballet. This will be my first time dancing in heels. Not only heels, but a two and a half inch heel on top of a two inch platform. On my first weekend in Calgary, the two other boys and I set out to find some heels that we could rehearse in. We thought finding the right size would be a challenge for some of us. To my surprise, I felt more confident in the platform shoes than the stilettos.
I had my first rehearsal for our drag tableau three weeks into my time at Alberta Ballet. Luckily, I didn’t sprain my ankle, but after a hour and a half of dance in those heels it was a little painful. I noticed later that I had developed a blister in that hour and a half. The piece will be quite an experience but it’s sure to be a lot of fun. If you are in the Calgary area come check it out in May, 2010.

From the day I arrived in Calgary to the end of my first week of work, the Calgary Stampede had the city celebrating. Every morning I would get off the C-Train at Victoria Park Stampede, and the grounds would already but full of cowboys and cowgirls. The city was full of life - from free pancake breakfasts to the evening rides. Because I was working all day I did not get a chance to join the festivities until Saturday. Then I was able to enjoy a beer at the second to last day of the rodeo. This was quite an experience for me, as it was my first time to see the violently entertaining sport. Of course, I had to try some of those tasty little donuts before I left the grounds.

I first saw Alberta Ballet perform in Toronto in one of the National Ballet of Canada’s mixed programs. At the time, I was still a student at Canada’s National Ballet School. I was impressed with the distinct, dynamic quality of movement the dancers displayed. I saw the dancers as individuals. It was a canvas for each artist to share qualities unique to their own personal vision. That evening I saw an intelligent group of artists who were committed to the aesthetic of their work together.
From what I knew of Alberta Ballet, it seemed that moving to Calgary was a potential fit. After hearing that the National Ballet of Canada would not be able to offer me a corp de ballet contract, it was obvious to me that Alberta Ballet would be on my list of companies to audition for.
Originally from Prince George, BC, I am thrilled to continue working in my native country and better than that – I get to live in Western Canada.