Taking Care of Your Body During Recital

I know that recital season can be stressful for everybody, but I am going to share with you some of my tips, in all categories that might help you to enjoy this time of year a little bit more.


                                                 Taking Care of Your Body
                  Taking care of your body is one of the top things that you need to worry about during this time of year, because your body is your instrument just as a musician has an instrument. Here are some tips about taking care of your body.

           1. Drink Tons and Tons of Water
              Because of you sweating from dancing and sweating from stage lights, you need to drink tons of water to replenish what you've lost and to help you stay hydrated.

          2. Sleep
            Sleep is your bodies way of putting itself on the charger, so by sleeping you are allowing yourself to rest, and allowing your muscles to recover. So when you get home from those late night rehearsals, get what you need to get done, and then put your phone away so that you won't feel exhausted the next morning.

        3. Take your Hair Down and your Makeup Off
          When some people get home from a recital rehearsal, they go straight to bed, but you need to make sure that you are taking care of your skin and your hair. Take all of the bobby pins, clips, and hair ties out of your hair to let your scalp rest. Also make sure to wash your face so that you can get all of the makeup and sweat out of your pores, ans so that your skin is able to breathe.

         5. Eat Right
            I know sometimes that you snack on fun snacks in the dressing room with your friends, but you also need to make sure that you have some healthy things so that your body can perform like it should.



                               That's all of the tips that I have today, remember to stay devoted,
                                                                          Hannah

Success

          At this point in my life, there have been some things that I become disappointed with myself about. Like making a bad grade on a test, not doing my solo to its full potential, and other things that just make me feel like a failure. I try to just let it go and push that much harder the next time, but I am scared that the next time I do it I will just fail that much more. I keep contradicting myself saying that I can't become a professional dancer and that I will never amount up to anything but the girl next door, but then I get a boost of confidence like when I win an overall or scholarship and I think to myself. This is when all of the hard work has finally started to pay off and I am starting to be successful, but when you get older, what or who really decides what is successful. Is success being a surgeon or is success opening up your own bakery. Both of these options are the correct answer because success is not how much money you make or how high you are on the profession totem pole. Success is being able to say that all of that hard work that you have done your whole life has paid off. Success is being able to look back at that younger, more innocent version of you and telling him or her that if they work hard, one day they are gonna reach their dreams. On the days that I do not feel like I am a failure, I already feel successful when I dance when I make at least one person in the audience feel something or make my family proud. Until I reach my goals, which I will always continue to make new ones, I will continue to work hard whether I am able to do 5 turns or 2 because I know that there is a little girl out there looking up to me and if I fail, I will not only fail myself but I will fail them too.
     One thing that I try to do when I feel down, is I pray that God will have his will in my life. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This means that if we do the things that God wants us to do, that everything will wok out for our good. When you have days where maybe you didn't get the job that you wanted, just remember that maybe you didn't get that job or audition because there is something bigger and better out there for you. And when you have other days where nothing, I mean absolutely nothing is going right, just remember that if you pray to God to let his will be done in your life, everything will work out according to his plan. 

How to Be a Dancer for a Bit Cheaper

Expensive is an excellent word that could describe dance. From tuition each month to competition fees, costume fees, shoes, dance wear, hair and makeup, and more you need to find ways to save money. Here are some of my ways that I save money. 

                1. Assisting
          At my dance studio if you assist with younger classes, you get a 15% discount on your monthly tuition. This is great because my tuition before my discount is $200 a month since I dance four days a week. If you are not sure that your studio does this or not, it would never hurt to ask. 

              2. Scholarships and Contests
          Scholarships are a great way to be able to go to conventions or other dance events, but not having to pay the full amount. Thankfully at two of my regionals this year, I won a $50 and a $25 dollar scholarship to the Gear Up Dance Convention, which I am super excited about because I have never been to before. CClick here to read about my weekend at Dance Machine. Another thing that I love to do is enter into contests. I have won two photo contests with Discount Dance, and I just recently won a contest with More than Dancers!!

               3. Online Discount Dancewear Stores
    Even though it is so much fun to go to that little boutique dance shop downtown, online discount dancewear stores are a great way to save money on dancwear and shoes. Here are a few Discount Dance Supply, Dancewear Corner, All About Dance, Just for Kix, and Dancewear Solutions.


          4. Don't Buy All of Your Dance Clothes from Dance Stores
   Now yes, you do have to buy leotards, tights, and some other things from dance stores, but you can go to stores that sell active wear and just buy clothes from there, as long as they meet your studio's dress code requirements. 


          5. Don't Use High End Makeup 
     Now this might be a tip based on personal preference, but I'll just give you my tips on this. For my eyelashes, competition makeup brushes, lipstick, and eyeshadow I use E.L.F products, and for all of my other makeup products I use Clinque foundation, and the rest of my products are Maybelline. For my hair products, I buy packs of bobby pins and hair ties from like the Dollar Tree or Big Lots,and  I buy Suave hairspray.

       6. Thank Your Parents
   My last tip is to thank your parents or whoever pays for the majority of your dance classes because dance does cost a lot. So when your parents say that you cannot go down and spend the whole week at that nice resort when you go to nationals, don't complain because you are getting to do something that you love to do and they do a lot so that you will be able to do the thing that you love. 

