The Perfect Ballet Gifts

Recently I came across some gorgeous gifts from Dancemania that would be ideal for mum’s little dancers; ideal for keeping them inspired when in and out of the studio. Or even a perfect idea for goodie bags if you are holding your own ballet party - and all of them come under £6 too!

No perfectly pinned bun is complete without some added hair accessories.

Ballet clips £1.50

These ballet clips are the perfect solution for any mums having trouble getting their little dancers to sit still whilst doing their hair. There will be smiles all round as your child will love these pretty little hair clips, she’ll carry that smile to class for sure.

Packing a dance bag or keeping it tidy can sometimes be a struggle, so I have chosen this handy ballerina shoe bag which I think will excite your little dancers.

Ballerina Shoe Bag £5.95

Being responsible for their very own bag for their own shoes means there will be so no more time wasting untangling laces.

Along with the shoe bag, the pink dancer heart drinks bottle will make sure that your little dancer will remember to take a drink with them, excited by their very own bottle means it’s one less thing for mums to worry about.

Drinks bottle £4.00

Making sure your money is safe and secure when sending your little dancers off to their dance class is very important. Dance purses are perfect for keeping coins at bay and as an added extra they come with a selection of hairbands just in case your child’s hair becomes loose during class. £1.75

Dance Purse £1.75

What a great little selection of little ballerina presents!

Love Nicola x

Cinderella Ballet Workshop in Hitchin, Hertfordshire!

We are holding a magical Cinderella Ballet Workshop on the 15th August for 3-7 year olds.

We are so excited about all the Cinderella fun we can have! Plans are already underway as to what props we will be using, and what lovely sparkly items we might make to go to the ball with!

We absolutely love using our imaginations here at Tippy Toes Ballet, and can't wait to see what all the children come up with whilst being taken on a Cinderella journey.

Of course, we encourage dress up and are looking forward to seeing what our ballet dancer's come dressed as! In fact, we may just have a lovely ballet prize for the best dressed Prince or Princess!

If you would like to book your child into our 2 1/2 hour workshop, just visit our website HERE and fill out our online registration form.

For more information contact nicola@tippytoesballet.co.uk

Ballet Blinds

Margot Fonteyn
Credit: Sasha/Getty Images

Recently I came across these gorgeous ballet blinds. They would certainly look great in a girls bedroom or give inspiration to young dancers in a studio.

They are made by Creatively Different Designer Blinds, a company that offer digitally-printed  roller blinds using your own photo or logo. They also have an extensive selection of images for use, including this great ballet range. They are a UK company but ship worldwide, and you can have the blinds made to your own measurements.

My favourite one is this Margot Fonteyn print above, the most beautiful ballerina of all time. 

(in my humble opinion!) 

Take a look at the rest of the collection, they are just lovely:

Female Ballet Dancer holding Male Ballet Dancer
Credit: John Lund/Paula Zacharias

Alicia Markova as Sugar Plum Fairy, photograph Gordon Anthony, 1950
© V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London

 

Ballet Slippers
Credit: Mike Kemp

Alicia Markova as Giselle, photograph Gordon Anthony, 1937
© V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Margot Fonteyn in Swan Lake, photograph Gordon Anthony, 1945
© V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London

 

 

Pink Ballet Shoes
Credit: Tom Grill/Getty Images

What a great way to display a beautiful ballet print, don't you think?

 Love Nicola x

Tippy Toes Ballet Parties

 At Tippy Toes Ballet we have started hosting ballet parties.

We had so much fun at the last one we decided to make a little video!

If you are interested in hiring us for a party, take a look at our website for more information.
Nicola x

Tippy Toes Ballet Infographic

A Tippy Toes Ballet friendship - Emma and Nicola

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.”

- C.S.Lewis

Emma and I have been friends since we were 15 years old. 

I had successfully secured a place at The Dance School of Scotland, a full time vocational dance school in Glasgow.
 I was visiting for the first time after my audition to have a look around, watch a ballet class, check out our halls of residence, and meet the teachers.

