Unique Treasures

A few weekends ago I took a jaunt up the coast to Mendocino for a mini getaway and had such a great time exploring the area and shopping around the local stores.  I've been trying to see more of the beautiful places that are in my own California backyard; I'd never been to Mendocino before but had always heard great things about its picturesque landscape and quaint town.  A quick google search and I had found a fun Western themed Bed and Breakfast (The Blackberry Inn), and a list of delicious sounding restaurants that I knew I wanted to try out.  The weekend called for rain but it was a beautiful drive up, the sun tried its hardest to poke out when it could, and made for some spectacular photos.  

Besides exploring the lighthouses, beaches, state parks, coffee houses and restaurants, I expolored a few local shops and was excited to find The Village Toy Store.  I've always been a fan of toy stores, and this one was a true delight.  Filled with unique handcrafted wooden toys ranging from swords to dollhouses, spectacular kites, books galore and everything else a kid (of any age) could have fun with, The Village Toy Store made me excited to play again and soon I was trying on silly hats and poking my tongue out the side of my mouth trying to solve wooden Rubik's cube type puzzles.  

I found these great alphabet blocks and purchased the letters to spell out my niece's name.  I can't wait to see a picture of her playing with them and hope they'll be fun play toys as well as help her learn her letters. They're magnetic as well, so the letters can be mixed up and re-arranged, and anything that you can tote around like a train is fun in my book. 

I also found this cute ballerina tote, I'm sure it could be used for a number of things... ballet shoes, snacks, any kind of little girl treasure will do, I'm sure.

So, if you're in Mendocino, be sure to check this fantastic shop out.  They don't have a website but they are reviewed on Yelp, and with the holidays around the corner, I'm sure that there's many treasures to be found and enjoyed in this unique little place.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  This is probably my first post that is non dance related, I can usually find a way to tie any subject or muse or observation into something relating to dance, but today I just want to wish you a wonderful day full of whatever things make you happy and thankful.

I personally, have had some frustrating events occur over the past few months and have at times I'm sure, not been the most graceful, accepting, or thankful for the trials and tribulations that have been thrown at me, and although everyday I try to remind myself that despite feeling frustrated, upset or angry, life is pretty darn great, and I'm one lucky individual to have people in my life who love me, to have a job(s) that I enjoy, a roof over my head and food on my plate, sometimes there is still that small grumbling inside my head going "harumph" when things don't go as I'd planned.  I found this quote and thought it was fitting and very true:

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. 

Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. 

Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.

What an awesome place the world could be if everyday we received kindness and gave gratitude in return, expressed our thankfulness, and followed that emotion through with thanksgiving to those around us.  So, may your Thanksgiving, and your days to come be filled with gratitude, thankfulness, and thanksgiving!  (Oh yeah, and hopefully some pumpkin pie too)!

Hooray for Benicia Ballet!

Last month Benicia Ballet Theatre held a Silent Auction and Wine Tasting fundraiser, the culmination of many weeks of hard work by myself and many BBT parents, volunteers, and board members. I wanted to share some of the pictures from the event since it was quite beautiful (if I do say so myself), and held in the newly renovated historical Arsenal building in Benicia.  I’ve always loved this building, having grown up in it, and spent my childhood and adolescence dancing among the original brickwork and big open windows, and it has an interesting history as well: it was a staging area during the Civil War for Union troops from the West, and remained a garrisoned post until 1898 when troops were assigned to duty in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. 

So you’ll see with the hardwood floors, exposed brick, and beautiful natural light, this was the perfect space for some balletomanes to come together for the afternoon in support of a great organization.  I was so impressed and grateful for the support of the local businesses that donated items for our silent auction, it is really inspiring to see the community band together for non profit organizations, it’s one of the things I like best about belonging to a small community.

A sampling of some of the silent auction items 

A fun photo of our band for the evening - Groove Management

Janice helping perfect our displays!

So festive and fall-ish!

We were also lucky enough to have a favorite local Benicia band, Groove Management play some great jazz standards for us.  These high school musicians did a fantastic job and had me tapping my toes all evening long.

The event was definitely a success, and raised a nice amount of money to support future performances and endeavors of Benicia Ballet Theatre.  I’m sure there will be more fun events such as this one in Benicia Ballet’s future; fundraising and raising awareness about the benefits of dance and performance both for Benicia Ballet Theatre and for other non profits with great goals will always be an ongoing process, one that I’m happy to help in and excited to see reach new heights.  Hooray for Benicia Ballet!

