Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 8/30/2009

Question
why hello again
i was wondering if you had any tips in doing pirouettes( is that how you spell it?) i find that im the only one in class who cant perform them well. i have the position down. like i know how to start it..  i get up and have trouble doing the spin..  ive been practicing them all the time and havent been getting much better(i know itll take time)  but i hate being the only one in class who cant do them correctly. and spotting i cant pirouette and spot (even tho i cant exactly piroueete yet) i can spot across the floor and in front of my mirror but its a no go. and other questions off this spinning topic. i heard it was bad to wear your ballet shoes outside of class or when your practicing.. (like on concrete) and i wanted to know if it was true. cuz i had this idea of wearing my ballet shoes wif my black dress but i dont wanna ruin them. annnd last question. i heard that if your a vegeterian its hard to gain muscles because of the lackk of meat. ive been a vegeterian for three years (i did it cuz i had a bad incident wif meat when i was 13) and if its true that its harder to gain muscle to make my ankles and legs and what not stronger..  what can i eat to replace the meat (protein)
thanks:]]

Answer
Hi Jezell. Go to my ballet blog
http://wwww.balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/

Down the left sidebar, below the pictures, is a section "Pirouettes and Turns". You can click on those post titles and read lots of technical details about turning, spotting, and more.

Feel free to ask more about this after you've read the particulars and tried some of the exercises.

Replacing meat protein is an extensive study - I am not an expert on it. I will share my observation with you, that in all the years I have danced, those who became vegetarian never gained the strength they needed to for long term dancing.

However, some of the higher quality protein shakes such as Isagenix or Ecoquest Infinity TED shake provide better proteins (dairy based) with real vitamins and minerals. When it comes to real food, tuna or salmon once a week each, is a good source of protein. (not more because of the mercury and other pollutants in the fish).You see this can get a little complicated. Eggs, soft yolk not hard, are good. Don't be afraid of the fat in eggs because your body metabolizes it well.

At http://balletconnections.com/DianneBuxton toward the bottom of the interview, you'll find a link to http://www.findmybmi.org/ which is about figuring out your body mass index, and it explains what that is. If you read the interview there are some good nutritional tips too.

http://www.criticalbench.com/protein-calculator.htm is a link to a page that helps you determine how much protein you need every day. Important! Protein builds your whole body and brain, not just your muscles.

Ballet shoes are not made to wear out side of the studio - so you can, but they will wear out a little faster.

All the best with this volume of information Jezelle, Dianne