Oops is a BIG sale for YOU!

I misblogged on the reduced price of Stepping to Sleep, the restorative power sleep program for dancers. It was $10.00 off the retail price of $35.00,   NOT $10.00 as is blogged on Notes FromUpstageLeft.

NO PROBLEM!

HERE IS WHAT I AM GOING TO DO FOR YOU in time for your Spring Shows, summer intensives and auditions.

Tuesday, March 31, from 12:00 am to 11:59 PM, 

Stepping to Sleep will be $10.00 (plus S/H).

$10.00 for you!

You won't believe the power of this program. The best thing is you  put your feet up and go to sleep and improve your dancing. I guarantee it. Since Dance Magazine recommended it June, 2008, performers are realizing that tossing and turning, not sleeping well enough and staying up worrying about performances is a waste of time when you can be sleeping and conditioning your mind at the same time. Believe me you will feel different and dance stronger.

Be a well slept dancer! Your teachers will notice as Caitlin's did in Louisiana. Her teacher poo pooed that sleep was the sole influence in her change until SHE SLEPT!  Belive y still have to work and train, however, imagine if you were not tired! Dance rested.

You'll learn why sleep is vital to dance AND the most important reason why you need to sleep.

If you have any questions - you are welcome to call me 412.344.2272, and I will get back to you personally.

Thank YOU. GOOD NIGHT!

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Mentalperfromances.com

DanceMind & Notes From UpStage Left

DanceMind is being featured on this blog today! Cassandra Schaffer, a dance teacher and dancer, is the writer of this blog. She discusses anything dance in a way that is fun and quirky. She teaches and inspires through her musings. Ck it out - http://www.notesfromupstageleft.com

ALSO, to help all of you with your upcoming performances and as another way to get the word out that dancers can use mental training to strengthen performance, even if you have no stage fright or issues. I dropped Stepping to Sleep audio $10.00! That is over 30% -- I am not going to compute it exactly.

SLEEP - Even if you sleep, are restless at night or toss and turn with worry, this program will will lull you to sleep AND strengthen your performance! Not only do you sleep better, but there are mind empowering suggestions that literally improve your dance presentation.

There are also muscle memory boosters in there BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN IT HAPPENS. Not at the studio where you are pounding it out. AT night is when muscle memory strengthens and if you are NOT sleeping you are losing out on an easy way to improve your dance.

Listen to it for one week and you'll be rested and dance better, I guarantee it! ... Hey Dance Magazine likes it!

Have fun reading Cassandra's blog!

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Performance Therapist

mentalperformances.com

Dear Sanna - Performances

It's funny, I was just discussing with a friend what I liked about dancing here, and a lot had to do with performance experience. I think I have grown a lot this year when it comes to performing, since there is so much.

First of all, I really know what I need to do to warm up and prepare myself for a show now. I do class as full out and close to normal as possible. I treat it like any other day, because for me it is more important to get warm and feel normal than to save my energy or something for the show. I always have enough energy. Then after class I know I need to stay warm with the right warm ups and the most important things I need to stretch or re-warm up before the show. For example, I always stretch my frog and splits as a priority.

I am also getting better and knowing when and how to do my hair and makeup so I am not stressed for time before the show. Usually with school shows there is plenty of time, but here we are constantly touring different places with different dressing rooms and not always a lot of time.

After this it's just important to relax and talk to others if you want, but also know how to block people out if you feel you need to focus. Depending on the piece, I usually like to at least think through all the choreography in my head, and often practice things on stage before the show. If we don't do spacing together, I like to see where I will dance, so there are no surprises on stage. Things like this make me feel more comfortable when I am performing.

When the curtain actually goes up, I either try to distract myself from nerves back stage with whatever, if it is a piece where I need a lot of character more than technique, or I really focus on what's going on and what I'm about to dance if it's something technically demanding. When I am dancing I try to think of something pleasant and simple in the back of my mind, so I can let my muscle memory perform the steps without my mind wandering too much. I try to practice this kind of thinking even in the studio rehearsals. I try to picture what the stage might be like and pretend each rehearsal is a show, so I can dance just like I do in the studio.

Most of these things really seem like common sense, but at least for me it took experience to really apply a lot of simple ideas. Just dancing like you do in the studio on stage sounds simple but takes a lot of mind power.

