#WWBnetgiveaway finalists : What's Inside My Dance Bag?

Written by WorldWide Ballet Shop

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Posted on February 15 2015

Hi Ya'll ! 
So today's blog is going to be about the finalists of the #WWBnetgiveaway and what do they carry with them inside their dance bags. Before we meet our finalists, I have received a few questions about what do I carry with me inside my dance bag! So here's my answer for you :)

 Neta Meir ( @netameirr

 So what do I carry with me? 
For starters, my bag : It's by Bloch and it's quite big - but the size is perfect for me cause you know, a girl can never carry to much things inside her bag ;)
Then I've got 2 purple yoga blocks, that I use while stretching and warming up, a bottle of water ( pictured here : an Arizona bottle, I love their bottles! They are so pretty! ), 2 pairs of flat shoes, 3 pairs of pointe shoes ( 2 from Gaynor, 1 from Freed ), a small bag with all of my padding ( thicker and thinner, some toe spacers and so on ), a bottle of a fragrance mist from Victoria's Secret, my Flexistretcher, Deuserband, 2 pairs of Fleecys socks ( The Dani – the green – pink ones, who were actually named after me! and The Christy ), 3 printed skirts from WWB which will be soon available, a pair of legwarmers my grandmother knitted me, a pair of DECOwarmers in turquoise, some therabands, a knitted crop top that used to my mother's which I use as a warmer, an extra pair of tights from Gaynor Minden ( my favorite tights ever ! ), 2 extra leotards – due to the big amount of hours I dance daily I like to always carry with me some leotards that I can switch to, so I can freshen up. The two I usually take with me are the Kiki and the Alicia from Yumiko, my bright pink trashbag pants from WWB, my first aid kit with some hair products, lots of tapes, foot rollers, tennis balls and so on, and last but not least my Bloch warm Up Booties :)    
As for what I usually wear on my feet, for flats I wear Blochs Zenith / Synchrony, and as for my pointe shoes I wear Gaynor Minden. I absolutely LOVE my Gaynors, I feel like they actually give me all of the support I need in the world, and when I dance in my Gaynors I know that I can just focus on my dancing, I don't need to worry about my shoes - which is SO important.  

 

So that was about me! Now lets move on to our beautiful finalists :


Ami Snyder ( @amiballerina313

In my bag I have an assortment of SAB skirts, some that I've made and others that I've bought from etsy and from @the.skirt, and my Bloch booties. I always keep a Foot Rubz ball, hairspray, extra bobby pins, jet glue, and icy hot in my bag. I also have a ton of stuff for my feet, including blister bandaids, 3 different kinds of toe tape, new skin (it saves my life!!), and of course, my toe pads. I wear Capezio Tiffany Pro pointe shoes and Sansha ballet shoes. My favorite thing, however, is my sewing kit! My grandmother gave it to me for my birthday last year and I use it all the time. It has a stitch kit, a pin cushion, a stitch ripper, and scissors.

I'm 15 years old and I live in Atlanta, GA. I started dancing when I was three and I dance at Gwinnett Ballet Theatre. When I was little, I was always dreaming of getting pointe shoes and dancing by myself on stage. I walked around the house on my toes and danced around wherever I went. But what I love the most about dancing is that incredible, other-worldly feeling that comes every once in a blue moon that seems to connect your soul to the wonderful, pure feeling of raw emotion, and bringing that to the audience. I think we're all looking for the feeling in life where you can be free from the limits of the human body, and dance does that for me.

 

Elizabeth Dellis ( @dellb81

 Hello! My name is Lizzie and I am very excited to be a candidate. I have been studying classical ballet for 11 years now and plan to dance for the rest of my life. I was first drawn to dance like most little girls. I wanted the tutus and the tiaras and just to feel elegant and pretty. It wasn't until I first saw Swan Lake for my 9th birthday that ballet clicked for me. I remember the ballerinas dancing across the stage, doing things I could have never imagined possible and it was truly magical. I was in love. It is a passion that has developed and morphed throughout the years, but I'm still as in love as I was at day one. No, I might not be the next Svetlana Zakhorova (no matter how much I wish), but I will always enjoy dancing in any form at any level. I absolutely love the way I feel when I perform and that is exactly why I dance...and the tutus. You are lying to yourself if you say you don't care about the tutus.