That day will forever be imprinted in my memory, for it was the first day of the rest of my life. I knew that by getting a place at the school, I was about to embark on a journey that I had always longed for. I had known since I was as young as 8 years old that I would be a dancer, and by being at this school, my dreams were falling into place.

The class I watched was Emma's class. Everyone in that class had something special. I had never seen such a high standard of ballet before, only in a theatre. I knew then that I had a lot of work to do, but that I was in the right place to do it.

When I started in the autumn term, I was in Emma's year. Emma and I soon became firm friends. I suddenly felt like there was someone who was just like me. Emma had the same outlook on life, the same passion, the same dream. We became as close as sisters, going on holiday together, sharing our secrets, planning our lifes. Those days were filled with excitement about what was yet to come.

After school finished at 17, We decided to go to the same performing arts college in London. We lived together, worked hard and worked through our insecurities about life after college, we were still excited about becoming professional dancers, but we were nervous. What if it didn't work out for us? What if the competition was too great? We also faced the day when we had to go our separate ways, we couldn't stay together forever.

Emma and I were blessed to have professional dance careers lasting over 10 years, which for a dancer, is good innings! But, of course, we were no where near each other for those years. We would visit each other when we could, but it was very rarely. We managed to meet up in the Bahamas for a day once and we laughed at how strange it all was!

We kept in contact and went about our own lives, but it's a funny thing, you never really know how much you have missed someone until you are with them again. Every time Emma and I saw each other, it was like no time had passed, except we were both more wordly,  a bit older and more confident.

A couple of years ago, we both realised that we still had the exact same interests, and that instead of  performing we wanted to give back. We both felt it was time to pass on all that we had been taught and loved so passionately when we were younger. The joy that we get from dance is always there, and to help children find that joy is priceless.

So we set up Tippy Toes Ballet, and whatever people say about not mixing friendship with business just doesn't seem to apply to us. We have such similar ideas and ways of doing things that we only help to spur each other on. We have always been there for each other, cheering each other on, helping each other see their true potential, and with Tippy Toes Ballet there is no difference.

There is no better way to share a passion, than with a true friend like Emma.

Love Nicola x

Visit us on facebook
 

Keep calm and point your toes!

Scoop neck tee £20

I have found a great online store for dance t-shirt's and hoodies, not only for dancing kids but for their  mums and dads too!

The shop is called Covetdance

Take a look at my chosen favourites:

Dance Mum Tee $24

Hooded poncho $40

Tee for Dad $17

Youth pullover hoodie $35

Fierce girl tank $20

Do you have any online dance shop recommendations? If so, we would love it if you could leave a comment below. 

Love Nicola x

My journey to Dance Teacher

“Let us first teach little children to breathe, to vibrate, to feel, and to become one with the general harmony and movement of nature. Let us first produce a beautiful human being, a dancing child.”- Isadora Duncan

Before becoming a dance teacher, I was a dancer. For 25 years of my dancing life, dancing was all about me. How flexible I could become, how hard I could pointe my feet, how high my arabesque would go, how many pirouettes I could execute without stumbling. 

When I think about it now, I realise how obsessed I was with myself as a dancer and becoming a better dancer.  I learned early on that competing against others was ugly and pointless and that competing against myself would only make me a better dancer. There is enough room on stage for every dancer that is good enough.

After dancing as a professional for years, I was given the role that I had strived for and desperately wanted,  and that was Dance Captain in Mamma Mia.  I got to give warm ups, take notes, keep the show looking as it had been choreographed, take charge of choreography for promotional television performances, and take understudy rehearsals with the director. It was my dream job, or so I had thought! 

Promotional performance for Mamma Mia in China

Strange how you strive to get to a place, then when you get there, you realise that you aren't really there yet, that this was only another step in your journey.

