Dancer Meets Triathlete - Oscar Week!

Dancer Meets Triathlete: Oscar Week!
When Oscar-nominated Natalie Portman was training for her role in Black Swan she studied with the New York City Ballet five hours a day for six months. For cross-training, she also swam.

With the strength and agility required for Black Swan, I bet Portman would make a solid triathlete.

Let's compare:

*(D) Dancer, (T) Triathlete

Training schedule: (D) Obsessive, (T) Obsessive

Clothing: (D) Leotard, (T) Trisuit

Modesty suggests: (D) Black tights, (T) Black tri shorts

Performance enhancer: (D) Leg warmers, (T) Compression socks

Underlayers: (D) Commando, (T) Commando

Quick costume changes required: (D) Offstage, (T) Transition tent or on the fly

Wear and tear: (D) Bloody toes, chafing, blisters, (T) Fin bites, saddle sores, raw heels

Covers the butt: (D) Tutu, (T) Sparkle skirt, running skirt, transition skirt

Crowns: (D) Tiara, headpiece, feathers, (T) Swim cap, bike helmet, world championship crown

Hairstyle: (D) Bun, (T) Two braids

Segments: (D) Intermission, (T) Transition

In charge: (D) Director, (T) Coach

Shoes: (D) Tap, jazz, ballet and pointe, (T) Bike, run or tri

Laces: (D) Satin, elastic, (T) Speed

Bag: (D) Duffel, (T) Tri backpack

TMI: (D) Shaves more than general population, (T) ditto

In peak form: (D) Mesmerizing, (T) Effortless

Venues: (D) Talent show to Broadway stage, (T) Indoor, traditional, off-road and winter

Footwork: (D) Beautiful feet, (T) Born to run

Race preparation: (D) Dress rehearsal, (T) On site walk-through

Begins: (D) Curtain opens, (T) Cannon fires

Audience, spectators appreciate: (D) Gorgeous lines, (T) People watching

Concludes: (D) Nailing the finish, (T) Sprinting across the finish line

Post-finish: (D) Encore, (T) Sign up for another tri!

Questions for You:

- Is Portman a triathlete?

- What elite triathletes have dance backgrounds?

- How has dance helped your skills as a triathlete?

- What did I miss?

And finally, "Who's dancing? Come on, who's dancing? Want me to get it started?"
-- Elaine Benes youtube clip

pictures:

- free media download from Black Swan,

- me in a tutu and

- me in my tri suit & sparkle skirt after a local triathlon.

Black Swan - Pointe Shoe Envy & Ugly Feet

I took 10+ years of dance growing up starting with ballet and later switching the jazz. I've taken classes as an adult and would love to try more in the future.

I also love movies. So, it's really easy to get me to see a dance movie, perfect combo. Even if the storyline isn't great (Step it Up 3D), as long as the dancing works, I'm good.

My regret with switching to jazz is that I didn't stay in ballet long enough to get pointe shoes & an amazing tutu, like Natalie Portman's character in Black Swan.

WOW. If I had them I'd twirl around my kitchen nonstop.

Most dance/ballet movies include a montage of sore, bloody injured feet and the special tricks dancers use to care for their feet and prepare their shoes.

While currently a triathlete, and not a principal dancer, I too have foot issues:

• * Something happened while wearing fins at my last masters practice and I have raw sore spots on both feet.
• That same weekend our third-grader scooted a chair and landed the metal chair leg's pointy base on my bare foot (the bruise is nastier than this picture.)
• I have weird foot tan lines from Florida,
• odd pre-bunion type shape on the right side,
• my toe nail polish isn't great,
• bulging veins and more.

Overall, this is a pretty ugly foot picture and I'm a little shy about sharing it. But I'm grateful for where my feet have carried me and look forward to many many future adventures, whether barefoot or en pointe.

On Topic
Black Swan trailer
Step it Up 3D *The move at 33seconds is fascinating.
Ballerina Project
Oscar nominations (With Best Picture, so far I've seen Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, 127 Hours & True Grit.)

Questions for You:
- Why does every movie lately have to be in 3D?
- How do you feel about your feet?
- Best picture opinions?

photos: one of my early ballet photos, I'm in the center back. My foot, by me.