So you must be wondering 'what's in the bag?' I am here to tell you.
(The picture is attached)
This is my bag, small isn't it? I am often amazed at how much I can stuff into it. It's a little funky looking but I like it; it suits my personality. Next I have my obnoxious orange water bottle. I often carry two because I drink an ungodly amount of water every class, just ask my friends. Next to that I have a small bag of toiletries, hairspray, Chapstick, deodorant, basically anything to keep ya girl fresh. I have a black and white hairpin bag that I've literally owned for centuries and a black sewing kit for all of my stitching needs. Over to the right I have a leg warmers, a Thera-band, and a spare set of warm-up pants. These leg warmers don't do much, but I sure look dandy wearing them. Working your way up you'll find a stylish pair of sunglasses that protect my beautiful eyes driving to and fro class in the dazzling AZ sun, colorox wipes to deal with the nasties, and my green bag of healing wonders which is chock-full of band aids, second skin, and wraps. Next are my extremely unpleasant smelling toepads accompanied by some rollers and ear buds. My absolute favorite item, however, is my snack. On any given day you will find two-three granola bars floating around my bag. Honestly, snacks are the best.

I am currently wearing Russian Pointe Rubins but am on the hunt for a better pair (ah, the eternal pursuit of ballerinas everywhere). I like the color and strength of the shoes and they have served me well over the years. My flat shoes are canvas and made by Sansha.

 

 Paula Losada ( @paula_ballerina )

 

What's inside my ballet bag?

• Russian Pointe pointe shoes
• Toepads
• Bloch flat shoes
• Bloch Booties
• My Covet Dance T-shirt
• My ballet uniform leotard
• Tights
• Warm-up dance wear (Wear Moi legwarmers and Capezio short).
• My the.skirt skirt
• Teraband
• Bobby pins
• Comb
• Canteen
• My fan for Don Quixote rehearsals
• Kit of sew

My favourite thing inside my ballet bag is my WARM-UP BOTTIES!
I started to dance when I was 6 because my mum decided to sign me up at a little ballet school in my neighborhood. I loved ballet so I decided to continue with ballet classes . When I'm in ballet class I don't think about anything, I just follow the music and I dance! I don't think about my worries , it's like I'm in another world. Also I love when I'm with my ballet friends , because we have a lot of topics to talk about , a lot of experiences to share and ,most importantly, we share the same dream and passion: we want to be in a ballet  company, we want to be ballet dancers. Also, my favourite thing about dancing are the perfomances. I love the feeling  of being on stage,it's like nobody can stop me and nothing matters. I just think about enjoying and DANCE.

 

 Halle Sherman ( @hallbal96

Hello! I'm Halle, and I don't know how to begin to tell you how much ballet has impacted my life. I start ballet at the age of 4 and by age 8 I was performing in children's roles with a professional company. I believe I started ballet because my mom was a dancer and on broadway. I continued to stick with ballet though because I loved it. I knew from age 8/9 that this was something I HAD to do. The world of ballet has given me so much that I just feel so blessed to be able to dance everyday. I can't wait to join a company and dance in all different ballets! I dance because I love it. I love being on stage and performing. I feel that if just one person falls in love with ballet that night because of me, it is all worth it. I don't dance because I want to, I dance because I need to. For me, ballet is my life. And clearly, my ballet bags are like my home on wheels.   I have so much stuff in my bag that I need two to fit everything in! My main dance bag is the brown leather bag with my initials on the front. It is a custom bag I got for the holidays. Inside that bag I carry my Bloch booties, 2 pairs of MCD leg warmers, trash bag shorts, purple dancer sweater, the freed bag of random shoes, my hair brush and spray, my purple MCD skirt, my black Bloch skirt, my MCD back warmer, the green box with my hair supplies, the zebra pouch with odds and ends, the vera bradley pouch with band-aids, the mini cat wallet, blue thera-band, tennis ball, and my tube of arni-gel. That is all that will fit in my bag. IN the red Lululemon bag I carry all of my shoe necessities. Inside that bag I carry two extra pairs of pointe shoes, my flat shoes, the pointe shoes I am currently wearing (pictured next to my flat shoes), two bottles of pointe shoe glue, toe cap protectors, Aleve, baby lips, jelly beans, I-Phone charger, and most importantly, my tub of Spenco 2nd skin. phew! My pointe shoes are made by the brand freed but my flat shoes are Bloch neoprenes in a split sole. My favorite item in my dance bags would probably be my MCD green leg warmers because they keep me warm, and my pointe shoes. Because at the end of the day, I need my pointe shoes to dance. Without ballet I wouldn't be who I am today. 