Janie

DanceMind: Dear Janie, SPRING into Performances

Bell sent me an email -- She says that back stage is very crazy that it is hard for her to keep calm. There are moments when she wants to scream. She went on to say that she feels as if she stumbles onto the stage and it takes several beats to get her footing. 

Any one else?

DanceMind: Dear Janie, SPRING into Performances

With Spring performances around the corner, it may be a good idea to discuss how to manage oneself back stage so that no matter what happens you can move into performance with strength and power. 

First -  What do you currently do that helps you? How do you manage yourself?

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Performance Therapist

mentalperformances.com

DanceMind:Dear Janie, Uncontrollables

Be Ready.

Dear Sanna - these days

The other day I found myself the first one in the studio before rehearsal, so I was alone with the artistic director.
"Janie I was watched you in the performance yesterday."
Oh no. "Oh?"
"Yes. Nice legs. Good girl"
Whew.
"And in the first piece, you did Rachel's part?"
"Yes"
"I couldn't tell if it was you or her. Good girl! Good energy"
"Oh good thank you!"

I was shocked. Actually something nice to say without one backhanded addition! It was such a nice change. But not to worry - I always find something to complain about...

Today when the schedule finally came, about 30 minutes before class, which is so typical, we found out we had a photo shoot in costume. I was so annoyed. They could've at least told us yesterday so we knew to wear a little makeup, do our hair nicely, and even not eat such a huge breakfast since the costumes happen to be extremely revealing unitards. Grrrrrr. So luckily some people had a little makeup we could all borrow while we frantically tried to get ready. I didn't even have proper underwear for the costume, so I had to wear tights underneath. Just so many annoying things that could have been so easily resolved if they had given us even 12 hours notice. Ahhh well but life goes on. Hopefully I got a few decent pictures...

Janie

DanceMind:Dear Janie, IN between the dancing

Your post on 3/11 reveals how the time in between performance can influence stage presence.

Rushing, new marks, new choreography, a change of costume, last minute changes .... You can literally feel as you are thrown out on the stage on pointe no less! There is a lot of activity back stage that can distract you unless you take charge of 'a controllable.'

There is noise and movement that you cant stop and some of it is necessary.

Let's a take a look at this 'in between the performance' experience.

Any thoughts can be helpful. Struggles, Insights ... Become aware.

I have to prepare here for a client --
Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT
Performance Specialist and Therapist

DanceMind: Dear Janie, Hello there ...

Well, where have I been?  This last week has been excitingly busy. I am off to sleep because tomorrow I am headed to day 6 of Hellinger training.  This work would be likened to you loving a certain piece of choreography. It feels good, You have a lot to learn. Yet it resonates within you. You have to do it. You have to dance it. It takes your breath away.

What I wonder as I consider this healing work with performers -- I wonder who is sometimes in the way of a performer/dancer when they cannot or struggle to succeed?  Sometimes it is not who you think. (Hint -- Not you!)

I am looking to connect the dots here.

Janie,  The less resistance you have to such shifts and changes the more flexible you are in mind and body. You are free to dance.

Your list of controllables a few posts back are actually pretty good. I am pleasantly surprised. You have learned a lot.

It is step after step after step after step after step after step after step after step ........................

Back in touch.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

Mentalperformances.com

Dear Sanna - That's show business

Friday the company lost two girls. It wasn't such a horrible thing they left, because the artistic director didn't exactly love them, so they also weren't extremely happy. However, it was a really inconvenient time to lose two members of our corps. We had to have an emergency rehearsal, shifting everyone around for our performance Tuesday, which meant me doing a few extra little things, and one completely new part I had only understudied before, not to mention dealing with a lot of other slightly confused people on stage. So it was the day of the show and I had had ONE rehearsal of the new part, and of course we had no time to get ready. I was putting my shoes on when the ballet mistress grabbed me and the other two girls who do the new part with me to quickly space it on stage before the show, which was kind of important and good, but also then I really had to rush to get ready, which is sort of stressful. Anyway there were a few terrifying moments, but for the most part it was okay. After the new part was over though, I still had the entire ballet to do like normal.

With a few changes in the corps, I found myself on the wrong side of the stage at one point, and wearing the wrong costume at another. Luckily for me, I have observant and kind friends who went out of their way to tell me I was wrong, so nothing tragic actually happened. Just some REALLY quick switching of sides and costumes. But the ballet mistress gave good feedback, even if it was "good under the circumstances".