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Halloween is over, the time has changed and there is definitely a chill in the air.  While Christmas and holiday decorations are already pouring out of stores, I'm not quite ready for it yet, I do like to have my Thanksgiving first and Christmas in due course, but what this month of November really gears me up for is... Nutcracker season!  And, holiday ballets in general.  Living in the Bay Area, we are so lucky to have so many fantastic performance companies and opportunities to see a variety of holiday shows.  So, I thought I'd take today's blog to share a few of my favorites with you and encourage you to see as many of them as you can!  There's something for everyone, if you're looking for a classic Nuctracker that's kid friendly or something a bit more entertaining for the adults, check out the list I've complied as your guide to all the holiday dance options jete-ing towards a Bay Area stage near you.

Let's start with the most traditional of holiday ballets: The Nutcracker.  San Francisco Ballet does a lovely production with grandiose costumes and sets (above is a clip from their Waltz of the Snowflakes). SFB does theirs with a slight twist; the original time frame of the ballet has been moved to the World Fair in 1915 San Francisco (traditionally the ballet is set in the late 1800's in Germany).  This year it hits the stage at the War Memorial Opera House from December 9-27.  Or, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for it to air on PBS, each year around this time they air the 2007 recorded version.  There are of course, many school productions that are nicely done as well, the two that are closest to my heart are Community Youth Center's in Concord and Benicia Ballet Theatre.  Having invested much of my own time and love into both of these productions, it is not only heart warming to see the tale of the Nutcracker played out but to see young dancers invest their own talent and love into a story that is magical and captivating for many different reasons.  Check out their websites for information on performance days, times and tickets!

Benicia Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker

Not all holiday ballets are your usual Nutcracker though, Sonoma Ballet Conservatory brings a different magical tale, The Magic Toy Shop to the Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma November 19th and 20th.  It's a refreshing plot change from The Nutcracker, but equally magical: a shopkeeper’s beloved toys come to life and perform for prospective customers, until the day when two spoiled girls enter the store with their mothers and decide to purchase and separate a pair of Can-Can Dolls.  The night before the families are to return for their selections, the toys share an evening of farewell performances before the Cossack declares they should rebel and fight to keep the Can-Can Dolls from such a wretched fate as being purchased by spoiled children.  But, I couldn't tell you the ending... you'll have to go see it for yourself!  

Sonoma Ballet Conservatory's The Magic Toy Shop

Additional companies that do a variation upon the usual holiday ballet are Smuin Ballet with its Christmas Ballet, ODC Dance with the Velveteen Rabbit.  I've been a fan of Smuin's Christmas Ballet for many years, it has a wonderful variety that is entertaining to both children, ballet goers, and dance newbies.  From tap dancing Christmas trees to sultry Santa Babies, this ballet will definitely get you in the mood for the holiday season.  Here's the website for more information.  ODC's The Velveteen Rabbit is a classic for many San Franciscans, and although I've never gotten the chance to see it myself, I've heard rave reviews and am hoping to see it this year.  ODC is well known for their ground breaking work, and I'm sure this ballet with choreography by KT Nelson and narrative based on Margery William's classic tale is well worth seeing.  Performances run from November 25-December 11th, click here for more information.

Do you have a favorite holiday dance show that I didn't list?  I'm always searching for new and exciting performances, so please let me know at theballerinabirthday@gmail.com!  I'm sure as the season gets underway I'll find more things to share, and would love it if you would share too!

Too Too by Betsey Johnson

Dance (and specifically ballerinas it seems) are having more and more influence these days on fashion and now, fragrance (check out my posts - Urban Ballerina, Ballerina Jewels and Ballerina Inspired Threads).  I was pursuing the perfumes at Sephora a few weeks back (which I find enjoyable but usually completely overwhelming) and noticed a new scent from Betsey Johnson called Too Too.  I'm not surprised that Betsey Johnson would find inspiration in tutus as a former dancer herself.  If you're at all familiar with her fashions, they definitely have a lean towards the frou frou and fluffy; lots of tutu skirts, sparkles and feminine details.  The packaging for her new fragrance is indeed feminine as well, and I appreciate the handiwork that went into making each tiny tutu for these bottles.  It also has a bit of a snow globe effect to me and reminds me a bit of a jewel box ballerina, dancing inside her little dome to a tinkling 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy'.

If you're interested in trying the scent out, it is available at all Sephoras and as you might imagine has a youthful scent including mandarins, passion fruit, ginger and strawberry.  Happy smelling!