sneak peek...pink nutcrackers and opening night at the ballet

happy pink saturday everyone!

it's been awhile since i got my PINK on:)

but i couldn't resist today...

after all, what could be more pink than ballet.

pink tutus, pink-ish pointe shoes,pink tights...even pink Nutcrackers!!!

tonight is opening night...

and it really is SOOOOO exciting!

AND...it just so happens that my ballerina is dancing the role of

Sugarplum Fairy/Grown up Clara.

AND, AND...she is wearing ALL pink!  

like a sneak preview?

 in case you're wondering, those tutus are even MORE beautiful up close:)

and cost a LOT of money...like $700 and up.

anyway, i thought i'd not only give you a peek at her,

but a peek into her dance bag.

trust me...it's pretty interesting...and yes, she could live out of it, i'm sure:)

COOL dance bag, huh?  

okay...let's look inside...

 what do you see?

 there's the usual stuff...

cellphone, water, bandaids, legwarmers, sweater/shrug,

practice skirt, scissors, notebook, ballet magazine, needle and thread,make-up...

vitamin C lozenges...

take a CLOSER look...

see the flexi-stretcher, to help perfect those arabesques and other things:)

there's hair stuff, shout wipes, a first aid kit, and icy hot cream for those aches and pains...

and JET GLUE.

haha...yes, jet glue.  sometimes it's called pointe shoe glue.

she puts it in the toe/box of the shoe to harden them and get a TINY bit more life out of them.

at anywhere from $70-$90 per pair of shoes,

and they last about a week and a half...

extra life in the shoe helps!

 just a few more peeks...

there is a foot massage ball, a ballet shoe change purse,

tiger balm for aches...and pliers.

what? Pliers?

i've been looking all over and they are in her dance bag????

and a lighter???

what is going on?

well, let me tell you...

each dancer has a a different way of getting their shoes ready.

Taylor's is this...

take the pliers and pull the nail out of the shank of the shoe.

bend the shoe back and forth and push on the sides of the shoe to soften them.

(there may be more but that's my take on it:)

then she sews the elastics and ribbons on...in a certain way...

and uses the lighter to singe the ends of the ribbon.

WHEW!

glad she does her own shoes these days;)

so like I said, today is the day...

and i woke up to find her sitting in bed, making last minute touches to her shoes:)

(i tell you, this girl LIVES in a bun...

that's why ballet dancers are affectionately know as BUNHEADS:)

so there you have it!

pink saturday, ballet, opening night and Nutcracker all rolled in to one:)

and since this is a sneak peek kind of blog post...

take a sneak peek behind the scenes...

have yourself a great day! 

  XOXOXOXOXOXOXSuzanne