 

 Tracey McLean ( @traceylmclean

So in my large teaching bag I carry: Granola Bars, Ipod, Hand Sanitizer, A few different Saje Essential Oil Roll-ons, Pens, Lip Balm, Throat Lozenges, Ballet and Jazz Shoes, Cecchetti syllabus, The Manual, Tablet and Planner, Extra Hair Stuff, Rope Props, Ballet Skirt, Thera Bands (Resistance Bands), and Green Frog Tape!
Fave Product: I'm torn between my TheraBands that I use to teach my students injury prevention and my Green Frog Tape that I use for everything from making floor tightropes and marking where we put our heel for cou-de-pied!
My pointe shoe brand is Grishko Pro's and ballet flats are Bloch!
I'm a dance instructor in Red Deer, Alberta but I started teaching in Barrie, Ontario. I've been teaching since I was 16 and I love everything about it.  I'm always trying to find ways to improve my teaching skills and setting new goals for myself to achieve (for example different certifications). My favourite disciplines to teach are Ballet, Acro, and Modern.  I started dancing at a young age when my mom put me into a rec center program and then my Aunt furthered it by enrolling me into a studio.  I'll never forget my first class - we started with a fun warm up and I couldn't keep the smile off my face, and from there I was hooked!  My favourite thing about dancing is the emotions and stories we can portray with our bodies. Our bodies are beautifully designed sculptures we can transform with dance to portray the most wonderful art.

 

Gal Bareket ( @gal_bareket

What's in my dance bag ?

- trashbag pants
- tights
- pointe shoes
- flat shoes
- bobby pins
- hair brush
- heating pillow
- pain relievers
- elastic band
- Bloch warm up booties
- more warm ups which I stole from my sister who used to dance

My favorite product is probably my Bloch warm up booties ( I know there's only one pictured in this photo .. I didn't seem to find the other ) I can't start class without them ! I hate it when my feet are cold, I can't do any movement to its fullest that way. My Bloch booties prevent this from happening. As you can see I do not own a skirt, I love skirts that's one of the reasons I'd love to have one so much !  I wear Bloch serenade strong pointe shoes and Grishko model 6 flats which I got this summer at the Prague boutique. I started dancing seriously 4 years ago, I love it because it allows me to relax, and be my true self ! No matter how hard my day was, the second I start class it all goes away !

 

Jasmine Cook ( @jasminee.cook )

My dance bag has everything you will ever need in it, i swear that if there is a zombie apocalypse one day, all you need is my dance bag and you will be safe! It's literally a bottomless pit, so i only put the essentials in the photo!

 
I usually have my pointes, flats, jazz shoes, ballet booties, theraband, tap shoes, character shoes, spare tights, spare leotard (one is the picture is bloch), dance paws, turnboard, deuserband, loadsssss of food (!!) and my pouch.
 

My favourite thing (after food of course) is my pouch. My pouch is honestly my favourite thing in the whole world. Its basically a little makeup bag where i keep deodorant, a mini first aid kit, a bit of makeup, tissues, toe tape, hairbrush, bun pins and net, hairspray, gel, mini toothbrush and toothpaste , spare ouch pouches and basically anything i might ever need. Its actually amazing, its saved me so many times for the randomest reasons, from breaking a toenail to seeing a pretty good looking guy after dance when im not looking great and i stink of sweat!