Little did I know, that being that Dance Captain would spark something in me and give me the courage and confidence to become a dance teacher. 

As a dancer, I was sure of myself, and if I went wrong, it was only me that I was responsible for.

It took me years to have enough confidence and wisdom to take on the responsibility of nurturing the dreams of children.

As a dance teacher you are not only responsible for teaching the steps, but of inspiring a love of movement, of rhythm, of creativity. That love that has to be strong enough to withhold years of training, of sweat and tears. 

I was very lucky to have some wonderful dance teachers in my youth, and I realise how much of an effect they have had on my life, not just as a dancer, but as a human being. Now that I am teacher, I realise what an important job I have taken on. 

I loved performing but it was all about me, as a teacher it's about lots and lots of little people and their big dreams. As a teacher, my heart is full.

Love Nicola x

Boys Dance Too

I recently came across this great photo on facebook:

I checked the source and found it was from a fantastic website selling dance wear for men and boys only. They have everything a boy needs for dance class. The owners knew how frustrating it is for boys to find what they need, so decided to source really great items for every boy dancer out there. At Tippy Toes Ballet we love having boys in our classes, and we thougth we would showcase our favourite items from www.boysdancetoo.com just for the boys!

Statement Tee - $16

Statement Pullover £28

Sweats with Boysdancetoo logo $25

Boysdancetoo gift bundle £6

Tote bag $22

What do you think? I especially love the tote bag for all of those parents bursting with pride that their little guy dances too!
Love Nicola x

P.S. We have entered the Top Dance Blog competition, please check out our post here and give us your vote!

Top Dance Blog Contest - We'd love your help!

Tippy Toes Ballet Blog is fairly new, but it was certainly born from a huge passion.

Not only did Emma and I want to bring fun, imaginative ballet classes to little ballerina's, we wanted to share our love of ballet and knowledge online. Our blog is a place to share everything we know and love with parents, other teachers and dancers in the making.

We really hope that you like our blog as much as we do, and would love your helping hand!

Over at the wonderful site, Dance Advantage, there is a yearly contest to find the top dance blogs on the internet.

Tippy Toes Ballet has entered the Teacher Talk category, and we would love your vote!

There are three rounds, the first round consists of entering and writing this post. For the second round, we need as many comments on this post by our followers as possible to get through to the final round!

So here is what you need to do if you would like to back us:

Write a comment on this post below in the box, and show your support for Tippy Toes Ballet!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Love Nicola x

Crafterina, a wonderful craft resource for parents and tiny dancers.

I was so excited to come across Crafterina.

Crafterina is a crafty storybook that tells the story of a ballerina who makes crafts to help with her dancing adventures. By using her imagination whilst crafting, she makes her dreams come to life.

What an adorable way for any parent to encourage and play with their own little ballet dancer, and become involved in their love of dance.

Crafterina was created by professional dancer, teacher and visual artist, Vanessa Salgado who wanted to help parents expose their children to the arts and encourage them to play and create.

Vanessa's love of the arts and teaching children is emulated throughout her beautiful website and vision for Crafterina.

Crafterina doesn't begin and end with one storybook. Their are lots of affordable printable crafts to buy on etsy such as this gorgeous ballet theatre:

...and these lovely flash cards that would make a wonderful gift for any aspiring ballet dancer:

On the Crafterina website, I especially love the create page with tutorials for many ballet related crafts such as a no sew tutu, foam fairy wands and a tinsel tiara.

I also really like the resourceful how-to-guides for parents on the dance page with beautiful illustrations showing parents how to make a ballet bun, prepare ballet shoes, and other great tips. There is also a glossary of dance and ballet vocabulary. 

I was so drawn to Crafterina because at Tippy Toes Ballet we love to inspire our little dancers to use their imaginations and create. We think that if you can capture that in a young child and encourage it, then that child will grow up to believe in their own creativity.

To take a look at the Crafterina website click here.

Or visit the Crafterina facebook page here.

Love Nicola x