Then after the show, since we had spent a lot of time changing that performance, we had neglected what we are performing tomorrow, so we had to stay the whole rest of the day rehearsing. I was also just thrown into a new part in this ballet, too, so I am really having to think quickly this week. I am just trying my best to just focus on the choreography, so I have fun and dance and do my best. If I focus on the negative, I will only sabotage my performance.

Janie

Dear Sanna - Controllables

Okay I've been thinking about what is in my control, so here's what I have so far...

Things I can control at work:

1. My attendance
2. My work ethic
3. Practicing the choreography I know/learning what I can
4. How I treat others
5. My body (to an extent)
6. My technique (to an extent)
7. How I respond to feedback, positive or negative

Things out of my control:

1. My schedule
2. The classes and pieces I am given
3. Casting
4. Poor teaching or no teaching of choreography
5. How others treat me
6. The director's thoughts about my body, both true and untrue
7. The director's opinion of my dancing
8. How teachers correct me

Can you be tranced?

Check this quick exercise --

http://www.mentalperformances.com/?section=hypnosis

You'll be surprised!

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

EVENT: Sleepless in Steubenville

Sleepless in Steubenville!

 http://www.talkshoe.com. SannaCarp. Hypnosis for Life

Thursday, Feb. 26, 8:30 - 9:30.  

Recorded Live.

Will discuss influence sleep has on our day lives and how you can make the changes you need to sleep better, longer and deeper. You'll hear surprising reasons why people do not sleep well and how the problem was resolved. Will discuss with Lou, her sleep concerns and help her get to sleep! Join us ... 

If you have any questions, email me sanna@mentalperformances.com

DanceMind:Dear Janie, Controllables

What can you really control? and not control? in your company.

Make a list.

It makes a difference. You will be surprised.

Would you list it out here, please?

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT
http://www.mentalperformances.com

Dear Sanna - back to usual

Of course all this ballet drama always blows over, so things are fine now...

We are getting ready for another slew of performances now. Nothing like tour or that really crazy few weeks at the end of the year, but a show or two every week, which is pretty fun. What's strange is that we're doing different things almost every time. It's a little confusing and stressful, pulling out pieces we haven't done in weeks, but it is fun to remember and approach old pieces with an almost fresh start.

This will be our first show since tour, so it will be a little disappointing to be back to such small stages after the huge theater where we performed last. And I will also miss the spacious, clean dressing rooms! Oh well, we'll see how it goes!

That's really all I have to report for the moment, but I guess no news is good news :)

Janie

Photo

Enjoy this photo of my daughter at a performance in Oct. 

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

mentalperformancs.com 

DanceMind: Dear Janie, Hello there ...

Yes, thank you for your thoughts. It was a pleasant weekend though. I learned a lot about my family and can appreciate that journey. I also met a cousin who is best friends with my husband's cousin in another city in OH. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a collision of thoughts in my mind as I read your last post. Hmm-mm-m. If you were sitting in my office I would use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to stop your energy drain.

Janie, you cannot control what other people think and feel about you. I am going to say this again -

Janie, you cannot control what other people think and feel  about you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you were able to speak honestly and frankly to each dancer who was dissing you they would begin about themselves. If someone feels like that there are personal issues. "Why her and not me?"  "I've been here longer."  "I learned this piece last year. Why does she get to do it?"

You do not know where that comes from either. Previous rejection? Low self-esteem? Personality style? Trauma? Sleeping with the director? Youngest in the family?  Desire to be famous?  Depression? Negativity? Bad attitude?

You are a professional. It is a business. At any given time they are looking for the best person to perform (even if there are political motives).  Sometimes it is height, level of technique, coloring, friendship, style of dance, ability to emote, depth of artistry ... yada, yada, yada.

You don't really know the who and why. Your work is to do your work the best you can. The tables can shift at any time. We have all been on both sides of the barre.  THIS IS AN UNCONTROLLABLE. You can control you ---

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They do not have to talk to you about how they feel about being cast or not cast. Are you their confidante?  Do you expect them to come clean about how they really feel?  THAT could be where the problem lies.  Ideally, how nice it would be to chat over the good and bad times, but not all are willing or capable of doing that.

I am driving home a pointe. You are employed by the company to dance. If you have a friend there and the two of you chat about this and that. Great.  Finding friends outside of ballet may be a good thing. Discovering ways to clear  your mind is desired and positive.  I believe there are some posts way back that address that. We can certainly bring it up again.