 

I use mainly bloch dance stuff, but some of it is capezio... my pointes are my third pair and they are bloch hannahs, as were my 2nds and my first pair were freed student (fun fact: i went en pointe for the first time on my birthday!!) My ballet flats are capezio, but my tap and jazz shoes and dance paws are bloch.

 

I started dance when i was 2 (I'm now 14) and my earliest memory is taking a tap class in a big studio, watching real ballerinas in the main studio standing on their "tippy toes"!! Haha! It sounds cheesy, but if i didnt dance i wouldn't really know what to do with myself! I love it because i just forget about homework and studying etc and just have time to relax. There is no better feeling than coming away from a ballet class and feeling amazing. My dream is to dance in the Australian Ballet Company, or to go to Joffrey. 

 

Leah Ferro ( @foreverballet13 )

What I have in my dance bag:
~6 abigal mentzler skirts (I have an obsession with skirts)
~Red and black bloch booties
~3 pairs of freed pointe shoes (makers: star, triangle, and heart)
~Toe pads
~1 bottle of pointe shoe glue
~1 stitch kit (for a quick fix)
~1 pair of capizio Juliette flat shoes (I do pointe every day so not much of a need for more than one)
~1 mesh freed pointe shoe bag

       I started dance when I was 2. I wasn't too fond of it but my older brother wanted to do it, and I didn't want to be out shined by him so I kept dancing. I started with tap. It was fun but I was not very good at it, so I saw a ballet class and I wanted to join. So I did. I kept with it, I worked very hard. Wich is how I got to where I am today, at The School of Pennsylvania Ballet. And this summer I am going to the Bolshoi ballet on scholarship. So this has shown me that hard work dose pay off.

 

 Hannah Osborne ( @marlyballet )

My name is Hannah Osborne and I am an aspiring 13 year old from Canada, who has a passion for ballet! I started taking dance classes when I was 3, and am now in the professional division at the School of Alberta Ballet. I dance because it is a way to express myself artistically, and I love the work ethic that it entails. Out of all styles of dance, I would have to say that I definitely like ballet the most! I am Cecchetti trained, and dance intensively five days a week. My favorite ballet is Don Quixote, and my dream role to perform would be Giselle!

As photographed, I always have the following items in the dance bag that I bring to classes:
• Pointe shoes (Suffolk Solo 4.5 XX)
• Toe tape
• Lambs wool
• Ouch pouches
• Ballet shoes (Sansha canvas split soles)
• Repertoire skirt
• Peppermint foot spray
• Advil (just in case)
• An extra pair of tights
• Contemporary/modern shorts
• Character skirt
• Character shoes
• Roller balls
• Thera bands
• Correction journal
• And of course my favourite item... A travel roller!

 

 

 Lili Thomas ( @the_ginger_on_fire )

 

I wear Russian Pointe shoes, Rubins to be exact.  
I always have two pairs on me just in case. I have two pairs of flat shoes one pair is Fuzi and the other is split sole. I always wear my shoes till I absolutely can't wear them anymore. They have more memories that way. I have a stitch kit just in case I have last minute pointe shoes to sew. To the left of my pointe shoes is my leg warmers (I love stripes). Next to them is a pair of fluffy socks they keep my feet warm. I have a makeup bag for shows and a Thera band next to that. I have perfume with me because of the smell of my pointe shoes . My favorite leotard is underneath my bag I love blue and yellow together. Then I have my trash bag shorts which I wear religiously. I have three ballet skirts one black, one purple, and my favorite is a flowery one that is high low it was my mothers. Don't ask how I fit this all in my dance bag, I don't know myself.  I started dancing after my mom took me to see the Nutcracker, my first ballet show; I was three. I've been in love with ballet since. About a year ago I got into a creative arts high school for ballet. The thing I love about ballet the most is how you can express your feelings through movement and the moment. For me, ballet isn't about the lines or the flexibility, it's about the artistry. It's about doing what I love. 

