Highlights of my week in El Paso!

Hey! So glad you're back! Today we will be going over the highlights of my week at the Ballet Alliance Festival in Texas!!

DAY 1: Monday, April 4th Today while all my friends laid by the pool, I was at the scholarship audition class! It was a nerve wracking experience, but felt very beneficial. We got all dressed up for our opening night dancer party! It was decade themed and each company got to perform a little dance. We chose the 90s and did Toxic by Brittney Spears. We definitely won best dressed.After we all performed, we had a dance party and of course the iconic dance circle. The food provided by the convention center is always disgusting, so naturally we ordered Raising Canes when we got back to our hotel. One of the most fun parts of the festival is getting to room with your friends and get to know them so much better!

DAY 2: Tuesday, April 5th Today was our first day of classes! Dancing in the convention center can be hard, no mirrors, no sprung floor, and no warm-ups. There are constantly people watching you from the side lines as well as in the class, and being around new dancers can be very scary as well as exciting. All of these different aspects can make this a very humbling experience as well as lower your self esteem, but the overall experience makes everything worth it! After classes, and dinner we head back to the hotel to get ready for the first show! As always the show was amazing and so inspiring. Then back to the hotel + more Canes :)

DAY 3: Wednesday, April 6th Today we had a very jam-packed day of classes, and rehearsals. We had a very beneficial mental wellness seminar in which we were able to unpack some of the stress we had been holding all week, and just in life in general. Then back to the hotel to prepare for the show. Night 2 was just as good as the first! Then back to the hotel and, you guessed it, Canes! With our performance and awards looming, tension and stress is high, but laughing with your roommates is the best cure!
DAY 4: Thursday, April 7th Today is performance day! But first honors class! The honors class is an honor, no pun intended, to take part in. Two dancers from each company, usually the ones the adjudicator/ judge thinks are the best, are chosen to take this special class. It is so stressful. You are put in a room with the best dancers from each company attending the festival, everyone is sizing each other up and you feel like you need to perform your absolute best. The class went better than expected and I was so proud of myself after. I even got some individual corrections and attention. Next, we had a tech/ dress rehearsal at the theater! I got to watch my piece rehearse with the directors and adjudicators from the audience and use the mic to talk to my dancers. We also had rehearsal for our company piece Yoruba and some time to rest. The performance was stressful but we gave it our all and we were so happy with the outcome. I was so proud of my dancers and it was so special to get to walk on stage after my piece and bow. It made all of the blood sweat and tears I had put into my piece worth it! Then we had the closing night gala, our pieces did not win the choreography award, but I won a full ride scholarship to my summer intensive! It is always bittersweet to leave but the exhaustion overpowers all other emotions.
Overall The Ballet Alliance is such a beneficial and rewarding experience. I always leave the festival feeling a new wave of motivation and inspiration that makes the hard work so worth it. You get the opportunity to bond with your friends and make new ones. I can't wait to go back next year!

arizona eats!

hi! i'm so glad you're here. today we will be recapping my favoritie food places in pheonix, arizona! i was recently there for my spring break, and i truly think the food there is unmatched!

My first Arizona rec is the Boba Tea Company located in the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. This mall is huge and has everything you could ever want, from designer stores to giant movie theaters. It is located in downtown Scottsdale and is very accessible and close to everything. This boba shop was so cute, every drink name was so creative and clever which made the whole experience so much fun. There was so much to choose from so it was hard to decide, but anything you get there is so delicious and they give you a lotttt of boba! I ended up getting the Creme de la Creme which was a cold brew with french vanilla creamer, caramel boba and caramel drizzle. It was seriously SO good! It was just the right amount of sweet and the perfect ratio of boba to drink. I would rate this boba a 9/10 and totally recommend stopping at Boba Tea Company if you're ever in the area!

My next recommendation is Culinary Dropout. They have locations in both Phoenix and Scottsdale and it's perfect for a group dinner! There are many activities for people of all ages to engage in while waiting for your food, like cornhole, shuffleboard and many others. It is usually pretty busy, especially on weekends, so I would recommend making a reservation, but we have also been able to get a table without one. My absolute must have is the soft pretzels with provolone fondue. The pretzels are perfection and the cheesy fondue is to die for, I would go to this restaurant just to get this! In addition to yummy appetizers, all of the food is amazing! It is always so hard to decide what I want to get!I would rate Culinary Dropout a 10/10 for experience and a 10/10 for food! Can't recommend enough!

My last recommendation for you is Postino. This is hands down my favorite lunch spot in Phoenix! The aesthetic is perfect and it is located right next to the cutest little grocery, Le Grande Orange. My favorite thing to get is the Bruschetta Board, you get to pick 4 bruschetta from their wide selection. It is a lot of food, but so worth it! I would seriously eat there every day if I could! Everyone who works there is so nice and the ambiance is impeccable.