Let's face we all have pity parties. I had one last week. (Thank goodness my friend snapped me out of it.)  You are right it is not always about us, although we can certainly trigger thoughts and feelings in other people and we can influence them as well either way.

I had a client last month who after some work realized that he was responding to his artistic director angrily because she made him feel like a previous teacher. Sometimes there is history. He was not aware of it as it was happening in the studio. He saw the parallel and together we worked through it.

GET THIS -- When he let go and healed the old wound, his relationship with his current teacher changed dramatically. How do you explain that? Energy shifts influence other people too.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

mentalperformances.com

PS... I have to get this recording done and then we will do Gold Cup Dream Seminar.  Get ready! My musician guy has a deadline and I have to get this to him....

Dear Sanna - it's lonely at the top...

no not really i was just trying to think of a dramatic title! i'm not that conceited, nor that lonely, but the truth is i'm doing really well here and not everyone is terribly happy about it. the world doesn't revolve around me either, and maybe a lot of it is to do with their own personal issues, but i am feeling a bit of coldness from some of the dancers.

it's not as if i'm being cast as the principle in everything, but we are doing a bunch of new pieces and i am happily learning almost everything, and even first cast for a few things. it is such a nice change to be fairly new to a company and already being used, even over some dancers who have been with the company longer. some of my friends were either learning the same parts as me and i was chosen over them, or they weren't asked to learn things in the first place, and they are noticeably avoiding me. i understand maybe it's harder to talk to me about not being cast, but i never acted that way when it was me not doing things. at the beginning of the year i was really upset not to be learning a soloist role most of the girls in the company were at least learning, but i never held it against the other dancers. i learned a long time ago that if i held a grudge against everyone who succeeded i would not have too many friends. plus it doesn't make my life any better to be angry about it.

on the other hand, there are plenty of people who don't respond so childishly or haven't been given the chance to because they are cast anyway, so really i am fine. it's just annoying to think that some people don't want to be friends with me because i am well-liked by my boss at the moment. it's fun and exciting to be cast in a bunch of new things. i had a really lazy partner, however, who made me feel bad about making him do things full out too many times. there is a bit of a language barrier, and i kind of had the impression he was injured or sick or just really tired from too much rehearsal, so i either marked by myself or stood around awkwardly for a good part of rehearsals. luckily for me, the teacher noticed what was going on and switched the couples so my partner went with his girlfriend who wouldn't let him get away with being so lazy because i'm "too nice". my new partner is definitely ranked lower in the company that my last, but he is definitely not lazy and i really actually prefer working with him. i just hope it doesn't hurt my chances of being cast, since my old partner is usually used above my new one. oh well, we'll see.

janie

p.s. i'm so sorry for your loss, sanna. it's such a sad fact of life :(

Dance Mind - Oh dear -

Janie, I have to leave in the morning to go to a family funeral. It is sad. I will return in a few days.

Think about next week when you want to begin the program, "Gold Cup Dreams!"

Everyone can move along with us. It will help you to dream big! Ordinary goal setting is very out!  Pick a day, say Thursday and we can get to it!

What I would need you to do Janie is to hop on every day and respond. There will be audio and maybe a video and some info. This will be very helpful!

Invite your friends. Tell anyone who wants to DO SOMETHING bigger to join us! Not just for dancers ... Everyone can dream BIG!

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT

PS Janie, you can let me know.  I will ck my email but will be with family and traveling.

Love you!

Dear Sanna - let's go!

I am ready to set some goals, although I might need a little help because at the moment I cannot really think of very specific things...

Anyway work has pretty much been business as usual. We are learning 2 new ballets right now, one of which I really like and am definitely part of (pretty much the whole company is in it). The other is a little heavier, but I actually was surprised that I like it a lot, too. It's a bunch of couples, and the casting isn't really clear yet, but I think I might be dancing in some of it. It is hard to tell. Anyway we will see.

I feel a little funny in the second piece, because it is partnering, which is not exactly one of my strengths anyway. Then on top of that, my partner is always really really tired because we rehearse this ballet at the end of the day and he always has a full schedule of rehearsals and usually his variation just before. I would like to do it full out more often, but I can't force him to if he is tired. He also isn't really all that sure of the choreography, and seems to be hoping we stay second cast instead of actually going in. I don't want to nag or upset him, but I also want to be considered for the part. How can I show I want to perform if I can't practice enough to do it well with my partner?

Janie