 

 Emily Sipnick ( @emily.sipnick_dance )

 
My dance bag is the vera Bradley weekender which holds a variety of my dance essentials!
 I carry:
1) pointe shoe bag with pointe shoes
2) flat shoe bag with flat shoes
3) Chapstick
4) skirts
5) phone charger
6) some light perfumes 
7)  Bobby pins and clips of various sizes
8) a little cosmetic bag holding foot care products (toe tape, nail clippers etc.) 
9) hair brush
10) sewing kit including my bun heads stitch kit
11) jazz shoes (in case)
12) foot roller
13) tennis ball 
14) turning board
15) deodorant 
And
16) assorted bandages 
I currently wear Bloch flat shoes and I am soon going to switch to Grishko flats. I also wear Grishko 2007 pointe shoes. 
My favorite thing in my bag is my Toms's flat shoe bag! It reminds me of the wonderful things that the company Toms does for people and also reminds me to give back to the community, make sure you treat others as you wish to be treated, and it makes me think of how lucky I am to be able to dance where some are not able to do that. It just helps me Remember to stay humble and great full for all the wonderful aspects of life. 
I started dancing just as every little girl would, skipping over stuffed animals trying to be familiar with basic steps, as I grew older other styles of dance reached out to me more than ballet, I lost interest in ballet for a good while and hadn't been enrolled in a ballet class for a good 2-3 years. I auditioned for the nutcracker with miami city ballet and soon fell in love with ballet and knew that ballet was the way for me. I started getting back to ballet slowly, still being enrolled in other styles of dance classes, only taking about one ballet class a week, it's been about a year now and have decided that ballet was where my true passion lied. Now I take 5 days of ballet and one improvisation/ stretching/ conditioning class on my free time. My love for dance has grown stronger and all the inspirational ballerinas I find on social media, makes me want to inspire others through my passion of dance as well, it helps keep me going when times get tough! Always stay spirited! 
My favorite thing about dance is the freedom you have to express your emotions without having to say anything. You can let the movement take you into its own hands, and forget about the struggles in life. Movement acts as your own personal therapist, you show how your feeling and let the movement treat your stress and negative emotion. Movement through dance is always going to be there for you, weather your watching somebody or moving yourself, it can take the toughest of times and still help you through them. Even in ballet, while still being discipline in class, you will still be focused in class and not be disturbed by other things that live throws at us. 

 

Stephanie Lee Golghahn ( @stephanieleegoldhahn

What's in my Dance Bag! (Left Side) Small zip bag containing Vitamin C tablets, Magnesium Spray (for muscles), Super glue (for pointe shoes), Deep Relief cream and Bandaids! A water bottle, spare Energetiks leotard,  Bubenicek warmup Booties, black Bloch skirt, dressing-room keys, sweat towel, Bosco 'Russia' Olympic jacket, my Sportsgirl dancebag!

(Right side) stretch band, bobby pins/elastics, tennis/bouncy balls, Ipad and headphones (for listening to music, learning choreography, and filming new pieces to practice), Blue shoe bag containing: Bloch flats, Sansha tan flats, Grishko 2007 Pointes, Gaynor Minden Pointes (in case my Grishkos die), Fusko Knitwear legwarmers, spare ballet tights.

My favourite product in my dance bag is my Bosco 'Russia' Olympic jacket, it makes me feel ready for class, warm, confident and determined to work hard every morning. My little bit of motivation!

I was a little girl from Australia, who started dancing by nagging my mother to let me go to ballet classes - she didn't let me at first because she didn't want to turn into a dance mum! In the end I got my way, and have danced my way into Europe.

My favourite thing about dancing, is that I could not live without it. It is my life, soul, personality. I live a breath it, I WILL be dancing for the rest of my life.

