How To: Ballet Buns

When I was a mere 3-4 years old, my mother of course made my ballet bun. But in seventh grade, I figured I was old enough to do it myself. Through trial and error, I’ve found the best method to creating a secure bun and I figured it would be a great little helper for you (shall you need to make one and don’t know how.)

The materials I use are listed below:

Hair net: There are various different hairnets. Some are super thin, and others are really thick. Some are meant to look natural and nearly blend in, and others are meant to stand out or be a bit more fancy. Either one is great, but I prefer the natural looking thin nets, for I find them able to hold all the hairs that stick out of my bun better. Because they are so thin, they can rip easily if you’re not careful, but each one can last quite a while even with a large hole in it.

(My favorite)

(The "fancy" net)

Two hair ties

Regular bobby pins

Large open bobby pins

Hair clips

*Gel/hairspray/mousse is optional

1.  Tie up hair into ponytail
2. Use the hair clips to pull back any bangs, baby hair, or flyaways
3. Slightly twist the ponytail as you move it into a bun shape
4.  Secure with second hair tie
5.  Pull hair net over: (Some hairnets are meant to go straight on and be secured with bobby pins right away. Others are meant to be twisted and folded over again until it’s secure.)
6. Use the large open bobby pins to secure the bun. (I like to use four for the top, bottom, and sides of the bun)
7.  Go in and secure the other areas of the bun with the small bobby pins until everything feels secure.

*When inserting bobby pins, enter it facing outwards (away from your head) then “flip” it so it faces towards your head and push the pin all the way in.

If you want, you can add gel/hairspray/mousse when you tie your hair up into a ponytail, and to finish off and secure any flyaways. I don’t tend to use any unless there’s a performance, but some people like an extra sleek look.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

A Bit About Me

I realize it might be a little difficult to find it in yourself to be able trust my reviews, tips/tricks, etc. if you barely know anything about where I'm coming from. With this in mind, I'm making this post as a way for you to "get to know me," at least in terms of ballet.

When I was just a little tyke, about 3 or 4 years old, my mum signed me up for ballet class, just like every other little girl out there. I can honestly say that I LOVED dancing, and I always enjoyed going to class. I attended Hawaii State Ballet, which is a famous ballet company in the heart of honolulu. I only danced for a little over a year since my beloved teacher decided to start a family and soon left. After trying another class at the company, I found that it wasn't the same, and I transferred to Ballet Hawaii, another well known ballet company since my friend danced there. I attended the studio for only a bit, for once again, it just wasn't the same. After that, my love for dance was no longer there and I decided to stop dancing.

Once I went to elementary school I began to dance hula for my school since they had a wonderful hula program. I loved the art, and I suppose you could say I've always been a dancer. Soon after transferring schools for middle and high school, I took up different sports. I've tried swimming, volleyball, and tennis, but I didn't fall in love with any of them. Then, towards the end of seventh grade my interest in ballet was suddenly rekindled and I joined a new ballet company whose name I prefer to remain nameless. Because I was in seventh grade, and hadn't danced for nearly a decade, I essentially knew NOTHING about ballet, so I was forced to start from the VERY beginning. I won't go into details, but with extreme dedication (dancing 5X a week) and a wonderful ballet teacher, I was able to make my way up the small company and begin pointe within a year. Now don't get me wrong, I am forever grateful to my teacher and her company for everything she has given me, from my very foundation, to all the incredible experiences I've had, but after a little over a year, it was time for me to take a break. Not only was my body experiencing difficulties, but as I was entering high school, I knew I needed to dedicate more of my time towards school. I was never a bad student, but I wanted to step up because I realized that ballet just simply was not my career path, and so my education would play a key role in which college I would be able to attend, and thus better assist me in my future. In fact, I'm still in high school and no matter how much guilt I still have for "abandoning" my old studio, I know in my heart that it was the right thing to do.

After a year break, I decided to start up at a new studio, which I attended for nearly a year, and though the teachers were pretty good, I wasn't as welcomed as I would have liked to been. Granted, there were some students that were really sweet to me, but I never felt as incorporated into the company as I had in previous companies. That said, I decided to, yes, move again. That's how I ended up at my current studio, Honolulu Classical Ballet, which I truly enjoy.

So that's essentially my story in a nutshell. I hoped you enjoyed getting to know a little bit about my history, and I would love to hear from you, whether it be about your own personal experience, or anything else.

Much love,
Rachel

Welcome

As my first official blog, I would like to begin by saying thank you. Whether you happened to stumble upon my beginning little site, or you've decided to listen to a friend and pay a visit, I would just like to extend my gratitude for simply taking the time out of your day to listen to what I have to say. 

Second, I feel the need to share a bit about myself and why I've created this blog. I've noticed that blogs today are becoming increasingly popular, as a new way to communicate, entertain, and share ideas, tips, and experiences. I found this new media to be not only new and exciting, but intriguing and quite honestly, appealing. Perhaps by this point, you are simply wondering what on earth makes my blog so much more attractive than others. The answer is simple. Unlike the usual blogs filled with beauty and makeup secrets, my blog is based upon ballet. Whether you're a dancer or not, my main goal for this blog is to assist people who are dancers, and perhaps even encourage a non-dancer to become one. 

I feel it my obligation to announce that I am in no way a certified ballet instructor, dancer, or critic, but I've worked hard and did my research, and I just hope to gain your trust. If you want to know a little bit about my typical teenage girl dance background, you may click on this link and it will send you to my other page. If not, I would love for you to continue reading. 

This blog was not created simply on the basis of my own action, for I must admit that I've had an academic stimulus, which has pushed me to create this. As a high school student, my school requires students to complete an Independent Project (IP project). With a 40 hour cumulative requirement, past students have given the advice to simply "do something you enjoy." With that in mind, I settled on dance. Ballet has been my passion for nearly three years now, but because the art is such a broad discipline, and filled with various styles and techniques, my knowledge is very limited. For my Independent Project I've taken two drop in classes each at four different ballet companies while also continuing to dance at my regular dance studio. By taking classes at various dance schools, I aspired to not only improve my dance skills, but also expand my knowledge, explore different techniques used at each company, and compare and contrast teaching styles.

It's incredible, really, how fast and noticeable the smallest of details can be noticed at each studio. What I've gained from such an experience has been truly eye opening, and a large part of this blog will be dedicated to the sharing of all that I've learned. 

Now, because I live on Oahu, and have attended dance classes only on the island, I realize that the particular details and analyzation of each particular studio may be deemed useless to those anywhere else. Which is why I've decided to add other aspects to this blog of mine. For those searching for the right studio in Hawaii, those simply curious about ballet, or for dancers looking for some honest advice, my blog is here for you. You can look forward to not just the documentation of my IP project, but also some personal tips, tricks, advice, and reviews for everything ballet. I know I'm not the most experienced "ballet blogger," but I can promise that all that I post will be truly sincere. So please, enjoy my blog, and feel free to comment or let me know what you want to read about.