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Editors' List: The Goods

5 Booties to Add to Your Winter Warm-Up Wear

San Francisco Ballet soloist Koto Ishihara stretches in her warm-up boots. Photo by Quinn Wharton for Dance Magazine.

With cooler weather finally here, it's time to talk warm-ups. And while your dancewear drawer is probably overflowing with oversized sweaters, leggings and enough leg warmers to outfit the whole class, warm-up boots are often forgotten. To keep your feet and ankles cozy in between rehearsals, we rounded up dance warm-up boots that suit every style.

Bloch Inc. Printed Warm-up Bootie

via Bloch Inc.

Created by Irina Dvorovenko and Max Beloserkovsky, this collection comes in a variety of tie dye, floral and even butterfly prints.
blochworld.com, $48

Editors' List: The Goods

11 Skirts That Were Made for the Summer Studio Life

Left to right: Via Elevé Dancewear; Via LeaMarie

Planning to spend the majority of your summer sweating it out in the studio? Don't worry, you're not alone. And while you're definitely going to want to save the warmups for the winter, you can still accessorize your studio look without adding bulk, thanks to the always-in-style ballet skirt. From bright florals to washed out pastels and wild prints, we rounded up our favorite short (and a few long!) ballet skirts for summer.

AinslieWear Limoncello Wrap Skirt

via AinslieWear

f you can't spend your summer in the Mediterranean under actual lemon trees, this skirt is a solid backup. Plus, it gives us serious Beyonce "Lemonade" vibes, which will help you feel more fierce and less sweaty-mess in class (hopefully).
ainsliewear.com, $50

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Houston Ballet Down Under #5: A Trip to the Bloch Store

From June 24–July 10, Houston Ballet is embarking on its biggest tour yet to Melbourne, Australia, hometown of artistic director Stanton Welch. Pointe asked demi-soloist Jacquelyn Long to keep a diary of her experiences.

Madeline Skelly and Natalie Varnum at the Bloch store.

July 3, 2016

Hey everyone, I hope you have been enjoying my posts! We had three shows and a tech rehearsal since my last one and we just enjoyed a nice day off.

A lot of us have been shopping at some of the local Australian shops in our time off and updating our dance wardrobe. For instance, we've been frequenting the Bloch store, which is based in Australia! The most popular purchases have been their booties and warm ups. Also, dancers of the Australian Ballet have a line called Keto Dancewear that many of us have been quick to purchase! Below I am pictured with a group of us sporting our new leos and tights.

Sporting our new leos (from left): myself, Katherine Precourt, Melody Mennite, Kaleigh Courts, Jordan Veit, Emily Seymour and Natalie Varnum.

 

Nao Kusuzaki. Photo by Chunwei Chan, Courtesy Long.

We had a birthday on our day off: Nao Kusuzaki! Nao is another dancer who will be ending her career here in Australia. She joined the Houston Ballet from Boston Ballet in 2004 and was promoted to soloist in 2008. Nao dances with a grace that will be missed. She will be studying to achieve a business degree.

Well, Happy Independence Day to everyone in America! It feels strange to not be home to see any fireworks, but we have another show tonight. It is the premiere of the third cast of leads, so I'm sure that will be exciting!

 

XO,

Jacquelyn

 

For more news on all things ballet, don't miss a single issue.

 

 

Ballet Careers

New Technique Shoes for Dark-Skinned Dancers

Eric Underwood in Christopher Wheeldon's Electric Counterpoint. Johan Persson, Courtesy ROH.

What color is a flesh-toned technique shoe? Usually it's a light tan, which doesn't leave much wiggle room for dancers with darker skin. While it's common for dancers to pancake their shoes to match their skin tone, the fact that "flesh"-colored shoes only come in a few shades—all of which are light—sends a strong message to dancers with darker skin. It tells them that even though they're working just as hard, and dancing the same roles as their lighter-skinned colleagues, their specific needs are less important.

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