Donating My Hair!

I've been uhming and ahhing about cutting my hair for a while now because before i just couldn't bring myself to doing such a drastic change. However, a couple of months ago I watched a video by 'Fabulous Hannah' on youtube about how she did the same thing and it was the final push i needed to go ahead with it and donate my hair to the Little Princess Trust.

Before

The Little Princess trust is a great charity where they use donated hair to create wigs for little boys and girls who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. The charity is fairly well known as they have had celebrities such as Jessie J and Harry Styles donate their hair to them.

As most girls will agree with me, my hair feels like part of who i am. It's been something to hide behind for years and you just become so used to it and how it works for you. Basically it's a security blanket. Especially with dance, it's so nice to know that you can do whatever with it and not have to worry. However i've been without change for so long and figured that i might as well kill two birds with one stone. Make a change and also get some good from it.

After

My hair was long enough that it went past my bra strap and has been kept in a relatively good condition. Slight natural wave to it but nothing too drastic. In all i probably had about 9 or 10 inches to donate, which feels like a scary amount, but it's so reassuring to know that it is going to a good cause and that you are going to contribute to making a young childs day. The hairdresser literally tied it into a low ponytail, and then secured the end of it so that once it was cut it would stay together, and in a relatively swift movement, she cut it all of. I mean to be honest, i had definitely worked myself up about it in my head when in reality, it was actually nothing and it feels so good! After it was cut we shaped it and fixed it to a style that suited me and within probably 40 minutes, the whole process was over!

Honestly though, i'm so in love with it now and i would have never walked in to a hairdressers with that idea normally so i'm so glad i tried something knew and got over the fear of letting go.

To be eligible to donate your hair to the Little Princess Trust you have to:

• Have at least 7 inches to donate so that it can be mixed with hair similar to create 1 wig.
• Be a natural colour, whether this is dyed or un dyed.
• Be in good condition, if we don't want to have split ends, neither does a little boy or girl.

If you feel like you might want to get involved or help the charity, check out their website below so find out how you can help.

http://www.littleprincesses.org.uk

Quick Grab Summer Essentials

So it seems as if this British Summer is actually holding up! (touch wood...) And in times like this, all care for essentials goes out the window as I try to make the most of this sunshine and relax, forgetting about all the important things.

However, I am here to remind myself (and you!) of the essentials we need to remember when the weather heats up and the sun makes an appearance.

1. Water. Ok, this seems obvious, but I know that I personally, when given the choice, will opt for an ice cold can of coke over a bottle of water, thinking that it will be better to quench my thirst, but staying hydrated is literally the most important thing! We often forget how key it is in this weather, because we are hardly lucky enough to have it. So just think, if you're thirsty, try to pick up that bottle of water instead of the sugary drink. It will do wonders for you!

2. Lip balm is so key in this heat. Most people think that you only really need it in winter, as that's when your lips tend to get most chapped, but actually, your lips can get sunburnt too! When looking for a lip balm however, go towards something with added SPF protection in it, rather than just your favourite strawberry scented one offering you no protection.

3. Suncream. Again, obvious as it may seem, people tend to go without it. Now, i'm all for lying in the sun all day attempting to get a tan, but you can still do this even with suncream! The key thing its protecting you against in skin cancer. So please don't skim out on it so you can become a bronzed goddess, or a deep shade of red in my case....

Ok, so now for the not so health wise essentials, but like, they can't do you any harm to have right?;)

1. A fruity scented perfume/body spray! What better way to feel like summer all the time, especially if it starts to rain, then when you constantly smell like sweet smelling goodness. There's some lovely ones about, but my favourites for summer are

2. Floral patterned anything. Like, there isn't much to say really except that they're cute, and totally appropriate for this time of year!

3. Cute swimwear. Whether it's to take on holiday to lounge about in the pool, or to sunbathe in your garden, it doesn't hurt to have! Plus if it's something you like or feel good in, it will boost your body confidence making you feel happier.

Hope this was helpful or at least encouraged you to go out and purchase some cute summer sun wear!

Lucie xo

My Life In A Dance Week

Life is stressful for a 19 year old girl in the middle of her A Levels who also dances four times a week, and although sometimes I would rather curl up in a ball and sleep all day, I couldn't think of anything I would rather be doing than dancing. So this post is a little different from my others but I hope you enjoy it all the same!

I go to class four times a week, doing a mixture of dancing for myself and being somewhat a classroom assistant. This combination allows me to progress in my own capability, but also learn how to take on more of a teaching role, including how to deal with the kids, how to go about teaching them new steps, and knowing how to react in certain situations. So basically in this blog i'm going to talk you through what I get up to in a usual dance week, and why "sorry I can't, I have dance" is a valid excuse to get out of things!

Tuesday:

So my usual dance week will start of on a Tuesday at school. I study A level dance as one of my options so I will have an hour and a half lesson either theory or practical based focusing on our academic exam. If it's practical based we will be working on our solo and group pieces, but if it's theory based, we focus on the works of Alvin Ailey and West Side Story. However because we have completed our practical exams this year, we've only really focused on the theory elements of the course.
And then on a Tuesday evening from 5-6:30 I have my outside of school dance. Our dance school is focused mainly on exams which help us with our teaching, but we also do show work and have recently been involved in competitions. But my Tuesday class is for the exam group below me, so even though i've already taken the exam, it's nice to go and be able to work on my technique and strength.

Wednesday:

On a Wednesday I am a classroom assistant for the groups primary ballet to grade 1 ballet from 4:30-6:15. So I mostly stand at the front of class and demonstrate for them and give them someone to watch whilst they practise. Recently i've tried to help out more by teaching them different exercises, but i've mostly been working a lot more on my confidence around them. It's also helpful being with this class because when you go back to basics with them, it improves your technique because you have to make sure you're executing everything properly for them.
And then from 6:15-8 I dance with the Advanced 2 students. Again, it's mostly so I can work on my technique and strength, but also I get to try more stuff and new moves so it's fun to do.

Thursday:

Thursday is the same as Tuesday school wise where I have an hour and half lesson centred either around practical or theory based on the exam specification.

Friday:

I have a dance lesson at school again on this day but my outside of school dance is my main focus where I dance from 5-8. In this class we focus on our ballet exam work including half an hour of pointe work, and then we have an hour of class where we either focus on contemporary/modern jazz or show work (depending if there is a show at this point in the year). This is my most important class because it's focused on the exam work for my ability and is at my level.

Saturday:

On a Saturday i'm usually at dance from about 11-2. For the first 45 minutes we'll have a pointe work class for the grade above mine, and then until 1:30 i'll go into the spare room to work on my own grade work as extra practise. 1:30-2 is a beginners tap class which is for the younger students. However, I really enjoy tap (even though i'm not very good!) so I join in with them, or stand at the front to help demonstrate.

This is mostly it for my dance week, but is subject to change at different points in the year if we have a show, or small performances/competitions. But I hope people now understand how busy I actually am and realise that I can't just miss a dance class because all of them are equally important!!

Lucie xo