                                                              Stay Devoted,
                                                                      Hannah

My Weekend at Dance Machine

Yesterday, my studio and I had our last regional competition of the season. We went to Dance Machine Dance Competition, and I loved it so much. The judges were friendly to you while you were onstage, the emcee was great, and the backstage staff was fun and on top of things. Now I will share with you my results. 


                     Drowning(Contemporary Solo)- Platinum, Senior Advanced 5th Place Overall,
                      and a Bravo Award
    
                     Swing (Tap Solo)- Platinum, Senior Advanced 3rd Place Overall, $25 Scholarship to Gearup Convention, and National Title Semi-Finalist

                    AM to PM ( Tap Trio)- Platinum, Senior Advanced 6th Placed Overall
                   
                  Don't Worry (Jazz Group)- Platinum, Senior Advanced 2nd Overall

                  Dem Disney Girls (Hip Hop Group)- Platinum, Senior Advanced 3rd Overall, Bravo                       Award

                 Unsteady (Contemporary Group)- Platinum, Senior Advanced 2nd Overall

                Pop (Tap Group)- Platinum, Senior Advanced 3rd Overall






                                                       Stay Devoted
                                                                  Hannah

My Fruit Smoothies

 This is my first recipe post on this blog, but I hope to do many more!!
  
              As a dancer, I try to eat somewhat healthy, and to keep me from not snacking on foods that are not good for me, during the morning I sip on my fruit smoothie and it holds me until my mid-morning snack. There is not really a recipe for my smoothies, but I will try and tell you amounts the best that I can. Also, the blender that I use for my smoothies is the Nutribullet and I love it, it works sooo great, is super fast, and is also super easy to clean! Get a Nutribullet here! Note* this is not sponsored by Nutribullet or Amazon. 

                                                 What goes in my smoothies!!

                -Bananas are the main ingredient for my smoothie because I am allergic to dairy I cannot put yogurt in my smoothies, but bananas work great for me!! I put about a one and a half frozen bananas into my Nutribullet. 
         
               -Frozen fruit is the next component to my smoothie and I put lots of different kinds of fruit in my smoothies here are my favorite combinations. 

                              1. Blueberry, Strawberry, Banana
                              2. Blueberry, Strawberry, Mango, Pineapple, and Peaches
                              3. Mango, Peaches, and Pineapple
                              4. Blueberry and Pineapple

                       -Apple juice or water are the liquids that I use in my smoothies because of my dairy allergy. They work great, any liquid that you would like to use would work great. 
                     
              -Oats and Flax seeds also take place in my smoothie because they give me great benefits. The flax seeds have Omega-3s which are good fats that help your heart, they help reduce blood sugar, and they are also a great source of fiber. I put the oats in my smoothie so that it will fill me up a little bit more, and so that I will stay full longer. 
          
           I hope that you enjoyed today's post, subscribe to have my posts delivered straight to                               your inbox!!
                                
                                                                Stay Devoted, 
                                                                          Hannah

Tips for Keeping Your Room Clean

   As a teenager, I know how a bedroom can get messy fast. When I was younger I wondered how teenagers bedrooms became so messy like I saw them on t.v, but now that I am older I understand. My room gets messy from school books being on the floor, to craft projects that I am working on for my booth, my dance stuff being everywhere, and the remains of me getting ready, but I am going to share with you some tips on how I try to keep my mess under control.  

             (1)  Make Your Bed Every Morning

              Making your bed every morning will make your room look cleaner, and also help you                     not to get back in it in the morning. 

            (2)  Put Things Back Where You Found Them

                This is something that I could probably work a little bit more on, but this one is super important. I try and tell myself that the few extra minutes or even seconds putting whatever it is back where it belongs, then I won't have to do it later. Doing this makes your life easier overall. 

           (3)  Clean Out

               Every few months, or at least twice a year, try and clean out your room. By cleaning out your room, you are getting rid of old things that you don't use anymore, making room for more stuff, and also if you sell your old stuff you could make a little bit of $$$$.  

        (4) Clean Up Every Night

               Cleaning up for a few minutes every night, will help you to end the day and prepare your mind and body for a new and fresh day. Just think, if you have a bunch of stuff from yesterday all in your floor then you will not be able to start a new day, and you will not be able to think clearly about your goals for the day. 

                                     I hope these tips helped!! 

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                                                     Stay Devoted, 

                                                                Hannah

        

The One Who Helps Me Keep Going

   This post today is going to tell you not about something, but about someone who keeps me going everyday. This person is God. This topic might be a bit controversial, but I believe with everything that God is the almighty, the Alpha and Omega, and also the one that helps me to continue day after day. 

     One of my favorite Bible verses that really go with this post is Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I think that this says that whatever obstacle comes my way during the day, whether it is being too sore to get out of bed from dancing, or struggling to make some money, I know that I can get through the day because God will always be there. 

   Sometimes I forget to thank God in the morning for letting me wake up, and also just thanking him for the obstacles because they are only making me a stronger person and helping me work on my patience. So just remember that if you don't think that you will be able to make it to tomorrow, there is someone who loves you unconditionally no matter what the circumstance, and will be there to catch you when you fall. 

                                                           Stay Devoted, 

                                                                      Hannah