Eat Sleep Dance Repeat ___________?

Working a full time job - of any kind - requires your body to adapt to a routine. Once that alarm goes off, your body is suddenly on automatic mode and everything must be perfectly timed so as to fit in the busy schedule of the day. We end up basing our lives around our work, that even on our free time, our brain has not escaped that void. As a full time dancer myself, I feel the effects both mentally and physically. A dancer has to look after their body in order to function properly the next day and be able to build up to improvement rather than move two steps back from where you have began in the first place. It's not as easy as a cha-cha after all! 

A healthy sustainable diet is necessary to nourish and fuel your instrument - in the case of a dancer, being your own body - as well as replenish it with vital proteins and minerals and vitamins. Never forget your body is irreplaceable unlike a violin. I make sure to start my day with a good breakfast to get me through class and morning rehearsals. Oatmeal is the way to go usually, or a simple musli-yoghurt combo to kickstart the morning fancy!

Having a good night's sleep is important as well. That is the time that your body and mind can have a break from any thoughts, choreographies, worries and expectations of the day. It is when the body recharges in order to activate for the next full day ahead of you. 7 hours of sleep seems to be the ideal for me personally. It is enough to recover yet not feel too rested, or even 'tired' from sleep overload... does any one else feel that? I sometimes feel like a special case when I say that to other people and makes me wonder. 

After a long day of rehearsal I like to roll out my muscles and stretch so as to avoid any stiffness in the process of the week. Usually the pains and niggles build up as the weeks goes on which is why special care needs to be taken charge. Every dancer has a different way approaching problems like these, so I can't say what works best for everyone. I find that strengthening the body , aside from dancing, has been very beneficial and has attributed not only to the health of my bones and muscle tone, but my dancing technique also. We have been very lucky this week to have as a guest teacher from the Royal Danish Ballet, Stephane Dalle, come to our Opera here in Bucharest and share his wisdom and knowledge with us. Stephane has been famous for his methods in teaching Floor Barre in order to improve a dancer's leg lines, strengthen the posture and and enhance performance ability. After guesting with us the first couple of weeks of this season, optional Floor Barre lessons have been added to the schedule, an hour before class starts, for any dancer who wants to attend. I found it extremely helpful in improving my technique and as a morning motivation! The class is taught through the DVD he has created with himself teaching the class. It is useful and convenient too as no big tools and machinery is necessary to be able to do Floor Barre. All you need is your body (instrument) and a towel (it can get sweaty when done right!) Having him teach us live though has been truly amazing; his French voice is like melody in the studio.It's like a breath of fresh air to see the passion that one has for what they dedicate their lives for and I feel that this feeds off to the dancers as well. A great inspiration he has been for the company. 

The day ended like we do usually. This time with a rehearsal preparing for our new premiere of Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, A jewel ballet for any company to have in their rep in my eyes and an absolute masterpiece. This very afternoon, I felt that the energy in the studio had suddenly changed when the principal couple had performed the last Pas de Deux, leading to Manon's sad end and des Grieux's tragic loss. The dancers were fully engaged into the story and their characters that I almost forgot it was them acting. You could feel the maturity, the commitment and the passion through every breath of the movement. everyone was left speechless and the silence before the applause was very powerful. It is days like these that remind us why we do what we do. Why we have started this in the first place. What moves us. What inspires us. What makes us the people we are. What makes as the artists we dream of becoming. 

It is a routine only if you make it one. Until you find that one thing...that everything! That can transform your whole way of approaching your day and take you a step closer to fulfilling your dream, whatever that may be!!! I would be very happy to hear your thoughts and perhaps your own motivations/inspirations in your everyday life :)