Youtube Channel Update and Chat

[@naturebound2901]

I have really enjoyed watching all your pointe shoe videos! Even though I have very different feet than you, I learned soo soo much just from watching your videos! I really have no suggestions for future videos from you. I just came to say you are such an enjoyable person to watch and listen to. You are so humble, friendly and honest. That is a rare quality! I can very much relate to the struggle of motivation and finding time to dance/take class. I too work full time, and I am a caretaker to a husband who had a double lung transplant last year and is now dealing with metastatic cancer (found in his old lungs only after they were removed and now has spread in his body). I am 52 and my body feels it. Ballet is HARD on your body! I will say I have found motivation to keep going with it by learning ballet variations from online KZbin videos. Most are videos that are specifically geared for adult beginning or intermediate students to learn easier versions of variations (Natalie Orr videos rock for this!). I have fallen in love with doing this! So much fun! Though I am recycling the same costumes to perform in due to financial issues lol. I also cross train/exercise by doing a lot of calisthenics, some ballet geared some not. I swim when I can. Admittedly I am down to 2 ballet barre classes per week (from free online ballet videos, mostly Dutch National Ballet class series or Maria Khoreva's free class videos). Very occasionally I do center classes online and twice per week I do short pointe online classes too. I have not been to a real live class in four years. There is always the issue of time and money as an adult isn't there! The nice thing about doing ballet as a hobby is there is not the pressure to be perfect, or spend hours and hours at it and so on. I have gotten snide comments from competitive people about lack of dedication or "quitting" when I was young. I just let those go over my head. All of us have different circumstances and life takes us in all kinds of directions. Maybe I will have my husband check out your photography things. He is really into that (and he is very nice, not judgy). Best wishes to you!

[@AllieOnPointe]

You are so kind! I’m so sorry you’re dealing with all medical/health issues! I can’t even imagine the stress! I absolutely have done the same with learning variations from KZbin to help too!! I love doing that! (I don’t do it as often as I should though haha)