 

Carmelle Pauly ( @ballerinaelle )

In my ballet bag, I carry around from day to day; pointe shoes, (usually 2 pairs), soft shoes, theraband, middle splits band, roller stick, rep skirt, corrections book, warm ups booties, foot care essentials, sewing essentials and a water bottle. I have two favourite products, one is my stick roller. Rolling out is the first thing I do of my warm up routine to help to relax my muscles. My second favourite thing is Ora-jel, sounds weird because it's normally used for mouth sores but I use it for blisters and corns. It numbs the pain making dancing on the blisters and corns almost painless! 
The pointe shoes I wear currently are Russian Pointe Almaz. These shoes are great because they last a fairly long time. I am still though on the hunt for the perfect shoe. The flat shoes I wear are sansha canvas split soles. At my school I don't get a choice in soft shoes, the sanshas are the uniform shoe. :) 
I started dancing when I was 2-years-old because my dad had registered me at the local school in our area. From the ages of 7 to 10 I was a competitive dancer, but nothing serious, I was never very good at it. When I was 11 I auditioned for a pre-professional school in my city and made it in. I went to the summer program and after that I have been attending full year since then. 
It's hard for me to describe why I love dancing so much, it is something that I need to do and is hard putting into words. If I had to id say my favourite thing about ballet is returning to class everyday knowing you can be better than you were the day before. No matter how good you are or how hard you work, you can always be better and work harder- that's the magic of ballet. After a long tiring exercise I like to tell myself that this is the part when pushing through is most important. It is always very important to work on different steps after class because like said before, pushing through the tiredness will sure make you stronger. 

 

 

 And here's our 1st place winner, Julia Jones! Congrats!!

Julia Jones ( @julialogan96 )

 Hello!! You've found me in the dressing room!! 

 

About the Goodies:

This is my "beautiful" bag and all of its wonderful contents! The backpack is perfect because I ride my bike to and fro. The pins say "Alberta Wild Rose Country" and "Bug Off- I Got a Flu Shot!" Haha I found them at a vintage store here in Portland and couldn't resist! The tag is my official Oregon Ballet Theater Student pass which gets me exclusive back stage entry and a seat at every show! (So definitely a necessity!) I always carry lip balm and a back-up pair of contacts- its really hard to focus in class or rehearsal if your lips are on fire or you can’t see! I also have lotion and tooth paste, which I think are actually left over from Nutcracker (long days and nights backstage call for extra reinforcements). I carry my wallet in that fox bag (foxes are my favorite animal!) and the pink pouch has an array of bobby pins, clips, hair bands, and my lucky lady bugs that my little sister gave me! I like to make sure I am warmed up properly before class so I tote around a tennis ball and a super bouncy ball (kids toy!) to help roll out tight muscles. Along with that are my essential trash bag pants (which blend into my back pack but are never really out of my sight!) and, my personal favorite, a pair of knit boots that I made when I had to stop dancing after double ankle surgery last year!! (I like to think of it as my semi-retirement, but I’m back full steam now!) My soft shoes are Bloch Zenith and sadly need to be replaced soon (I wore out a few holes in them!) and my pointe shoes are made by Freed of London (I love makers V and F!!) As for those raggedy sock bits, well, those are my toe pads! I lost my lambs wool ones a few years ago and just cut up socks as a replacement and have been using them ever since! They really are great!   

 

About Me: 

My name is Julia Logan Jones and I am 19 years old. This is my first year dancing with the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre and I love it!! I was born in Manhattan, New York but grew up in Dallas, Texas, so trying to stay warm in the rainy weather has been a new adjustment for me. I love to dance and although I didn’t begin lessons until I was about 8, I have been preforming for friends and family since I could stand! Actually, preforming is still my favorite part of dancing! I always feel so fulfilled after a show. It’s the ultimate rush! Being on stage and being able to captivate my audience with my story (you should always be saying something with your dancing!) makes me feel like I’m on top of the world! But while I adore the mental transportation of being on stage, I do hope that my career will take me around the globe. I’ve been very luck to have danced across the country and overseas already, but I feel it’s only the beginning! 

So now that's the #wwbnetgiveaway is over , it's time for a new one! It's time for the #250kalgerdesignswwbgiveaway! 2 lucky girlies will win a leotard from @algerdesigns ;) for the full details , make sure you check my most recent post!

Till next time,
XOXO Neta



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